When I first started thinking about the old blog. My Alma mater, Middlebury College, had won the national championship in soccer this weekend. The Patriots decided to stop playing defense and also stop catching the ball almost allowing an unlikely upset from the Eagles. Somehow a guy who couldn't throw a baseball from second base to first (what 25 feet?) made it onto the baseball hall of fame ballot, our old pal Chuck Knoblach. Possibly a review of the very intense Coen film No Country for Old Men. There was always the wrap up from Turkey Day (pretty successful).
The end of the day though brought said and untimely news... Kevin Dubrow of Quiet Riot fame had died in his Las Vegas home at the age of 52. I certainly do not want to make fun of some body's death but Mr. Dubrow was quite a character. I was just coming into my own rock n' roll wise in the early eighties. MTV was just getting off the ground and we were in the thick of the hair metal revolution. I remember vividly the first Quiet Riot video... "Cum on Feel the Noise", a cover tune from the defunct band Slade. Like most early MTV videos, this thing was cheesy as all get out. But what it lacked in acting, directing, costumes, cinematography, production values... it made up for in ridiculous fist pumping, a heavy drum beat, and the MASK!!!! The guy wore that sweet steel mask straight from a comic book as well as the purple "Member's Only" straight jacket. I was hooked. It led to my first musical purchase. I got my parents to buy me my first cassette, Metal Health, which featured such gems as "Let's Go Crazy", and "Slick Black Cadillac". I followed that up w/ Condition Critical, and QRIII. Each video was more ridiculous, and each interview was more outrageous. I remember these dudes in bright spandex and leather chugging beers and surrounded by half dressed buxom beauties. What more could a hormone driven pre-teen dream of?!?!? And running the circus was Kevin Dubrow.
Dubrow had a stalking stage presence and a loud screaming voice. He also had an amazing receding hairline and wore bright red spandex even though he was built like me at 10. Dubrow managed to lead his troupe to the top of the charts and bring hair metal into the forefront of American Rock N' Roll. Then he went insane. The music was quickly pushed out and he started talking shit about other bands... and then his own band. While touring the band neglected to wake him up and bolted from their hotel in Hawaii. Needless to say old Kev' had been fired. As the heart and soul of the band, neither side could really survive w/out the other and eventually a reunion was in the works. Dubrow resurfaced w/ a piece that would make Sy Sperling proud. It was a huge super fake looking gherri curl toupee. Fantastic!! From there the band went through a few break ups and reunions, and then some shows in the Netherlands and county fairs. At one point you could have the band play a private show for 10 grand. Needless to say we looked into it. So now, like many rock stars before him, Dubrow has left this world prematurely. I am sure tawdry details of drugs and alcohol will surface... and I imagine that's the way Kevin would have wanted it. They are my first and still one of my favorite bands and so I say good journey Kevin Dubrow!
The end of the day though brought said and untimely news... Kevin Dubrow of Quiet Riot fame had died in his Las Vegas home at the age of 52. I certainly do not want to make fun of some body's death but Mr. Dubrow was quite a character. I was just coming into my own rock n' roll wise in the early eighties. MTV was just getting off the ground and we were in the thick of the hair metal revolution. I remember vividly the first Quiet Riot video... "Cum on Feel the Noise", a cover tune from the defunct band Slade. Like most early MTV videos, this thing was cheesy as all get out. But what it lacked in acting, directing, costumes, cinematography, production values... it made up for in ridiculous fist pumping, a heavy drum beat, and the MASK!!!! The guy wore that sweet steel mask straight from a comic book as well as the purple "Member's Only" straight jacket. I was hooked. It led to my first musical purchase. I got my parents to buy me my first cassette, Metal Health, which featured such gems as "Let's Go Crazy", and "Slick Black Cadillac". I followed that up w/ Condition Critical, and QRIII. Each video was more ridiculous, and each interview was more outrageous. I remember these dudes in bright spandex and leather chugging beers and surrounded by half dressed buxom beauties. What more could a hormone driven pre-teen dream of?!?!? And running the circus was Kevin Dubrow.
Dubrow had a stalking stage presence and a loud screaming voice. He also had an amazing receding hairline and wore bright red spandex even though he was built like me at 10. Dubrow managed to lead his troupe to the top of the charts and bring hair metal into the forefront of American Rock N' Roll. Then he went insane. The music was quickly pushed out and he started talking shit about other bands... and then his own band. While touring the band neglected to wake him up and bolted from their hotel in Hawaii. Needless to say old Kev' had been fired. As the heart and soul of the band, neither side could really survive w/out the other and eventually a reunion was in the works. Dubrow resurfaced w/ a piece that would make Sy Sperling proud. It was a huge super fake looking gherri curl toupee. Fantastic!! From there the band went through a few break ups and reunions, and then some shows in the Netherlands and county fairs. At one point you could have the band play a private show for 10 grand. Needless to say we looked into it. So now, like many rock stars before him, Dubrow has left this world prematurely. I am sure tawdry details of drugs and alcohol will surface... and I imagine that's the way Kevin would have wanted it. They are my first and still one of my favorite bands and so I say good journey Kevin Dubrow!
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