Still a Fan

As many of you know, Mark and I have chosen not to have cable in our new home.

We aren't very good at not having a televison at all, however,
so we do allow ourselves a pair of rabbit ears on a medium-sized TV in the den.
Living in Western Kentucky, this means we get one station clearly, UPN,
(which is great if you like Yes, Dear and Everybody Loves Raymond..a lot)
and one other station with very fuzzy reception.
Channel 6.
Not sure what the call letters are because I can barely stand the concentration it takes make things out.
So, last night I was watching, Yes, Dear,
(for the 50 billionth time),
while sitting down to eat my microwave diet meal
(doused with Tabasco so I east it more slowly
and therefore it becomes more filling)
and thought I'd see what was on the other channel.

Click.

Tonight, on blah, blah, blah, where are they now?, blah, blah, blah,
contest, blah, blah, blah, reality, blah,
Vanilla Ice, blah, blah, blah, Flock of Seagulls...

(screeching sound of turntable arm scratching the surface of album caused by major distraction of DJ,
note: this sound is not the same sound used on purpose by music pioneers such as Grandmaster Flash ).

What? A Flock of Seagulls on TV tonight? Yes!

Two things I want to mention here:

#1. I do not think Mike Score and the guys of AFOS were masters of their trade,
but that does not always matter in pop rock.
Remember when Madonna was best known for rolling around in black lace and rosaries on the floor?
It was not her fabulous voice that had our attention.
It was the spectacle, persona and performance.
You see, I was more interested in the idea of AFOS than their skills.
Which weren't bad, I should make clear.

#2. I realize I will get a lot of flack for making these statements, but I don't care.
I'm ready to defend my opinion.
After all, I voted for Nader once, if I can defend that, I can surely defend these guys.


Anyhoo, where was I?
Oh yeah:

screeching sound

What? A Flock of Seagulls on TV, next? Yes!

AFOS, was one of those bands that takes me straight back to being a teenager.
They made me want to be a unusual, artistic, creative, different.
I remember buying my first pair of new wave sunglasses at Festival Market's Sunglass Hut,
listening to my Psychedelic Furs cassette and cruising around Lexington in my Karmann Ghia
(wishing Earl Scheib would paint it pink for me like Andie's)
and thinking....."Yeah. This this is totally the deal."

I loved Mike Score's hair,
I loved the stiff robotic way he played the keyboard,
I loved the dreamy otherworldly sounds he and Gary Neuman were so fond of coaxing from their synthesizers.
I loved the weirdness.
I still love the weirdness I feel in my gut when I hear that spooky music today.

So, I got out my trusty step ladder and stretched my short little arms as far as I could
trying every conceivable angle for the antenna.
(Which I am now convinced is a piece of crap.)
Finally after producing a sweaty brow and a charlie horse in my shoulder, I decided it looked clear enough to watch this one performance.

Well, I watched it.
It was mediocre, at best.
Luckily, I was kind of expecting that.
I really wasn't disappointed.
Well, I was a little disappointed that the whole band wasn't there.
But it was good.
And it brought back some wonderful memories.

I would even go as far as to say, AFOS is partially responsible for making me who I am today.
And you know what?
I like me.

So for all you haters and fair-weather friends out there, likely, ripping on last night's performance right now,
hear this:

Mike, I still love ya, baby. And, yes, I am still a fan.
I'm loud and I'm proud and I'm not ashamed to say it.

My name is Anessa Arehart and I love A Flock of Seagulls.

The end.