Television DejaVu
About two years ago we were up late watching MTV2 and a show ran that consisted of the worst 20 videos in MTV's history. The number two video happened to be "After The Rain" by Nelson. You know, Ricky Nelson's blonde twin sons who tried desperately to make a career in music, however choosing the route of metal rock icons. Not only was the music dismal, but the video was horrendous, over-acted and hilarious. Well it was to me at 2am anyhow. The first week of January we were going thru the channels and low and behold that same show was on. Even Vanilla Ice was invited on to chat about his video being hailed as one of the worst videos of all time video history. The show, by the way, was hosted by Jeaneane Garofolo, Jon Stewart, Chris Kattan and Dennis Leary. But I digress. Getting back to it, this time we were prepared and ready to pop a tape in the VCR to tape one of the most worst videos of all time to watch at any given moment we might need a laugh. Some of you might have remembered the video. Some of you might have actually owned that album. If so, I really feel sorry for you. Anyhow, the video starts off in vintage brown and white, a young man found in the midst of his mother and drunken step-father arguing over him. (yes, you can hear the actual dialog too) All taking place, of course, in a trailer. The son storms off in a fury to his bedroom, flops dramatically onto his bed, and grabs his almighty walkman which is conveniently ready to play the first chord of the infamous Nelson song. He drifts off to sleep with the big gigantic Nelson twins looming over his bed in form of a 6 foot poster....and suddenly, he is magically transported to a Nelson concert, where the footage turns to full colour and he is right there in the front row with his heroes. Oh but before the concert footage he finds himself in an Indian Shaman's teepee while the Shaman is performing some ancient ritual using a feather. All while his mother is probably engaged in a fist fight with his stepfather in the next room (that's my add on there, not actually shown in the video). The footage drags on for some time and stays put at the concert scene, never straying back to the trailer to see what is going on there. Anyhow after many drifting minutes of Nelson music, we finally make it back to the kid's bed, it is magically daylight, quiet emanates from the rest of the trailer, and the boy wakes up, thinking, "oh it was just a dream"....but was it? An Indian Shaman's feather is placed on his night table and he smiles into the camera knowing he really was magically put into the concert of his dreams. Nelson. End of video. Odd, but hilarious, as mentioned earlier, in the wee hours of the morning.
Next on the agenda, I saw an episode of the Twilight Zone last week, and it was the one my mother used to always talk about that she saw when she was about 12. The episode where the small child falls out of bed and into the wall, into the fourth dimension. She used to tell me about this when I was smaller and I finally got to see it when I was about 14, which promptly made me move my bed into the middle of the room and away from that wall!
Then last week I also saw a show on VH-1 when I could not sleep, talking about stars who became, or attempted to become, singers. The best was of Mr. Leonard Nimoy from Star Trek fame performing in a 1960's video singing his very own song "The Ballad of Bilbo Baggins." Horrible, hilarious, frightening and humiliating all at the same time. The 1960's girls dancing and singing back up on the cliffs of some California (most likely) beach are just the added touches to the song that has the weirdest lyrics all in homage to Mr. Bilbo Baggins, "the bravest Hobbit of them all".To have a peek, go here to witness for yourself. It may take a bit to upload to the quicktime player but definitely worth it.
Lastly on my list, is an episode of Droopy the dog, from MGM cartoon fame in the 1950's. I never watched cartoons much as a child, but do recall one day seeing the episode, called "Dixieland Droopy" I believe. Droopy was desperate to conduct a Dixieland band and only was able to accomplish it by inviting a group of fleas who play Dixieland in the circus to jump on his back and off he went, to eventually conduct them at the Hollywood Bowl. That, too, was on television recently. Bizarre.
I am not one to watch TV much, but lately being up at odd hours due to surgery recovery, I have seen some of the most memorable, if not ODD, moments in television which I had stored away in my memory thinking I'd never see again. Funny how that works, eh?
