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Tuesday, September 24, 2013

September 24, 1936

It's time for the final Tuesday Timeline entry for the month of September 2013. And, I think you'll agree (well, hopefully at least) that the topic that I have chosen for today is a great one.

In the meantime, I think that we should flip through the pages of the history books to discover what else happened on this date in history. There's a lot to talk about on this, the 24th day of September.

1664 – The Dutch Republic surrenders New Amsterdam to England

1780 – Benedict Arnold flees to British Army lines when the arrest of British Major John Andre exposes Arnold's plan to surrender West Point.

1789 – The Judiciary Act is passed by United States Congress, which ultimately leads to the creation of the office of the U.S. Attorney General, as well as the United States Supreme Court

1852 – The first airship powered by steam engine travels seventeen miles from Paris, France to Trappes

1869 – Gold prices plummet following the decision by Ulysses S. Grant to order the Treasury to sell large quantities of gold after Jay Gould and James Fisk plot to control the market in a day that will come to be known as “Black Friday”

1896 – “The Great Gatsby” author F. Scott Fitzgerald (d. 1940) is born in St. Paul, Minnesota

1914 – The Siege of Przemysl begins as World War I continues

1917 – Actress Audra Lindley (d. 1997), best known to fans as Three's Company's Mrs. Roper, is born in Los Angeles, California

1935 – The first ever outdoor rodeo is held under electric lights in Columbia, Mississippi

1941 – Singer/photographer Linda McCartney (d. 1998) is born in New York City

1948 – The Honda Motor Company is founded on the same day that comedian Phil Hartman (d. 1998) is born in Brantford, Ontario, Canada

1950 – A series of forest fires emit enough black smoke to block out the sun in some parts of Canada and New England

1957 – President Dwight D. Eisenhower sends 101st Airborne Division troops to Little Rock, Arkansas in an effort to enforce desegregation

1962 – James Meredith becomes the first African-American person to enroll at Mississippi State University following a decision made by the United States court of appeals

1968 – CBS debuts its news program “60 Minutes”

1979 – CompuServe launches the first consumer Internet service which also features the first time that e-mail is provided as a service

1991 – Theodor Seuss Geisel (better known by his pen name of Dr. Seuss) dies of throat cancer at the age of 87

2005 – Hurricane Rita makes landfall in the United States causing devastation to the already hurricane ravaged states of Louisiana and Texas

September 24 happens to also be the date in which a lot of famous faces were born. So, join me in wishing the following people a very happy birthday. Happy birthday to Herb Jeffries, Jack Costanzo, Chick Willis, Gordon Clapp, Alan Colmes, John Kessel, Kristina Wayborn, Kevin Sorbo, Steve Whitmire, Amy Sky, Luc Picard, Rosamund Kwan, Nia Vardalos, Robert Irvine, Stacy Galina, Megan Ward, Peter Salisbury (The Verve), Stephanie McMahon, Justin Bruening, Jessica Lucas, Spencer Treat Clark, and Kyle Sullivan.

Okay. So, which date in history are we going to go back in time to?



Today's date is September 24, 1936. And if you're a huge fan of puppets of any kind, you're definitely going to love this entry.

Today's blog subject is a master of his craft. Although most of his work was associated with children's programming, he made sure that his top priority was creating entertainment for everybody. He helped create some of the most recognizable symbols in the history of pop culture, and as of 2013, these creations are still going strong.

And had he lived, this man would be celebrating birthday number 77.



Seventy-seven years ago, James Maury Henson was born in Greenville, Mississippi...though most people called him Jim. And during his whole life, all he wanted was to make people laugh and entertain a wide variety of people. And you know what? I think he succeeded.

This is Jim Henson's story.

Henson was the youngest of two children born to Betty and Paul Henson, and Henson's childhood was marked by one huge event – the day the Henson family received their very first television set. Young Jim Henson was heavily influenced by ventriloquist Edgar Bergen and the puppets that Burr Tillstrom presented on “Kukla, Fran, and Ollie”.

While he was a student at Northwestern High School, Jim ended up getting a job at WTOP-TV designing puppets for a Saturday morning children's show, “The Junior Morning Show”. After graduating from high school, Jim enrolled as a student at the University of Maryland, College Park initially majoring in studio arts. But when Henson discovered a puppetry class was being offered in the applied arts department, Henson began enrolling in classes specializing in crafts and textiles, eventually graduating with a degree in home economics in 1960.

As it so happens, his time in college was very much life-changing for Henson. Not only did he meet his future wife Jane Nebel (through a collaboration they did together while Henson worked at Washington D.C. based station WRC-TV), but while he worked on a puppet show that aired on the same network (a little show entitled “Sam and Friends”), Henson would debut the character that would make him absolutely famous.

That character? Kermit the Frog.

Well, okay, okay. The character wasn't exactly the way that we all know him as now. It was merely a prototype. But that prototype exploded into a cultural phenomenon that featured dozens of characters known as “The Muppets”.



The Muppets were among some of Jim Henson's finest works. The creation (named after a portmanteau of the words marionette and puppet) were created almost by experiment. You see, while Jim Henson worked at WRC-TV, he began experimenting with various techniques in creating and animating puppets. Rather than using felt, wood, an old sock, or any traditional puppet making materials, Henson used flexible, fabric-covered foam rubber as a way for the puppets to appear more human and to show more emotion. Instead of strings, Henson inserted rods inside of the arms of the Muppets to allow more movements.

