Transcript
Speaker: Okay, welcome back listeners. This is Josh Downing and you are listening to That TV Sound where we are talking about post-punk music. You know that the new wave, the stuff that we love to listen to from like the late 70s to writing music right up until the 90s. We haven't really hit the 90s yet.
Speaker: The way this works is I pulled some years randomly out of a glass jar on my desk and then that's what we end up talking about. With me today is my guest, Tyler.
Speaker: I'll be playing the part of the glass jar. i thought you were the the Madonna backup chicks. That's a joke. You have to listen to the last episode to get that one. So please make sure you do your homework because there will be a quiz at the end. there will There's always quizzes at the end.
Speaker: Yeah, there is. I love a good quiz at the end. All right. We're going to start off with a bit of a fun game, though because we haven't done something like this for while. We used to do this in Yabazonker Zoinks, but we're going to do this.
Speaker: Remember that? Keep, toss, or sell. Uh-oh. So I'm going to give you the name of a an album, which is one of the top 20 albums um listed by Classic Pop Magazine. 1983. Oh, gosh, I think this is singles. Yes, it is. It's singles from 1983. You're going to tell me if you would keep that single, toss it, or sell it.
Speaker: All right. Okay. You ready? Yes. First up, Girls Just Want to Have Fun by Cyndi Lauper. Sell it. Sell it. Is that because it's worth big bucks? Did you see she just got an action figure?
Speaker: No, I did not see that. Based on her time with the WWE. Oh. I guess it was at the time. Okay, so they they gave her sort of a WWF action figure? Yeah, an action figure now. That's pretty cool. In theory, yeah. It doesn't really look good, considering we do figure so much better now. Yeah. Now, that's too bad.
Speaker: But she would have been pretty crazy looking back then, too, right? Yeah. It would have been hard to do all that colored hair. So you'd sell that one. Yeah. You wouldn't toss it. Somebody wants it. Here's the funny thing.
Speaker: Sorry for holding us up. No, this is... well There's a 12-inch that came out, a US 12-inch that came out for that single really late.
Speaker: And it is actually an incredible 12-inch single. goal Yeah. it's it's it I don't own it, but I remember it back in the day. And I don't know why it was so late, but it was. And it's for like a...
Speaker: ah I don't want to call it a funk track, but it's that it's more funk than dance. And it's actually really, really well done. So if you know it, you know it. but right No, don't, never apologize. as long as we're talking about music, it's nothing to apologize.
Speaker: Okay, that's a good one. So sell that one. You know that tom this this particular single has had over 1 billion YouTube views. Oh my gosh. 1 billion.
Speaker: hu and So maybe that single's worth a couple bucks. Not a penny made to her, I guess. No, of course not. Of course not. No, YouTube made all that money. Okay, next up, The Love Cats from The Cure.
Speaker: Oh. ah ah
Speaker: Well, I don't want to say toss because that's a little mean. I'll just, that's a weird one, right? Like that, that's such an odd song in their catalog. Nothing wrong with the single just straight coming from them. Yeah. I'll say sell it.
Speaker: Yeah. See, I keep that one. I've got a lot of really good memories. Yeah. ah That was because we're talking 83. This is Every weekend at Bumpers, which was our teen nightclub, this was where we went. And that song played, like, I'm sure every single night. i so i ah I saw that tour. It was a little dull.
Speaker: um That's too bad. saw them at the concert hall. yeah Yeah, anyway. Okay. All right. That's interesting. Yeah. i don't want to miss that. No, no, no, not at all. ah There's so much stuff. I mean, The Cure is amazing. They've got so much amazing stuff. I like that song just because it was fun. we would have fun. and It was a fun dance song. So it was good. Good memories.
Speaker: Okay. Last up. I owe you Freeze. Oh.
Speaker: Okay, we're going to keep that one, but nobody's going to know. And I've never owned it, but it's just like, how can you not like that song? You want to what?
