In March 2013, during the Q&A after an educators conference in Georgia, a huge fan of The Big Bang Theory suggested I send a copy of each book to the show.
Though I don’t watch it (heresy!), I know it regularly references superheroes. I didn’t see what the producers might do with my books...yet this audience member kept kindly suggesting (almost insisting), and eventually I was convinced.
What did I want from this? Well, this woman seemed to think the true stories in these books could inspire a storyline on the show. I felt that is probably unlikely, but I am a never-hurts-to-try guy. In any case, I’d be thrilled if either or both could be added to the set, even if for just a scene. I believe they are the kinds of books the characters would own...
On Facebook, I asked if anyone in my network has a connection to anyone connected to the show, and within minutes, I heard from a friend who is friends with Kaley Cuoco’s makeup artist. She happened to be supremely nice, and offered to pass along my books, so I sent them to her. Every time I followed up, she was equally nice and complimentary.
As of now, nothing has come of it. But you can’t predict a big bang…
Bill Finger died on January 18, 1974, in New York City.
The main mind behind Batman received no obituary in the New York Times.
Or anywhere else.
Except in The Amazing World of DC Comics #1:
I’m not dismissing this; I am glad someone did something. But Bill deserved so much more attention.
And who says an obituary must be published immediately after a passing?
Therefore, some time ago, I proposed to, I think, the New York Times and to the Huffington Post that I write Bill’s obituary to be run now.
An excerpt:
I am not suggesting a standard obit but rather a feature presented as an obit with an intro explaining that an actual obit should’ve run 40 years ago and this is a humble attempt to rectify that oversight. It is unthinkable now that someone of his cultural significance could die with no fanfare.
Because it’s Batman, and because Batman fans are passionately frustrated by Finger’s neglect, and because Batman is a New York story, I am confident that this particular approach would get a lot of attention—considerably more than a straightforward article. How often do you see a “posthumous obituary” (you know what I mean)?
I’ve long dreamed of seeing an obit for Finger in the NYT, the paper of the city in which he radically changed pop culture...
I did not hear back.
In 2004, I wrote a picture book manuscript called Everyone is the Only One. (I remember precisely where I was when the idea hit: the guest room in a friend’s house.)
It is about a boy named Ansel who feels uncomfortable for being the only dwarf at his new elementary school. Once his classmates learn this, they remind him one by one that each of them is also the only one in some way…only one with braces, only one allergic to peanuts, only only child, and so on.
I submitted to editors. No takers.
A couple of years later, I learned that the idea actually did get published, and in the year I sent it around…just not by me. Jane Naliboff’s The Only One Club follows a similar premise, except the central character’s distinction is that she is Jewish.
Parents and educators: I encourage you to encourage your kids to look at their circle of intimates and determine the ways in which each of them is also the only one. It’s a wonderful and worthy challenge that will get kids thinking about how we are different and how that is good.“Instead of always telling our children that we are all equal and the same, we should tell them that we are all different. Saying we’re the same naturally makes them look for differences. Conversely, saying we’re all different (in appearance, cultures, etc.) makes them instinctively look for ways we’re alike.”
—Erica L. Scott, Binghamton, NY, 2009 letter to Newsweek
The Empire State Building is only a few years older than Batman, and like Batman, it stands iconically above a city.
Unlike Batman, however, it does not remain in shadow.
The colors change regularly. In fact, anyone can request a specific lighting scheme.So, of course, I did.
Here is an excerpt from my application:
I am the author of Bill the Boy Wonder: The Secret Co-Creator of Batman, the first-ever biography of Bill Finger, the uncredited co-creator and original writer of the Dark Knight…who was created in 1939 right there in New York.
