I'm old enough to remember when MTV took to the airwaves - August 1, 1981. It didn't take long before the music channel assaulted all of us with its slogan, "I want my MTV." I remember the cheesy promotional photos of the Apollo 11 moon landing, with the flag featuring MTV's logo. I even remember the original five VJ's - Nina Blackwood, Mark Goodman, Alan Hunter, J.J. Jackson and Martha Quinn - and thinking none of them had an ounce of talent, but I didn't mind Martha Quinn because at least she was pretty cute.
I'm old enough to remember when MTV played music, but I didn't see the first two videos that were aired, The Buggles' "Video Killed the Radio Star" and Pat Benatar's "You Better Run," because we didn't have cable. Both videos are merely mediocre, but here are five killer videos that I have had the opportunity to view.
Song: "Hurt"
Artist: Johnny Cash
Director: Mark Romanek
Romanek's video captures a beleaguered Cash at the end of his tumultuous life. The video accomplishes what every great video should accomplish - it enhances the singer's performance.
Song: "Buddy Holly"
Band: Weezer
Director: Spike Jonze
Who's the coolest fictional character of all time? That's right, Fonzie. Well, The Fonz is the star of Spike Jonze's video, so that makes Weezer's video the coolest of all time.
Song: "Once in a Lifetime"
Band: Talking Heads
Director: Toni Basil
Remember Toni Basil? She had one that annoying hit in the 80s, "Mickey." "Mickey" wasn't so fine, but the Talking Heads video she directed certainly is. Basil directed and helped choreograph the "Once in a Lifetime" video that managed to capture David Byrne's bizarre brilliance. Even though "Once in a Lifetime" didn't receive much radio play, it was in heavy rotation on MTV.
Song: "Jeremy"
Band: Pearl Jam
Director: Mark Pellington
One of the most artistic videos ever. The final scene still gives me goose bumps. Mark Pellington has said, "I think that video tapped into something that has always been around and will always be around. You're always going to have peer pressure, you're always going to have adolescent rage, you're always going to have dysfunctional families."
Song: "Sledgehammer"
Artist: Peter Gabriel
Director: Stephen R. Johnson
In 1986, Stephen R. Johnson's video for "Sledgehammer" was considered groundbreaking for "its innovative use of claymation, pixilation and stop-motion animation." Today, it's still impressive.
With the recent passing of Davy Jones, fans and critics have been looking back at his storied career. In addition to starring in his own show, The Monkees, he had a well-known cameo as himself on The Brady Bunch, in which his biggest fan, Marcia Brady, tries to get him to sing at the school dance.
At one point or another, the biggest rock stars in the world will eventually make a television appearance. It’s a rite of passage. Maybe it’s a late night talk show, or maybe it's as a house band on an episode of a forgettable teen drama, or maybe it’s a voice on a ridiculously long-running animated sitcom.
Here are five TV cameos from famous rock stars:
The Flaming Lips on Beverly Hills, 90210
Before becoming the award-winning and critically acclaimed band they are today, The Flaming Lips were once just a struggling alt-rock outfit from Oklahoma. But with the success of 1993’s Transmissions from the Satellite Heart and the single "She Don't Use Jelly," The Flaming Lips finally found national exposure, which led to a guest appearance on Beverly Hills, 90210. Seriously. The guys who brought you The Soft Bulletin appeared on 90210….
Colin Hay on Scrubs
Best known as a member of Men at Work, Colin Hay’s lagging career got a shot in the arm in the early 2000s as many of his songs were featured on Scrubs as well as the soundtrack to Garden State. In a 2002 episode of Scrubs, Colin Hay appeared as himself, following Zach Braff’s character around and playing an acoustic rendition of “Overkill.”
George Harrison on The Simpsons
In all honesty, I could make several lists based on musicians who’ve made appearances on The Simpsons. In the show's 23 seasons (and counting), there have been guest appearances from The Ramones, Paul McCartney, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Ringo Starr, and The White Stripes. But George Harrison’s appearance in Homer’s Barbershop Quartet is one of the most memorable, as he watches Homer’s group perform on the roof of Moe’s Tavern and shrugs saying, “It's been done.”