Speaker: I own it. Oh, do you really? i have the vinyl version of song. All right, so so keep, sell, or toss? Oh, yeah, I'm definitely keeping that one. That's so funny. Yeah. That's amazing. Yeah, think it was ah that was a big song. And I also danced to that song, probably had The Love of Affair more than anything else. To me, that's a very American, like, you know, ghetto blaster, quote unquote, you know dancing in the street kind of song. And I don't hate it. It's good pop.
Speaker: Yeah, it's solid. It was a solid dance song. Like it was fun. so And of course, you know, on on some of the best sound system in North America at the time at the Love Affair, it was it was a killer song and it's good memories. 83 was too huge.
Speaker: Too huge. all right. With that, I'm going to hit the theme song.
Speaker: You're listening to That TV Sound with your host, Josh Downing, a Gen X for Life podcast.
Speaker: Sometimes it's just weird to hear my own voice. Sure. Recorded. Sure. I'm like, okay, who's that weirdo that's talking? Oh, and I just want to say, listeners, if you're hearing birds in the background, it's not the Madonna backup singers. That's real birds. Unfortunately, my window's open. It's really hot in here. And I've got my mic adjusted, so hopefully you won't hear them. But if you do hear the occasional bird, they actually are birds.
Speaker: They're just going to bed, so they're a little noisy okay little noisy. Okay. 1983. Yes. Big year. Very big year. I kind of think, for me, this was like the...
Speaker: the The preamble to the golden age of the 80s. Yeah, this is when everybody's got their formula down. yeah They haven't really sold out yet. No. you know They're probably all still starving at this point, but still putting out top 10 singles. yeah This is still a really good, innocent, fresh year.
Speaker: Yeah, for sure. And I think also for us, you know, here in Canada, we were really starting to get some of this stuff here. Like we were able to buy records and we were hearing it on certain radio stations.
Speaker: So we had access to it right? Yeah. The rock stations were suddenly embracing a lot of stuff, you know, more so than you would think. Yeah. Yeah. So we ended up getting some music and and we were listening to it and, and,
Speaker: You know, we were were being exposed to it. And then, like I said, i i was in a teen nightclub or I was in Love Affair every weekend pretty much through grade 11 for me. That was grade 11.
Speaker: And a great year for music. There was so much. So let's let's talk about some favorite things. okay you go I hear you've got a me first. Well, okay. So I'm just going to talk. there's There's a song and it's not by far, it's not my favorite. There's so much music. There's so much stuff I love, but there's a song that really stood out for me in 83.
Speaker: I'd never heard anything like it. It was a weird night. We were at the love affair. um we were dancing. Unfortunately, a friend of ours was getting sick while this was happening. So maybe there was some trauma there,
Speaker: but It was October Love Song by Chris and Kosi. Oh, okay. Never heard of Chris and Kosi before. yeah yeah But this song came on in this amazing sound system.
Speaker: And it just, I don't know, it just sunk into my my brain. It was a powerful, powerful song. And it was just so beautiful. And it was such an amazing experience. It stuck with me. And I love Chris and Kosey now. like they're They're in my in my top 50.
Speaker: So they're they're amazing. i thought you were going to say Blue Monday. I really thought you were say that. I know. Isn't that funny? And I thought about it. And I thought, and you know what? Blue Monday is an easy one. That's easy. You know I'm going to love Blue Monday. You know I'm going to say danced my brains out to Blue Monday, you know, 10,000 times the 80s and the and the And sometimes still office. But...
Speaker: and sometimes still in my in my office but I was like, no, I got to think of something that that actually had a little bit more impact and was a little bit more unusual, right? Because I don't, you know, everybody knows Blue Monday, but does everybody know October Love Song? If you don't, find it, listen to it.
Speaker: There's some great remixes of that too. I have a couple of the singles where there's a couple of different mixes and man, oh man, I love that song. And if you don't know Chris and Cosi and you love electronic music, find Chris and Cosi, like seriously.
Speaker: Are going to add it to your Spotify? Yes. Yes. Definitely going into my, into my spot. way Have I talked about that for a while? Um, it's called that TV sound. It's on Spotify. That's a playlist. And, uh, every time we talk about our favorite songs, I put them on my Spotify playlist for that TV sound. So you can go and listen to it as well.
