― xhuxk, Tuesday, 22 March 2005 18:04 (nineteen years ago) link
― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 22 March 2005 18:07 (nineteen years ago) link
― Vestigal Appendages, Esq. (King Kobra), Tuesday, 22 March 2005 18:08 (nineteen years ago) link
I have fond memories of watching their TV show as a little kid. Heard today, they're probably no goofier than, say, Robert Gordon.
― pdf (Phil Freeman), Tuesday, 22 March 2005 18:08 (nineteen years ago) link
― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 22 March 2005 18:09 (nineteen years ago) link
― Soukesian, Tuesday, 22 March 2005 18:14 (nineteen years ago) link
― mark s (mark s), Tuesday, 22 March 2005 18:15 (nineteen years ago) link
― Eisbär (llamasfur), Tuesday, 22 March 2005 18:16 (nineteen years ago) link
The Essex were four Army schlubs who recorded when they had free time. They were NOT any good -- "Easier Said Than Done" has the most painfully tin-ear-rusted harmonies I've ever heard, and I am forever astonished that it was not only a hit but a #1.
― Joseph McCombs (Joseph McCombs), Tuesday, 22 March 2005 18:17 (nineteen years ago) link
― blackmail.is.my.life (blackmail.is.my.life), Tuesday, 22 March 2005 18:19 (nineteen years ago) link
― walter kranz (walterkranz), Tuesday, 22 March 2005 18:20 (nineteen years ago) link
― Stupornaut (natepatrin), Tuesday, 22 March 2005 18:23 (nineteen years ago) link
― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Tuesday, 22 March 2005 18:25 (nineteen years ago) link
― Bimble... (Bimble...), Tuesday, 22 March 2005 18:25 (nineteen years ago) link
― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Tuesday, 22 March 2005 18:27 (nineteen years ago) link
Bowling For Soup > Interpol (I honestly believe that.)
― xhuxk, Tuesday, 22 March 2005 18:34 (nineteen years ago) link
― The Obligatory Sourpuss (Begs2Differ), Tuesday, 22 March 2005 18:36 (nineteen years ago) link
― xhuxk, Tuesday, 22 March 2005 18:38 (nineteen years ago) link
Woohoo! Absolutely! (Do Bowling For Soup get a lot of shit? I've always liked what I've heard.)
― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 22 March 2005 18:44 (nineteen years ago) link
- Deborah Spungen, 'And I Don't Want to Live This Life'
― dave q (listerine), Tuesday, 22 March 2005 18:49 (nineteen years ago) link
― dave q (listerine), Tuesday, 22 March 2005 18:50 (nineteen years ago) link
― xhuxk, Tuesday, 22 March 2005 18:53 (nineteen years ago) link
― dave q (listerine), Tuesday, 22 March 2005 18:55 (nineteen years ago) link
― George Smith, Tuesday, 22 March 2005 19:01 (nineteen years ago) link
That's a lot of musical firsts provided by one silly cover band.
― Rick Massimo (Rick Massimo), Tuesday, 22 March 2005 20:02 (nineteen years ago) link
― charleston charge (chaki), Tuesday, 22 March 2005 20:09 (nineteen years ago) link
― Matos-Webster Dictionary (M Matos), Tuesday, 22 March 2005 20:12 (nineteen years ago) link
― darin (darin), Tuesday, 22 March 2005 20:12 (nineteen years ago) link
And I honestly believe that's completely out of my range of thinking. (This is my diplomatic way of saying "pfhraghahhhhWHA?" Though I know lots of people think nut cancer > Interpol so hey.)
― Stupornaut (natepatrin), Tuesday, 22 March 2005 20:13 (nineteen years ago) link
― Ken L (Ken L), Tuesday, 22 March 2005 20:14 (nineteen years ago) link
― dave q (listerine), Tuesday, 22 March 2005 20:27 (nineteen years ago) link
xpost
― blackmail.is.my.life (blackmail.is.my.life), Tuesday, 22 March 2005 20:27 (nineteen years ago) link
― dave q (listerine), Tuesday, 22 March 2005 20:29 (nineteen years ago) link
― blackmail.is.my.life (blackmail.is.my.life), Tuesday, 22 March 2005 20:33 (nineteen years ago) link
― Matos-Webster Dictionary (M Matos), Tuesday, 22 March 2005 20:35 (nineteen years ago) link
― dave q (listerine), Tuesday, 22 March 2005 20:36 (nineteen years ago) link
― blackmail.is.my.life (blackmail.is.my.life), Tuesday, 22 March 2005 20:39 (nineteen years ago) link
― Matos-Webster Dictionary (M Matos), Tuesday, 22 March 2005 20:41 (nineteen years ago) link
Neither band has made a decent album. Bowling for Soup have made two entertaining singles ("1985" and the Britney cover). Hence, BFS win.