Finger is the main mind behind one of the most influential fictional icons in world history yet his onetime partner, cartoonist Bob Kane, took full credit for Batman. Finger designed Batman's costume; wrote the first Batman story and many of the best stories of his first 25 years (including his groundbreaking—and heartbreaking—origin); wrote the first stories of popular supporting characters including Robin and the Joker; named Bruce Wayne, Gotham City, and the Batmobile; and nicknamed Batman "the Dark Knight," which has influenced the titles of two of the highest-grossing movies of all time. Yet while Kane never wrote a Batman story, Finger never saw his name as co-creator in a Batman story.
In 1974, after a career in which most of his beloved work was published anonymously, Finger died alone and poor. No obituary. No funeral. No gravestone.
No kidding.
Finger was largely responsible for one of our greatest fictional champions of justice. It is time for justice for Finger himself. An Empire State Building lighting tribute would poignantly give Finger the honor he deserves in the city where he quietly made pop culture history. It’s just too bad he won’t be there to see it.
Why February 8, 2014? It would have been Finger’s 100th birthday (and 2014 is also the 75th anniversary of Batman, not to mention the 40th anniversary of Finger’s death).
Why the requested colors? They correspond with Batman’s original costume (largely the same as today’s, only at first he had purple gloves). If it’d be possible to somehow incorporate a bat, that would be fantastic.
Thank you for your consideration. I can guarantee you lighting a legacy to Bill Finger would get many people talking in a good way. It’s an American story. It’s a New York story. It’s a noble gesture.
Justice has no expiration date.
They said no.
I can’t sing (well).
I can’t play an instrument.
And though I can write, I have never written about music.
However, I love music. Especially ‘80s music.
How much?
This much:
1988. Black jean jacket and high school gym shorts. I am sorry.
So I am following up the oral history of superhero entertainment of my formative years with an oral history of music videos of my formative years…which happens to overlap with the formative years of music videos themselves.born 1981
In other words, “Where Are They Now?: 1980s Video Vixens Edition.”
This blog shares stories behind the stories I write; with this series, it’s more broadly about stories behind stories that have inspired me to write stories. I can’t write with music on, but music injects me with a certain passion—a rhythm, even—I call upon, in silence, when writing. (And running. I am still bummed that Nike does not still run its Run Hit Wonder race, which I did in New York in 2004. A Flock of Seagulls’s “I Ran [So Far Away]” was a highlight...naturally.)But no one-hit wonders here.These are the videos, by year, whose famous faces/crushes for countless teens I interviewed (links/posts will become active one per day starting tomorrow):
1983
1984
1985
1986 - Robert Palmer, “Addicted to Love” – Julie Pankhurst, Patty Elias (Patty Kelly), Kathy Davies, Mak Gilchrist, Julia Bolino
- The Outfield, “Your Love” – JoAnn Willette
1987
1988
1989 - Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, “Free Fallin’” – Devon Kidd (Devon Jenkin)
Most of these former starlets were pretty tough to find and have never been interviewed about their videos. (The VH1 series Where Are They Now? featured two episodes on this subject. None in this feature appeared on “Video Vixens 1” [season 2, episode 8, 7/28/00], and only two here, Signy Coleman and Bunty Bailey, appeared on “Video Vixens II” [season 2, episode 24, 11/28/00]. I made those exceptions because their videos are two personal favorites.)
Similarly, I did not include video stars who are now household names (Courtney Cox, Christie Brinkley, Tawny Kitaen, Helena Christensen) or who have been well-covered elsewhere (Ola Ray, Jeana Ellen Keough [Jeana Tomasino], Lillian Muller, Betsy Lynn George).
Some of the thirteen videos profiled here were regulars on big-brand “best music videos” lists, back when they used to make “best music videos” lists:
“Take On Me” (almost always in the top 50)- #8 VH1 Top 100 Music Videos of All Time (2001)
- #9 Rolling Stone Top 100 Music Videos (1993)
- #14 MTV 100 Greatest Music Videos of All Time (1999)
- #35 MTV 500 Greatest Videos of All Time (1997)
- All-TIME Best Music Videos (2011; 10 per decade, unranked within each decade)
“Addicted to Love” (almost always in the top 50)- #8 MTV (1999)
- #30 VH1
- #43 MTV (1997)
“Don’t Come Around Here No More” (sometimes in the top 50)- #14 Rolling Stone
- #43 VH1
- #79 MTV (1997)
- #85 MTV (1999)
- TIME
“The Boys of Summer”- #23 Rolling Stone
- #53 VH1
- #67 MTV (1999)
- #94 MTV (1997)
“Legs”
“Free Fallin’”
“Summer of ‘69”
“I Want a New Drug”
Conversely, “Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)” has been called (unfairly, I say) one of the worst videos ever made.
