Ringo and His All Starr Band put on a super show tonight, at the Bank of America Pavilion in Boston! Nearly two and a half hours. I’m tired, and I have an early meeting, so I’d better hit the sack.
Category: Music
Going to Ringo
This is where Dennis, Eric and myself will be this time tomorrow!
Special Guest Post — Petula in Croydon
David Moncur is back home in Scotland, having seen Petula Clark perform live in London on 5 June. Thanks for the report and photos, Dave!
Not long back from London, having spent longer there than I anticipated.
The concert was fantastic. Petula was better than I have ever seen her. There are some new songs in the programme…..
From the new album….. “It’s Ok” and “Heaven’s Door” recorded by my friend David Hadzis in Geneva. There is also a beautiful version of “These were the days of our lives”, (Queen). “Memphis”, is amazing, and “Come along with me” is fantastic……
It was also nice to hear “People get Ready” from 1970 back in the concert. I swear it sounded just like the record.
She just keeps on getting better.
I wouldn’t worry about calling her Pet by the way. I’m sure she doesn’t mind it at all from fans…. after all, if you listen to the song “My name is Petula” she does sing…
“Well I been round and round this great big world
And I haven’t heard it said right yet,
So if you’re gonna call me,
And I’d really would like you to call me,
But if you’re gonna call me
Why don’t you call me Pet,
Just Pet!”
Well… she asked for it.
You can hear excerpts from “It’s ok”, and “Heaven’s Door”, on this page.
Hope you’re well
Dave
Crossover Success…. and Failure
More Xuxa? This video features Latin superstar Ricky Martin when he was starting his solo career. He wouldn’t make the jump to success in English until the end of the decade. Xuxa made the attempt only a few months later, and failed utterly. But at the time of this appearance Xuxa was the superstar, and Ricky Martin was the kid who used to be in Menudo.
[flv:/Video/2008/JUN/XUXARickyMartin.flv 440 330]
Xou de Xuxa
Sociologist Amelia Simpson says in her 1993 book, XUXA: The Mega-Marketing of Gender, Race, and Modernity…
She descends from her spaceship as if it were a fashion show runway, her blondness on display along with her other physical attributes, highlighted by the revealing costumes she never repeats. The ritual of arrival places the star in a glamorous context that conveys the modernity and sophistication of the first world.
I first heard about Xuxa on an NPR segment. My curiosity piqued, the first Xuxa show I saw was also the last that was shown on Univision. It was unlike anything I had ever seen. The cultural differences between mainstream America and Latin America were as stunning as, well, Xuxa herself. The blending of catchy songs, weird games, and an unbelievably flagrant display of hotpants went way beyond the Mickey Mouse Club and boys staring in wide-eyed wonder at Annette Funicello and, my favorite Mouseketeer, Cheryl Holdridge.
See for yourself in this video of Xou de Xuxa I edited from a recording made on January 9, 1993. It’s in Spanish, and not Portuguese, Xuxa’s native language. It features a few songs from the show. They are, like the K3 tunes, exemplary examples of the craft of Pop music.
[flv:/Video/2008/JUN/XUXA1.flv 440 330]
From Brazil to Belgium
OK, you’ve had your little break from K3, but now we’re back with more of Karen, Kathleen, and Kristel. I can’t say if Xuxa’s success in Brazil 15-20 years ago had any influence on Studio 100’s introduction of K3 as a Pop act that hosts a children’s show, but watching these videos I have to wonder.
This is K3 with a Latin beat. The second video, “Feest” (Celebration), has some bizarre CG models of the ladies. The last video is a live version of the same song, and at the moment it’s having buffering problems on YouTube, and that’s why it’s last. If it locks up, drag the button past that point and it should pick up again. The third tune is their brand-new single, which is somewhat evocative I think of ABBA’s “Fernando.”
But now let’s meet Xuxa. This is a 1993 feature from Inside Edition, and it’s introduced by none other than…. Bill O’Reilly.
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