Tom Petty on King of the Hill
What started out as a cameo quickly morphed into a main character. Tom Petty played Lucky, a man living off a cash settlement he received after slipping on urine and hurting his back at a Costco. He married Luanne and became a main character until the show ended in 2010.
David Bowie on Extras
Ricky Gervais’ 2006 series Extras was filled with genius celebrity cameos, such as Kate Winslet telling Ricky’s character Andy that she’s starring in a film about the Holocaust because it guarantees an Oscar win. (Total coincidence, she won an Oscar for The Reader in 2008, which um…deals with the Holocaust….) But one of the most memorable cameos belongs to David Bowie, who is approached by Andy in a pub and then proceeds to sing a song about what a fat loser Andy is, leading the entire pub in a rousing chorus about poor Andy having a pug-nosed face.
Everyone join in: "He sold his soul for a shot of fame. He's the little fat man with a pug-nosed face."
What's your favorite rock star cameo? Drop us a note in the comment box below.
No one expected much from Frank Sinatra when he started his film career. After all, Elvis managed one without the aid of a well-written script or acting ability. But Sinatra surprised everyone with a nuanced performance as a brainwashed veteran who aims to assassinate a presidential nominee in The Manchurian Candidate. Few musicians, however, really became top-notch thespians, but it sure is nice when they really work at the craft.
We’ve already covered actors who have tried to be musicians ("5 Musical Actors"). We've also covered rock stars who have made random film cameos ("5 Rock Stars Who've Made Surprising Film Cameos"). And next week we'll take a look at musicians who've made surprising TV cameos (8/15), but today we'll take a look at musicians who have fully committed to being actors, and in addition to that, are actually pretty damn good at it. It makes sense, after all, many musicians essentially play a character when they’re on stage anyway.
So, here are 5 musicians who have become surprisingly good actors:
Mos Def
Mos Def got his start in hip-hop, forming the group Black Star with Talib Kweli before moving on to his acclaimed solo albums, Black on Both Sides and The New Danger. He’s also a pretty good actor, having appeared in Michel Gondry’sBe Kind Rewind, The Woodsman, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Cadillac Records, and on Dexter as the character Brother Sam.
Dwight Yoakam
Best known for the song “Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc., Etc.” (YouTube it. It will get stuck in your head. For days.) Yoakam surprised everyone with his portrayal of an abusive alcoholic in 1996’s Sling Blade. Choosing his roles carefully, he’s managed to work with David Fincher in Panic Room and star in Crank 2: High Voltage.
Justin Timberlake
We were surprised that Justin managed a successful solo career, much less winning four Emmys for his acting abilities. While not every role has been great - he was in Mike Meyer’sThe Love Guru after all - he’s become the best cast member Saturday Night Live has had in ten years and put in stellar performances in The Social Network and Alpha Dog.
Mark Wahlberg
Before starring in Boogie Nights and The Fighter, Mark Wahlberg was once known as Marky Mark, and he employed a Funky Bunch. Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch even managed a few hits, such as “Good Vibrations." Side note: before that he once got high on PCP and beat a middle-aged Vietnamese man unconscious. The more you know…
Will Smith
There will be no “getting jiggy with it” jokes in this one. I just want to make that clear. Will Smith got his start playing such brutal, no-holds barred hip-hop songs like “Parents Just Don’t Understand” and “Summertime” before breaking out with The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Since then he’s become one of Hollywood’s biggest stars, despite starring in 1999’s Wild Wild West.
In First Concert, all kinds of folks discuss their first live music experience and the impact it might have had on their life. As we've talked to dozens of creative people, we've discovered amazing stories of unhinged live performances or forgotten B-sides.
Hal Sirowitz is the former Poet Laureate of Queens, NY, serving for three years under Borough President Helen Marshall. He's the author of five books of poetry. His first book, Mother Said was translated into nine languages and is the best selling translated poetry book in the history of Norway.
What was the first concert you ever attended? How old were you?
The first concert I ever attended was when I was twelve years old. I was sitting in the living room. My parents decided to do a duet. I was the only captive audience. They opened their windows, so the neighbors could hear. But the neighbors were free to rush inside their homes and put in earplugs.
What do you remember about the performance?
My mother sang opera and my father accompanied her with his violin. They were putting on a concert for the block to show that they had culture. My mother sang in Italian, mispronouncing words and not understanding anything she was singing. My father was trying to drown her out with his violin, playing as loudly as he could.
I remembered the Memorex commercial with Ella Fitzgerald breaking a wine glass by hitting a high note and was afraid my mother would shatter both the living room and the adjacent kitchen windows. But no such luck. Because as embarrassing as that might have been, at least that would have stopped their performance.
My mother was a stickler for safety – she’d have stopped singing to pick up the shattered glass. My father played as badly as the comedian Jack Benny. But at least Benny was playing badly on purpose. Badly was the only way my father knew how to play.
After their performance they sat on their front steps, waiting for the neighbors to praise them. Most neighbors avoided them like the plague. But one neighbor wanted to know if that was a recording or live. My parents said it was live. He thought so. Recordings could not be that bad.
They went inside, away from the barbarians who couldn’t appreciate culture even if it was thrown at their faces. I went to my room and read a Philip K. Dick science fiction novel. His novels helped me to escape reality, and I was in need of much escaping.
How do you think that experience influenced your poetry?
I realized, unlike Dick who had to set his novels in the future and on different planets, like Mars, to create unrealistic and hellish settings, I only had to set them at home, and if I was good enough, maybe I might achieve the same results.
(Sirowitz was awarded a New York Foundation for the Arts and a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship in poetry. He was once the opening act for They Might Be Giants. One of his poems was selected to be posted on buses and subways in NYC. He has been awarded residencies at Yaddo and the MacDowell Artist Colony. Jonathan Ames said, "Hal Sirowitz is the bard of the deadpan delivery." Gil Scott Heron said, "Hal Sirowitz is one funny motherfucker." He has been in anthologies edited by Billy Collins and Garrison Keillor. He now resides in Philadelphia with his wife and poodle.)
Musician/actor/producer David Cassidy has performed for some 40 years -- after first breaking into the big time as a singing teen heartthrob on the 1970s ABC show The Partridge Family.Cassidy was one of the first personalities to be merchandised and marketed worldwide, and recorded ten Partridge Family and five solo albums during the show’s five-year run.
David Cassidy debuted his Davy Jones tribute show at the Kenley Centennial Amphitheater in Layton, Utah on Monday, July 2, with three subsequent tribute appearances in Vegas later this summer.
Cassidy delivered all of the hits that made him famous, such as "I Think I Love You," as well as favorites by The Beatles and others. But he also paid special tribute to the music of a fallen friend.
Davy Jones, who held his own heartthrob status as part of the The Monkees TV show and band in the late '60s, was originally slated for the Kenley date. He was struck down unexpectedly by a heart attack at age 66 on Feb. 29.
Cassidy and Jones had performed together several times over the years and were close friends: "A month after he passed away, we were actually scheduled to do a show together," said Cassidy. "We were working out the details shortly before he died. So when that happened, I was glad to help. Other than having Danny (Bonaduce) open for me a couple times, Davy is the only one I'd shared a stage with. And his fans and my fans are very supportive of each other."
In their previous performances, Jones had always opened for him.
"This time, I said to him, 'Listen, man, why don't I go on first, then you do your set, and I'll join you for the last couple of songs?' I felt weird about always closing for him, because of me being more famous or whatever, because he was insanely talented. And the venues we were going to play were OK with it, and we were set to go. And then he was gone. So when his agent called and asked me to do this, to rehearse a tribute to him, I didn't hesitate."
