One of the neatest Disney trips that I ever took was back in the late 70’s with one of my best friends, Scott Vincent, a fellow guitarist. We used to pen songs together, along the lines of the Beatles’ type ballads, and played occasionally at a coffee house in Uptown New Orleans called the Penny Post. The “Selsun Blues” tune that we had made up figured in particularly with that July 4th vacation we took.
We were both in college and had a friend, David Druhan, who worked at Disney World in the Haunted House at the 5 PM – 1 AM shift. As such, David was free to take us around during the daytime. We had chosen to go at probably the worst time of the year for crowds – the 4th of July.
But a perk for Disney employees then was to be able to let their guests in the back door of rides – who could have imagined not waiting ½ hour or an hour for Space Mountain or The Haunted House? It was incredible! From previous visits at non busy times of the year, we still would have to wait in those winding lines for all rides!
Anyway, I decided to take my Epiphone folk guitar with us to Disney to have a little fun and maybe draw the attention of the girls that were there. We even dressed up a bit – not with those collarless jackets like the Beatles wore in the early days, but still, with a coat and tie on.
So as we were going through the Magic Kingdom, we stopped for a bit and I started playing some songs. My buddy Scott grabbed an umbrella from one of the tables nearby to give me a little shade as people started to gather around. So I started playing and we sang the “Selsun Blues” song:
Chorus* I’ve got the Selsun
I’ve got the Selsun Blues
I’ve got the Selsun
I’ve got the Selsun Blues
It cleans your hair and gets the dandruff out too
It was Saturday night, Maria’s hands through my hair
The same old problem, the dandruff’s still there *
It was almost winter, with snow on the ground
But that’s no reason, for these flakes to be all around *
Well now I’ve got some gray, and that pesky itchy stuff
How can I ever color, that darn dandruff? *
So Lord I need Your help, I don’t know what to do
I know that You can count my every hair, but not the dandruff too! *
The problem’s over, Maria’s coming back around
So let me tell y’all about the secret that I have found *
After a few lines of the song with people even joining in, a Disney Security Rep came up and asked us if we had permission to play there. Scott and I looked at each other and decided to have a little fun – so we said we were with the Selsun Blue Company and even had the song as proof!
The Officer got on his walkie talkie and said, “There’s two dudes who say they’re from the Selsun BLUE company – are they cleared?” Needless to say, we were asked to come with the Officer for questioning – but we had no idea where we would be taken – to the Underground World of Disney!
Yes – there actually is a whole network of underground space at Disney with walkways, offices, etc. We got to hear people being interrogated by their staff about possible shoplifting, etc. Even if people tried to say that they didn’t speak English, Disney would have the specific language interpreter on hand!
Eventually, we were let go after they realized we meant no harm but I wasn’t able to get my guitar till we left for home! I will never forget that trip and how we experienced the Selsun Blues!
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The “Selsun Blues” at Disney World!
