The lovely and talented Veronica Gamba, Playboy’s Miss November 1983, has a need for speed and a jealous streak.

Photographed by Arny Freytag

“I’m a very jealous person. Stupid jealous. I think it’s a sickness. It’s OK for me to look at other guys but not for my boyfriend to look at other girls. It’s so sick. I should be put away!”

Isn’t that so often the case with jealousy? We covet 100% of our lover’s attention, but excuse our own inability to reciprocate it: by extension, if we are all doing this, then we must only assume that the truth is we will never, ever get that 100% of anyone’s attention, it’s impossible and we’re all just lying to each other.

I’m striving to find a positive outcome from this chain of thought. How about this. Unless you are very, very lucky, the likelihood is that no one will ever be able to snap out of their own shit and love you as much as you deserve, nor even as much as you are capable of loving yourself, so maybe treat yourself more kindly than you do? I’m going to try to pull at least that small slice of upbeat advice from the devastating reality of human isolation and make that a project in positivity. Maybe I will take myself out on a date. If I get fresh with myself, I will slap me.

“I have fantasies about being a race-car driver. It’s not only the speed, it’s the enjoyment I get out of just looking at a car. I have very strange feelings when I look at a car I like. It’s a turn-on, kind of. I’m like, awed by it. I’ve driven as fast as 120 miles an hour. It’s like I’m going to die at any second; like I’m going to explode. I used to love to drive on the autobahn. Cars go by you like — shuuum! So far, I’ve gotten only one speeding ticket, and that was for doing 42 in a 30-mile zone. It wasn’t even worth getting a ticket at that speed!” (“Princess from the Pampas,” Playboy, November 1983)

I really understand where she’s coming from. I had my license revoked when I was 19 because I sped like a maniac. I accrued too many points on my record in a one year period, absolutely all from speeding tickets. It was the “exhibitionist speed” and “reckless endangerment” ones that put me over the top, I reckon. Fucking bullshit. But I recognized the dangerous side to my obsession with vehicular shenanigans and, even after my license was eligible to be reinstated, I did not immediately pursue getting it back. I waited until I was emotionally ready to have such a potentially fatal machine in my hands. (Again, so often — the secret shadow side of our hottest passion is the potential for our destruction.)

I still go for long, remote country drives and may from time to time, if I’m alone, get the speed going a little high, but I’ve come to understand that the more appropriate, safe, and comforting thrill I get from driving is the strong sense of being in control, of choosing my own destination. Plus, I have to live for my daughter’s sake, so I don’t allow myself to push the limits of my speed any longer.

Looks like that is likely the case for Ms. Gamba these days as well; according to the wiki, Veronica “has been married twice and has a child from each marriage, a son (Christopher), born 1980 and a daughter (Melissa) born in 1987″ (the wiki).

Yves St. Laurent received the macabre treatment when he dressed actress/muse Catherine Deneuve for the 1983 horror/suspense film The Hunger, also starring David Bowie and Susan Sarandon. Deneuve’s wardrobe showed the darkest reaches of St. Laurent’s range — acclimating to the hardness of the 80’s, notably designers Thierry Mugler and Claude Montana, he had French glamor and sexual subversion easing his way.

Perhaps it was this macabre treatment that inspired Martin Margiela’s second reiteration of the squared shoulder in his fall 2007 collection (if in fact it was him). The severity and darkness of the mood is vampire worthy, and certainly those graphic shoulders don’t shy away from Deneuve’s YSL wardrobe, complete with his signature shoulder. But the real give away is the soundtrack of Bauhaus’ Bela Lugosi’s Dead as it creeps along in the opening scene of The Hunger and on Margiela’s catwalk, connecting the two not so disparate visions of the night.