Basically, Jim Henson's Muppets revolutionized the way that puppet shows were presented. No more lifeless Punch and Judy scenes for us!

(Well...unless you liked Punch and Judy.)

Of course, Jim Henson would voice the Muppet that made him the most famous – Kermit the Frog as well as Rowlf the Dog, Dr. Teeth, The Swedish Chef, and Waldorf. But for the Muppets to really pop, Henson knew that he had to gather a group of talented voice actors and puppeteers to bring the Muppets back to life. And by the 1970s, his team was firmly in place.

Frank Oz would voice the characters of Fozzie Bear, Animal, Sam the Eagle and Miss Piggy
Dave Goelz would voice the characters of Gonzo, Zoot, and Bunsen
Richard Hunt voiced the characters of Scooter, Beaker, Statler, Janice, and Sweetums
Jerry Nelson voiced the characters of Robin, Dr. Julius Strangepork, Floyd Pepper, Lew Zealand, and Camilla the Chicken.

And, in the late 1970s, all of the Muppets would end up getting their shot at stardom when this program debuted on September 5, 1976.



I absolutely LOVED “The Muppet Show” growing up. In fact, at some point before the year is up, I want to do a whole feature on this particular program. For now, I'll just talk a little bit about it. The show was hugely successful on television. It ran for five years, concluding its run in 1981, and the best way I can describe the show is sort of like Saturday Night Live with Muppets. It was like watching a sketch comedy program with each Muppet presenting a series of sketches. Gonzo would do a sketch with chickens and a cannon. Fozzie would tell lame jokes. Miss Piggy would sometimes board a spaceship to become one of the “Pigs in Space”. Oh, and the Swedish Chef...my absolute favourite. Watch a clip of Swedish Chef in action below, voiced by Jim Henson himself!



Of course, everyone knows that “The Muppet Show” was hardly the only time that we saw Jim Henson's creations at work. After all, how could you forget the fact that the Muppets were featured in seven feature films between 1979 and 2011? And, an eighth movie is set to be released in March of 2014! Yes, the Muppets have gone to Manhattan, they've celebrated Christmas, they've re-enacted Treasure Island, and they've even been launched into outer space! Not bad, huh?



There was even an animated version of the Muppets known as “Muppet Babies” which aired near continuously for seven years!

And that's not counting the other television shows and movies that Jim Henson and his production company were involved in.



Of course, one of those television series is the long-running “Sesame Street”, which has been on the air since 1969. Admit it. You couldn't have Sesame Street without the monster characters, could you? Of course, Kermit the Frog was a huge part of Sesame Street as he would pose as a news reporter for those “News Flash” segments. Have a look at one below.



Yes, without Jim Henson's presence on Sesame Street, there would be no Big Bird or Snuffleupagus. There would be no Cookie Monster or Oscar the Grouch.



There would be no Bert, Ernie (whom Henson also voiced), Prairie Dawn, Elmo, Grover, Telly, or the Yip Yip aliens.



Another side project that Henson created after “The Muppet Show” wrapped up was a little show known as “Fraggle Rock”, in which Gobo, Wembley, Mokey, Red, Boober, Sprockett, and Traveling Matt became household names. I know that I absolutely loved watching the show, and that theme song was just so catchy. You know what, let's just go ahead and watch the intro...so I can get it inside of your heads too!

And, there's so much more that Jim Henson did in the world of entertainment!



If it weren't for Jim Henson and Frank Oz, we would never have been so charmed by Yoda in “Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back”.



If it weren't for Jim Henson, the movie “Labyrinth” would have never been made...one of Jim Henson's finest film projects ever made (even though at the time of its release, it bombed terribly). Jim Henson would also produce the 1982 film “The Dark Crystal”.

And Jim Henson came up with the idea for this bizarre, yet wonderful sitcom, which aired on ABC during the 1990s.



Dinosaurs” was a wonderful show. I admit that I still chuckle at Baby Sinclair whacking his father with the frying pan screaming “NOT THE MAMA!”. But note the date that it debuted. April 1991.

Dinosaurs” was an idea hatched from the ever creative mind of Jim Henson. And sadly he would not live long enough to see it come to fruition.

In May of 1990, Jim Henson began to experience flu-like symptoms, which at first he ignored, as he felt that it wasn't anything serious. He made an appearance on “The Arsenio Hall Show” on May 4 – which you can actually watch if you click HERE. It would become the last appearance that he would ever make on television again.

Just a week later after visiting his father and stepmother in North Carolina with one of his children, he began to feel ill and he went to a doctor to see what was wrong. The doctor examined him, but couldn't find any sort of evidence that he was suffering from pneumonia (what Henson initially suspected that he had), and prescribed him nothing except the odd dose of aspirin. He flew back home to New York after canceling a scheduled recording session on May 14.

The very next morning, Jim was beginning to have difficulty breathing, and he was starting to cough up blood. Henson was concerned that something was terribly wrong and he confessed to his wife (whom he was separated from at that time) that he might be dying, but for whatever reason did not want to go to a hospital to get checked out.

