"Ya know why they'll never make a movie of my life? Because there's no tragedy in it. And that's just fine with me."
Dean Milano
Fun From Day One
A lot of people have asked me to do a biography page since that seems to be a popular thing to do on a Website. It's also a tough thing to do because there is such a fine line between telling what you've done and "bragging". I'll try to do this without too much of the latter....hopefully.
(By the way, apparently some people have been taking my photo captions quite seriously. Many of the captions are true, but believe me, if it sounds ridiculous, it probably is. And, no- the images have not been photo-shopped or altered in any way.)
Born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin- March 15, 1951. "Beware the Ides of March" takes on a new meaning.
Mom and me in our '48 Plymouth. One of the earliest photos of me and of course,
I'm in the front seat of a car. The bonding begins. (No, not between mother and
son......between son and cars!)
My love for miniature vehicles started at an early age. The Jewel man
would come to our door every week with a metal toy of a Jewel Tea Company
delivery truck sticking out of his basket and I just had to have it. I
bugged my folks 'til they broke down and bought it for my 4th birthday.
Unfortunately, over the years I discovered I couldn't really realize a
satisfying meal unless I had my little truck by my side.
Ah yes, age 5 and the silliness begins. To this day, I still seem to have a hard
time taking a normal picture. "Dean, why can't you just smile like everyone
else, dammit!"
And then of course, the cruelty begins. Myself and my brothers Mark and Paul on
Marks birthday. We placed his birthday cake on the hood of his new pedal car and
forced him to drive it around as fast as he could without letting it slide off-
or we threatened to beat him.
By the time I was 7, I had finally gotten my drivers license.
Here I am taking my cousin Felice for a spin. When I was 18, I traded this car
in for a shiny Kidillac with dual pedals.
I eventually traded that vehicle in for a vintage Rockmobile. I
bought it from a guy named Fred who told me it only had 26,000 footmiles on it.
My collection ca. 1963-4. I actually still have several of these models and was
able to display them in our
museum.
In July of 1964, our family moved to the Chicago area. A town called Glen Ellyn, to be exact. "A real nice place to raise your kids up", as Frank Zappa might say.
In 1965, I won my first model contest trophy at a local hobby shop. First and
third places were both taken by Corvettes, but my customized '56 Ford squeezed
in between 'em and grabbed 2nd place. I still have the model and the trophy.
Uh-oh. By 1966, I was a full-fledged Rock 'n Roller and all thoughts of model
car building were buried away for the time being. I'm the groovy cat sitting on
the ground. Hey, the moustache may be fake, but the eyebrows are real!
Who would've guessed that within a few short years, this-
would turn into this? And believe me, there were no drugs or alcoholic
beverages involved! Something just went terribly wrong.
1972, playing at
a rally for Dan Walker, who was running for the office of Governor of Illinois.
He eventually won, but I'm not exactly sure if my band really had anything to do
with it.
Around 1974, after coming home from college (Southern Illinois University), I started to revive my interest in model cars. '74 was a great time to get back in because you could still pick up rare kits at great prices and I picked up quite a few. It was the beginning of a collection that is now officially out of control.
In 1980, I joined the New Seekers and traveled across the country singing
"Hey There, Georgy Girl" every night for about 4 years. Hey c'mon, if
that blonde had her hand on your bass, you'd be smiling, too. Alright,
class....let's get our minds out of the gutter.
Backstage at Milwaukee Summerfest with Bo Diddley, probably 1982.
Singing the National Anthem at Yankee Stadium, New York in front of 50,000 Yankee fans.
That's us towards the bottom of the picture, directly in front of the color
guard. Pretty exciting stuff, and I'm not even a baseball fan!
I met this very nice couple on a trip to the Wisconsin Dells, but they insisted
on wearing these huge masks all the time we were together. I later found out
why- they had both been horribly disfigured in an automobile accident.
Yours truly, in the 1982 production of Stumpy's Gang. Jim Belushi had
suggested to friends of mine that we make a short film to be shown on Saturday
Night Live, along the lines of the Mr.Bill series. Unfortunately, Stumpy was a
bit long, coming in at around 12 minutes, so it was never shown on SNL. Chances
are pretty good you've never seen this film.
Doing a show at Second City, Chicago. I have to admit, it
was a real kick performing on the same stage that artists like John Belushi,
Joan Rivers, Alan Arkin, etc. had once been on. Maybe someday I'll be as famous
as them. Then again........maybe not.
