teen idols

I love hard music. Even when I was a little kid I favored loud drums and screaming guitars over sweet melodies and pretty words. As a teen I listened to MDC, The Circle Jerks, and the Dead Kennedys. As an adult I played the drums in a few bands and wrote songs full of angry, obscene words about shooting people in the face.

However, even the hardest of rockers sometimes need a little sweetness. I have a fairly large collection of sweet R&B ballads, weepy indie rock selections, and even a few soothing classical pieces to connect me to the more graceful side of music. This is all justifiable in the name of eclectic taste. However, there is no amount of rationalization that can really ever erase my shame over my absolute adoration of bubblegum rock. Continue reading →

Who can forget the first time they saw five attractive but slightly different looking men reaching out from the radio or TV screen and begging you to be their girl? Truth be told, boy bands have been around for a very long time. The Jackson 5 was technically a boy bad and one that actually played their own instruments (or get beat by Crazy Old Man Jackson). The brilliance is undeniable (oh and look who shows up at the end of the video).

My favorite boy band of all time (yes, I know all the choreography of this video by heart) is New Edition. Not only did they have so many great hits starting with “Candy Girl,” but they broke up to give us the wonderment of Bobby Brown – BOBBAAAAYYYY!!!!, Bell Biv Devoe, a sensitive Ralph Tresvant and later Johnny Gill, my my my.

Then these guys came along acting like they invented the boy bad. To be fair, the reaction to them was like they invented the boy band. Seeing them in concert – I had a good reason – what just that because I could not hear a single thing over the constant shrieking of prepubescent girls…and their moms.

Ten Treasures of Bubblegum Rock

Flashback Friday: The Boys Are Back In Town