Weekend Onesie: When Art Imitates Itself

Weekend Onesie: 

When Art Imitates Itself

Life is so circular.

So, in 1977, I'm reading this rave review in Rolling Stone magazine about the debut album of a new artist, Bruce Roberts. I can tell by what is said in the review that this is very much an album I would love. The review mentions that one of the songs (Starmaker) would be perfect for Streisand. Well, Starmaker did become a hit of sorts, but not for Streisand. No, instead she chose I Don't Break Easily (it's on her Songbird album). Anyway, I find a copy of Bruce Robert's debut album about six months later and it remains on my turntable for the next six. That is to say, I studied that damn thing like it was the bible of songwriting.

By the time his debut album came out, Bruce was an industry pro. He had released a few singles early on, on Bell Records, but they went nowhere. He was also the voice of Danny Bonoduce (of The Partridge Family) on Bonoduce's sole solo album. And, of course, before and after his two-album fling at Elektra, he was (and remains) a bona fide songwriter. He would work with Donna Summer (All Through The Night, Enough Is Enough (No More Tears), etc.). He even duets with her on the theme song for the Stallone film Daylight (Whenever There Is Love). He also wrote a bunch of hits for other artists: Laura Brannigan, The Pointer Sisters, Barbara Streisand, Gladys Knight, Rita Coolidge... it's a long list. And co-wrote with a lot of industry heavyweights, including Carole Bayer Sager. 

If interested, you should check out his superb 1995 album, Intimacy. The man has a voice that is amazingly flexible with the loveliest of tones. 

Okay, back to the subject of today's post...

That debut album... the album cover? 

I was puzzled. I was several years from graduating from high school and had no idea what to make of that big grey triangle in the background. Yes, as I was infatuated with the album's music, so I became fascinated by its cover. 

Fast forward to November of 2024 and I came upon this image... a vintage ad for socks or sock garters? I dunno. But... ping! 

And so, I wonder; was this the inspiration behind Bruce Roberts album cover? Did he happen to see it and want to replicate it or was this the work of his art direction team: Tony Lane, Todd Smith and Howard Carriker?

Indeed, it was. On the album sleeve's credits it states that it is in the style of E. Cole Phillips, the illustrator of the original ad. 

And so, a question that began in 1977, is finally answered in 2024. 

As for that big grey triangle? Well, I eventually stumbled on what that as all about... certainly nothing ever taught at my high school. 

I still have that album.

I play it at least once a year in its entirety and mourn the loss of the child who bought and studied it. 

Yes... life is so circular.

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I'd Rather Be Alone - Bruce Roberts

Wonderland Burlesque's Down The Rabbit Hole: Fox The Fox

Wonderland Burlesque's 

Down The Rabbit Hole:

Fox The Fox

Down The Rabbit Hole merely places a spotlight on something slightly unusual that's caught my interest. With the help of Wikipedia, YouTube, and other sites, I gather information and learn something new.

Today, we take a look at the brief history of the electric R&B pop group Fox The Fox

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From Wikipedia and other sources:

 
Fox the Fox, was a Dutch funk band founded in 1981 by Berth Tamaëla and Sylvia Musmin (AKA: Silhouette Musmin). Among the members were bassist Gino Jansen, guitarist Kier van der Werf, keyboardist Roy Kuschel, and drummers Robbie Brans, Tjalling Bos and Han Langkamp. Musmin wrote all the lyrics, while and Tamaëla composed the music.

After working together for two years, the band finally released their first single, Flirting and Showing, which reached #40 in the Netherlands and Germany. A year later they released the single Precious Little Diamond. It snagged the #5 slot in Germany, #18 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart, #11 in the Netherlands, #15 in France, #38 in Belgium and #86 in the UK.  

Two albums and six subsequent singles followed, but to little success.

With the departure of Tamaëla in 1990, the band split up.