Curiously, Patty Elias’s ex-husband wrote the MTV theme, which makes them an MTV power (ex-)couple like no other:
Warning as you proceed into the series (and therefore the ‘80s): more mustaches than you remember.
Three of the most pressing questions of the ‘80s music landscape will be answered in this series:
Three of my (many) favorite comments (to find out who said them, stay tuned):- “I got rock-star-by-proxy status.”
- “We were dangerous ornaments.”
- “Me in a music video in a negligee was not a topic of conversation at the dinner table.”
Three fun facts you get right now:- Two “Huey girls” (Janet Cross and Signy Coleman) dated Don Henley.
- Signy knew both Janet and JoAnn Willette.
- Janet is the great-great granddaughter and Margaret Olmsted Menendez’s father said she is the great-great niece of Central Park designer Frederick Law Olmsted. What are the chances that FLO would be related to not one but two video vixens?
Bonus fact:- The video for “Jessie’s Girl” by Rick Springfield does not have a girl in it.
Three I found who responded to my interview request although they normally don’t:- Patty Elias
- Traci Lind
- the first person on the next list…
Three I found who chose not to participate:- Steve Perry, “Oh Sherrie” (1984) – Sherrie Swafford (she respectfully declined a full interview but did give me permission to share a brief update)
- The Cars, “You Might Think” (1984) – Susan Gallagher
- The Moody Blues, “Your Wildest Dreams” (1986) – Janet Spencer-Turner
Sherrie Swafford; “Oh Sherrie”
Susan Gallagher; “You Might Think”
Janet Spencer-Turner; “Your Wildest Dreams”
Three I wanted to find but haven’t…yet:- Night Ranger, “Sister Christian” (1984) – Annie Hubbard
- Cinderella, “Shake Me” (1986) – name unknown
- Richard Marx, “Should’ve Known Better” (1987) – name unknown
Annie Hubbard; “Sister Christian”
name unknown (but not Amanda Peet!); “Shake Me”
name unknown; “Should’ve Known Better”
To quote the Moody Blues, “I know you’re out there somewhere.”Three matters of housekeeping:- I conducted the interviews between January and July 2013.
- Stills from videos are copyright their respective labels. I got permission to post all previously unpublished images; if you want to repost, please do the same by asking me first. You know the music business does not tolerate piracy.
- I am crowdsourcing to add to this series. See next...
THREE REQUESTS (and please lend a hand no matter when you’re reading this):- TWEET to help me find the three I didn’t; this can work!; simply copy and paste any or all of these pleas (character count is Twitter-ready, but once pasted, you may need to delete extra spaces):
Real research question: if you know the Annie Hubbard who was in 1984 Night Ranger video “Sister Christian,” pls contact @MarcTNobleman
Real research question: if you know the woman—even just her name—in 1986 Cinderella video “Shake Me,” pls contact @MarcTNobleman
Real research question: if you know woman—even just her name—in ‘87 Richard Marx video “Should’ve Known Better,” pls contact @MarcTNobleman
- SHOW LOVE: if you want Susan and/or Janet to reconsider, say so in comments below; perhaps an outpouring of interest will persuade them
- VOTE: tell me in comments below who you would like me to next find and interview?
First up: Huey Lewis and the News, “Heart and Soul” (1983) and “I Want a New Drug” (1984).
Part 2.
