October 27, 2016

Spinning right round... spinning out.



Goodbye to Pete Burns, of Dead or Alive. Yes, he's dead now. You'll will be too some day, hopefully only after a quite a few more spins round.

Writing the post title about that 80s song sent me back to a 60s song — "Spinout" (which lets you see where Elvis was in my favorite pop music year, 1966):

25 comments:

madAsHell said...

Peter Burns. I wonder if that was a stage name.

Of course, I'm still stunned that someone named their child John Candy. It's what Bill Murray found at the bottom of the swimming pool.

Eric the Fruit Bat said...

I wasn't into the gender bending thing but still had only admiration for the hair.

Etienne said...
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Steve said...

Did you just gender zir?

http://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/one-last-pictures-pete-burns-9118598

Kevin said...

Speaking of 80's remakes, I'm waiting for Hillary, Warren, and DWS to remake this little number.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bfLZfyphg0M

With Huma on skins, of course.

Ron said...

Althouse! Time to tease out the hair, get an eyepatch, preferably with glitter, and karaoke along! The fan base wants to see it!

Heartless Aztec said...

Elvis in '66 was only two years away from Elvis in'68. Worth the wait too. Both he and the Beatles were in the process of getting back to their roots. "Spin Out" is the final gasps of Col Parker's vision. The only "real" Elvis after he left Sun Studios was in his gospel recordings. You Tube "Swing Down Sweet Chariot". That's some real Elvis.

traditionalguy said...

Elvis had a balance of the male mind and the female mind, and was also strong at both. That's why we called him The King.

His rock songs and his love songs were both perfectly performed.

traditionalguy said...

And it took Four Beatles to make a better singer than one Elvis.

robother said...

A thoughtful bit of practical poetry, warning against the dangers of distracted driving.Maybe not quite Nobel- worry, but at least deserving of some kind of award from the National Association of Traffic Administrators.

Yancey Ward said...

That leaves Adam Ant and Boy George.

Graham Powell said...

@Yancy Ward - saw both Ant and George in the past few years. Each of them can still put on a show.

Yancey Ward said...

Graham,

Yes, I saw recently that Ant had started us his music performance career again, at least in and around London.

Coconuss Network said...

Hysterical, both the band Dead or Alive and Elvis.

Bruce Hayden said...

I have mentioned this before at Althouse, but my partner met a lot of stars in the 1970s, in Las Vegas, and Elvis was clearly the sexiest man she had ever met. She and a friend got tickets to one of his shows, then met with him backstage afterwards. He was, apparently, just reeking of male pheromones. Gave her a scarf, which she claims to still have somewhere, over 40 years later. And was one of the only stars (the other being Cosby) who didn't try to get her to go out with them. Perfect gentleman.

Story came up while we were driving a couple years ago on US 285 up the San Louis valley, singing to the Elvis XM channel (she thought that the Sangre De Cristo mountains to the east were ugly - I thought that she was crazy). Also, and this was a surprise to me, her father, who would be in his 90s now, was also a big Elvis fan. Go figure.

Popville said...
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Popville said...

All this spinning about architecture drove me to click on a favorite from Syreeta - Spinning and Spinning, tho not from 1966.

Closer to Ann's '66 is The Ballroom's Spinning, Spinning Spinning. This group was led by Wisconsin native & master of 60s soft-pop Curt Beottcher.

AimHighHitLow said...

Pete Burns has died (and so has Elvis) but "You Spin Me Round" was reborn as Flo Rida's huge 2009 hit "Right Round". Dead or Alive got writing credit to boot. In pop music, good ideas get recycled about every 25 years.

BN said...

The only thing that matters is what did Dylan think of Elvis?

Perfesser, I'll buy something through your portal if you research that for my lazy ass.

William said...

i wonder if there's some variance in the longevity of different rock stars. Do heavy metal stars die sooner than the punk rock people? The folkies seem to be a hardy group. Chaste lives, organic foods, and sensible shoes pay off in the end. Judy Collins and Joan Baez look remarkably healthy......I haven't heard of any disco stars dying, but that might be because they've achieved oblivion, so who would notice.

BN said...

"i wonder if there's some variance in the longevity of different rock stars."

Yes. Those who make deals with the devil (e.g., "The Rolling Stones" and, of course, because just for show if nothing else, Ozzie) live a loooooong time.

Those who don't (e.g., Buddy Holly, John Lennon), don't.

BN said...

And don't bring up Bryan Jones or Bill Wyman. Bryan was an arrogant prick who picked a fight with some "hippy" construction workers remodeling his castle who drowned his ass and then sent him a bill for the new kitchen. Wyman got told by Satan hisself when he married them teenage girls they'd be the death of him. Did he listen?

The devil got his own watch. He can tell what time it is.

And besides, when i say "The Rolling Stones," i mean McKeef.

BN said...

...which brings us to Dylan. Born in '41, so 75 YO.

Now, he may not have signed anything in blood (lyrics search opportunity here, anyone?), but 75 IS pretty old for a "troubadour." And Mr. Nobel apparently was forced by SOMEbody to give him a bunch of money. Now, of course, Mr. Nobel may just be the devil in disguise. So we probably better take that possibility into account too. It's a real condom.

I'm going to say he's pure.

Because, well, ok i admit it, i have a soft spot for the Perfesser.

And also... it's Bob.

Anonymous said...

"Yes, he's dead now. You'll will be too some day, hopefully only after a quite a few more spins round. " WTF?

Wilbur said...

Elvis. For those who believe, no explanation is necessary ... etc.