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'American Bandstand' by John A. Jackson

Florida's Fate Was A Crime

Sunday, January 25, 1998

By Dan Deluca, Knight-Ridder Newspapers

	American Bandstand By John A. Jackson Oxford University Press $27.50

In the late 1950s, rock 'n roll became a regular visitor to America's living rooms, arriving via ``American Bandstand,'' a television show that featured dancing Philadelphia teens and Dick Clark, a genial, boyish host who looked like not much more than a teen himself.

Subtitled ``Dick Clark and the Making of a Rock 'n' Roll Empire,'' here is a painstaking examination of Clark's career and the impact of the show that was the longest-running variety program on TV.

Jackson focuses on the apparent conflicts of interest that were abundant in Clark's early career, and he takes pains to show that the man who still hosts schlocky TV specials as he nears 70 was more interested in nurturing his business interests than the music.

His dry, just-the-facts approach to undeniably colorful material renders ``American Bandstand'' a laborious read.

Informative Jackson's book may be, but it doesn't have a good beat, and you can't dance to it.