What are tags? You can give your posts a "tag", which is like a keyword. Tags help you find content which has something in common. You can assign as many tags as you wish to each post.
Here's a demented and disturbing ditty for this Halloween season...This number by the Violent Femmes is a revelation of demonically inspired insanity, murder and finally suicide...A bright and cheery tune?...I think NOT! The music has been nicely set to animation by YouTuber LatockiFILM...
I had me a wife, I had me some daughters. I tried so hard, I never knew still waters. Nothing to eat and nothing to drink. Nothing for a man to do but sit around and think. Nothing for a man to do but sit around and think.
Well, I'm a thinkin and thinkin, till there's nothin I ain't thunk. Breathing in the stink, till finally I stunk. It was at that time, I swear I lost my mind. I started making plans to kill my own kind. I started making plans to kill my own kind.
Come little daughter, I said to the youngest one, Put your coat on, well have some fun. Well go out to mountains, the one to explore. Her face then lit up, I was standing by the door. Her face then lit up, I was standing by the door.
Come little daughter, I will carry the lanterns. Well go out tonight, well go to the caverns. Well go out tonight, well go to the caves. Kiss your mother goodnight and remember that God saves. Kiss your mother goodnight and remember that God saves.
A led her to a hole, a deep black well. I said make a wish, make sure and not tell and Close you're eyes dear, and count to seven. You know your papa loves you, good children go to heaven. You know your papa loves you, good children go to heaven.
I gave her a push, I gave her a shove. I pushed with all my might, I pushed with all my love. I through my child into a bottomless pit. She was screaming as she fell, but I never heard her hit. She was screaming as she fell, but I never heard her hit.
Gather round boys to this tale that I tell. You wanna know how to take a short trip to hell? Its guaranteed to get your own place in hell. Just take your lovely daughter and push her in the well. Take your lovely daughter and throw her in the well.
Don't speak to me of lovers, with a broken heart. You wanna know what can really tear you apart? I'm going out to the barn, will I never stop in pain? I'm going out to the barn, to hang myself in shame.
Now, hope you enjoy this tasty slice of 80s New Wave 8^)
Im the shy boy Youre the coy boy And you know were Homosapien too Im the cruiser Youre the loser Me and you sir Homosapien too Homosuperior In my interior But from the skin out Im homosapien too And youre homosapien too And Im homosapien like you And were homosapien too
And I think of your eyes in the dark and I see the star And I look to the light and I might wonder right where you are All the gods in the sky way up high see the world spinning round But the sun and the moon and the stars are so far from the ground
Im the shy boy Youre the coy boy And you know were Homosapien too Im the cruiser Youre the loser Me and you sir Homosapien too Homosuperior In my interior But from the skin out Im homosapien too And youre homosapien too And Im homosapien like you And were homosapien too
And the worlds built of age are a stage where we act out our lives And the words in the script seem to fit cept we have some surprise I just want this to last or my future is past and all gone And if this is the case then Ill lose in lifes race from now on
Homosuperior In my interior But from the skin out Im homosapien too And youre homosapien too And Im homosapien like you And were homosapien too
And I just hope and pray that the day of our love is at hand You and i, me and you, we will be one from two, understand? And the world is so wrong that I hope that well be strong enough For we are on our own and the only thing known is our love I dont wanna classify you like an animal in the zoo But it seems good to me to know that youre homosapien too
Im the shy boy Youre the coy boy
I dont wanna classify you like an animal in the zoo But it seems good to me to know that youre homosapien too I dont wanna classify you like an animal in the zoo But it seems good to me to know that youre homosapien too I dont wanna classify you like an animal in the zoo But it seems good to me to know that youre homosapien too
This video is such a dork-fest--luv those synchronized dance moves! A very appropriate song for Friday, me thinks...Ahhh the 80s; I do miss 'em sometimes...HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND!!! 8^)
Its happy hour again I think I might be happy if I wasn't out with them And they're happy its a lovely place to be Happy that the fire is real the barman is a she Where the haircuts smile And the meaning of style Is a night out with the bass Where you win or you lose And its them who choose And if you don't win then you've lost
What a good place to be Don't believe it cause they speak a different language And its never really happened to me {its happy hour again} Don't believe it cause they speak a different language And its never really happened to me {its happy hour again}
Its another night out with the boss Following in footsteps overgrown with moss And they tell me that women grow on trees And if you catch them right they will land upon their knees
Where they open all their wallets And they close all their minds And they love to buy you all a drink And then we ask all the questions And you take all your clothes off And go back to the kitchen sink
Here's a blast from the past: a priceless Divine performance and an ultra rare interview with the High Priestess of Filth...One of a kind, no doubt! ***Note the interview with Divine is the embedded video before the live performance...ENJOY!!!
