The Compilation: NOW 12" 80s "1987"

 

The Now Music series continue their 12" 80s series with a 4CD set covering more extended hits from 1987. 

 

NOW 12″80s: 1987 – Part Two offers more brilliant hits from 1987 definitely a hell of a year to remember. Among the 46 tracks are two Pet Shop Boys extended versions (Dusty Springfield collaborations, "What Have I Done To Deserve This" and the Christmas No 1, "Always On My Mind"), a-ha's "The Living Daylights", Duran Duran's "Meet El Presidente" (their first CD single and admittedly a weaker track from Notorious), Eurythmics' "Missonary Man2 and the "Three Coins In a Fountain Mix" Terence Trent D'Arby's "Wishing Well".

Other remarkable highlights are the extended version of Curiosity Killed The Cat's excellent "Misfit", the "John Potoker Extended Mix" of Fine Young Cannibals' "Ever Fallen in Love", "The Whole Story" version of ABC's "The Night You Murdered Love", the superb "Superb, Superb Mix" of Swing Out Sister's "Twilight World" (a great mix, but an odd choice, given it's effectively the album version) and more long mixes from New Order, Simply Red, Wet Wet Wet, Johnny Hates Jazz and Jan Hammer.

NOW 12″80s: 1987 – Part Two is out on 16 October 2026.

Track List:  

CD 1

 

1. Freddie Mercury & Montserrat Caballé – Barcelona (Extended Version)

2. Pet Shop Boys – What Have I Done to Deserve This? (With Dusty Springfield) (Shep Pettibone Disco Remix)

3. a-ha – The Living Daylights (Extended Version)

4. Eurythmics, Annie Lennox, Dave Stewart – Missionary Man (Extended Version)

5. Duran Duran – Meet El Presidente (Presidential Suite Mix)

6. Level 42 – To Be With You Again

7. Debbie Harry – In Love With Love (London Extended Mix)

8. Kim Wilde – Another Step (Closer To You) (Extended Mix)

9. Alison Moyet – Weak in the Presence of Beauty (Extended)

10. Sananda Maitreya – Wishing Well (Three Coins In a Fountain Mix)

11. Pretenders – Kid (Extended Remix)

12. T’Pau – Heart And Soul (Dance Mix / 4 Twelve Mix)

 

CD 2

1. Whitney Houston – I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me) (12″ Remix)

2. Alexander O’Neal – Fake (Extended Version)

3. Donna Summer – Dinner With Gershwin (Extended Version)

4. Vesta Williams – Once Bitten Twice Shy (12″ Version)

5. Barry White – Sho’ You Right (Remix)

6. Exposé – Come Go With Me (Extended Mix)

7. Five Star – The Slightest Touch (The Pettibone Touch Remix)

8. Pepsi & Shirlie – Goodbye Stranger (Extended Version)

9. MEL & KIM – F.L.M. (12” Mix)

10. Chic – Jack Le Freak (Vocal Long Version)

11. Boogie Box High – Jive Talkin’ (Jellybean 12” Dance Remix)

 

CD 3

1.Pet Shop Boys – Always on My Mind (Extended Dance Version)

2. New Order – Touched by the Hand of God (12″ Version)

3. Sisters Of Mercy – This Corrosion (12″ Version)

4. Siouxsie And The Banshees – This Wheel’s On Fire (Incendiary Mix)

5. Scarlet Fantastic – No Memory (Extra Sensory Mix)

6. Pseudo Echo – Funky Town (Full Version)

7. Fine Young Cannibals – Ever Fallen In Love (John Potoker Extended Mix)

8. Curiosity Killed The Cat – Misfit (12″ Version)

9. Boy George – Everything I Own (Extended P W Botha Mix)

10. UB40 – Rat In Mi Kitchen (12″ Version)

11. Sly & Robbie & Shinehead – Boops (Here To Go)

 

CD 4

 

1. Bananarama – Love In The First Degree (Jailers Mix)

2. The Communards – Never Can Say Goodbye (San Paulo Mix)

3. Rick Astley – Whenever You Need Somebody (Lonely Hearts Mix)

4. Samantha Fox – Nothing’s Gonna Stop Me Now (Extended Version)

5. Spagna – Call Me (Viva mix)

6. Nick Kamen – Loving You Is Sweeter Than Ever (Extended Dance Mix)

7. Simply Red – The Right Thing (Extended Single)

8. ABC – The Night You Murdered Love (The Whole Story)

9. Swing Out Sister – Twilight World (Superb, Superb, Mix)

10. Wet Wet Wet – Sweet Little Mystery (12″ Version)

11. Johnny Hates Jazz – Turn Back The Clock (12” Extended Mix)

12. Jan Hammer – Crockett’s Theme (Instrumental/Extended 12″ Mix)

In Memoriam: The Beloved Actor "Dennis Haskins" Best Known For His Role As "Mr. Belding" Has Died Aged 75

 

Dennis Haskins, the actor best known for his role as principal Richard Belding on the high school comedy series "Saved by the Bell," has died, his agent said Monday. Haskins was 75. The cause and manner of death were unavailable.

He made his network television debut in 1979 on "The Dukes of Hazzard." Haskins also appeared on "Archie Bunker's Place," Magnum, P.I.," "7th Heaven," "Hot in Cleveland" and nearly 100 other shows as an actor and voiceover artist.

 

His death was confirmed by his longtime friend and caretaker in his hometown of Chattanooga, Tennessee. No cause of death has been announced. Some reports say Haskins was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. 

 

Haskins was honored with The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga's Most Distinguished Alumni of 2000 award and has a regional high school academic decathlon named after him, The Dennis Haskins Open.

 

In recent years, Haskins traveled the country, visiting many Minor League Baseball stadiums in the summer, greeting fans, signing autographs and taking pictures. 

 

Haskins first played Mr. Belding in "Good Morning, Miss Bliss" on the Disney Channel in 1988. The show was renamed "Saved by the Bell" the following year and became a defining sitcom of the 1990s. His greeting of “hey, hey, hey, what is going on here?” became one of the sitcom’s most recognizable running bits and remains instantly associated with the character decades later.