Here is my proposal for a Bill Finger memorial in the Bronx:
Goal: Install a modest memorial statue in Poe Park dedicated to Bill Finger, the uncredited co-creator, original writer, and visual architect of the world’s most lucrative superhero, Batman.
Background: I am the author of Bill the Boy Wonder: The Secret Co-Creator of Batman, which has generated extensive media including NPR’s All Things Considered and Forbes, and has made best-of-the-year lists at USA Today, Washington Post, and MTV. Unprecedented in both subject and format, the book is the first to reveal the full and startling true story behind the creation of Batman in 1939—which took place right there in the Bronx! Finger is like the Bronx itself—too often both are unrecognized for their cultural contributions. An installation to Finger would actually serve a triple purpose: help right a wrong, boost Bronx/NYC tourism, and make pop culture history. It would be the first memorial honoring a superhero creator in NYC, the Superhero Capital of the World.
Why Bill Finger? He’s the main mind behind one of the most influential fictional icons in world history yet his onetime partner, cartoonist Bob Kane, took full credit for Batman. Finger designed Batman’s costume; wrote the first Batman story and many of the best stories of his first 25 years (including his groundbreaking—and heartbreaking—origin); wrote the first stories of popular supporting characters including Robin and the Joker; named Bruce Wayne, Gotham City, and the Batmobile; and nicknamed Batman "the Dark Knight," which has influenced the titles of two of the highest-grossing movies of all time. Yet while Kane never wrote a Batman story, Finger never saw his name as co-creator in a Batman story.
In 1974, after a career in which most of his work was published anonymously, Finger died alone and poor. No obituary. No funeral. No gravestone.
No kidding.
Finger was largely responsible for one of our greatest fictional champions of justice. It is time for justice for Finger himself.
Why Poe Park? Finger and Kane used to brainstorm Batman stories there; see documentation below and attached. In the early 1940s, Bill lived on the Grand Concourse just north of Poe Park. Also, appropriately, Poe was the father of the modern detective story and Batman is known as the World’s Greatest Detective. The Batman-Poe Park connection was recently covered in the New York Times (though the article mistakenly states that Batman was created in Poe Park).
Why now? True, this is not the best time. The best time would have been while Finger was alive. But since we can’t go back, this is the next-best time. There are untold thousands of Batman fans worldwide clamoring for DC Comics to add his name to the Batman credit line. DC may not be able to do that at this time, but we can pay tribute to Finger’s legacy in another meaningful and bold way.
Batman’s significance (beyond the obvious):
Batman is iconic even to those not interested in comic book culture. To a relative few, Batman may seem like just another superhero; however, he is one of the most recognizable fictional characters in world history (let alone the most lucrative superhero of all time). He’s in a class by himself and therefore, so is his original writer/visual architect.
I know New York has been home to countless notable people and historic events. But not many accomplishments (certainly few cultural accomplishments) can compare to the magnitude of Batman’s influence—and it all dates back to a humble start in an unassuming apartment in the Bronx, thanks to the mind of Bill Finger. The Batman imprint at DC Comics puts out at least thirteen Batman-themed comic books every month. (The next most popular, Superman, has only four.) Batman appears on the list of the top 20 highest-grossing films of all time...twice (and it’s not just teenaged boys making those movies break records). Batman has starred in TV animation since 1968 and almost continuously since 1992. The examples go on and on.
Target date: 2014 (Batman’s 75th anniversary). We would be able to piggyback on other media, though this being an unprecedented project will almost certainly generate plenty of media on its own. Given the amount of free PR we would benefit from in that year, it is critical that we do not miss this date.
Legal aspect: Though Kane’s contract with DC prevents DC from officially co-crediting Finger, DC does give him credit for every story he wrote. What’s more, I have extensive documentation from publications produced or sanctioned by DC Comics crediting Finger equally with Kane for Batman. (Also, this is almost certainly a partial list.) I have annotated my book, the result of five years of meticulous research, line by line. Some of the evidence in Finger’s favor comes from the unlikeliest source: Kane’s 1989 autobiography. Bill the Boy Wonder was published in July 2012 without incident. My previous nonfiction superhero book, Boys of Steel: The Creators of Superman, was also about a DC Comics character. My hunch is that DC Comics wants to do more for Finger but they are contractually restricted, so they are pleased when others step up to do what they can’t.
Cost: I plan to use Kickstarter and private sources.
Sources for the Batman-Poe Park connection:
Batman & Me, Bob Kane and Tom Andrae, Eclipse Books, 1989, p. 41: "We used to hang out at Poe Park." This is Bob Kane’s autobiography.
The Steranko History of Comics, Volume 1, James Steranko, Supergraphics, Reading, PA, 1970, p. 44: "He asked Bill to meet him later at Edgar Allan Poe Park to discuss a new strip." This is one of the definitive resources on comics history, and the only book to publish an interview with Finger in his lifetime.
Amazing World of DC Comics #1, uncredited article, DC Comics, July-August 1974, p. 28: "Bob asked Bill to meet him later at Edgar Allan Poe Park to discuss a new strip"
Famous 1st Edition (Batman #1) # F-5, Carmine Infantino, DC Comics, February-March 1975, inside front cover: "They agreed to meet later at Poe Park, to work out the details"
interview with Julius Schwartz (longtime DC Comics editor who grew up in the Bronx): "Edgar Allen Poe Park, and there were benches there. And Bill Finger and Bob Kane would meet and plot stories"
I will do all I can to help make this happen and hope to have your support and collaboration. People dressed as Batman will come on a regular basis and take photos with it...
Part 1.
The story so far: I proposed installing a memorial to Bill Finger in Poe Park.
What happened next:
Jonathan Kuhn, Director of Art & Antiquities in the NYC Parks department, strikes me as a sharp, candid guy. I’d wager he knows more than anyone else about the history of New York parks (and the history of the history commemorated within them). He has the tone of a man used to fielding the same questions again and again over years—patient with an underlying irritation. Yet he kindly devoted time to me until I better understood the nuances of the parks system policy on installing monuments.
The policy, generally speaking, is this: no.
In Kuhn’s 22 years in the monuments division, 30 sculptures have been installed. I didn’t know if that is a lot or a little; apparently, it’s a little. Kuhn said that for years, NYC Parks has been moving away from sculptures due to factors including maintenance costs.
In other words, it’s not me, it’s them.
I inquired about the possibility of putting a small memorial to Bill inside the Poe Park Visitor Center, but that, too, is under NYC Parks jurisdiction.
I mentioned Milwaukee, where fans raised more than $85,000 for a statue of the Fonz from Happy Days. Thousands turned up for its unveiling.
meeting the Bronze Fonz, 2011
I mentioned Detroit, where fans raised more than $56,000 for a statue of Robocop. (Robocop. He doesn’t come close to the iconic status of even Batman’s supporting characters.)
Kuhn said that the NYC Public Design Commission in NYC considers pop culture-related sculptures in other cities to be bad examples of public art. (To be clear, I am not proposing a statue of Batman or even Bill Finger but rather an artistic tribute to Bill Finger.)
More facts I was fascinated to learn about New York and monuments:
- they do monuments only for people who are already widely known (“Think Gandhi”)
- certain people who got a monument then “became a trivia question,” prompting certain other people to request that such monuments be removed
- New York does not green light a monument based on its likelihood to boost tourism
- all park monuments are funded privately and endowed in perpetuity
- it’s easier to install a monument on private property
- it’s prohibited for monuments to include copyrighted characters (Central Park is home to a statue of Alice in Wonderland, but those characters are public domain)
The first criterion does not resonate with me because there are people whose names are not household but whose accomplishments are known worldwide. (For example, quick—who invented the cell phone? Sneakers? Pizza delivery?) I don’t remember the exact words of Kuhn’s response, but the gist was “Even still…”
Kuhn repeatedly said that New York has been home to many notable people and moments. (I would love to see a list of people who have been proposed and rejected.) More than once he cited singer Rosemary Clooney, whom he said gave her first concert in Poe Park (and has no monument there).
