Tuesday, October 27, 2009

'nother Classic to Jam To - Milli Vanilli

Yep, that's right folks, it's that lonely little voice calling out from the depths of cyberspace into the great nothing, and that little voice, Moi, is feeling nostalgic... Not that you haven't noticed the recurring theme. Sometimes I wonder if I enjoyed these bits as much at the time as I remember them now, but no matter. A little smile when no one else is around, that little tap of the feet to the music, and yes, even the occasional tear trickling down the cheek could very well be constructs of both experience and imagination all tempered by time.

Today, tonight, whatever, as I listen to the night waiting for the storm to hit, I'm thinking about a group that took us all by storm, won our hearts, and then left us all feeling just a little bit betrayed... Well, not me, at least, but definitely those douche-bags at Rolling Stone and MTV (That's right, the 80's child called someone a douche-bag...Faggot, butthole, and queer aren't far behind, and they aren't so much a reference to fashion conscious men as they are indicators of an idiot or someone I just plain don't like)

When "Girl You Know It's True" came out, we were all awestruck by the catchy song, the new dance moves, and the style and charisma of Rob and Fab. We memorized the songs, attempted the dance, and sat by the radio with the blank cassette in, hoping to get that classic recorded on our mix tape....

Then, our world collapsed.... Milli Vanilli was a fraud. Two good looking black guys lip syncing to a tune sung by ugly black guys. We buried our loyalties, turned on the impostors and moved on to better music with more integrity....

Personally, I think it's retarded. That song, as well as the others, was awesome! The video rocked! And hopefully father time has worked his healing magic on us enough to look back and remember with fondness.... Ladies and Gents, I give you "Girl, You Know It's True"



Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Song of the Day

I know, he's a freak, and he's got some stuff to answer for in the hereafter, but folks, sometimes, you just gotta put some Michael in.... So many masterpieces. Rating them would be an abomination... So why "Human Nature" Soapy..? Well, this song is, for me, one of those time warp nuggets, or time portals. A time warp nugget or time portal is anything like a song, a smell, or even a taste that takes you back to a specific point and time. Sometimes they aren't the best times, such as breakups, but time has a funny way of patching up the wounds and turning scars in to treasured memories...

You're probably wondering what magic moment this takes me back to... It takes me back to 1995, to a white Mitsubishi Eclipse, late at night behind my dorm. I was at a club earlier that night (or that week) and I saw this girl in a bikini contest. She won. I later found out that her name was Tiffany, and somehow, by some bizarre miracle, who knows, maybe the moon was making some funky things happen, but however it did happen, this little winner of the bikini contest (her's was white and yes, she wholeheartedly deserved to win), who I met later that night, had a thing for old Soapbox... Yep, she wanted my gear...

We ended up hanging out that night, or maybe a few nights after that. I have no idea what the activity was, but we somehow ended up in her car outside my dorm making out to the wee hours of the morning... Nothing naughty mind you. Not that she wasn't willing, but I was pretty inexperienced beyond the basic makeout.

Not sure the we clicked on an intellectual or spiritual level, but she was smoking hot and very into me. I remember going through her CD's looking for some tender music to put on, and the only one I could find that was remotely appropriate was Michael Jackson's Thriller album (on a side note, it's very cool that she would have that). And, being a Michael Jackson affictionado, I went right to Human Nature and probably hit replay on it 20 or 30 times that night....

It was just one of those fun, innocent times that we all have (at least I hope we all do) where the stars align and we have that one perfect night with another person (coupled of course with the fact that I, by some miracle, scored the winner of a bikini contest at a club who was light years out of my league)

So you can listen to it however you want, but as for me, I'm going to lower the lights, kick my seat back, close my eyes, and let classic transport me to that happy place in 1995..........



In case you're wondering, I never saw Tiffany again after that night. We parted ways amicably. I was heading in a direction that she didn't want to go, and she was going in a direction that I couldn't go. In talking about it to my awestruck buddies the next day, I later found out that her dad was the coach at their high school, and armed with this knowledge, I probably could have hunted her down, but I think I'll just let this perfect moment live in the untouchable past.....

Better Off Dead

So, I'm about to post about an 80's movie with an 80's pop soundtrack while listening to Straight Tequila Night by John Anderson, so if my review's a bit off, my apologies....

Better Off Dead tells the story of one Lane Meyer (played by John Cussack), a painfully average teenager who suddenly discovers himself dumped by his girlfriend who's looking to climb the social ladder by hooking up with the captain of the ski team.

Lane's family is a little off. His mother is kind of a Martha Stewart on acid-type, who's always experimenting with new dishes. His father, is a middle-aged attorney who makes feeble, misguided attempts to connect with lane. His younger brother, Badger, is a mute who occupies his time building space shuttles and picking up on grown women.

The plot of the movie involves Lane's methods of dealing with the breakup, his attempts at joining the ski team, and his getting over his ex.

If you watch this, don't look for a plot. Lane is a typical, abeit overexaggerated,
teenager who habitually underperforms and over-reacts. He is aided by his best friend, the guy who played Booger in Revenge of the Nerds, and by a french foreign exchange student named Monique (played by Diane Franklin, one of the princesses in Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure) who, grows on you as the film is played out. Monique's spunky spirit and gentle proddings eventually get Lane out of his depression.

I thought the cartoon sequences were dumb and the weird mom gag got a little old, but Booger had me rolling and the whole romance over time thing with Monique culminating in a date with cheesy music in the background really gets you. John Anderson and the effing loud thunderstorm outside may have tweaked this post a bit, but make no mistake, Better Off Dead is my number 2 for a very good reason. So order up a pizza, pop it in, and prepare to get transported back to simpler times my friends.............



I know it's pathetic, but I'm a huge sucker for the romance montages that are in most 80's movies. Here's the gay romance montage song from Better Off Dead...