Today’s Music: Phil Collins – In The Air Tonight
*Note on Today’s Music: Phil Collins? And Miami Vice??? Don’t get more 80s than that!
Up on the Concert Log/Music link at the top, you can see the quick mini review of Fitz and the Tantrums at Irving Plaza Sunday night.
They were fantastic.
But that’s not what I want to talk about today.
There were two opening acts. The first was Ivy Levan, who, I’m sorry to say, we missed. She only did a twenty minute set, and dinner was too good to rush (duck breast! braised short ribs! warm lava cake!).
My hair is richer than silly old lava cake.
We got there in time for the second act, and that’s the lead in to today’s post.
Ahem…
THE 80’s ARE OVER!!!
I’ve seen Duran Duran. They weren’t bad, and Rio has surprising legs this far down the road.
I’ve seen Depeche Mode, and while they aren’t my cup of tea (industrial angst? Really?), they did put on a good show.
I’ve seen Kiss, Psychedelic Furs, hell, I’ve even seen Heart and Huey Lewis and the News, and enjoyed them.
All in the last decade.
And a lot of 80s music is fun. In small doses, even the syrupy stuff is nice.
But I’ve never seen one band encompass everything wrong with 80s music in one shot.
Until last night.
Their name is Hearts. I haven’t been able to find out anything about them online at all.
And while some may think I’ve been letting this one fester under my skin until I could write this down, fortunately I have “of the moment” proof, courtesy of twitter.
I’m not sure what burned me about this band. I think it was the fact that there was nothing original. Every riff, every trope, every move was taken from bands that did it earlier, smoother, better.
I felt like I was watching a cheap imitation of something that had earned its place in our culture, and doing a poor job of it.
So here now, are the as-it-happened tweets of myself and TMWGITU under her twitter handle @FredWallaby:
I hope this suitably expresses how god-awfully 80s this band was.
If not, I’ll see if I can’t get Phil Collins to lay down a track to describe it.
As soon as Marty McFly brings his synthesizer sustain pedal back in the DeLorean.
Hey, Lay off Dude! I owe my career to the 80s.
And feathered hair.
Guapola 
Keep the 80s in the 80s!
Last Saturday we went to a fund raiser that had “80s prom” as a theme, so most of the music the entire night was from that decade. But the DJ didn’t play (couldn’t find) this one … I had a crush on this hottie.
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Ha! Good pick! 80s distilled in a good hook.
I had a massive crush on Susanna Hoffs.
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I love you guys (El Guap & Frank) for the music memories.
The hair-do flash-backs?
Not so much……
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I live between Long Island and New Jersey.
Sadly, there’s always big hair to be seen, even in this day and age…
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The 80’s were great for the alternative scene, just the mainstream was diabolical, though to be fair, when isn’t it?
I can’t talk having just bought PIxies tickets this morning,and I already have tickets for The Wedding Present. I’m stuck in an 80’s loop, verging into the early 90’s.
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Saw the Pixies two years ago.
Good show! Have a good time.
The alternative scene is great, until it all starts sounding the same, like a lot of “indie” rock bands now.
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Agreed, I was watching Glastonbury coverage drunk and Facebooking my disgust. The crowd for Dinosaur Jr was pitiful but for some flavour of the month teen band it was heaving.
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Oh no! It must have been torturous! I love your #Die80sDie – I’m with you! Let’s move on!
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It wouldn’t have been so bad if they didn’t sound like they were doing a tour of other bands of the 80s.
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I have so much 80’s music on my hard drive it’s embarrassing sometimes.
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Well, as long as you don’t wear a polo shirt with the collar up while you’re listening, I guess it’s ok…
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I’m not that big of a tool.
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Wow, I had no idea that the 80’s had managed to cast its terrible pall over so many young people! As a 20’s into 30’s young wife and new mother during that black hole of a musical decade, I managed to survive by listening to alternative garage rock and Sesame Street songs, both of which were far better than anything in the mainstream.
Sorry you had to endure this, Guap! Go find some Ramones or Sid Vicious or something.
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It’s amazing how much a minute and a hlaf of the Ramones can save!
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Huey Lewis and the News played at a party I was at a couple of years ago. CNN put on a bash at the Hard Rock Cafe in Vegas and they were the band. It was great fun and the band was great. I think I actually enjoyed them more than in the 80s but the venue had a lot to do with it. I think they are doing the casino circuit now. Pretty much all those 80s people are so I am not sure why you would want to see or be an 80s cover band when you can see the real bands cheap.
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I saw Huey and the News not long ago. He was playing all the music he wanted to play, and the crowd HATED it.
They didn’t applaud until he did all the hits duirng the encore.
Which is too bad. They put on a pretty good show.
