Greg

My real name is Sidney Kenneth Beckenstein. My Jewish name is Rochmel Lev Ben Yokov Meyer Beckenstein, and my professional name is Gregory Gardner. Very East Side, and I do not deny it. Born August 2, 1943. The worst thing in school was every time the teacher called on me ... I’d have to lean up against the desk like this. (He demonstrates) And the teacher would say:  “Stand up straight!” “I can’t, I have a pain in my side.” “Stand up straight.” Or walking down the hall, you’d have to walk like this, with all your books stacked up in front of you.  I mean, it didn’t go down for three years. And there was the time I was necking in the back seat with Sally Ketchum ... It was probably the first time I realized I was homosexual and I got so depressed because I thought being gay meant being a bum all the rest of my life and I said: “Gee I’ll never get to wear nice clothes... “ And I was really into clothes, I had this pair of powder blue and pink gabardine pants …