2016 Claims Another Legend: George Michael Dead at 53

Breaking my silence of late to note the terrible news that George Michael, 80s/90s pop legend, has died at the too young age of 53. It's a rare year that claims the lives of multiple legends. Bowie. . .Prince. . . It may not be quite accurate to put Michael in their category, given the waning of his star since his heyday. He seemed to sputter out while transitioning from closeted to out gay man, and had apparently quite a few demons he couldn't slay. But there is no doubt that Michael's talent was in their league, and possibly surpassed it. There is no doubt that he can claim a sex appeal in his prime beyond either of them.

There was something obvious about Michael's talents even in his cheesy stateside debut with Wham!'s Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go. You could see it and hear it, there was more to this guy than a novelty hit. His voice and vocal range were astonishing. Clear as a bell, total control. And he could dance. I'm at best an awkward and rhythm-challenged white guy, but what I could manage, I learned by watching him. It didn't hurt that he had a mesmerizing physique, naturally.

And it was that beauty and sudden white-hot fame that seemed to trouble him. He seemed to unravel quickly, and never quite re-ravelled. I think we're all a little cheated for that, though it's surely not his fault. We're certainly cheated by his early passing. RIP, Mr. Panayiotou.

The first song I knew by George Michael:



The sexy George Michael:



The sexier George Michael:



My favorite George Michael song:



The Other Half's favorite George Michael song:



The song that helped me learn how to (sort of) dance:

Surprising to Nobody: Trump v. Clinton

By the looks of things, I was so depressed by the death of Prince, I simply could not find it in myself to blog for a week. In reality, it's just a) a continued case of blog burnout and b) a stepped-up professional life! Woo-hoo, a good excuse, finally! Oh, I'm still working from home, I'm just doing a lot more of it, and that's a good thing.

But I suppose I could comment on the big story of the day. Even if it sounds like a rerun. Regardless of what some people in denial are desperately clinging to (I'm looking squarely at you Bernie, Cruz and Kasich supporters out there), it's clear: It's going to be Donald J. Trump (nee Drumpf) versus Hillary Rodham Clinton in the general election.

Barring the surprise withdrawl of either of those two people or by death (literal or political), no other scenario is likely to play out. And by saying that, I'm sure I'm invoking some further bizarro happenstance that changes everything!!!

One thing I'm sick of: the Bernie and Hillary supporter catfight on virtually every story even tangentially related to either of them. Let's be clear about this:

The Bernie supporters, and/or conservative plants posing as BernieBros started it. They just did. Any and every Hillary leaning opinion (or let's face it, even fact) elicited an anti-Hillary diatribe from those guys way, way before the "HillBots" got going. Eventually, they returned fire, and even then would often--like I always have done--couch their comments in the "but I like Bernie and will vote for him if he gets the nomination" disclaimers. That is still the case, by the way, for me.

But Bernie folks, please don't try to claim that this was equal at the beginning or even the middle. You flung the first (and second, and third) poo. And then got pissy that there was a poo storm. You may or may not have been right about a "media blackout," a preference for Hillary by the establishment and/or media. But you became as bad as any frothing tea bagger. And as nutty in some cases, as any conspiracy theorist.

Please knock it off now, everyone on the left. Can we not just enjoy the implosion of the Republican Party from the sidelines?

The Artist (Previously and Otherwise) Known as Prince, Dead at 57

This one elicited a "holy shit" from me. 2016 has been a brutal year for celebrity deaths already, and musicians in particular. But Prince? PRINCE? At the risk of pissing off any David Bowie fans out there, this is bigger. Or at the very least, just as big. And a bigger shock, being a decade plus younger.

I remember hearing Prince, knowingly, for the first time at my cousin Garrett's house. We listened to the 1999 album on vinyl, naturally, when I visited him, it must've been 1982. Putting me at maybe 15 or 16. Which seems unlikely for an age, because it's hard to remember when Prince wasn't everywhere, in the pop culture foreground or background. He definitely filled the soundtrack of my later high school and college years, and on into my adulthood.

I can't claim to have been his biggest fan, nor have I always understood what his artistic oddness was going for. But he was spectacular. He was my generation's Bowie, he really was. And where with Bowie, I could name but not necessarily sing the lyrics to his most known songs? With Prince, I could sing word-for-word easily a dozen hits, possibly twice that, and name quite a few more. Wow. So, RIP, little purple man. I sure didn't expected to be this soon.

