Pop Gear! Lollipop!
October 27th, 2008Remember a month ago when I wrote about that awesome Honeycombs lip-synced performance I found on YouTube?
I just now found out where it originated—from the jukebox movie “POP GEAR” hosted by butt-of-QI-references Jimmy Savile. It’s a 1964 British Invasion cash-in… just a ton of lip-synced performances with truly bizarre camera swoops and blocking. Since Mad Men is jumping to 64 next season, I can only hope this gets put into the style-inspiration-file.
See the Jimmy Savile intro and the standout Honeycombs performance first… it’s the best of the bunch for all the reasons I wrote about last time. I kind of want to re-enact and re-shoot it Gus Van Sant Psycho style, but it would never be as spectacular.
Then you can jump further in to Peter & Gordon to see what Mike Myers based Austin Powers’ looks on. (And they do a killer Lennon/McCartney number to boot.) Peter (the red head/Austin Powers original) is like a one-two punch of spectactular ugly with the orange bowl cut and the clunky glasses and then he smiles sweetly exposing teeth you could saw through a 2 by 4 with and it’s the perfect comedy triple. Schwing!
And some humanitarian-historian uploaded the entire movie to YouTube. In Eight Parts.
This blogger added his own commentary a year ago but also serves up the missing “Gold Pants Dance” which just looking at it will give you a yeast infection. And pink eye.
Another killer track from ‘64—
This voice baffles and allures me. When I first this song I thought it was a pre-teen Mexican boy. Based on this blurry and dimly-lit footage (it’s like Sasquatch evidence), it appears to be a West Indian girl? Maybe you’d like in better in Czech.
Either way, thanks to ideas planted by this French AIDS PSA (NSFW unless you work at Screw Magazine), I can only imagine it underscoring scenes of someone getting blown by a dude in an alley. Depending on Sal’s storyline, maybe they will use it for Mad Men season 3…
Add: Jesus, I feel like such an idiot for not even thinking of using this for the molestation scene in Being Glenn (Safe for work, not recommended for anyone)
October 28th, 2008 at 9:37 pm
According to allmusic.com, Millie Small was from Jamaica, a teenager when she recorded “My Boy Lollipop” in London. Allmusic also sez that among the session musicians may have been Mr. Rod Stewart on harmonica.
Were Monty Python taking the piss out of Savile in the “Yummy Yummy Yummy”/How Not To Be Seen episode, or am I misremembering? I just saw that awful hair and thought of Graham Chapman in a wig.
October 29th, 2008 at 11:04 am
I vaguely remember listening to a “History of Ska” show on the radio and it saying “My Boy Lollipop” was the first Ska hit outside of Jamaica. It’s slower and has a bit more of a swing to it, compared to later Ska, but the elements are all there.
October 31st, 2008 at 8:07 am
Check out this article on Little Millie Small:
http://blog.erichatheway.com/2008/05/03/selector-little-millie-small.aspx
The album Time Will Tell is a wonderful album and Little Millie’s voice is just captivating. Unfortunately, My Boy Lollipop is not on this album….
Peace
October 31st, 2008 at 3:28 pm
Ha! I love Being Glenn.