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Flirting And Showing - Fox The Fox

Precious Little Diamonds - Fox The Fox

She Don't Mind - Fox The Fox

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Wonderland Burlesque's Pick Of The Week: Nice To Each Other - Olivia Dean

Wonderland Burlesque's

Pick Of The Week: 

Nice To Each Other - Olivia Dean

This week? I had a hard time finding something to sink my teeth into; there seemed to be something wrong with every song/video I hit upon. Ava Max? Madonna and Lady Gaga have a bone to pick with you, girl. And Martin Garrix and Lauv? You best check your fossil fuel imprint - private jets? Uh-huh, sorry, I can't. Yungblud? I've not seen a poser so obvious since the days of Johnny Cougar. And I simply cannot get behind any of this broody boy-next-door whining being passed off as pop ballads - sorry shoe-gazers... you are not that deep.

But then... in blows Olivia Dean sporting a very mid-70's singer/songwriter vibe with a sunny strummy bit of pop in the form of Nice To Each Other. I checked - and yes - she wrote it (with Max Hale), so the category fits. Something about the song makes me think of Maria Muldaur, Carole King, and early Carly Simon. I want to get lost in her sunshine bliss.

Her voice has such a lovely, easy tone, with just a bit of ache to it. And that C section brings to mind RES at her best. All in all, I find it refreshing and adore its laissez faire attitude. Any way the wind blows... And the theatre nerd vibe of the video seems the icing on this very sweet cake.

Bravo and well done... destined to become a classic. 

I've done all the classic stuff, indeed!

Midweek hump?

Feeling in the dumps?

Here's some music to make your heart jump!

 - uptonking from Wonderland Burlesque

Nice To Each Other - Olivia Dean

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Wonderland Burlesque's As The Diva Turns! - Tom, Lil Nas X, & Frankie

Wonderland Burlesque's

 As The Diva Turns!
Tom, Lil Nas X, & Frankie 

Spotlighting some recent diva turns. 

And it's a total sausage fest, my dears.

I must say, you are in for quite the treat.

Up first? Borrowing a bit from The Weeknd, it's scruffy/hunky Tom Grennan, serving up a dose of social commentary with a swagger dealing with an issue which needs to be addressed, on the funky lite bop of Boys Don't Cry.

 

Then, taking us on a journey through his mind and his times, it's the undeniably-talented ever-evolving  Lil Nas X, with the sumptuously clever, turn-on-a-dime confessional, Dreamboy.

And finally, Frankie Grande (yes, that Grande) living his best life? I dunno. The vid has to be seen to be believed. As for the song? Well, mix some standard boy band music and peel off a layer of that old chestnut Mr. Saxobeat, and I guess you've got yourself a reason to justify all that eyeliner, hair gel and eyeshadow. Eh. It's all fun.

All in all, a trio of destined-to be-classic diva turns.

Stinky booty bitches, indeed!

Midweek hump?

Feeling in the dumps?

Here's some music to make your heart jump!

- uptonking from Wonderland Burlesque

 Boys Don't Cry - Tom Grennan

Dreamboy Lil Nas X

Rhythm Of Love - Frankie Grande

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Wonderland Burlesque's Down The Rabbit Hole: Wa Wa Nee

Wonderland Burlesque's 

Down The Rabbit Hole: 

Wa Wa Nee

Down The Rabbit Hole merely places a spotlight on something slightly unusual that's caught my interest. With the help of Wikipedia, YouTube, and other sites, I gather information and learn something new.

Today, we take a look at New Zealand's Wa Wa Nee and their Prince-inspired pop!

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Formed in 1982, Wa Wa Nee consisted of singer/songwriter Paul Gray, guitarist Steve Williams, bassist Geoff Lundren, keyboardist/singer Elizabeth Lord and drummer Chris Sweeney. They signed with CBS Records in 1985 and Mark Gray (Paul's brother) and Phil Witchett were brought on board. Their debut single, Stimulation, was released in April of 1986 and peaked at #2 in Australia. It also managed to reach #11 in New Zealand. This was followed by I Could Make You Love Me in August of 1986 and it peaked at #5 in Australia. 

