David Bowie, Dead at 69

Bowie looking utterly normal.

When I was little, I remember being up late--Mom usually let us stay up late on weekends--and watching The Midnight Special. I don't know how young I was, exactly. But young enough to be baffled at what I was seeing. A man in a bright red fright wig, bright makeup, high-heeled  platform shoes, and a strapless feather dress, singing.  "Does not compute," I thought, if not in those exact words. I had no idea what I was looking at, but I recognized it as daring, different, intriguing.

It was David Bowie, and my first concrete realization that maybe I was different too. I'm not saying I got why, exactly, and I'm not saying that whatever was driving Bowie to be a gender-bender in those days has anything to do with my own sexual identity (especially since I was clueless on that front at the time), but I felt kinship. and though I may have one or two details wrong, I never forgot it.

Along the way, as I started paying attention, I'd catch Bowie being Bowie, and still feel that pull of kinship (but alarming, unspoken kinship), when I saw his Diamond Dogs album cover. And as with Freddie Mercury and Elton John (more of that familiarity for no yet known reason), he was considered to be edgy and cool. I still don't know how he and they managed rock star status in the 70s without any notable backlash.

Bowie's memorable look from Labyrinth

Bowie dropped the glam-rock image over a few more years, and by the time I was in high school, Bowie had gone from Space Oddity to the MTV era. Suddenly, he was simultaneously a rock legend and a hip, with-it, video star. He had hit after hit, and was part of the soundtrack of my teenage years, culminating with a charity duet with Mick Jagger (he of similar otherness and legend status) with Dancing in the Streets.

Bowie started popping up in movies too, and whether the films themselves were notable or not, his image always was. There's something riveting about how Bowie looked, even when he wasn't trying to shock or alarm. The magnetism of his character in Labyrinth for instance is more memorable than anything else from the film.

There have undoubtedly been many other Bowie eras in his career that I didn't take such note of. He was noted for his constant reinvention, perhaps only rivaled by Madonna in that regard. But beyond the remixing and reissue of his 70s classic Fame (which featured John Lennon), they don't stand out in my memory. It doesn't matter. He was solidly, permanently part of the rock and roll Mount Olympus.

The passing of David Bowie is more than the death of a celebrity. And though it's not a personal gut punch, I'm positive it is for a lot of people. To some, I'm sure it's as momentous as the passing of Mercury, Elvis Presley or John Lennon. He's at least as important of an icon. RIP, Mr. Bowie. And RIP to another part of my life's soundtrack.

[Excerpt]

David Bowie Dies at Age 69 After Battling Cancer

David Bowie has died after a battle with cancer, his rep confirmed to Billboard. He was 69.

"David Bowie died peacefully today surrounded by his family after a courageous 18 month battle with cancer. While many of you will share in this loss, we ask that you respect the family’s privacy during their time of grief," read a statement posted on the artist's official social media accounts. . ."

Read more at: MSN


I couldn't find the exact Midnight Special that I can conjure from my memory, but here is David Bowie (in his Ziggy Stardust era) looking every bit as shocking, from that period.



And a much more mainstream, handsome Bowie from my high school years.

Blast from the Past EXTRA: Reunion's Life is a Rock (But the Radio Rolled Me)

I've been remiss in getting back to my regular Blast from the Past weekly feature, and will try to start that up again next weekend. In the meantime, this song popped into my head, and I decided to look it up. I'm really glad I did! Life is a Rock (But the Radio Rolled Me) by Reunion is both more and less than what it seems.

It's "more" because even though it's a little bubble-gum sounding, and sounds a bit like gibberish, it's actually very, very clever. The lyrics are stuffed with callouts to music, artists, DJs and other famous music-related pop-culture references from the early days of Rock & Roll, to where it was at the time of the recording. The snappy, fast pace--seemingly without room for the singer to breathe--makes learning the lyrics tough, but fun. And as the song fades out, several songs (Baby I Need Your Loving, Uptight (Everything is Alright), Celebrate and I Want to Take You Higher) are woven together, while the lead singer continues to patter. It's quite complex.