― xhuxk, Tuesday, 22 March 2005 20:42 (nineteen years ago) link
― charleston charge (chaki), Tuesday, 22 March 2005 21:00 (nineteen years ago) link
(i think i'm putting something like this up on the stypod this week, in case there's interest)
― blackmail.is.my.life (blackmail.is.my.life), Tuesday, 22 March 2005 21:02 (nineteen years ago) link
― David Allen (David Allen), Tuesday, 22 March 2005 21:31 (nineteen years ago) link
the Sha Na Na performance is pretty undeniable.
― Bobby Peru, Tuesday, 22 March 2005 23:03 (nineteen years ago) link
― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Wednesday, 23 March 2005 02:37 (nineteen years ago) link
Or something like that. I don't remember the baby part, though that might've been what the murder conviction was for.
― Pleasant Plains /// (Pleasant Plains ///), Wednesday, 23 March 2005 03:51 (nineteen years ago) link
― The Ghost of Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Wednesday, 23 March 2005 04:41 (nineteen years ago) link
― gabbneb (gabbneb), Wednesday, 23 March 2005 04:45 (nineteen years ago) link
― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Wednesday, 23 March 2005 04:46 (nineteen years ago) link
― Ken L (Ken L), Wednesday, 23 March 2005 04:49 (nineteen years ago) link
― late adopter, Wednesday, 23 March 2005 09:11 (nineteen years ago) link
that wd be richie havens -- mark s (mar...), March 22nd, 2005.
santana and sly were the best things in woodstock. imho. -- Eisbär (llamasfu...), March 22nd, 2005.
Nonsense, all of you! It was HENDRIX! But I'd say the four of us together may have nailed the top five, or close to it. And yeah, that includes the hyperkinetic Sha Na Na - possibly the most energetic act of the day. (Not to mention the one most likely to have induced brown-acid freakouts.)
― Myonga Von Bontee (Myonga Von Bontee), Wednesday, 23 March 2005 09:52 (nineteen years ago) link
Dunno about the Reflections, but as for Joe Jones, I had occasion to mention him and his song "You Talk Too Much" on this thread: Worst Rhyming Lyrics Ever...
― Myonga Von Bontee (Myonga Von Bontee), Wednesday, 23 March 2005 10:02 (nineteen years ago) link
but it's funny that you all mention the sha na na performance, which i thought of when i saw this thread. it was kind of disturbing!!
― s1ocki (slutsky), Wednesday, 23 March 2005 10:06 (nineteen years ago) link
Great 20th Century Embarassments: The Mid-90's Swing Revival (A confessional thread)
― xhuxk, Wednesday, 23 March 2005 18:05 (nineteen years ago) link
and Festival Express is incredible! the footage of the Band before they were junkie-zombies (or Manuel at least) is so vibrant and life-affirming. and the Janis Joplin cosmic bluez suffering and slimy id-slither as stand-up routine brought tears...
― Beta (abeta), Wednesday, 23 March 2005 18:16 (nineteen years ago) link
― charleston charge (chaki), Wednesday, 23 March 2005 18:23 (nineteen years ago) link
― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Saturday, 26 March 2005 01:21 (nineteen years ago) link
My father toured with them as a sound guy when I was a wee lad (yup. I'm old) and took me along. Bowzer was a particularly nice guy, and never complained when my tagging along with him ruined his after-show attempts at scary Sha Na Na groupie pussy.
So, yeah, I'll say they were pretty cool.
― John Justen (johnjusten), Saturday, 26 March 2005 01:30 (nineteen years ago) link
― Bobby Peru (Bobby Peru), Saturday, 26 March 2005 01:49 (nineteen years ago) link
― Silky Sensor (sexyDancer), Saturday, 26 March 2005 02:33 (nineteen years ago) link
"Sha na na na na na na knees" -- Axl Rose.