Speaker: Very cool. Awesome. So yeah, that's my, that's my 1983. There's so much more stuff though. Holy crap. Like I could talk for like six hours about 1983. Yeah. But let's hear from you.
Speaker: i had this huge smash hits poster that had like a hundred bands on it. I would just stare at it and I'd be like, wow, they're all active. They're all my favorite. Exactly. I love all of them and they're all cool and weird. Yes. And they've all got hit albums and singles out over there.
Speaker: and I want all their hair and all their outfits. Yes. Yes, exactly. Exactly. Easier to achieve back then. Yep.
Speaker: 83 for me was grade eight to i high school. Yeah. and the biggest thing for me was going to the Twilight Zone for the first time.
Speaker: That was a big deal. and The first song... The first band I ever danced to in a club was Simple Minds, which surprised me. But it was. It took me a while before I had the guts, you know. And then, of course, there's no turning back after that.
Speaker: and After the first swirl, you're gone. Yeah. And it's funny, you know, when I think of 83, for some reason, the first thing I think of is Culture Club playing the concert hall and me being terrified he was going to get shot. Isn't that funny? That's all good they're they're playing and he's going to get shot.
Speaker: And that's I just it's going to happen. And that's all I think about. I'm like, oh, my God. You know, they they've been on the scene a very short time and George is going to be shot in Toronto. wow Weird. Like, i like I'm still pretty young. Right. But yeah, I'm really worried about that. ah Wow. And he's still alive today. So I know. Well, that's amazing. Pretty funny.
Speaker: That is so hilarious. Pretty funny. I probably had fears like that, too, when I was younger and I was going to shows. But I think it was more that I was going to get shot. I was just going to say, I wasn't worried about myself. yeah Well, you know, because i I grew up in a pretty rough area, you know, with my green and red hair and, you know, my my punk shirts with all the pins in it. It was a good chance. I mean, I had beer bottles thrown at my head, so and why not?
Speaker: So sad. Yeah. All right. So... yeah it's some favorites it's in line like like the thing about 83 is everybody was active everybody was my favorite it just every week there was another single out that out did whatever your favorite track was the week before because it was just this onslaught from the uk of just quality record after quality record and you know it was just like my gosh like if this is music
Speaker: like the rest of my life is set, you know, and my tastes haven't really changed that much. I went more guitar friendly years after 83. But as far as like quality pop is concerned, like 83 is a hard year to be, you know, like everybody had a big hit that year. Everybody had big videos that year.
Speaker: um Some names were becoming like household names. You know, they weren't just your little secret anymore. You know, so it was a massive, massive year.
Speaker: Yes, it was.
Speaker: Okay, so here oh here I'm going to tell you some of the some of the amazing hit songs that came out in 83. ah Duran Duran, is there something I should know? Okay, stop there.
Speaker: That's a 12-inch single. That's amazing. Yes. There's no vocal that Monster Mix. That is a great 12-inch. Nice. Yeah. I mean, I love the song anyways. Yeah. Like, that's a powerful single. Yeah.
Speaker: Especially vocally. But that 12-inch, boom. Anyway. Nice. I don't think I have that one. Oh, you should just listen to it. just Yeah, I'll go listen to it. Yeah. I'm i'm sure I've heard it, but i it's been a while since I listened. It's incredible.
Speaker: Nobody's Diary. Yazoo. That was big for me. have that single. Yeah, that's cool. I get it. It was it was on play, like nonstop. I love that. That's just not a big song for me.
Speaker: Yeah, so that was a big one for me. I the situation was massive. but Oh, yeah. That's much. Yeah. Yeah, I know. Isn't that crazy? Yeah, I know. Along with Blue Monday. It's like Pokemon. like Why is Pokemon still around?
Speaker: Like, seriously. Yeah, that was that Cruel Summer, Bananarama. Yeah. a that That's important.
Speaker: As a fan, that's important because that was their first time in America and they made that video here. Yeah. And I was getting frustrated with them because their first singles were all percussion. Yeah.
