Saturday, December 27, 2008

do they know it's christmas?















Last night I watched a one hour version of Live Aid on VH1 Classics. Let me go ahead and say, VH1 curated quite a collection of bizarre moments. Let's begin with Mick Jagger and Tina Turner performing "State of Shock" into "It's Only Rock and Roll":




My Live 8 thoughts on the matter:

1. Hello, Daryl Hall on the keyboard!
2. Mick and Tina's choreographed "sexual chemistry"= State of Yuck. It just makes me want to watch "You're the One That I Want" with foxy biker Sandra Dee and Danny Zuko, instead.
3. Why is Mick Jagger mouthing all of Tina's lyrics?
4. Mick Jagger with his shirt off= not a turn on. Granted his ill-fitting pocket tee shirt is totally upstaged and outsexed by Tina's leather, fishnets, and pumps.
5. I DO like when Mick pulls up his giant belted chinos as if to say, "Grinding with dominatrix-dressed Tina Turner and taking my shirt off is where I draw the line. I'm a family man from the waist down."
6. At one point Tina inexplicably dances off stage. At first, it actually seems like Tina just bails on the whole performance. But WAIT. You can still hear her kind of singing. At last, it is clear they are BOTH back stage changing outfits.
7. I really like watching Mick struggling into his banana yellow blazer while also trying to sing "I like it."
8. Why do they change? They return for about 30 more seconds of performing, only to then vanish again completely, leaving the band to somehow resolve the insanity.

Let us now turn to David Bowie's performance of "Heroes." Specifically, Bowie's percussionist.



I don't have any commentary other than that was an interesting choice for everyone involved.

Pretty much every performance in the program is noteworthy. I won't link them all here, but will offer a brief guide to the greater moments. Elton John's eyes look completely terrifying in "Benny and the Jets"—pretty much all pupil. Bob Geldof wears a lot of different kinds of denim in "I Don't Like Mondays." Seeing The Who made me miss Keith Moon, but made me love Pete Townshend for tearing power chords like a pro all over "Won't Get Fooled Again." Freddie Mercury is just awesome and commanding in "Radio Ga Ga." Even his shoes are awesome. Eric Capton has two drummers on "Layla" including one Phil Collins. Why? The outro for Layla= guitar solo mania. Totally ridiculous. And only made me love Pete Townshend again.

But perhaps the pièce de résistance of this entire viewing experience was the commercial I saw for the computer software "Finally Fast." I had never seen this before. Last night I saw it three times between midnight and 1am. Lucky me. I definitely nominate Video Gamer Boy for the performance of that television hour. My WORD.



I definitely recommend you do NOT order this software.