Cheap, cheap I was born to be cheap, cheap A child no mother could keep, cheap As sure as there's trash I was born to be cheap.
I was born to be helpless, I was born to be cold I was born to never do what I'm told I was to be shallow, wasn't born to be deep Of all the things I was to be cheap.
Cheap, cheap I was born to be cheap, cheap A child no mother could keep, cheap As sure as there's trash I was born to be cheap.
I was born to be crass, a loud brassy tart No one can accuse me of having a heart I was born to fast I don't do it twice with anyone, GET CHEAP!
Cheap, cheap I was born to be cheap, cheap As I'm walking down the street, cheap I'm always too much I was born to be cheap.
I was born to be helpless, I was born to be cold I was born to never do what I'm told I was to be shallow, wasn't born to be deep Of all the things I was to be cheap.
I'm cheap I was born to be cheap, cheap A child no mother could keep, cheap As I'm walking down the street, cheap I've always wanted to be cheap I was born to be cheap
Above is a picture of my brother Scott somewhere in the Rockies (or maybe it was the Cascades; I'm not certain--but I know it was from around 1980). It's definitely my favorite photo of him. He always loved the outdoors, as the little curious ground squirrel in the pic' can attest. He was big on fishing, hunting and was into rock climbing well before it became the in-thing to do. This past July 10th he would have been 50 years old
Scott had pretty good taste in music too with fav's including Pink Floyd, Blondie, Rush, Men at Work, Boston and Electric Light Orchestra. I've chosen an awesome tune by E.L.O. in remembrance of his birthday. He's been gone nearly 20 years now...but most definitely he is NOT forgotten
Sun is shinin' in the sky There ain't a cloud in sight It's stopped rainin' ev'rybody's in a play And don't you know It's a beautiful new day hey,hey
Runnin' down the avenue See how the sun shines brightly in the city On the streets where once was pity Mister blue sky is living here today hey, hey
Mister blue sky please tell us why You had to hide away for so long Where did we go wrong?
Hey you with the pretty face Welcome to the human race A celebration, mister blue sky's up there waitin' And today is the day we've waited for
Hey there mister blue We're so pleased to be with you Look around see what you do Ev'rybody smiles at you
Mister blue sky, mister blue sky Mister blue sky
Mister blue, you did it right But soon comes mister night creepin' over Now his hand is on your shoulder Never mind I'll remember you this I'll remember you this way
Mister blue sky please tell us why You had to hide away for so long Where did we go wrong?
Hey there mister blue We're so pleased to be with you Look around see what you do Ev'rybody smiles at you Ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba Ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba
Thanks to Kevin for introducing me to this song. While I most definitely did live through the 80s, until he introduced it to me, I was completely oblivious to how great this song was/is. In a very bittersweet way it's quite apropos to where I'm at now.
Take all the time you need on your break from blogging my friend. But always know that you have friends who simply adore your irrepressible wit and the warmth of your sunny self. I hope you know how very dear you are.
So, here are some 80s tunes/videos I thought you might like (I know I did/do)...ENJOY!!!!
IRENE CARA - The Dream (Hold On To Your Dream)
BIG PIG - Breakaway
GEORGE MICHAEL & WHAM! - Careless Whisper
ALISON MOYET - Ode to Boy (OK, this version is from the early 90s...But HEY, it's Alison Moyet!!!)
NEW ORDER - Blue Monday (...and not with a Bulgarian accent!;^)
FRANKIE GOES TO HOLLYWOOD - Welcome to the Pleasure Dome (...Errrrrrrect!!!)
THE CURE - Just Like Heaven ("...show me how you do that trick...and I'll run away with you.")
THE POLICE - Don't Stand So Close To Me (When I first saw this one in the early 80s it made me all tingly down south--blame it on Sting! ;^)
TOTO - Africa (WOW!!! I forgot how awful this video was...good song though)
JANET JACKSON - Control (I ask you, what would the 80s be with out MJ & JJ?!)