Speaker: And which i was just bonkers about. As soon as they drifted from Fumboy 3, it was kind of like, oh, where are you going guys? You know, but, but that's when the hits really started. now So good for them. And I still remember buying that 12 inch like yesterday. Although it's nothing, it's a very boring 12 inch. It's just a single for five minutes.
Speaker: No, that's okay, though. It's a good single. Yeah. Better live. And we saw them live, didn't we? Oh, yes, we did. she was amazing. anyway Yes. Awesome. Great show. Yes. Everything counts, Debeche Mode.
Speaker: Yeah. that's That's a very sweet song. Yeah. And a sweet 12-inch and sweet memories. and Yeah. And a band that was still pretty young, you know, and we were all young.
Speaker: But yeah, that's a that's a special song, isn't it? Yeah. Yeah. that was it It's got like almost like a like ah like a midway um carnival sort of like nursery rhyme.
Speaker: I'm not explaining this very well. Yeah, no, you don't get it. it i don't say me yeah I don't want to say earwig, but it's just it's got it's got a sound that just kind of flow so easily yeah into your ears, you know?
Speaker: Yeah. That was still part of the, Alan Wilder years that that people talk about a lot. It's a big deal, right? Yeah. Yeah. Cause their, their sound changed so drastically after, after Vince, but then there was so much influence from Alan.
Speaker: And then when Alan was gone, things changed again. Well, their whole sound got darker and Yeah. They were unstoppable there for a long time. Yes, they were. And they're they're another one, too. They're like Pokemon. Why are they still so popular? ah That's a huge one. But, yeah, that was that was a big one for me as well. And then you probably loved Little Red Corvette.
Speaker: I actually did. um That's another good 12-inch. Like prince Prince, you can't... You can't criticize the man. Just and an incredible artist. And, you know, when you look at his catalog, I don't love every track. I tend to love the ones that weren't popular. um But Corvette was a big single and a great 12-inch. And just, again, just great memories of innocent times. know And that's actually a great lyric song as well. so
Speaker: Yeah, I did. i did. it And it's ah it's sort of a production sound like I hadn't really heard before. you know and you can just always count on him to have something new every time. Yeah.
Speaker: So not one of my favorite tracks, but absolutely, yes, it's's it's it's it's on my ear. Yeah, it was a solid one. It was one of those ones. Once again, like it was played every week at at our Bumpers nightclub, like for sure.
Speaker: So it was ah it was always in the background there. Yeah, I wish, well, of course I wish he hadn't passed, but I just think he never really got to enjoy ah renaissance and appreciation, you know, that he deserved.
Speaker: I think the more albums he put out that people weren't all that happy with, the the more people sort of lost interest, which is a shame, you know, and then he never got to have that, that sort of nostalgia, you know, i don't know if he would be doing purple rain tours again, but you know, I just, I just wish things had been a little different when when he left.
Speaker: Yeah. Yeah. That's, and that's a tough one too, right? You know, when artists haven't hit their stride yet and now they're no longer with us. Right. Right. Yeah. it's It's a loss.
Speaker: He deserved a whole lot more than what he got. And definitely in the end, he should have been celebrated more. Yeah, for sure. And I think a lot of people don't even realize all the all the the music he made for other people. Oh, my gosh. Right? I'm amazed at the gifts he just handed out to people. Yeah.
Speaker: You know, he didn't have a number one and you kind of get you number one. you have Here's a hit for you. Yeah, yeah. Do you want to do want a gold album? Here you go. They're falling out of my pocket. You know, I can't get rid of them fast enough. Yeah. I know.
Speaker: And that's, that, I think that's, that's an important part of his legacy. And I don't think a lot of people realize that, you know, they're just like, yeah, we, we loved his music and he certainly was, you know, a hit, but he also did so much more for the music industry. Yeah. And he was far more interesting than just like a top 40 artist, you know, back then. Totally. Like I love Michael Jackson. I love Prince. I'm like, yeah, but you don't get Prince.
Speaker: You just like it. You're not getting it. Anyway. But the cool thing was that their moms also liked Prince. And that's important. weren't reading the lyrics.