The group released their self-titled debut album in November of 1986. It managed to reach the #9 slot in Australia. An additional two singles were spun off the album: the top-Ten Sugar Free (#10, December 1986)) and  One and One (Ain't I Good Enough), which peaked inside the Top 20 in Australia in April of 1987. Sugar Free was also released in the United States in July of 1987 and peaked at #35 on the Billboard Hot 100. Sugar Free was also featured in the Australian horror film Cassandra. Stimulation was then released as the follow-up single in the US, where it peaked at #86. It was featured in the Justin Bateman, Liam Neeson, Julia Roberts film Satisfaction.

To fill the gap while awaiting their follow-up album, a remix album, titled Ulta Mixes was released in 1987.

Tragedy struck during the recording of the second studio album in 1988, with the unexpected death of keyboardist Phil Witchett. The group soldiered on, releasing the album's lead single, Can't Control Myself in November 1988. The song peaked at #31. Their second studio album, Blush was released in May of 1989. It included two more singles, So Good (#36) and I Want You (#52), however, the album's commercial performance was disappointing, and the group disbanded later in 1989.

And that's all she wrote.

The individual group members would go on to join other groups, but they never truly came back together (though one member is currently touring as Wa Wa Nee). 

But that's the way of pop... one day you're coming into focus, the next... you're fading away.

Stimulation - Wa Wa Nee

I Could Make You Love Me - Wa Wa Nee

Sugar Free - Wa Wa Nee

One And One (Ain't I Good Enough) - Wa Wa Nee

Can't Control Myself - Wa Wa Nee

So Good - Wa Wa Nee

I Want You - Wa Wa Nee 

 

Wonderland Burlesque's As The Diva Turns! - Lucy, Zoe, and Cher

Wonderland Burlesque's

As The Diva Turns!

 Lucy, Zoe, and Cher

Spotlighting some recent diva turns...

I must say, you are in for quite the treat.

Up first? The romantic oracle musings of Lucy Dacus, doing a medieval walk of shame underscored by a bit of lo-fi pop with expressive strings on the ethereal Ankles.

Then, in a gothic R&B-influenced horror mood, its Germany's Zoe Wees, bringing the drama with all-too-brief slammer, Traitor.

And finally, brushing the dust off and getting back on her feet, it's Cher Lloyd cooing the urban pop sprawl of Head Down.

All in all, a trio of destined-to be-classic diva turns.

Cut off your power trip, indeed!

Midweek hump?

Feeling in the dumps?

Here's some music to make your heart jump!

- uptonking from Wonderland Burlesque

Ankles - Lucy Dacus 

Traitor - Zoe Wees

 

Head Down - Cher Lloyd

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Acquired Tastes XLIII: Gay Pulp Fiction, Part 211 - Hardboy Series, 1 of 3

Acquired Tastes XLIII: 

Gay Pulp Fiction, Part 211

 Hardboy Series, 1 of 3

Today, we take a first look at the Hardboy Series imprint.

Brought to you by the good people at Star Distributors, LTD., the Hardboy Series imprint published 37 titles, from 1974-1977. Note: during the year 1976, they only released two titles.Star Distributors, LTD. operated out of a P.O. Box at the Canal Street Station in New York City.

The series features a confusing numbering system. it begins with HS-101, and then, in 1977, becomes HB-501, before restarting for a third time as HS-505.

All the books feature the imprint's distinctive logo: a shirtless sailor walking away from the viewer. The books cover design varies. The first four titles are in black and white and feature a black and white pen and ink erotic drawing. Then they feature an erotic pen and ink drawing in front of their iconic large, golden letter 'H' (golden arches, indeed). Then the 'H' becomes a copper brown for four titles. Then, the covers revert to the first design: black and white and merely features an erotic drawing - no large letter 'H'. The drawings are 'signed' by an artist who goes by the name 'Michael'.

I found it all very confusing.

The back covers feature a synopsis of the book to entice readers. Their design changed depending upon the cover design.

Here are the first dozen titles. 

