I know him thanks to KISS. Like Leif Garrett before him, I had absolutely no idea who Rex Smith was or what he did back in the late 1970’s, but his mug – which I guess would be one to make the girls swoon – routinely adorned the 16 Magazines that I would buy. There were lots of heartthrobs in those pieces of pulp, but I was only buying it for the KISS articles and pictures. But since his face became a fixture of my nostalgic youth, I was rather happy to meet Rex Smith face to charming face.
Since our meeting – which took place at the Hollywood Show on Saturday, October 8, 2011 – I have actually heard his lone top 10 hit You Take My Breath Away. It made it into the top 100 songs of 1979 and thus consequently fell into my radar range. He’s also done a fair share of acting on such shows as Street Hawk, The Love Boat, Baywatch, and Caroline in the City.
Rex had been postponed from the previous show, which I missed, so I was glad to get the chance to meet him. He was a very nice guy, and talked about the days when he had toured Cincinnati and did some name dropping about working with Paul McCartney (after seeing my shirt). He didn’t charge any extra for a photo op with him, so he’s okay in my book. Who knew when I was thumbing through those 16 Magazines, that I’d be meeting so darn many of those heartthrobs within?
Celebrities of the Fall 2011 Hollywood Show will continue…
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