Speaker: Totally. Because you really don't know what a Raspberry Beret is, do you, mom? All right. what's What's your single?
Speaker: Okay. Like on one hand, that's totally easy. On the other hand, that's impossible. um Surprise is a Thompson Twins track. I'm shocked. Yeah. It's love on your side.
Speaker: It's ah it's a single that I can still listen to today and have the same reaction that I had back then. um The, the production of that single like all it's not, it's not a multi-layered track, but there's so much interesting sound going on in that track. And it just seems like one of those impossibly perfect singles.
Speaker: um And of course it's got percussion in it too, which drives me crazy. um But it's just, it's one of those perfect singles and it rises above because it's perfect. Like it was so them,
Speaker: It was so exciting for the time. 12 Inch isn't anything special, but it but it's still incredibly important. um B-side is really good. Love on your back, by the way. And yeah, and I remember when the video debuted on the new music, like I remember it like yesterday, like I was just riveted and it's actually a great video.
Speaker: for all the weird sort of u k videos we had at the time, that one wasn't like, huh? You know, it was actually pretty cool, which, and it has some clever clips in it. So really it was a perfect package.
Speaker: And, and it's still probably my number one track when they play live. Nice. um You know, and I did see them at the concert hall for that tour.
Speaker: So, um, Yeah, just great memories, great track, and I still get excited when it plays in my car. see the seven-inch version. But um but yeah yeah, just perfect pop.
Speaker: Perfect. Now, listeners, I can't play this song for you, but I can assure you that it is playing in my head right now. but that It's such an awesome song. I remember that sort of that wave of...
Speaker: 12 inch singles from Thompson Twins and my friends all had these 12 inch singles, different songs, and I would borrow them and I would play them to death. And they were just so insane. Like I just, I just loved them.
Speaker: Yeah, yeah. Like, it would be so exciting to just, I couldn't wait to hear 12-inch back then because it's like, what did they do to it? yeah And back then it was mostly an extended version. Yes. Then we started getting the extended remixes. Yes. And usually they rivaled pretty well, you know. Yeah. um But yeah, 12-inch wasn't great. You know what's funny is how disappointing it would be when the 12-inch wasn't extended.
Speaker: I know, right? Wait a minute. I paid how much? And it's the 7-inch version? It'd be $20 for the same three and a half minutes. What are you doing? yeah. yeah Yeah. So at least in Canada and and in America, like they would be very good at putting out a bunch of tracks on the 12-inch. They were more like ease back then. I think they figured you know people aren't going to part with their money unless there's three or four tracks. So I certainly appreciated that back then.
Speaker: but yeah, it was good with that I would be crushed when the single wasn't extended. So disappointing. It's like, Oh, I know. I know. Can you just like, you know, change one note, call it the one note remix?
Speaker: No. Yes. Okay. What else you got? Um, my favorite 12 inch would be the dub mix of, I love you too much by human league. Nice. That, that, oh my gosh. Like for me, that's my blue Monday.
Speaker: Oh, nice. That is just, it's, it's still a track where i it can't be loud enough for me. It's like, it's like, you gotta to like hold me down because I'm going be like bouncing off the walls. It just, I never get tired of it. It's killer production. Yeah.
Speaker: you know, i i wish the whole world could have heard it. And it's just perfect. it is It's just incredible electronic 12 inch. Yeah. And I don't know, there wasn't a lot of like, what do want to say? There wasn't a lot of vocal remixing back then, you know, um ABC did it and I would, and it was more like art of noise. and I was like, wow, what is this? and you know there was a lot of vocal manipulation with this one even though it's mostly an instrumental track and i was just fascinated by that you know it's like wow the things we could do now in 83 83 yeah yeah and then i guess my favorite album although i think i think it's because i'm the most nostalgic for it would be bite by altered images because
Speaker: I was so proud of that album for them. You know what I mean? It's another one where it's like, I think it's only eight tracks. Every album, well, every cut almost was a single, but like every cut could have been a single. And I just thought these guys are headed for like super stardom, never thinking it was going to be their last album.