Melomanos hoy les coloco un disco que se que les va a encantar donde el compositor, cantante y guitarrista PERE PUBILL CALAF, que es mas conocido como PERET, nos deleita con sus grandes éxitos donde demuestra ser el mayor representante de la rumba catalana. Los temas que oirán y disfrutaran son:

1. UNA LAGRIMA (ME PEDIAS UN BESO)- ESTA ES LA NUEVA VERSION
2. BORRIQUITO…
3. ¡QUE COSAS TIENE EL AMOR¡
4. CANTA Y SE FELIZ
5. A LAS MUJERES NI FU NI FA
6. ES PREFERIBLE
7. TRACATRA- SE ACUERDAN DE LA CANCION QUE HIZO FAMOSO A JUAN CARLOS Y SU RUMBA FLAMENCA??- ES LA RUMBA DE TRACATRA TRACATRAAA
8. EL GITANO ANTON- VERSION GITANA DEL NEGRO BEMBON DE BOBBY CAPO
9. AMOR A TODO GAS
10. CHAVI
11. LO MATO- TEMA DE ÑICO SAQUITO

Algunos datos de este cantante:

* Es famoso por su forma de tocar la guitarra, conocida como el ventilador, gracias a la cual, aparte del uso de las cuerdas del instrumento, emplea la caja de resonancia como instrumento de percusión, y también por su habilidad casi de malabarista a la hora de girar la guitarra sobre sí misma en un aceleradísimo movimiento de 360 grados.

* Peret nació en Mataró (Barcelona) el 26 de marzo de 1935. Su padre se ganaba la vida como vendedor ambulante de telas y Peret de pequeño le acompañaba en sus desplazamientos comerciales por Cataluña y Baleares, por lo que fue poco a la escuela.

* Parece ser que aprendió a leer de forma autodidacta fijándose en los carteles publicitarios.

* Aficionado desde niño a la guitarra y al cante gitano, a los doce años formó un dúo con una prima suya. Se llamaban Los Hermanos Montenegro. Debutaron en el teatro Tívoli de Barcelona, en un festival infantil.

* En 1947, de manera casual, grabó un disco que pasó desapercibido por el mercado, así que sobrevivía como vendedor ambulante. Incluso viajó a Argentina, pero no para cantar, sino para negociar con sábanas. Ocasionalmente actuaba en locales de la costa catalana. Poco a poco, su nombre se fue conociendo en Barcelona. Así, grabó un par de discos que sonaron bastante en las emisoras de la zona. Al poco se casó con Santa, una gitana de la familia a la que años más tarde dedicaría una de sus más populares canciones: “Mi Santa”.

* A mediados de los 60 dio el salto a Madrid, cuando fue contratado por El Duende, un tablao flamenco perteneciente a Pastora Imperio y Gitanillo de Triana, y ahí se inició su escalada. Algunas de sus interpretaciones, como “El muerto vivo” del colombiano Guillermo González Arenas, empezaron a tener mucho éxito entre gentes de diversa extracción social. Y en este momento ocurrió un fenómeno muy significativo que Manuel Román describió así en su libro Memoria de la copla: “En las discotecas de moda, donde se programa música anglosajona y de los conjuntos españoles de la época, como Los Bravos y otros del género pop, hay de pronto un cambio brusco, pasada la medianoche, que el pinchadiscos de turno aprovecha para que suenen las rumbas de Peret”.

* En 1967 grabó “Una lágrima”, versión rumbera de un vals del maestro Monreal, que tuvo un éxito fulgurante, convirtiéndose en una de las canciones del verano de 1968. En esta época la música de Peret —potente y vertiginosa, con influencias del mambo y del rock and roll— sonaba constantemente en emisoras de radio, máquinas de discos, tabernas, casinos, discotecas, guateques, fiestas mayores…

* En los años posteriores, todas las orquestas incorporan a su repertorio temas como “El gitano Antón”, “Don Toribio Carambola”, “Saboreando”, “¡Lo mato!”, “Si fulano fuese mengano”, “Chaví”, “Canta y sé feliz” (con la que participó en el Festival de la Canción de Eurovisión 1974), “Qué cosas tiene el amor”, “A mí las mujeres ni fu ni fa”, “Castigadora”, “Tracatrá”…Muchos de sus grandes éxitos son derivados de un estilo del son cubano denominado guaracha que influyó en gran medida en la rumba catalana. Ejemplo de esto es la guaracha “Lo mato”, del cubano “Ñico Saquito”. Peret cuenta que cuando era joven iba a la sala de fiestas Rialto, a bailar los mambos de Pérez Prado, vestido de rockero: para él, la mezcla de música cubana y de rock es fundamental en la creación de la rumba catalana.

* El bombazo internacional lo dio con “Borriquito” en 1971, con letra y música del propio cantante, que coincidió con el boom del turismo en España, lo que contribuyó a que la canción se popularizara en todo el mundo y en especial Holanda (7 semanas Nº1),y Alemania (dos semanas Nº1).