 

Haskins’ role on the show, which aired from 1989 to 1993, would come to define him for millions of fans. "Everyone loved Mr. Belding and those of us who got to know Dennis, loved him even more.

 

Haskins was born and raised in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and attended the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, where he reported for the student newspaper, acted in campus productions and was a founding member of the community theater group known as the Harlequins, according to his university biography. As a young man, he worked as a music manager, agent and concert promoter and boasted Tom Jones and Gregg Allman among his clients.

 

His acting career was boosted by his portrayal of Mr. Belding on Disney Channel's "Good Morning, Miss Bliss" in 1988, according to the university bio. The next year, NBC aired the show as "Saved by the Bell"; it ran until 1993. He reprised the role on "Saved by the Bell: The New Class," which aired Saturday mornings from 1993 to 2000 on NBC. After the show’s end, he found work in several movies and television shows, including "It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia."

The Anniversary/Television Personalities: The Unlikely And Unusual TV Show "ALF" Turns 40

 

Premiered on NBC on 22 September 1986, "ALF (Alien Life Form)" the furry alien named Gordon Shumway who crash-landed his spaceship into a suburban garage, then moved in with the Tanner family for the next 4 years. At the time, critics weren't sure what NBC was doing with its upcoming sitcom. Some medias described the new series as "ridiculous" and predicted it would fail, also targeted the lead character "ALF" as not cute enough to sustain the comedy.

ALF was a cretainly an unusual choice: a live-action sitcom about an ordinary family suddenly visited by an alien. He wasn't kindly or even cute, indeed, he was a crabby, cranky, and furry monster who was sarcastic, selfish, always scheming, and stuck in a suburban house with people who could not get rid of himbut in 1986, there was little else on television quite like it.

Making its eventual success even more remarkable was the difficult production. To accommodate the puppet, the set had to be raised four feet above the ground with trap doors cut into the stage. ALF was voiced and operated by puppeteer Paul Fusco, while 33-inch-tall actor Michu Meszaros wore a costume for full-body shots. The elaborate setup made "ALF" unusually time-consuming and expensive to produce, meaning the strange new sitcom needed viewers to embrace it quickly. Max Wright, who played family Father, Willie, was able to appreciate the series more fully years after it ended. "It doesn't matter what I felt or what the days were like," he said. "'ALF' brought people a lot of joy. They adored it."

But not everything seemed to work perfectly at the time, it was an exhausting show to produce, a 30-minute episode regularly took 20 to 25 hours to shoot. The cast spent entire days waiting while the puppet was repositioned, and the atmosphere on set reflected it. In a 2000 People magazine interview, the cast confirmed the set ran on constant, high tension. Max Wright, who played Willie Tanner, said of the show's end: "I was hugely eager to have it over with." For the shots that needed ALF’s full body on screen, walking or standing, the production used Michu Meszaros, a 33-inch-tall former Ringling Bros. circus performer from Hungary, uncredited in the role. Meszaros died in 2016 at 76. "It was a technical nightmare," Anne Schedeen, who played Kate and passed away in June 2026, told People in a 2000 interview. "Extremely slow, hot, and tedious. If you had a scene with ALF, it took centuries." 

The production was a grind unlike anything else on network television in the 1980s. ALF was an elaborate puppet operated primarily by creator Paul Fusco from beneath the set. Fusco controlled the mouth and right arm, Lisa Buckley operated the left arm, and Bob Fappiano ran the facial movements by radio control. The set itself was built on a platform raised four feet off the ground, with trap doors cut at many points so ALF could pop up almost anywhere.

Curiously, "ALF" became a hit, with NBC adding two extra episodes to Season 1 and quickly renewing it for a second season. Although the character was popular with kids, puppeteer Paul Fusco told The Tampa Tribune that the show's appeal extended to all ages. "Sure, children like the character, but there are jokes that go right over their heads," he said. Fusco added of ALF, "He says things we're all thinking but never have the nerve to say. He can get away with it because he's an alien." 

Co-created by Fusco and Tom Patchett, debuted to strong numbers and climbed from there. By its second season it was the 10th most-watched show on US television. It won the 1987 People's Choice Award for Favorite New TV Comedy Program and Favorite Show at the 1988 Kids' Choice Awards. The franchise machine followed immediately: a Saturday morning cartoon, ALF: The Animated Series, then a second animated spin-off, ALF Tales, and ALF's face on seemingly everything a store could stock. For about three years he was everywhere. 

The fourth season's final episode, "Consider Me Gone," originally aired on March 24, 1990. In it, the Alien Task Force, the military unit that spent four seasons hunting him, finally closes in. The series ends with ALF captured and the story unresolved. Fade to black. It was supposed to be continuation, not an ending, NBC had given the continuation for a fifth season, but then, the network withdrew its support, and the show was canceled with ALF in the hands of the government and no explanation coming. Six years later, ABC produced a TV movie called Project: ALF that seemed to be the continuation we expected but none of the original Tanner family cast appeared in it. 

The franchise kept trying. In 2004, TV Land gave the character his own talk show, ALF’s Hit Talk Show, with Ed McMahon as his sidekick, which is exactly what it sounds like. In August 2018, Warner Bros. announced a reboot but it was canceled three months later. The original four seasons have quietly migrated across every streaming platform that will have them just like any other sitcom has done so far, and believe it or not, the show still as popular as it was 40 years ago, thanks to streaming on different platforms such as Prime Video and Peacock, and free on Tubi, Plex, and The Roku Channel.

In summary, ALF was a weirdo, expensive, exhausting production that ran on the talent of one puppeteer and the patience of a cast that did not always have much patience left. It turn a furry creature into a stardom pop culture icon, despite the convivence on the set was awful, someway somehow the rating were high and real, but 40 years later we still watch the re-runs and keep talking about it.

