Oh! Your Hair Is Beautiful

Have you ever been asked the question; If you could choose any year as your year of birth, what would the year be and why?

My choice, and the choices of others with whom I have discussed this question, ultimately boils down to music. For example, dear friend Boshua Jowlin has said 1951, beacuse that puts him at the first Woodstock at age 18.

My choice is 1965. That makes me 15 in 1980 and carries me through my formative years in the Eighties. I love the Eighties, and not in that VH1 crack hit love sort of way. My love affair with the Eighties is deeper and more nuanced than the glut of Octaldecadeology espoused by the celebrity network.

And when I say Eighties, I don't mean Bon Jovi or Def Leppard. I don't mean Toni Basil or Paula Abdul. What I mean when I say I love the Eighties is that I love Blondie, Duran Duran, New Order, The Talking Heads, The Cars, Devo, et al.

I guess you could say that I am a fan of what may or may not be considered "New Wave" Eighties music. The kind of music that make you want to be weird just for the sake of being weird. The kind of music that kind of makes you want to spazz out, but in a good way. The kind of music that makes you want to dance and worship keyboards, synthesizers, and simple (yet evocative) guitar rhythms. My affinity for this genre laid the foundation for my excitement for bands like The Strokes, The Killers, Franz Ferdinand, and others of this quasi-new-wave indie-rock revival that has been bursting the last few years.

So as the Eighties sound begins to creep back to today's music, I'm looking back to the alt-nerds who first experimented with keyboards and synths. I am now on a quest to build the the ultimate Eighties playlist for the dPod, and while the restriction on what I have currently compiled is not limited solely to "New Wave" music, I want to focus on that genre and songs that fit somwhere near it. Essentially, this means no "Hair Metal" or overly cheesy pop ballads. Although some of the latter group is ok. I have an unrestrained passion for The Oufield's "Your Love." Josie's on a VA-CA-tion far A-WAY!!!

So here is what I have so far... A-Ha "Take On Me," A Flock of Seagulls "I Ran," Bad English "I Melt With You," Blondie "Atomic" "Call Me" and "Heart of Glass," The Cars "Best Friend's Girl" and "You Might Think I'm Crazy," Dead or Alive "You Spin Me Round," Devo "Whip It," Duran Duran "Girls on Film" and "Rio," Eurythmics "Sweet Dreams," Falco "Rock Me Amadeus," The Fixx "One Thing Leads to Another," Frankie Goes to Hollywood "Relax," Gary Newman "Cars," Human League "Don't You Want Me," Kajagoogoo "Too Shy," Men With Out Hats "The Safety Dance," Naked Eyes "Always Something There To Remind Me," New Order "Blue Monday" "Temptation" and "Bizarre Love Triangle," OMD "If You Leave," The Outfield "Your Love," Soft Cell "Tainted Love," Talking Heads "Once In A Lifetime" and "And She Was," Tears For Fears "Head Over Heels," and Thomas Dolby "She Blinded Me With Science."

These are the songs that survived my conversion from CD's to the dPod, and many were lost in the transfer. I realize that this list is incomplete and limited. But, I feel as if it is a solid foundation on which to build a phenomonal New-Wave-ish mix of rad Eighties music. I'm setting out to do this over the next few weeks and I need YOUR help. Please help me out and post comments regarding songs that you think should (or should not) be on my list.

Adios and welcome to Disposable Dixie Cup Drinker.