* En 1982, de forma imprevista, Pere Pubill abandonó radicalmente su actividad artística e ingresa en la sección barcelonesa de la Iglesia Evangélica de Filadelfia. Durante nueve años ejerció labores religiosas con dedicación exclusiva. Posteriormente, sin dejar su creencia religiosa, cesó en la actividad pastoral y montó una productora discográfica. Desde entonces, reaparece en los escenarios de forma esporádica.

* En 1992 participó en la ceremonia de clausura de los Juegos Olímpicos de Barcelona, junto a Los Manolos, Los Amaya y otros exponentes de la rumba catalana. En ella interpretando la canción “Gitana hechicera”, dedicada a la ciudad de Barcelona con motivo de los Juegos Olímpicos y que fue uno de los éxitos de ese verano.

* En 1998 fue galardonado con la Cruz de Sant Jordi.

* En 2000 graba un nuevo disco Peret: Rey de la rumba, al lado de solistas y grupos de pop como Jarabe de Palo, Carlos Jean, Jabier Muguruza y David Byrne (de Talking Heads).

* En 2006 participa en el disco homenaje a Joan Manuel Serrat, de título Per al meu amic Serrat (Discmedi, 2006), en el que interpreta el tema a ritmo de rumba “Me´n vaig a peu”.

* En 2007 presenta un nuevo disco con canciones inéditas, de título Que levante el dedo y prepara el libro La Biblia de la Rumba de próxima edición. También en 2007, Joan Manuel Serrat y Joaquín Sabina homenajean a Peret incorporando al repertorio de su gira conjunta Dos pájaros de un tiro el tema El muerto vivo. En el primer concierto de Barcelona en el Palau Sant Jordi, Peret acompaña en el escenario a los dos cantautores. Peret participa en el disco colectivo de La Marató de TV3 en su edición de 2007 con una versión en catalán del tema Live is life (Vine amb mi) del grupo austriaco Opus.

* En lo personal, en julio de 2008 anuncia la separación con su mujer, tras 50 años de matrimonio. El cantante venía manteniendo una relación sentimental con una cantante de 19 años de la que además es su padrino artístico.

* Peret se dejó tentar por el cine. De pequeño, veía películas de Imperio Argentina, artista a la que admiraba y cuyas canciones interpretaba. En 1963 representó un pequeño papel en Los Tarantos de Francisco Rovira-Beleta, donde también intervenía la gran bailaora Carmen Amaya. Él mismo fue protagonista de varios filmes bastante endebles, pero que colaboraron eficazmente a la expansión de sus canciones. Casi todos los títulos cinematográficos de Peret habían sido previamente grandes éxitos discográficos: Amor a todo gas, El mesón del gitano, Qué cosas tiene el amor, A mí las mujeres ni fu ni fa, Si fulano fuese mengano… En 1996 participa como actor en la película Alma gitana y en 2001 en Marujas Asesinas.

Create a playlist at MixPod.com

Kick – Lollie Pop

Måste skriva ett inlägg för att se att det funkar som det ska. Har precis uppgraderat min dator till Windows 7. Märkligt nog känns det lite sladdrigare än Vista som jag körde innan. Kan inte sätta fingret på exakt vad det är förutom en sak. Saknas ikoner lite här och var, verkar som Windows inte hittar programmens ikoner riktigt så en del är utan ikoner, istället visas bara en dokumentikon av standardtyp.

Sen så vill Gmail-appen inte visa sin ikon när man startat programmet trots att ikonen visas för programmet på skrivbordet. En kort stund dök den upp förut men sen har den inte velat visa sig i aktivitetsfältet när programmet är igång.

En annan grej som oxå är B är att nu visas inte längre Tv-bilden i aktivitetsfältets för-visning utan istället så visas där bara kanalväljaren till min tv-applikation. Ja, det lär väl dyka upp fler grejer allteftersom. Men jag hade ju ett jädra elände när jag fick Vista en gång i tiden och även om det sagts att Windows 7 inte ska dras med lika mycket problem som Vista gjorde när det lanserades så är jag inte helt övertygad om den saken.