Knock at the door
A few years younger than Jones, Cassidy was a fan of Jones and his work onThe Monkees'television series and albums: "Those memories are very special to me," said Cassidy, "I can remember driving in a car, as a teenager in L.A., and listening to their music on the radio -- great music. It is an amazing thing to perform this music, have this connection with this music from my early years, before I became a professional myself. The whole thing is really very emotional for me."
Cassidy first met Jones when one day, completely out of the of the blue, Jones knocked on Cassidy's door. This was in the early 1970s, when Cassidy's own fame was in full blush, but after Jones' mega-stardom was waning.
"His career was really in a frustrating place then," said Cassidy. "So he just wanted to come in and feel me out and see what I was about, who I was."
Jones told Cassidy that he had written a song for him.
"Well, I was stunned, flabbergasted, having been a fan myself. I welcomed him in. I think he understood we would have a connection. We did, of course. He understood what I was going through then -- and also knew the kind of frustration I would go through after 'The Partridge Family' went away. "
More than a Monkee
Cassidy said that Jones, a serious actor and musician, struggled with his Monkee identity. The very name of the band was something that chafed.
"That word -- Monkee -- it connotes something kind of silly, or clownish. And of course, they were fun and funny, but they made some great music that still holds up. Individually, I thought they were all talented, but together? Amazing. And they had some comeback shows later that showed what they were really made of. It is a tribute to them that they finally got the respect they deserved.
"But back then, before the comeback happened, Davy was hurting. He told me, 'The Monkees were great, but they ruined my acting career.' He was a very good theatrical actor when he was young -- played on the West End as the Artful Dodger, a fantastic role, and in many others. But he couldn't go back to that, after The Monkees. He was too closely identified with that role. And of course, not too many years after that day he first came to see me, I went through something very similar. His friendship helped me deal with it."
Cassidy and Jones stayed close over the years, sharing an interest in thoroughbred breeding and racing, as well as music and acting. During the last five years, as they performed shows together, they grew even closer.
"I have nothing but great memories of knowing him. He was able to let down a lot of his barriers, and that helped me to do the same. We could share it all."
(This article was reprinted from the Standard-Examiner with journalist Linda East Brady's permission. The original article, which appeared on June 29, 2012 was more extensive and has been shortened. Linda East Brady is a novelist, music journalist and radio host. She is the music writer for the Ogden Standard-Examiner, and has also written about music for numerous other publications. Linda also co-hosts an Americana radio show, “Sunday Sagebrush Serenade,” for KRCL FM.
Her fiction appears under the name L. E. Brady. Her short story, “Continental Club Graffiti,” appeared in the Mid-South Literary Review. Her first novel, “Lone Star Ice & Fire,” was published in 2004 by Coral Press. Her follow-up book, “The Pedigree Blues,” is due out soon from the same publisher. She lives with her husband and family in Ogden, Utah.)
Things are moving fast for singer/songwriter Jem Warren.
Warren's EP Lifeblood To My Soulwas released last spring to acclaim for his unique Americana sound, an acoustic blend of country and folk that ruminates on everything from religion to lost love, while his ballad “Jim Jones," based on the infamous 1978 Jonestown mass suicide, was featured on the The Confession, a Hulu exclusive web series starring John Hurt and Keifer Sutherland.
The singer released his debut album Heart Knows How on May 18.
What was the first piece of music that made you want to make music of your own?
“Every Breath You Take” by The Police. There was something very seductive about the sound. I was quite young, but I felt very connected to the sound and remember wanting to recreate it.
What particular song has had an impact on your songwriting?
There have been so many. To name a few: “Come As You Are," “Fast Car,” and “It’s Alright Ma, (I'm Only Bleeding)." There’s a primal quality to these songs that I try to capture. I always gravitated towards the tortured variety of artist.
What was the first song you wrote that you were proud of?
“September Breeze." It's on my first demo from 2003. I don’t really play that anymore, but I remember thinking it was really good.
What was it like getting your start as a musician in New York?
