"Don't hang up," I pleaded at the last second.
"Oh, okay," he said casually. "Let me fix my drink."
I listened to him get out of bed and light a cigarette.
"Just walking to the kitchen," he reported.
"Sounds good … love you."
"Love you too."
I met Kent in 1985. We both worked at the Ken Cinema in San Diego. He was a projectionist and I made popcorn. We eventually learned that both of us loved to boogie. So we played records and danced until 2am. And then we kissed on the couch that belonged to his roommate, Ernie.
For 40 years we remembered that night—along with the get downs, the reefer and the booze. This was our glue.
I became a Barry White fan thanks to DJ Kent on Monday nights at the Whistle Stop—which was a casual, low lit gay bar in South Park. Kent would invariably coax The Prince of Pillow Talk to whisper some smooth over the PA system that lorded over a well worn checkered dance floor: "I've heard people say that, too much of anything is no good for you, baby … but, I don't know about that.” Kent and I believed in the creed:
We can’t get enough of that L-O-V-E
I cherish my record collection. And I probably (👀, girrrrrl) have some of Kent's vinyl in the bins. This makes me happy.
Kent Landis Hartman (1953–2025)
⌘