Bill hired me as an after school tutor, and I was desperate to leave a good
first impression. I shaved and dressed business casual for my first
meeting with Mr. Gerstel. Imagine being greeted at the door by a man
with purple hair, dice earrings and one of the wildest rockabilly
outfits I'd ever seen.
He was like a character from a great movie
or record sleeve who'd dropped into life. His hospitality was unmatched
(he'd have a glass of water for me every day, even when I forgot to ask
for one), as was his focus and discipline as a parent (he stayed
involved in Sawyer's lessons and progress in a way that was
compassionate but never smothering). What a pleasure to see him bring
that grace and skill to his performances with the Emily Duff Band at
Rodeo Bar. He introduced me to some of the coolest people I know, Robin
and Sawyer among them, and dazzled me with stories that I tell friends
to this day. I think some of my friends don't believe such a cool rock
dad existed. I almost can't believe it myself.
People often
comment on Bill's style, which reminds me of a John
Lydon quote--"People want Johnny Rotten in punk regalia, but what they've got
to know is, it's all punk regalia if I'm wearing it." Bill could rock
any piece of apparel just by being Bill. Much as we all enjoyed his
attire, I don't know anyone who could pull it off with the warmth and
class that Bill did. His outfits were colorful, primarily because he was
the one in them.
The school year ended, and Bill was my
reference for my next teaching job. He called me after I'd been hired to
congratulate me, but added something more important. "The woman I spoke
with had some concerns about you, because you didn't always look
her in the eye," he told me. "I told her it was because you're a little
shy and that you didn't mean any disrespect, and she understood. But not
everybody's going to understand that, so just be aware of it in the
future." That was Bill.