It was rough; there are a lot of great musicians out there and it can be overwhelming and intimidating. But it can also be very inspiring and forces you to up your game.
How was “Jim Jones” chosen for The Confession?
It was a contest by OurStage, and “Jim Jones” was selected from 1,700 entries.
What’s the reception been like for Heart Knows How?
I feel like it’s too early to tell if people will like it better or less than my EP; they are two very different albums. But so far the response to the live performances has been very positive.
Did you set out to bring a more country vibe to your new album?
In the beginning it just happened organically, but towards the album’s completion it became more deliberate.
What advice would you give to an aspiring songwriter?
Stay true to what really moves you, and know what you want to say.
What’s next musically?
I don’t want it to be more of the same; I always want to be evolving. As cliché as that sounds, it’s important for an artist to keep moving forward. Let’s just say the next album will most likely be a different vibe.
In our Writers and Music series, authors discuss the music that has either been included in their most recent novel/play or the influence music has had on their work overall. We've talked to dozens of novelists, playwrights, and poets and discovered amazing stories of the unhinged live performances or forgotten B-sides that have inspired their work and kept them writing.
Jason Grote is the author of the plays 1001, Civilization (all you can eat), and Maria/Stuart, among others. He has written for film and TV, including season one of "Smash," and co-hosted The Acousmatic Theater Hour on WFMU in 2008-09. Visit him at jasongrote.com.
Has a specific song ever influenced one of your scripts?
Much of the time, yes. The most obvious example would be my play 1001, which actually calls for music in the script; when I started writing the play, I was listening to Push The Button, a Chemical Brothers' album, especially the song "Galvanize," which featured rapping by Q-Tip. I think the play was influenced by that song, which featured Muslim chanting, Middle Eastern violins, and a powerful, vaguely revolutionary message.
I also listened to a lot of electronic and hip-hop music coming out of the Middle East in the 90s and 00s, and raï music, which was a kind of Algerian rock-pop (mostly Rachid Taha). Right now I'm writing a play about Shostakovich, so obviously I'm using a lot of that music.
You were a writer for the first season of Smash. What was the biggest challenge writing for a musical series?
TV writing is a whole different animal, but one of the biggest challenges with the show was the contemporary numbers, because you would write something into the script - this wasn't a pitch but an actual finished draft - and then the music people would come back with a different number, based on their expertise, or what they could obtain the rights to, or maybe what they thought they could sell as iTunes downloads.
In and of itself this wasn't such a bad thing, because I have a really spotty knowledge of current Top 40 music and it wouldn't have been so great to have me dropping in, say, Guided by Voices or Clash songs, but it would have been better to have integrated the songs more organically into the scripts. I'm not on Season Two; maybe they'll have changed this by then.
You’ve done a lot of work and fundraising for WFMU. What drew you to that station?
I briefly worked at the Montclair Book Center in 1990, where they played the station all the time. It was a great job, except I was paid less than minimum wage, and I usually took that in used books instead of money so I couldn't pay my rent. For years after that, I would strain to get a signal and listened to it here and there whenever I could, usually in a car, but at some point in the late 1990s I started listening online. It's the best radio station in the world and everyone should listen to it at WFMU.org.
You wrote and produced WFMU’s Acousmatic Theatre Hour.
I loved going down to the station once a week to be on the radio, but honestly I just remembered it being a lot of work. It was hard coming up with something interesting to play on the radio every week (it was a radio play show, and contemporary, interesting radio plays are next to impossible to come by and extremely time-consuming to make), so we'd often play archival material from UbuWeb, PennSound, or the WFMU record library.
It was an important life lesson: I could love WFMU as a listener and volunteer, but I didn't necessarily have to go on the air. But I'm glad I got it out of my system.
What was your best and worst live music experiences?
Hmmmm...best would be tough - I saw Fishbone at City Gardens in Trenton, NJ, in 1987 in a small crowd, and it was pretty incredible, just fantastic, fun energy. My other favorites are all fairly recent: Patti Smith at the Bowery Ballroom on New Years' Eve 2006, Ted Leo & The Pharmacists at McCarren Park Pool in 2007, The Dirtbombs at Southpaw in 2008.
