My Mad World - Chapter 9

Chapter 9 of the book Mad World by Lori Majewski and Jonathan Bernstein is all about the Human League. I wasn't hooked on the Human League from day 1, it took their 1986 album Crash to convert me (and no, not that annoying Human song).

THEIR CHOICE: BEING BOILED


I have never heard this song in my entire life until I started researching for this blog series and I just don't like it. Their early stuff was just crude and not polished at all. I did come from a Duran world after all where polished songs were the norm. The song of Human League's that made me do a 360 and start to take notice was:

MY CHOICE: I NEED YOUR LOVIN


Bet you thought it was going to be Don't You Want Me?. Don't was the first song I remember of theirs, but it was just OK (and WAY overplayed on radio), but it's the one EVERYONE knows. Kind of their Spandau's True. I Need Your Lovin was funky and had a great groove (plus, it was the late 80's, so my tastes were starting to change) a bit. But for those that probably expect it:

THEIR MOST POPULAR: DON'T YOU WANT ME


If I had to choose an absolute favorite, it would be a Phil Oakley solo song:

PHILIP OAKLEY: ELECTRIC DREAMS


This was the theme song to a movie (which I did see back in the day, and liked), but it was the song that made me go, "who is that?". When I found out it was the lead singer of Human League, I started buying up all their albums in search of another Electric Dreams. I didn't really find one, but I Need Your Lovin always stuck out as a close second. Throughout the years, I kind of forgot about this song, until my favorite show Miranda used it in the 3rd series finale. I've been playing it ever since!

My Mad World - Chapter 8

Chapter 8 in the book Mad World by Lori Majewski and Jonathan Bernstein deals with what most Americans think of as a one-hit wonder. But Spandau Ballet was anything but a one-hit wonder to those of us in the New Wave world. Spandau was also the first band I'd run across in my young life (at that time) that I fancied a band member more than the lead singer (I always have had a soft spot for the singers). Martin Kemp was cute and sweet to Tony Hadley (and even Gary Kemp's) arrogant snobbery (or at least that was always my impression of them).

THEIR CHOICE: TRUE

Granted, this the most popular of all Spandau songs, but it's also the most annoying because of this (kind of like the Hungry Like The Wolf of songs). Everytime you turn on any 80's retro station, you are guaranteed to hear this song within a hour.

MY CHOICE: TO CUT A LONG STORY SHORT

I go back further with Spandau than the rest of my American counterparts and To Cut A Long Story Short was the first one I remember hearing (and the first video I remember seeing). It was dark, deep, moody, and filled with hot guys, a pre-teen's greatest dream.

ALL-TIME FAVORITE: ONLY WHEN YOU LEAVE

This was at the height of their more "pop-y" phase, but it was a far superior song to True (and not in the same stupid category as Gold - an obvious Duran rip-off). I've never gotten sick of this song, even to this very day and, although it probably wouldn't make my top 10 favorite songs of all time, it would definitely be in the top 20.

ALL-TIME FAVORITE TIE: THROUGH THE BARRICADES:

In the late 80's, as my tastes started to change to the dark and macabre, most of the pop-influenced New Wave got dropped, but the Through the Barricades album was the one exception to the rule. It was some of the best vocal work Tony Hadley ever did and, like Tears for Fears The Seeds of Love, solidified the band forever in my memory more-so than their most popular and earlier works.

My Mad World - Chapter 7

Guess what I forgot to do yesterday? Guess I've been too deep into Disney pics to notice the rest of the world (and I'm HORRIBLY behind on reading the blogs of others!). But I'm gonna do it now (although I don't really have the time to give them the post they really deserve).

It's time to get back into "one of the greats" that grace a chapter in the book Mad World by Lori Majewski and Jonathan Bernstein (because, if I would have had another bummer choice, I might have given this up). The absolute first time I remember hearing Echo and the Bunnymen was on the Lost Boys soundtrack and their rendition of People are Strange. I immediately went out to our local record shop and started the search for more. I was in my later teens at the time, so, to say I was in a dark place would be the understatement of the year. The Cure were pretty much my world at the time (who didn't make their book, but they will be in my blog posts, for sure!), but the deeper and darker the music, the more I liked it and Ian McCulloch and his Bunnymen definitely fit the bill!