Speaker: You know, they also took the concert hall, which was great. Nice. Because everybody did, right? Because nobody knew you were losing money back then. But yeah, like that, that album, you know, otherwise it would have been quick step, you know, but, but I think I have to give it to them only because it's so solid, you know, I could i could hand it to other people, but I think it, I think it has to be altered images by.
Speaker: Wow. and And sorry, what what was your favorite song off that album? Off that album? Oh, Bring Me Closer. So there's a 12-inch that drives me bonkers, too, because all they did was add like a kettle drum to it. It was like boom, boom, boom. And I'm like the like like bouncing off the walls again going boom, boom, boom. See?
Speaker: That 12-inch. One-note remix. Oh, my gosh. It's there. Oh, my gosh. It's a thing. i invented it. It's a thing. Well, thank you. And you know was cool was there was a 12 inch picture disc of that back in the day too.
Speaker: So, you know, not only do I get that mix, but it's also a picture disc, which was not typical back then, you know, yeah seven inch. Yeah. But 12 inch. No, not always. Nice. right.
Speaker: ah You have one more thing on your list and that was your favorite sleeve. Yeah. So art wise, my favorite sleeve that year, i have to give it to Church of the Poison Mind by a Culture Club because nices that was them being affected by Japan, ah the country, forgive me, not the band.
Speaker: And that sleeve was sort of just a tribute to Japanese marketing, which was, you know, unusual at the time and a beautiful tribute and a killer track that's another song where like that production just blows my mind for me they went off a cliff after that ah single um but that sleeve and it's funny because when when america released it however many months later they really um
Speaker: juiced up the color. Like they really they really beefed it up. And at first I thought, oh, that's kind of neat. and I'm like, no, you know what? They didn't wreck it, but it was like, just leave it alone. It was fine how it was. yeah But yeah, sleeve wise, that's a killer killer song. Great 12 inch levels non-extended because it's got two incredible B-sides, which makes that like, you know, a great overall purchase, you know, and a friend of mine loaned it to me because they didn't get it for another week. And I was shocked they loaned it to me. Like, oh how could you part with this beautiful thing? And I would just stare at the sleeve and play all three tracks over and over and over and over until I could get downtown and buy it.
Speaker: But yeah that's also you know part of the fun of being 13 14 how important these things were you know yeah how big in life how big in my life that was nothing else mattered it was only you know yeah and friends but yeah but that's what it was right like who cares about school all i care about is music and music videos and going to shows School was just the building where you'd go and meet your friends and hang out for the day.
Speaker: Yes. until you got when Until you went for coffee after school and then you went out on Friday night dancing. but You know what always hate about going to school? Are you waver? are you a waver? Do people really say that? Oh, I hated that. Are you are you a waver? I'm waver funk. I'm like, okay, all right. Can we not please talk about this? yeah But that was the first year where I loved the Canadian band.
Speaker: And that was Paola's, who could be no long. You know, for me, they were very square pegs. You know, I loved them. might have been sick of them being out in BC. but I was so sick of them. Yeah, I totally get that. I totally get that. I never did see them live, but I absolutely loved that album that year. I just thought they were great.
Speaker: you know for for something that we had to offer you know and their single with carol pope really great you know yeah yeah good for them that's i'd have to go back and listen i'd listen to the the carol pope one for sure there was a christmas single too so for me it was just like good job guys okay no there you go yeah that's our canadian content for the week so that's all you're getting
Speaker: My Canadian content for 83 would have to be Images in Vogue. I'm just thinking. Another local band. Like, I didn't listen to anything that wasn't British, you know. No, I didn't either. like there really didn't. There wasn't anything of interest, you know, like that year anyway. like You liked the cars though, right? Didn't you like the cars? they I did. i did. but i think for me, the cars were were important in 79. Yeah.
Speaker: Yeah. Because they were, that was kind of when they were on the radio and I hadn't quite found my new wave kind of footing yet. Are you new wave um you a waver? Are you waver?
