Another
day, another mass shooting. Such is
what life seems to be like for the everyday American citizen.
My
question is...how the hell did it come to this?
2016 has been one of the toughest years for shootings in the United
States. It almost seems as if they average one or two a day. The latest
took place the night of July 7, 2016 in Dallas, Texas where a peaceful protest
for Black Lives Matter turned deadly following a sniper attack which saw twelve
people shot - five fatally.
All
the victims of the shooting were police officers.
It
was a blatant message offered by the sniper - who I refuse to name in this
piece. The shooter targeted law
enforcement (specifically those of Caucasian origin) in response to a pair of
shootings in which two men of African-American origin were shot and killed by
police. In one case, the aftermath of
the shooting was livestreamed through Facebook and broadcast all over the six
o'clock news - which in itself is disturbing, and I will have a lot more to say
about that later.
But
let's talk a little bit about the idea of protesting. I have absolutely nothing against a peaceful protest. In fact, I would actively campaign to join
protests if the end result meant a happier and safer world for all of us to
grow up in. And on the night of July 7,
2016, the protest march was a peaceful one with everyone marching in solidarity
and police officers doing their duty to make sure that no violence took
place. Little did the officers know
that for some of them, it would be the last night they would ever experience.
The
sniper is no hero. He is a coward. He chose to use violence to speak out
against violence. It's the classic
proverb in action of two wrongs never making a right. And what we're left with are five families completely torn
apart. A police district in
mourning. An entire city trying to come
to grips with what happened. And a
country that adds yet another scar to its already broken and bruised body
following similar shootings in San Bernardino, California, Kalamazoo, Michigan,
and Orlando, Florida.
So,
how do we fix this? I asked myself the
same question when I talked about Orlando, and to be honest with you, I don't
know. Again, I don't think banning
firearms is the right answer. With some
people, the more you tell them not to do something, the more determined they
are to do it. And besides, I don't see
anything wrong with RESPONSIBLE people owning one or two firearms. I do feel that more should be done to
prevent unstable people from getting access to them, but I wouldn't know the
first thing about how to enforce it.
But
I do know a couple of things that we can all do.
First
of all, a message to everybody in the world. It doesn't
matter what colour of crayon you associate with the most, be it black, white,
peach, sepia, tan, blue, or purple mountain's majesty. Every colour in the crayon box has its
importance, just as every colour of person has their importance. So, let's stop with the "this person's
colour life is more important than that colour's life" garbage, because to
me, that is all it is. If we're going
to coin a hashtag phrase worthy of retweeting, make it #LoveMatters.
Secondly,
I am getting so annoyed at the media constantly throwing these videos and
images on the air at all times just to evoke a reaction in the name of
ratings. It almost seems as though the
people who are responsible for these shootings are trying to make a name for
themselves so that they can go down in American history for making a
stand. The problem is that they make
their stands in ways that deliberately hurt and damage innocent people. That completely nullifies any of their
arguments and therefore should not be celebrated. And yet, the media takes these events and not only broadcasts
them live on television, but put their own political spins on the matter -
which again seems incredibly inappropriate and voyeuristic.
Seriously,
I really don't want to see the video where the man is shot by a police officer
and we see him drawing his final breaths in front of a cell phone camera that
is filming him on Facebook. What kind
of world do we live in where seeing a man get shot and killed on live social
media is not only acceptable, but treated with such nonchalance? I found it absolutely horrifying, and I
think that any television station that aired the video on their news broadcast
is absolutely shameful. As far as I'm
concerned, the news stations are not doing anything to combat the problem. They're actually encouraging it! It's probably why at 6 o'clock, I'd rather
watch a rerun of "Full House" on Netflix than get depressed watching
news like this.
I
also find it incredibly sickening how some of the politicians in America are
handling these tragedies. When you have
a presidential race between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton and both of them
appear to be using these shootings as a way to win votes, it makes me realize
why so many Americans will be incredibly perplexed when they go to the voting
stations this upcoming November. Both
of them seem to have a lot of opinions about what they want to see done, but
neither one of them seem to have an interest in unifying the country in order
to do it. Again, that's shameful. And, don't think that my disgust is limited
to presidential candidates either. I
can think of a lot of congressmen and senators who are just as guilty of using
their personal beliefs to stir the American melting pot into a bubbling stew of
instability.