Anyway, now I'm wondering to what extent Bowzer might have been an inspiration for Joey Ramone.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=bfZfH33baMs
― xhuxk, Sunday, 6 April 2008 01:50 (sixteen years ago) link
That's the Billy Crystal-looking guy singing lead.
Although maybe he doesn't really like all that much like him after all.
― James Redd and the Blecchs, Sunday, 6 April 2008 02:04 (sixteen years ago) link
Seeing that clip takes me back to my childhood in a very weird way. I find it disturbing, actually.
― Bimble, Sunday, 6 April 2008 04:07 (sixteen years ago) link
I turned it off in the middle. Does Kenneth Mars do some strange stuff in there at the end?
― James Redd and the Blecchs, Sunday, 6 April 2008 04:08 (sixteen years ago) link
Whenever I see Sha Na Na, all I can think about is how my grandma loved it when they sang "Goodnight Sweetheart" at the end of each and every episode. DUN DUN DUN, DUN DUN DUN, DUN DUN.
― Terrible Cold, Sunday, 6 April 2008 04:19 (sixteen years ago) link
Anyone who thinks Sha Sha Na was any good never heard any originals from Sun.
― Jazzbo, Sunday, 6 April 2008 04:53 (sixteen years ago) link
what does sha na na have to do with sun? their shtick was very doo-wop/nyc-based. ok, they did "hound dog" and whatever, but it's a pretty different thing from sun.
the laugh track on this video is interesting, like that music could only be performed as camp at that point. in some ways they remind me of hee haw, except that hee haw had the real mccoys on instead of lookalike soundalikes. but i think the cultural effect was the same, a sort of gentle tweaking that reaffirmed the music and gave people permission to like it without feeling utterly square, because the audience was in on the joke.
― tipsy mothra, Sunday, 6 April 2008 05:42 (sixteen years ago) link
It was the originals of Sunn 0))) that really recontextualized Sha Na Na for me. Hard to take Bowzer seriously after a sit-down with Flight of the Behemoth.
― briania, Sunday, 6 April 2008 05:54 (sixteen years ago) link
but i think the cultural effect was the same, a sort of gentle tweaking that reaffirmed the music and gave people permission to like it without feeling utterly square, because the audience was in on the joke.
OTM
― Bimble, Sunday, 6 April 2008 06:21 (sixteen years ago) link
Let me play HOOS for a second and say: OTMothra
― James Redd and the Blecchs, Sunday, 6 April 2008 06:34 (sixteen years ago) link
Anyway, now I'm wondering to what extent Bowzer ... Joey Ramone
http://www.dickdestiny.com/kings4.jpg
C'mon, xhuxk. Sleeveless black T's on dudes with spaghetti arms weren't anyone's intellectual property. (Actually, the photo CREEM ran of DD&HK when you did the story had three of four -- but not me -- wearing sleeveless at the shoulder, a common white trash thing. Anyway, that's the way I remember it.)
― Gorge, Sunday, 6 April 2008 09:13 (sixteen years ago) link
Or motorcycle jackets for that matter.
― kingkongvsgodzilla, Sunday, 6 April 2008 09:17 (sixteen years ago) link
http://www.dickdestiny.com/band.jpg
Did Bowzer influence the sartorial taste of the guy on the right? No -- the carnies at the Allentown fairgrounds plus me showing them the backpages of old Rock Scene mags did.
― Gorge, Sunday, 6 April 2008 09:33 (sixteen years ago) link
in some ways they remind me of hee haw
Yeah, I was thinking the same thing, and almost started a TS: Sha Na Na vs Hee Haw thread
― dell, Sunday, 6 April 2008 17:10 (sixteen years ago) link
Hee Haw in a landslide.
― James Redd and the Blecchs, Sunday, 6 April 2008 17:28 (sixteen years ago) link
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1NyK3df0xaw
it seems from watching this that tv funnyman david schneider has a past i wasn't aware of.
― Frogman Henry, Sunday, 6 April 2008 18:07 (sixteen years ago) link
Pffft You Were Gone is a timeless classic.
― Gorge, Sunday, 6 April 2008 18:31 (sixteen years ago) link
u crazy
― dell, Sunday, 6 April 2008 19:11 (sixteen years ago) link
again
― gabbneb, Sunday, 6 April 2008 19:47 (sixteen years ago) link
for years my dad thought kramer (from seinfeld) was a guy in sha-na-na. i believed him for awhile too!