My least favorite included a truly frightening Cro-Mags/Mentors show at City Gardens, also in 1987 (though it was also really memorable), and Porno for Pyros at Roseland Ballroom in 1993. That last one ruined Perry Farrell for me - the crowd was full of moshing jocks (one of the worst things about the 1990s). The band played for 35 minutes, and Farrell ended the show by asking the audience, "How does it feel to be a bunch of cunts?"
In fact, the 1990s was kind of a lost decade for me, musically - I just saw tons of big festival shows like Lollapalooza, and then the Grateful Dead and jam bands. Though I still like The Dead and make no apologies for it.
Your play 1001, a modern retelling of Arabian Nights, has been receiving a steady stream of praise and productions since its 2007 premiere. Why do you think this play has resonated with audiences?
Who knows? I think theaters like that it's epic and ambitious, but maybe it's had a life because it's hopeful in the face of tragedies like 9/11 and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Civilization has been well-received by theaters because it's my most similarly epic play in years, but it's much more bleak, and it's an explicit criticism of capitalism, which seems to touch a nerve - in DC in particular. The Washington Post loved it, but all these 24-year-old bloggers hated it, like viciously hated it with an unusual level of vitriol. I can only imagine it was because it makes desperate, ambitious people look like assholes. And who's more desperate and ambitious than a 24-year-old blogger in DC?
1001 also went after a much easier target, the neocons who were waging war against the Arab world, even though it felt much riskier at the time. When a liberal Democrat is in power, theater audiences don't want to hear criticisms of power quite so much. It's actually more of a taboo. Though I hear they loved Civilization in Germany!
Is there a musical act you think is criminally underrated?
Love, definitely - Arthur Lee was insane, but they were way better than The Doors, CSN, or any number of other L.A. acts at the time.
I also think there's a huge garage/psych/punk scene that's been going on since the 1980s and is still going strong today, and which deserves attention above and beyond Jack White (though I like Jack White): Dan Melchior, Billy Childish, Holly Golightly, The Dirtbombs, New Bomb Turks, Redd Kross, The Black Hollies, The Ettes, Jay Reatard, Gentleman Jesse, King Khan & The Shrines, Davila 666, The Cynics, Black Lips, Thee Oh Sees...I could keep this up forever. There were some great Boston bands from the 1980s waiting to be rediscovered, like Big Dipper and Volcano Suns.
There's some really fantastic electro/pop/punk coming from Brazil right now, and the internet has allowed for there to be literally thousands of compilations of great forgotten music from every contentent except Antarctica, though there's probably a Love Peace & Poetry: Antarctica compilation in the works that I don't know about.
Do you have any new work coming up?
I'll be reading my short story from the Significant Objects anthology, from Fantagraphics Books, at The Strand on July 10. That's going to be a pretty cool event, not because of me, but the other authors: Luc Sante, Ben Greenman, Shelley Jackson, Annie Nocenti, who wrote the best run on Daredevil in that comic's history (and yes, I'm including Frank Miller).
I just finished the program note for The Wooster Group/Royal Shakespeare Company production of Troilus & Cressida at The Globe in Stratford-upon-Avon and London, and I'm very proud of that, even though it's just a program note. Civilization should be coming to Chicago in 2013. I'm developing some original ideas for TV and film that I can't talk about just yet.
(Elford Alley has had plays produced and read across the United States and his sketch comedy featured in several shows in Chicago. His articles have appeared in cracked.com. He currently resides in Dallas with his wife and daughter.)
In our Writers and Music series, authors discuss the music that has either been included in their most recent novel/play or the influence music has had on their work overall.