Kul låt jag hittat förresten, hade aldrig hört den innan vad jag kan påminna mig om. Den är i alla fall från 1983, en tid då det gjordes en hel del go sån funk så konkurrensen var ganska stor och det var nog mycket vi missade här i lilla Sverige som vi först nu upptäcker i och med att det dyker upp på YouTube.

Tjillevippen

notbugs

Dos momentos de la vida de Estrella, unidos por un pasodoble. Director: Víctor Erice. Actores: Omero Antonutti, Sonsoles Aranguren, Icíar Bollaín, Lola Cardona, Rafaela Aparicio, Germaine Montero, Aurora Clement, María Caro, Francisco Merino, José Vivo.

És mekkora feeling!

This will only be a short message as I am rather tired.

Last week, I trundled along to the Village Hall for a meeting about a new musical which is going to be performed next year and to which I felt I could make a contribution.  Unfortunately the hall was in darkness as the meeting had been postponed and no-one had let on. 

There was, however, a choir practice in the church and when the choirmaster arrived, he cunningly suggested that as I was already dolled up and out, I might as well join in.  He has been trying to get me to join for some time now, so I gave in and pulled up my singing trousers. 

I used to be reasonably good (2000 years ago) and was even considered to be quite promising, had lessons as an outpatient at the Royal College of Music etc but for one reason and another I never carried it on.  This was, then, the first choir practice I had been to since 1983 and I can’t tell you how much fun it was.  We are practicing furiously for a Christmas concert in four weeks time and I don’t know half the songs, but the joy of singing again is beyond words. 

So now, with a piece of toast and a mug of Ovaltine, I am climbing the wooden hill to Bedfordshire a Happy, if slightly Hoarse, Housewife.

Good night!

there are countless films about love, loss, and the confusion that those two emotions breed when together. countless. but this film, The Hunger, does it best.

you can click HERE for a plot summary, or if you want to purchase the film, which i HIGHLY recommend, you can click HERE.

the movie is expertly directed by one of the famous Scott brothers (Tony). It is able to truly show loss and love with what seems like little effort. the cuts in the first 10 minutes of the film alone are worth the price of the DVD, but it only gets more powerful as it goes on. David Bowie plays John, a jilted vampire lover who finds himself aging at an incredibly fast rate. his portrayal of a betrayed lover is moving. as the make-up piles on to make him look older and older, his eyes become the only thing that stays the same. those two glowing Bowie eyes. it is a shame that this film wasnt more of a commercial success, David Bowie proves that he is an expert actor who could not have been better cast. the whole range of sadness to anger that he shows only with his eyes is actually astounding. and some how, he plays his part in such a way that the viewer, or at least i, could identify with him. we all know what it is like to be lied to and used, but here, Bowie shows us how horrible it can be.

past Bowie though, the film is still a classic piece of artistic horror. Catherine Deneuve plays the lonely and immortal Miriam like she was born to play her. she is a dark and mechanical woman who has learned to shut off her ability to love after centuries of loss. this portrayal tore me in half through out the film. part of me wanted her to be punished for what she had made John and countless other go through, but the other part of me felt for her. she was just as much a victim as the others. her own immortality was a curse, she could never die with someone, only live past their body’s decomposition.  Susan Sarandon plays her character, Sarah Roberts,  with great artistry. her transformation from victim to hunter is terrifying. the cold look she gives in the very final scene of the film makes for one of the most unsettling moments in the film. in later years she has complained about the very last scene of the film, as has most of the cast and crew seeing as it was tagged on my the studio, but i still hold that it gives the film a far more horrific ending.

when Bowie’s character, John, and the other lovers rotting bodies, locked away in the attic, forgotten but always above Miriam’s mind, rise and exact their revenge, i almost cheered alone in my dark room. Tony Scott and the others associated with the film have all explained the movie in different ways. they have all given their own explanation for the ending, my explanation however is different.

i believe that John and the others never actually came out of their coffins int he attic, but that Miriam, after watching Sarah attempt suicide, realized all the pain she had caused would never end and that she would be alone forever, no matter how many other souls she trapped. i think it was that realization that drove her mad. the bodies didnt actually come out of their boxes, but their existence haunted her and drove her to fall from the staircase. the fall destroyed her body, and now, without the will to survive, she began her rapid decay. she had lived for countless centuries, so her decay happened faster than the others who were only a few hundred years old. after her death, Sarah boxed up the body and moved to London to live out the rest of her few century shelf life before she would age and decay like the rest.

the movie is beyond beautiful, and i hate that it is a forgotten gem. there is some talk of a remake, but i couldnt be less excited for it. the trio of actors, even the little girl who plays Alice, and Tony Scott were the perfect combination. no other line up could capture the magic like they did. and no other song than ‘Bela Lugosi’s Dead’ performed in the film live by Bauhaus could hold the same impact. instead of remaking the movie, the studio should invest in re-releasing this one. maybe this time someone will be paying attention. maybe this time people will see how honest and beautiful the film is.

