Pop Culture from an Alternate Dimension

       I remember Wang Chung singing about wanting everyone to Wang Chung "tonight". I kept in the back of head when I found bands that would name check themselves. Three heavy metal bands (at least) not only had a song with their name but also the ALBUM was their name. I tried to choose a variety of music and decades.                P.S. Wang Chung did not make the list because, it turns out, the name of the song is                            "Everybody Have Fun Tonight".           Listen to my choices here:  Band Name = Song Name - YouTube  

       Glenn Frey has been featured on this blog as a musician before (such as last week's post) but this week is Glenn Frey: Actor. He made a mini-movie music video for his song "Smuggler's Blues" which, essentially, got turned in an episode of Miami Vice  called "Smuggler's Blues" with Frey cast in a featured role. In 1986 he was in Let's Get Harry  with Robrt Duvall and Gary Busey, directed by Alan Smithee (who was also featured on this blog before). In 1989 he was in seven episodes of the series Wiseguy . The 1993 series South of Sunset looked like his big acting break. He was cast in the lead as a Beverly Hills detective. Aries Spears (of MadTV and Josie and the Pussycats ) was his co-star. It looked like they were trying to get a  48 Hours  kind of vibe. Spears even does a variation of Eddie Murphy's routine about the first black president.       Ironically the pilot was not scene where the series took place because it w...

       This would be a follow up to the 1982 Eagles album from an alternate reality that I posted in December. For this I chose four songs from Don Henley's 1984 album Building the Perfect Beast , four songs from Glenn Frey's The Allnighter , one song from Timothy B. Schmit's Playin' It Cool , and one from Joe Walsh's The Confessor . For Henley I only wanted to use songs that he helped write so I didn't use "All She Wants to Do Is Dance", despite it being a huge hit. I wound up choosing "The Boys of Summer", "Not Enough Love in the World", "Sunset Grill" and "Land of the Living". Frey's supplied "Sexy Girl", "Smuggler's Blues", "Living in Darkness" and "New Love". From Schmit I pulled "Something's Wrong" which has Don Henley on drums & backing vocals and Joe Walsh on guitar. Speaking of Joe, like Henley, I wanted to choose a song Walsh wrote. I pic...

       In the late 1980's NBC aired two Hulk tv movies with Bill Bixby and Lou Ferrigno that were meant to be backdoor pilots for new superhero shows. The Trial of the Incredible Hulk  introduced The Daredevil. Instead of Foggy Nelson and Karen Page being in it, they created two new characters; Christa Klein was essentially Karen but was a partner in the firm with Matt Murdock. The character was played by Nancy Everhard, she was also in the Dolph Lundgren Punisher  movie the same year. In an interview, Rex Smith said that he and John Rhys-Davies were excited about it becoming a series. Sadly, it did not, so above you can see the "what-if" DVD cover.

         I previously mentioned that CBS made two pilot movies for a Captain America series that wasn't picked up. The year before they made a pilot for Dr. Strange that wasn't greenlit either. The story goes that after having Wonder Woman, The Hulk and Spider-Man, they didn't want to be known as the "superhero channel". What if they had leaned into it? They could have been CW before CW. So, before Netflix decided to put their heroes together as the Defenders, I present a crossover that should have been. It might even have been better than this:  The 1987 MARVEL Universe Macy’s THANKSGIVING Day Parade Float Is The GREATEST Thing You've Ever SEEN  

       I can find compilation CDs of music from the 40s, greatest hits of the 80s even, but I like something somewhat niche, so I had to make to my own CD. I like retro covers of modern music. I have an album Max Raabe and his orchestra, who does some covers of pop tunes, so he is included here. I found Scott Bradlee's Postmodern Jukebox on YouTube years ago and enjoyed many of his genre changing covers. Robyn Adele used to sing with him and started her own band. Richard Cheese and Black Velvet Flag tend to harsh sings and juxtapose them with a swinging sound. Artificial intelligence has changed the game and now there are MANY AI genre bending songs. I include one from WhatIfMusic. So, click below to listen versions of Suicidal Tendencies, Britney Spears, Limp Bizkit, Pearl Jam and more: Then That's What I Called Music - YouTube