THEIR CHOICE: THE KILLING MOON


As much as I love The Killing Moon, I'm gonna say, since it was my first, I'm gonna go with:

MY CHOICE: PEOPLE ARE STRANGE


I can't really remember a single Echo single that I didn't absolutely love and that didn't have a strong effect on me, even Ian's solo stuff was amazing (and it didn't hurt that he is absolutely gorgeous). But, if I'm gonna narrow it down for my all-time, then let's go with:

MY ALL-TIME FAVORITE: BRING ON THE DANCING HORSES

My Mad World - Chapter 6

Changing pace just a bit (honestly, can I be any bigger of a Debbie Downer than with my previous post?), lets get back to my review and "upsizing" of the book Mad World by Lori Majewski and Jonathan Bernstein. This will be another short one because, like Gary Numan, I didn't care for Devo...they creeped me out a bit (and still do). I only remember Whip It, although, through listening to New Wave radio on Sirius, I've learned there were more. I just didn't care enough to search for them back "in the day" (and it's not like you could Google music in the 80's, if it didn't come on MTV or the radio, you didn't know about it). Some people that I didn't like in the day, I eventually grew to like (for one reason or the other). Devo has never been one of those bands. Even previewing the following clip still gave me the heebie-jeebies!

THEIR CHOICE (AND MY CONCURRENCE): WHIP IT


Next week gets better!

My Mad World - Chapter 5

I almost forgot to post this puppy today, so let's not waste anymore time! Besides, this one is going to be pretty short because I do agree with the author's choice. ABC wasn't really big in the States until the late 80's and When Smokey Sings (a song and video which I just don't care for because it was too far of a departure from the ABC I knew up until that point), but, to us New Waver's, they were right there with the best of them!

THEIR CHOICE: POISON ARROW

(Oh, and I usually prefer YouTube, but apparently this version is hard to find, so I just got lazy and went with Vimeo)

I have to say that this is an excellent choice from the ABC canon! No one, not even my precious Simon Le Bon, could have out-glammed Martin Fry with his Jazzy vocal sounds, perfectly coiffed hair, and gold lame suit. It was the first ABC song I remember hearing (and first video I remember seeing). It was definitely the epitome of an 80's New Wave song, but it definitely wasn't my favorite ABC song, that right is reserved for...

MY ALL-TIME FAVORITE ABC SONG: BE NEAR ME


Martin Fry successfully battled Hodgkin's lymphoma during the prime of ABC's popularity. The band saw many lineup changes, but even through cancer, Martin Fry has always been the steady force. They are still around today and Martin still sings under the ABC moniker (as well as himself sometimes), although, I have to admit, I'm not familiar with anything past the late 80's material (some bands I keep up with, some I just remember fondly and ABC would be the latter).

My Mad World - Chapter 4

So, we should be back on track this week with Chapter 4 (even if the holiday threw my schedule off a bit). Chapter 4 deals with my #4 all-time favorite band, New Order.
THEIR CHOICE: BLUE MONDAY

While this is probably quintessentially known as the "ultimate" New Order song, I've never really cared for it. It was originally released in 1983, but was re-released in '88 when it became popular (which, incidentally, was also the year I graduated high school). During 1983, my tastes were more "New Romantic" (which New Order never was), and, in 1988, my tastes were much much darker. New Order aren't typically known as a "dark" band, but their lyrics can be quite so, even if the beat isn't.

My choice was more along the darker aspects of New Order. It was never released as a single (which is why there isn't a video and I had to go with an audio only option). Granted, it was still made up of that dance-level techno, but the lyrics were the level of dark I liked and hit a bit too close to home (as any influential song should). My Aspergers was full-blown by the late 80's and my OCD was completely out of control (and both were still undiagnosed at that point). I was trying so hard to "fit in" and be "normal" even though every fiber in my being didn't want to. But despite wanting to be completely isolated and alone (even though I didn't want to be lonely...there is a difference), everyone was screaming at me (not literally, but definitely figuratively) that I MUST be part of society. It's a strange dichotomy to want to be alone yet hating being alone. This song epitomizes that.
MY CHOICE: SUBCULTURE


But, True Faith is the song that has become my New Order mantra song as the years have gone by. "When I was a very small boy, very small boys talked to me, now that we've grown up together, they're afraid of what they see"...story of my life (well, not the boy part obviously). As children, there were no popular kids or nerds or weirdos or geeks, we were all just kids. Yes, I was still weird then and my issues were just starting to manifest, but it didn't matter to the other little kids. As we got older, it mattered...a lot, especially in those pesky teen years. Even today, it still matters to others, I've just learned not to obsess about how others see me and it's made my life so much better (although I still have bad moments). But this song was the one that really made New Order massively popular (a curse that ruined all the greats). The video was played all the time on MTV and I can remember the kids at school finally starting to dip their toes into my musical pond at this point (much to my chagrin).
ALL-TIME FAVORITE: TRUE FAITH


