Joan Rivers, Dead at 81

This is the Joan I remember most.

Well, crap. Joan Rivers--love her or hate her (or a little of both)--was something of a force of nature. She was clearly a pioneer, and one of the few unfiltered celebrity voices out there. She's the only woman to ever have hosted a network late-night talk show. She reinvented herself (and, can we talk, her face) countless times. And she arguably got cooler as she got older.

I have been wondering what would happen to some of our aging icons, particularly the ones like Rivers and Joan Collins, women who refused to look or act like little old ladies. And I haven't decided yet whether it's better that Rivers died rather quickly and unexpectedly rather than having to suffer an age-related decline.  No one could say that 81 is "too young to die," but then again, she was so vibrant and vital, it's clear that she would be with us if not for the botched surgical procedure last week. It would have been nice to see her get to Phyllis Diller's age when she died. Can you imagine a 95-year-old Rivers on the red carpet?

Comedy has lost some big, big names.
Image from The Daily Trash.

Joan Rivers had her biggest heyday in the early-to-mid 1980s. Her standup comedy was filling auditoriums, her album What Becomes a Semi-Legend Most was a huge hit, and she became the permanent guest host on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. She then began the very first show on the FOX-TV network, then called FBC. The Late Show Starring Joan Rivers caused a falling out with Carson, and didn't end up becoming a success, though I believe I saw nearly every episode. And she had a bit of a last laugh by having had better ratings than any of the shows that replaced her.

During that program, Rivers had an "anyone can host"-type contest, with video submissions. I helped my Mom, along with my brother, to put together an entry. Though Mom didn't win, she did get a nice letter from Joan that mentioned specific parts of the video, which was nice. If I ever get that VHS tape converted to digital, I may share it in this space.

So, my biggest memories of Joan Rivers are from that FOX/Tonight Show/Heidi Abromowitz era, before her later reinvention as a daytime host, QVC jewelry seller, red carpet fashion reviewer. But I was impressed with her staying power. And it feels very odd to be writing about her demise. RIP, Joanie. I'm not a believer in afterworlds, but if I'm wrong, I hope you're with Edgar and Spike!

[Excerpt]

Comedian Joan Rivers dead at 81
 
Joan Rivers, the raucous, acid-tongued comedian who crashed the male-dominated realm of late-night talk shows and turned Hollywood red carpets into danger zones for badly dressed celebrities, died Thursday. She was 81. Rivers was hospitalized last week after she went into cardiac arrest at a Manhattan doctor's office following a routine procedure. Daughter Melissa Rivers said she died at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, surrounded by family and close friends. . .

Read more at: AOL

And now, from the first episode of The Late Show Starring Joan Rivers, a must-see with Elton John and surprise guest Cher.

 

Jindal's Full of Wind (Rocky Mountain Mike Song Parody)

I can claim no credit for the wonderfulness of Rocky Mountain Mike's song and ad parodies, other than to say that sometimes there is an odd synchronicity between him making one, and me checking to see if he has made one. I can't tell you how often I think, "Let's see if Mike has made anything new," and I find out he just posted one. Trust me, my part is a hell of a lot easier. I must just have an antenna that tunes to his frequency. Good job, Mike! This one is to the tune of Elton John's Candle in the Wind.

Blast from the Past: George Michael & Wham!

Image from Wikipedia

I got the idea for a George Michael edition of Blast from the Past as I get many of them: on my walk while listening to Pandora. George Michael is one of my favorite artists, and one of several who is an amazing talent but who has had a difficult time breaking out beyond his heyday. Like Pat Benatar, Cyndi Lauper and Olivia Newton-John, he has his big "hit period," and then dribs and drabs. You could probably even put Michael Jackson into that category. With George, some of the problem was him being his own worst enemy. And as with Jackson, sadly, his latter career has been known more for controversy than it is for his music.


But this is about his glory days, so here are some of my favorite George Michael songs, both as a solo artist, duet partner and with Wham!


1. Wake Me Up Before You Go Go - Undoubtedly the first song most Americans knew him for, this way gay video should have alerted fans to his sexuality years and years before he announced. Those short-shorts! It's a silly, but ridiculously catchy song.

2. Careless Whisper - This one solidified Wham! as more than a novelty act, though it's actually billed as a solo song.


3. Freedom - When the tunes kept flowing from the provocatively titled Make it Big, we thought Wham! was here to stay.


4. I'm Your Man - There were several hits I'm skipping over, but by the time Music from the Edge of Heaven came out, Wham! was almost finished, even it was only their second hit album in the US.We should have known Michael would strike out on his own, since A Different Corner from this same record was his second solo tune on his group's albums.


5. I Knew You Were Waiting - This duet with Aretha Franklin (who was then enjoying a pop music comeback) served as the transition between Wham! and Michael's solo career. And it was a huge hit.

6. Faith - Though we thought he was cute before, Faith was the album that launched Michael as a sex symbol. With this tune, and the one below, his sexiness was a strong selling point.