Gary Winter’s plays have been seen or heard at The Chocolate Factory; The Flea; HERE; PS 122; The Cherry Lane Alternative; Playwrights Horizons; The Lark; defunkt theatre. His play I Love Neil LaBute was recently publishedin Shorter, Faster, Funnier: Comic Plays and Monologues (Vintage Books, summer 2011). From 1998 to 2008 Gary volunteered as Literary Manager of the Flea Theater, where he currently helps organize Pataphysics, workshops for playwrights.
Taking matters into one’s own hands
I think one thing that characterized the New York art scene in the 80s was the "DIY" zeitgeist. In that spirit, my friend Scott Lewis & I created the Scott & Gary Show. Inspired by the live dance shows of the 60s, we wanted to produce a TV show with a sense of energy and joy. The concept was simple: Experimental bands performing live.
Some of the bands we had on were the Beastie Boys, the Butthole Surfers, Shockabilly and ½ Japanese. We taped “as live” and friends came down to the studio to dance. I directed and Scott hosted. A reviewer in a music magazine aptly called it “The American Bandstand from hell.” We taped twenty episodes in all, fourteen in NYC and the final six at a public access studio that Jeff Krulik (Heavy Metal Parking Lot), ran in Maryland. (You can find clips of the show on YouTube).
We operated with a team of volunteers and a $135 per show budget. In spite of minimal resources (or because of), we were able to articulate a vision and carry it through. In his book Unbalancing Acts, Richard Foreman clearly articulates what he’s attempting to do, and I think this is one of the most important things a playwright can ask of him/herself. Not everyone is going to connect with your stuff and that’s fine. If a few people are genuinely affected by your work, you’ve done your job.
I’ve had the privilege to be part of 13P, the theater company founded by thirteen playwrights whose mission has been to produce one play by each of its members. Taking control of one’s artistic vision has been our goal, and towards that end each of us has served as artistic director of his/her own show. At the time of my show (AT SAID), I was exploring a way of writing that was new for me, and I needed to see the show sixteen times to figure what did and didn’t work. The process proved invaluable to my learning curve.
I think 13P has been part of a larger movement over the past decade of intrepid artists turning the focus away from relying on the institutional model (away from development and towards production), and putting the focus back on the individual artist. This is not a dig at established theaters or performance venues; it’s a way of saying that when individuals feel empowered, they will make vital work and steer institutions towards a more flexible model. Call it trickle up theory, if you will.
There’s only so much you can control
Five minutes before the Butthole Surfers were scheduled to go on they told me they needed to drop acid. I said fine, just be back in five minutes. You can’t be in control of every contingency, but you can keep a cool head. (They returned in five minutes, and none for the worse. Probably better.)
End things
We taped twenty episodes of Scott & Gary (1984-1987), and then it was time to move on. One more show and 13P implodes. That’s been the plan all along. You’re all invited to the implosion bash this fall (date and place TBA).
For anyone in their mid to late twenties, "Hey Sandy" is a song you'll recognize from its first note. While the rest of us were cranking Nirvana, you guys were in front of your television sets with a bowl of Fruit Loops, watching "The Adventures of Pete and Pete" on Nickelodeon, in between marathon sessions of Nintendo.
Admit it, you wish you were there right now, don't you? So do I.
For the rest of us who are over or under the target age, "Hey Sandy" will immediately shoot up our list of great TV theme songs. And none of us will ever figure out the lyrics.
Polaris was an offshoot of the band Miracle Legion, beginning as a duo - singer/guitarist Mark Mulcahy and guitarist Ray Neal - in New Haven in 1983. They added Jeff Wiederschall (drums) and Joel Potocsky (bass), and in 1984 they recorded the EP The Backyard, which includes the great title track. The song was a college radio hit and the band was poised to take off. They were even drawing comparisons to REM.
After a couple of label changes and a new bass player (Steve West), they finally released an LP in 1987, Surprise! Surprise! Surprise!, to decent reviews. But the landscape had changed. In college radio time, three years is an eternity.
More lineup changes followed. They recorded Me and Mr. Ray as a duo, and a pretty track, "You're The One-Lee" (as in "only"), hit the airwaves a few times on a show called 120 Minutes that was on a certain Music Television channel.