Especial mention to the original cast we lost, John LaMotta & Liz Sheridan who played the nosy neighbours the Ochmonek both already died, Max Wright, who played Willie Tanner for all four seasons, died on June 26, 2019, at 75, of lymphoma. Anne Schedeen who played Kate Tanner for all four seasons, died on June 14, 2026 at 77.  Benji Gregory, who played the youngest Tanner, Brian, died on June 13, 2024, at 46, in Peoria, Arizona. The Maricopa County Medical Examiner ruled the death accidental, caused by hepatic cirrhosis and heat exposure. He was found with his service dog. And finally Michu Meszaros, the man inside the suit, died on June 12, 2016, at 76.

Film: David Lynch's Masterpiece "Blue Velvet" Turns 40

 

Released on 12 September in Toronto and then on 19 September in the USA in 1986, "Blue Velvet" the legendary neo-noir mystery thriller film written and directed by David Lynch is turning 40. The film stars Kyle MacLachlan, Isabella Rossellini, Dennis Hopper, and Laura Dern, and is named after the 1951 song of the same name. The film follows a college student (MacLachlan) who returns to his hometown and discovers a severed human ear in a field, which leads him to uncover a criminal conspiracy involving a troubled nightclub singer (Rossellini).

Lynch's screenplay of Blue Velvet had been passed around multiple times in the late 1970s and early 1980s, with several major studios declining it due to its strong sexual and violent content. After the failure of his 1984 film Dune, Lynch made attempts at developing a more "personal story", somewhat characteristic of the surrealist style displayed in his first film Eraserhead (1977). The independent studio De Laurentiis Entertainment Group, owned at the time by Italian film producer Dino De Laurentiis, agreed to finance and produce the film.

The film cemented David Lynch's status as a visionary modern filmmaker and earned him his second Oscar nomination. The film achieved cult classic status, marked Dennis Hopper's return to the screen, and revitalized Isabella Rossellini's career as a dramatic actress, moving her beyond her work as a model and cosmetics spokesperson. 

Initially, however, expectations were low; Lynch was still reeling from the failure of the epic fantasy "Dune" (which, incidentally, is currently being remade). Producer De Laurentiis was reluctant to finance another Lynch film, but after reading the script, he decided to give the director another chance, setting in motion the complex, labyrinthine production of this cult classic. 

The film begins on a sweet, innocent note: elegant opening credits set against a blue velvet curtain, accompanied by the music of the great Angelo Badalamenti, followed by a shot of a blue sky and the first images—firefighters waving and a man suffering a seizure while watering his garden. The plot kicks off one morning when Jeffrey Beaumont—played by Kyle MacLachlan, one of Lynch's regular collaborators—makes a gruesome discovery after visiting his hospitalized father. He finds a human ear in the bushes and places it in a paper bag to take to the police station for analysis. 

This sets off a chain of events revealing a series of bizarre occurrences in Lumberton, a rural North Carolina town—a setting that perhaps served as inspiration for Lynch's later work on the series "Twin Peaks". The film is brilliant; it blends elements of 1950s film noir, exploits the femme fatale archetype, presents a powerful and sinister villain, offers Lynch's twisted vision, and provides a voyeuristic perspective. The scene where Vallens is raped by Frank Booth is deeply disturbing—not to mention the wild, macabre joyride where Jeffrey is forcibly taken along by Frank. Just before that sequence, they perform "In Dreams"—an iconic Orbison track that found a new lease on life through the film. 

Ultimately, the movie became so essential to the 1980s that it is a staple of any discussion regarding influential films of that era. Its strangeness is matched only by the curiosity of my first viewing experience: a Thursday night back in 1992 on broadcast television, completely uncensored—something that would be very hard to find today, especially given the lackluster state of broadcast TV now. 

Blue Velvet initially received a divided critical response,with many stating that its explicit content served little artistic purpose. Nevertheless, the film earned Lynch his second nomination for the Academy Award for Best Director, and received the year's Best Film and Best Director prizes from the National Society of Film Critics. It came to achieve cult status. As an example of a director casting against the norm, it was credited for revitalizing Hopper's career and for providing Rossellini with a dramatic outlet beyond her previous work as a fashion model and a cosmetics spokeswoman.

In the years since, the film has been re-evaluated, and is widely regarded as one of Lynch's masterpieces. and is frequently cited as one of the greatest films of the 1980s. Publications including Sight and Sound, Time, Entertainment Weekly and BBC Magazine have ranked it among the greatest American films of all time. In 2008, it was chosen by the American Film Institute as one of the ten greatest American mystery films.

The Compilation: Now Yearbook Vault '86

NOW Music's Yearbook Vault series continues next month, when the spotlight falls on 1986, and songs that were minor hits, hit-adjacent or, and let’s use the word, flops.

For this release, the usual "Yearbook" 4CD option of deluxe hardcover book packaging or more basic card sleeve edition, offers 77 tracks, while a 3LP coloured vinyl (purple) delivers 44 songs from 1986.

For this Vault compilation, because there's some relatively big names here such as Paul Young's first single from his third solo album, 1986's Between Two Fires, had been "Wonderland". Vault ’86 also reminds us that acts we know and love as one hit wonders did actually ‘try again’; they didn’t want to be one hit wonders, after all. So yes, Belouis Some did release a few singles that weren’t ‘Imagination’ and funnily enough one of them was called ‘Some People‘! It was a very minor hit, but if history teaches us anything, it’s that 1986 was not a year to release a song called ‘Some People’. ‘Ed’s Funky Diner‘ was actually a great follow-up to It’s Immaterial’s ‘surprise’ hit.

Other tracks include Nik Kershaw's ‘Nobody Knows’ (No 44) and Howard Jones’ All I Want (No 35), both artists, like Paul Young, experimenting with new producers (in Nik’s case himself!) and it not really working out. The Thompson Twins‘ ‘Nothing in Common’ wasn’t released in the UK, but it didn’t trouble the upper reaches of the American chart when it was issued there (their previous two singles had been top 10 hits Stateside). Three singles from Sting's brilliant The Dream of the Blue Turtles album failed to get into the UK top 40 which seems crazy, and ‘Moon Over Bourbon Street‘, when issued as the fifth 45 (A&M were probably enthused because ‘Russians’ had reached No 12) was the last of them (No 44). Sting would have to wait until 1994 before chalking up a solo UK top 10 single (‘When We Dance’).