He meant this as a reason to justify not approving a monument to Bill Finger in the same park, though that also did not resonate with me, for two reasons.
First, the cultural impact of Bill’s creations clearly exceeds the impact of the contributions of some of the “many notable people.” I know Rosemary Clooney was a beloved performer in her day, but today, is her name as well known or her influence as pervasively felt as Batman’s? (I’m not saying she’s a trivia question, but Batman debuted in 1939 and grows more popular with each new generation.)
Second, that fact that many notable people have made history in New York should not factor into any individual decisions. If someone deemed more notable has not been nominated, that should have no bearing on a nomination for Bill—or anyone else. I’m not suggesting “first come, first served.” I’m simply suggesting that each person be evaluated in and of himself, not in contrast to any number of others who could sustain a monument.
This reminds me of a yearly phenomenon regarding the Best Picture Academy Award nominations; there is always an underdog and always at least one “snubbed” film—but that is not the underdog’s fault.
Also, according to the NYC Parks site itself, “Rosemary Clooney [aunt of actor George Clooney] is reported [emphasis mine] to have made her public debut at the Poe Park bandstand.” I don’t know how they don’t know for sure if Clooney indeed performed there, but we have multiple published sources for Bill’s connection to the park, including Bill himself.
I feel it is short-sighted for the NYC Parks system to decline Bill Finger in large part because they did not already know who he was. I provided what I objectively feel is substantial evidence why he deserves a memorial in New York—and it should have been enough even if I had just said “He was the main mind behind Batman.” Such a memorial would have deep meaning for many.
As of now, I am pursuing four other options, three in New York, and all of which you’ll read about here before long.
Part 3 (the proposal itself).
Batman is one of our greatest fictional champions of justice, so it is cruelly ironic that the story of where he came from hides a gross injustice: the man largely responsible for him receives no official credit.
What’s more, co-creator and original writer Bill Finger is the one who first called Batman “the Dark Knight,” yet Bill’s name will not appear in the credits of The Dark Knight Rises (nor did it in The Dark Knight). The nickname “Dark Knight” is so iconic that the word “Batman” doesn’t even need to appear with it; meanwhile, the mind behind it is left in the dark.
Yet I came up with one way to link Bill with the movie and hopefully do some good for my book in the process.
I individually e-mailed the following flyer to hundreds of independent bookstores across the country:
Bill the Boy Wonder: The Secret Co-Creator of Batman publishes July 1.
The Dark Knight Rises opens July 20.
My proposed course of action for the bookstores is simple:
- Ask the nearest cinemas if they will hand out the flyer to people who buy tickets to TDKR.
That’s it.If even the smallest fraction of moviegoers goes for the same-day incentive, I’d consider this effort a success. In part that is because the smallest fraction of the projected audience of the movie—1.939 zajillion—is several nations unto themselves.As it stands, I couldn’t figure how to extra-sweeten the deal for the cinemas…but they have nothing to lose, either.
Perhaps they’ll view this as value-added, serving their customers some historical perspective with their blockbuster. Perhaps they’ll feel a moral obligation to do their part for Finger when so many (but not Finger) will be making so much on his genius. Perhaps they just like Batman.Bookstores, if you set the discount, and cinemas, if we provide the flyers, who’s in?
The store brand for natural foods juggernaut Whole Foods is called 365.
So naturally, I pitched them my book 365 Things to Do Before You Grow Up.
While waiting to hear from Whole Foods, I tweaked the pitch for Wegmans (whose store brand is called Wegmans).
And it was Wegmans, not the expected Whole Foods, that ultimately carried the book. (Actually, Whole Foods has not formally said no.)
Forty-nine storage rooms.
One hundred ten buildings.
Six thousand, two hundred ninety-one trunks.
Millions of items, any of which could be worth millions.