Now,
I get that some of you might be reading this and thinking that I am somehow anti-American. Truth be told, that cannot be further from
the truth. Despite everything that has
gone on, I still see some goodness in the United States, and I love every single
one of my American pals who are growing just as frustrated and angry as my Canadian
friends over the constant tension between various groups of people.
Enough
with the division. Enough with the
anger. Enough with the bullets. The Star Spangled Banner is turning into the
Scar Spangled Banner, and things need to stop.
Right now, all eyes are on the United States, but the sad thing is that
events like this could happen in any country.
Just have a look at France, Belgium, Turkey, and even Iraq. All countries that have been subjected to
meaningless violence over the last year.
The world doesn't need any more fear, violence, hatred, or pain.
I
believe Jackie DeShannon sang it best in 1965.
What the world needs now is love, sweet love. It's the only thing that there's just too little of.
Yes.
What the world needs now is love, sweet love. And, not just for some...but for EVERYONE.
In the previous installment of Jem Reviewed, the Holograms successfully
published their rock fashion book despite some roadblocks that the Misfits
placed in front of them.
And
apparently that book was so successful that the band now has a chance to headline
their own Broadway musical! Only in
America, huh?
This
is Episode 16:
Broadway Magic!
It's
a beautiful view of the New York City skyline as we kick off this tale...and
it's also a bittersweet reminder that just fifteen years after this episode
aired, the original World Trade Center would be no more. We also see that this episode is written by
Marv Wolfman. In this edition of Jem Trivia, I can tell you that Marv Wolfman would later go on work on the New
Teen Titans comic book series, where he slipped in a Jem joke in one of the
panels.
We
peek into the office window of Broadway producer Bob
Merritt - who
apparently seems to think the year is 1976.
Aside from the fact that his clothes are very outdated, he's sporting a
toupee that not even Donald Trump would touch!
He sees himself as a Broadway producer, but I see him more along the
lines of a Match Game 74 panelist! But
looks aside, he's apparently one of the best Broadway producers in the city,
and he's trying to brainstorm ideas with his secretary on what should be his
next idea. While all this is going on,
two window cleaners are outside trying to clean the windows listening to
Misfits music instrumentals, but the noise of their boom box is so distracting
that it causes Merritt to close the window, sending both men falling off the
scaffolding to their deaths below.
No, wait. Merritt's office is on the
second floor, so they just bruise their dignity. But the music does inspire Merritt to come up with an idea to
feature a rock group in his next musical.
I'm sure you all know where this is going.
In
sunny California, Jerrica, Kimber, Aja, and Shana are playing a game of beach
volleyball while Rio and an unknown guy watch from a snack shack in the
background. And while Rio tells his
friend that he has got it bad for Jerrica, he can't help but feel as though
she's hiding something from him. Like,
oh, maybe the fact that she can use her earrings to transform into the
pink-haired goddess known as Jem, perhaps?
Because as we know, Jerrica can't tell Rio the truth because she knows
he hates deception. It's the broken
record that should have been shattered all the way back in episode one, and yet
somehow still finds a way to a radio playlist's heavy rotation. Total annoyance.
Rio's
gaze turns back towards a magazine which happens to be announcing Merritt's new
Broadway show, and in his excitement to tell the girls, he upsets the hot dog
tray on the table! That's twenty bucks
Rio owes somebody! And I love how he
tells the girls about the announcement by telling them that they're going to be
Broadway stars! I admire your optimism,
Rio, but they still have to audition like Chita Rivera, Carol Channing, and
Liza Minnelli before them!
(The
fact that I just named three stars of Broadway without using Google shocks even
myself!)
You
want to know who else is interested in joining the cast of the play? The Misfits, of course. And while they are working out at a gym with
Eric Raymond, they entertain the possibility that Jem would be trying out as
well. This concerns Stormer because
Stormer openly admits that Jem is quite good!
I'm more impressed that Pizzazz and Roxy didn't deck her one for that
comment! But Stormer later questions
Jem's real identity. She thinks it is
strange that she just came out of nowhere without anyone knowing who she was
before. I think I sense a song coming
on!
