Silly Haircut Music

July 27, 2006... Last week, a friend sent me a link to Cats That Look Like Hitler. Naturally, it got me thinking about the brothers Mael.

So, I put on my copy of Sparks' Angst in My Pants and waited for my favourite song.

Sparks - I Predict

My introduction to "I Predict" was a live appearance Sparks made on TV 'round about 1982. I loved the gently satirical lyrics of the song, of course, and the short-haired fucker with the Hitler moustache sitting motionless at his keyboard... Oh, yeah, plus there was this great, loud guitar part.

In case you ain't noticed, though, there ain't no "great, loud guitar part" on the studio version of "I Predict." Nope. Instead, there is synthesizer borborygmi.

And do you know why there's "synthesizer borborygmi" on the record instead of guitar? Because it was 1982--you know, the golden age of silly haircut music--and every buddy was riding the new wave. Even Sparks.

Of course, it all sucked. Every last drop of it...

To be more precise: if I liked it, it was post-punk; if I didn't like it, it was new wave. If it was new wave and I liked it anyway, it was these two songs--both of which, you will notice, feature g-u-i-t-a-r-s.

Tears For Fears - Change

Naked Eyes - Promises, Promises

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