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Yeah, the same thing happened when I saw them in Niagara Falls … a couple of years after the Vegas party.
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Wow, blast from the past! “In the air tonight” was my song. But, truth… I was a late 80 more into George Michael, Michael Jackson, Ms. Janet, Madonna…loved Miami Vice. I’d still marry sonny crockett today. ha! to funny!
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Admit it, you just want to marry him so you could dress his alligator in neon and shades!
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Hahahahaha!
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El Guapo – Phil Collins SUCKS – no wonder you are having a hard time with the 80s. But you failed to mention a lot great bands from that era – like the Dead Kennedys, The Clash, DEVO, and The Cramps, to name only a few. You just need to look in the right place – and Phil and Genesis are definitely the WRONG place.
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Oh, no argument from me that there wren’t some great bands from that time, Rutabaga.
But they weren’t represented at all in the “tribute” this band was doing.
(And In The Air Tonight was really the only way I could drive home the point.
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Ouch!
Normally, 80s music is still the best music. But not always, apparently…
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Definitely, assuredly, positively not always!
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I have a friend who will never leave the 80’s….from hair style, to preppy collars and the music is a soundtrack to her life. I remember some music fondly but have nightmares of seeing Glass Tiger at our high school and the lead singer with a roll of socks tucked into his tight white pants. I may still need therapy!!
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Nah, just get 75 of those neon rubber bracelets around your wrist.
I hear they have healing powers!
(Maybe not, but they should help keep teh glittery eyeliner in place…)
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I do love me some 80’s. Of course. But really, the songs were about love, beer, parties, beer, beer love, loving parties, hot chicks…what can I say? They were not the whiny man-gina (said as jye-nuh) tunes we hear today. So much WHINING!!!! (and explains the drinking and relationship issues people in their mid 40’s to early 50’s have.) Will always love 80’s rock.
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No whining?
Heave you never hear a Cure song???
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The cure was for EMO’s dude. I’m talkin HAIR BANDS. : )
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Fortunately, the hideousness of the cure blotted out Motley Crue, Ratt, Poison, Guns n Roses…
Sadly, you’ve now brought it all rushing back…
Gah
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Holy mother, that was a sucky decade for music and style. I need to lie down after seeing that Scandal video. Eye shadow up to your hairline and the Miami Vice jacket/t-shirt look ..just horrifying.
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You’re speaking my language!
(Though I did have one of those jackets.)
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Ugh…one of ma DH ladies is STUCK in the 80’s and would have loved every nano second of this escapade into poop land. (trying to be a bit more lady-like. You like it?) Sorry it was terrible (the band, not my attempts at eloquence), but hopefully the rest of the evening wasn’t sucky!
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The rest of the evening was fantastic!
Fitz and the Tantrums put on a great show.
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I have nothing to add here, except that I miss nothing about the 80s, but I’ll always stand by INXS. Just because.
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Yes.
Until INXS did a reality show to replace the singer.
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So true. But I don’t think of them as INXS at all. They’re like… Residue of INXS. Not that I’ve ever heard their new music. If they have any.
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I remember Journey did the same thing.
Now people are walking around saying “Hey, Steve Perry sounds just like that Asian guy from Journey”.
Ok, I’m the only one saying that.
But still…
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I like that the Asian guy was just doing his Journey cover thing on… I think it was My Space.. and the band hired him from there! Way to go guy with a finer Steve Perry voice than Steve Perry!
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I love the #Die80sDie tag. I have tons of 80s music. That said, not super interested in bands who try to make the 80s a thing right now. Times change for a reason.
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It isn’t even that they were a bad 80s band. It’s that they were just so unoriginal.
If they put their own spin on it, they might have been good – or at least, less annoying.
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The 80’s were all about the cover bands werent they? I didnt see any mention of howard jones.. I dunno the thing that is weird about the 80s is that so many of the bands are stil around its like….you cant get away from the 80s
…and really Guap…big hair bands …crazy neon fashion of which I have seen a disturbingly large amount of on the store racks….giving me hives every time.. 1985 -86.. I was 16..best year ever.but ya know thr music I was into then was 60’s and early 70s…I had someone tell me recently I woulda loved the 60s..and its true I have always felt a little misplaced but my second home …is the 80s lol… I always smile when a good 80s song comes on the radio .the music itself was not much in terms of … artistic substance what with synthesizers and stuff it seemed to be about the lyrics… take the words off an 80 song and see what ya got left… but I think its not so much the 80s as the band? Would you have thought them bettrr doing covers of todays popular or alternatively not mainstream bands?
Not calling you out ..the 80s rocked..lol..dont deny it..lol.. oh and TMWGITU is the same as fred wallabye? No way.. I totally missdd that lol.. đŸ˜‰ hi to her for me pls. Rock on Dude.