The Misfits song "Who Is She, Anyway" is definitely a song that
symbolizes the band's hard edge, and once again, Ellen Bernfeld owns this song
with her voice. The video itself could
have been a little more stunning visually - and could have been spell checked
as the magazine in the video refers to Jem's band as Jem and the HOROGRAMS, but
other than that, I've no major complaints.
Stormer's
sudden interest in who Jem really is causes Eric to come up with a plan of his
own. And before both bands can make it
to New York City, he holds a press conference from Misfits Music to announce a
contest. He will give a reward of one
hundred thousand dollars to anybody who can find out who Jem's real identity
is. And back in 1986, $100,000 was
worth a LOT of money! Just ask anyone
who ever played Dick Clark's "Pyramid" game!
Sure
enough, when Jem and the Holograms land in New York, a mob of journalists
approach them and ask Jem who she is, whether she's a spy, and if she really
did what they think she did with Charlie Sheen.
Okay,
I made that last part up...but Jem and the others are understandably spooked,
and wonder what's going on.
It
takes a friendly New York City cabbie to explain what has happened and she
tells them about Eric's "Find Out Who Jem Is" Sweepstakes, which
doesn't shock them at all given Eric's track record. But in a city of millions, this could prove very problematic for
Jem.
At the Broadway theatre where Bob Merritt's show is set to open, we see Bob and
his secretary watching the Misfits perform their previous chart topper
"Makin' Mischief", and he showers them with compliments and tells
them that they are the best he's seen today.
My guess is, they're the only ones he's seen today unless the Limp
Lizards performed earlier in the day.
Ah, but here comes Jerrica, Kimber, Aja, and Shana, ready to take on the
competition. Of course, Eric notices
right away that Jem is nowhere to be found and deduces that she's a no-show -
largely because of the contest he's launched.
But Jerrica sees a hidden passage behind the stage to connect with
Synergy so that she can change into Jem.
Uh-oh! What Jerrica doesn't realize is that Roxy
has snuck into the control booth above the stage and has a clear view of
everything! If Jerrica changes into Jem
right there, her secret will be exposed to Roxy!
Good thing Roxy has a short attention span, because her focus soon shifts from
Jerrica to the fancy looking buttons on the panel. She pushes the buttons as Jerrica transforms into Jem and somehow
sets off a burglar alarm. Hilariously,
Merritt thinks this is part of Jem's act!
Jem runs up to the control booth, shoves Roxy out of the way, and shuts the
power off, but Pizzazz is already trying to throw the Holograms under the bus
by saying that Jem was responsible for the mishap. Bob Merritt is clearly annoyed, but he decides that he will let
Jem sing anyway. So, here's song number
two, courtesy of Jem and the Holograms.
There's something quite moving about "Can't Get My Love
Together". Even though the video
features Jem and Rio prominently, it certainly is a perfect song to symbolize
their...obviously dysfunctional relationship with one another. I have said that Jem's strength is ballads,
and certainly this one is emotionally charged.
If you watch closely in this video, you can even see that Stormer is
crying! Remember, she's sort of a
"tart with a heart" in this cartoon.
Seems
like Merritt was impressed by the Holograms as well, and even showers them with
the same compliments that he showed the Misfits some six minutes earlier! No wonder Pizzazz wants to force feed his
toupee down his throat!
To
settle things once and for all, Merritt invites both groups to appear with him
on Lindsey Pearce's show where he can announce the decision in person. And to this, I wonder if MTV even covered
news on Broadway musicals back in the day.
Seriously, I want to know!
Later that night, both groups and Merritt are seated comfortably on Lindsey's
soundstage, and one thing I notice is that all the guests have orange drinks in
front of them! Classy. And, given that it's the 1980s, they're
either drinking fuzzy navels, screwdrivers, Orange Crush, or Tang. Let's go with Orange Crush! Nobody likes a drunken rock musician.
Bob Merritt holds up an envelope that announces which band he has chosen for
the contest. Both groups wait in
anticipation as he opens the envelope and reveals that the winning group is
Bananarama!
No, wait. It's Jem and the
Holograms. Shocker, I know.
And while Pizzazz's decision to storm off the stage and attack Lindsey's guests
with a giant fire hose while the show is still on the air might seem shocking
in real life...for this cartoon, we wouldn't expect anything less. Not that what Pizzazz did was okay by any
means. I'm just not shocked.
