Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Valentine's Day Kisses

This Valentine's Day, I hope that everybody who is looking for a kiss finds one:




Gotta love the New York Dolls... when I was a nerdy grammar school kid who read the newspaper every day (yeah, I did), I read about the Sex Pistols and somehow got the notion that they wore women's clothing on stage. Silly me, I had them conflated with the Dolls. Yeah, I was a punk rock n00b in the second grade.

If you find your kiss, make sure that it's not one of those deadly kisses that one seems to hear about every now and then. Last week, in one of the comments, the wily Wiley wrote:


That girl's band reminded me of Cher on "the Sonny and Cher" show introducing an all girl band with the caveat that they weren't very "feminine" as if Cher weren't a professional vamp. I thought at the time that the network forced her into it, because she didn't seem very sincere when she said it. I was 14 at the time, so it was '75 and I'm thinking it might have been very early Joan Jett. Or not. I dunno. But I really liked them and loved it that they were rough and tumble--- like me--- a ridiculously heterosexual tomboy.


I believe that the band in question was The Runaways, who featured Lita Ford on guitar. Of course, Lita Ford had something to say about those deadly kisses later on in her career:





I have to confess that I find the song dated and more than a bit cheesy. I remember my freshman college roommate and I laughing our asses off at the opening line, "Went to a party last Saturday night, didn't get laid, got in a fight." Damn, Lita, you'd been a rockstar since you were in your teens, could you not have tried a little harder?

As far as songs titled "Kiss Me Deadly" go, I have to rate for Generation X's song by that name (warning, video contains footage of Billy Idol... I kid! I kid!):





Of course, both songs share the title of perhaps the greatest film noir ever produced. Kiss Me Deadly took a run-of-the-mill Mickey Spillane potboiler about stolen narcotics and turned it into a post-Hiroshima horror story about a deadly "whatsit" being chased down by various law enforcement officials and an international criminal organization.

Inspired by Smut's posting of a picture of a statute of Perseus slaying Medusa, I went searching for a clip from Kiss Me Deadly, in which the villain describes the "whatsit" at the center of the film as "the head of the Medusa", and found the entire movie posted. Yeah, I know the SOPA and PIPA people will freak, but I'm posting the movie, because it must be seen. As a little background reading, you may wish to check out Wiley's take on nuclear fears- as an Air Force veteran, she's extraordinarily wise about these issues.




Damn, what dialogue! I still get goosebumps hearing the villain's speech at 1:16:

What is it we are seeking? Diamonds, rubies, gold? Perhaps narcotics? How civilized this earth used to be. But as the world becomes more primitive, its treasures become more fabulous.

Why is it that the villains always seem to end up with the best lines?

The actor who played the villain, Albert Dekker seems to have died of sexual misadventure, which brings us back to the topic of Valentine's Day. If you are going to get kinky this V. Day, take all possible precautions to be safe- leave the deadliness to posted videos.

6 comments:

Substance McGravitas said...

Joan was the talent. Happy Valentine's Day Joan!

Laura said...

I can just see you.. you cute little bastard you. All geeked out with your fro and nose in the paper.
Grade 2? I think I was still at "See Spot run" level. :)

God. I hope that no one writes sexually explicit words on me after I die!! How embarrassing eh? :P

Happy Valentine's Day!!

((Hugs))
Laura

ifthethunderdontgetya™³²®© said...

What S_McG said.
~

fish said...

Gotta love the New York Dolls

Yes, yes you do.

, I read about the Sex Pistols and somehow got the notion that they wore women's clothing on stage. Silly me, I had them conflated with the Dolls.

An honest mistake:

In particular, they inspired various members of The Sex Pistols, especially guitarist Steve Jones, who later said that looking back at his movements on stage, he was embarrassed by how much he copied Johnny Thunders' style.[5] The Sex Pistols' manager, Malcolm McLaren, worked with the New York Dolls towards the end of their career, though he never officially managed them.[6]

Beat you on Gen X by four days.

Big Bad Bald Bastard said...

Joan was the talent. Happy Valentine's Day Joan!

The only thing you really have to know about Joan Jett is that she saved a little kid from drowning. Simply put, Joan can do no wrong. I've actually seen her play live more than any other act because she's local, and she plays a lot of free shows in the area. Hell, I even ran a 10K so I could see Joan play live in Central Park, and the only thing I usually run is a tab!

God. I hope that no one writes sexually explicit words on me after I die!!

Most funeral homes charge extra for that!

What S_McG said.

That should be Obama's 2012 campaign theme song, eh?

An honest mistake:

You ever read England's Dreaming by Jon Savage? It's probably the best book ever written about punk rock.

fish said...

Haven't read it, but Decline of Western Civilization is my favorite documentary of all times.