New Order have been off and on for years. I've kept up with them all, at least all of the ones with Bernard Sumpter involved. He went off and did a "super-group" with Johnny Marr from the Smiths and with a little help from Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe from the Pet Shop Boys (called, aptly enough, Electronic), and, to me, it was more of a New Order sound than the later New Order albums (even though the Electronic albums (yes, there was more than one) were mostly done in the late 80's, early 90's). So, as this Chapter's bonus (and since it didn't make the book and should be included)...
BONUS: ELECTRONIC - GETTING AWAY WITH IT

My Mad World - Chapter 2 Redux

If you've been keeping up with me, you've noticed that I've been doing a blog series on the book Mad World by Lori Majewski and Jonathan Bernstein from my point of view. Well, I guess I was so excited last week to do Duran Duran, that I jumped the gun a little bit. Duran were actually Chapter 3 and Gary Numan was Chapter 2. Whoopsie! So, since I'm not a big Gary Numan fan, this one will be short.

THEIR CHOICE: CARS


I can't disagree with this choice for a very simple reason. Here in the states, Gary Numan was a one hit wonder and Cars was it. Back in my day, to hear other music from artists, you had to buy the singles or the vinyl or the newly created cassette tape. Sometimes they tested a video on MTV, but if it didn't show well, they never played it again. If they ever did play any other Gary Numan song, I never saw it. I was coming from music with broody, romantic, and deep lyrics (yes, all you naysayers, Duran Duran can be that way) and a song about Cars just wasn't what a young pre-teen girl wanted to hear, so Gary's album didn't make it into my collection. Besides, despite my penchant for men in makeup, Gary Numan kind of creeped me out a bit...Simon Le Bon he is not.

MY CHOICE: I CONCUR!

Next week we will be back on the good side with Chapter 4 - New Order (since Duran were technically Chapter 3) and, coincidentally my fourth favorite band of the New Wave era (can you guess the other two?).

My Mad World - Chapter 2

Continuing on with my version of the book Mad World by Lori Majewski and Jonathan Bernstein, Chapter 2 deals with my all-time favorite band and the loves of my life (or so I thought at age 11), Duran Duran.

THEIR CHOICE: GIRLS ON FILM


Seriously? In the entire Duran Duran back catalog, they picked Girls On Film as their most influential song? Granted, it may have been their most controversial video, but, on the Duran scale, it doesn't even rank. Most people would say that Hungry Like The Wolf is what put them on the map. I would also disagree with that. When you've listened to the same music for 30+ years, there is always that one song, one of the popular ones that always gets played at the shows, or on the radio, or even on music television (on the rare occasion when they actually play videos, usually on some 80's retro show), that grates on your ever-loving last nerve. HLTW is my nerve grater (although, during a live show, I'm singing and dancing along with everyone else). But I'm still gonna post a video of it (all be it a recent live version so I don't have to peruse through that damned original video):


I probably should go with Planet Earth as my most influential Duran song since it was the first one I ever heard, but I'm not. Their first album (the home of Planet Earth) was actually released twice. Once before their second album Rio (naturally) and again after Rio with the added song, Is There Something I Should Know. But, I think, for this example, I'm going to go with the Manchester Square Demo video of Planet Earth because it's more in the light of the first Duran Duran album. It's not a "cleaned up" version of the song and the video is a true representation of my early saturation of new wave music:


But, as far as my choice goes, I'm gonna lean more toward the video aspect of Duran's music rather than the song aspect (since they have always been video oriented) and go with this song from the Rio album:

MY CHOICE: LONELY IN YOUR NIGHTMARE


You are probably thinking, "I've never even heard that song, let alone seen the video!". Yeah, well, I said I was a diehard Duranie, so of course I'm gonna know songs you probably have never heard of. I choose this one because the video was filmed in two parts, one part New Romantic era Duran, all frilly shirts and bleach-haired pretty boys and one part the most popular era of Duran, the leather-wearing, super-hot guys best known for their coifs than their musical talent. It was still filmed in that "typical" Duran setting, on an exotic island with scantily-clad beautiful models dancing around, but the change from one part to the other is quite drastic as they progressed from the Rio album toward Seven and the Ragged Tiger. It also singlehandedly represents how Duran Duran is constantly reinventing itself, yet still manages to be the light of my musical life!