I LOVE my iPhone!!!    The 1983 version of the iPhone obviously never made it into production, but it’s still a cool concept.  Image is from fudder.de.

Full Time Records, 1983 ,jus` break!

Capri Mk3 2.8T Tickford

What is your favourite Capri model?

Ford backed limited production of what probably rates as the most dramatic of converted Capris, the 2.8T Tickford. A conversion based on the 2.8i, but with a 205bhp turbocharged 2.8-litre engine, the model was easily recognised by its extrovert body kit, which included spoilers and side skirts, together with its distinctive blanked-off front grille. Tickford reckoned on producing around 250-400 cars, but with prices starting at £14,985 it was hardly surprising that only 83 cars entered production, the last in 1987.

If you would like to find out more about the classic Ford Capri Mk3 car art featured in this guide please click here.

Here are the top-30 movies from 1980-1989. This list was harder, but I think I finally got it right. You can always count on my movie recommendations.

1. Amadeus (1984) Director: Milos Forman
2. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) Director: Steven Spielberg
3. Raging Bull (1980) Director: Martin Scorsese
4. The Shining (1980) Director: Stanley Kubrick
5. Terms of Endearment (1983) Director: James L. Brooks
6. E.T. The Extra Terrestrial (1982) Director: Steven Spielberg
7. Cinema Paradiso (1988) Director: Giuseppe Tornatore
8. Salvador (1986) Director: Oliver Stone
9. Full Metal Jacket (1987) Director: Stanley Kubrick
10. National Lampoon’s Vacation (1983) Director: Harold Ramis
11. A Fish Called Wanda (1988) Director: Charles Crichton
12. Die Hard (1988) Director: John McTiernan
13. Chariots of Fire (1981) Director: Hugh Hudson
14. Once Upon a Time in America (1984) Director: Sergio Leone
15. Das Boot (1981) Director: Wolfgang Peterson
16. This Is Spinal Tap (1984) Director: Rob Reiner
17. The Right Stuff (1983) Director: Philip Kaufman
18. Fitzcarraldo (1982) Director: Werner Herzog
19. Scarface (1983) Director: Brian De Palma
20. Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989) Director: Woody Allen
21. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984) Director: Steven Spielberg
22. Ghostbusters (1984) Director: Ivan Reitman
23. When Harry Met Sally (1989) Director: Rob Reiner
24. The Big Chill (1983) Director: Lawrence Kasdan
25. Back to the Future (1985) Director: Robert Zemeckis
26. Fatal Attraction (1987) Director: Adrian Lyne
27. Stand By Me (1986) Director: Rob Reiner
28. Field of Dreams (1989) Director: Phil Alden Robinson
29. Rain Man (1988) Director: Barry Levinson
30. Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982) Director: Amy Heckerling

THE TRAILERS FOR THE TOP 3 BEST MOVIES OF 1980-1989

Ya me estaba retrasando con la entrega número 29 de los Stolen Files. Mi nuevo iMac ya está totalmente operativo y finalmente he podido saldar esta deuda pendiente. Desde ya el DVD está disponible en dimeadozen.

No tiene la calidad de imagen habitual a las grabaciones realizadas en directo en La Edad de Oro porque este material se grabó directamente en el Hammersmith Palais de Londres sin contar con los medios habituales y por eso la iluminación no es la idónea, pero aún así es un documento valioso, no sólo por la época, sino porque hay muy poco material en circulación de estas bandas.

