Month: July 2009

On this lazy 5th of July the 24/7 coverage of Michael Jackson made me wonder about the very early years of the Jacksons in Gary, Indiana. I turned to the experts (cough)- Wikipedia– to get an idea of how they first got discovered.

I thought my dad was strict. Woo, Joseph.

Reading about Michael I came across Alien Ant Farm’s great version of Smooth Criminal (complete with the Anti-Gravity Lean!). Other than the lead singer looking like an older Eddie Munster and the video looking like it was filmed at a backyard wrestling event, I love this cover.

Speaking of ants- another anty hit that is burned on my cerebellum is Adam and the Ants’ “Desperate But Not Serious” (with as many drummers as Earth, Wind and Fire and one guy who looks likes like John Oates) from 1982’s “Friend or Foe” album. With his under-eye makeup Adam always looked like a misguided receiver for the Detroit Lions wearing Sargent Pepper military duds.

Here is what Adam looks more recently. Check out the young guy mistaking classic T-Rex for Oasis. Oy!

Friend or Foe also begat the poppy single “Goody Two Shoes”. Adam and the Ants were better on the 1980 album “Kings of the Wild Frontier”– harder, weirder and punkier. Which makes sense as they were born into the London punk scene- Adam was previously in a band called Bazooka Joe which hosted the first ever performance by the Sex Pistols who opened for them in November 1975.

I digress.

It’s amazing how the Jackson 5 hits hold up so many years later. You cannot fake the Jackson’s talent and infectious performances. They were too good. They could not be denied.