DEAD OR ALIVE - Lover Come Back To Me (extended remix...as if the reg version weren't enough!)
FALCO - Der Kommisar (Falco was so sexxxy--even in this cheesy video)
DEPECHE MODE - Strangelove (Great song from a GREAT album--"Music For The Masses"...check it out!)
TECHNOTRONIC - Pump Up The Jam (Back in the day I couldn't get enough of this one on the dance floor!)
SOUL II SOUL - Back To Life ("However do you want me..." Another BIG HIT on the dancefloor!)
THE SMITHS - There Is A Light That Never Goes Out ("Take me out tonight...and if a double decker bus crashes into us...")
We've been broken down To the lowest turn Being on the bottom line Sure ain't no fun But if we should be evicted From the home We'll just move somewhere else And still carry on
Hold on, hold on Hold on, hold on Baby Hold on, hold on Hold on
The only way is up, baby For you and me now The only way is up, baby For you and me now
Now we may not know Where our next meal is coming from But with you by my side I'll face what is to come Boy, I wanna thank you For loving me this way Things may be a little hard now But we'll find a brighter day
Hold on, hold on Hold on, hold on
Hold on, hold on Hold on, Won't be long
The only way is up, baby For you and me now The only way is up, baby For you and me now
Hold on, hold on Hold on, hold on
Hold on, hold on Hold on, Won't be long
The only way is up, baby For you and me now The only way is up, baby For you and me now The only way is up, baby For you and me now The only way is up, baby For you and me now
I love this song...Of course the original by New Order rocks. But, there is something pure and exquisitely beautiful about Moby's version. Perhaps it is the ethereal simplicity of Laura Dawn's vocal rendition. But then too, there is Moby's understated and ever so mellow brand of electronica. A perfect blend, I say.
The accompanying amateur video (Movement and Changes) by YouTube user thesongskater seems to complement these qualities wonderfully. The scenes remind me of so many places I've been, seen and lived in middle America. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did...PEACE
Heaven A gateway to hope Just like a feeling I need, it's no joke
And though it hurts me To see you this way Betrayed by words I'd never heard Too hard to say them
Up, down, turn around; please don't let me hit the ground Tonight I think I'll walk alone; find my soul as I go home [2x]
Oh it's the last time, it's the last time Oh it's the last time, it's the last time
Each way I turn I know I'll always try To break the circle That has been placed round me
From time to time I find I lost Some meaning That was urgent To myself I do believe
Oh, up, down, turn around; please don't let me hit the ground Tonight I think I'll walk alone; find my soul as I go home [2x]
Oh it's the last time, it's the last time Oh it's the last time, it's the last time
And I've never met anyone quite like you before And I've never met anyone quite like you before [2x]
And I've never met anyone quite like you before Oh, up, down, turn around; please don't let me hit the ground Tonight I think I'll walk alone; find my soul as I go home
And I've never met anyone quite like you before Up, down, turn around; please don't let me hit the ground Tonight I think I'll walk alone; find my soul as I go home
Up, down, turn around; please don't let me hit the ground Tonight I think I'll walk alone; find my soul as I go home [2x]
Probably my favourite song by Michael Stipe and the gang...
Looking at your watch a third time waiting in the station for the bus Going to a place that's far, so far away and if that's not enough Going where nobody says hello, they don't talk to anybody they don't know You'll wind up in some factory that's full time filth and nowhere left to go Walk home to an empty house, sit around all by yourself I know it might sound strange, but I believe You'll be coming back before too long
(chorus) Don't go back to Rockville, don't go back to Rockville, don't go back to Rockville And waste another year
At night I drink myself to sleep and pretend I don't care that you're not here with me 'Cause it's so much easier to handle All my problems if I'm too far out to sea But something better happen soon Or it's gonna be too late to bring you back
(repeat chorus)
It's not as though I really need you If you were here I'd only bleed you But everybody else in town only wants to bring you down and That's not how it ought to be Well I know it might sound strange, but I believe You'll be coming back before too long
The Clash...WOW...so very punk, and so very 80s! But those days are gone. Joe Strummer is gone too (RIP)...but the memories, the memories always remain. The music of The Clash is classic Punk/Rock/Pop, and it will shine on so long as radios are playing and people are rockin'!!!