What
is shocking is that despite the fact that Pizzazz tries to drown Merritt on
television, he still thinks the group is peachy keen, and offers them the
chance to be the understudies for Jem and the Holograms! Sweet Jesus, I thought Howard Sands lacked
balls...I think this guy may have him beat!
After
leaving Lindsey's water-logged set, Jem is accosted by a man offering her a
zillion dollars in exchange for her real name, and then she is confronted by a
wacko psychic who tries to hypnotize her into saying who she is. And to think this was before Miss Cleo and
Dionne Warwick's Psychic Friends started ripping people off!
Jem
manages to rebuff the con artists, but Bob Merritt is getting annoyed by the
constant distractions and warns them that if they aren't fully committed to the
musical that he will replace them with the Misfits. I wonder if Merritt and Howard Sands are related?
Later on, Jerrica arrives back at the Plaza Hotel with the rest of the
Holograms and is wondering how to handle the fact that everyone seems to want
to find out who Jem really is. But
Synergy warns Jerrica that she must not let anyone know about her because if
anyone finds out, they could use Synergy's powers for evil.
The
other Holograms retire for the night, and Jerrica is about to do the same, but
she is shocked to find Rio snooping through her things.Jerrica is immediately angered at the fact
that even Rio is trying to find out who Jem really is and throws him out of the
room.And, I get the feeling that we
missed a scene somewhere.Why do I feel
that there was supposed to be an added clip where Rio and Jerrica have a fight
over Jem's real identity.It could
certainly make Jerrica's anger more justified.Instead, she comes across as a psychopath!
And
at rehearsals the following day, Jem is nowhere to be found at the theatre,
which worries the other Holograms, makes Rio feel sorry for himself, the
Misfits shriek with glee, and Bob Merritt understandably pissed. But not so pissed that he doesn't allow the
Holograms a chance to find Jem. They
have until eight o'clock tonight to bring her back to the theatre. Apparently, that's when the show opens! Wow, Merritt doesn't waste time, does he?
The
girls recall Jerrica wanting to visit Central Park, so maybe she might be
there. But it's Rio who comes across
Jerrica and apologizes for going through her private things in her hotel room. Jerrica seems to accept the apology, but
still demands to know what is bothering Rio.
And it's here where the most frustrating moment in the whole series
takes place.
Rio
tells Jerrica that he is torn between Jerrica and Jem and that he feels that
whenever he gets too close to Jerrica, she pulls away. He even speculates that maybe Jerrica IS
Jem! I'm like...OH MY GOSH,
FINALLY! He figured it out and Jerrica
can finally admit that yes, she is the pink-haired goddess of his dreams and
that they can finally live happily ever after! And then Jerrica summons a Jem hologram in the park because she decides that
listening to Synergy's warning is more important that telling her boyfriend THE
TRUTH!!! I'm pretty sure Rio wouldn't
use Synergy for evil doings. I honestly
don't even know if Rio would even know how to turn Synergy on! But whatever the case, Rio walks away
dejected, and Jerrica is left looking like a complete fool. I officially give up on these two, and I
think that for her own sake, Jerrica (and Jem) should choose celibacy.
At
least the Misfits seem to show more determination in trying to stop Jem and the
Holograms from making their eight o'clock curtain call. Pizzazz and Roxy come to the conclusion that
Jem would do anything for Rio, and they make Stormer type out a letter from Rio
to Jem on one of those new fangled inventions that they call a typewriter!
Apparently
it's a very expensive typewriter because the note is written in cursive
script! How...weird.
The
note tells Jem to meet Rio at the top of the Statue of Liberty, which she
does. But she finds herself locked in
by Pizzazz...and the last ferry leaves at five o'clock, essentially trapping
her on Ellis Island! I suppose Jem
could try to swim to Manhattan, but it'd take her a lot longer than three hours
to do it!
She
notices two dock workers standing outside and she thinks that she can use one
of her earrings to summon a hologram of her to lead them to her. I don't know if throwing an earring on the
ground from hundreds of feet up in the air is a good idea, but miraculously,
the earring doesn't shatter, and the Jem hologram leads both men to the top of
the statue - as both of them want the reward money associated with Jem's real
identity.
Once
she is rescued, Jem pleads with the men to take her by boat to the main island
so that she can make it to the show.
