STAR FAKER

How did a Long Island teenager persuade the cream of UK/US talent to appear on his private press albums? Welcome to the strange world of Steve Kaczorowski, where nothing is as it seems.

- By Freek Kinkelaar

In 1971, when graduate Steve Kaczorowski produced and played Jesus in his high school's performance of Jesus Christ Superstar, it turned out to be the very first time the famous show had been staged in the US. Albeit without the permission of its authors Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice. When the performance had finished, however, Kaczorowski claimed Lloyd Webber had actually attended and quite enjoyed the night. Oh, and he had spotted Paul McCartney in the audience as well...

This brazen, chanced-upon story sparked my interest in Stephen E Kaczorowski. As online research soon revealed, he had not only produced said performance, played the lead, and apparently managed to get some famous guests to attend its premiere, he had also released several highly collectable, yet extremely obscure, rock albums. And the credits for these albums are incredible. Take, for instance, his debut, which includes Nicky Hopkins, Alvin Lee, Joe Osborne, Don McLean and Robert Fripp! Kaczorowski is credited with all vocals, production and songwriting. In the universe that is Steve Kaczorowski, however, it turns out that nothing is quite what it seems.

Since his earliest youth, Long Island teen and recent Jesus-incarnation Kaczorowski had been consumed by a burning ambition to become a superstar. Known to friends and family as a smooth talker willing and able to twist any story into a fantastical one featuring himself as the main character, Kaczorowski, fancying himself a fine singer and guitarist, decided his best shot at said stardom was as a musician. And he delivered the goods: in the space of five years, Kaczorowski released three excellent albums and wrote and produced a fourth one. Even so, the music on them was far from his own doing.

WHAT TIME ARE YOU? (United Rainbow Artists 20842, private press, US, 1971) £800