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Chicken Humpers

 Author: Mike Lewis 

Hardboy  Series

 1974 

HS-101

According to Hommi Publishing's Big Ass List, this one is about a man who "finds boys on a trip to Europe."

Available as a downloadable PDF or ebook at Hommi Publishing.

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 Hung Butt-Baller

 Author: Rick Harden 

Hardboy Series

 1974 

HS-102

 Available as a downloadable PDF or ebook at Hommi Publishing.

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Marine Bun Banger

 Author: Peter Towers 

Hardboy Series

 1974 

HS-103

Back Cover

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 Cock-Happy Crew

 Author: Peter Towers 

Hardboy Series

 1974 

HS-104

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Hard Balling Jocks

 Author: Jack Evans 

Hardboy Series

 1975 

HS-105

According to Hommi Publishing's Big Ass List, this one is about "high school football players".

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Cream Lovin’ School Boys

 Author: Roger Boysen 

Hardboy Series

 1975 

HS-106

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Chicken Lickin' Studs

 Author: James Marcus 

Hardboy Series

 1975 

HS-107

Available as a downloadable PDF or ebook at Hommi Publishing.

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 Let My Boys Come

 Author: George Ferren  

Hardboy Series

 1975 

HS-108

Available as a downloadable PDF or ebook at Hommi Publishing.

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 His Willing Nephew

 Author: Rich Barry 

Hardboy Series

 1975 

HS-109

Available as a downloadable PDF or ebook at Hommi Publishing.

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The Denim Boys

 Author: Jake Rider 

Hardboy Series

 1975 

HS-110

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The Cocky Students

 Author: Jeb Chandler 

Hardboy Series

 1975 

HS-111

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Small Town Boy

 Author: Mike Wayne 

 Hardboy Series 

1975

 HS-112 

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And that's all for now.

Next up: another dozen Hardboy Series titles.

Until then...

Thanks for reading!

 

Hard Boy - Frawley 

Sunday Diva/Three From The Hip: Aimee Mann

Sunday Diva/Three From The Hip:

Aimee Mann

In my own, personal, big gay church, there is a wing dedicated to Those of the Heart. These are the singers, songwriters and muses who have spent a lifetime capturing various aspects of the human condition. Frequently, due to the whims of the music industry, their lives were not always their own... but they persevered... ultimately remaining true to their roles as seers of the heart. One such soul?

The crystalline Amiee Mann.

She burst onto the screens of MTV and startled a nation. Was this... a feminist anthem masquerading as a delicious pop song? The amount of sly intelligence and heartfelt sensitivity on display was rare in those days. Could pop be... smart?

Under the moniker of 'Til Tuesday, this diva carved out a unique place, as original as the songs she wrote, offering them up with shiny sharp beats and a voice which communicated more than mere melody and words. The glass half full, half empty, she carried on until contracts were fulfilled and then emerged as a solo artist.

Then the songwriting took on darker hues, exploring even more intimate niches of the common psyche. In doing so, she overturned stone after stone, examining, describing, and demonstrating what she had found there, revealing that which formerly lived in silence, giving voice to parts of ourselves we need to be aware of.

While her fanbase became more focused, it also became more rabid, hungry for each new morsel this talented icon recorded. For, even at the beginning, quality always mattered more than quantity. In this musical icon's world? Musical integrity matters. One thing you can be sure of: if this diva releases a song? It has met her own high standards and is more than worthy of a listen.

So? Do. Listen.

The gospel according to her?

Well, here are three from the hip, dropping from her lips.

The topic? The Road To Musical Integrity

"I became friendly with a bass player. He told me about this place called the Berklee College of Music, and said that you didn’t have to audition. They had a summer session you could attend; that was 'Come one, come all.' So I went there and it opened a lot of doors for me. First of all, the ear training - to work on your ear and learn to hear things you’d heretofore not been able to ascertain, individual instruments, chords and where they went, and remember melodies better. I’d just thought, either you could do it or you couldn’t. That plus learning about chord progressions and music theory, and which chords sound good going into other chords - that was really a revelation."

