Blast from the Past: Things to Do in the Bathroom. . .

I know I did a "bath time" Blast from the Past some time ago, but I thought of a couple of products I didn't cover. So, lather up!





1. Shower to Shower Deodorant Powder - There were a lot of stinky people walking around in the 70s and 80s. "Just a sprinkle a day" allegedly will fix that problem for you!

2. Sure Deodorant - A (ahem) surer way to keep from stinking is to use an actual underarm antiperspirant. This famous ad even seems to claim it keeps the Statue of Liberty from stinking. Raise your hand!

3. Head & Shoulders Dandruff Shampoo - Pam doesn't stink. She's just got a hideous case of dandruff.

4. Ban Solid Antiperspirant - Back to stinky people, except the issue here seems to be wetness.

5. Calgon Bath Soap - Sometimes, you just have to get away from it all: Calgon, take me away!

6. Aqua Velva After Shave - Pete Rose sings! I'm not kidding.

Have a good Monday, everyone!

Blast from the Past: Classic MTV Videos, Part II

Last week, after MTV's Video Music Awards, I noted that there was a time when MTV actually played music, and that they really set the tone for pop culture in the 1980s.  Not a profound thought, I know. But those videos were a lot of fun. I said at the time that the post probably deserved a sequel, so here you go. . .








1. "Strip" by Adam Ant - Punk rock and "new wave" became mainstream by the time of the MTV generation, and by the time this song came out, even Adam Ant was too. He was still something of a rebel, but not by much.
2. "I'm Still Standing" by Elton John - There was a time when the world still didn't know that Elton John was gay. This video should have given them a clue.
3. "Hurts so Good" by John Cougar - I love I remember being surprised that John Cougar (later Mellencamp) had an earring. Wow, things have changed a lot since 1982.
4. "Sharp Dressed Man" by ZZ Top - ZZ Top had always been more a staple of AOR, but in the 80s, even they got in on the video music craze.
5. "You Might Think" by The Cars - The Cars was another group that pre-dated MTV, but they made the transition well, logging several video hits. This one was always a favorite.
6. "Open Your Heart" by Madonna- As a long-time Madonna fan, I even shocked myself for leaving her out of my first batch. Here's one of her best videos.
7. "Somebody's Watching Me" by Rockwell - I used a Michael Jackson video in Part I, and he makes a minor (background vocals) appearance here, in a novelty hit by one-hit-wonder, Rockwell.
8. "Crazy in the Night" by Kim Carnes - The really big 80s hit for Kim Carnes was of course Bette Davis Eyes. But it was overplayed so much back then, I'm still sick of it. The Rockwell song reminded me of this Carnes hit, one I always liked better anyway.

That's it for Part II.  I'll take a break for next week's Blast from the Past, but I may revisit it again with a Part III.  There are a whole lot more great 80s tunes, and still lots of stars I've left out.  Happy Monday!

Blast from the Past: Lost Songs of the 80s!

What do I mean by "lost song?" Well, it could be a one-hit-wonder's only claim to fame.  It could be a group that had one big hit, and a couple that got lost in the shuffle.  Or it could be one of the lesser hits of a bigger group.  But for some reason, all of these songs got lost somehow. They rarely show up on "Best of" collections. You almost never hear them on "Mix" or "Jack"-type radio stations. Everyone seems to have forgotten about them. But not me.








1. "No Myth" by Michael Penn - This is one of my favorites, sung by Sean Penn's brother, and Madonna's former brother-in-law. Too bad she couldn't have helped him have a bigger career.
2. "Baby Love" by Regina - Speaking of Madonna, you could be forgiven for thinking that this is one of her early hits.
3. "The Sun Always Shines on TV" by a-ha - You thought a-ha was a one-hit wonder, didn't you? Nope, "Take on Me" wasn't their only hit.
4. "Come as You Are" by Peter Wolf - Best known for being the lead singer of the J. Geils Band, Wolf had a couple of solo hits too.
5. "Living in a Dream" by Pseudo Echo - They're best known for their cover of "Funkytown," but this one got play before that one did.
6. "Pop Goes the World" by Men Without Hats - Sure, you can sing "Safety Dance" in your sleep, but can you remember this one? It even has a little riff from their big hit buried at the end.
7. "Hyperactive" by Thomas Dolby - Everyone knows "She Blinded Me with Science. But this one rarely gets played.
8. "Two Tribes" - Their biggest hit "Relax" is omnipresent in 80s compilation albums and radio stations, and is still a pop-culture touchstone. But "Two Tribes" gets no love.