The older man seems to be willing to help, but the younger man decides
that nobody will stop him from collecting all the money, and throws the other
man overboard. Once they arrive at
Manhattan, the man demands that Jem show him who she is...so she obliges.
This is probably the most disturbing, yet funniest scene ever featured in this
show so far! The sight of the guy's
ugly face on Jem's Polka Dot Door inspired jumpsuit is enough to make him fall
off the edge of the pier! But it distracts
Jem long enough to run right into the taxi driver that helped her earlier.
The
taxi driver agrees to take Jem to the Broadway District, but they get stopped
by what appears to be a Chinese New Year celebration?!? This episode is just filled with plot
contrivances, isn't it?
And
also filled with spelling mistakes too!
Look at how the driver is driving a TAXY cab!
Jem
can't wait around any longer, and she decides to try and make the distance by
foot. She randomly grabs some kid's
skateboard and announces that she will give them tickets to her next show -
even though she has no idea where they live!
Nice one, Jem.
At
least her skateboarding skills are better than her people skills, and somehow
she skates right into a subway car which delivers her to what appears to be the
Lexington Subway Station - which isn't far from the Empire State Building. And of course, Jem is pursued by a mob of
subway commuters who want a piece of the prize money! Jem races inside the Empire State Building where apparently
there's a hang gliding convention going on.
Okay, seriously, this plot is too unbelievable even for a cartoon. I suppose next she's going to steal a hang
glider and glide her way to...
...OH,
COME ON!!!!!
At
the theatre, the rest of the Holograms are trying to convince Bob Merritt to
wait a few minutes longer because they know that Jem will be there, but Merritt
can't give them any more time, which makes the Misfits salivate with glee over
finally besting the Holograms once and for all.
Shana immediately notices that Jem has safely glided to the theatre's roof on a
hang glider, but Pizzazz notes that she will never get her costume on in time.
Cue
Jem in a stunning pink evening gown walking down the stairs as if she had never
taken a fifteen minute tour of New York City before. Everyone is shocked at Jem's sudden transformation and even
Pizzazz asks how she did it. Jem
replies that she just might have that Broadway Magic.
Oh yeah...as for the final song of the show, "Broadway Magic". Total snoozefest. If the rest of the songs of this musical are any indication as to
what the play is about, I'm guessing this show will have a shorter life than
"Taboo". Both the musical and
the short-lived game show.
Whatever the case, there seems to be a congratulatory
party celebrating the success of the Holograms debut performance, and Rio and
Jerrica are having a quiet conversation where Rio and Jerrica reaffirm their
love since Jerrica doesn't seem to feel that telling Rio that she is Jem is all
that important. Seriously, I'm sick of
these two. I almost want to see more of
Kimber throwing herself at every man.
Almost.
As the episode concludes, Jerrica changes back into Jem and holds a bit of a
press conference where she makes the announcement that she is a very private
person and she likes to keep it that way.
She does admit to using a stage name, but questions what is more
important. Her real name, or the music
she releases. Unanimously, the crowd
declares that the music is more important.
I wonder how much the Holograms paid them to say that.
Seriously, this episode right now is probably one of the worst ones yet so
far. Just when I thought we were
getting into the groove (as the last four episodes of this series were quite
enjoyable), they throw this turkey in the mix.
And honestly, this episode made me care less about Jerrica and
Rio...more so than I did before. It was
just one giant mess. At least I can say
that the episode itself was factually correct and Wolfman did his research into
the layout of New York City. And to Wolfman's credit, there was quite a lot of background gags and spurts of humour mixed in. Still...this episode had a weak plot and frustrating character
development.
Here's hoping episode 17 is much better.
The Holograms are working on a new album. And the Misfits decide to steal it. This can't be good.
Are
you ready for another edition of the Tuesday
Timeline? Believe me, I've got a topic that is sure to
make all of you take notice for the summer - especially if you happen to be a
male with ogling eyes. Or, if you're a
female with ogling eyes, that's okay too!
For now, let's see what sorts of things took place on July 5 throughout
history, shall we?