Two hours later, Henson changed his mind, and was admitted into New York Hospital shortly before five in the morning on May 15. By this time, Henson was unable to breathe on his own, and had to be strapped to a ventilator to help him breathe. Over the next twenty-four hours, doctors did everything they could to reverse the condition, but when Henson went into septic shock, the writing was on the wall.



On the morning of May 16, 1990, Jim Henson passed away at the age of 53. The cause of death was organ failure linked to a streptococcal infection. He was survived by his wife and his five children, Lisa, Cheryl, Brian, John, and Heather.

And, let me tell you. The news of Henson's death hit me hard. I was just two days shy of my ninth birthday when Henson died. He was the very first celebrity death that I remember, and I remember not taking it well at all. I think I cried the day I heard the news. He was so influential in my childhood. I grew up watching all of his shows, I watched all the Muppet Movies, I dressed up as Kermit the Frog on Halloween 1989, and ironically enough, my 9th birthday party was spent at the movie theatre watching a screening of “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” - a film that “Jim Henson's Creature Shop” collaborated on. It was just so surreal that someone who was a huge part of my childhood was no longer here.

A public memorial service was scheduled for May 21, 1990 in New York City, and a second one was held in London on July 2. And I would say that Henson's memorial service honoured him beautifully. As per Henson's final wishes, nobody in the congregation was allowed to wear black. As well, The Dirty Dozen Brass Band played “When the Saints Go Marching In”. Carroll Spinney (who voiced Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch on “Sesame Street”) also performed at the service, singing Kermit's signature song “Bein' Green”.

(Which NOW explains why I have turned this entry green.)

But perhaps one of the most moving moments of the whole service was at the very conclusion of the service, when six of the Muppet voice actors gathered together to pay tribute to their friend by singing a medley of songs in their characters' voices. The actors were Richard Hunt, Dave Goelz, Jerry Nelson, Kevin Clash, Frank Oz, and the man who would succeed Henson in voicing Kermit and Ernie, Steve Whitmire (who also happens to be celebrating a birthday today).



The last song of the medley was entitled “Just One Person”. The song was originally sung by one person (at the funeral, it was Richard Hunt as Scooter), and as the song progressed, more people would join in until the whole cast was together.

That whole moment also became the final scene in the 1990 television special “The Muppets Celebrate Jim Henson”, which saw a reunion between “The Muppet Show” characters, “Sesame Street” characters, and “Fraggle Rock” characters singing that very song as Kermit watches over them from a distance. It remains one of the most epic television scenes that I remember watching. Even at thirty-two, my eyes still well up when I watch this scene.

So, as we close the book on another Tuesday Timeline, I can't think of a better way to pay my respects to Jim Henson and celebrate his seventy-seventh birthday more than posting that final song. Be warned. Have Kleenex handy.




Happy birthday, Jim Henson...and thank you so much for all you gave us. I'll never forget you.

Monday, September 23, 2013

Play Misty for Me

I think that in a world that is filled with playlists, mp3 players, iTunes, and Sirius Satellite Radio, there is still a market for classic radio stations.

What I mean by “classic radio stations” are the radio stations that we grew up listening to when we were children.



I remember years and years ago I used to have a collection of blank audio cassette tapes on hand because whenever I would listen to the radio and a song was playing that I absolutely enjoyed, I would grab a blank tape, stick it in my stereo, and press the red record button. Back in those days it was the only way to record your favourite song, as my childhood took place in an era before recordable compact discs, Napster, and the iPod.



(Wow...Napster. Remember that site? Seems like ages ago.)

But admit it. If you were born before 1990, there's a good chance that you've done this at least once. Let's face it. As a kid, records were not cheap. Back in my teen years, albums were available on CD and cassette format, and although cassettes were on average five dollars less than a CD was, they were still worth a hefty chunk of change.

(And back in those days, most of my money went towards renting video games at the local corner store.)

Therefore, recording songs off of the radio was a cheap, inexpensive way to make sure that you had one of the best music collections ever at a third of the cost.

And, for what it was worth, my choice of radio stations certainly helped me build up my collection.

Just going back to my own childhood, I can remember the many different radio stations that I listened to while I was doing homework, or playing with toys, or reading a book, or whatever activities that I was doing in my bedroom during my formative years. The main one was PAC-93, a station that was based out of New York State, which at the time played Top 40 music from the 1980s and 1990s. It has since changed format since its heyday, but it was a great station to listen to if I wanted the current hits at the time. After all, they did play Casey Kasem's Top 40 every single weekend! But I also listened to a station known as KOOL-FM based out of Ottawa, which added a little Canadian flavour to the weekly playlist of songs played. As well, a station that was known as MIX 96 would air Kid Kelly's “Backtrax USA”, which played some of the most recognizable songs from the 1980s (and later 1990s).

For the most part, the radio stations I listened to would play the majority of songs that I liked a lot, and I somehow ended up filling at least an entire 6 pack of blank cassette tapes with some of my all-time favourite songs (well, at least they were my favourite songs at the time that they were most popular).

