I didn't know "Tattoo" was a singer...

Yet another bizarre musical number from the past came to my consciousness the other.  A friend shared this video of the late Herve Villechaize, who famously played Tattoo on Fantasy Island back in the day.  Apparently, acting wasn't the Frenchman's only talent...

"Why Do People Have To Fight?"  Good question, Herve.

Apparently, Mr. Villechaize was on Dinah Shore's talk show in the early 80s, and he sang his heart out on television.  I used to love watching Fantasy Island when I was growing up in the 1980s.  I remember very well, watching Herve yell "The plane!  The plane" with every new episode.  I miss the days when TV shows were completely campy and silly.

"Hello Boss..."  Back when Ricardo Montalban was still alive and not in a wheelchair.

But Herve suffered, even though he was a star.  I remember very clearly back in the 1990s, when I heard he'd committed suicide.  His girlfriend, Kathy Self, found him dead after he shot himself.  He'd left a note explaining that he was driven to suicide due to long term health problems.  His organs were too large for his small body, and he spent years in pain, kneeling to sleep so he could breathe.

I could use a little breather.

Herve Villechaize was born with dwarfism, the youngest of four children born to an English mother and a French surgeon.  It was believed that the dwarfism was caused by an endocrine disorder, which his father unsuccessfully tried to cure.  As he got older, he insisted on being called a "midget" instead of a "dwarf".  While "dwarf" is a medical term, it seems to have become a slur, as the term "midget" has.  Nowadays, people seem to prefer the term "little person".

Besides acting and singing, Herve Villechaize was also an artist and photographer, and that was how he made his living before he fell into the world of entertainment.  

When I saw his music video, I knew it was perfect for this blog.  Enjoy another performance by the legendary Herve Villechaize.

Ahh... a little mood music with Merv.

Rest in peace.

Danny Bonaduce wants to be your magician...

I discovered this truly cringe inducing song yesterday...

Here's Danny Bonaduce, who was probably at puberty when this was recorded...

As we all know, Danny Bonaduce played Danny Partridge on The Partridge Family, which was a huge hit back in the early 1970s.  Danny Bonaduce can't sing, but he is a gifted and natural comedian and he was playing a role on a TV show about a family band.  So, I guess the powers that be wanted to harness his moneymaking abilities for as long as possible, and they had Danny make some pretty crappy music.

This song is kind of catchy and it has some hilarious sound effects.  But the lyrics are disturbingly suggestive for a boy his age.  Consider these words:

I'll be your magician,

Touch you softly with my magic wand.

And like a puff of smoke,

your resistance will be gone

I'll be your magician,

Gonna conjure up a lover's groove.

And once you're under my spell, Honey,

I'll make love to you...

The rest of the lyrics as well as handy guitar tabs can be found here.  

I have heard that Danny Bonaduce was sexually active from a very young age, but it still seems kind of wrong that a kid his age was singing a song like this.  I wonder who decided this was appropriate?  I'm sure the decision was all about making money, and perhaps it was also influenced by drugs.  Still, it's just a dreadful song that is unfortunately very catchy.  I now have it ringing in my head.

I've seen other videos by Danny Bonaduce in the 70s... it was smack dab in the middle of his awkward teen years.  I give him props for surviving and later using that mortifying time to further his comedy career.  

He's a comedian, not a singer.

I hate this song enough when it's done by Simon and Garfunkel, let alone Danny Bonaduce.

I miss the 70s... probably because I didn't have any sense during that decade and this kind of stuff went right over my head.