TRAIN IN VAIN
Say you stand by your man Tell me something I dont understand You said you love me and thats a fact Then you left me, said you felt trapped
Well some things you can explain away But my heartaches in me till this day
Chorus Did you stand by me No, not at all Did you stand by me No way
All the times When we were close Ill remember these things the most I see all my dreams come tumbling down I wont be happy without you around
So all alone I keep the wolves at bay There is only one thing that I can say
Chorus
You must explain why this must be Did you lie when you spoke to me
Did you stand by me No, not at all
Now I got a job But it dont pay I need new clothes I need somewhere to stay But without all these things I can do But without your love I wont make it through
But you dont understand my point of view I suppose theres nothing I can do
Chorus
You must explain why this must be Did you lie when you spoke to me?
Did you stand by me Did you stand by me No, not at all Did you stand by me No way Did you stand by me No, not at all Did you stand by me No way
ROCK THE CASBAH...Run little armadillo, run!!!
SHOULD I STAY OR SHOULD I GO? (33 1/3 rpm)...This tune always reminds me of Kirby, an "ambiguously straight" guy I was once in love with...Ughs, what a waste of time!
LOST IN THE SUPERMARKET...("I wasn't born so much as I fell out...") One of my VERY favorites!
LONDON CALLING
STRAIGHT TO HELL
RUDIE CAN'T FAIL...From the Clash movie "Hell W10"
SPANISH BOMBS...Down with fascism!!!
MAGNIFICENT SEVEN (live on the Tom Schneider Show, 1981)
Here's a delicious trio of Pop selections from the 1980s...Wow, what a couple of cute & sexy blokes; especially the black guy. These songs by General Public definitely take me back: Good times, bad times...the times of our life 8^) Enjoy these memories, &... Have a HAPPY & SAFE Memorial Day weekend!
TENDERNESS
I don't know when to start or when to stop My luck's like a button I can't stop pushing it My head feels light But I'm still in the dark Seems like without tenderness there's something missing Tenderness Where is the Tenderness Where is it?
I don't know where I am but I know I don't like it I open my mouth and out pops something spiteful Words are so cheap, but they can turn out expensive Words like conviction can turn into a sentence
I held your hands Rings but none on that finger We danced and danced But I was scared to go much further with it Just half a chance Make sure that one night you're here, But next night you're not It always leaves me searching for a little
Tenderness Where is the Tenderness Where is the Tenderness?
Whistling in the graveyard Calling up your girlfriend Just trying to make her understand You're squeezing the telephone like it was her hand No question (so many questions) She's going to catch you out boy It all seems so underhand Now she's the only thing that ever made you feel like a man, man Madman, madman
Tenderness Where is the Tenderness Tenderness Tenderness Where is it?
I held your hands Rings but none on that finger We danced and danced But I was scared to go much further with it Just half a chance Make sure that one night you're here, But next night you're not It always leaves me searching for a little
Tenderness Where is the Tenderness?
I'm just sick to death of second best, pet Why should the morning always find you unimpressed? Is your love like a button? You can't stop pushing it? Oh this all night longing can be such a long time
An introduction to Nihilism for children...with a little help from Mark Twain and SATAN!!! Hmmm, why on earh would someone want to ban this little gem--maybe it was because 50% of the test audience offed themselves before it even finished playing! Great claymation though...
I ask you, could clowns be any creepier? The first Ronald McDonald answers that question with a resounding YES!
Gawd only knows what educational film this clip was excerpted from...Nice to see Ricky has such an understanding mom: "I'm just glad you're doing this in the privacy of your own room"...not like your brother Elmo who was slapping it left and right whenever and wherever. Ah, the 70s...MAKE LOVE NOT WAR (still a good idea me thinks!)
Nothing like making the animals you're going to eat do a little jig before they're slaughtered for consumption...It's the American way, damn it!
WOW!!! This sure is creepy. Apparently it was Orville's first appearance since he met his maker a few years back...I've not seen it before, so perhaps the ad team thought better, and shelved it...One hopes!
I actually think this Swedish commercial makes a VERY good point...LOL!
A French ad that underscores just how pleasurable condoms can be...Who needs parental supervision anyways!
TOYOTA: Because the mishaps of others are just so damn funny!
PSA parody...(the ill effects of "ass shaving")
NYC Public Access Cable: If this isn't purgatory I'm not sure what is!
For the record, I must say that I've always liked this version best... YES, even better than both Kylie Minogue's (heaven forbid!) and Bryan Ferry's original with Roxy Music.