1687 - The Philosophiæ Naturalis
Principia Mathematica is published by Isaac Newton
1811 -
Venezuela declares its independence from Spain
1814
- American Major General Jacob Brown defeats British General Phineas Riall in
Chippewa, Ontario
1884 -
Germany takes possession of Cameroon
1915
- The Liberty Bell leaves Philadelphia by special train on its way to the
Panama-Pacific International Exposition
1928
- Actor Warren Oates (d. 1982) is born in Depoy, Kentucky
1934
- Several striking longshoremen in San Francisco, California are shot at by
police
1935
- President Franklin D. Roosevelt signs the National Labor Relations Act into
law
1937
- SPAM, the canned luncheon meat, is first sold in stores
1940
- Diplomatic relations are broken between Vichy France and the United Kingdom
during World War II
1943
- The Battle of Kursk takes place
1954
- Elvis Presley records his very first single "That's All Right"
1962
- Algeria declares its independence from France
1971
- President Richard Nixon passes a bill which lowers the voting age of American
citizens from 21 to 18 years of age
1975
- Tennis player Arthur Ashe becomes the first African-American man to win at
Wimbledon
1980
- Bjorn Borg becomes the first player to win Wimbledon for five straight years
(1976-1980)
1989
- Oliver North is sentenced to a suspended prison term of three years, two
years probation, twelve hundred hours of community service, and a $150,000 fine
for his role in the Iran-Contra affair
1996
- A sheep named Dolly becomes the first mammal cloned from an adult cell
2002
- Baseball player Ted Williams dies at the age of 83
2006
- Actress Amzie Strickland passes away at the age of 87
2012
- London's "The Shard" building becomes Europe's tallest building,
standing at 1,020 feet tall
And join me in wishing the following famous
faces a happy birthday; Katherine
Helmond, Shirley Knight, Robbie Robertson, Paul Smith, Huey Lewis, Goose Gossage, Jimmy Crespo, Patsy Pease, Doug Wilson, Bill Watterson, Marc Cohn, Pruitt Taylor Vince, Edie Falco, Susannah Doyle, Kenji Ito, Kip Gamblin, Rufus Arthur "Bizarre" Johnson, Pauly D, Jason Wade, Tess Holliday, Stephanie McIntosh,
and Jason Dolley.
Okay,
so how far are we going back in time this week? Well, for some reason I feel like going back quite a way
back. Like, maybe six or seven decades
in the past.
How about July 5, 1946?
That sounds like a delightful date.
And no matter what year it says on the
calendar, July 5th could very well be a great day to spend at the beach. Just think about it. You're packing a picnic lunch, spending the
day with the person you care about the most in the world. The waves are crashing along the beach. You can hear people laughing and having fun
in the background. And unless you are
on a nude beach for whatever reason, you've probably got on a bathing suit.
When it came down to men's bathing suits, we
started off with one piece suits that sort of looked like a union suit. From there, they turned into topless suits
with just the swim shorts. For a brief
period in the 1960s to the early 1980s, men wore Speedo swimsuits, but somehow
the thought of swimming in a garment that covered less than our underwear didn't
quite appeal to most men, so by 2016, most of us guys seem to have adopted the
baggy trunk style of suit.
For women, their bathing attire was even more
conservative, with some of the earliest looking swimsuits almost looking as if
someone was marching in an Easter parade!
Sure, the bonnets, stockings, and dress design looked cute, but it was
far from practical. Later swimsuit
designs for women looked a lot like the men's swimsuits from the early 20th
century, but they still didn't show a whole lot of skin - which according to
most people in those days was perfectly fine as too much exposed skin was
considered taboo.
Well, it was 70 years ago in Paris, France that
one man decided to destroy that taboo, and came up with a design for a women's
swimsuit that broke all boundaries and made the uber-conservative population
gasp in horror.
The man was Parisian engineer Louis Reard. And his design was a little - and I do mean
little - swimsuit that he christened the bikini.
Yes, it was seventy years ago today that the
bikini was first worn by nude dancer Micheline Bernardini on July 5, 1946. The origin of the name "bikini"
stemmed from the place where the atomic bomb was first tested - Bikini Atoll.
Interestingly enough, the bikini wasn't the
first two-piece women's swimsuit to be released right around that time. French fashion designer Jacques Heim had
released his own depiction of the bikini - only he referred to his creation as
the Atome - named after the smallest particle of matter. Both the atome and the bikini were similar
in creation as well as appearance, but with one minor detail. The atome covered the belly button. The bikini did not. And given that Barbara Eden's navel courted
a lot of controversy when "I Dream of Jeannie" first started airing
in the 1960s, you can imagine the outcry when the bikini first made its
appearance.
