Roller Boogie Beatches
Tonight I head to the Valley to Glendale for some roller boogie action. It's Gay Skate Night at Moonlight Rollerway Skating Rink! Can not wait. Last time I went all I wanted to hear was I Love Rock & Roll - at the end of the night Leivas wanted to get a head start out of the place so I took off my skates and gave them back. Guess what they played for the last song? That's right friggin' I Love Rock & Roll!! Tonight I'm putting on my red short shorts and knee high socks and I'm not leaving til I skate to Joan Jett! Hope to see you there!
Labels: Joan Jett, Roller Boogie, Rollerskating
A Few Of My Favorite Things
Christmas is right around the corner and I just found 3 things I MUST HAVE:
Labels: bub99 Cyndi Lauper, Debbie Harry, Dolls, Favorite Things, Joan Jett
Roller Daddy
When I was a wee one we would go to High Roller in Wausau to get our skate on. The teen/kid night was Wednesdays and we would go and eat pizza, roller boogie to the latest 80's hits, roll the big fuzzie dice and live like we were the coolest roller mama and daddies around. For years, I've been wanting to go skating again, well kiddies, one of my all time big dreams came true last night. That's right I went roller skating. It was like 1982 all over again. A pal of mine had a birthday to do in Glendale at the roller rama over in that neck of the woods.
It was so frickin' exciting - even the Leivas was there strapping up his laces and hitting the floor. Plus not only did they play cool new tunes, they reached into that bag of goodies known as the 80's and played some gems I so hoped they would play.
Now there was one big disappointment in the night - all night I kept secretly hoping they would play Joan Jett's "I Love Rock & Roll" as that is one song I so remember roller skating to when I was a kid. Well as the night winded down, the Leivas was getting tired so I took off my skates and put them back and two songs later was the last song of the night - guess what is what - that's right those frickers played "I Love Rock & Roll" and my skates were already being deodorized for the next night's roller daddies. Ugh!
But regardless, it still had a great 80's vibe - including a bunch of boiz wearing what was going to be my outfit, maybe next time and oh yes there will be a next time. Did I also mention that Wednesday is GAY NIGHT at this roller rink? I know, huh.
Incidentally, I did not fall once and have no blisters to speak of (or to not speak of... so that means next time I'm out there in the middle doing flips and roller boogieing. Oh yeah.
Labels: Glendale, Joan Jett, Life In La La Land, Roller Boogie, Roller skating, The Leivas
LA Pride '82
When I was a youngin' back in 1982 there was nothing more I wanted to do than live in Hollywood and experience first hand such cool bands as
The Motels, Berlin, Josie Cotton and all those other LA bands that were headlining up and down the strip and thanks to the onset of such nostalgia, I've had a few brush ins with the '82 vibe while living here. But now with the announcement of who will be performing at this year's Gay Pride Festival, held at the park just down the street from my house, I will be able to really feel the vibes of the 80's cuz frickin Martha Davis & The Motels, Berlin, Josie Cotton,
Ann Magnuson and
Joan Jett & The Blackhearts are all playing this year - not to mention
Tiffany and
Martika and a couple of indie guys I'm familiar with -
Justin Lanning (whose huge billboard is about four blocks away from my house) and
Levi Kreis (who is a pal from My Space) - so if you feel the itch, come on down to my house the first weekend of June and relive the 80's with me - it's gonna be totally tubular, like fer sure!
Here's the full schedule for the Main Stage:
LA PRIDE MAIN STAGE SCHEDULE - 6/9 & 6/10 2007
2007 WAMU MAIN STAGE
Saturday, June 9, 2007
3:05 PM – 3:20 PM Emcee BEN PATRICK JOHNSON
3:20 PM – 3:40 PM NANCY RANCOURT
3:50 PM – 4:10 PM JUSTIN LANNING
4:20 PM – 4:40 PM TAXI DOLL
4:50 PM – 5:15 PM DEBBY HOLIDAY
5:25 PM – 5:45 PM ANN MAGNUSON
Emcees: BILLY MASTERS & MOMMA
5:55 PM – 6:20 PM VERUCA SALT
6:30 PM – 6:55 PM BITTER: SWEET
7:05 PM – 7:35 PM ROUGH TRADE
7:45 PM – 8:10 PM MARTIKA
8:25 PM – 8:50 PM JOSIE COTTON
9:05 PM – 10:05 PM BERLIN featuring TERRI NUNN
10:25 PM – 11:40 PM JOAN JETT & THE BLACKHEARTS
Sunday, June 10, 2007 -
Show #1
11:15 PM – 1:25 PM Emcee MARCELLAS- BIG BROTHER
1:25 PM – 1:45 PM CORDAY
1:55 PM – 2:15 PM DOLLYROTS
2:25 PM – 2:45 PM LEVI KREIS
www.myspace.com/levikreis2:50 PM – 3:10 PM ANT
3:20 PM – 3:40 PM GIRL IN A COMA
3:50 PM – 4:10 PM THE RANDIES
4:20 PM – 4:40 PM SHITTING GLITTER
4:50 PM – 5:20 PM ERIN HAMILTON
Sunday, June 10 - Show #2
5:45 PM – 5:55 PM Emcees MOMMA & BILLY MASTERS
5:55 PM – 6:15 PM LISA DEWEY & THE LOTUS LIFE
6:25 PM – 6:55 PM AMERICAN IDOL - FRENCHIE DAVIS