There were more personnel changes and more label trouble. The band recorded two more albums, fan favorite Drenched in 1992, and Portrait of a Damaged Family, which would not see the light of day until 1996, when it was released by Mulcahy's own label, Mezzotint.
The creators of "The Adventures of Pete and Pete" were fans of Miracle Legion, so they asked the band to record some music for the show. By that time the band had splintered, and Ray Neal wasn't interested but Mulcahy accepted. He worked on the show with a new band, but they called themselves Polaris. They were the house band for all three seasons, and recorded enough material to release one album that was the closest they ever came to the "sound" they had on The Backyard. Many twenty-somethings claim the show shaped their listening habits for life.
In 2009, long time fans, Thom Yorke, Frank Black, Michael Stipe and The National, among others, recorded a Mark Mulcahy tribute album - Ciao My Shining Star: The Songs of Mark Mulcahy- to help him out after his wife had suddenly passed away.
Whether it was college kids seeking refuge from the all too familiar sounds of top 40 radio in the 80s, or twenty and thirty-somethings reliving the glory days of childhood, at one time these "two" bands meant something to two different generations, leaving both with a lot to remember.
(Jim Pace can usually be found directing music videos in and around NYC. He will begin production on his first feature film in 2013. He spends his spare time writing songs, screenplays and getting involved in anything that will give him an excuse to listen to more music.)
When former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart gave his opinion on a landmark obscenity case, he wrote, "While hard-core pornography was hard to define, I know it, when I see it." (The less famous next part of the sentence is, "and the motion picture involved in this case is not that.")
When it comes to a great song, there's no need to define it. We know when we hear it. Judges know porn; we know music. Which brings us to The Cosmopolitans, a New Wave, mostly all-girl band, that sounded a lot like the B-52's.
Jamie Sims, a classically trained musician, formed an alternative dance group - the Cosmopolitan Dance Troop - in North Carolina and moved to New York City to pursue a career in modern dance. On her first night in NYC, she attended a record release party for Blondie's first album! How's that for street cred?
In the early days of the Cosmopolitan Dance Troop, they go-go danced on stage with bands like The dB's and The Fleshtones. During this period, Sims began writing goofy songs for the act. The troupe struggled, so friends of The Cosmopolitans organized a benefit show at CBGB to help them out.
At the benefit, they performed one of their wacky compositions, along with their high energy, pom-pom girl/go-go dance act. The crowd ate it up. From that point, they began to book themselves as a rock band, while performing to pre-taped songs.
In 1980, they recorded three songs, and in a couple of months were signed by Shake Records. Shake released the single "(How to Keep Your) Husband Happy" b/w "Wild Moose Party." Soon after that, it went into rotation on WNEW, a major rock station in New York.
"(How to Keep Your) Husband Happy" is based on 1950s fitness guru Debbie Drake's exercise record. The song is a Gloria Steinem nightmare. It offers great "advice" like, "Shape up, tone up," "Nice voice; keep it soft and musical," and my favorite, "Excess fat, Taboo!"
Sims delivers the lines in a sarcastic cheerleader tone that will have you reaching for your pom-poms and wishing this band had recorded more material. A marvelous retro video directed by Michael Dugan includes footage from their performance on the infamous Uncle Floyd Show and illustrates exactly how "MTV-ready" the band was. But the birth of MTV was still a year away.
If you want more, just listen to "Chevy Baby." A song about - you guessed it - trading your baby for a Chevy. The Cosmopolitans toured the East Coast, but stardom never materialized. Sims contracted Epstein Barr Virus and the group dissolved in 1982.
Sims lives in Virginia, where she currently composes classical music. Everybody ready? Let's go! Shape up! Tone Up!...
(Jim Pace can usually be found directing music videos in and around NYC. He will begin production on his first feature film in 2013. He spends his spare time writing songs, screenplays and getting involved in anything that will give him an excuse to listen to more music.)
Recent Comments