― Tracer Hand, Sunday, 6 April 2008 20:00 (sixteen years ago) link
gabb beat me to the punch re sha na na's academic pedigree. i was a bit surprised when i found out that they're a bunch of ivy leaguers.
― Eisbaer, Sunday, 6 April 2008 20:46 (sixteen years ago) link
lol @ tracer's dad.
― chaki, Sunday, 6 April 2008 21:02 (sixteen years ago) link
it's still pretty amusing to think of michael richards doing his "battle boy" schtick on sha na na's prime-time TV show.
― Eisbaer, Sunday, 6 April 2008 21:09 (sixteen years ago) link
I did see some 20/20 special about a guy who faked being in Sha Na Na to bilk people out of their money at mall appearances. Turns out the imposter had escaped from jail and was lying low underneath this guise for years.― Pleasant Plains /// (Pleasant Plains ///), Holy shit, the list of members is enormous. Lots of room for Michael Richards and the baby-killing guy on there with nobody noticing. Room for you, too, fellas - go to it.
Bought a Sha Na Na album (Sha Na Now!) for a buck at a garage sale today. The cover was worth it, the music.... not so much. But love this thread.
― Bashful Johnny C. (staggerlee), Saturday, 15 May 2010 03:52 (thirteen years ago) link
Look at this shit (1975): http://static.rateyourmusic.com/album_images/s89975.jpgIs it even remotely possible that Sha Na Na weren't a direct inspiration for The Village People?
― Bashful Johnny C. (staggerlee), Saturday, 15 May 2010 04:37 (thirteen years ago) link
one of the best thread titles ever
― Mark, Saturday, 15 May 2010 05:34 (thirteen years ago) link
A while ago, fiddling around at Colindale newspaper library, I read the Guardian's round-up of 1970 in pop. Guy who wrote it - Geoffrey Cannon, maybe? Can't recall - rounded up the Velvets, Joni, Neil Young, and then concluded that the hands-down best album of the year was by Sha Na Na. Wonder if he stands by that.
― ithappens, Saturday, 15 May 2010 10:53 (thirteen years ago) link
A larger image for better WTFs: http://webspace.webring.com/people/bd/divamagenta/snnow.jpg
Guy far left looks like he's just been kicked in the nuts. There's an underage Henry The Eighth upper right. And if you look carefully behind the bronzed fella lower right, there's a phantom pair of legs behind him, that belong to no torso.
― Bashful Johnny C. (staggerlee), Saturday, 15 May 2010 15:26 (thirteen years ago) link
http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f185/PappaWheelie/1987NWA-PanicZone12front.jpg
― PappaWheelie V, Saturday, 15 May 2010 16:14 (thirteen years ago) link
http://www.tampabay.com/music/woodstock-was-a-myth-sha-na-nas-henry-gross-who-played-before-hendrix-wants-to-bust-it-20190807/
“I submit to you that Sha Na Na should have been one of the first people, if there were a legitimate Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, to go into it,” he said. “If you want entertainment, the original Sha Na Na cannot be beat.”
Sorry Henry, sorry Chuck--that is some kind of ludicrous. (Just posting this is taking the bait, I know--he's probably half-kidding.) I do like the idea that Sha Na Na was a people.
― clemenza, Thursday, 8 August 2019 23:54 (four years ago) link
Maybe he just never got over the dog dying.
― Another Fule Clickin’ In Your POLL (James Redd and the Blecchs), Friday, 9 August 2019 00:21 (four years ago) link
Great article
― Li'l Brexit (Tracer Hand), Friday, 9 August 2019 10:13 (four years ago) link
https://www.college.columbia.edu/cct/archive/sep_oct08/features1?fbclid=IwAR0cYnFspm0ZlLdPKPqd6x_ssKgBLkZ0dqTzqScrFY1rR7fMSsW0WV8tlVY
― timellison, Friday, 9 August 2019 17:46 (four years ago) link
I am a fan of their 1972 single "Bounce in Your Buggy," which sounds more like the Archies than Danny and the Juniors.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O7nQtuWuY9Y
― timellison, Friday, 9 August 2019 17:55 (four years ago) link