7:10 PM – 7:55 PM MARTHA DAVIS-THE MOTELS
8:05 PM – 8:30 PM MARTHA WASH
8:45 PM – 9:15 PM BEBE BUELL BAND
9:25 PM – 10:00 PM TIFFANY
PLEASE NOTE PERFORMERS, DATES AND TIMES SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE
www.lapride.orgLabels: Berlin, Gay Pride, Joan Jett, Josie Cotton Levi Kreis, Martha Davis, Motels, Pride 07, Retro musi, Teri Nunn
50-46
50. MAD ABOUT YOU – Belinda Carlisle(Brown/Evans/Whelan)
IRS single #52815 (US)/ #118 (UK)Chart Debut: June 21, 1986 (US)/ August 16, 1988 (UK)
Chart Position: #3 US / #67 UK
I always loved the Go Gos and no one was more devastated than I was when they broke up, but a few years later Belinda was back and she was no longer the girl with the baby fat and cherub face, instead donned over a bright pink backdrop was the Belinda of ’86 svelte and dressed in black. But one thing she didn’t leave behind for her debut album was a charming little pop sensibility and the ability to capture summer in a song. Just like the Go Gos songs that came before “Mad About You” feels like summer. Just hearing the dunt dunt dunt dunt at the beginning makes me want to sauter off the top of my Escort and drive to the beach.
Watch the video.
49. BREAKAWAY – Big Pig(Mitch Bottler/Gary Zekley)
A&M single #3014Chart Debut:
Chart Position: #60 US
Mostly notable being featured in the film Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure, I knew the song long before they used it in that film. Big Pig’s BONK! album with its tin drums and iron lungs was on constant rotation in Ryanne’s Omni 024 just like Duran Duran. I love the whole album but “Breakaway” gets me going the minute I hear the opening chug and I love the lines of the whole song – “like a child in his fantasy/ punching holes in the walls of reality” and Mama did always say I can be what I want to be but I can’t change the course of my destiny, or something like that.
See the video!
48. ANOTHER ONE BITES THE DUST - Queen(John Deacon)
Elektra single #47031 (US)/ EMI single #5102 (UK)Chart Debut: August 30, 1980 (US)/ September 16, 1980 (UK)
Chart Position: #1 US / #7 UK
With its funky bass line and Freddie Mercury’s vocals this is one of those songs that transcended genres. Even country hicks vowed to be buried to the tune of this song. I remember begging my mother to buy me the 45 and then like the child I was, I left it in the car while we visited relatives. I was devastated when we got back to the car and my brand new unlistened to record, was warped. I felt like killing myself! Luckily I flipped the record over and the b-side was called “Don’t Try Suicide” so I just begged my mother to buy me another one.
Watch the video!
47. PLEASURE & PAIN - Divinyls(Mike Chapman/Holly Knight)
Chrysalis single #42916 (US)/ #9799 (UK)Chart Debut: October 1, 1985
Chart Position: #76 US / #12 aus
I love the Divinyls and this is the song that first got me into the brilliance of Chrissie Amphlett and Mark McEntee. Another little gem written by the team of Holly Knight and Mike Chapman, and once again produced by Chapman, this is the song that should’ve pushed Divinyls into the mainstream. A dark tale of an abusive relationship, “Pleasure & Pain” finds our antagonist actually thriving for the abuse her lover gives her – “Just don’t ask me how I’ve been getting off”. Fairly complex stuff for a rock song but such is the brilliance of the Divinyls. Due to the lack of buying interest, Chrysalis Records in America didn’t release any more singles off the What A Life! Album but in Australia, they got the brilliant “Sleeping Beauty” and “Heart Telegraph.” Personally, I recommend you run and buy every single Divinyls album you can get your hands on, or you could email me for Divinytyve, the bubbatunes compilation I created, which is probably THE best Divinyls compilation you’ll ever find.
Watch the video and see how cool Chrissie really is!
46. I LOVE ROCK & ROLL – Joan Jett & The Blackhearts(Hooker/Merrill)
Boardwalk single #135Chart Debut: February 13, 1982 (US)/ March 24, 1982 (UK)
Chart Position: #1 US / #4 UK
Joan Jett rocks my world! Leave it to that leather-clad gal to take a completely obscure cover song and turn it into one of the most recognizable and popular songs of the entire decade of the 80s. Who doesn’t sing along as Joan puts another dime in the jukebox baby? And who doesn’t try to seduce the 17-year-old standing by the record machine? This single is Joan in one of her most brilliant moments and it’s one of the greatest moments in my karaoke career – though Joan may cringe to hear that.
Relive the kick ass video here! and see the never released video in amazing color (who knew!)and come back next time when we hit the numbers 45-41 of the Top 100 Singles Of The 80's - According to me!
Labels: Belinda Carlisle, Big Pig, Divinyls, Joan Jett, Queen, Top 100 Singles Of the 1980s