This chapter should also probably get a second choice, simply because they were named twice! As I got older (well, more into puberty and my obsession got out of control), Duran Duran released a "live" video for the song, The Reflex. Any diehard Duranie will tell you that the concert that The Reflex video came from has influenced us our entire lives. If you go to any Duran Duran concert, the way Simon sung certain songs or things he shouted during the Arena concert still get chanted by the crowd to this very day. Only the truest Duranie would know that Arena is a cleaned up version of a concert that was first aired on Cinemax called "As The Lights Go Down" (and yes, I have this recorded from way back when, thank god for that gigantic backyard satellite dish my step-dad just HAD to have). The Reflex (which we now know is a song about Simon's peen...kind of changes the song for ya, doesn't it?), is a typical 80's video, with headbands, wristbands, jelly bracelets, mullets, and the whole lot, but it also has the distinction of being the first typical 80's video. It used to drive me nuts that every other band started imitating Duran after this video came out, so:

MY SECOND CHOICE: THE REFLEX


After The Reflex, Duran got big, really big and so did their egos and excesses (in typical 80's fashion). Arena, the live album, only had one new song on it, Wild Boys. The first time I heard Wild Boys, I cried like a baby. I can remember every single thing about that moment as well...I was laying on my bed, looking at my stereo, wailing like a banshee. I even called my best friend (at the time) and kept dialing for hours until she got home to cry to her (yeah, she thought I was completely nuts and we didn't stay friends much longer after that). I couldn't believe that they could do that to me! I thought the song was HORRIBLE (although I don't think that now). The video was even worse (or so I thought...I quite like it now). When the press hit that Simon almost drowned while filming the video, I about lost the plot completely! It was also the most expensive video ever filmed at the time.


Duran would only release one more single after The Arena album, the James Bond theme A View To A Kill (which, for many many years, was the only Bond song to hit #1). Their performance of it at Live Aid (which was horrible, unrehearsed and painful to watch) was the last time they would play together as a five piece band. They tried to splinter off, Andy and John went to Power Station, which had some pretty huge hits, and Simon and Nick (with a little help from Roger) went on to form Arcadia (which is where my loyalties laid since Simon was my guy. Those two bands couldn't have been different, but they weren't enough of a diversion to keep the band together when they came back for their next album, Notorious. Roger would leave first...he was just tired of it all (but there were always rumors that he had a nervous breakdown). Andy would leave next (which didn't bother me so much because I hated him...but be careful what you wish for because we ended up with Warren Cuccurullo for a good chunk of Duran's existence). But just to show the difference between the two bands, lets do a clip from each:

SIDE PROJECT #1 - THE POWER STATION - SOME LIKE IT HOT (because it shows off John's incredible bass talent as well as his artistic, he was, after all, a former art school pupil like myself):


SIDE PROJECT #2 - ARCADIA - THE FLAME (you probably don't know this one, but it's one of my favorite Simon videos and it's just fun, plus, it was more in the vein of Duran):


John also did a solo song (and album eventually) for the movie 9 1/2 Weeks (the movie that put Kim Basinger and Mickey Roarke on the map):


And Andy did his own solo album as well and a theme song for another movie (no need to show it, it sucked).

Once the remaining three did manage to get back together, Notorious was a completely different entity from anything they had done before. Yes, there was still the scantily clad supermodels (in this case, a very young Christy Turlington makes her debut in the video for Notorious). Warren came in during these years, but didn't get made an official band member until two albums later with Liberty. Liberty was Duran's worst commercial success and everyone said it was the end of Duran Duran. But my all-time favorite Duran Duran song (even to this day) came from Liberty. It's the one song that can instantly change my mood and you can always tell when I'm pissed because I play it on a constant loop. It used to drive my co-worker nuts because I could play it all day long, over and over again (and often did). So, it's no surprise that it gets my vote for:

ALL TIME FAVORITE DURAN SONG: SERIOUS


Duran released a single that mixed their greatest hits all into one song (and it's pretty darn cool and a bitch to find):


But Duran didn't give up on moving forward and the mid 90's saw their rebirth of popularity and a whole new generation of Duranies were born with The Wedding Album and the song Ordinary World. My boys were back in a big way and my music was cool again! I would be remiss not to play a video from this album as well, but I'm not gonna choose Ordinary World. None of the Above fit more with my outsider lifestyle and became my mantra for a long time:


Their tribute album, Thank You, had some hits and misses, but it still was good overall (and White Lines is still one of the best live songs they play). I do have to backtrack a little bit. When Duran do Girls On Film now, it's usually the longer "night version" and its when they introduce the band. That has become tied for my favorite live song simply because we all get to chant, "PLAY THAT FUCKIN BASS JOHN" over and over again with Simon! But I digress.

