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Current Music: The Wallets, "Totally Nude"

They're totally naked

The dominant note of the day was spending nearly three hours at urgent care when I expected to spend about half an hour tops, after which I came home to unavoidable capitalism and passed out on the couch, but

spatch has shared with me the Wallets' "Totally Nude" (1984), a piece of catchily accordion-based pop-art punk it is impossible to be depressed through. The video may not be safe for work, but also riffs on Marcel Duchamp. I was delighted to discover the band's bassist had also been part of Marbles, with the result that I am now alternating the naked accordion with "Red Lights" (1976). By obvious association I have been put in mind of Busted Statues' "Red Clouds" (1988) and thus Consonant's "What a Body Could Do" (2002). I already had the same album's "Buckets of Flowers, Porno Mags" stuck in my head this morning, which made a change from the jazzily circling little riff I learned from Mad Love (1935). I have not yet managed to re-set the car's radio settings since last month's adventure in dead batteries, so I have to create my own late-night college station.

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Well I haven't yet listened to the entirety of this little late-night college radio playlist you've created, but "Totally Nude" is a real winner! What a great song-as-song, and what a fabulous video. Love the little animation near the beginning, and that Marcel Duchamp riff is **great**. I really appreciate how Edward-Scissorhands-Meets-Alien it is: now THAT'S a nude to watch descend a staircase.

You've definitely spun some gold out of the dross that's American health...can we call it "care"? and unavoidable capitalism.

Well I haven't yet listened to the entirety of this little late-night college radio playlist you've created, but "Totally Nude" is a real winner!

It's still in my head! I just sang about Hestia: "She's totally kitten! She's totally mew."

I really appreciate how Edward-Scissorhands-Meets-Alien it is: now THAT'S a nude to watch descend a staircase.

I love this sentence.

You've definitely spun some gold out of the dross that's American health...can we call it "care"? and unavoidable capitalism.

Thank you. Now added to the playlist is Cocky Fox's "Unsung Kansas Boy" (1973), which my mother played for me and

spatch and

rushthatspeaks tonight; it led into her recalling the year all members of Kansas epically came over for Thanksgiving. (I believe she said they cooked a thirty-four-pound turkey. Her mother pointed out it weighed more than my mother as a three-year-old.)

Edited 2024-07-05 07:10 (UTC)

Wait--what? All the members of Kansas had Thanksgiving with your mom (... and you???) IS THAT WHAT THAT SENTENCE IS SAYING?

I knew no popular music when I was a kid ... is almost not an exaggeration. My parents had Beatles LPs, Peter, Paul and Mary, and Simon and Garfunkel. (Oh! And Leonard Cohen.) They never played the radio. In high school, I witnessed the bands people wrote on their binders with no real knowledge of what the groups sounded like. [I made up for all this in college, when I started my listening catch-up.]

But for some reason, one day I was in a record store--this would have been about 1979--and I saw the cover of Kansas's Point of Know Return, where a ship is sailing over the edge of the world. It was so gorgeous that I bought the album! And then, much to my surprise, proceeded to like the songs on it. And then I bought the album Leftoverture for the same reason, with the same result.

So then I completely bewildered a kid in my art class by saying I liked the band Kansas. It didn't fit the otherworldly rep that had grown up around me.

HOW DID IT HAPPEN THAT THE ENTIRE BAND KANSAS HAD THANKSGIVING WITH YOUR FAMILY?

HOW DID IT HAPPEN THAT THE ENTIRE BAND KANSAS HAD THANKSGIVING WITH YOUR FAMILY?

My mother's brother was their producer! He brought them home for Thanksgiving! It happened before I was born: I don't think I ever met any of the band. I was used to seeing the platinum records for Leftoverture and Point of Know Return—which does have an incredible cover—hanging in the upstairs hall of my grandparents' house, but I didn't start listening to their music until I was in seventh grade and our chorus was supposed to sing "Dust in the Wind." I learned the song from listening to my mother's vinyl. I had known my uncle was in the music business, the magnitude just hadn't quite clicked. When I was younger, he had the rock-star curtains of curly fair hair that made him look like one of his own Afghan hounds.

Cocky Fox was my uncle's band, in between playing in White Clover and producing for Kansas: "Unsung Kansas Boy" is the A-side of the one single they ever released, which he wrote and produced and, according to my mother, played the Hammond organ on. They were offered a contract, but broke up instead because of the majority of the band had promised to finish college. She was playing the song for me because she had suddenly heard in it how much its sound prefigured Kansas, how much he had shaped their music as producers are often forgotten to do. I need to ask him how it was that he came to produce rather than play with them. And if you do not object, tell him your story about discovering Kansas.

Edited 2024-07-05 11:24 (UTC)

OMG I love this story so much! Now I need to try to find "Unsung Kansas Boy"! (Both Cocky Fox and White Clover are great band names)

Sure, absolutely you can tell him the story. And then when he tell you *his* story, I hope you post about it--or get back to me privately, whichever you prefer. I'm interested!

I just wish I could duplicate for you the face of that kid. "You? listen to Kansas?" And I was so overall music ignorant that I just had no idea what he was even getting at.

This is far better than the things my brain did after being exposed to '90s/'00s muzak for two hours at the auto body. I salute you. (Also I'm sorry the urgent care was more of an ordeal.)

This is far better than the things my brain did after being exposed to '90s/'00s muzak for two hours at the auto body. I salute you.

Thank you. My sympathies to your brain! How is your car?

Tuned up and ready to take Younger Godchild on the Aunt Marissa And YG College Tour Extravaganza!

Mini-extravaganza Sunday/Monday but more to follow in August.

Tuned up and ready to take Younger Godchild on the Aunt Marissa And YG College Tour Extravaganza!

Godspeed!

"Totally Nude" is delightful. The little animation of the dancer was my favorite part.

"Totally Nude" is delightful. The little animation of the dancer was my favorite part.

It's pretty great!

Argh, sorry. *hugs*

Argh, sorry.

*hugs*

Thanks for this musical thread -- it is livening up my morning insomnia.

I am sorry about the time in urgent care -- the length of it, and the need at all. hugs if useful.

Thanks for this musical thread -- it is livening up my morning insomnia.

I'm so glad!

I am sorry about the time in urgent care -- the length of it, and the need at all. hugs if useful.

Thank you. It was not what I planned to do with my day. Hugs totally accepted.

*hugs*

Oof, sympathy on the three hours at urgent care, that's enough to leave anyone with flat batteries.

Oof, sympathy on the three hours at urgent care, that's enough to leave anyone with flat batteries.

Thank you. It is amazingly draining to sit around! (I did also get bled and irradiated.)

Was it a while at the urgent care because it was crowded with trampoline and firecracker injuries, or are things complex? Either way, I’m glad you ended up at home, with music and climate control.

Was it a while at the urgent care because it was crowded with trampoline and firecracker injuries, or are things complex? Either way, I’m glad you ended up at home, with music and climate control.

Thanks. *hugs* It was a while because the doctor wanted to check out X-rays and bloodwork and also because I just think every single medical system still standing is overrun.

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