Frivolity Break: SNL's Body Fuzion

Watching Saturday Night Live's tribute to Amy Poehler last night, I got to see one of their more brilliant parodies. It wasn't really a spotlight on Poehler, because it featured guest host Drew Barrymore, and Kristin Wiig more than anybody. But the brilliance of this piece was as much in the technical aspects of it, as it was the comedy.

Back in the 80s, workout videos were all the rage. And they didn't even have to work, they just had to be successful. Jane Fonda had a huge second career as a video workout maven. The funny in this spot has more to do with the presentation as with the material. VHS video tapes were notoriously bad in quality, with harsh lighting, bad video reproduction, and "tracking."

If you aren't old enough to remember, think of digital glitches in DVDs, only much more so. This parody nails the technical limitations of 80s video in a way that defines "you just had to be there."

Blast from the Past: Joan Rivers, Elton John and Cher

Image from source, Wonderland-site

I recently threw out all of my old VHS tapes, when we swapped the rooms that house my office and guest bedroom. I'd been saving them since the very first one I recorded, which dates to approximately 1985. It was a huge loss psychically, but not practically. In truth, I hadn't hauled one out in years, and when I did, the VCR ate it. Now, the VCRs in our house have been retired, though there is still a dusty one tucked away in the armoire in the master bedroom. For emergencies.

There were many pop culture moments stored away on those tapes, now crushed in a landfill somewhere here in the Las Vegas valley. One of them contained the below clip, so I was sort of excited when I found it.

Picture it: it's 1986. While cable TV exists, it consists of your local channels, some "independent" channels that run The Andy Griffith Show in an endless loop, MTV, CNN, C-SPAN and pay services like HBO. In all, most people had 20-30 channels, but they mostly watched the big three networks, ABC, CBS and NBC. There was no internet. Renting video tapes had only recently come into vogue. So the introduction of a new nationwide over-the-air television network was a very big deal.

But it didn't start out that way. When the FOX television network started, it consisted of exactly one show, at 11:30 pm. In fact, it wasn't even called "FOX" yet, it was called "FBC." And that show was a variety program, hosted by the recently departed "permanent guest host" of The Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson. Her name was in the title of the new show, The Late Show starring Joan Rivers. You might not remember this, but at one time (briefly as it turns out) in the mid-1980s, Joan's career was hot. Not just with adults either, but with high school kids too.

It probably had to do with how bawdy she was. Most female entertainers didn't talk that way back then. Now, you've got your Sarah Silvermans and your Janeane Garofalos, but in the 1980s there was just Joan. The show didn't catch on, and was replaced (eventually by Arsenio Hall) fairly quickly, but to be fair, it wasn't given much of a chance. This was a brand new television network, mostly cobbled together from local UHF stations. And Joan Rivers isn't everybody's cup of tea, especially when you consider that she pissed off the very popular Johnny Carson, an American institution.

But check out who Joan managed to book for her debut show: Cher, Elton John, Pee-Wee Herman and David Lee Roth (don't laugh, Pee-Wee and Diamond Dave were big in the 80s too). In this clip, a very big-haired, and completely tone deaf Joan sings along to Elton John's The Bitch is Back, which was a brilliant idea. And eventually, Cher comes out and sings along. This was a treat for viewers, as Cher had been in her "serious actress" stage, and hadn't been a singer for years. Anyway, the clip brought back memories for me, so enjoy.

Julie Brown Takes on Sarah Palin: New Song!