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Absolutely right, but (except for the way-too-synthesizer-y stuff, 80s pop music was still fun – the Bangles, the Go Gos, Glen frey, OMD, Simple Minds.
This band was just… Meh.
TMWGITU is using your pic as her avatar!
(And she says hi)
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I now know you had one of those Miami Vice jackets and two pairs of parachute pants (can;t touch this! du du nu nuh..) Dude.. I am impressed. that you even admitted it and I need to find Ginger to see if we can dig up any old shots of that for this years pic of the year (to replace Pete Rose and Liederhosen puleeaassee) ok so my friend and I called each other by our.. yuppie names and wore bright neon mismatched socks and omg …I was Buffy she was Muffy – hence the physical reaction at the neon jumping out at me t every store now… UG..but the 80’s were idyllic..(did I spell that right?) maybe just in that as a child it was a time to be unaware of the crap of life and the music reflected that …I think.. even the angsty stuff was… good and peppy ya know> you and TMWGITU should make a gig outta doing the ongoing critique of the show – that was great fun and you make a great team.. I know I will never look twice if that band comes here…thanks to you and her. đŸ™‚
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I hat to say it, but yeah, a sexy pic of someone in parachute pants would definitely be worse than bikini Pete.
I’m just glad no one at the show was wearing leg warmers.
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Leg war…omg I forgot..
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That makes you the lucky one in this conversation! đŸ˜‰
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I still love the 80s. Proly not surprising cuz I’m kind of a dork.
You leave the 80s alone!
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As someone else who lived through the neon nightmare, you know I’m not completely wrong, Maggie! đŸ˜‰
But just for you, this is ’91, but it feels a lot like 80s new wave.
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Guap, I will check that out but I loved the 80s. I loved the clothes, the hair, the music, the whole thing. Except for Hungry Like the Wolf, didn’t care for that. đŸ™‚
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I owned parachute pants.
Two pairs.
The sooner that decade is forgotten, the better.
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hehehe
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I was either pregnant or raising toddlers for part of the 80’s. I don’t remember much beyond that.
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We are on such different pages musically…
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Honestly, I would be appalled if you saw this band and liked them.
And I think I’ve seen enough 80s bands and enjoyed them to still have some credibility here.
Not too much.
But some…
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I don’t like much from after 1970…
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Ah. Nothing wrong with 70s rock. There’s some good music being made now too though.
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I am a dinosaur…
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That’s a lot of tweeting, Guap. In this case, it’s not complimentary.
Well, let me ask you this – do you remember the Cocteau Twins, Kate Bush, and Cheap Trick? Ok, of the three, I only saw one, and I was fifteen, so you can guess which one. And by the way, they are coming to Shreveport in September. Should I or shouldn’t I? đŸ˜€
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I saw Cheap Trick a few years ago. They’ve still got it.
I’d like to see Kate Bush if she comes around.
And I have to say, I’m really enjoying all the “defense of the 80s” comments I’ve gotten today!
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You went all the way to Defcon Fughgeddabout It! on this one. But you probably created bucco searches for these peeps in the process. I know I’m gonna look…..And umm, what was wrong with the Bangles? I mean, besides the music?
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Nothing was wrong with the Bangles!
Susanna Hoffs was a vision, even when she went solo.
Except for the music. (She has gotten better with musically with age though.)
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Wow! Yanno, that’s the first time I can remember actually paying attention to half of the lyrics in her song. She has definitely gotten better, on all counts.
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She’s been doing some interesting stuff in the last few years, I think. Haven’t sat down to listen in a while though.
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There was music after the Beatles Broke up? I mean besides Barry Manilo?
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I used to think there was something wrong with me that I didn’t think so highly of the Beatles.
Now I’m pretty sure it’s them, not me.
Though I was Paul live once and was blown away by the show.
And Copa Cabana is a blast! Especially because you can substitute anyones (guy or gal) name for Lola and sing it if they’re annoying you! đŸ˜‰
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I am MUSIC, Guap. And I write the songs.
But it’s hard to be in your mid fifties and above and not love the Beatles. It wasn’t just the music which was wonderful (and varied) but it was the fact that they shook things up.
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I’ll grant that it’s possible that by the time I started listening to music seriously, the sound the Beatles popularized had been so overdone that it lost its punch.
I still love Clapton though. And Buddy Guy. I’m just an old bluesman at heart.
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Clapton never gets old. I do love him, but the only song I ever hear played is “You look Wonderful tonight” which I am heartily sick of.
But the Beatles were wonderful before they started playing elevators. And even then, they were a cut above!
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Love 80s music to dance to – who doesn’t. Hate 80s clothing and hair styles – hope they die and go to hell!
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Sadly, for those of us who lived through it, I don;t think teh music and hair can be separated.