Speaker: Why do you wear those boots? ah Why is your hair two different colors? Yeah. What a weirdo. um No, because... Are your ears pierced? Sorry. Yes. Yes. Lots of piercings. There's several of them. um when ah When my family went down to California in 79, two artists on the radio were were blowing my mind. One was the B-52s the other one was the cars. And the cars were just... Then they had this, that big, beefy kind of electronic sound. And it was really, really powerful. And so I went into a record store and it's funny, we were talking about this just recently about traveling and buying records.
Speaker: and We drove to California from Vancouver. So um everything just went in the trunk of our great big giant car. um It was as big as a whale. And i bought two records. I bought the cars and I bought B-52s, put them in the back of the trunk, figured they'd be fine. oh no Got home.
Speaker: Both of them were really badly warped because it was hot. It's hot in the back of a car. And so the cars was not very playable. I managed to kind of warm up the B-52s and got it so it doesn't skip.
Speaker: Crazy skip. But yeah. It's a lot of money when you're a kid. Oh, seriously. Seriously. And I wasn't even a hairdresser yet. So i didn't I didn't make that kind of money. I was probably still a paper boy. So I had a few bucks on me.
Speaker: But yeah. Yeah. Traveling and buying records. Tough, tough business. I only left one record in the car and it wasn't a KTEL album. I think they were called TV tunes or TV time or something like that. Same thing. It was, ah i think it was called Discomania.
Speaker: Nice. And I had it because I love that shame, shame, shame song. it was on. Oh yeah. Yeah. Good one. That thing like melted, like, like like this shape, you know what I mean? think It was so badly melted. And I tried to play it on my Mickey Mouse record player and like, nope, this is not happening.
Speaker: Those are hard lessons when you're little. yeah I know. That's it till Christmas. Yep, that's it. That's it. You couldn't even use it as a, like a chip bowl. No, no. wow Oh, darn.
Speaker: Very sad. Because that was a, that was a very popular craft back in the seventies. When you're bored with your records, you would just drape them over a cup and put them in your oven until they turned into a chip bowl. Because company is coming.
Speaker: Yes, and you need a chip bowl that looks like a record so that you were hip. And you need an ashtray too, shaped like a record. Yeah, you just put that you just put them out on the on the cover, the sleeve of the record. Those are forty fives The 45s would be the ashtray. Oh, yeah. Yeah, it's a good one.
Speaker: Except for the big hole in the middle. I'm trying to think give of other American bands like Talking Heads weren't really doing it for me at that time, but I can't, I can't think fast enough. liked I can't Yeah. So was just British or nothing.
Speaker: you know ah can't no yeah so it was just british or nothing It really was. i was very British obsessed. Yeah. And very happy that we had a couple of import record stores in Vancouver. It's funny, as somebody did it, was doing a poll um on ah a Vancouver, sort of a vintage Vancouver site. And they asked, like, what were your favorite record stores? And a lot of people were posting the usual A&B sound. And i can't remember the other one they were saying.
Speaker: But I'm like, Phantasmagoria. I don't think very many people saw that store. I think it was only short-lived. Okay. But it was an insane store. was the first one that I ever went into that had British imports.
Speaker: And they also let you play the record on some headphones in the store. yeah And ah so I could be like, could I listen to this? And I'm like, oh, my God. I'm peeing my pants right here in the record store. i always thought it was weird. I know it was crazy. And then they would just reseal them. Right. Yeah.
Speaker: But, and then Odyssey imports came along. I'm trying to remember where that one was, but it was another big one. was That's still around when I moved out there in the nineties. because there was a couple of really great record stores in the 90s out there like i was it could have been it could have been odyssey imports because they they were around for a while that name sounds familiar i even used to have dreams about that street that those record stores were Granville Street? Or Seymour. Seymour, I think, was the Seymour's were a and B sound. There was two of them upside each other.
Speaker: Where like every other shop was a record store. There was two there. had I think they had a building between them. And I can't remember the other one. and B sound and the other one, I can't remember. And I would and i would just be so happy because would walk by and there'd be something in the window that like, yep, that's for me. Here I am. you know And I'd be so happy.
Speaker: I'd get all my vinyl and CD singles there. And I wasn't i didn't miss out on anything. Like between words buying stuff at work and buying stuff in those stores.
