Back when Kool and the Gang was huge - during the "Celebration" days - they played at the Paramount and stayed at the Portland Hilton. They partied pretty hearty at the hotel including having drinks with some of the employees. It was a much crazier, less formal era.

Of course, the switchboard was on overload the whole time they were there and various musicians and beautiful young women were seen roaming around the place.

I was working at the hotel myself and I talked with the lead singer J.T.- known by that for obvious reasons over his real name, James Taylor. He's the guy in yellow in this video.

Anyway, J.T. was living quite large back then, and after I talked to him for awhile I said, "Well, have a good time in Portland." He just gave me this ultra-cool look and said, "Will do." It struck me that the lead singer of Kool in the Gang was probably having a lot more fun with his life than I was working in banquets at the Portland Hilton. But then again those were crazy times so I'm not 100% sure. I didn't have the resources he did, but I sure was fighting to keep up.

Anyway a bunch of us got hammered, and went to the concert, sitting in the first row of the balcony. The band tore the place down - much rawer (like this video) than the super-slick production of the records. Easily the most memorable move was when the horn players locked arms facing away from each other and then one bent forward suddenly flipping the other guy over his head.

The concert was quite a party and I was very grateful that none of us fell from the balcony to the seats below.

One of the funniest radio bits that I have ever heard was on the Rick Emerson show (local host) a few years back. Seems his screener had set up a interview with Kool and The Gang (this guy I think) and Rick started freaking out about an hour before the interview.

Seems Rick, who is usually a treasure trove of pop culture trivia, knew next to nothing about Kool and The Gang and had no idea of what to ask or talk about for the 10 minute long segment.

He then came up with the idea of letting a listener do the interview so people started calling in to audition for the KATG interview, posing as Rick. It was hilarious and one of the funniest bits I have ever heard, especially since it was totally unplanned and spontaneous.

Rick eventually did the interview and it was not that bad but it was clear that Rick's and KATG audience were two totally different groups of people.

They were Jersey City cats, IIRC.