But one of the most frustrating things that could happen was when you got home from school, turned on the radio, and one of your favourite songs was already half played. You couldn't very well record half a song, now could you? And unless the song was within the Top 20 on the charts (which meant that you would hear them played at least once every couple of hours), you could spend the entire day listening to the radio in hopes that maybe, just maybe, the disc jockey would play the song again.



This is where those All-Request radio shows came in handy.

Several radio stations often have an all-request lunch hour in which you would be able to request your favourite songs to be played on air. As well, PAC 93 always had an all-request show that aired between 10:00pm and 1:00am where night owls (like myself) could place a song request. And sometimes, calling into the request line was the only way you could get that last song necessary to complete your ultimate playlist on a series of audio cassettes.

I know that I have called request lines several times wanting to hear particular songs. Not all of my requests were honoured as several hundred people often called into the station all wanting to hear songs of their own. But the songs that were played, I really enjoyed hearing. And I'd switch up the song requests as well. Some people may have been content requesting the same Spice Girls, Hanson, or Backstreet Boys song over and over again, but I liked to request different songs each time I called in. Songs that didn't have the words “you are my fire”, “Mmmbop”, or “Zig-a-zig-ah” in their lyrics.

(I liked the obscure stuff.)

Well, here's a situation for you. What if you were a disc jockey, and you had the same person calling your station over and over asking for you to play the same song each and every call? Would you panic? Freak out? Probably not. You may find it a bit strange, but you brush it off. After all, I'm sure that many teenagers are calling radio stations right now, wanting to hear the latest One Direction hit over and over again.

Now, what would you do if the person who was obsessed with a particular song also developed an obsession with you? Staring at you, following you, even sneaking into your bedroom and crawling into your bed. Now that's something that you'd find disturbing, right?

Well, as it so happens, that last scenario I described happens to be the main plot of today's Monday Matinee. It's a film of suspense, thrills, and horror as one simple music request turns vicious and potentially deadly.



All because of four simple words. “Play Misty for Me”.



Play Misty for Me” was released in theatres on November 3, 1971, and not only did it have Clint Eastwood as its star, but he also directed the film! The film also starred Jessica Walter (best known for her role as Lucille Bluth on “Arrested Development”) and Donna Mills (best known for her role as Abby Cunningham on “Knots Landing”).

The film had debuted one month earlier at the San Francisco Film Festival, and by November was distributed nationwide to glowing reviews, grossing ten million dollars at the box office plus an addition five million generated from rental sales at video stores. Not bad for a movie that only had a budget of three-quarters of a million dollars.

So, what's “Play Misty for Me” all about? Well, I'll give you a hint. It's widely speculated that this film served as the inspiration behind such films as 1987's “Fatal Attraction” or 1993's “The Crush”.

It's all about what happens when a simple crush or admiration towards a person goes too far. And, it's a film in which the adored becomes the victim of psychological stalking.

And to think that the film started off so innocently too.



Eastwood plays the role of Dave Garver, a radio disc jockey who works at KRML on a nightly radio show in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. His specialty? A lot of smooth jazz records with a little bit of poetry reading on the side. I suppose it fits, right? After all, a song basically takes a poem and places it against a musical background.



Anyway, after a long night's work, Dave likes to kick back with a couple of cold ones at his favourite bar. And it is here where he happens to come across a young woman named Evelyn Draper (Walter). Now, at first meeting, Dave sees nothing unusual about the meeting. If anything, he thinks it is purely coincidental that they crossed paths at his favourite bar.

So, Dave, being a nice guy, offers to bring Evelyn home. But it's here where Evelyn reveals the truth. She actually didn't just wander into the bar on her own. She sought him out. Truth is that she's called his show before. Several times. And each time she called in, she would request the same song.



Misty”. A jazz classic that was first composed in 1954 by Erroll Garner. Beautiful song, isn't it? The song will certainly clash with the actual personality traits that young Evelyn will soon display. But early on in the film, Dave is smitten by Evelyn, and they spend the night together.

But don't think that Evelyn will be content with a simple one-night stand. Oh, no. She wants more than that. Much more.

Shortly after their first romantic encounter together, Evelyn manages to find out where Dave lives (an amazing feat given that back in 1971 nobody had Internet access) and shows up unannounced, which makes Dave very nervous. Dave later gets angry when Evelyn later disrupts a business lunch that he is attending because she believes that the woman who is seated with him is someone he is seeing.

Dave decides that maybe getting into a relationship with someone who obviously has jealousy issues is not the best way to go and he tries to let Evelyn down gently. But Evelyn decides that she won't have any of it and actually attempts suicide inside his house. And when Dave rejects her too many times, she actually goes as far as breaking into his house, destroying some of his possessions, and later attacking poor Dave's housekeeper who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.



The end result? Evelyn is sent away to a mental institution for her crimes, and Dave resumes life as normal. He even rekindles the old flame that he once shared with ex-girlfriend Tobie (Mills). For a few months, everything is going well, and Dave thinks that the nightmare is over.

But, little do Dave and Tobie know...one phone call will change everything. And as Evelyn requeste Dave to play “Misty” for her, Dave realizes that he has to protect his new love from her. But unbeknownst to Dave, Evelyn has found another way to creep back into Dave's life. And by the end of the film is one giant confrontation that puts all of our key players at risk.