7. I Want Your Sex - This song actually preceded Faith, having been part of the Beverly Hills Cop II soundtrack. With jaw-dropping lyrics at the time, this left Michael's squeaky-clean image on the floor amongst the sweaty, soiled sheets. Watch the video, you'll see what I mean. But it also seemingly set Michael on a self-loathing jag, a few years later.

8. Monkey - This might have been the last "George Michael is sexy" video. I just wanted to be able to dance like him. The song is not as impressive on the album, but was remixed for the single, and that version is the one used in the video.


9. Kissing a Fool - I'm skipping over several more hits, but this one always hit a soft spot for me. Anyone with unrequited love could sing along with this one, and really feel it at the crescendo before the end. This was a real showcase for Michael's voice.

10. Freedom 90 - Using the title of one of the early songs, this was where Michael started hating his sex appeal--maybe because he was selling it as straight sex appeal?--and wouldn't even appear in his own videos. No matter, this is still a fantastic video, with supermodels and still lots o' sexy.



11. Too Funky - Still (mostly) shying from the camera, this one (from the AIDS charity album, Red, Hot & Blue) has always been one of my very favorites.

12. Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me - Michael's duet with Elton John seemed almost inevitable.


13. FastLove - This is the last song I remember dancing to on the dancefloor. Of course, that might be because I'm an elderly shut-in who doesn't go out any more (hah!). The dance remix was fun though, I remember that.

14. Outside - When Michael's scandals started to outshine his music, he still managed to be cheeky about it. This video--after his arrest for public lewdness--managed to laugh it off.

And at twelve tunes, I think we've got more than enough, even though I've left out some winners like One More Try, Father Figure, Praying for Time, and Everything She Wants. Any more, and this will take too long to load in your browser, and you'll just leave the page anyway! So, that will do it for this week. Happy Monday!

Holiday Cheer: Favorite "Contemporary" Christmas Songs

Another one from the vaults. . .

These are some of my favorite Christmas songs, the "contemporary" kind. And kids, I know to you these are "old school" songs, but to we 40-plussers, these are modern songs. Enjoy.

[From Original post]

I noted in a previous (also frivolous) post that I'm not big on traditional Christmas music. Choirs and churchy stuff just don't do it for me. I like the funny stuff, and the more modern tunes. Of course, some of the modern songs have become almost traditional, haven't they? Here are some of my favorites. . .




#1 - Feels Like Christmas - Cyndi Lauper: This song is from Cyndi's outstanding Merry Christmas. . .Have a Nice Life album from several years ago. The album is chock-full of great songs. This is a good one, but not the best one on the album. Unfortunately, finding video clips of these songs is more difficult than I thought!

#2 - Step into Christmas - Elton John: This is one of my favorite "modern" Christmas songs. Modern is in quotes because this is clearly from Elton's 70s heyday. But whatever, I love it!

#3 - Put a Little Love in Your Heart - Annie Lennox & Al Green: Sadly, this song is another substitution, for Eurythmics' superb Winter Wonderland, which is unavailable. This may not seem like a Christmas song on its face, but it's from the movie Scrooged, and is very much a Christmas video. And it gives me that same chill Winter Wonderland does.

#4 - Happy New Year - ABBA: OK, officially this is an after Christmas song, but it belongs at the end of your Christmas mix CD. And it beats the crap out of Dan Fogleburp's Auld Lang Syne, doesn't it? Now, if they could just go in and re-dub the "end of a decade" and "1989" parts, it would be perfect.

Here's a bonus, the still unavailable Winter Wonderland from Eurythmics. . .audio only.

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.

Guilty Pleasures: Sad Songs Say So Much

Don't worry, I'm not bumming today (except for that Senate vote, grrrr). It's just that we were talking about music at work today, and somehow the Gilbert O'Sullivan song, Alone Again (Naturally) came up.

If you are unfamiliar with the tune, it's probably the single most depressing song ever released. When a song opens with a guy who's so depressed that he might go kill himself later if he feels better, you've hit the sad song jackpot. It was nonetheless a huge hit in the 70s, though many probably weren't listening very closely to the lyrics.

It got me to thinking about sad songs, and what others might be saying about them online. Surprisingly, I couldn't find my vote in any of the lists! I couldn't find the other grand champion, Bonnie Raitt's I Can't Make You Love Me either, and that's a song that could make a sunny optimist open a vein. Here are my votes for saddest songs, along with the tune that provides the title of this post. Get your hankies out. . .





#1 - Alone Again (Naturally) - Gilbert O'Sullivan - Wallowing in self-pity never sounded so 70s smooth.

#2 - I Can't Make You Love Me - Bonnie Raitt - If you've ever been so desperate for love that you'd beg someone who's "not that into you" to pretend for just one night, this is your song.

#3 - Kissing a Fool - George Michael - George's voice was never more flawless, his music so pure as in this song. But it's desperately sad.

#4 - Sad Songs Say So Much - Elton John - Sir Elton explains exactly why we listen to tear-jearker songs in the first place.

EDITOR'S NOTE: YouTube clips have a funny way of disappearing. If you find that one or more of these videos will not play, please contact me at editor@greenleegazette.com.