Tears For Fears make an appearance on Vault ’86, with a song that was both the first and last single from Songs From The Big Chair: ‘Mothers Talk‘. Included here is the US Mix, not issued in the UK. In America, it reached 27 which sounds decent, until you recall that the first three singles from the album were No 1, No 1 & No 3!. Roland Orzabal told this writer that he much preferred the version re-recorded for the North American market: “I always thought we got ‘Mothers Talk’ slightly wrong. It was a bit too fast. The US version worked really well, we were happy”. There’s plenty more interesting selections on this new compilation; scroll down for full tracklistings.

NOW Yearbook Vault ’86 will be released on 18 September 2026.

 

4CD Track List:

 

CD 1

1. Paul McCartney – Only Love Remains

2. Eurythmics, Annie Lennox, Dave Stewart – The Miracle Of Love

3. The Lover Speaks – No More “I Love You’s”

4. Sting – Moon Over Bourbon Street

5. Chris Rea – On The Beach

6. The Bangles – If She Knew What She Wants

7. Belinda Carlisle – Mad About You

8. Billy Idol – To Be A Lover

9. Daryl Hall – Dreamtime

10. Paul Young – Some People

11. Wax – Right Between The Eyes

12. Nick Heyward – Goodbye Yesterday

13. Nik Kershaw – Nobody Knows

14. Thompson Twins – Nothing In Common

15. Howard Jones – All I Want

16. Ultravox – Same Old Story

17. Belouis Some – Some People

18. Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark – We Love You

19. ABC – Ocean Blue

 

CD 2

1. David Sylvian – Taking The Veil

2. Talk Talk – Living In Another World

3. Arcadia – The Flame

4. John Taylor – I Do What I Do (Theme for 9 1/2 Weeks)

5. China Crisis – Arizona Sky

6. It’s Immaterial – Ed’s Funky Diner

7. The Mission – Stay With Me

8. The Jesus And Mary Chain – Some Candy Talking

9. Siouxsie And The Banshees – Candyman

10. Cocteau Twins – Love’s Easy Tears

11. Mint Juleps – Only Love Can Break Your Heart

12. Everything But The Girl – Come On Home

13. Sandie Shaw – Are You Ready To Be Heartbroken?

14. Big Audio Dynamite – C’Mon Every Beatbox

15. The Stranglers – Always The Sun

16. The Housemartins – Sheep

17. Fine Young Cannibals – Funny How Love Is

18. The Blow Monkeys – Wicked Ways

19. Simply Red – Jericho

20. Elton John – Cry To Heaven

 

CD 3

1. The Communards – Disenchanted

2. Bronski Beat – C’mon! C’mon!

3. Yello – Goldrush

4. Grace Jones – I’m Not Perfect (But I’m Perfect For You)

5. Aretha Franklin – Another Night

6. Chaka Khan – Love Of A Lifetime

7. Cameo – Candy

8. Hollywood Beyond – No More Tears

9. El DeBarge – Who’s Johnny

10. Matt Bianco – Dancing In The Street

11. Carmel – Sally

12. Dee C. Lee – Come Hell Or Waters High

13. Maxi Priest – Strollin’ On

14. UB40 – All I Want To Do

15. Loose Ends – Slow Down

16. Ruby Turner featuring Jonathan Butler – If You’re Ready (Come Go With Me)

17. Billy Ocean – Love Zone

18. Lionel Richie – Love Will Conquer All

19. Gloria Estefan – Words Get In The Way

 

CD 4

1. Tears For Fears – Mothers Talk (U.S. Remix)

2. Wang Chung – Everybody Have Fun Tonight

3. Stacey Q – Two Of Hearts

4. Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam (with Full Force) – All Cried Out

5. The Fixx – Secret Separation

6. The Outfield – Your Love

7. Glass Tiger – Don’t Forget Me (When I’m Gone)

8. Pat Benatar – Le Bel Age

9. Heart – Nothin’ At All

10. Boston – Amanda

11. Don Johnson – Heartbeat

12. Meat Loaf – Rock ‘N’ Roll Mercenaries

13. ZZ Top – Stages

14. Mr. Mister – Is It Love

15. Huey Lewis & The News – Hip To Be Square

16. The Moody Blues – Your Wildest Dreams

17. Mike + The Mechanics – All I Need Is A Miracle

18. Billy Joel – A Matter Of Trust

19. Bruce Springsteen – War (Live at LA Coliseum)

The Anniversary/Television Personalities: When MTV Launched A New Era In Music 45 Years Ago.

It was exactly on 1 August, 1981, when Music Television—known as MTV—launched its first broadcast with The Buggles' "Video Killed the Radio Star,"  ushering in a new era of pop music. It was the best of TV combined with the best of radio, video jockey Mark Goodman told the audience in the wee hours of the night. 

The nerwork turned out to be a potent mix, with video becoming as important as the music itself. Among the first videos shown on MTV were Pat Benetar’s “You Better Run,” Rod Stewart’s "She Won’t Dance with Me," and The Who's "You Better You Bet."

 Although MTV wasn't the pioneer of the music video concept—its origins can be traced back to the 1960s with The Beatles and The Monkeys—and in the late 1970s a show emerged that many consider the direct ancestor of MTV: the famous "PopClips" on Nickelodeon, conceived by former Monkeys member Michael Nesmith. It only lasted one season, but its brief contribution was fundamental to the arrival of MTV. 

Of course, every beginning has its challenges, even for MTV. The debut couldn't even be seen in New York, and many of the producers recount traveling to New Jersey to watch the launch in a bar. There were other places where it was available from the very beginning. The truth is, it's not known for sure who actually saw the channel's debut on August 1, 1981. Many of us remember it and were able to watch it because VH1, for its 30th anniversary, dedicated the first 24 hours to its broadcast, and today at least the first two hours are available on YouTube. After the first clip, everything went silent for a few moments, then Pat Benatar appeared, followed by a brief description of the evolution of human sound, and then more videos, which were scarce at the time, many of them from years earlier. There was even a Rod Stewart video from 1976. 