Back to where I was, after Thank You, the unthinkable happened. "Creative Differences" (code for John's drug problem had gotten way out of hand) caused yet another original member to leave. My heart was broken and I blamed Warren for many years (can you tell I hated him?). Duran would continue to release albums, two more in fact (although the early Medazzaland demos did include some John stuff, including one of him singing). Now here is where I have to interject. I LOVE John Taylor, but the dude can't sing. But once he split from Duran, he went solo for quite a few albums (which I own, of course, whether I like them or not, the code of the Duranie, faithful forever), got clean, got divorced, and remarried (to Gela Taylor, aka Juicy Couture), formed another supergroup, Neurotic Outsiders with members of The Clash and Guns and Roses (John went a bit hard for a while). There are songs of his I love, if you can get past his actual voice (there is a reason why Simon loops his own voice as harmony instead of using much of John's, let's just leave it at that). Hey Day is a great song because it's pretty much a docu-song about John and Nick (with name changes, of course), but my all time favorite is A Song For Europe with Dave Gahan of Depeche Mode (there is only an audio version of it since they never filmed a video, but here it is):


Even Simon has done a solo song here and there. Simon IS Duran for me, so anything he does has that Duran vibe to it. Even Arcadia had a definite Duran vibe. Here's the best example of his solo stuff, I really love this song, Nobody Knows:


Backtracking again, I do have to mention the video for Out Of My Mind from Medazzaland. That was a throwback to the Arcadia age of song sound and videos, and it's also one of my top five, so I feel it should be mentioned:


Then, the most amazing thing ever happened...Warren left (thank GOD!) and a simple phone call got all five guys back again! I was never so happy to see Andy Taylor in my entire life!! And the best part, the album was better than I could have ever imagined (after a several year wait). They were finally getting critical as well as other musician praise. They were on every awards show getting lifetime achievement awards and the like. Every Duranies dream!! But Andy started showing his tail feathers again and left after Astronaut.

Their next album wasn't bad, but was a bit of a stab in the back for us diehards. They used Timbaland and Justin Timberlake as producers, so the album had a very modern sound, but not a "Duran" sound. There were some good songs, but the beat was just wrong.

I really didn't mean this to be a history of Duran, but it appears that's what it ended up being. They have released tons of videos throughout the years, all of which have special meaning to me for one reason or the other. So, I guess we'll end with their newest album (all be it a couple of years old now...Duran put out a new album about every 3-5 years on average) and one of their last videos (Simon, please ditch the beard...it looks terrible!). But the good thing about this song is it's an obvious throwback to the New Romantic Duran and a definite nod to us loyal and faithful followers of, what I consider, the greatest band on earth!

ONE OF THE LATEST SONGS: ALL YOU NEED IS NOW


Since I have practically put most of my favorite Duran videos/songs in this post, why not finish up with an album by album best of list (and I'm only going with recorded albums, not greatest hits or live albums since I could be at this all day). I could give you YouTube links, but I think I've bombarded you enough, so feel free to look them up yourselves if your interested (although I figure you probably aren't).

1 - Duran Duran (album), Careless Memories (favorite song and FABULOUS live), Is There Something I Should Know (best video)
2 - Rio (album), Last Chance On The Stairway (favorite song), Lonely In Your Nightmare (best video)
3 - Seven And The Ragged Tiger (album), The Seventh Stranger (favorite song), New Moon On Monday (best video - especially the long movie version), Secret Oktober (best B-side)
4 - Notorious (album), Hold Me (best song), Skin Trade (best video)
5 - Big Thing (album), Land (best song), Do You Believe In Shame (best video)
6 - Liberty (album), Serious (best song EVER), Serious (best video as well)
7 - Duran Duran (aka The Wedding Album), None Of The Above (best song), Too Much Information (best video)
8 - Thank You (album), Perfect Day (best song and video), White Lines (best live song)
9 - Medazzaland (album), Midnight Sun (best song), Out of My Mind (best video)
10- Pop Trash (my least favorite Duran album - too much Warren), the only decent song is a B-side, Un Autre Que Moi (french version of the song Someone Else Not Me, Simon singing French...need I say more).
11- Astronaut (album), What Happens Tomorrow (best song), Reach Up For The Sunrise (best video - there are six versions of this one, one featuring each band member and one with them all, of course the Simon version is my favorite)
12- Red Carpet Massacre (album), Skin Divers (best song, it's one that gets in your head and doesn't let go), Falling Down (best video and a throwback to Girls On Film)
13- All You Need Is Now (album), Leave A Light On (best song), All You Need Is Now (best video)