By 1993, the live band end of the music biz was in it's death throes, so when I got a call from Revell-Monogram, asking if I needed a job, I figured...what the heck? Might even be fun! I ended up working there for 12 years. Sometimes it was fun, sometimes it wasn't. ( I never stopped playing in bands, though...and I never burned out on model building, either!)
My office at Revell, Des Plaines ca.1994. Surrounded by model kits, who could ask for
anything more? The Des Plaines site closed in '98 and we all moved over to the
Morton Grove facility. In 2003, we moved to a new facility in Northbrook, Il.
and in 2006, the original Morton Grove plant was razed, I imagine to make way
for another Walgreens.
1995 was my first trip to Europe. Now if you'll all sit down and be quiet, I'll show you 208 slides of my vacation.
My brother Mark and I "debating" in the Roman Forum in Rome, Italy. It
is truly amazing walking across the very same floors that Julius Caesar walked
across so long ago. Oh well, I guess you had to be there.......
Here I am, admiring a painting at the Louvre in Paris, France. My brothers and I
were actually kicked out of the Louvre that day. One of my brothers can be a bit
of a wise-ass at times and I guess the French didn't appreciate our sense of
humor. If my folks ever found out, they'd *kill* us!
My brother Philip and I were so impressed by the gardens at Versailles,
that we decided we needed to play "horsey back ride".
Puerto Vallarta, Mexico 1996. With that gorgeous view of the bay behind me, I
just had to sit down and build a model kit on the spot.
Singing opera in front of the Opera House in Sydney, Australia- 1997.
Well, isn't that what
you're supposed to do?
Checking out the copy I wrote for the Revell '69 Dart kit. This Australian hobby
shop was very similar to an American shop. I'm not sure the shop owner believed
me when I tried to explain that I was the guy who actually wrote the copy on the
sides of the box, but I noticed he was happy when I actually bought something.
Working with Ed "Big Daddy" Roth at the Chicago Hobby Show in '97 was
fun. He brought the Beatnik Bandit II with him and signed autographs in our
booth during the 4 day event. My wife, Gay is to the left of Roth and that's me, with
the top hat embedded in my neck.
Doing a research photo shoot of a Chevelle for Revell ( hey,that rhymes!). The
fellow on the ladder is Bill Lastovich. The ladder eventually buckled and Bill
fell onto the trunk of the car, leaving a 2 1/2 foot long dent. (Just kidding)
Gay and I had a great time back in Puerto Vallarta Spring of
2000.
Here we are with former Olympic Gold Medal swimmer, Mark Spitz. Mark was
in costume for his new gig with the "El Dolphin World" theme
park in Mexico.
On August 5th, 2000, I finally decided trying to stay single for 50 years wasn't worth it, so I got married (at age 49 1/2).
I found a woman with a fabulous vintage car and promised to
marry her if she would let me drive it once in a while. (just a joke. The car
actually belongs to good friend, Ronn Pittman.)
Gay and I on top of our chocolate wedding cake and.......the real thing.
THE HONEYMOON!
Here I am in the South of England, showing the difference between American
and British car keys. Apparently that pile of stones in the background is of
some significance, but I'm not exactly sure what.
Trying to demonstrate how really big the Big Wheel in London is.
Gay checks her watch against Big Ben....just in case.
Feeling holy at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. The moment
quickly passed.
Dean, in Old Car Heaven....Havanna, 2001
Move over, Ralph Cramden! Dere ain't room in dis bus for da two
of us!(Bus & Rail Museum- Toronto, Canada)
This old building in Athens was in bad shape, so I
thought I'd chip in and do some minor repairs. The local authorities weren't
impressed.
In August of 2003, Gay and I actually crewed on the Stars & Stripes,
the yacht that had won the Americas Cup race in 1987. Prior to the race, I
agreed to gain 50 pounds to act as ballast. (St.Maarten, Caribbean)
Here I am standing on the line between the Hemispheres, the line that determines
what time the new day starts throughout the world. It's the GMT line at the Royal
Observatory in Greenwich, England and I'm going crazy. I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S
TIME FOR BREAKFAST OR DINNER! AAARGH!
The Madurodam, in Holland is the worlds
largest 1/25th scale diorama and it is quite impressive. I had noticed a model
car on the street that was missing from my own collection and I hoped to obtain
it through negotiations with the management. My wife slapped me on top of the
head before I was able to do so, however.