In the 8/8/11 New Yorker, a Talk of the Town piece by Nick Paumgarten revealed that there are 6,291 unclaimed trunks of personal belongings in dank storage rooms below Stuyvesant Town and Peter Cooper Village, a large apartment compound in New York.
These trunks date back decades to the 1940s, when the buildings opened, and of course the reasons they’ve been abandoned vary; the owners of some have died, but most likely most of those reasons will remain as mysterious as the contents themselves.
That is because it does not seem that anyone plans to open them. Well, some have been opened and some have burst open, but the article doesn’t say if there will a systematic cataloguing of the rest of the mass of material.
Which is why I promptly called Rose Associates, the property manager cited in the article.
Thus far, most of what has spilled out of trunks seems worthless—old clothes, canceled checks, ‘70s LPs. But I’m willing to wager that at least one of those trunks, and quite possibly several, contains an original copy of Action Comics #1 (featuring the debut of Superman), Detective Comics #27 (debut of Batman), or any number of other ultra-rare, mega-valuable comics, not to mention other kinds of valuables.
The companies that own the residential complex have been tasked with finding a more profitable use for this storage space. Given the understandably skeeved attitude of the property manager quoted in the article (who describes the air in those rooms as “unsanitary” and who said “I hate to think about the stuff that would come running out” when trunks are moved, etc.), I figured it would be worth a shot to ask if a writer could do research there. For all I know (the article doesn’t say), they might be planning to pulp those trunks.
I didn’t hear back from Rose. I don’t seem have great luck when it comes to New York institutions.
(I proposed holding a signing for Bill the Boy Wonder: The Secret Co-Creator of Batman at the Bronx Zoo both because of the bat connection and because Bill [Finger] lived in the Bronx when he co-created Batman. They said no. More on this in a future post.)
No matter. I will likely try again. After all, in most cases, searching for an Action #1 is as futile as searching for a Bigfoot in your bathtub, but that doesn’t mean one will never be found; and this is a scenario where the odds seem way greater than most any other I can imagine.
The location is right. (New York was the capital of comics.)
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This is incredible! I can't wait to read all of the updates. I've been looking forward this ever since you started dropping hints/asking questions on facebook.
What an awesome idea. I can't wait to read it all. Keep me updated!
There was to a girl in the Jessie's Girl video. She appears with actor Steve Antin. Why would there not be a girl in the video?
Anonymous - thanks for catching that goof. I swear when I watched the video on YouTube while prepping this series, those scenes with the girl were not in it. I'm baffled.
But glad to be corrected. Now I have to try to find her. Thanks.
Hey Marc! This is a fantastic project and I can't wait to see more of the interviews. I blogged about it over at http://aeiouwhy.blogspot.com/2013/07/remember-that-girl-in-that-music-video.html
Dex - huge thanks for your support!
Great idea. I would love for you to find the girl in the Rod Stewart video for Lost In You. Not the main girl, but one of the strippers who performs, the one with fantastic butt. If you are familiar with the video you will know who I am talking about.
Best news ever!1
Since you asked for suggestions, now here is my request of finding more video lovely ladies: Steve Miller Band "Bongo Bongo". Check out the video and you will be enchanted. (The song is a great dance tune as well!)
Thanks for the suggestion (and kind words), wuenchdog. I had not heard of (or at least didn't remember) "Bongo Bongo." You can SMELL the '80s on that video!
Dude,
Awesome blog idea! I can't wait to read these.
Nice work on this. Keep the 80s alive!!!
I have always been in love with one of the girls on the Damn Yankees video "Coming of Age". She's the black haired tall girl who says her name is "Maybe". Any idea what her name is or maybe do an interview? Thanks.
I would love to know the identity of the lovely dark-haired beauty from Bryan Adams' song "Cuts Like A Knife." I've done some basic research in the past, but it's clear that you have the appropriate level of skill and passion to tackle this task. I'll keep my fingers crossed and will love to learn about the backstory. -- Paul from Vientiane, Laos
Thanks Paul. Her name is Raquel Pena and she is included in the book I WANT MY MTV: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuts_Like_a_Knife_%28song%29. Perhaps she should have a longer interview though...