Speaker: I used to literally dream about these impossible record stores. I would dream about that strip. You know, i never dreamt about that Toronto, but I dreamt about that. Weird. Yeah.
Speaker: Weird. Yeah. No, it ah record shopping was amazing back then. Yes. It's kind of, i mean, I like the fact that there's still record stores around and we can still go and flip through records and find things. Yeah.
Speaker: I guess I'm always trying to find, like we were talking about earlier, that that rare thing that I just didn't hear of, which is so bizarre because it's not going to happen. I know. i know. yeah Especially with the internet. It's like, I know well i do own everything, but don't know. Totally. Maybe some interesting bootleg. That would be so awesome. Or sometimes there's an odd promo where you did not know it existed and it has some rare track on it and it's like, oh my gosh, there we go.
Speaker: Yeah, it could happen. pick It could happen. I mean, there's been there's been lots of music over the years that I didn't know artists did for some reason. I'm like, I didn't know you had that song. And I've absolutely loved it. Like, I have to tell you, i did not know about I travel from Simple Minds. Okay.
Speaker: So when I, when I listened to that song and it was a few years ago now, but when I listened to that song, I'm like, this is the best thing that Simple Minds has ever made.
Speaker: Do they know that? I can throw Love Song in the garbage now because of I Trouble. Hold on, hold on. No, I would never do that. Go crazy. No, I would not do that. Trust me, I would not do that.
Speaker: um But that, that song melted my brain. And I would just play it over and over and over and over and over. Just re replay over and over. And i'm like, why did I not know this song? But it was, it was big. It was being played. It was probably in Love Affair when I was dancing there. So it, it was around. I just didn't know who it was.
Speaker: Yeah. It took years before I figured that out. And I was just blown away. You know, what's funny is like, you know, there would be so many videos that we wouldn't get to see back in the day because, you know, those singles weren't here, but you know, I,
Speaker: I really don't get that excited about it now. It's like I can barely sit through a music video now. You know, it's like, yeah, it's cool. I never saw it before, but I'm like, is it almost over? You know, it doesn't it doesn't it's not as important as the music, you know?
Speaker: Even though I'm like, wow, I never got to see this before anyway. Exactly. Actually, I'm more interested in like the lip sync, you know, top of the pop performances yeah over than maybe the videos of the time, because at least it really is the band, you know? Yeah, and that that was a nice way to see them too, right? Because it was quasi live. Oh, they're lip syncing. That's so cute. but What a great version of the song. And everybody's dad always said, no, no they're really singing. Like, no, they're not. Like, what do you late what do you mean?
Speaker: David's lips aren't even moving. Come on. there's There's no band and it's fading at the end. like ah We can thank the Partridge family for that. Yeah, exactly. Take a bow, kids.
Speaker: So funny. That's awesome. All right. Well, I'm going to wrap it up for today. All right. Wrap boy, wrap. right Wrap it up. Put a bow on it. Those birds have got to go to bed.
Speaker: I know. Seriously, i got to go to bed. It's past my bedtime for sure. You're bank. Awesome. So this will this would be where I'd sort of plug my social media. um You can go listen to our other podcast as well. It's called Yabazonker Zoinks, and that's going to be on where you love your favorite podcast like that TV sound. um I also have Speakpipe.com where you can ask questions or tell us what your favorite song is for the year that we've talked about. So many what's your favorite 1983 song? You can also listen to that TV sound,
Speaker: playlist that is on Spotify that is open. And as soon as I get these videos edited and b loaded, I put the songs on the playlist. You can go check them out yourself, especially if you've never heard them before. So lots of ways to connect Gen X for life podcast is where you can find me on social media.
Speaker: And with that, we're going to say good night. Nighty night. Nighty night. Here comes the music.
Speaker: Hey, you've been listening to That TV Sound with your host, Josh Downing. This podcast is produced and created by Josh Downing as part of the Gen X for Life Network. Look for more info on socials at the Gen X for Life podcast.
Speaker: That's Gen X number four, life underscore podcast.