But I won't reveal how this plays out. I instead recommend that you seek out this movie and watch it for yourselves. It's a psychological thriller seventies style, and I absolutely was glued to the edge of my seat the whole time.

Now, how about a little bit of trivia for you? If you want, you can scroll up and play a little bit of “Misty” while you read!

1 – Clint Eastwood has made a huge living as an actor and a director. Did you know that “Play Misty for Me” was Eastwood's directorial debut?

2 – Eastwood's debut as a director was quite successful on a financial standpoint. Not only was the film finished four days ahead of schedule, but he was also under budget by fifty thousand dollars!

3 – All of the concert scenes were filmed at the Monterey Jazz Festival.

4 – The film is set in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. Fifteen years after this film was released, Eastwood would actually be elected mayor of the community!

5 – The film was shot in just twenty-one days!

6 – The events in “Play Misty for Me” were allegedly based on a true story, as radio personality Jean Shepherd was also stalked by a female fan.

7 – Steve McQueen was offered the lead role in the film, but he declined. His excuse? He didn't like the fact that the female lead had a stronger part than the male lead!

8 – Jessica Walter was nominated for a Golden Globe award for her performance in “Play Misty for Me”, but lost to Jane Fonda.


So, that's our look back on the film “Play Misty for Me”, as well as my memories of requesting songs on the radio so I could record them.

And, just as a disclaimer...I never did develop any crazy crushes on any of the disc jockeys I listened to. You know...just to make that clear.  

Sunday, September 22, 2013

Divinyl Intervention - Touching, No?

I've decided to keep the Sunday Jukebox a one-hit-wonder zone for the month of September, but before I go ahead with today's topic, I feel as though I need to offer up a little bit of a disclaimer.

Although I'm not going to be uttering a bunch of useless swears, disgusting, off-colour jokes, or turning this blog into a huge salute to the animated violence found in the recently released “Grand Theft Auto V”, I will be giving this blog a rating of “T” for Teen. I contemplated making the subject rated “M” for Mature, but to be honest with you, I don't think the subject matter is THAT bad.



That said, the subject matter is such that it's kind of on the...well...mature side. Too mature for say, a nine year old, but perfectly acceptable for someone who is thirteen or over.

So as you might have guessed, today's song has some subject matter which I would classify as not really appropriate for younger children. You've been warned ahead of time.

And, as you might have figured out, this song happens to be a one-hit-wonder – at least by American standards anyway.



So, I'm not sure if you've heard of the Parents Music Resource Center (affectionately or non-affectionately known as the PMRC). The group was founded in 1985 by Tipper Gore, Sally Nevius, Susan Baker, and Pam Howar, and if you're looking for the group that was responsible for those black and white “Parental Advisory” stickers that can be found on the bottom-right corner of most albums found in record stores today, they are the ones you can thank (or blame) for that addition.

They also came up with a list of songs at the time the group was founded known as the “Filthy Fifteen”. Songs that the group felt objectionable, and songs which the group believed provided a poor message to the youth of America.

I bet you're dying to know exactly what the so called “Filthy Fifteen” are, right? As it happens, I have that list. And, pay special attention to the ones that I have highlighted in a different colour.

Let Me Put My Love Into You” by AC/DC
Trashed” by Black Sabbath
High n' Dry (Saturday Night)” by Def Leppard
Sugar Walls” by Sheena Easton
Eat Me Alive” by Judas Priest
She Bop” by Cyndi Lauper
Dress You Up” by Madonna
In My House” by Mary Jane Girls
Into The Coven” by Mercyful Fate
Bastard” by Motley Crue
Darling Nikki” by Prince
We're Not Gonna Take It” by Twisted Sister
Strap On Robbie Baby” by Vanity
Possessed” by Venom
Animal (F@#$ Like A Beast)” by W.A.S.P.

Okay, so looking at that list, some of them are understandable. The group known as W.A.S.P. may have their fans, but there is no radio station that would play a song with that title unless it was edited out. Prince's “Darling Nikki” is quite the explicit song. I don't even think I can post the link to it. And, let's face it. We all know that Sheena Easton's “Sugar Walls” can only be found...below the belt. Not going to say any more about that one.

But, putting that classic Twisted Sister song on that list? Really? I mean, I suppose that it was sort of wrong to promote violence as that mean old dad kept getting injured...but with his attitude at the beginning of that song, he was sort of asking for it! It's a song that urged kids to challenge everything and to stand up to bullies and to make a stand.

Oh, wait...now I know why the PMRC hated that song.

And, really. “Dress You Up” in my love? THAT'S offensive? Not compared to some of the songs that you hear on the radio now. Truth be told, dressing someone up in your love sounds incredibly romantic as far as I'm concerned.

But, I digress.

Whatever the case, the songs on the “Filthy Fifteen” were chosen because their lyrics promoted violence, sex, the occult, and drug and alcohol usage.

So, why have I specifically highlighed the Cyndi Lauper and Prince songs within the “Filthy Fifteen”? Glad you asked. As it so happens, today's song also deals with the same subject that placed Prince and Cyndi Lauper on that “Filthy Fifteen” list. And it's a song that when it was released in the early 1990s, it received quite a bit of controversy given its subject matter.

