PAUL SHAFFER - DRESS COOL - DAVID LETTERMAN SHOW

I remember seeing this but for some reason it stayed stuck in my head. After seeing it again I am not convinced that this was a comedy piece. I think Paul Shaffer was trying to be serious in this rock(?) video because the song is somewhat...... real?

Look for the guy who dresses up in christmas tinsel. I remember that scene. There is a lot of production that went behind this with stop motion animation and so on.

This was recorded in the mid-80's when David Letterman was really picking up a lot of fans. I would put this in 1985 - 1986. The whole period of 1984 - 1986 was sort of a high moment for the show because it was somewhat unpredictable and fun to watch. 1987 brought on a lot of attention to some of the things I took for granted like the TOP TEN list. When that segment rolled out in the 87' season they had monster CGI graphics and I really thought the production was trying too hard. I sort of lost interest in the show after that.

When it moved to CBS it had a whole different vibe to it. Remember too that in 1986 Eddie Van Halen used to play with Shaffer in the band. That was kind of weird to see since Eddie was always considered somewhat of a cult hero.

This clip picks up on the eccentricities of the 80's and how fun the early shows of Letterman used to be before they went big budget.

Posted by Cantu on Oct. 20, 2007 at 8:43 AM

Posted by Cantu on Oct. 20, 2007 at 8:39 AM

DEPECHE MODE - STRIPPED

FROM DEPECHE MODE 101
The 80's brought on a ton of self loathing, emotionally stunted musical genius frontmen. Morrissey being one of them -- David Gahan being the other. There was something so dark about Depeche Mode that behind all those smiles it was hard to accept this as happy music. "People are People" made them popular on the radio but they were a lot darker than what they appeared to be. Yet, they were fascinating too.

And.... no it never surprised me when Gahan tried to take his own life. I was somewhat surprised though at the amount of drugs he took. Its amazing to see what kind of effect they had over their audience.

Posted by Cantu on Oct. 11, 2007 at 10:54 PM

DEPECHE MODE - STRANGE LOVE

This was recorded during their height. I heard every version of this song when it first came out. It was super popular. There was a 12" mix, a dance mix, a club mix, you get the idea. There was a ton of different versions and some had just a little differences to set them apart. But I really thought they all sounded alike. I couldn't wait for the day when I could listen to this song and not hate it.

And that day is today.

There is a video of footage being shown on the sides of buildings that is great. This black and white version is nice too and it works on several levels. The confrontation of the word love appears in the palm of their hands. They laugh like schoolboys but the overall look is stark and startling. It worked wonders on me as I saw this brief clip shown on a commercial for SPIN magazine. I remember that entire sequence..... To me, that took balls. To confront an emotion in such a way.

... It was is there was some attempt to meet the emotion halfway. Yet on the other hand it was wearing ones heart on its sleeve. Still, I thought it was amazing.

I saw them around this time.

Posted by Cantu on Oct. 11, 2007 at 10:44 PM

FEMALE TROUBLES - CHA CHA HEELS

Ah yes... this brings back sordid memories. This movie is horrific. Its Tragi-Comedic. And on the other hand it just plain sucks. But it does have some pretty good moments. These movies resurfaced in the late 80's where they were much appreciated.

The 80's were an amazing time. You could release just about anything on video tape and it would get rented. Thats where I first ran into this John Waters classic. Waters was an interesting fellow until he decided to turn into Walt Disney. Its amazing what a little money can do to some people. This new thing, "HairSpray" is just depressing and high budget. I prefer Waters when he had nothing to show in his stable but this morose heap of an actor, Divine.

Cantu posted this on Oct. 11, 2007 at 10:25 PM

THE ALARM - MAKING OF THE ALARM

"Up Close With The Alarm - and Mike Peters"

This is inside the bands perspective of putting together a video. Peters and crew called it quits years ago until a recent VH1 show got them all together. Here they are perfecting their signature sound.

They are interesting because of their stage presence. Notice the cameras and mics coming from the ceiling like a boxers mic. This adds height to the performance. Also the multiple images being shown over the band adds a bit of visual dynamicism.

These guys really carried over the look and upbeat positive feel that created the image for IRS RECORDS, (which is now defunct). There was a lot of imagery and text floating over the bands videos and live performances. This was the case for a lot of the early IRS bands and added to their complex nature. All of these bands in the early days were quite interesting.

The Alarm is still producing this type of look and it really does cut against the whiney pop diva subculture that exists today. The other thing that sets them apart from competition is their ability to deliver sharp guitar hooks that jar up against one another. Somewhere in all that chaos this Dublin band is still able to deliver a likeable melody. When the entire thing is delivered and signed over you want to listen to it again and again. It has this long lasting effect that so many bands today seem to miss.