"So I started applying that to writing songs. Which were all terrible. But you do it enough, and you get better at it."

"When you're younger, a lot of your art or music or whatever is more about just trying to look like you're an artist  - trying to look like you're a certain thing or trying to just fit in."

"When I first started writing songs, all I wanted to do was a write a song that sounded like another song so that it sounded like a legitimate thing. Not necessarily a song that expresses anything I'm actually thinking or feeling."

"Here's what I'm mostly thinking or feeling in my early 20s: 'I hope I fit in.' And that's not that interesting. 'I hope people don't think I'm a fraud, I want to be liked.' That seems kind of anti-art, really."

"Older artists kind of don't care about that as much. That's liberating and feels more like what true art should be about."

"One of the things I've really gotten past in the last couple of years is the idea of being made uncomfortable by the way things appear, rather than how things are. Clearly in this business you have to contend with a lot of that."

"There's a lot of music that sounds like it's literally computer-generated, totally divorced from a guy sitting down at an instrument."

"I certainly understand that we're all trying to make a living, but I'm not thinking about that when I'm making it. And if that's your sole motivation, it's going to reflect that narcissistic greed, and you're going to hear it in the music."

"It's more important for me to have a good record with good music and be part of a movie that's good and where the music is used in a really great way. That's the important thing. The other stuff you want to say about it, I don't care."

Voices Carry - 'Til Tuesday

Save Me - Aimee Mann

from the 1999 motion picture Magnolia

Goose Snow Cone - Aimee Mann

“I think, to be happy is to be interested and engaged.”

"Anybody who cares less about wanting to be cool, I think, is more interesting."

"I suppose I should be happy to be misread; better be that than some of the other things I have become."

"I didn't want to play these people any more songs and have them say that they weren't good enough. So my response was to just not be able to write anymore. I know that's not the healthiest of responses."

"It really doesn't matter to me what people say about me anymore."

"Listen, I'm out of this system, man, I'm out... I'm doing better than ever. I couldn't be more happy."

Sunday Diva/Three From The Hip: Peggy Lee

Sunday Diva/Three From The Hip:

Peggy Lee

In my own personal big gay church there is a wing dedicated to those who are truly unique and one of a kind. For one such fine example, look no further than...

The multi-talented...

Peggy Lee.

She was known as the Queen of American pop music, a title she earned by making over 1,100 recordings and writing 270 songs.

This diva's distinctive style has been borrowed many times, but never equaled; subtly alluring and sensuous beyond measure.

Cool as a kitten about to pounce, and blazing hot as a phoenix rising, she was the living embodiment of that sensual combo - fire and ice.

In addition to singing, Lee was a talented actress and voice artist; famously being nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in Pete Kelly's Blues (1955) and lending her talents to a pair of Siamese cats in the Disney classic Lady and the Tramp (1955) - a film for which she also co-wrote all the songs.

Her artistry is readily available for consumption. Unfamiliar? Dive into her lengthy catalog and get acquainted with a true legend. 

Your every sense with thank you.

The gospel according to her?

Well, here are three from the hip, dropping from her lips. 

The topic? Her Life's Breath

"Music is my life’s breath."

"I may have sung other people's songs, but I always put my own heart and soul into them. I may have sung other people's songs, but I always put my own heart and soul into them."

"I have no plans to stop singing. What are you going to do when you love music? It's a terrible disease. You can't stop."

Why Don't You Do Right - Peggy Lee

w/ Benny Goodman & His Orchestra

Fever - Peggy Lee

Is That All There Is? - Peggy Lee

And one last parting shot...

On developing her unique style: "I knew I couldn't sing over them (the band), so I decided to sing under them. The more noise they made, the more softly I sang. When they discovered they couldn't hear me, they began to look at me. Then, they began to listen. As I sang, I kept thinking, 'softly with feeling'. The noise dropped to a hum; the hum gave way to silence. I had learned how to reach and hold my audience—softly, with feeling."