But you know, crimes against modesty aside
(well, at least that was the charge that mobs of people protested against when
the bikini was introduced), the bikini was actually a clever, economical way to
manufacture swimwear during the fabric shortage caused by World War II. Because sales of swimwear decreased as a
result of the shortage, it was necessary to create a garment that still did
what it was supposed to do, but with much less fabric.
And although the atome initially outsold the
bikini when it was first introduced, the changing tide of what was considered
acceptable was starting to emerge as the turbulent 1960s made their debut. By 1970, the bikini was very much considered
a staple for beachwear, and by 1988, the bikini was considered the most popular
style for female swimsuits. And with
famous faces such as Ursula Andress, Raquel Welch, and Brigitte Bardot began
wearing bikinis in various films, bikinis certainly found their audience. Women loved wearing them, and men loved to
see women wearing them!
But of course, it did take time for the general public to warm up to them. For a while, the bikini was only successful
in France - mainly because some countries actually banned them from their own
beaches! At some point, the French
Atlantic coastline, Spain, Australia, Italy, and Portugal all banned the
controversial swimsuit from public beaches!
Obviously, those bans have all been lifted by now. And I suppose a part of it could be linked
to the feminist movement of the 1970s.
I mean, think about it. Up until that
point, women were more or less forced to dress a certain way, act a certain
way, work in certain jobs. But once the
feminist revolution kicked into high gear, a lot of those barriers were smashed
into tiny pieces. And while some might
argue that the bikini swimsuit set the women's movement back several years and
doesn't garner wearers of the swimsuit with any respect, I would argue that the
bikini was a symbolic piece of clothing that allowed women to be free to wear
whatever they wanted and not be judged for it.
And let's face it...bikinis allow for much greater and faster movement in the
water than those big and bulky swimsuit dresses of the early 20th century!
Though,
I have to admit - while I do find bikinis sexy on women, I find one-piece
swimsuits to be even sexier. Maybe it's
the number of episodes of "Baywatch" that I watched in my teen years
talking, but the right cut of a one-piece suit can make any guy's heart drool.
As for me...no thanks. I look terrible
in bikini bottoms.
Okay,
so it has been a couple of months since I've done a Sunday Jukebox entry, and the inspiration behind this one comes from hearing a song
on the radio that I hadn't heard of in years, and wondering whatever became of
the singer who sang the song in the first place.
I
was listening to the radio while I was working on another blog entry at the
time. It was one of those online
stations that celebrate the 1980s, as I am a huge fan of music from the decade
of my birth. Anyway, in between
Platinum Blonde's "Crying Over You" and Sheena Easton's
"Strut", came a song that was released the very same year I was
born. Yet, it was a song that I knew
very well. Back in my high school days, the radio station of my choice was Ogdensburg's PAC-93, and while these
days it is known as a talk radio station, it was a Top 40 station that played
an 80s radio program every Saturday night.
It was a program that I listened to while I was studying for history
tests, writing essays, or figuring out algebra assignments.
And
as it so happens, one of the songs that this station played a lot of during
that 1980s program was the same song that I heard just a few days ago. Have a listen.
ARTIST: Kim Wilde SONG: Kids in
America ALBUM: Kim Wilde DATE RELEASED: January 26,
1981
PEAK POSITION ON THE BILLBOARD CHARTS: #25
"Kids
in America" - a song that reached the Top 30 in America, and charted at
the #2 position in the United Kingdom.
At the age of 20, this single was the debut of singer Kim Wilde,
the daughter of British rock-n-roller, Marty Wilde. And, it definitely would not be the last we'd hear from her
either.
In
1986, Wilde recorded a cover version of The Supremes' single "You Keep Me
Hangin' On", which topped the American music charts at the beginning of 1987
and also did quite well in several other nations all over the world.
And
in 1988, Wilde also had some minor success in North America when she released
the single "You Came". It
just missed getting into the Top 40 (it peaked at #41), but it was a hit in
dance clubs all over the world.
But
after she released "You Came", Kim Wilde came and went - at least
here in North America. It's been
twenty-eight years since that single was released, and after listening to
"Kids in America" recently, a part of me wondered...whatever happened
to Kim Wilde?