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I barely remember the eighties. Judging from the photographic evidence of how my parents used to dress me, I can only say Thank. God.
:)x
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Ha! I was a 70s baby.
There’s a child picture of me somewhere in a brown turtleneck and brown pants.
If I ever run for political office, I’m pretty sure that pic will be used to blackmail me.
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Not your cup of tea then? If you ever get the chance/time check out the Screaming Blue Messiahs – genuinely ahead of their time in the 80’s
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Brilliant!
Thanks for the turn on!
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The tweets were hilarious. But, weirdly, I feel a strong urge to seek out this band now.
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Unless you need a soundtrack for your very own Judd Hirsch/Kevin McCarthy/Molly Ringwald movie (with a cameo by Ally Sheedy), please please don’t!
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I am just thinking of another crap band of the eighties, actually I think it was the mid part of the seventies and then just crawling into the early eighties after excuciatingly boring most of us to death, I say crawling into the eighties because they were that rubbish that walking, if it was possible for them would have to have been a knuckle scraping on the sidewalk kind of stagger due to their Neanderthal appearance and even worse, their BS musical talents.
Did someone mention that they could play their own instruments? NO… I do believe that they couldn’t even strike a note on a triangle or bang a drum without looking ridiculous but Guap, their singing was even worse, luckily there were a lot of incredible bands to fall back on during the mid seventies and early eighties but don’t mention that group again or I might have to fart in someone’s face over it đŸ™‚ lmao
How do you mean who are the band that I am talking about? Well it’s the Bay City Rollers of course, an absolutely bloody terrible group if you ask me but then there was a big following from lots of weeny bopping lollipop sucking kids as I recall đŸ˜¦ No idea what they saw in them though, perhaps they thought they could sing? đŸ˜¦ Eeeeeeuw
Great posting Guap and hey…
đŸ™‚ đŸ™‚ HAPPY 4th of JULY đŸ™‚ đŸ™‚
Andro
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I had to go back and listen to see if they were as bad as I recall.
And now my ears are bleeding.
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They were terrible I know đŸ˜¦ lmao
Have a ghoulishly exciting weekend đŸ™‚
Andro
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đŸ™‚ đŸ™‚ HAPPY 4TH of JULY đŸ™‚ đŸ™‚
Hey and save me some of that
chocolate cake too or else? đŸ˜‰ lmao
Andro
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Thanks Andro.
Saw your post, looks like you had plenty of cake!
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Actually I didn’t have one piece đŸ˜¦
I wanted to add that 4th of July post
for all my great American friends, of
which you are certainly in that group
of wicked and wonderful friends đŸ™‚
Have a brilliant weekend Guap đŸ™‚
Andro
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Waahh! 80’s was absolutely my time. ooops! đŸ™‚ What’s so wrong with Boy George and the Culture Club, Spandau Ballet, even the Sheena E.? Now, Karma Chameleonis playing in my head. I hope it does not bother me in my sleep. đŸ™‚
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If it makes you feel better, that song is going to be stuck in my head for the next day or two.
GAH!!! đŸ˜‰
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The 80’s will forever be my favorite decade for music… (and hair) lol
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This isn’t too bad. I suppose you could have posted Mickey by Toni Basil.
Of course, then I’d have to come back maybe with Motley Crue Smokin In The Boys Room, or some other ear-worm, and it would just be downhill from there…
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*shudders @ the mention of Motley Crue*
I did like…. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HtLdRHvdMIA (1989)
Mickey drove me insane.
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That will do nicely!
I had tickets to see him, years ago, on Halloween.
Ended up going to France for the day instead.
A bird pooped on me alongside the Seine.
It’s a strange life sometimes…
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I don’t like him really. Though that song I do. If I got anywhere near him, I’d cut his hair and pluck his eyebrows.
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ha! That would be a full time job.
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I love the 80’s! I was gonna be an actress, I was gonna be a star, I was gonna shake my ass, on the hood of Whitesnake’s car!
PS- Whitesnake—call me! 867-5309
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I saw Whitesnake live.
*hangs head in shame, leaves internet*
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From the 80’s, I remembered Kylie Minoque đŸ˜€ She was the most beautiful lady during that decade.
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I love 80s music and I’m not ashamed to admit it. I still play it on my iPod all the time. Duran Duran, the Police, Depeche, Echo & the Bunnymen, etc etc etc . I never heard of Hearts, though, and I guess I’m glad about that.
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Hearts was a medley of the worst of 80s music, distilled to one horrific, (mercifully) short set.
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Pingback: A Defense of 80s Music, by Running On Sober | Guapola
The 70’s & the 80’s were my decades Guaps! I bet I know a lot of these lyrics by heart! And of course you chose another Canadian actor (Michael J Fox) to typify this era.
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