Of course, controversy seems to sell almost every record. In the case of this song, it took the song all the way to #2 on the Billboard Charts, and topped the charts in their native Australia. In fact, if you're reading this blog from the Land Down Under right now, you'll likely be calling me a liar, as down in Australia, this group was as far from being a one-hit-wonder as you could get. Here in Canada and the United States, this song was the only one to ever reach as high a position on the Billboard Charts.

And that's despite the fact that when the song was released, many radio stations refused to play it because they felt that people would become offended by the song's content. I actually almost died of shock when the retro music station that I sometimes listen to on the radio actually played the song in the middle of the lunch hour!

So, what makes this song so controversial? Well, why don't I just post it, and we'll get the discussion started down below.



ARTIST: Divinyls
SONG: I Touch Myself
ALBUM: Divinyls
DATE RELEASED: December 2, 1990
PEAK POSITION ON THE BILLBOARD CHARTS: #2

I'm sure that the title's a dead giveaway.

Of course, before we begin talking about the song, let's talk a little bit about the band.



While the band who called themselves “Divinyls” were just a one-hit-wonder band here in North America, it certainly wasn't the case back in their native Australia, with the band releasing a total of five studio albums – four of which made the Australian Top 10 album sales charts. Since the band was founded in Sydney, Australia in 1980, the band released approximately two dozen singles. Most of them only peaked within the Top 50, but a few reached the Top 40. The band even scored their first (and only) #1 hit in 1991 with the song heard above.

At the time that “I Touch Myself” was released, the Divinyls were comprised of Chrissy Amphlett, Mark McEntee (two of the founding members of the group), Tim Millikan, Charley Drayton, Benmont Terch, and Randy Jackson.

(And by Randy Jackson, I don't mean Michael Jackson's brother or the American Idol judge.)

Anyway, the band stood out amongst the crowd, thanks largely in part to the sexuality that lead singer Amphlett brought to every single performance, as well as the brashness and humour she was known to display during talk show appearances and celebrity interviews for magazines.

I suppose given that, it makes sense as to why Amphlett would agree to record a single about...well...touching one's self. An activity that some people believe is a sin.

(Some people. Not myself, but some people.)

Anyway, back to the story. The reason why those songs by Cyndi Lauper and Prince were added to the list of the “Filthy Fifteen” is because those songs included references to...well...touching yourself.

I would imagine that had this Divinyls song been released five years earlier than it was, it more than likely would have kicked the Twisted Sister song off the list. At the very least, it would have gotten one of those Parental Advisory stickers on it, right?

Well, to be honest with you, after listening to the song a bunch of times, I don't think it's as naughty a song as it once was. At least, not compared to some of the other songs that have been played on the radio as of late. Seriously, comparing this song to Rihanna's “Rude Boy”, it makes this song sound like it came from “The Sound of Music” soundtrack.

(Okay, now I have this disturbing image of Julie Andrews singing this song. My bad.)

But seriously...I think that there are a couple of ways that one could interpret this song...and it all stems from the way that you define the words “I Touch Myself”.

Now, we've already discussed the meaning of one of these ways. Obviously, most people will automatically gravitate towards the idea that touching yourself really does mean...well...touching yourself. And, I'm 99.9% sure that this was what the band meant for you to think. It was a killer song with an addictive hook that was hardly ever played on radio because people's minds instantly went there and decided that the song was too hot to be seen on air or played on the radio.

Though, to be fair, Madonna and Quebec chanteuse Mitsou both had videos banned from MuchMusic the same year that “I Touch Myself” was released. I take it 1990 was a year in which everything was challenged and one-upped. I'm just speculating though. I was only nine, and was very much likely shielded from watching the music video clips by my parents.

The joys of growing up as the youngest child in the family...

Now, what if I told you that I have found a different way to interpret the song. It's a stretch, mind you, but had radio and television promoted the single like this, it may have gotten more airplay. Bear with me here.

I'm sure that most of you have heard the saying “I feel so touched”, right? It has nothing to do with the actual sense of touch as it does the feeling of love. Obviously if your true love tells you how they really feel about you in a loving, devoted sense, you'll naturally feel this feeling of warmth and joy...almost as if they've touched your heart in a romantic way.

So, you could also make the claim that every time Chrissy Amphlett thought about her man, it touches her in a way that she never thought possible...as if nobody else could ever love her in that way the way that he could.

Again, I'm stretching that explanation more than most people would stretch a piece of taffy. But it kind of works, doesn't it? At least humour me and tell me that this is the case! Please?

Anyway, the song itself still remains a hit in the world of pop culture, and the level of controversy associated with the song faded over time. The song appeared in the 1992 film “Prelude to a Kiss”, as well as in this memorable scene from the 1997 film “Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery”.



Yeah...a bikini brief clad Mike Myers using his body to blow up fembots. That's an image that I will have a hard time removing from my brain.

And would you believe that the song has since been covered by Eve 6, Ben Folds, P!nk, and Weird Al Yankovic over the years? Very impressive.

