Milton Berle and Steve Allen, as protest singers Monty Mad and Billy Bitter, crack some exceedingly unhip jokes in this goofy TV skit. Spike Priggen of Bedazzled TV dug this rarity up from somewhere. I can’t find any info about it on the internet.

The real thrill in this for me is seeing Lloyd Thaxton. Lloyd hosted a TV dance party in the 60’s that I would devotedly watch every weekday afternoon. Paul Revere and The Raiders, The Byrds, Sonny and Cher, The Kinks, Jan and Dean, the Beau Brummels and dozens of other great bands appeared on Thaxton’s show. It was teenage bliss. It’s weird, but there are no Thaxton videos on Youtube. Spike, you got some? Are they gone forever?

 
Bollywood mega-mix featuring clips from Teesri Manzel, Bhoot Bangla, Chikubuku Chikubuku Railay, O Meri Maina, Pyar Hi Pyar, Ellam Inba Mayam.

Ann Margret, Elvis, Chubby Checker, Parliament Funkadelic, Michael Jackson, Little Richard, Ronnie Spector…Bollywood style. 30 minutes of vindaloo au-go-go: rock, funk and disco.

 
Ken, a South Korean busker, does an urgent version of Heart Of Gold. The person who uploaded this to Yuotube, Topechick, calls Ken “Elvis”, but she’s wrong - Neil Young all the way.

This was shot somewhere along the banks of the Yukon River. It looks pretty deserted. Is Ken a rock and roll hermit?

 
British deejay Grum’s ‘Through The Night’ is an 80’s inspired dance jam that reminds me of some of my favorite groups of that much maligned era: The Human League, ABC, Pet Shop Boys, Spandau Ballet… The video directed by a mysterioso group called The General Assembly is a hilarious, homo-erotic homage to ‘buddy films’ of the 80’s. Brilliant.

 
Shit!

Michael Been lead singer, songwriter and guitarist of 80’s band The Call has died of a heart attack at the age of 60. He was in Belgium acting as sound engineer for his son’s band Black Rebel Motorcycle Club.

The Call were one of the finest, smartest and most underrated bands of the 80’s. Michael wrote passionate anthems that went beyond simple bombast. His lyrics had depth, intelligence and incisive political content. He was highly regarded among musicians and collaborated with many, including Bono, Peter Gabriel and Robbie Robertson. His music was free of gimmicks and fashionable poses and, as a result, has stood the test of time.

Michael went from fronting his own band to becoming a guiding force in the development of his son Robert’s musical career. He co-produced and engineered several BRMC albums.

I was a big fan of The Call. They were the real deal. There was something about Michael that immediately appealed to me. His writing was terrific and he seemed like a decent, soulful, and genuine human being - nothing slick or phony about the guy. I listened to his songs and I know they seeped into my own writing and music. I can’t say that about many of my contemporaries in the 80’s. I respected Michael and I loved his music.

 
More goodness from Michael Been and The Call after the jump…

 
Over the past few years there have been a number of fanboys who have attempted to reconstruct Star Wars as a silent film. They convert the film to black and white, speed it up and add an old-fashioned piano score. But the ones I’ve seen have failed miserably to authentically replicate the actual look of a real silent movie…until now. This new one succeeds marvelously. It looks like something unearthed from the 1920’s - a really shitty print of a Metropolis outtake. Mark Hamill’s melodramatic facial expressions, his broad gestures and the heightened shadowing of his eyes resemble that of so many actors of the silent era.

I’m not a Star Wars fan, but this I like.

 
Italian video wizard Bante has taken classic Blue Note album covers and animated them in this totally groovy video promoting Italy’s Bellavista Social Pub.

 
Spike Kinsey not only offers solid tips on getting in shape and some pretty tasty floor moves, he does so with a philosophical underpinning based on the teachings of Paula Abdul. Spike is not only a dancer, he’s a thinker. Less than a hundred views on Youtube. Show Spike some respect. He’s workin’ hard for all of us. I like this guy. He’s got a positive vibe.

“Sorry, that’s my dog Cheryl.”

 
Here’s a rarity: Elvis Presley’s down and dirty cover of Percy Mayfield’s Stranger In My Own Town. The Houndblog uploaded this raunchy and bluesy number to his website and Dangerous Minds’ Ron Nachmann brought it to my attention. I’ve heard a lot of bootleg recordings of Elvis cussin’, but this one is The King at his foulmouthed best. In addition, his singing is pretty damn soulful.

I added Stranger In My Own Town as the audio track on this video montage of Elvis clips, which includes some cool home movie footage.

 
The future of fashion as imagined in the 1960’s by André Courrèges, Pierre Cardin, Mary Quant and Paco Rabanne. Music by Mort Garson and Franck Pourcel.

3 short clips.

Thanks to Victoria from Germany