With the live music scene slowly disappearing in the US, I thought I'd try to
join a band in Morrocco, Africa. When I found out the gig only paid two
pounds of camel dung per week, I decided against it.
One of my pet peeves is bumper stickers that say "Ask Me About My
Grandchildren!" Let's face it folks, NOBODY CARES ABOUT YOUR
GRANDCHILDREN EXCEPT YOU! Meanwhile, have I shown you a picture of my
grandkids? Aren't they just the cutest litt.......what?
Oh. Never mind.
Gay, standing on the edge of a live volcano on our trip to Nicaragua,
November 2005. She thought about jumping in, but then that whole
"virgin" issue came up and she changed her mind.
This Petroglyph at Palma Sola, in the mountains above Acapulco, Mex
Stoppin' off for roadside chow at the original Clam Box restaurant while
Cruisin' in a Cruiser. What could be cooler? (Ipswich, Ma.)
December 17th, 2006- The CD Release party for my first album, SONGS ABOUT
STUFF. Looks like I'm obviously singing some painfully serious song or maybe
I just have a stomach ache. Left to right: Dennis Gordon (co-producer), Scott
Braam (recording engineer) myself and Dave Kovnat, who plays drums on the album.
Photo- Debi Zari
March 19th, 2007- I helped organize and MC a memorial tribute to Dennis
Gordon, my musical partner and friend of 25 years. Dennis passed away on
February 20th, 2007 and over 100 friends and musicians came to celebrate his
life on this night one month later. Needless to say, it was quite an emotional
event. Photo- Debi Zari
Gay, at the Cliffs of Moher in Ireland. Such an idyllic scene, and yet if
you look a few feet to the left, there are hundreds of people, lots of gift
shops and a huge parking lot filled with cars. More like the Cliffs of Moher
Amusement Park, but it was still an awe inspiring sight..
The Foynes Flying Boat Museum in Ireland. Who'da thunk it? But there it
was as we happened to be driving by. That's Mat Irvine sitting out front and
that's me sitting inside the world's largest scale model- The Pan Am Yankee
Clipper flying boat. Too cool.
Exploring the Mother Road, Fall of 2007. "Hey Route 66, where'd ya go?"
Ah yes, what could be more fun than playing dress-up with grandpa! (Abby and
Maggie)
Would you buy a used boat from this couple? Hmmm......
To Be Continued........(as more things happen)
The following is a "poem" or whatever, that I wrote about fun stuff I'd done in my life. Before I placed it on this page, I showed it to several people with mixed results. Some said it was way over the top and I was coming off like a real blowhard, while others thought it was legit and came off as someone expressing how thankful he was for the life experiences he'd had. I'll let you, the reader be the judge, and if I get too many negative responses, ......I'll yank it off!
Update: Several years now with no complaints. Guess I'll leave it up. But I have to admit, it seems to be getting a bit lengthy. ;^)
I
think I've
had a pretty good life.
I've
danced with my wife at the top of the Eiffel Tower.
I've
had dinner at the base of an erupting volcano in Costa Rica.
I've
sung, along with my four brothers, to a gondolier on the canals of
I've
gazed upon the Mona Lisa, craned my neck at the ceiling of the Sistine
I've played with the Barbary Apes on the Rock of Gibralter.
I
saw President John F.Kennedy waving from the door of an airplane in Milwaukee in
1963.
I've hiked the Bright Angel Trail down to the bottom of the Grand Canyon and back up again in one day, a feat I can assure you I will never attempt again.
I've been in two (intensely minor) earthquakes and I survived!
I've
stood in an Australian magazine store reading ad copy I'd written
back
Scale
Auto Enthusiast magazine named me one of Top 20 most memorable
My
band was played on National Public Radio's
"Best of the Midnight
I
was an indirect cause of one of the last record albums recorded and released by
I've
sung and played with local musicians in Cuba, Morrocco, England, Mexico,
Greece, Italy, Nicaragua and several
other countries
around the world.
Grammy
Award winner Shawn Colvin used to perform a song I wrote (You’ve Been On
My Mind So Long, It’s Givin’ Me a Headache) in one of her early bands.
I
was in the middle of the Lincoln Park riots during the 1968 Democratic
I've been responsible for introducing 3 different couples who eventually married and had kids- although I certainly didn't plan it that way.
I've
had a model car book (Auto Modelling Masterclass) dedicated to me by the great
British writer Mat Irvine in 1998, and Arthur Ward, the
British expert on Airfix models, dedicated 5 pages to me in his 2004 book,
Classic Kits.
