The late late movie on cable right now is the 1984 Coen Brothers film "Blood Simple." Even though The I should be asleep, it's no use. I'm hooked. It's a great film, and not really a film that one can have on in the background. 

Missing out on the subtleties (by attempting to write while half-watching) is to miss out on the essence of the film. "Blood Simple" was the first major film release for the Coen Brothers, yet it comes off like the work of seasoned vets. Some of the actors who appeared in the film would turn up in other Coen Brothers films (notably Frances McDormand, who also turned up at the altar next to Joel Coen in 1984). 

In the same manner that Spielberg frequently casts Tom Cruise and Tim Burton repeatedly uses Johnny Depp, the Coen Brothers would develop a group of actors who would rotate in and out of their films. There's McDormand, who would later make her star turn in "Fargo," along with others like John Goodman, Steve Buscemi, and John Turturro. 

Veteran character actor Dan Hedaya's only Coen Brothers film was "Blood Simple," in which he's one of the five main characters. But he has a credit in common with actress Frances McDormant. Both had recurring roles in a popular 80's TV cop drama, although it doesn't look like their characters ever appeared together in the same episode. What was the show?

Following the previous post's theme of bands with the word 'sister' in their name, what do we get if we look up bands with 'brother' in their name? Lots and lots and lots, far outnumbering the sisters. And, whereas several bands with 'sister' in the name were nevertheless lacking any female members, it is also rare to find a band of 'brothers' that has any female members. 

 

The use of 'brothers' appears to be more literally taken, too, with far more actual 'brothers' than there were actual 'sisters.' The Righteous Brothers, The Everly Brothers, The Brothers Johnson, The Allman Brothers, The Isley Brothers, The Neville Brothers, The Flying Burrito Brothers, The Chemical Brothers, and who can forget The Doobie Brothers? 

There are not as many bands from the 80's using the word, though. The Blues Brothers, The Pontiac Brothers, and The LeRoi Brothers come to mind, and it is true that The Jungle Brothers put out their first record in the 80's. But wait, we're forgetting Bros! 

To be fair, most of the civilized world has forgotten Bros, but let's see if our readers remember anything about them. At the heart of the group were an actual pair of twin brothers, their manager had also managed The Pet Shop Boys, and they scored eleven Top 40 hits in their native U.K. before virtually disappearing from sight. Their first big hit was released in 1987, it reached #2 in England and Switzerland and #1 in Ireland. It was also their only entry in the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, stalling at #83 (to be fair, they did a little better on the dance charts). Considering the band's eventual fate, you gotta love the title of the song. What was it?

A while back the "Message" took on the subject bands with the word "twins" in their name (Thompson Twins, Cocteau Twins) that did not include any actual twins. But what about other band names based on familial relationships? 

In the case of sisters, both The Pointer Sisters and Sister Sledge did feature actual sisters. Not so with The Sisters of Mercy, though. Dee Snider might have looked a little like somebody's sister (if that somebody was Sammy Hagar), but Twisted Sister had no actual sisters. And the name Shakespeare's Sister owed more to The Smiths' song catalog than to any siblings of the Bard of Avon. It's a similar story for the Manchester trio that had a hit in 1986 with "Break Out." What was the full name of the band?

Last week the sky was falling over in Russia, in the form of a meteor that fell to earth. Fortunately nobody overreacted in the fashion predicted by at least a few apocalyptic films from the 80's - no counterstrike, no accidental armageddon. And anyways, WWIII is SUPPOSED to be initiated by the release of a red balloon, not by a meteorite.

Comedian, Steven Colbert got the opportunity to make jokes about the 80's arcade game "Asteroids" before The I had the chance (Grrr), but we can still use the occasion to offer some "Asteroids" related trivia. Atari's "Asteroids" was the most successful arcade game the company ever released, and it has long since earned an exalted status among video games.

Shortly after its release in 1979, the game inspired sequels, home versions, imitators, and bootlegs, some of which are still showing up today. Rumor has it there's supposed to be a Hollywood film inspired by the game. I remembers how, intentionally or not, the game's appearance coincided with the release of the first Star Wars sequel "The Empire Strikes Back." The asteroid chase was one of the best parts of the film, and upon exiting the Mall theater after watching it for the 27th time, one could head over to the arcade for several rounds of Atari's "Asteroids." 

Several films from the 80's featured shots of "Asteroids" arcade game, either in the background, or being played by the characters. These included "Fast Times At Ridgemont High," "War Games," and "Terms Of Endearment." But perhaps the most ironic, given last weeks dashcam images of the Russian meteor streaking through the sky, was a 1984 film starring Catherine Mary Stewart, Kelli Maroney, and Robert Beltran. It featured teenagers left to fend for themselves in a post apocalyptic wasteland populated by zombies, only this time thermonuclear war was not actually to blame. What was the name of the film?

In honor of Valentine's day, the "Message" contemplates the works of one of the great romantics - Bryan Ferry. I was checking out some selections from Bryan Ferry's 2012 album "The Jazz Age" today. It's a collection of Ferry's best known tunes redone in a 1920's ragtime jazz kind of style. While not entirely novel, the experiment is more than a novelty. The interesting part, especially from a sound engineering point of view, is the success the album achieves in sounding like it was recorded some time between the world wars. 