El contenido del DVD es el siguiente:

Damned song list:

I just can´t be happy today
Smash it up
New Rose
Noise noise noise
Hippy shake
Wild thing

Flesh For Lulu song list:

Lame Train
Dog dog, dog

The Beast song list:

Guradian
Floating / Dead

Inicialmente los teloneros programados para este concierto eran Play Dead, Flesh For Lulu y Dormannu (sustituidos posteriormente por The Beast ). En una de las canciones Captain Sensible comenta al público que las cámaras que están viendo son de la televisión española que está grabando el show. Sólo las canciones incuidas en este DVD fueron programadas divididas en dos programas especiales dedicados a Londres que fueron retransmitidos el 22 y 29 de diciembre de 1983. En ambos programas se incluyó una extensa entrevista con Malcom McLaren ex manager de los Sex Pistols.

El set list completo de The Damned en ese concierto fue este: Born To Kill, Disco Man, Ignite, Generals, Stranger On The Town, Wait For The Blackout, I Just Can’t Be Happy Today, Do The Blitz, Limit Club, Melody Lee, Love Song, Neat Neat Neat, Looking At You, Smash It Up, New Rose, Noise Noise Noise, Hippy Hippy Shake, Love Song, Happy Talk, Wild Thing.

En breve los vídeos también estarán disponibles en los canales kigonjiro y programalaedaddeoro de YouTube.

Si no sabes como acceder a dimeadozen busca el enlace en la parte inferior de estas páginas, y si quieres saber más sobre los trackers musicales de bittorrent lee la entrada publicada unos meses atrás.

When I was five years old, I distinctly remember going to the mall with my mom to see a movie. I wouldn’t stop raving about Flashdance, and was broken-hearted when she said, “No.” (Back then, I didn’t know it was a rated-R film inspired by the true story of a female welder/stripper in Toronto.)

Interestingly, I never saw Flashdance until I was a college sophomore. Wow, what a corny plot: Alex Owens (Jennifer Beals), an 18-year-old who lives alone in a converted warehouse, is a welder at a steel mill by day and a bar dancer at night. She shacks up with Nick Hurley-her boss at the steel mill (who happens to have connections at the esteemed dance academy she wants to attend)-trains with her mentor/coach (who ironically dies a couple days before her audition), nails her audition, and apparently gets accepted (though I’m not exactly sure because the ending scene just show her running out of the building, with a smile, into Nick’s loving arms). No wonder this opened to poor reviews. Yet and still, it was a box office smash and grossed $100+ million worldwide.

I also remember hearing Michael Sembello’s Grammy Award-winning song, “Maniac,” on the radio. (Back then, I didn’t know it was originally written about a serial killer and the lyrics were adjusted for the film.) But what I really love is its music video. Sure, Irene Cara’s “Flashdance…What a Feeling” won a slew of awards-including an Oscar and a Golden Globe-but nothing beats the scenes of Alex’s body double running in place during dance practice, those ridiculous closeups of the side of her butt cheek, or that glorious slowmo leap through the air.

As an adult, I can appreciate what the film accomplished but yep, it definitely wasn’t suitable for me as a young child.

Did you know:

The role of Alex was turned down by Melanie Griffith, and Beals beat out two other finalists (including Demi Moore) for the lead. Gene Simmons (yes, of KISS) rejected the role of Alex’s boss/boyfriend Nick, which was secured by Michael Nouri. Kevin Costner was the runner-up for this part.

Irene Cara penned the “Flashdance…What a Feeling” lyrics en route to the studio the day she recorded the track.

The music video for “Maniac” was a trailblazer, as it was the first to use only movie scenes.

Alex’s off-the-shoulder sweatshirt actually came about when Beals accidentally shrunk the shirt in the wash, and subsequently cut off the collar so it could fit over her head.

Written by: Bono, the Edge, Adam Clayton, Larry Mullen Jr.
Produced by: Steve Lillywhite
Released: March ‘83 on Island
Charts: Did not chart

Definitely U2’s finest protest song, if not their finest of all, Sunday Bloody Sunday’s tirade against the abhorrent dumbness of sectarian violence is one that can be translated from the streets of Derry to Gaza, Iraq and Helmand. This rallying cry set to a military beat was inspired by two Sunday massacres in the ongoing civil war between Irish Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland. The band changed the song’s opening line from “Don’t talk to me about the rights of the IRA,” to “I can’t believe the news today” out of fear that its plea for peace would be misconstrued. Bono’s despairing “How long must we sing this song?” encapsulating a generation’s frustration with the Troubles and war in general.

