Friday, August 15, 2008

For Your iPod Fridays: Blondie

I'm in a very Blondie-circa-Plastic-Letters mood these days. When I was in high school, I worshiped this band. I have all their albums. On vinyl. And imports and bootlegs worth the kind of dough that could fund a small South American putsch. It wasn't so much that I wanted to be Debbie Harry, although her pop cultural cool was unsurpassed. No, what I really wanted was to be was Clem Burke. Most underrated drummer ev-ah.

What I like about this song is that it illustrates perfectly Blondie's roots before achieving super duper mega stardom with Parallel Lines and its hit single, the tongue-in-disco's-cheek "Heart of Glass." Before all that, Blondie was a punk band. Still tongue-in-cheek, but definitely more rough edged.

This is for Mandy in Detroit, who I'm hoping can shed some light on the "442" part of this song:

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13 comments:

  1. Gnomeself Be TrueAugust 15, 2008 at 7:20 AM

    Dig that outfit!
    Add a riding crop and she's got a real moneymaker there.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Doris RoseAugust 15, 2008 at 8:19 AM

    weeelll, this explains volumes...
    I'm guessing 442 has something to do with a car engine, but that is from listening to "surfer" songs. it's a generational thing, I guess.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Doris RoseAugust 15, 2008 at 8:20 AM

    ps
    check this http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oldsmobile_442

    ReplyDelete
  4. Mandy_FishAugust 15, 2008 at 9:00 AM

    It's the motor city baby. Four-four-two refers to the Olds 442, but I see Doris Rose has beaten me to it.

    How timely of you to post this, as it's the Woodward Dream Cruise in Detroit this week, and the avenue is jam-packed full of classic cars and fat people.

    Vroom, vroom.

    ReplyDelete
  5. moiAugust 15, 2008 at 10:54 AM

    Iamnot: I know, 80s New Wave/Punk fashion was awesome trash/tacky fun! I have the photos to prove it :o)

    DorisRose: Oh, snap. Thanks for explaining. And Mandy for confirming. Still, doesn't shed all that much more light on the song, though, does it?

    Mandy: Dang, that would be something to see. Half my life is spent jonesing for a handful of select American muscle cars, although Mustang, Schmustang - I'm pretty much Chevy all the way.

    ReplyDelete
  6. JennyAugust 15, 2008 at 11:52 AM

    You know, she's still looking pretty fabulous.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Mandy_FishAugust 15, 2008 at 12:13 PM

    Did you just say Chevy?

    *HEARTS*

    I write for Chevy!

    *Girl Scream*

    ReplyDelete
  8. moiAugust 15, 2008 at 12:54 PM

    AB: She's looking TOTALLY fabulous!!!!

    Mandy: No. Way. Be still Moi's heart. So, uh, you're the person I speak to about scoring one of these?

    http://www.chevrolet.com/camaro/

    I swear, I will go into HOCK for this car. I know it's poleetically incorrect but I gotta have it.

    ReplyDelete
  9. hAugust 16, 2008 at 5:35 AM

    What a rare gem you found. And you're right, Clem Burke was a great drummer. Everyone beat me to the Olds 442 guess.

    Basically, it was a standard Fischer Body Cutlass with: 400 ci engine, 4 barrel carberator, 2 exhaust pipes. 442.

    ReplyDelete
  10. moiAugust 16, 2008 at 6:11 AM

    Troll: And you broke it down even further, thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Aunty BelleAugust 16, 2008 at 3:27 PM

    LEft ya note back on Summer.

    Gotta check this out now...back soon.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Aunty BelleAugust 16, 2008 at 4:40 PM

    uh...okay, I admit it. This is outa mah pay grade. The drums ain't bad, but was that singin'?

    ReplyDelete
  13. Mandy_FishAugust 18, 2008 at 7:35 AM

    I just write about them. I can't score you one. If I could, I wouldn't be driving a Honda with over 100,000 miles on it.

    *Sigh*

    ReplyDelete

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