All Hail...Shari Lewis??!!??

What happened to Lamb Chop? Did Shari Lewis sacrifice her little lamb puppet to the Devil? This is from a book published in 1965 entitled Folding Paper Masks that the li'l woman found at the library. She brought it home for me, knowing that I'd get a kick out of this Satan mask. It makes me nostalgic for a simpler time, when a beloved children's television show hostess could show her allegiance to the dark lord and fly the devil horns without fear of repercussion. Good times, good times…

Speaking of Knights in Satan's Service, I watched a lousy KISS video over the weekend. KISS Exposed is from 1986, and I paid a quarter for it at the library book sale - quite the bargain, as I got at least 30 cents of enjoyment out of it. Mainly it's a collection of old performance clips with some then contemporary joke interview portions; these are filmed at what is supposed to be Paul Stanley's house, which naturally is overflowing with scantily clad and topless women. I bought it for the older "makeup" era footage. I loved KISS when I was a kid, and still have a soft spot for some of those songs and their over-the-top cartoon image. A few goodies are included - Deuce, Strutter, Detroit Rock City, I Stole Your Love, Ladies Room, I Love It Loud - all good stupid fun. The downside is the "post-makeup" videos that, for me, were a chore to sit through. God, this is some dire stuff - Lick It Up, All Hell's Breakin’ Loose, Uh! All Night, Tears Are Falling…garbage, every last one of them. The low point has to be Heaven's On Fire, in which Gene Simmons keeps pointing down at his crotch when the chorus is sung. Uh, Gene, if it feels like you're "on fire" down there you might want to see a doctor. What I find most interesting is how the focus in the band changed once the makeup came off. During the makeup era, Gene was definitely the focal point and front man. Once the makeup came off, Paul really took center stage. I've read that Gene was a bit embarrassed once the makeup came off, and who can blame him - he went from being "the demon" to "Hasidic looking guy in a really bad wig that looks terrible in spandex." These guys made a lot of money; couldn't he have afforded a better wig?

We also watched a 1976 made-for-TV movie that has somehow eluded me all of these years, The Boy in the Plastic Bubble. I remember when it came out; I would've been about 9 years old. It stars John Travolta, and this was made about the time he was first finding fame as Vinnie Barbarino on Welcome Back, Kotter. He's playing a 16 year old named Tod (who looks well over 20) with no disease immunities. Therefore, he is forced to live in a sterile environment where he spends his days wearing running shorts and bad knit hats, peeping at neighbors through his binoculars, playing with his pet mouse, and occasionally disco dancing. His dad is played by Robert Reed, and the passage of time is shown by having his clean cut appearance turn into a bad perm and mustache combo (wow, just like on The Brady Bunch!). Tod falls in love with the horse riding girl next door, throws a temper tantrum at a 4th of July picnic, goes to school in an awesome space suit, and has a pushup contest with some jock dude. Oh, and he meets some hippie kids who befriend him; he watches them spark a doobie on the football field while he claims to be from another planet to freak out their stoner witch asses. (One of the hippie chicks is played by P.J. Soles; she would soon become a cult movie legend playing Riff Randell in Rock 'n' Roll High School.) The movie ends with Tod venturing out of his plastic bubble- in his flowing white shirt with his hair blowing in the breeze he looks almost Christ-like as he communes with nature for the first time. Then he kisses the girl next door, they hop on her horse, and ride off as the credits roll (gee, I hope I didn't spoil it for anyone). I guarantee you there won't be a dry eye in the house. Well, that might be the case if the movie wasn't so overly dramatic, heavy handed, and downright corny. But dang, that spacesuit was awesome - almost like something Ace Frehley would've worn when he was in KISS…

A Meeting of the Minds

Oh to be a fly on the wall at this get together! I can only imagine how amazing the conversation must have been - we're talking about Sha Na Na and the Unknown Comic here. In other words, this is a powwow between two of the most significant artists in the history of American popular culture. Don't agree with me? Did you forget that Sha Na Na not only had their own television show, but also performed at Woodstock (where I'm sure they blew the mind of more than a few smelly hippies)? Also, do I need to remind you that the Unknown Comic was a regular on The Gong Show (where, I'm willing to bet, he had Jamie Farr rolling in the aisles), and starred in Night Patrol with Linda Blair? That should be proof enough for anybody who doubts their importance. Well, maybe not…

In all honesty, I loved Sha Na Na's television show when I was a kid. The first time I ever saw the Ramones was on that program, so that should count for something. Like many young hipsters, however, I didn't like them after Bowser left. "Man, when Bowser was in the band it was all about the music. They've totally sold out since he left."

Speaking of "Good Times and Great Oldies" ™, I caught the Vibrators last Wednesday at the Lion's Lair. Not wanting to see the local warm-up bands I didn't leave the house until 11pm, maybe the latest I've ever left for a show on a school night (I still managed to see most of Self Service, a particularly miserable act that seems to play support for every old punk act I catch at the Lair). This is being billed as the "Knox Turns 60" tour, an indication that these guys have been around the block a few times (they've been around since 1976, with only one year off in all that time). This is the fourth time I've seen the Vibrators, and surprisingly enough they've gotten better each time. Needless to say, they stick with the oldies that the fans want to hear (with a few newer numbers mixed in). They hit their debut Pure Mania pretty heavily (a must have for fans of the first wave of British punk), as well as their second album V2: Bad Time, Pure Mania, I Need a Slave, 24 Hour People, Troops of Tomorrow, Automatic Lover, Whips and Furs, Judy Says, Disco in Moscow, and their most famous tune Baby Baby. They encored with a cover of Brand New Cadillac (“for Joe Strummer”) and Amphetamine Blue. A couple of girls kept calling out for You Broke My Heart, which prompted drummer Eddie (the other original member of the trio, along with singer/guitarist Knox) to apologize “sorry, but we haven’t played that one in about 25 years.” The show was nothing earth shaking, but it was fun and I had a good time, and sometimes that’s more than enough reason to get out of the house.

(I Wanna Be Like) Maynard G. Krebs

Here is a picture of me sharing some apples with Mimi, one of the Denver Zoo’s Asian elephants. I helped out with the elephant demonstration a few weeks ago – having that trunk in your face is a bit disconcerting. I’d compare it to having a giant vacuum tube stuck in your face, sucking away hungrily for loose dirt and dust bunnies.

I heard some exciting music news over the weekend - my friend Stan informed me that late 80’s supergroup Damn Yankees are back! Apparently, they have a hot new tune out entitled Gasolina. Even better, it’s a monster hit. Let’s hope they can hit a few more out of the park – the state fair lineup next year could be killer. Personally, I’m looking forward to holding up my lighter while they perform their power ballad classic High Enough. Welcome back Ted “bow hunting school for children” Nugent, Tommy “dude in Styx who looked like a girl” Shaw, the bass player from Night Ranger, and the guy who plays drums! Rock n’ roll has missed you!

RIP – R.L. Burnside and Bob Denver