Or, as Alan Partridge put it: “What a great song. It really encapsulates the frustration of a Sunday, doesn’t it?”

When I was five years old, I distinctly remember going to the mall with my mom to see a movie.  I wouldn’t stop raving about Flashdance, and was broken-hearted when she said, “No.”  (Back then, I didn’t know it was a rated-R film inspired by the true story of a female welder/stripper in Toronto.)

Interestingly, I never saw Flashdance until I was a college sophomore.  Wow, what a corny plot: Alex Owens (Jennifer Beals), an 18-year-old who lives alone in a converted warehouse, is a welder at a steel mill by day and a bar dancer at night.  She shacks up with Nick Hurley-her boss at the steel mill (who happens to have connections at the esteemed dance academy she wants to attend)-trains with her mentor/coach (who ironically dies a couple days before her audition), nails her audition, and apparently gets accepted (though I’m not exactly sure because the ending scene just show her running out of the building, with a smile, into Nick’s loving arms).  No wonder this opened to poor reviews.  Yet and still, it was a box office smash and grossed $100+ million worldwide.

I also remember hearing Michael Sembello’s Grammy Award-winning song, “Maniac,” on the radio.  (Back then, I didn’t know it was originally written about a serial killer and the lyrics were adjusted for the film.)  But what I really love is its music video.  Sure, Irene Cara’s “Flashdance…What a Feeling” won a slew of awards-including an Oscar and a Golden Globe-but nothing beats the scenes of Alex’s body double running in place during dance practice, those ridiculous closeups of the side of her butt cheek, or that glorious slowmo leap through the air.

As an adult, I can appreciate what the film accomplished but yep, it definitely wasn’t suitable for me as a young child.

“Maniac” music video

Did you know:

The role of Alex was turned down by Melanie Griffith, and Beals beat out two other finalists (including Demi Moore) for the lead.  Gene Simmons (yes, of KISS) rejected the role of Alex’s boss/boyfriend Nick, which was secured by Michael Nouri.  Kevin Costner was the runner-up for this part.

Irene Cara penned the “Flashdance…What a Feeling” lyrics en route to the studio the day she recorded the track.

The music video for “Maniac” was a trailblazer, as it was the first to use only movie scenes.

Alex’s off-the-shoulder sweatshirt actually came about when Beals accidentally shrunk the shirt in the wash, and subsequently cut off the collar so it could fit over her head.

Capri 2.8 Injection 1981-1984

What is your favourite Ford Capri?

Ford created a sensation with the Capri2.8i – the first UK-market version to use the Cologne V6 engine, the first to have fuel injection (160bhp), and the first to have its chassis redeveloped by Rod Mansfield’s SVE department. Priced originally at £7995, it was an immediate success, with a genuine 129mph and 0-60 in a sizzling 7.9s. This became the definitive sporting Capri, and by the time the final 280 version had been sold in 1987, over 25,000 had been produced.

If you would like to find out more about the classic Ford Capri Mk3 car art featured in this guide please click here.

After 316 entries, I like to think that we’ve gotten to know each other pretty well, you and I. You may have realized by now that I don’t give a lot of props to the decade of my earliest years, the 1980’s, because I hate most of the music that came out of that period. Really, it’s a whole period of music between the late 70’s and 80’s where music suddenly got a lot more plastic and soulless, a period that we’re (still?) in right now if you really want to look at it, but that’s all a discussion for another day. If there is one good thing to be said about the 80’s, those years were very kind to Blues music.

I realized this when I went on one of my many late-night Youtube binges and was tapping my foot with some strong performances from my favorites: John Lee Hooker with Mark Naftalin (a fine keyboardist and finer supporter of the Blues during the 80’s), Albert Collins, and some others. It seems as though The Blues went through its second revival (if you consider the 20’s-30’s era to be the original), and the legendary guitar slingers of the 60’s were getting their dues all over again. Still, it was a decade for a lot of new talent to, including one of the most famous blues stringers of them all:

Yeah, it’s hard to picture the blues nowadays without Stevie Ray Vaughan, which is really not that bad considering his (non-posthumous) recording career was about 6 years and occured entirely within the 80’s. This album is his first, and is a landmark blues album the likes of which have not been seen in this generation’s lifetime.