Unfortunately for the Divinyls, this song ended up being one of the band's last hits. Six years later, Amphlett and McEntee had a huge falling out which inevitably broke the band up in 1997, during which time Amphlett pursued a career acting on stage in plays and musicals. Both Amphlett and McEntee would pursue solo projects as well, albeit to limited success. The two reunited at the 2006 ARIA Hall of Fame (ARIA standing for the Australian Recording Industry Association), and released some new material the following year. Sadly, the reunion was cut short in 2009 as Amphlett was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and was forced to call the Divinyls quits. And because she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, it made her unable to seek out any cancer fighting treatments such as chemotherapy and radiation when she was diagnosed with breast cancer in the early 2010s.



On April 21, 2013, Chrissy Amphlett passed away in New York City at just 53 years old.

However, somewhere up there, I'm certain that Chrissy is probably having a ball telling all of the angels up there about how her song about touching oneself ended up nearly topping the charts here in North America.


At least, we can dream of Amphlett making those stuffy harp-playing angels blush!  

Saturday, September 21, 2013

The Super Mario Brothers Super Show

So, this is the Saturday Smorgasbord for today, and to open things up, I will warn you ahead of time. Although the third Saturday in the month is usually dedicated towards cartoons, the first part of the entry will focus on video games. When you read on, you'll understand why.



I mentioned this last week in this space, but I've almost always been a loyal customer of Nintendo and Nintendo related products. I did own a Sony PlayStation and an Intellivision at some time, but for the most part, I've always been a Nintendo fan. I owned the original Nintendo, the Super Nintendo, and the Nintendo DS and 3DS. I just loved every single video game released on the various consoles. To me, Nintendo was a major part of my childhood (and remains a big part of my adulthood as well), and I wil forever be a fan.



That's why when I heard the news that former President of Nintendo Hiroshi Yamauchi passed away at the age of 85 after a battle with pneumonia, the video game world mourned his loss. This is a man who spent practically his whole life working for Nintendo. He joined the company in 1949 at a time in which the company only focused on the manufacturing of playing cards, and by the mid-1980s transformed it into one of the most successful video game companies of all-time. Although he stepped down from his role as president of the company in 2002, he remained with the company until 2005. What makes Yamauchi stand out in the crowd of CEO's in the business world is the fact that when he retired, he refused to accept his retirement pension (which at the time was worth at least ten million dollars US) because he felt that the company could find a better use for the money! And, while he retained a 10% share in all of Nintendo's profits, he used the profits generated from sales of the Nintendo Wii and Nintendo DS and built a cancer treatment center in Kyoto, Japan! Even with the recent financial troubles that Nintendo experienced in the latter part of 2012 in which Yamauchi reportedly lost a large fortune, he still had enough money to ensure that his retirement was a comfortable one.

His death on September 19, 2013 was a real loss to Nintendo, and the gaming world in general. I know that my childhood was greatly impacted by his contributions to Nintendo, and I for one am grateful for everything he did.

Granted, I don't think my teachers felt quite the same way as I often did my homework at the last minute as a result of a marathon gaming session. But, hey...they didn't have to know that at the time.

So, for today's entry in the blog, I wanted to pay homage to Hiroshi Yamauchi, as well as Nintendo in general by doing a special blog on Nintendo.

But, considering that this is supposed to be a blog on cartoons, can it be done?

I say...yes.

I'm not sure how many of you actually are aware of this, but several Nintendo video games have been made into animated cartoons. Years ago on TeleToon (Canada's version of The Cartoon Network), there was a cartoon that was based off of the successful Donkey Kong series.

If you watched Captain N: The Video Game Master at all, you'd recognize some characters found in Nintendo games. You'd recognize characters from Kid Icarus, Mega Man, and Castlevania found in that cartoon.

And, let's be honest here. Although Sega did create Sonic the Hedgehog, since Nintendo bought out Sega a few years back, Sonic is considered to be a part of the Nintendo family, and as such, we can include the two cartoon variations of Sonic the Hedgehog that have aired over the years.

But for today's special look back on Saturday Morning television, we're going to look at the cartoon that started it all off. It remains the very first Nintendo cartoon to ever air on television, and as of 2013, you can pick up the entire series on DVD format.

Unfortunately, the one beef that I have with the cartoon is that in the twenty-four years since it first aired, it has not aged well. But as an eight year old kid, I couldn't get enough of it. Though admittedly, I liked the cartoon portion of the show than the live-action parts.

Imagine that, a television show that combined cartoons with live-action.

I'm not about to keep you hanging with baited breath any longer. Let's just take a look at the intro of today's show.



Yes. We are going to be taking a look at “The Super Mario Brothers Super Show”!



The show debuted on most FOX stations on September 4, 1989 and ran for thirteen weeks with the run concluding on December 1 of the same year. But what was interesting about the show was that unlike most television cartoons in which a season was equivalent to thirteen episodes, this series ran for a total of sixty-five. That's because the show aired five days a week instead of just once. Although the series only lasted one season, the reruns continued well into 1991 – likely sparked by the popularity of Mario games at that time.

(Truth be told, if I were to ask a random group of people what they consider to be the golden era of Super Mario was, they'd likely say the late 1980s and early 1990s. But I'll also state that Mario has seen a period of renaissance beginning with the release of the New Super Mario Brothers series.)

Now, as I mentioned before, the show was a combination of live action segments and cartoon segments. At the beginning of the show and the end of the show were the live action components.