This month (on the 19th to be exact) will mark the 60th birthday of Grace Jones. Doubtless, she is one of those instantly recognizable celebrities. Her striking physical presence and raw beauty was (and I imagine likely still is) very hard to take your eyes off. She epitomized the exotic and androgynous femme fatale; and with great effect. She caught the attention of numerous film makers and a host of designers, artists and musicians including Andy Warhol, Keith Haring, Robert Mapplethorpe, Trevor Horn and Niles Rodgers to name a few.
So, perhaps it's a bit early, but nonetheless:
HAPPY BIRTHDAY MS JONES!!!
Taint no big thing, To wait for the bell to ring, Taint no big thing, The toll of the bell,
Aggravated - spare for days, Stroll downtown the red light place, Jump up bubble up - whats in store, Love is the drug and I need to score,
Showing out, showing out, hit and run, Boy meets girl and the beat goes on, Stitched up tight, cant shake free, Love is the drug, got a hook on me,
Oh oh catch that buzz, Love is the drug that im thinking of, Yeah, cant you see? Love is the drug for me,
Taint no big thing, To wait for the bell to ring, Taint no big thing, The toll of the bell,
Late that night I park my car, Stake my place in the singles bar, Face to face, toe to toe, Heart to heart as we hit the floor,
Lumber up, limbo down, The locked embrace, the stumble round, I say go, he say yes, Dim the lights, you can guess the rest,
Yeah, catch that buzz, Love is the drug that im thinking of, Yeah, cant you see? Love is the drug for me,
Taint no big thing, To wait for the bell to ring, Aint no big thing, The toll of the bell,
Aggravated - spare for days, Stroll downtown the red light place, Jump up bubble up - whats in store, Love is the drug and I need to score,
Showing out, showing out, hit and run, Boy meets girl and the beat goes on, Stitched up tight, cant shake free, Love is the drug, got a hook on me,
Oh oh catch that buzz, Love is the drug that im thinking of, Oh oh, cant you see? Love is the drug for me,
Yeah, catch that buzz, Love is the drug that im thinking of, Oh oh, cant you see? Love is the drug for me,
Oh oh catch that buzz, Love is the drug that im thinking of, Yeah, cant you see? Love is the drug for me, oh,
Taint no big thing, To wait for the bell to ring, Taint no big thing, The toll of the bell,
Yeah, catch that buzz, Love is the drug that im thinking of, Oh yeah, cant you see? Love is the drug for me,
Gota get that buzz/drug, Give it to me, baby, (?) Got to have it.
Lyrics by Bryan Ferry and Composition by Andy Mackay
Here's one for you Kevin...{{{BIG smooches & HUGE hugs}}}...thanks for the dance sexy! 8^) ...btw, I still have this song on 45
The message is perfectly simple The meaning is clear Don't ever stray too far And don't disappear No don't disappear Ever had that feeling Almost broke in two Said that you were leaving Like you do you do All my dreams came true last night All my hopes and fears All my dreams came true once more In tears in tears Be near me, be near Be near me, be near Be near Never had that feeling Until I first met you Never felt like kneeling Now I do, yes I do (yes I do) All my dreams came true last night All my hopes and fears All my dreams came true once more In tears in tears Be near me, be near Be near me, be near Be near Ooh be near me, be near, be near The message is perfectly simple The meaning is clear Don't ever stray too far And don't disappear No don't disappear Be near me, be near Be near me, be near Be near me, be near Be near me, be near What's your reputation? (ecstasy) What's your destination? (next to me) Be near me What's your reputation? (ecstasy) What's your destination? (next to me) What's your reputation? (ecstasy) What's your destination? (next to me) What's your reputation?
This song is first and foremost for Scott (Pink Floyd was always one of his very favorite bands!)...but, it is also for Keith, Ole, Crystal, Wes, Pat, Atle, Rhonda, Jimmy, Terje, Gene, Kristin and someone very special to me...I hope YOU know who you are.
The Orient Express at Worlds of Fun in KC, MO (RIP: 1980-2003)
Love, Peace and Friendship to ALL (If this doesn't prove me to be a sentimental soggy sod, I'm not sure what will!...LOL).