Hmmm how about the girl in "what it takes" by aerosmith or "forget me not" by bad english
Incredible and wonderful idea! Love everyone of your interviews, it is great to know about this video girls! Will help u as I can to share your info about these missing ladies! I have Rock Radio Show in México, called LiquidRockExa and will do a special show with this topic and speaking about you and your work! Felicidades amigo!
Incredible and wonderful idea! Love everyone of your interviews, it is great to know about this video girls! Will help u as I can to share your info about these missing ladies! I have Rock Radio Show in México, called LiquidRockExa and will do a special show with this topic and speaking about you and your work! Felicidades amigo!
Liquid Rock EXA - I would be so thrilled if you'd spread word any way you can!
You see the three I am looking for, plus also the woman/anyone from:
"Jessie's Girl" (Rick Springfield)
"Tell Her About It" (Billy Joel)
"Centerfold" (J. Geils Band)
All help appreciated!
Wow, this is great! I still watch a lot of 80's music videos and always wondered why they don't have a website like imdb for music videos. The closest I've found is mvdbase.com but it only shows the crew, not who was in the video.
Keep up the good work, I'll keep checking back for updates! This is so cool!!!
BTW here's a suggestion: the girl in George Harrison's "Got My Mind Set On You". http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ipt1_N-6cl4
i♥80s - thanks! And thanks for the suggestion, which no one has made yet. Added to the list!
Great list and idea! What about the woman in "Come On Eileen"? I think I read somewhere where she was the sister to one of the members of Bananarama...
Thanks! As it happens, emailed "Come On Eileen" woman today for round 2.
Hey Marc, I have a hard rock request for you. Can you track down the woman who played the "alpha female" in Motley Crue's "Looks That Kill" video?
"Looks That Kill" - She may have already been covered (vaguely remember seeing this video mentioned in I WANT MY MTV or elsewhere), but I have added it to the list.
According to imdb, the name of the "alpha female" from the Looks That Kill video is Wendy Barry. Still, it would be interesting to hear if she remembered anything about the shoot, or if she's got any stories to tell. Thanks again, Marc. This is some great work you've done.
Thanks for this GREAT work !!!!!!!
Marc there are some suggestions:
- Vinnie Vincent invasion's That time of year video
- The KISS "Lick it up" wild girls
- The KISS "All hell's breaking loose girls"
- Motley Crue's "Look that Kills" girls
Thanks !!!!!!!!!!!
sounds interesting but YouTube says can only view on a windows PC? Can't view it.
This is an outstanding idea, and I'm glad you're taking on such a daunting challenge.
The one interview I would have really loved to read unfortunately can't happen. The lovely artist/musician Jayzik Azikiwe, who was "Rollergirl" in Dire Straits' "Skateaway" video, passed away years ago. Would it be within the structure of this project to talk to her family perhaps?
Here are a couple others I'd be curious to hear the stories of:
Avery Summers and Kim Silvers - Mike Nesmith's "Cruisin' [Lucy and Ramona and Sunset Sam]";
Shari Shattuck - .38 Special's "Caught Up In You";
And meanwhile, I'm sure you've read the long strange story of the search for the girl from Men Without Hats' "Safety Dance", ultimately revealed as Cosmopolitan UK editor Louise Court earlier this year.
I saw you were Tweeting with Steve Lukather from Toto, how's the search for the girl from the "Africa" video going? You should also look for the girls that were featured in the "Pamela" video.
Thanks Marc. Added to the list of potentials. No luck yet on "Africa."
Great idea, 1 teeny tiny little suggestion: why not have a Table of Contents for the interviews, attached either to the masthead or the sidebar. It gets old having to scroll down & choose the women by the video they were in.
Thanks for the suggestion, Dagny, but not sure I follow. This post contains the table of contents...?