In those first few hours, viewers could watch REO Speedwagon, The Who, Blondie, Styx, The Pretenders, Robin Lane & The Chartbusters, Split Enz, and April. Wine, among others, and then the official presentation of the first VJs: the great Mark Goodman, J.J. Jackson, Alan Hunter, Martha Quinn, and Nina Blackwood. It's curious how Goodman comments on how quickly time has passed since the channel's launch, and now it reaches its 45 anniversary, unfortunately with more sorrow than glory. 

The network gradually took off until the "I Want My MTV" campaign, promoted by luminaries like Hall & Oates, Madonna, Cyndi Lauper, David Bowie, Billy Idol, The Police, and others, aimed to get cable distributors to include it in their programming. Little by little, its influence became omnipresent, with virtually no competition. Although programs like "Night Tracks" appeared on NBC over time, it wasn't the same. MTV's success made music videos essential for established artists and newcomers aspiring to success, benefiting the music industry by giving space to Black artists like Michael Jackson. This was also due to pressure from other artists, since initially there were hardly any Black artists on the programming. Then came "Thriller," and everything changed. The massive success of this video, which many consider the best in MTV history (for me, it's "Take On Me"), encouraged the creation of the VMAs in 1984, whose first ceremony was simple yet successful. Setting the course, and then, even though they continue to be delivered, their influence or value is worthless. 

Obviously the network evolved, delivering memorable moments and programs. For example, the famous "The Basement Tapes," the support for indie music in "120 Minutes," the metal in "Head Bangers Ball," the rap segment "Yo MTV Raps," the "Top 20 Countdown," the Spring Break specials, and the famous "MTV Unplugged," which began with XTC's performance and spawned memorable moments like those with Nirvana and R.E.M. Then came the creation of its younger sibling, VH1, MTV Europe, followed by MTV Latino, Alternative Nation, and AMP. Just as the channel was beginning to decline in the mid-90s, MTV2 breathed new life into the channel, recapturing its golden age and remaining on the air until its cancellation in 2003, leaving us with nothing. There were key moments like the famous "Unplugged," whose idea originated from an acoustic show with XTC, but it was Eric who truly made it happen. Clapton, Paul McCartney, R.E.M., and Nirvana showed that the format would reach massive heights. And what can be said about the VMAs, which after 1985 evolved into something unmissable? I remember the ceremony being considered a massive and unmissable event, until it stopped being innovative and enjoyable from the late 90s onwards. 

Unfortunately, little by little, the network content began to fade and replace music videos with trash reality TV, first was "Real World" back in 1992, and from then on it wouldn't stop, without knowing it, we were witnessing the beginning of the end, until everything became unbearable. Unfortunately over the decades, MTV went through many different phases before ultimately fading as cable TV was replaced by the internet—but not without forever leaving its mark on music.

In Memoriam: Legendary And Former 120 Minutes Host "Dave Kendall" Dies Aged 68

Dave Kendall, who created and hosted the influential MTV show 120 Minutes, has died. His friend Matt Pinfield, who hosted the show after Kendall’s tenure, shared the news on Instagram. Bangkok Post, where Kendall worked from 2017 to 2025, also ran an obituary. No cause of death was given. Kendall was 68, according to Bangkok Post.

The British-born Kendall got his start writing about music for UK and U.S. publications such as Melody Maker and Spin, he explained in a website bio. He relocated to New York City in the 1980s and created 120 Minutes for MTV, where he spent seven years as a writer, producer, presenter, and news reporter. The show, conceived as a home for alternative music, launched in 1986, three years before Kendall took over as its ever-impassioned host. As well as promoting bands like Sonic Youth and Pixies, Kendall helped to spread the Nirvana explosion, hosting the premiere of "Smells Like Teen Spirit" in 1991.

Kendall went on to host and co-produce the talk show Music Scoupe, as well as taking on various radio, TV, and DJing gigs. His website touts his early 1990s Hot 97 program Planet Traxx as the first electronica show on commercial radio. From the mid '90s, he embarked on a career in digital journalism that included some of the first online video streaming shows. He eventually returned to TV before settling in Thailand and joining Bangkok Post.

In Memoriam: Actor "Sam Neill" Dies Aged 78

Actor Sam Neil, best known for his starring role in 1993's Jurassic Park, has died aged 78.

In a statement his family say Neill's death was "sudden and unexpected" but that he was "surrounded by family". Neill had previously been diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma, but announced earlier this year that he was cancer-free.

Neill was an undeniably versatile and accomplished actor, which was demonstrated no better than in 1993 which saw two of his most outstanding films, he first rose to fame in the 1977 film Sleeping Dogs, before going on to star in My Brilliant Career, Jurassic Park, The Piano, The Dish and Possession among other films.

He was one of a host of actors and directors who achieved international fame after an explosion of Australian films that began in the late 1970s — a list that includes Paul Hogan, Mel Gibson, Geoffrey Rush, Russell Crowe, Jane Campion, Peter Weir and Gillian Armstrong.

Actor Sam Neill might have officially been a Kiwi, but he did some of his best work in Australian film and television. This is his story. In 2023, Neill revealed he had been diagnosed with angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma, a rare type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, in early 2022. He entered remission later that year after a rare anti-cancer drug worked, but needed ongoing infusion treatment. He announced in April he was cancer-free.

The actor was also knighted in 2022, becoming Sir Sam Neill. "I said I didn't want the title for 10 or 12 years," he said in 2023. "Then when I thought I was dying a couple of years ago I thought, 'Oh bugger it, I may as well go out with the title,' so I changed my mind."Neill's range as an actor was remarkable, playing opposite Helena Bonham Carter in the Alan Ayckbourn comedy Sweet Revenge to chopping off Holly Hunter's finger in The Piano to poking his own eyes out in the sci-fi horror Event Horizon.

The actor first came to the attention of international audiences in Armstrong's 1979 film My Brilliant Career, which also introduced Judy Davis. He later appeared in Phillip Noyce's Dead Calm, a classy thriller set at sea and co-starring the then-relatively unknown Nicole Kidman.