So, so you think you can tell Heaven from Hell, blue skies from pain. Can you tell a green field from a cold steel rail? A smile from a veil? Do you think you can tell? And did they get you to trade your heroes for ghosts? Hot ashes for trees? Hot air for a cool breeze? Cold comfort for change? And did you exchange a walk on part in the war for a lead role in a cage? How I wish, how I wish you were here. We're just two lost souls swimming in a fish bowl, year after year, Running over the same old ground. What have you found? The same old fears. Wish you were here.
Boy oh boy (pun intended) this post brings back some memories! From the first time I saw a video by Boy George and the Culture Club in late 1982 I immediately knew they (especially the Boy) were something different, something taboo, something good. It was probably a couple of months before I actually came to realize that Boy George was in fact a man...I thought him to be amazingly beautiful, with all his blue-eyed soul and funky goodness. But eventually I was set free by the TRUTH...Many thanks to the tabloids. At the time my sexuality was fairly repressed, and I was in denial. You could say I was queen of denial, if you know what I mean.
By 1984 I was letting my bangs grow out considerably. This I did to emulate BG behind the safety and privacy of my locked bathroom door. Plenty o' fun with some of mom's old make-up too. But it didn't work on me. I just couldn't carry it off like the Boy could. And besides, do you really think I'd be caught dead in BG garb with make-up to boot? In SW MO where I grew up, that was pretty much like asking to be beat up, or maybe worse.
My dad was suspicious though...While doing some yard work, I was listening to the Colour by Numbers album on my cruddy mono radio/cassette player...Dad came strolling along to check my progress, and stopped to look at me raking up the excess cut grass. He was just looking at me, and I'm sure getting more than an earful of Boy George crooning away. And then he asked me in a stern cold voice, with words I'll never forget: "What kind of boy are you, listening to music like that?!" Of course I didn't know what to say. But, in retrospect I would have loved to answer him with what I knew to be TRUE..."Well dad, I guess I'm your faggot son who just happens to have good taste in music--GET OVER IT!"
Then there was my good friend Jimmy. We sat together in many a High School class. Eventually we became pretty good chums (for me friends were far and in between). One snowy, wintry weekend when I was staying with my sis in town, he came a knocking on her apartment door asking to see if I'd like to spend the night with him at his parent's home. Of course I was pretty flattered since nobody had ever asked me to do a sleep over. As well, I had just a bit of a crush on Jimmy (I always kind of thought he might have had a crush on me too, but that was never confirmed). After an evening of watching Tron (two times I think--we were both nerds!) and playing multiple rounds of the board game Risk, we eventually wound up watching Night Tracks...GREAT 80s MUSIC! Then CC's Mistake No. 3 came on...Boy George was never so decked out in drag as in this video (well maybe he was in the video for War Song). It also happened to be my favorite song on the radio at the time. I felt so totally awkward, I'd never really told any of my classmates that I was heavy into CC--I had enough problems with being labeled the class fag as it was! But Jimmy, god bless him, apparently shared my taste. He actually told me he thought Boy George was talented, and much more so than Michael Jackson. Needless to say I was floored, and it made me appreciate Jimmy's friendship all the more. Sadly that friendship (one of my very few during my teen years) was short lived. By the end of my Sophomore year Jimmy and his family had moved away, and sadly I never saw or heard from him again.
All George's colourful drag aside, there was still this GREAT music. I came to have every Culture Club album thanks to the Columbia Music Club. As it turned out, in part it was CC's music that helped to give my miserable teens a sense of hope and colour, and I do mean Queen's English "colour". With a "U" damn it!
So, travel with me now down memory lane...and don't be scared of the Boy, he means you no harm...only charm. ENJOY!!!!