This is especially surprising considering that success for Stevie Ray Vaughan was one of music’s happiest accidents. I have related this story briefly while talking about his later album, but it bears repeating. While Stevie has been playing around Austin, Texas (back when they allowed music to be played at night and Blues could be heard outside of one or two clubs) with his new-found band “Double Trouble”, he had about as moderate of success as one could ask for in that town. What he didn’t have was an album to his name or any prospective labels asking for record contracts, you know, typical Austin musician.

A few lucky breaks here and there (including playing for a Rolling Stones party) eventually landed the trio in the famous Montreaux Jazz Festival, them being the first act without a label to play there (a sensible rule, I feel). The audience hated them; they were loud and fast and awesome, 3 adjectives that do not belong to anything containing the word “jazz” as a modifier. Thankfully, two people who have nothing to do with Jazz or Switzerland were in attendance that night. One was David Bowie, and the other was Jackson Browne.

Bowie was impressed with the young (and probably attractive) Vaughan, and offered him a spot as guitarist in his group, in which capacity he famously played the guitar part to “Let’s Dance”, a song about dancing the blues in which the only even tangential connection to the Blues was Stevie himself. After botched attempts to learn dancing, Stevie quit the group and went back to Double Trouble. It was at this point that Jackson Browne offered the group free studio time in which to throw out a demo. They did so, and this album is the result of those freebie sessions.

Now, I have said before that albums like Couldn’t Stand The Weather but NOT In Step are better than this one. This might technically be true, but there is something to be said about Texas Flood anyway, namely, the speed. Up until the 1980’s, a blues instrumental like “Rude Mood”, played at 264 beats per minute, was simply not done. Mind you, up until the 1980’s, cocaine wasn’t quite as fashionable either, see if you can connect the two.

Stevie’s lightning fast attack, his thick, throaty guitar sound, and his ability to actually convey emotion through his guitar playing even at 250+ bpm was entirely unique to the Blues community, though rockers had been doing it for a while (Hendrix and Blackmore come to mind, and that’s just of Fender Strat players). Stevie basically took everything that was exciting about rock guitar and melded it seamlessly into 12 bar blues.

Stevie also had a great band with Tommy Shannon and Chris Layton, his bassist and drummer respectively, those two were like the walls that held up the metaphorical house in which Stevie was hyperactively running around in circles.

Speaking of circles, that is kind of my issue with Texas Flood. It’s almost too rambunctious at times, evidenced by the the soulful, minor-keyed mid-tempo jam “Dirty Pool”, which contains lead that is basically being constantly machine-gun-strummed by Stevie, to the point where the song is kind of tiring.

Also, you’d think that they’d think to put “Pride And Joy” and “I’m Cryin’” on different albums, rather than opposite sides of the same album, because the two songs rip each other off entirely. Seriously, it’s as if Stevie wrote one song and liked it so much he decided to write it twice. Other than slight nuances in the solo and the different words, they are exactly the same song. For shame, even in The Blues, this is just wrong.

It is, in fact, the instrumentals that really shine on this particular album. “Rude Mood” is fast and technically complex, and “Testify” is just a bunch of damn fun. “Mary Had A Little Lamb” is also respectable here, but when one considers that this is a Buddy Guy song, the uncharacteristic restraint shown in the performance seems kind of ill-fitting. Indeed, Buddy Guy’s performance of this song is consistently much more pleasing.

Still, despite its flaws and blatant self-cannibalizing, Texas Flood was a landmark Blues album, and it was on the forefront of an explosion of the genre that later gave white guys everywhere the unfortunate idea that anyone with a Guitar Center credit card can be the next great blues stringer. This would lead to an unfortunate wave of dude-bro blues guys that I would prefer not to go into right now. So, despite the unfortunate legacy and range of influence that Stevie would have on some very annoying guitarists, Stevie himself was pretty great and is worth listening to. Jeeze, I just kind of made myself depressed writing all this stuff, I like this album, honest!

Join us for tomorrow’s writeup where I single-handedly discredit the Beatles or something.

Creepy guy teaching you what to do.  Click here to watch.

If you have never seen The Hunger you are a sucker.  Real talk, excellent vampire film and you get to see the beautiful Susan Sarandon in a Lezzie scene with Catherine Deneueve.  It was directed by Tony Scott, and came out in 1983.  The opening sequence is Bahaus performing the goth anthem Bela Lugosi’s Dead.