I
opened my own Toy Museum after planning it for 25 years.
I've
sung the National Anthem with The New Seekers before a ball game at Yankee Stadium.
I've had my name (as designer) on the side of a Revell model car kit box. One of the kits from my Highway Scenes series has been spotted in several books on the history of Route 66 and is also seen in the 2004 film- Built For Speed: The Coral Court Motel. Another of my kits won the coveted Model Kit of the Year award from Toy Shop News.
I've
shared the stage with the likes of Cab Calloway, Jan and Dean, Bo
I've
performed on the stage of Chicago's Second City Theatre in two different
Players Workshop shows.
I
was music director of a cast of 16 men and women for several years at the
Dry Gulch, a
My
band, the Casualaires (including several "guests" from John
Prine's band -The Famous Potatoes) made a record that was played on jukeboxes all over
I produced my own 1950 Buick resin model car kit and sold close to 200 of them before the mold wore out.
I've
built models that were featured in movies, TV shows, magazine ads, video arcade games
I was almost killed by Iggy Pop (of the Stooges) at a rock festival in 1969 when he decided it would be fun to throw objects up in the air and into the audience from the stage. I was lying on my back with my eyes closed near the front of the stage when suddenly I heard a loud "thump" right next to my ear. I rolled over and looked at a full can of beer embedded in the ground inches from my face.
I observed a huge, glowing U.F.O. from about 30 feet away for several minutes one summer night back in 1978, and another object in Acapulco, Mexico in 2006. And no, I was not taken onboard and "probed" by little green men.
In 2003, I crewed as a Backstay Grinder on the yacht Stars & Stripes, the winner of the 1987 Americas Cup race. We ran a regatta against the yacht True North and we actually won.
I've had quite a few of my model cars featured on the pages of Collectible Automobile magazine, as well as others..
Early Super 8mm footage of my '60s band, Grope was featured in film director Allison Anders "Don't Knock the Rock" festival in 2004.
In the late '60s, I was lucky enough to see the Doors, Jimi Hendrix, The Who, Led Zeppelin, the original Mothers of Invention, the Yardbirds, The Byrds, Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Segovia and many others, live in concert.
One night in 1977, Del Close of Second City fame, came to see my band, and was so impressed that he immediately gave me the Second City sweatshirt he was wearing. He then proceeded to run out into the street, bare from the waist up, into a howling blizzard and disappeared into the cold Chicago night. I think it's safe to say, Del was "feeling no pain" that evening. ;^)
I had my name in the Americas Who's Who book (only as the son of Nicholas Milano, my father the world famous metallurgical engineer). Hey, it's a start!
I've had all my musical equipment stolen twice, and both times they left my accordion behind. Puzzling? You decide.
I'm proud to say that over the last 25 years, I have not found it necessary to eat at a McDonalds.
I was mentioned (as the lead singer for my band, Pontiac Jones) in the premier issue of OUI magazine, an offshoot of Playboy magazine. How many of you can tell your grandkids you were in a dirty magazine, huh?
My bands have played in just about every situation imaginable, including a stint at a nudist colony, a Teenage Miss America Pageant, Chicago Bulls warm-up act, political rallies, a book signing for Studs Terkel, a maximum security prison (Joliet) and two weddings that ended in bloody brawls between families.
I've seen the Can-Can danced at the Moulin Rouge in Paris, I've seen the show (which has run continuously since 1939, by the way) at the famous Tropicana in Havanna, I saw the MC5 kick out the jams in Lincoln Park at the 1968 Democratic Convention riots, but I didn't get to go to Woodstock with all my buddies because I had to work at the IGA grocery store that weekend! Hindsight is golden...
In 2004, I had my picture (see my Celebrity Models page) on the boxtop of an AMT model kit, the company that competes with Revell, the people I was working for at the time!
I had my name in the credits of the 2006 release of the feature film LEGIT, and all I did was play bass at the World Premiere ceremonies. Look ma, I'm in da movies! PLUS- One of my model cars, a 1960 Valiant, ended up in the 1999 Disney Pictures film version of the '60s TV Sitcom My Favorite Martian.
In
2006, I realized another of my lifelong dreams when I recorded and released
my own CD/album of 16 original songs. The title- Songs
About Stuff. And, according to a list
After
50 years of searching, I found my dream girl and I married her.
And
above all, I've been surrounded by the best family and friends a man
could
want.
I've
had a pretty good life and if I could go back and do it over again, I