The way the live action scenes worked were like this. As most of you know, Mario and Luigi worked as plumbers in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. Somehow, both of them ended up sucked into the wrong pipe while on a plumbing job, and they both find themselves in the Mushroom Kingdom, where they've essentially been rescuing Princess (I still refuse to call her Peach) Toadstool from Bowser's clutches since 1985.

Well, the live action scenes were set in the Mario Brothers plumbing offices in the heart of Brooklyn. Mario was portrayed by WWE wrestler Captain Lou Albano (1933-2009), and Luigi was played by character actor Danny Wells (b. 1941). And in each of their scenes, they would often be given a plot outlined on a sheet of paper, and both Lou and Danny would have to improvise their lines. Sometimes Lou and Danny would step out of character and portray themselves on the show as well.

The show would also feature special celebrity guests who at the time were huge named stars in prime time television or star athletes. Below is a partial list of some of the celebrities that appeared on the show.

Lyle Alzado (former football player)
Brian Bonsall (Wesley from Mr. Belvedere)
Donna Douglas (Elly Mae from The Beverly Hillbillies)
Nicole Eggert (Jaime from Charles in Charge/Summer from Baywatch)
Norman Fell (Mr. Roper from Three's Company)
Magic Johnson (former basketball player)
Cyndi Lauper (“Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” singer)
Danica McKellar (Winnie from The Wonder Years)
Eve Plumb (Jan from The Brady Bunch)
Nedra Volz (Adelaide from Diff'rent Strokes)
Vanna White (letter turner on Wheel of Fortune)

TRIVIA: This wasn't the first time Lou Albano would work with Cyndi Lauper. He played Cyndi's dad in the “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” music video!

The show also had a few crossovers with some other cartoons. Given that the cartoon was produced by DiC Entertainment, naturally other DiC creations would make an appearance. But, did you think that they would appear in the live action segments? It's true!

Ernie Hudson appeared as a character known as “Slimebuster”, a parody of the character he played in the 1984 film “Ghostbusters”. Dic Entertainment would have a hand in bringing the animated series based on the film to the small screen.

And even Inspector Gadget would make an appearance...though Don Adams wouldn't portray him. This version was performed by Maurice LaMarche (who actually voiced Chief Quimby in the cartoon's second year). “Inspector Gadget” was also produced by DiC Entertainment, and if you watch the clip below, LaMarche actually does a brilliant job doing “Gadget's” voice.


Now, as for the animated portions of the show? Well, depending on the day in which you watched the show, you would see different cartoons.



If you were to watch the show on a Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday, you would see an animated version of the Super Mario Brothers. Given that the show originally aired in 1989, the cartoons were based on the video games “Super Mario Brothers” and “Super Mario Brothers 2”, as “Super Mario 3” wasn't released in North America until February 1990.

(However DiC would later produce separate cartoons for both “Super Mario Brothers 3” and “Super Mario World”, which aired on NBC in 1990 and 1991 respectively.)

Although enemies from both “Super Mario Brothers” and “Super Mario Brothers 2” appear in the cartoons, we only see Bowser as the show's main antagonist. Keep in mind that Wart was all a figment of Mario's imagination at the end of the second game.

In addition to Mario, Luigi, and Bowser, Toad and Princess (I still refuse to call her Peach) Toadstool make appearances as well. And, hey, in some of these cartoons, Princess Toadstool actually makes it through an entire episode without being kidnapped! Must be a new record!

Now, that was what you saw on Mondays through Thursdays. What about Fridays?

Well, lest you believe that Super Mario was Nintendo's only creation at the time the show aired, you would be wrong. Did you know that “The Legend of Zelda” was released in 1986 and became just as popular as Super Mario?



This explains why on Fridays, viewers were treated to an animated version of “The Legend of Zelda”, where we would see Link and Zelda teaming up to wage war against Ganon, who threatens the harmony of Hyrule as well as the power of the Triforce. Although the Zelda series didn't have nearly as many episodes of the series as the Super Mario series did, the way that they were broadcast, you almost had to watch every episode in order, or else you would be completely lost as to trying to understand the plot.

Here. I'll post an episode of the Super Mario series as well as the Zelda series below. Which one do you like best?



Even after the series wrapped up, the show found new life in syndication. In 1990, the show was re-aired under the title “Club Mario”, with the live-action Mario segments replaced with brand new ones featuring “Nintendo obsessed teenagers”. As well, beginning in 1994, The Family Channel began airing the animated series from The Super Mario Brothers Super Show in a package deal with the Super Mario World series (surprisingly enough, Super Mario Brothers 3 was left out of the deal). The cartoons were broadcast under the title of “Mario All-Stars” - coincidentally the same title as the Super Nintendo compilation which saw four Mario games compiled onto one cartridge.

Ultimately, The Super Mario Brothers Super Show was a forgettable entry in the world of Saturday Morning Cartoons, and the program hasn't quite aged as well as it probably should have. But you know what? I loved it. In fact, it probably helped fuel my love for all Nintendo products for ever and ever.

It certainly is a good representation of the legacy that Hiroshi Yamauchi left behind. Ultimately he wanted to create a product that brought fun to boys and girls of all ages, and that's exactly what he accomplished.


Much like The Super Mario Brothers Super Show did all those years ago.