Ted on Burlingame Way
credit: Paul Daigle
In the latter half of 1985, Ted began working at People's Drug Store in the Montgomery Village Mall, Gaithersburg, Maryland. There he met keyboardist Paul Daigle. Paul had a Yamaha DX-7, and asked Ted if he'd like to get together with drummer Rich Schafer, and play a set of U2, Robert Plant, etc.... Ted agreed, and Bad Display was formed. Paul let Ted borrow the DX-7 which Ted quickly learned to program. Ted created some sounds suitable for covering Van Halen's hit "Jump", and other popular tunes of the time. Rich Schafer later played drums for Last Supper and changed his name to "Dick Shaver" which was more in keeping with Last Supper's tongue-in-cheek style.
Bad Display never did have a vocalist. At one point, Ted asked his girlfriend if she wanted to sing for Display. She had been training for many years as a vocalist and was going on to study voice in college. She wisely turned down Bad Display's offer. It was about this time that Ted learned that good vocalists are very hard to come by. Especially when your band isn't very good.
For Ted, Bad Display was an opportunity to achieve a new level of guitar playing virtuosity. Unfortunately, he botched it. Paul had selected U2's song "11 O'Clock Tick Tock" to showcase Ted's guitar playing, along with Led Zeppelin's "Black Dog", and Robert Plant's "All of My Love". The Robert Plant tune was an appropriate choice for Paul since it is primarily a keyboard song (and Paul was the only member of Bad Display with any talent). Black Dog posed serious problems for Dick who was rhythmically challenged. And 11 O'Clock Tick Tock was so difficult for Ted that he would usually give up half way through.
Bad Display dissolved when the members went to college in September 1986. Ted came back to Dick's studio in 1987 to record drum tracks for Last Supper.
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Ted on Burlingame Way credit: Paul Daigle |
