Happy Birthday Billy Squier!
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Billy turns 58 today. Yeah, I have kind of been on a Billy Squier kick lately. I am just so amazed by how people in entertainment can wreck their whole career with one bad decision. In this case, of course, it was Billy's decision to dance in a pink tank top in the Rock Me Tonight video (I did a full write up on this Rock Me Tonight video fiasco on the Kerri Lee blog today.) One thing I find interesting about Billy Squier is that he is a legend in hip hop circles because his beats were so dope, and he is sampled constantly. Listen to the song above, then listen to 99 Problems by Jay Z and Dizzee Rascal's Fix Up Look Sharp. And who can forget Run DMC with Here We go, Here We Go, Here We Here We Go. Another thing is that, while I find most non hip-hop music of the 1980s to be "good" solely in an ironic fashion, Billy Squier kicked total ass without cheesy synthesizers and drum machines. So what is he up to now? Here's an article about him from a couple of years ago.
This says all you need to know about JGT's music interests---today is Steve Winwood's birthday (60) and Billy Squire's birthday (58). Goodtimes plays up Billy Squire's birthday.
Avenger 58 wishes Billy Squier a happy 58th.
I think it is unfair to blame a single person - namely Squire himself - for the poor conceptualization and execution of the "Rock Me Tonite" video. Squire did not make all of the decisions about how to make this video. What about the director, or the set designer, or the art director, or the advertising people at Captiol Records? Why couldn't any of them have stepped-up, earned their pay that day, and move the production in a different direction all together?
Similarly, I think to say this one video ruined Billy's career is misguided. Two years passed between the album on which "Rock Me Tonite" appeared and its follow-up. A music scene that had changed by 1986 to make room for the likes of Run DMC as well as DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince didn't have room for the stylings of Squire.
Finally, blaming the video let's off too easily those people who refuse to *listen* to the song. It's a damn good track - evidenced by its reaching #15 on Billboard's Hot 100 and #1 on the Album Rock Tracks chart in late 1984. The triumph of the image-conscious society is complete if we allow a single video to overshadow the musical accomplishments of any one artist or performer.