[Excerpt]

Musician and pop culture icon Prince dies at 57

Iconic musician, actor and songwriter Prince has died at the age of 57. His publicist, Yvette Noel-Schure, confirmed with The Associated Press that he died in his home in Chanhassen, Minneapolis.

A few days before his death, it was reported that Prince had been hospitalized for the flu and had to take an emergency plane landing. . .

Read more at: cnet

Blast from the Past: Class of 1984, the Men

As a further tribute to my graduating year, lo those thirty years ago, this week's Blast from the Past follows last week's The Women of '84 with The Men of '84. Not the bands, that comes later. These are the solo acts. As with last week's edition, though the stars themselves will be no surprise, not all of the songs will necessarily be the ones you expect.

1. I Would Die 4 U by Prince - The little purple dude had four hits in 1984, all from the film Purple Rain. Prince has had a long career, but these would be his glory days.
2. Thriller by Michael Jackson - I'd use a different song, given this ones ubiquity, but MJ was running out the clock on this album by '84, and had no other solo hits for a while. Plus there was that whole "head on fire" incident. But I couldn't leave this on off.



3. Rock Me Tonite by Billy Squier - Squier isn't maybe the first guy you'd think of from the '80s, but I've gotta tell ya, he was huge at my high school.
4. The Longest Time by Billy Joel - Joel's discography runs so long, it's easy to forget his early-'80s MTV phase.



5. Eyes Without a Face by Billy Idol - Who knew there were so many "Billys" in this grouping? And so very different from each other. Idol, certainly, is the most '80s of them.
6. Caribbean Queen by Billy Ocean - Obviously, I'm caught in a Billy wave.



7. Running with the Night by Lionel Ritchie - Ritchie gets overrun by Michael Jackson and Prince in our memories of 80s R&B-crossover artists (which is what they were back then), but he was huge in the early 80s.
8. Sad Songs (Say So Much) by Elton John - Back when he was straight. Heh.



9. Major Tom (Coming Home) by Peter Schilling - Had to put a one-hit wonder in here somewhere.
10. Blue Jean by David Bowie - I realized that I couldn't mention the last guy, and then leave off Bowie. It wasn't a big year for him, but he was kind of between hits.



And there you have it, I've hit my limit for the week. And I didn't even get around to John "Cougar" Mellencamp, Christopher Cross, John-freakin'-Lennon, Ray Parker Jr., Bruce-yeah, Bruce-Springsteen, Rick Springfield, Rod Stewart, Peabo Bryson, Corey Hart, Steve Perry, Dan Hartman, and so many others. Maybe a sequel is in order?

Meanwhile, happy Monday!

Blast from the Past: Same Name, Pop Music Edition

Boy, I tell you, when it comes time to write a new Blast from the Past, I've lately been just so busy with other things that I haven't had the time to do the research. Sorry about that. But when I pick a rerun, I do try to find a fun one. This one fits the bill, I think. From August 1, 2011 (with a couple of edits).

There was briefly a show on CBS with a simple premise and simpler name: Same Name. I have no idea of the quality of the show, but basically, it has a famous person and a non-famous person with the same name (like David Hasselhoff or Kathy Griffin), and has them learn about each other's lives. I never sampled the show. But the title inspired this week's Blast from the Past.
 
As with movie titles, and television shows, many songs share a title or have very similar titles with other songs. Sometimes, both are hits, and even sometimes, both songs chart at nearly the same time. Back in the 80s, I remember noting that "I Can't Wait" was the title of two hit songs out at practically the same time, once by Nu Shooz, and once by Stevie Nicks, both in early 1986.



Also in the 80s, Van Halen had a hit with"Jump" and the Pointer Sisters had the very different "Jump (For My Love)." Both were hits early in 1984.



Prince and Sheena Easton teamed up for a song called "U Got the Look," in 1987. A little more than a year later, Roxette released simply "The Look." The songs are different, but largely on the same topic, with Roxette's lyrics saying "she's got" rather than Prince's "U got."

But I think the all time champ for songs with the same name at practically the same time would have to go to the cheesy 90s group Wilson Phillips and the slightly better En Vogue, who both released hit songs called "Hold On" within a day of each other in February 1990.



I'm sure there are other examples, and of course there are TONS that happened many more years apart. But that's it for this week's installment. Happy Monday, everyone!

Mitt Romney's Turd Campaign (Rocky Mountain Mike)

Another gem from Rocky Mountain Mike (of The Stephanie Miller Show), this time to the tune of Prince's Purple Rain. Well done, Mike!