Neill twice co-starred with Meryl Streep, in Australian director Fred Schepisi's Plenty and — again for Schepisi — in A Cry in the Dark, a film about the sensationalised aftermath of a dingo killing a baby in the Australian Outback. He earned an Emmy nomination for his performance in the title role of the 1998 mini-series Merlin and another as narrator of 2017's Wild New Zealand.

He perhaps achieved his highest level of fame in Jurassic Park, playing palaeontologist Alan Grant, who is summoned to an island off Costa Rica where a theme park has been built to house herds of cloned dinosaurs. He co-starred alongside Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum and Richard Attenborough in the Steven Spielberg directed hit.

His character was thoughtful and reasonable, a scientist who warned the mastermind of the theme park before the chaos: "Dinosaurs and man, two species separated by 65 million years of evolution have just been suddenly thrown back into the mix together. How can we possibly have the slightest idea what to expect?" Grant survived the harrowing events when the creatures get loose, but didn't return for The Lost World: Jurassic Park II in 1997. He came back for the third episode in 2001 and Jurassic World: Dominion in 2022.

Born in 1947 in Northern Ireland, Neill emigrated to New Zealand at the age of seven. His family settled in Dunedin on the South Island and he was sent to boarding school in Christchurch.

After college, he took the lead in Sleeping Dogs in 1977 — the first feature made in New Zealand in more than a decade. There's no fuss, no entourage and no star ego, writes producer Vanessa Gorman, on filming with Sam Neill. Neill was also a vintner and under his Two Paddocks brand, he produced pinot noir and riesling wines from his winery in the Central Otago region of New Zealand's South Island.

On social media, he often posted images of his farm animals, many of them affectionately named after celebrities and friends, like Laura Dern the chicken, Kylie Minogue the duck and Helena Bonham Carter the cow. His memoir Did I Ever Tell You This? came out in March 2023 and he was awarded a knighthood in recognition of his "outstanding contribution to film" — a title approved by the late Queen Elizabeth II.

"I can't pretend that the last year hasn't had its dark moments," Neill told The Guardian in 2023, referring to his cancer diagnosis and treatment.

In Memoriam: Johnny Hates Jazz Founding Member "Calvin Hayes" Dies Aged 62

Calvin Hayes, a founding member of the British pop band Johnny Hates Jazz, has died aged 63 after collapsing at his home in Washington state. His wife, Kathy, confirmed his death late Friday early on Saturday. 

Hayes' former bandmates Clark Datchler and Mike Nocito shared an emotional tribute celebrating both the musician and the lasting legacy of the music they created together. Hayes co-founded Johnny Hates Jazz with Datchler and Nocito in 1986, helping launch one of the decade's most successful pop acts. 

After an initial single failed to break through, the trio found worldwide success with "Shattered Dreams" in 1987. The song became an even bigger hit in the United States than in the UK, climbing to No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and reaching No. 1 on the Adult Contemporary chart. It was followed by the hits "I Don't Want to Be a Hero," "Turn Back the Clock" and  "Heart of Gold," while the band's debut album, Turn Back the Clock, reached No. 1 in the UK and sold millions of copies worldwide.

In their Instagram statement, Datchler and Nocito said they were “utterly shocked and deeply saddened” by Hayes’ death, explaining that they chose to speak privately with friends and loved ones before making a public statement “to share our memories, express our emotions, and begin to come to terms with such a tragic loss.”

Reflecting on their years together, they wrote, "The three of us were brothers in arms for an extraordinary moment in time, one in which we managed to touch the world with the music we created together."  They added that, despite Hayes no longer being part of the band, they knew he remained incredibly proud that their songs, particularly those from Turn Back the Clock, continue to resonate with so many people nearly 40 years later.

Following the band’s initial success, Datchler departed in 1988 to pursue a solo career, while Hayes and Nocito continued recording with singer Phil Thornalley. That chapter came to an abrupt end after Hayes suffered a devastating car accident that left him hospitalized for an extended period. He later reunited with the original lineup for live performances in 2010 before stepping away from the band once again. Beyond Johnny Hates Jazz, Hayes also performed with other artists, including Kim Wilde, and was the son of legendary producer Mickie Most, whose clients included The Animals, Herman’s Hermits, Suzi Quatro and Hot Chocolate.

In Memoriam: Legendary Welsh Pop Singer "Bonnie Tyler" Dies Aged 75

The legendary Welsh pop star and Grammy-nominated "Bonnie Tyler" has died, aged 75. Tyler died unexpectedly in a hospital in Portugal where she was being treated for an illness, her family said Thursday in a statement on her website. She was hospitalized in May in Faro, where she had a home, for emergency intestinal surgery. She had been placed in an induced coma for a period but was reportedly improving last month and expected to make a good recovery.

“Bonnie’s family and team are heartbroken to announce that Bonnie unexpectedly passed away last night in hospital in Portugal as a result of the illness that she was being treated for,” her family said.

Tyler earned three Grammy and in 2013 represented Britain at the Eurovision Song Contest, where she came in 19th. She was honored as a Member of the Order of the British Empire in 2022 for her services to music by Queen Elizabeth II, thanks mainly to "Total Eclipse of the Heart," which has had more than 1 billion streams, boosted by real eclipses in 2017 and 2024.

The song has never really gone away: it was covered by the English singer Nicki French in 1995, and the band Westlife in 2006. Cate Blanchett sang it while hitting Billy Bob Thornton with her car in 2001’s “Bandits,” it appeared in a wedding scene in 2003's "Old School."

Tyler was born — as Gaynor Hopkins — a coal miner's daughter in public housing with an outside toilet in Skewen, Wales. She grew up with three sisters and two brothers. Loved the Beatles and her first album was "A Hard Day's Night." The first song she bought, at 13, was "Hippy Hippy Shake" by the Swinging Blue Jeans and she watched "Top of the Pops" religiously, according to her memoir, "Straight From the Heart."

In 1976 she had to have surgery to remove nodules on her throat, leaving her with that trademark vocal sound. Changing her name to Sherene Davis, she was fronting a soul band when she was discovered by talent scout Roger Bell, who brought her to London for demo sessions. Then she waited for a label until RCA said it was interested.

