The Fat Boys...

Picture it.  It's the late 1980s.  I'm at a horse show in Hampton, Virginia.  Someone is blaring Top 40 radio.  It's The Fat Boys and their updated version of "Wipeout", which featured The Beach Boys.

Yikes...

Hearing that song at that moment left an indelible imprint on my brain.  Now, whenever I hear The Fat Boys sing "Wipeout", I am reminded of my days as a competitive equestrienne.  Those days are long over, of course.  I haven't been riding in over twenty years.  I miss it.

The Fat Boys came back into my consciousness yesterday, when I heard that one of the founding members died at age 52.  Prince Markie Dee, otherwise known as Mark Anthony Morales, died on February 11, 2021, just eight days shy of his 53rd birthday.  His death came after the untimely death of one of his bandmates, Darren (the Human Beat Box) Robinson, who died in 1995 at age 28.  Robinson died while doing something he supposedly loved-- rapping.  He'd been sitting on chair, performing for friends, when he fell off the chair and hit his head.  He never regained consciousness.  The other bandmate was Damon Wimbley, otherwise known as Kool Rock Ski.

The only other song by The Fat Boys that I remember as a hit was a remake of "The Twist" by Chubby Checker.  It was kind of a fun song, although the 80s update doesn't really stand up to the original.

"Come on baby.  Let's do the Twist."

Morales went on to work with other artists, notably Mary J. Blige.  He's remembered as a great guy, very talented... and he died much too young at age 52.  I certainly wasn't a mega fan of The Fat Boys, but their music always reminds me of a special time in my life-- the high school years.  Seems crazy that they were that long ago.

May Morales rest in peace.

The Cars...

A few days ago, I got the sad news that Ric Ocasek of The Cars and model Paulina Porizkova are breaking up after 28 years of marriage and two grown sons.  I generally find it sad when couples break up, especially ones that have been together for a long time.  I like Paulina, having watched her on America's Next Top Model (which pretty much became unwatchable when she left).  I also like Ric Ocasek's music.

As we were driving home from France the other day, I listened to several songs by The Cars.  I had forgotten how much I enjoyed that band, which was in its heyday when I was growing up.  It occurred to me that their sound is still very fresh thirty years after they were flavor of the month.  This morning, I woke up with a bunch of old Cars songs on the brain.  I thought I'd post a few of them on this blog today, for those who need a good morning earworm.  So here goes!

This song is as memorable for its crazy video as it is its catchy hooks...

And here's the video that brought Ric and Paulina together... and reminds me of 7th grade.

This song takes me back to the skating rink.

This song is kind of a sleeper, but I've always thought it sounded really cool.

And this is probably the first Cars song I ever loved.  I've always loved the energy of it.

I could probably add a bunch of videos to this post; The Cars had so many hits.  Their sound was like a blend of rock and roll and sassy rockabilly, especially in the early years.  I do remember liking them less in the latter part of the 80s, which was pretty much when they faded from view.  I guess that happens to most bands eventually.  Even some of my favorites from the 70s and 80s are not on my must buy list anymore.  In fact, as much as I love James Taylor's music, I will admit to not listening to his latest album that often.  The same would apply to bands like The Cars.  Sometimes it can take some solid encouragement to listen to something new.  I'm usually glad I did, though.

As annoying as SingSnap can be sometimes, I will credit that site for forcing me to listen to new stuff so I can try new things.  Maybe I should explore some Cars songs today.