"I'll be your baby, I'll be your score"
DO YOU REALLY WANT TO HURT ME? [1982 CC's from "Kissing To Be Clever"]
TIME (CLOCK OF THE HEART) [1982 from CC's "Kissing To Be Clever"]
I'LL TUMBLE 4 YA [1983 from CC's "Kissing To Be Clever"]
CHURCH OF THE POISON MIND [1983 from CC's "Colour by Numbers"]
KARMA CHAMELEON [1983 from CC's "Colour by Numbers"]
VICTIMS [1983 from CC's "Colour by Numbers"]
MISS ME BLIND [1984 from CC's "Colour by Numbers"]
IT'S A MIRACLE [1984 from CC's "Colour by Numbers"]
THE WAR SONG [1984 from CC's "Waking Up with the House On Fire"]
THE MEDAL SONG (for Frances Farmer) [1984 CC's "Waking Up with the House On Fire"]
MISTAKE NO. 3 [1984 from CC's "Waking Up with the House On Fire"]
LOVE IS LOVE [1985 CC from soundtrack of "Electric Dreams"]
MOVE AWAY [1986 CC's "From Luxury to Heartache"]
GOD THANK YOU WOMAN [1986 CC's "From Luxury to Heartache"]
EVERYTHING I OWN [BG 1987/1993]
THE CRYING GAME [1992 from the soundtrack of "The Crying Game"]
Well, I was on a bit of a Billy Joel kick this weekend. After listening to Allentown (probably the best of his social commentary songs) I recalled seeing the music video for the first time in the very early 80s; back when MTV was just a baby. I remembered how titillating I found the displays of male affection, all the bare chested choreographed steel mill workers, and as well I could never forget the communal shower scene, much less the central dancer wearing "tighty-whitey's" in the finale. As one YouTube user disdainfully (having given the video a -2 rating) commented: "It's a great song, but some of the cinematography is a little homoerotic."--You know it homophobe!
So if you've never seen this video gem have a looksy. Or, just take a stroll down memory lane...ENJOY!
Well we're living here in Allentown And they're closing all the factories down Out in Bethlehem they're killing time Filling out forms Standing in line.
Well our fathers fought the Second World War Spent their weekends on the Jersey Shore Met our mothers at the USO Asked them to dance Danced with them slow And we're living here in Allentown.
But the restlessness was handed down And it's getting very hard to staaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay aaaaaaah aaahhhhh ooooooooh ooooooh ohhhhhhh.
Well we're waiting here in Allentown For the Pennsylvania we never found For the promises our teachers gave If we worked hard If we behaved.
So the graduations hang on the wall But they never really helped us at all No they never taught us what was real Iron and coke, Chromium steel.
And we're waiting here in Allentown. But they've taken all the coal from the ground And the union people crawled awaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah aaaaaaaaaaah aaaaaah.
Every child had a pretty good shot To get at least as far as their old man got. Something happened on the way to that place They threw an American flag in our faaaaaaaace, oh oh oh.
Well I'm living here in Allentown And it's hard to keep a good man down. But I won't be getting up todaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyy aaaaaaaaaaah aaaaaaaaaaah aaaaaaaaah.
Like many a gay man growing up, I came to adore and eat up all of the camp and kitsch factors surrounding Joan's career and life (think cult classics like Whatever Happened to Baby Jane, Trog, Strait-Jacket and Mommie Dearest["No more wire hangers!"] ). For me it all began with a short-lived series of skits that were shown on Saturday Night Live in the early 80s. Of course these skits were in response to the infamous biopic (starring the equally incredible Faye Dunaway) based on the memoirs of Joan's step daughter Christina Crawford. The images of Crawford, played to the hilt by Jane Curtin and little dumb Christina laughably (and incredibly so!) played by Gilda Radner, were tattooed onto my mind. I think my favorite episode was when Curtin as Joan gave Radner's Christina raw liver for Christmas (completely wrapped and everything)...I was literally ROTFLMAO [even before the web related acronym came into vogue!] as I watched that skit!
All of these parodies and caricatures aside, I later came to admire Joan as an actress. Her roles in Hollywood classics like Grand Hotel, The Women, Johnny Guitar, The Best of Everything, and her melodramatic film noir masterpiece Mildred Pierce, are quite simply magnificent and unforgettable. Looking at Joan throughout her long and often astute career, her ability to transform, reinvent and mutate into different persona's and characters was quite simply amazing. You have to wonder how much influence Crawford has had on one of the great entertainment chameleons of the last quarter of the 20th century (and yes, to this day), Madonna.
Doubtless, Joan's career and Hollywood legacy are unforgettable. But I want to state for the record that I in no way wish to diminish the significance of the suffering of Crawford's children (as related by Christina in her graphic memoirs). Yes, she sometimes overacted--and to great effect; yes, she was quite likely a self-absorbed, abusive control freak; and yes, she was also likely an alcoholic and substance abuser...But, as I imagine Christina would agree, this woman was a survivor. And utmost to her memory, she was a screen personality to be reckoned with (eat your heart out Bette!).
So, all said and done...Now have a look at the REAL Joan Crawford (via the following documentary [in 10 easily digestible parts!]). She was really quite an amazing woman!
! 