Ted Cantu posted this on Oct. 6, 2007 at 10:08 AM

TAY ZONDAY TESTING THE PATIENCE OF AMERICA

"ONE OF THE WEIRDEST MOMENTS IN TELEVISION"

Confusing yes.... like the Kennedy Assasination.

Look at the faces of the people in the audience as he sings this .... er.. song. I haven't seen looks like that since Andy Kaufman jumped on the stage and sang his ridiculous songs. I got to give this guy credit because he is so upbeat and friendly. You want to like this guy.

But the song is absurd.

His speaking voice is just as low and strange as his singing voice. The audience warms up to him as he is interviewed. It is an interesting thing to watch.

Posted by Cantu on Oct. 6, 2007 at 9:56 PM

SQUEEZE - Michael McDonald Could Have Out Done Them Better ???

You gotta read this review.....

allenbroadway (1 week ago)
I think Steely Dan and Michael McDonald could have done it better

Comparing Squeeze, (a great UK Brit Pop band WUNDERKIND from the 80s')
to the dreary sounds of Michael (pass me a doobie) Doobie Brother McDonald or Steely Dan is a terrible unforgiveable mistake of a comparrison. Each had very different pop sensibilities.

For example, Squeeze will put you in a happy upbeat place. Where McDonald puts you in a literal Mc Donalds NEAR CLOSING TIME where you are running out of time and cell phone minutes listening to him warble over the loudspeaker while you are on a business road trip -- wondering what your entire purpose in this world REALLY IS.... ??

And Steely Dan makes you feel like ordering a 7 and 7 and sticking your head in a pothole and calling it a day. After all, you cannot get a time machine back to 1977 so why bother.

But you don't get those feelings when you listen to Squeeze. And man get a load of JOOLS HOLLAND on the keyboard. GREAT STUFF. I also adore the endless guitar solos that just build and build and build. There is so much life in those builds. I just find so much depth in those songs. It is unreal.

The last I heard Mc Donald was doing AT&T commercials.... (LISSSSEN BAYBEEEEE ETC.)

Posted by Cantu on Oct. 2, 2007 at 9:34 PM

THE PARTRIDGE FAMILY - MEETS THE MANSON FAMILY

"WE'LL MAKE YOU HAPPY... (MORE OR LESS)"

This is amusing. Considering that it stems from one of the most horrific crimes of its time this will actually put a smile on your face --- in a humorous way. There is something pop culture related to this clip that I want to point out. There is a rumor on the Internet that Charles Manson was supposed to be one of the original Monkees. I doubt that this was true after listening to his recordings, (which are more like the Velvet Underground in appearance).

Still, when you look at how young, (and confused) the killers of these crimes were it boggles the mind. Its a real contrast at how evil these people were and its further confusing when you consider the reasons why they felt they must kill. To add further confusion it is interesting to watch the killers reflect on their crimes as if THEY were the REAL victims after all this time.

Its something that should be investigated if only so history will not be tempted to repeat itself. It is troubled time that needs to be dealt with.

Posted on Oct. 2, 2007 at 9:16 PM

HOUSE OF LOVE - DESTROY THE HEART

Yes, I admit -- I do hear a bit of Echo and the Bunnymen in here -- but the middle of this song gets sort of lost. I lose the narrative when I hear the song. When you watch the video it does tend to go forward in a very clear cut singular direction. But then again -- so does the camera so the two of them sort of coincide and allow the listener to follow along.......

This came off a BBC CD from Uncut magazine recently celebrating the late John Peel.

Posted by Cantu at 11:12 on Sept. 13, 2007

CAPTAIN SENSIBLE - HERE IS THE GOOD POP - HAPPY TALK

"HAPPY TALK ---- One of The Great Unknown POP Songs You Never Heard"

This is one of the greatest songs that existed in its time period. It came out one Captains solo efforts when he wasn't acting like a revved up maniac with THE DAMNED. This album allowed Sensible to do some pretty off the cuff things you may not expect from the UK's First PUNK band. This is a great effort.

Around this time it was rumored that Sensible was paying for Robyn Hitchcock to write songs and to create music. Hitch's band THE SOFT BOYS had recently broken up and now he was solo. Sensible heard his music and thought it was important enough to support. I have only heard this rumor by club kids growing up in this time period but was never able to validate this curious fact.

This song HAPPY TALK was featured in a few comedies of late. Its whimsical like Sensible himself. The other notable songs on this effort include YANKS WITH GUNS. If you can locate this on disc its worth owning. Unfortunately ITUNES does not carry it.

Posted by Cantu on Aug. 6, 2007 at 8:56 pm