Under her new RCA-sanctioned name Bonnie Tyler, her debut album "The World Starts Tonight" in 1977 contained her first chart hit, "Lost in France," and she was nominated for a breakthrough artists award at the Brit Awards. She then had a No. 3 hit in 1978 with "It's a Heartache," but soon drifted. She then signed with Sony and saw Meat Loaf perform "Bat Out of Hell" on the BBC. Impressed, she requested to work with Meat Loaf songwriter and producer Jim Steinman.

Steinman introduced her to his song "Total Eclipse of the Heart," which would become the debut single for her fifth studio album, "Faster Than the Speed of Night." He borrowed one of the song's lyrics — "Turn around, bright eyes" — from his 1969 musical "The Dream Engine," written when he was a student at Massachusetts' Amherst College. He told her the song was from a prospective musical version of Nosferatu.

“Jim liked to put down a basic rhythm track, do nine takes of the song, choose the best one and then put the kitchen sink on there, like Phil Spector used to,” Tyler told The Guardian in 2023. “He gave me a cassette to listen to in my hotel and we both preferred take two.”

The video, a staple of early-days MTV, was shot in a frightening gothic former asylum in Surrey, where the guard dogs apparently wouldn't set foot in the rooms downstairs where they used to give people electric shock treatment. The visuals included slow-motion tossed doves, candles, dancing ninjas, dancing greasers, Tyler in frighteningly big shoulder pads, fencers, gymnasts, wind machines and shirtless boys wearing swim goggles being doused with water.

"Faster Than the Speed of Night"  earned a Grammy nomination for best rock vocal performance — losing to Pat Benatar’s “Love Is a Battlefield” — and Tyler got another nod for  "Total Eclipse of the Heart" in the best pop vocal performance category, losing to Irene Cara's Flashdance — What a Feeling.

Tyler never reached such status again but stayed current with such movie soundtrack singles as "Holding Out For a Hero" — from 1984's "Footloose" — and "Here She Comes” from  "Metropolis" also in 1984.

Her 2019 disc “Between the Earth and the Stars” featured duets with Rod Stewart, Cliff Richard and Status Quo’s Francis Rossi, and she ended that year performing a Vatican Christmas concert before Pope Francis.

In 2013, she switched gears to make a country-flavored record in Nashville, "Rocks and Honey,"which included the Vince Gill duet "What You Need From Me" and a little ballad called “Believe in Me,” written by American songwriter Desmond Child and British songwriters Lauren Christy and Christopher Braide.  "Believe in Me" was picked to represent the United Kingdom at that year's Eurovision Song Contest in Sweden.

In 2017, she joined Joe Jonas’ band DNCE for a performance on the cruise ship Oasis of the Seas as part of a "Total Eclipse Cruise." When the moon passed in front of the sun, they played "Total Eclipse of the Heart."

Tyler was married to property developer and former Olympic judo competitor Robert Sullivan.

Books: Still In A Dream "Shoegaze, Slackers And The Reinvention Of Rock 1984-1994"

The definitive story of the slackers and shoegazers who reinvented rock. Twenty years after his acclaimed postpunk best-seller, Rip It Up and Start Again, Simon Reynolds tells the tale of what happened next: the underground explosion of noisepop, shoegaze, slacker rock and grunge that reverberated through the mid-Eighties into the early Nineties.

Capturing the musical exhilaration of the era along with the alienation of youth during a period of ascendant conservative politics and glitzy mainstream pop, Still in a Dream celebrates a golden age of guitar reinvention, a second psychedelia of mind-blowing sounds pioneered by bands like My Bloody Valentine and Sonic Youth. In Britain, groups like Cocteau Twins and Slowdive escaped into shimmering dreamworlds while American underground rockers like Dinosaur Jr. and Pavement blended apathy and urgency into thrilling noise.

A propulsive and personal account from a journalist who covered this music in real time from the frontlines, Still in a Dream vividly recreates a period that was the last blast for the analogue culture of vinyl records and music papers, before the Internet changed everything. 

 

Title: Still In A Dream: Shoegaze, Slackers And The Reinvention Of Rock 1984-1994

Pages: 464

Author: Simon Reynolds

Publisher: White Rabbit

Format: Hardcover 

 
 

In Memoriam: The Actress Who Played Mon In Alf "Ann Schedeen" Dies At 77

Anne Schedeen, the actrees who famously played Kate Tanner in "ALF," has died at 77. Her family announced her peaceful passing on Sunday, remembering her as a "force" with "whip smart humor," a "burning hatred for Trump," and deep love for family and dogs. 

 

Schedeen starred in "ALF" from 1986 to 1990. Her extensive career included guest roles on "The Six Million Dollar Man," "Emergency," "Three's Company," "Cheers" and "Murder, She Wrote." She made her final screen appearance in the 2023 reunion special "ALF on ALF." Schedeen is survived by her husband Christopher Barrett, daughter Tay, and other beloved family member. Schedeen’s death was announced by her family in a Facebook post on Sunday. She was 77.

“It is with the heaviest of hearts that we share Annie has passed peacefully," the post reads. "She leaves behind an extraordinary legacy of creative energy, whip smart humor, delight in her family, adoration for little dogs, burning hatred for Trump, passion for second-hand thrifting, and love for a good story. We are bereft without her. We loved her so so much, as did all who met her.

She was a force. And it is unimaginable to think about life without her in it,” the post continues. “But as she said, ‘I’m always with you.’ And she’s right. The memories, artwork, belly laughter, handmade jewelry, oil paintings, sculptures, costumes, and all around joie de vivre live on. Raise a margarita in her honor.”

Schedeen starred opposite Max Wright, who played her husband, Willie Tanner, in ALF, an acronym for Alien Life Form. Adopted by the Tanner family, ALF was a fuzzy character voiced and puppeteered by Paul Fusco, who co-created the sitcom with Tom Patchett. Mihaly ‘Michu’ Meszaros occasionally appeared as ALF in costume when full body shots were needed. The character's full name was Gordon "ALF" Shumway.