It's "less," because Reunion isn't really a band at all. It was an ad hoc collection of studio musicians, something that seemed to happen a lot in the late 60s and early 70s. The lead singer, Joey Levine, is a voice you'd know from other 70s novelties like Yummy, Yummy and Chewy, Chewy by Ohio Express (also not a "real" band). Still, the song is undeniably catchy and clever. And somebody named "abmcw" on YouTube saw fit to make a video that's almost as clever as the song. I'm sending it out to my brother-in-law Todd, who is similarly gifted in creating these sorts of videos. It made me think of him. So, without further ado, here is Life is a Rock (But the Radio Rolled Me) by Reunion. And for the heck of it, the remake by Tracy Ullman.

 

Billboard's Hot 100 Turns 55: Top Chart Acts of All Time

Still the reigning champions! Image from source, Billboard

This is a really interesting list (and there are several others on Billboard's site), compiling the top 100 acts of Billboard Hot 100, of all time. What's cool to me is seeing where modern acts, acts from my youth (1970s and 80s) and all-time greats stack up. The Beatles, no surprise, are still number one. But looky there, Madonna is number 2! And there are some real surprises in there. Would you have thought that Paula Abdul would make such a short list? Or Tony Orlando and Dawn? The Captain & Tenille? Yup!

Check it out: Billboard

 

What Happens in Vegas: Pat Benatar to Get Regular Las Vegas Gig!

Pat Benatar--and her perpetually co-billed husband, Neil Giraldo--are getting a regular Las Vegas gig! Squee! I'm a huge Benatar fan, from her early days in the late 70s (Heart Breaker), through my high school years (Promises in the Dark, Precious Time, Get Nervous), all the way to her post-hits career (Inamorata, Go). My good friend, "Mrs. Rev. Stu" is possibly an even bigger fan than I am, and will be quite distressed that this event is happening after she moved 1,000 miles away! But maybe I can lure her to town for a weekend to go see the Benatar show, after it begins.

[Excerpt]

'Fantastic' Las Vegas gig for Benatar, Giraldo

The husband-and-wife rockers of Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo are in talks to perform a regular gig in Vegas. . . 

Read more at: Las Vegas Review-Journal

Thanks to Dan, my political opposite friend at Las Vegas Badger for the link.


As further proof that I'm a big Benatar fan, here's a rerun of my Blast from the Past featuring her, only one of several posts featuring Benatar during the run of this blog. Check out these amazing tunes, and then come visit us in Vegas once her show opens!

ORIGINAL POST, 5/23/11:

Image from Pat Benatar's Official Fan Club

For this week's Blast from the Past, I thought I'd go to one of my favorite 80s singers (or of any era, frankly), Pat Benatar. This isn't my first Benatar post over these past four years of blogging. But I think I'm due again. As I've said before, I think it's semi-tragic that Benatar's music seems to be pegged solely to the 80s, and that she didn't seem to be able to reboot her career, even though she did put out some good music in the 90s and the 2000s. I'd like to see her land a gig on Celebrity Apprentice or something, to boost her image, and get her a comeback!

Benatar had a lot of his songs, and a whole lot of well-known songs that weren't quite hits. Even though she was an MTV staple, she also had a lot of airplay on "album oriented rock" stations, where songs like Hell is for Children could make a name for itself even though it wasn't a single. So the following is a grouping of major hits, minor hits, and other songs that are just good. I'm limited by the YouTube and Daily Motion selections, but this is the top of that list.

Holiday Cheer: Contemporary (Sorta) Christmas Music

I'm usually writing these posts the night before they appear, and sometimes, it is difficult to find something fun and interesting for the morning blog. So, today I am re-posting a blog from last year. 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.

Ann & Nancy Wilson: Cease and Desist, You Old Fart!

Photo from GameSpot

You may have heard that several musicians have complained about John McCain and Sarah Palin using their songs without permission. Several have demanded that they stop, including Ann and Nancy Wilson of the rock group, Heart.

This is, I'm sure just an Onion-style joke. I don't care, it's ten kinds of funny anyway, and I wouldn't be surprised if the Wilsons appreciate it!

I had this posted briefly on the front page of the blog. But because of the off-color language, I decided that it might be better to put this "below the fold."

So, if you like ribald humor, by all means click the link below. If not, scroll on down to the more serious stuff!

CONTINUED

Cease and Desist, You Old Fart!

Found at: Voenix Rising