Sunday, December 05, 2004

There won't be snow in Africa this Christmastime

I hope everyone enjoyed their respective Thanksgivings. As anyone who knows me knows, it is just about my favorite holiday (well, besides Halloween--cuz, to reiterate, I used to be a drama nerd so I dig costumes the most!). The blog has been sadly neglected because I was enjoying the holiday with my family and since I've been back I've been really busy with my new interim career as a freelancer. But now that I've actually sat down at the computer without a busy work agenda, it's important to get back to the work at hand....

So, last week the Killers were on TV twice. Once, on the OC, where the looked cute and sounded great and once, on Conan where they wore matching suits and looked like bible salesmen. I mean, Brandon has never been so Mormon-y to me. It was creepy. And they sounded so disinterested and, frankly, really really tired. I have always been a firm supporter of the Killers kick-ass live show (despite what so many of the snarky reviews--like the one that appeared the Voice--have to say), but on Conan they looked just bored of the song and exhausted. And the matching suits and Brandon's haircut did NOT help their case.

And, a note to Mr. Flowers....I have forsaken you for a new boyfriend (and it's not just cuz I found out you are a Mormon!). Now my new boyfriend is a little older (in fact, he recently pushed Elvis Costello down a notch to #2 on the men over 50 I'd have sex with list), but he is also a "sir" and he was once rumored to be interested in being Ireland's next president. It's Bob Geldof. Now, I know what you are thinking. Dude, Geldof hasn't had a hit song since practically the year of my birth. But over Thanksgiving I got a copy of the Live Aid DVD and I have developed a serious crush (evidenced by the fact that his1985 Rolling Stone cover is now my computer wallpaper because, clearly, I am a huge nerd!). I mean he is a passionate advocate for African debt relief and father's rights and he wrote "I Don't Like Mondays!" For some reason, when Bono campaigns for political stuff it only fuels my hatred of him and convinces me that he has some weird Christ complex, but when Bob does it, it seems so sincere that I literally had goosebumps all weekend as I've made my way through the 4 DVDs.

Maybe it has something to do with my memories of the event of Live Aid--it is really one of my earliest visual music memories. I'm pretty sure that I saw Madonna singing "Like a Virgin" at the VMAs the previous fall, but I can't be sure if that is a memory or if I've just seen it replayed on VH1 nostaglia shows so much that I'm familiar with the performance. But I TOTALLY remember her performance on Live Aid, since I was so proud that the US leg of the show was being performed in my home town. It was the first (and maybe only) time I ever felt proud to live in Philly and thought it was a cool place where stuff HAPPENED. I was at my parent's friend's pool watching from outside and I came running inside to watch Madge (whom I LOVED, even though I was only 8--I distinctly remember performing "Like a Virgin" for my parents at their friend's pool and having my mom ask me if I knew what a virgin was and getting embarassed because I didn't. But I said, "Yeah!" and ran away.). I also remember seeing Duran Duran and I must've caught Queen because my dad was obsessed with them. (Speaking of which, while watching the DVDs this weekend, I think I've decided that Freddie Mercury was the best frontman of all time. Eat your heart out, Mick Jagger!) Anyway, Bob Geldof was really really cute, with his scruffy, almost-mullet, singing "I Don't Like Mondays," but I truly fell in love with him during the "Do You Know Its Christmas?" finale of the London show. He was trying to involve everyone and he looked so happy and proud and moved. I actually got tears in my eyes (I warned you, I'm a huge nerd).

Anyway, see for yourself. Get the Live Aid DVD. It is seriously awesome. I mean, yes, some people sound off-key and some bands play some songs I've literally never heard of before. And, yes, you might rather save your 30 bucks for a DVD that doesn't include Hall and Oates (although Beth is totally in love with Oates--so that is reason enough for her to watch!) or Paul Young. But c'mon people! Not only does your money go to a good cause, and not only will you get to see a lot of my new boyfriend, but you get to see some amazing celebrity moments: Charles and Di enter Wembeley together looking utterly miserable and not touching (how did we not know?!), George Michael duetting with a still druggy and fat and married-to-a-woman Elton John (how did we not know...about either of them?), Rob Halford in an amazing leather daddy outfit in the unbearable Philly heat (again...how did we not know?), and Madonna practicing the lost art of singing live while dancing (you won't see ANY of that in this millennium). Plus, it comes with the videos for "Do they Know its Christmas?" and "We are the World." And if the sight of Kenny Rogers duetting a line with Paul Simon doesn't get you somewhere in your nostalgic heart, then, I'm sorry, you might be legally dead.

1 Comments:

Blogger shaymo said...

can i come over and rewatch those dvds with you one day? i am dying to see it. i love live aid. and not just because i've been wearing that 99 cent store t-shirt that says "this t-shirt saves lives" on the back of it for the past 4(5?) years. and especially not because said t-shirt has armpit stains. can you get rid of armpit stains? maybe if i bleach the armpits. project!

3:04 PM  

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