Hi, kids -- yes, I haven't been posting, but honestly I haven't had much exciting happen lately. Alex is home and we're off and working on his summer school term. He's excited about it, which makes me happy. Anything that helps him learn is a good thing. Other than that, life is about as it always is.

So, what's up with you? :)

Thought I would finish out the month with a sweet, but slightly creepy song about love; the video's a little odd, too, but I don't expect anything less from Madness. Here it is - your final song for June: Madness and "It Must Be Love"...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DnTmRKuMqqs

Spreading a little love around tonight -- doesn't seem right to have the 80's without featuring one of the bands with the oddest hair styles. Here's A Flock of Seagulls and "Space Age Love Song".

(So shoot me -- I like this one better than "I Ran"...)

A little of the classic hair metal tonight: Twisted Sister and "We're Not Gonna Take It"

BTW, before anyone freaks, the rant at the beginning of the video is nearly a word-for-word recreation of his speech from "Animal House"; just substitute "pledge pin" for "Twisted Sister" button. He later went on to play The Master on "Buffy the Vampire Slayer". :)

Another two-fer tonight: you get the original video and then the same song via "Muppets Tonight".

Here's your original, where you may find yourself wondering, "How did I get here?"... (Talking Heads, "Once in a Lifetime" - live version as strangely YouTube doesn't have the original video :\)


And here's Kermit's version, a la "Muppets Tonight"...

Let's move along to a quintessential 80's band: Huey Lewis and the News. I like this song for its ridiculously catchy rhythm, but you might find yourself (like me) wishing that the camera would back off just a bit. :)

Here, there, and everywhere, "It's Hip to Be Square"...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_byVtHrGEM

Well, I was saddened when I heard about Ed McMahon on Monday because he was the king of the second bananas.
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQqY5VWief8)

And the Farrah Fawcett news was depressing, but not unexpected. I was hoping she'd make it a little longer, but it's good that she's not in pain anymore.
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvkDdSvGJ5s)

However, the Michael Jackson news completely floored me. The first album I ever checked out of a library was a Jackson 5 record. I sung along with all the songs, watched the cartoons on reruns, and had my obligatory copy of Thriller as a teenager. Even over the years and through all his personal weirdness, I still enjoyed listening to his music.

So, in honor of his music, I plan to backfill the 80's days I've missed with Michael Jackson videos. For tonight's current entry, I go way back to 1980. He looks very, very different, but the thing that really impresses me is that he looks so happy in the video. (Not to mention shiny -- it's just as well that he eventually channeled the sequin look into only one glove :D) Here's Michael Jackson and "Rock with You"...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7hK3Y1Ehv9c

This one is kinda nifty as his method of poking back at all the stories written about him in the various tabloids; I like the Liz Taylor shrine section myself. :)

Here's Michael Jackson circa 1987 from Bad: "Leave Me Alone"...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h5KAJw4y8wE

One last backfilled Michael Jackson for you: "The Way You Make Me Feel". In some ways, this is a tremendously funny video as the poor girl is aware she's in a music video and seems desperate to escape. Then there's the dance by the sprung hydrant that's a bit creepier than the "Thriller" dance.

Judge for yourself -- here's the link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sEU9Q8NlOiY

Back again to the early days of Michael Jackson's solo career. I always thought he looked fresh from a prom in this one. It could just be the big tie, though. :)

Here's "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough"...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_hz2am90Hk

Not only did Michael do duets during the 80's, he also was part of the "let's all get together and record large ensemble pieces for charity" movement.

(This isn't dissing what they did, but my goodness there were a lot of noun-aid concerts during the 80's)

Here's Michael's contribution, co-written by Lionel Richie and sung by a heck of a lot of people -- "We Are the World"...

So, I dropped Alex off at my mom's this past weekend and, much like last year, I came home with an affliction. Fortunately, this year it's not as bad as before. It's only a cold, but it's enough. I've been hacking and wheezing all day today; I'm working from home tomorrow so that I don't disturb people with my attempts to dislodge my lungs. I'm hoping that by Tuesday I'll be fit to rejoin society.

Hope everyone's doing well...

Even though Michael Jackson was all over the 80's musically, he often wasn't alone. Here's a little ditty from Paul McCartney's Pipes of Peace from 1983 -- "Say Say Say"...

Backfilling again: say what you will, Michael Jackson knew how to put together a video spectacle. It's a catchy song, interesting choreography, and the amusing visuals of being tough in a keyboard shirt, plus a hot riff from Eddie Van Halen.

Here's "Beat It" from Michael Jackson:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uqxo1SKB0z8

(And as an added bonus, here's Weird Al's "Eat It" for comparison: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HyfcOriVKBM)

Taking the boy down to Roanoke again today -- rapidly scrambling through the house scraping up couch change to fill the gas tank. (Bleah)

80's music days post are going on hiatus for a few days as I will be off the grid until my return on Sunday; I'll backfill when I return.

Have a lovely weekend, folks -- see you on Sunday. :)

Since I mentioned backfilling to honor Michael Jackson's music, I thought I'd start with the first release from Thriller; the song that was a sensation on MTV and the horror of pre-teen aerobic dance squads. (Don't ask)

Anyway, here's Michael Jackson and "Billie Jean"...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=En-cHBv7UpA

Tonight's music is a little taste of 1984. Her hair was big, but her legs are oh-so-perfect. Ladies and gentlemen, Ms. Tina Turner and "What's Love Got to Do With It?"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VaQkaY5-OVk

(Sadly, non-embedded, but it's good quality video)

Happy birthday to my partner in crime, impink -- enjoy your day off. :)

We're over halfway through the month -- woohoo!

Here's a nice quick one for you all tonight -- a little bit of fun from Peter Gabriel circa 1986: Sledgehammer. :)

A few quick things before one quick video. :)

1) Alex only has a few days of school left for the year; I'm a happy camper as he will be moving on to the second grade. The spec. ed. teachers feel that he might be able to handle more of the general ed. classes next year, so that's a very good thing. :)

2) Chris and I have a table in the Otakon Artist Alley. Yay!

Now tonight's quick video: a little ditty by David Bowie. This one was likely the most normal video he ever made. :D Before you go to sleep, here's a little "Modern Love" for you...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1hDbpF4Mvkw