Born Luanne Ruth Schedeen on Jan. 8, 1949, in Portland, Oregon., Anne Schedeen made her screen debut in a guest role on Lee Majors' sci-fi action series The Six Million Dollar Man in 1974. Schedeen played guest roles on a half-dozen series, including Get Christie Love!, Ironside and McCloud. She also guest-starred in three different roles over 12 episodes in the hit medical series Marcus Welby, MD, from 1974 to 1976. During the same time period, Schedeen also appeared in guest roles in six episodes of the action drama Emergency!

Throughout the rest of the 1970s, Schedeen also appeared in guest roles on such TV shows as Bionic Woman, Family, Baretta and The Incredible Hulk. From 1978 to 1982, the actress appeared in various guest roles on five episodes of the hit sitcom Three’s Company.

In the 1980s, Schedeen also appeared in several more TV guest roles on such shows as Cheers, E/R, Simon & Simon, Magnum, P.I. and Murder, She Wrote. In 1984, Schedeen starred as Sarah Frank on the TV drama Paper Dolls. Schedeen appeared in all 13 episodes of the series about the modeling and cosmetic industries, which only ran for one season.

But then, her most well-remember role came from 1986 to 1990, Schedeen starred as Kate Tanner on 103 episodes over four seasons on ALF. Schedeen´s last screen appearance came in the 2023 reunion special ALF on ALF, which also featured Paul Fusco and Tom Patchett, as well as Andrea Elson and Benji Gregory, who played the Tanner children Lynn and Brian. Also featured in the special were Max Wright, who died in 2019 at age 75, and Mihaly ‘Michu’ Meszaros, who died in 2016 at 76.

According to her family's Facebook post, she is survived by beloved friends and family including her husband of 55 years Christopher Barrett, darling daughter Tay Barrett, daughter-in-law, Hilary Flynn, sister Sarabeth Schedeen, niece Minnie Land, brother Roland ‘Tony’ Schedeen, sister in-law Julieann Schedeen, and her beloved rescue dogs Roo and Red.

Film: The 80s Cult Classic "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" Turns 40

Premiered on this day back in 1986 "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" a cult classic about some fella named Ferris, and his friends Cameron and Sloane playing hooky and spending a great day in Chicago. A comedy film written, produced and directed by the legendary John Hughes.

The plot was simply: follows high school senior Ferris Bueller (Matthew Broderick), who skips school and spends the day in downtown Chicago along with his girlfriend Sloane Peterson (Mia Sara) and best friend Cameron Frye (Alan Ruck). He creatively avoids his school's dean of students Edward Rooney (Jeffrey Jones), his resentful sister Jeannie (Jennifer Grey), and his parents. During the film, Bueller regularly breaks the fourth wall by speaking directly to the camera to explain to the audience his thoughts and techniques, and practically this was a key element on the film.

Hughes wrote the screenplay in less than a week and shot the film, on a minimun budget of $5.8 million, over three months in 1985. Featuring many famous Chicago landmarks including the then Sears Tower and the Art Institute of Chicago, the film was Hughes' love letter to the city: "I really wanted to capture as much of Chicago as I could. Not just in the architecture and landscape, but the spirit." Released by Paramount Pictures, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off became one of the top-grossing films of the year and was enthusiastically received by critics and audiences alike.

This film is perhaps the finest entry in director John Hughes'  catalog of beloved '80s teen movies, which also features "The Breakfast Club," "Sixteen Candles" and "Pretty in Pink." Yet, there was a moment when it didn't seem like Ferris Bueller, which has stood the test of time — even making it onto today — would ascend to such heights.

Hughes cleaned things up before audiences saw the finished product in 1986 and have no doubt seen many times since. The idea of it being serious, though, was not lost in the end. Comedy and drama are often two sides of the same coin and enjoy a symbiotic relationship — laughter can come from pain. Cameron, who wrestles with depression in the beginning of the movie, addresses his poor relationship with his father throughout the film, eventually deciding to confront him at the end after he destroys his dad’s prized Ferrari. As time has gone on, some people online have suggested the movie is about mental health, prompting fans to reexamine what the film means. Broderick and Ruck, though, don’t necessarily believe their view of it has transformed over time. 

"No, I still think of it the same as — I don’t think it has changed, really," Broderick says. "Not for me, either, I don’t think," Ruck says. "The thing that John was really, really good at was he gave these characters dignity. Teen comedies, so often it’s just like they're sex-crazed doofuses, and he didn't do that. He was like, No, they're real people, and they've got real fears and real desires. And he honored all that, and we knew that when we were making it.

Hughes' movies are funny, but they almost always weaved comedy in with drama and earnestness, a characteristic that is vital in the genre and apparent in "Ferris Bueller’s Day Off." Like all good comedies, the underpinnings are serious," Broderick says. "You could say it's about mental health or whatever, but he (Cameron) really is depressed at the beginning and has a very tough relationship with his father." In addition to directing the movie, Hughes, who died in 2009, wrote it, which gave him an upper hand in sharing his vision.

Ferris Bueller sits in that rarefied air where everyone (except his sister and Mr. Rooney) seems to like him. A teenager full of bravado was nothing new on TV or in movies, but the brashness of the execution of his plans was. You could make the argument that he set a blueprint for other characters who came later. Zack Morris from “Saved by the Bell” certainly comes to mind — he’s another schemer with a pretty girlfriend, takes advantage of his awkward best friend, is always dueling with his principal and, perhaps most noticeably, he breaks the fourth wall. Ferris may have indeed been an inspiration. Broderick says.

"I think there were a number of things that came after that that kind of used that same format," says Ruck, who also mentions the short-lived TV series "Parker Lewis Can't Lose."

Another “Ferris Bueller” movie, though? Broderick has previously said he and Hughes shot down the idea of doing a sequel, and maybe that was for the best. The day off would be hard to replicate, but it is definitely remembered, appreciated and longed for by moviegoers who identify with Ferris’ quest to have fun.

Forty years later, as multiple generations have grown up watching it, the question isn't What kind of a lasting impact did it have?  The question is What kind of lasting impact didn’t it have?