And that's it for Chapter 2. I did warn you it would be long, but you should know from my War and Peace length Disney posts, that when I'm obsessed about something, it gets my full attention (and I think it should get yours as well...welcome to the wonderful world of Aspergers!).

My Mad World - Chapter 1

I've already reviewed the book Mad World by Lori Majewski and Jonathan Bernstein (see review here), but I haven't been able to get it out of my mind. Granted, I already keep my car radio off Sirius First Wave, but my playlist at work has definitely been altered and I've caught myself, more than once, turning the TV to the New Wave radio station instead of watching a real show! It's been a while since I've been this passionate about music and I've been reminiscing quite a lot about my favorites.

As I mentioned in my review, I didn't necessarily agree with some of their choices. So, I thought I'd break down the artists featured in the book from my own point of view (and add a few of the ones I thought SHOULD have been in the book). Guess I'm missing the A to Z Challenge more than I thought I was because I seem to feel the need to serial blog (although, I can guarantee, I won't be doing this every day...maybe once a week).

But anyway, I'm planning on breaking down the book, chapter by chapter, giving their choices and then my rebuttal choice (or my agreeing choice). Chapter 1 was Adam and the Ants, so let's start there!

THEIR CHOICE: KINGS OF THE WILD FRONTIER


I don't remember this song from the 80's. It was more a retro greatest hits discovery at some point in the 90's. The first video I remember seeing of Adam and the Ants was Ant Music. I wasn't adversed to the new wave look by that point, I was a diehard Duranie, so guys in makeup and frilly shirts were what I was attracted to at the time (or as attracted as a pre-teen can be to a 20 something). But I have to admit, Adam Ant scared me at first, especially with the song Ant Music. I've always been a Southern prude at heart and the whole Indian-New Romantic, Jack-Sparrow'ed, football makeup, tribal chanting guy was a bit too much, even for my burgeoning teenage inner weirdo! I really didn't take much notice of Adam Ant until after he got kicked out of the band and started his solo career with Goody Two Shoes and Strip (can you imagine how freaked out my inner prude was by Strip, but I thoroughly enjoyed tormenting my parents with it!). The first video of the Ants that I remember liking was Prince Charming...it had that whole self deprecation theme that was so prevalent in my life at the time and I started noticing how hot Adam actually was. It was a wild and crazy video with a Robin Hood type theme (and a very strange synchronized dance routine), but still romantic and that little bit nutter that I really dug back then.

MY CHOICE: PRINCE CHARMING (sorry...couldn't find a good link to the real video so I'm making due with a live version)


As a side note, I thought I'd throw in my all-time favorite song from the artist as well. Adam's music got more mature during my post-college years and his humoring shock value look changed to more of a romantic gentleman (but still a bit self deprecating).

MY ALL-TIME FAVORITE ANT SONG (even if it was a song about Heather Graham) - WONDERFUL:


But overall, Adam Ant definitely deserved to be in the book...he defined a look and a style that was copied by the likes of Michael Jackson (Michael actually did have his coat made after asking where Adam got his), a musical style that was spun off of and formed other bands (Bow Wow Wow), and he left a trail of broken hearts all the way through half the actresses in Hollywood. A few years ago I read his autobiography, and his lifetime of dealing with his mental issues hit a bit too close to home (although I'm not bi-polar). I don't read many autobiographies, but I thoroughly enjoyed his. I'm just glad he's been able to work on himself enough to be able to get back out into the world and continue to make new music. He may look a bit rougher and plumper (but don't we all), but he's still got that "certain" something that keeps him interesting!

HIS NEWEST HIT - COOL ZOMBIE


Next up...the big double D...the loves of my life...DURAN DURAN! I should warn you, that may be a pretty long post since I have a 30+ year history as a diehard Duranie!