FRAZIER SMITH
The Swingers truly identified with Frazier Smith because of his amazing skills as a comedian. He was a DeeJay on KROQ, later on KLOS, and performed as a stand up comedian. As mentioned in the “Members” section on Esteban, Frazier came back stage following a rough Whisky opening performance on a Friday nite where the 20/20 fans frustrated by the heat and broken bathrooms, began throwing ice cubes. Eddie was an ex NCAA volleyball player and quit capable of ducking most the projectiles, but the Swingers were very young and inexperienced and felt dejected. Frazier walked in the quiet dressing room and simply said “take the ice cubes as a compliment, you’re on to something – keep going.” The next morning the Swingers went to the mall and bought matching orange pants, cheesy hawaiian shirts and yellow tennis shoes for that nite’s shows at the Whisky. That evening, they scrapped one of the cornier routines in the previous show and like they always did hit the stage hard, . A dramatic moment of growth. Eddie had seen Frazier’s performances and listened to his radio shows. They were hilarious and Frazier was a tremendous influence on the band’s focusing on humor during their shows. Opening for Frazier at the Roxy for four sold out shows was the boost they needed. They performed “Me Cherona” for the first time to a roaring response and the “Budweiser Song” to equal enthusiasm. Frazier was a mentor and key element in their continuing exploration of humor in recordings and video productions.