"Sun Suit Girls Must Be Discrete"
Published January 26, 2004
Of all the bands featured on the first week of VH-1's new 80's group reunion series, Bands Reunited, the only one to really strike a chord with me is San Francisco's Romeo Void. There are several good reasons for this:
- Unlike other groups to appear in the show's first week of broadcasts (Berlin, Flock of Seagulls), RVoid was not a synth-heavy band, focusing instead on guitar/sax over a suitably throbbing bottom;
- Frontwoman Deborah Iyall's lyrics were both darker, more poetic and sexier than anything offered by faux-provocative outfits like Berlin;
- I had a thing for the band's BBW singer - even spent some time with her backstage at a Central Illinois club once just before a concert (and, damn it, I was a gentleman - okay, I was too drunk to be able to do much, but stillllll . . .)
The premise of VH-1's series is simple enough to explain in a ten-second spot: host Aamer Haleem tracks down members of defunct 80's groups and wheedles 'em into reforming for a one-night gig at the Whisky A Go-Go. We get to see each saggingly middle-aged member as they appear today, see how they've fared outside the rock 'n' roll milieu (in the case of most of Romeo Void, they generally seem to be doing okay), watch 'em rehearse for a show the following night, climaxing with an onstage performance of two songs from the group's repertoire. Whether the band actually performs more than two numbers at the Whisky is unclear from the episode I watched.
As Haleem tracks down the group members, we're also treated to a history of the group, the factors that led to its success and dissolution. With Romeo Void, two themes keep re-emerging: the usual story of internecine jealousy over the group frontperson receiving most of the attention - plus the record label's inability to support a band whose lead femme singer was plus-sized. (One band member tells the story of Clive Davis and a group of flaks coming to view a concert, only to walk out of the club the moment Debora stepped onstage.) It was the group's misfortune to come into prominence during the dawning of the video music era. As the band recounts it, after they released the video to their second big single, "A Girl in Trouble Is A Temporary Thing," sans any camera tricks or shadowy obfuscation a la Ann Wilson or Alf Moyet, Columbia immediately pulled its support of the group.
- "Sun Suit Girls Must Be Discrete"
- Published: January 26, 2004
- Type:
- Section: Music
- Filed Under: Music: Alternative Rock
- Writer: Bill Sherman
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If anyone remembers Pylon, they had a similar problem. Good music but had an image that made MTV shy away. It's horrible that we can't accept people who don't look like a model, and focus solely on image.
RV, Pylon, Heart all have a great sound, but because the main voice is a BBW, that scares the shit outta record execs.
Hey Mike, your point is proved by the fact that I loved Pylon but had no idea what they looked like.
hopefully, vh1 will replay these things.
i've only had a chance to catch one and that was for Frankie Goes To Hollywood...and i thought that one was kinda depressing.
Eric: Well, obviously I bought into her as sexy - but I also think that the band's sound was more cultish than mainstream videopop (at least as it was defined in the 80's) and that Columbia's attempts at forcing Iyall into the videopop ideal were both wrongheaded and doomed to fail. I also find it ironic that the era which saw Romeo Void's biggest hit also was the period when Boy George and Robert Smith were allowed to prance about the videoscreen. . .
Mark: I caught the Romeo Void entry (along with the tale end of Berlin's episode) as it was rerun over the weekend. Knowing VH-1, you can rest assured that they've only just begun to milk these shows.
Dudes, What's a BBW? Many thanks.
Big Boned Woman? I am not familiar with the term, but I am guessing.
"Big Beautiful Women"
It's short for Big Beautiful Woman - originally from the fashion magazine of the same name. . .
I would guess most Big Beautiful Women have bones to match.
I love big girls!
so does Sir Mix-a-lot
Ah, thank ye. Who doesn't like a little junk in the trunk? I mean, I'm not talking slovenly here, but you know, like swimmers, tennis/volleyball players and whatnot, ya dig?
Yeah, but you can't forget about Beyonce. Better yet, the rapper Trina has an ONION! But without the smell.
there are those very close to me who are not without rectilinear substance
So what are you saying, Eric, that you don't know anyone with junk in tha trunk?
Craig: Personally, I don't find the phrase "big boned woman" to be offensive. (See K.D. Lang's "Big Boned Gal" for further elaboration. . .)
please note double-negative, I was being discreet
Oh, sorry. So what are you, a pimp now?
Dwayne, Eric was trying to tell you that he is all about Big Bootie Hoes aka BBW aka Babies who got Back. He has a very strong pimp hand. Really.
Okay, but there's only one little problem: It's Dwaine, not Dwayne. Note the difference. The "i" is substituted for the "y". Don't be an asshole.
What I was saying is that my wife, ex-wife and elder daughter all have a certain roundness in their hinterlands - hard to tell where the 4 year-old will end up on the scale.
It's a very interesting misspelling, I'll have to admit.
you two ...
Cool.
Damnit, Duane! Why must that name plague my dreams!
Just funnin' wit ya' bro. It's all good.
Yeah, it's cool. Now, back to the phat asses. Does anyone have something to say about "phat asses"?
No, but I apologize for the misspelling of your name. Certainly not on purpose. I should have used one of your AKA's. They are easier to spell. :-)
Well everyone makes mistakes. I made the mistake of not wearing a belt once. Do you know what its like to have your shorts fall down in front of a bunch of girls? Jesus.
Add your comment, speak your mind
(Or ping: http://blogcritics.org/mt/tb/12044)
Bill, I absolutely love Romeo Void and agree they got short shrift in that they created a sound from scratch that is unlike any other, they had some really great songs - their greatest hits holds up extremely well.
But I think even though you mentioned it, you don't put enough emphasis on the image problem: Debora wasn't just "plus-sized," she was really big, and unlike some others who were willing to make light of their weight and still retain their dignity (Mama Cass comes to mind), she wouldn't go for that at all: either you bought into her as sexy as is or you didn't. This was hard to market. I think Columbia actually did their best - they weren't without some success.