Whenever I queue up the YouTube of Oingo Boingo, live at the Ritz in 1985, I'm typically met with a familiar feeling that I shouldn't be doing this, not again. Yet, whatever sense of dread I feel is aligned with the doom-laden humour of Oingo Boingo Struggle Tweets 2. Incredible awe is met with inevitable dread. I carcrash my passions. I overindulge and reach a saturation point with my listening practices.
Unsurprisingly, I first came across Oingo Boingo at a Halloween party years ago. I shazammed Dead Man's Party not once, but twice, and it seemed that my fascination with that one song sustained me for a long time. I still haven't tired of its bombastic horns and the snide Frakenstein-cries: "Don't run away! It's only me!" I make it my business to shoehorn it into every FOTW Halloween Listening Party x C&CM show.
Saying that, I fell in with Boingo slowly, mostly finding one-off tracks and listening to them on solitary walks around Hampstead Heath. Grey Matter, Only a Lad and Just Another Day became so apart of that rona-ritual of walking, thinking and keeping the hell away from other people. When Spotify Wrapped comes round with ever-increasing frequency, I tend to foreshadow it with the obvious, "I mean, surely it's just all Oingo Boingo?"
Nowadays, I make it a habit to listen to the Oingo Boingo Secret Appreciation Society, a podcast which dives deep into its recurring lyrical themes and connections, and it's a humbling thing to be at the beginning of my Boingo fandom. The episode of Not My Slave especially had this fascinating analysis about relationship dynamics. I love how they cooed over the poetics of the line: "With deafening sound, whisper, "I love you"..."
I like to listen, not to be an expert, but to figure out where these songs sit within myself. Finding whatever aspects that resonate, holding them to the light and thinking about why that is. It's much like walking on the Heath and pursuing whatever paths I want to take. I present interesting Boingo bits I find to my friend, Bec at Mild Scribbling. She also watches that performance of Oingo Boingo, live at the Ritz in 1985.
We talk about the gestures and Danny's maniacal expressions, how maddeningly raucous it is. I feel grateful that despite my predilection to carcrash everything, I can share my thoughts with my very own Boingo friend.
Cassettes & Chocolate Milk: Disco Podcast #70
Vivien Vee - Alright
Patrick Cowley - Tech-No-Logical World
Miquel Brown - So Many Men, So Little Time
Michael Zager Band - Let's All Chant
Tim Curry - Paradise Garage
Bucks Fizz - Shine On
Village People - Magic Night
PFO Pilgrim Fathers Orchestra - Touch Me Don't Stop (12" Extended Mix)
Wow, I don't often know many of the tunes you play, but I've heard a few of these from equally eclectic sources. Alright was one of the many bumper songs on Art Bell's radio program, which was (still is with a different host) a late night talk show about paranormal stuff. But I ended up getting a hold of quite a few of his bumper tunes. One that may or may not be of interest to you is Midnight in the Desert by Crystal Gayle, which I believe was written for Art Bell.
ReplyDeleteWith The So Many Men song I actually thought you might have been singing that one at first! Oh and I'm sure I've heard that Tim Curry one as well.
-Shot
I see some of Art Bell's radio shows have been uploaded to Spotify, I should have a listen! Midnight in the Desert is especially pretty, thanks so much for recommending!
ReplyDeleteSo Many Men is an anthem of sorts round these parts, hah! So glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for listening :)
He was one of those radio personalities I couldn't help but be fascinated with, especially since I was often forced into "sleeping" for school. Instead of doing that I'd be lying in bed listening to one or several late night shows. There was one with a local DJ playing love songs until midnight, at midnight there was the NPR station (local affiliate at Wayne State University) where a woman (Liz Copeland maybe) did a show that very much reminds me of your, which I think I've mentioned to you before. That you had a future in U.S. National Public radio and/or major college stations. There was also Love Line with Adam Corolla and Dr. Drew, which was largely comedy but certainly taught me a lot about the opposite sex and relationships, not that I ever used it much, ha.
ReplyDeleteThen there was Coast to Coast AM, always to be taken with a grain of salt as he considered himself an entertainer, but no matter the topic he was all in and it was just fascinating. There's a line in Contact which was taken from his show, "Wanna take a ride?!". He wrote The Coming Global Super Storm, which was made into the movie The Day After Tomorrow. Here's an interesting interview Larry King did with Art, just a fascinating personality, no longer with us, but a major part of my teenage youth and into my 20's as well. https://youtu.be/rxWR585-vCw