Cool Cat

A lot of people would say that Queen's music wasn't as good in the '80's. That they shouldn't have explored disco; that they shouldn't have used synths. While I'd agree that Hot Space isn't their best album, this song is catchy as all get-out.

A few extra tidbits:

1. David Bowie contributed vocals to a demo, but later asked for his contribution to be removed before the album's release. Apparently, he didn't much like the song.
2. Michael Jackson allegedly cited this album as an inspiration for Thriller (though, to be honest, I don't have a reliable Internet source for this one).
3. One of my adolescent bedroom walls might have been covered with posters of Queen, and I might have spent too many lost dollars on VHS tapes, DVDs, and books about their work.
 

- "Cool Cat" by Queen, from Hot Space (1982)

Falling and Laughing

Three days of college left.

Remembering to breathe.

- "Falling and Laughing" by Orange Juice, from You Can't Hide Your Love Forever (1982)

Ugly

Does anyone else remember the episode of Sabrina, the Teenage Witch where she and Libby meet The Violent Femmes?

- "Ugly" by The Violent Femmes, from their self-titled debut (1983)

Back to School

Today was the first day of school! I went to a somewhat promising, if drawn-out, seminar on surrealist cinema. Unfortunately, I think I'm switching out of that class to take a Spanish seminar on the works of filmmaker Luis Buñuel. Either way, I'll be taking really cool courses this semester, and I'm very excited about that.

But today in our film class, we watched Jan Švankmajer's 1982 stop-motion film Dimensions of Dialogue. I'd seen the second part once before, thanks to Reddit, but had never watched the whole thing. As much as I'd like to pretend that I know everything, I do not, and seeing this movie was a testament to that. It's rather funny and absurd, so here it is in case you're into those kinds of movies.

-Dimensions of Dialogue by Jan Švankmajer (1982)

Temptation

This was a 7" single released by New Order in 1982. Although much longer and complicated versions of this song exist, this one is the shortest and poppiest and perhaps most widely-appealing. Regardless, I recommend the 12" version if you like to dance and are into drums and synthesizers.

- "Temptation," 7-inch single by New Order, 1982