The Fox And The Hedgehog
I think I’m going to turn Friday into music video day at Ataraxia Theatre. For some reason last night I was trying to remember the title of “Doesn’t Really Matter” by Platinum Blonde, which led to a whole lot of looking up 80s Canadian hair rock on YouTube. A warning to all my young readers before I get to the videos: someday, everything you know and love will look just as dated and cheesy as this.
“Doesn’t Really Matter” by Platinum Blonde. I remember that I originally hated this song but my sister Sandi liked it. Some time later I listened to it at a junior high dance and decided that it really kind of rocked, but of course I kept that a secret from her. One other thing to mention about this video is that the woman in the strap dress was one of the landmarks of my adolescence; if you can’t tell which one is the woman then don’t worry, everybody looked like that in the 80s.
“Burning in Love” by Honeymoon Suite. For me, this song perfectly captures the essence of mid-80s hair rock. I don’t mean that in a good way. Still, if you’re making a mid-80s Canadian mix tape you’ve got to include this one. I think there’s a law about it or something.
“Strange Animal” by Gowan, aka Lawrence Gowan, or Larry to his friends. Oddly enough, of these three videos I think this one has aged the best. I think that the video’s natural camp factor has acted as a sort of preservative; it’s cheesy, sure, but it’s obviously intentional.
October 12th, 2008 at 2:58 pm
While you’re at it, look up Gowan’s Criminal Mind video on YouTube. Also very campy, although it’s campy enough to be awful. =)