Photo by Ben Garvin, St. Paul Pioneer Press

I see how he could make a good girl go bad, but Cobra Starship lead singer Gabe Saporta couldn’t have been more elegant on the red carpet at the Starkey Hearing Foundation Awards Gala. He might have attracted more attention in skinny jeans and a t-shirt with messier hair. But all cleaned up, in a classic Paul Smith tux and a big smile, he stood politely under the radar while a handler announced him. He didn’t swear or tweet. The night before the gala, he attended a party at the Starkey founders’ home with Muhammed Ali and Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne, but said he was too busy talking with some other guy about poker to be intimidated. Indeed, he seemed at home with the older, upper crust gala crowd – mentioning his dad, a doctor, and talking while I starred (come on, he’s a tall, cute Jewish guy!) about the good work Starkey does not only helping kids hear, but helping rockers avoid losing their hearing with special ear plugs designed for the stage. Saporta has been wearing them a lot this summer – he’s hard at work on Corbra Starship’s next album.

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