"I'm solid gold, I've got the goods. I stand when I walk through the neighborhoods. I'm makin' it" 

David Naughton sang this piece of ear candy that was irresistible to me when I was 14 and it is actually on my current gym playlist along with 2Pac and Blue Oyster Cult. HA!   

I am a sucker for bubble gum dance pop, and this record that charted on the Billboard Hot 100 at #5 and #11 on the Disco Chart (yes, there was a Disco Chart!).  It was a picture sleeve 45 and 12-inch dance single on RSO records.  And yeah, I simply needed to have both.  It’s amusing to me that the B-side of the 45 is called “Still Makin’ It” … but it’s virtually the same song as the A-side.  And the 12” single seems to be a combo of the A and B side of the 45 with some extra beats in the intro and between the repeat of the same song.  Not a remix like the 90’s but kinda cute.  I still love all versions.

"Makin' It" was written by Freddie Perren and Dino Fekaris, the guys who wrote "I Will Survive" and it was sung by this guy that I only knew as the "I'm a pepper" singer on Dr Pepper commercials.  

Next thing you know, David Naughton is all over the place for a few years – Dick Clark, interviews, TV shows, etc. I really don't remember his sitcom of the same title, "Makin' It", but I must have watched a few episodes. Or maybe I didn't, since there were only 9 episodes.  Lost brain cells at my age are inevitable.  

Most notably about David is that he starred in one of my favorite movies as a teenager, "An American Werewolf in London".   

Watching that John Landis film and seeing the All-American handsome "Makin' It" guy painfully turn into a werewolf onscreen was just awesome!!  I love the autographed photo here showing that specific scene.  As we all know, Landis was good with "monster transformation" because Michael's "Thriller" video was directed by John and is still legend! John Landis was/is a generous autograph signer and the photo you see here is in many people's collections.

I didn't really know who Griffin Dunne was at the time of the movie, but over time I became OBSESSED with his father, Dominick Dunne - his Vanity Fair articles, his murder trial coverages, his books, his history as a legendary Hollywood host and producer and his secret battles with substances and sexuality. I'll cover more on Dominick later. Griffin has an excellent book about growing up in that family with his tragically doomed actress-sister, Dominique, what it was like growing up in the eye of the storm in Hollywood and let's not forget working on "Werewolf" and (putting up with?) Madonna in "Who's That Girl".

Back to David Naughton for one more thing: His father, James Naughton, was a well-known actor and starred in the "Planet of the Apes TV series". I was bananas for anything "Planet of the Apes" when I was a teenager.

I really wish David had made a full album (although “Makin’ It” IS on the “Meatballs” soundtrack) and that he had been given other substantial roles after Werewolf. But he definitely has a couple of pop culture moments for his legacy. 

And I know people of a certain age will always remember him, especially the jingle  

“I'm a pepper, he's a pepper, she's a pepper, we're a pepper.  Wouldn't you like to be a pepper too!?!"  

Original commercial: