Tuesday, January 26, 1999
Mocking bands of ’80s our way to avoid shame
FILM: Talentless groups must now endure ridicule, pity on VH-1
shows like ‘Where Are They Now’
A friend told me over the weekend about her encounter with Fab
from the disgraced ’80s group Milli Vanilli at The Cheesecake
Factory. It seemed Fab is having a rough go at it these days.
Besides living down the humiliation that goes with getting caught
faking it, his buddy and fellow Vanilli, Rob Pilatus died of an
overdose last year.
To rub salt in Fab’s wounded ego, my friend’s roommate outright
dissed him by saying loudly, "You know what I feel like doing
tonight? I feel like lipsynching."
I am sure Fab was hurt.
Just another case of ’80s bashing I notice taking place these
days. Everybody loves exploiting the troubles plaguing our favorite
bands of the new wave/glam rock era.
There was a time when the bands we now consider tasteless,
without talent and pure fluff, were thought of as tastemakers, hard
rockers and credible musicians. Remember MC Hammer’s parachute
pants or that one kid in junior high school that kept on singing
"Rolling in my 5.0/ With my rag top down/ so my hair can blow." We
all knew people like that. The ’80s, no matter how horrible in
retrospection, was pretty darn influential.
Once in awhile an artist we like and respect like Janet Jackson
or Madonna, actually produces enough material to hold that respect.
But more often than not we end up digging bands like Sir Mix-a-lot
and Warrant.
I think people hate and ridicule ’80s bands because its an easy
way to pass the buck on our own poor taste.
It is just human nature for people to put the hurt on some else
because it is never our fault – it is other people’s fault. I mean
how should I know Poison wasn’t exactly a band to emulate.
How bad has it gotten for our poor boys and girls? Let’s just
say things have been better.
My favorite channel, VH-1, airs these shows "Where Are They Now"
and "Behind the Music." Well, I guess the VH-1 programming director
had his or her ear to the ground because VH-1 ran specially
tailored versions of "Now" and "Behind" focusing on the ’80s. Of
course, nothing really good supposedly came out of that decade and
VH-1, for the most part, plays it that way.
Some of the notable faded stars featured Tiffany, Debbie Gibson,
Tommy Tutone, Thompson Twins and Dixie Midnight Runner.
All the musicians on "Now" live eerily similar lives after their
successes. They went through bouts of dependency on one thing or
another, realized that the ’80s were fun but they laugh at
themselves and they’re all itching for a comeback.
VH-1 presents their plights with an underlying humor that leaves
a sense of camp rather than sympathy.
But the most exploitive and most interesting show about fallen
stars is "Behind the Music," which is a cross between "The Real
World" and Jerry Springer without the pimps and hookers – really
good television.
It’s on "Music" where MC Hammer, Moetley Cruee and Milli Vanilli
get their sob stories aired to millions and millions of people
ready to eat it all up. A typical show dives into the struggle of
getting famous, drinking and drugging way too much, losing all
their money, and wishing for it all back.
I guess the tacky ’80s make for good ratings. And why not?
Everyone loves to see the famous knocked off their pedestal even if
it was us who put them there, right?
Bui can’t wait to see the "Where Are They Now" special on Jewel
and can be contacted at tricky@ucla.edu.
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