Wow. Every once in a while I run across a video that just stops me cold. Bob Seger's "Night Moves" is one of those, and it just stopped me cold. Not because it's astounding and great, mind you. There's nothing wrong with it--the video is a lush, well-filmed exercise in nostalgia, filmed in the early 90s when videos were becoming more cinematic and shedding the cheesy excess of the 80s. What stunned me about it is that I'd never seen it before. Look, in the late 80s I was a pretty damn big Seger fan and when this video came out I was still putting MTV on as a default when I wanted something playing in the background. Those of you who know Seger remember that "Night Moves" was a hit back in 1976, before videos were a thing. So this retroactive video was made in 1994 to promote Seger's first greatest hits collection. The video prominently features Daphne Zuniga--of "Melrose Place" and "Spaceballs" fame--along with Matt LeBlanc, who was just months away from hitting it big with "Friends." And I have never, ever seen this video. I didn't even realize it existed. How is that even possible for me, who takes no small amount of pride in knowing absurdly inane trivia like this? Huh. Ain't it funny how the night moves...
We lost Harry Belafonte last week. He was a sublime performer with great acting talent and an even better singing voice. Although he is most known as the man who brought calypso to the U.S. in a major way, he primarly viewed himself as a folk singer. Beyond that, he was a greater humanitarian and magnificent human being. Rather than "The Banana Boat Song" which most remember him by, I'd like to share his duet with Odetta of the old folk campfire song "A Hole in the Bucket", which shows off his playfulness as well as great comedic timing. Godspeed, good sir.
I heard "Jazz à Gogo" earlier today and it reminded me how much I liked this fluffy little bit of jazzy Ye-Ye Pop from France Gall. It's even got a vintage video from 1964--not a particularly good video, mind you, but that's beside the point. The world was in a great bit of turmoil and flux in the mid-60s, but you'd never know it from this.
Previously on Friday Night Videos... Matato'a.
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Ready for a new episode of A Moment of Tiki? Episode 54 brings you part 2 of "Music for a Dark Tiki Bar" with contemporary Pacifika, surf rock and Latin big band. There's plenty here to dispel the myth that a good tiki bar playlist is limited to Martin Denny on repeat!
I do continue to hold forth a bit and share some of my philosophy on selecting genres to listen to but I'm not quite as insufferable this time around. You may watch the video via the embed below or https://youtu.be/xEhRPNh-jNU.
One great thing about the interwebz is that it allows one to discover new and delightful things that are foreign (literally and figuratively) to one's normal experience. Music is a big component of that. I've long been fascinated by different musical traditions, and platforms like YouTube and others have opened up that world more than anything else. Matato'a, a band I've featured here before, is (was) based out of Rapa Nui, otherwise known as Easter Island. That, in and of itself, is quite cool. The fact that they're quite accomplished musicians makes it even better. Here's their song, "Tamai" to get the weekend started on a positive note.
The weather's warming up rapidly which means I'll be spending more of my time hanging out in the Lagoon of Mystery. That also means I'll be listening to more Bossa Nova as a matter of course. What better way to set the mood than a lovely cover of "Corcovado" by Astrud Gilberto?
From almost the very first episode of A Moment of Tiki, which premiered three years ago, folks have asked me to do an episode on music. I put it off, not because I didn't have opinions (Oh boy! Do I have opinions!) but because I knew how much work it would be. Well, in episode 53 I finally tackle that beast and hold forth on what I think constitutes good "Music for a Dark Tiki Bar."
Yeah, I do hold forth a bit. You may watch the video via the embed below or follow this link.
I also need to catch up on a few episodes I haven't shared here yet (yeah, my bad). In reverse numerical order, here is episode 52: La-La-Lauhala:
