The Anticipation (part 1)
View from Jon Weiser’s home in Miami
It began, an evening thick with anticipation as we drove through the charming streets of Miami Beach, on the outskirts of South Pointe Park, searching for an elusive parking space. The air, most pleasant as we finally stepped out of the car onto the sidewalk—the temperature—not at all the oppressive heat one might expect of a typical Miami evening.
Step-by-step, we made our entrance into the restaurant, which had a relaxed atmosphere of soft music and dim red lighting, which gradually enwrapped us as we approached the bar. Moment-by-moment, and six-thirty arrived—the agreed time to meet. And there was Jon sitting handsomely at the bar, seemingly pleased at our arrival.
Following the salutations, the initial topic veered to a thwarted neighborhood break-in which had attracted a small flock of people foraging the area for information or spectacle, crowding the streets making our hunt for parking that much harder. And as we began to reacquaint, Barbara Weiser, stylish as ever, joined us to complete the dinner party.
Frankly, some time has passed since we started the endeavor of making our film—the Weiser’s, Ric and I. In fact, three years ago at the Cafe Luxembourg on the Upper West Side, over a lovely Manhattan lunch, we introduced our intent to tell the incredible story of their beloved Charivari.
But a new dimension was added to the proceedings; it was in the long anticipated Introduction between the Weiser’s and Yaa Boaa, who is co-directing our film with Ric. It was time.
They needed to see the intrepid triad undertaking this wonderfully challenging task. The three of us, who over the last few years have spent our time uncovering the layers of the story to reveal how it all happened; how careers were made, and what role clothing and fashion played in our New York lives over the 70s, 80s and 90s.
What followed was a lovely meal served with a few side orders of laughs, conversation and anticipation. What exactly was to happen the next day? Our long awaited interview with Jon.
Concluding the evening at RED restaurant, we brought them up to speed with a little more talk of the project, thus far, when we gleaned from their willingness to answer our questions, more than an interest in the process of crafting our film. Here we are, a little more than half way through making the film, 60+ interviews in, and we are finally about to interview one of the founders of Charivari!
Everything happens in its time. And it’s good, because now, we expect both Jon and Barbara Weiser to connect the dots.
Jon, Barbara, Cheyenne, Ric & Yaa Boaa at dinner at RED
End of Part 1
Read part 2 by clicking the OLDER link below
Photo by Colton Duke on Unsplash
*SAVE THE DATE!
The 3rd New York Shoot—Sat June 13th & Sun June 14th
Thanks to your support, we are now more able to plan our next shoot.
If you will be in the New York City area and would like to be part of our production, please contact us via this website. Provide your full name, email address and telephone number.
D-Source Note: The 2 day shoot will only be comprised of around 10 interview subjects.
If you are not selected as a participant for our 3rd New York shoot, we will be sure to keep your details on file. And as we continue to raise funds and set dates for subsequent shoots, we’ll contact you with the pertinent information.