TIMELINE - 1980's
How we got to where we are now...
1982 - The local cable TV provider in his hometown gets MTV. It is mesmerizing to the young high school sophomore. The first music video that he sees is The Who's "Don't Let Go the Coat." After a few weeks of studying videos by the likes of Pat Benatar, Phil Collins, Kim Carnes, Split Enz, The Buggles, and the J. Geils Band, he gets the idea in his head that he'd like to produce music videos for a living. Fleetwood Mac releases the "Mirage" album and promotes it on MTV with two music videos: Stevie Nick's "Gypsy" and Christine McVie's "Hold Me". This starts Dennis' 30+ years of being a Fleetwood Mac super-fan. The #1 song on the Billboard Hot 100 Charts on his birthday this year is the Human League's "Don't You Want Me."
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1983 - After ten years of classical piano training, Dennis plays in his first classical music competition called "The Young People's Auditions," sponsored by the Music Teachers Guild of Rockland County, New York. He performs works by Mozart and Chopin, among others and is awarded a blue ribbon for his efforts. The #1 song on the Billboard Hot 100 Charts on his birthday this year is Irene Cara's "Flashdance... What A Feeling."
1984 - Dennis plays in his second "Young People's Auditions" and is awarded a green ribbon for his efforts. The #1 song on the Billboard Hot 100 Charts on his birthday this year is Duran Duran's "The Reflex."
1985 - Dennis is made the musical director for his high school senior year drama club production of "Fiddler On the Roof." The #1 song on the Billboard Hot 100 Charts on his birthday this year is Bryan Adam's "Heaven."
1986 - Mostly self-taught with basic chords, Dennis starts playing acoustic guitar with a church folk group for Sunday evening services at the College of Mount St. Vincent (CMSV) in Riverdale, New York, where he is studying for his BA in Communications with a concentration in studio video production. He has it in mind that he will produce hit TV shows for NBC, where he also lands a summer job as a mail clerk. He meets Canadian actor, John Candy in the lobby of the famed home of NBC - 30 Rockefeller Center - and sees a live taping of "Late Night with David Letterman" - the one where Sonny and Cher reunite. The #1 song on the Billboard Hot 100 Charts on his birthday this year is Patti Labelle and Michael McDonald's "On My Own."