Randy Tessier has always been a popular Ann Arbor musician, however, national recognition came his way later in his career.
Tessier, a University of Michigan writing instructor, social justice advocate and long-time organizer of many Ann Arbor musical events, was thrust into the national limelight when Joe Bernstein, a New York Times reporter, randomly walked into the Ann Arbor Happy Hour @ LIVE dance party and was blown away with what he encountered: a passionate silver tsunami of wild dancers acting like they were 25 again.
We had the opportunity to chat with Tessier recently and ask him about how all the attention has affected both him and the scene that prompted Bernstein’s 2023 piece in the Times’ Sunday Style section, “Geezer Happy Hour.”
Current: So how has all this publicity affected you, Randy?
Tessier: Ah, yes — The New York Times article. When Ryan Seacrest and Kelly Ripa are talking about you on a 9 a.m. coffee klatch show, you know you’ve arrived. How could I know where this would take us? NPR interviews; various podcasts about aging gracefully; a Chicago WGN TV appearance; Mario Lopez’s “Access Hollywood;” inquiries from both “The Kelly Clarkson Show” and “The Drew Barrymore Show;” I’ve been the subject of two documentary films. Locally, Lucy Ann Lance did a long interview with me; stories appeared in “The Ann Arbor Observer,” “Deadline Detroit,” “MLive,” and Channel 4 with Devin Scillian.
Current: Given the attention and considering your own personal struggles over the last few years, how have you and the club navigated being suddenly thrust into the spotlight?
Tessier: From a personal standpoint, at 30 it would have been overwhelming. But at 70, who would think fame would come the way of an aging rocker? When this happened, I had just lost my son and my best friend a year earlier, so it was like the universal therapist appeared to ease my grief. Club-wise, there was pressure on me from our core dance group to not let the publicity ruin our scene. I had to preserve the very scene that was now under threat of too much attention. Why? Groups from everywhere started contacting me about playing at LIVE. People outside of our regular dance crowd started coming in to check out the hoopla. One thing I’m most proud of is managing the attention in a way that preserved what caused the great stir in the first place.
Current: How did you do that?
Tessier: When you get your name in a national publication like the New York Times, for better or for worse, you are bombarded with solicited and unsolicited advice at every turn. My solution was to stay who we are in the face of these external pressures. But we are about more than just our club. The Ann Arbor Happy Hour @ LIVE Facebook group I curate promotes all the groups and clubs where our contemporaries gather to play and dance. That includes Zal Gaz Grotto, North Star Lounge, Blue Llama and any other clubs that groups send along to advertise.
RELATED: LIVE Happy Hour Offers Food, Dance and Socializing
Current: Considering you’ve been a writing instructor at the University of Michigan since 1990, what would you say about your academic life?
Tessier: For the last 35 years, I have taught college writing. While my primary role is to teach students how to write well, I see it as just as important to contribute to their being good citizens.
Current: Your own educational background is quite unorthodox. Can you share a little about that?
Tessier: I’ve been to six high schools in my life, without ever graduating. I was kicked out of Gwinn High School in 1968 for publishing an underground newspaper, “The Liberal Student Dispatch.” After that, I pursued rock stardom for roughly the next 20 years. My beautiful son, Russell, was born in 1982. At that point, I knew I had to get a real life. In 1986, I got my GED and applied to nursing school at Washtenaw Community College and Eastern Michigan University. As a freshman, I decided I wanted to be a teacher rather than a nurse, so I majored in English. After applying to several graduate schools in 1989, I was accepted into the University of Michigan’s master’s program. After completing that coursework, I was accepted into the doctoral program and have been at U-M ever since. I would describe myself as a barnacle on the hull of academia.
Current: Just out of curiosity, who are your major literary influences?
Tessier: Shakespeare, Flannery O’Connor, Charles Dickens, and all the existentialists. Don’t tell anybody, but I love to read philosophy and critical theory. I enjoy having to work to understand what I am reading.
Current: So what about your musical life?
Tessier: I have been playing since the birth of Methuselah, the rule of the dinosaurs, and Moby Dick’s minnow days. In other words, since 1963. You asked what I play and what bands I’ve been in. I sing and play the guitar and bass. The bands I’ve been in include Ron Coffin and the Gravediggers, The Ogres, The Orchard Rest Home, Hare Pye, Bonds Unchained, Walrus, The Lepers, Private Sector, George Bedard & The Kingpins, FUBAR, Starfish, The Cedar Savages and The Al Jacquez Band. I was asked to play bass in the Rolling Stones when Bill Wyman retired, but I didn’t want to drop out of school.
Current: Could you tell us about your major musical influences?
Tessier: The Beatles, Bob Dylan, Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, Steely Dan and Frank Zappa, among others too numerous to mention.
Current: In general, what is your philosophy of life?
Tessier: First, thank you, Donna, for taking the time to talk to me. It’s folks like you who are passionate about promoting the local music scene that makes this a better world. At the core of my consciousness is my love for people, because human beings are precious and beautiful. My ultimate wish is for this consensus: we’re all bozos on this bus.
Donna Marie Iadipaolo is a writer, journalist, and State of Michigan certified teacher, since 1990. She has written for national publications like The Village Voice, Ear Magazine of New Music, Insurance & Technology, and TheStreet.
She is now writing locally for many publications, including Current Magazine, Ann Arbor Family, and the Ann Arbor Independent. Her undergraduate degree is from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, where she graduated with an honors bachelor’s degree and three teacher certificate majors: mathematics, social sciences, English. She also earned three graduate degrees in Master of Science, Master of Arts, and Education Specialist Degree.