Photo from HX

I've loved Julie Brown (the funny one, not the untalented one) since I was shortly out of high school, which was way-y-y-y back in 1984. Video stores had just started popping up, and they had very little backlog--rentable video tape having just been invented and all. So after I got through every horror and sci-fi movie, I was down to the comedy section.

I found a "Comedy Videos" tape, and discovered The Hitler Rap by Mel Brooks, Where's the Beef? by Ruth Buzzi (a lame attempt to cash in on Wendy's Clara Peller), and The Homecoming Queen's Got a Gun by Julie Brown. The last song was the best, and still is very funny (if you remember that school shootings were much more rare in those days, and when they did occur, they weren't rampages). The song is lampooning 50s and 60s "tragedy" songs much more than school shootings.

After that song, Julie had a series of other funny tracks like, Trapped in the Body of a White Girl, I Like 'Em Big and Stupid, Girl Fight Tonight! and my favorite, 'Cause I'm a Blonde. She Incorporated some of these songs into her movie, Earth Girls are Easy, also starring Geena Davis, Jeff Goldblum, Damon Wayons and Jim Carrey. She's been in several (usually short-lived) shows that belong in the category, Brilliant but Cancelled. And she's made me laugh all the way.

Most recently, Julie has taken to making fun of Vice Presidential candidate, Sarah Palin. A worthy endeavor by any measure, made better by the fact that she can impersonate Palin's voice and appearance very well. Not bad, considering she's a full decade older than Palin. Below is an audio-only YouTube video (I know, that sounds weird), of Julie's appearance on a recent airing of The Stephanie Miller Show, where she released the premiere of "The Ex-Beauty Queen's Got a Gun/The Girl V.P.'s Got a Gun."

It's very, very funny stuff, but feels a bit like a work in progress. The backing track is from the original song, with some words still audible. And the title needs work. But it's still Julie Brown, and I'll take her any way I can get her!

And here's the original, just for fun. . .

Classic TV Themes: Sitcoms of the 80s

Delving back into the recesses of my mind for another frivolity break. All of these videos are openings to shows that were great at first. . .and then went on for far too long. In their heyday, they were immensely enjoyable, and full of talent.

#1 - It's a Living - This show was only a modest performer in the ratings, but had tons of potential. So, after it was cancelled by the network, it was picked up for syndication, and went on. And on. It was a lot of fun for the first couple of years, and then they rotated casts (and titles) to the point where the show just ran out of gas. It couldn't go on without Ann Jillian. Great theme song, though!

#2 - Perfect Strangers - This was the 80s, male version of Laverne & Shirley. Great physical comedy, outright hilarious sometimes. And then it got stale. Really stale. How long could Balki stay a fish out of water? When they brought in wives, and a (shared) house, and made it part of the childish "TGIF" lineup, it was finally put out to pasture.

#3 - Valerie - A case of a show that was killed by a contract dispute. Valerie Harper is one of the most underrated comedy performers of all time, willing to be the "straight man" to others' hijinks. After a tussle over salary or some such, she was killed off, and replaced by the (inferior for this show, but good otherwise) Sandy Duncan. The show went through three names before it was cancelled--years later. Bonus: Season 1 and 2, plus end credits.

#4 - Family Ties - Definitely the highest rated (by viewers and critics) of this list, Family Ties was one of my favorites at the time. But like most high-rated, long-running shows, the young kid got less cute. So, they brought in a baby and then miraculously aged him four years in a single season. The theme song was great though, and has some of the best editing, with images in time to the music.

50 Greatest Commercials of the 80s

Image from source, GiantMag.com

Hat-tip to KennethInThe212.blogspot.com, who posted a link to this post, which as you know if you've read this blog before, hits my pop-culture sweet-spot. It's from late last year, so it isn't new, but I thought it was worth posting.

If you're from the MTV Generation, take a trip down memory lane. If you're younger than that, check out what you missed.

GiantMag.com's 50 Greatest Commercials of the 80s