Well, as it so happens, Kim Wilde is still around. And believe it or not, she's still recording music. Though she has also developed other
interests over the years and has found great success in a completely unrelated
field to music. I'll talk more about
that a little later.
For
now, let's talk about how she entered the music business and how her career -
depending on the country in which you call home - varied from lukewarm to red
hot.
After
graduating from St. Albans College of Art and Design in 1980, Kim Wilde's
career ambitions took a bit of a detour when she was signed by Mickie Most to
RAK Records - a recording studio that produced records for Herman's Hermits,
Suzi Quatro, and Hot Chocolate among others.
"Kids in America" was released shortly after she began
recording music there, and other hits such as "Chequered Love" and
"Water on Glass" were hits in Kim's native UK.
But
as she released more albums during the course of the 1980s, her career in the UK
seemed to stagnate - though not as badly as it had done in North America where
it just plain stopped until 1986.
Though she didn't earn a whole lot of success on the UK Charts, her
single "Cambodia" became a #1 hit in France. Several other singles charted highly in
France, as well as Australia, Germany, Norway, Sweden, and Finland. And despite the international success of her
singles, Wilde departed RAK Records in 1983 after the release of her third
album to disappointing fanfare.
Signing
with MCA in 1984, Wilde's first MCA album, "Teases & Dares"
charted well in France, Germany, and Scandinavia, but once again was virtually
ignored in the UK. This definitely was
not Kim's fault. She definitely had a
pleasant enough singing voice that at the time was unique, and almost all of
her songs were written by her father and brother, Ricky. But a large part of her earlier struggles
could have something to do with the fact that when she first started out, she
did not do any promotional tours supporting her new material (though she would
start performing live in late 1982).
Of
course, by 1986, we all know that it took a reworking of "You Keep Me
Hangin' On" to bring Kim Wilde back into the UK (and American)
spotlight. Amusingly enough, although
the song did breathe second wind into Wilde, Wilde herself wasn't all that
familiar with the song, not even knowing the lyrics! Of course, that worked out sort of in her favour because she
could interpret the song her own way.
And
by 1988, Wilde released her most successful UK album with "Close",
and some of the tracks that became hits were "You Came", "Hey
Mister Heartache", "Love in the Natural Way", "Four Letter
Word", and "Never Trust a Stranger". And with the release of the album came a once in a lifetime opportunity
for Wilde. She would become the opening
act for a certain entertainer for his European branch of his world tour.
That
person? Michael Jackson. How is that for knowing that you've made it!
Sadly, as the 1980s turned into the 1990s, Kim Wilde's singing career began to
falter. Her 1990 album "Love
Moves" was a complete failure, and the single above, "Time"
became her lowest charting single ever.
It's unfortunate, because I kind of like "Time", but keep in
mind that by 1990, she was competing with Madonna, Janet Jackson, Kylie
Minogue, and Whitney Houston - all of whom had come onto the scene later than
Wilde.
Her
1992 album "Love Is" produced the Top 20 UK single "Love is
Holy", but the effort was once again ignored by the general public. In fact, Wilde's career seemed to hit a
permanent standstill during the 1990s.
Her final single was released in early 1996 - a cover version of Evelyn
"Champagne" King's "Shame". After that, Kim Wilde faded from the pop music scene.
So,
whatever happened to Kim Wilde?
Well, as I mentioned earlier, Wilde is still recording music - though most of
the efforts seem to be cover songs as opposed to brand new hits. Her most recent offering was released just
in time for the 2013 holiday season with an album entitled "Wilde Winter
Songbook" - which featured the same song that she performed on a subway
car exactly one year earlier!
Seriously. Here's the proof.
But in addition to her music career, Kim Wilde
has also found success in landscape gardening.
Proving to have a green thumb as rich as her vocal abilities, Wilde's
interest in gardening was trigged as a result of becoming pregnant with her
first child and wanting to design a garden for them to be able to play in. She starred in a gardening television series
entitled "Garden Invaders", won several gardening competitions -
including a Gold Award at the Royal Horticultural Society's Chelsea Flower Show
in 2005, and even wrote a couple of books about the subject!
See...Kim Wilde is proof that you can find a second career where you might
least expect it.