Friday timesink

You really didn't want to work today, especially in the States where we're heading into the 4th of July holiday weekend. So, thanks to Julie Meloni at No Fancy Name, I'm blowing off stuff today to re-live memories of grad school through 1980s music videos. I still remember the mad rush to finish experiments to get home by 11 pm on Sunday nights to catch MTV's 120 Minutes.

Here are a few of my favorites:

1. For old rocker farts like me and Rob Helpy-Chalk who struggle to find kiddie music that we can listen to a hundred times and have been rescued by Dan Zanes, here's The Del Fuegos, Dan's old band.

2. Wall of Voodoo - Mexican Radio

3. British Ska: The Specials and The English Beat

4. Simply Red - Holding Back the Years and Kajagoogoo - Too Shy.

5. Soft Cell - Tainted Love and ABC - The Look of Love

6. Crowded House - Don't Dream It's Over; kind of sad to see the late Paul Hester on drums, who later played the chef in The Wiggles' "Fruit Salad" (I told you I have to fight off the kiddie music). Also related is Split Enz's, "I Got You," the first video I think I ever saw on some late-night cable show that preceded MTV.

7. Some great reminders of New York from Joe Jackson and Lou Reed

8. Dear God from XTC.

9. And a couple from undergrad years (for my sister and brother John): Robert Hazard and The Hooters, Cyndi Lauper (whose 'Time After Time' was co-written and performed with guys from the Hooters), Dexy's Midnight Runners, and 'We Are The World' before some of these artists became parodies of themselves.

10. And, of course, the first video to air on MTV: The Buggles' 'Video Killed the Radio Star." (Isn't this one of the dudes from 'Yes'?)

Happy weekend, everyone!