What's more, the songs are done as instrumentals! Other rock stars of the 80's have taken a stab at revisiting the big band sound (Joe Jackson's "Jumpin' Jive," as well as numerous releases by The Brian Setzer Orchestra), but they typically retained most of their identity throughout. Considering how much of Ferry's artistic identity is tied to his voice, it's a gutsy move to push the mic aside. It's likely that a listener who wasn't in on the setup wouldn't even know it was him. But I guess being as successful as Bryan Ferry means that you don't have to obsess about being properly identified (unless someone mistakes you for Christian Bale.) 

Bryan Ferry's success began back in the 70's with the incredibly influential Roxy Music. He started developing his solo career early on, and much of it ran concurrent to his participation in Roxy Music. His 1985 album "Boys and Girls" was his only U.K. #1 as a solo artist, and is probably his best known album in the U.S. But 1987's "Bete Noire" should not be overlooked. Without losing sight of Ferry's signature style, it manages to be a little more adventurous. This is probably in part thanks to the collaborative nature of the record. David Gilmour makes an appearance, and producer Patrick Leonard shares writing credits on several songs. Just as noteworthy is the co-writing credit for the song "The Right Stuff." No, it wasn't a New Kid, it was someone much cooler. Who was it?

Scanning through the endless newsfeeds, I've noted that an online friend has posted a video by Kid Creole and The Coconuts. Hearing Kid Creole takes me back to my college days. Kid Creole's third album "Tropical Gangsters" was in regular rotation at the time, and understandably so. Probably the standout album in the band's catalog, it featured the U.K. hits "Annie, I'm Not Your Daddy" and "Stool Pigeon." 

Ol' Kid Creole was ahead of the curve, too. The record had swing before the swing craze, "gangsters" before the gangstas, and an homage to Cab Calloway (in the form of the Kid himself) years before Janet Jackson's "Alright" (to be fair, Ms. Jackson did get the genuine article for her vid.) Kid Creole's Cab Calloway inspired persona was all part of his schtick, the invention of frontman August Darnell. Darnell an eager and energetic performer from the Bronx who started his first band in the 60's, and spent time in Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band during the 70's. 

Putting together a latin swing ensemble and releasing a cycle of theme albums about a mystery woman, all the while appearing in a yellow zoot suit and fedora, might not have seemed like an obvious move in 1980. But Kid Creole's catchy tunes caught a break on the U.K. charts, and the band has managed to persist in one form or another to this day. Not only that, they've had several appearances in major films, they produced stage shows, they had their own T.V. movie, and they even collaborated with Prince and Sheila E. Perhaps we'll save their six degrees of separation with the New Wave Blitz crowd for next week, but for now: 

The band's breakthrough 1982 album "Tropical Gangsters" was released in the U.S., but the American record label changed the title. Perhaps they were nervous about the notion of "gangsters" as a theme for a record (an anxiety they've clearly overcome since), but they decided to call it something else. So what was the U.S. title of Kid Creole & The Coconuts' third album?

Last week's "Message" touched on the subject of movie franchise 'reboots,' as well as movies inspired by comic books and graphic novels. One of the possible reboots, actually more of a live action remake, that could have happened was a reinterpreted version of the Manga/Anime classic "Akira." I say 'could have happened,' because even though its been on and off the table in various forms since the 90's, it appears to once again have been put on hold. 

In The my opinion, it should stay on hold. One might suspect that a Hollywood remake would be a little too likely to get it wrong, and announcements of what the movie company wanted to do with the property only underscored those suspicions. Online fan sites have long since raised a ruckus over the proposal to set the film in New York and cast a bunch of Europeans, so there's not much more to do here than to agree. But if I was going to go ahead and rant anyways, it would seem that these movie people have a poor grasp of context. There's a reason why an apocalyptic story centered around an obliterated city has a greater resonance when set in Japan. Would "Roots" tell the same story if it were redone and set in Denmark? Besides, were they going to rename all the characters? If not, how would they explain Kaneda, Tetsuo, and Kei, played by Garrett, Michael, and Kristen, hanging out with Kiyoko, Takashi, and Yamagata in Central Park? Kinda hoping we never know. Plus, the original 1988 film was already great, and it was (appropriately) Anime. 

The comic series that inspired it was even better, insofar as it offered a much better opportunity to develop the characters and the world they lived in. Like the Judge Dredd comic mentioned last week, "Akira" was originally serialized in a larger magazine publication starting back in 1982. It also got collected together and republished, both in Japan and over here in the U.S. But what was the name of the Japanese Manga magazine that originally ran episodes of "Akira?"

The Reboot. A term common to the movie industry and comic book fans, the reboot is not quite a sequel, not quite a remake. The reboot is to film as the remix is to music (not quite a cover, but not exactly an original). Judging by the recent proliferation, the reboot is on the verge of becoming its own genre. 

Modern movie reboots have some things in common: They're usually applied to franchises or series, although they don't have to be. They rely on the fan's undying affection for the original premise, irrespective of the actual people involved. But moreover, they're usually inspired by the feeling that the first attempt got it wrong somehow, set the wrong tone, or at least could be improved upon. Sometimes they're right (Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Batman, Lord of the Rings, Godzilla, earlier attempts at Captain America), sometimes they're wrong (Planet Of The Apes, Superman Returns). For some only time will tell (The Punisher, Man of Steel, Robocop), and some will have a hell of a time overcoming fan skepticism no matter how they turn out because nobody should have ever even THOUGHT about messing with the original (Akira, The Crow, Prometheus). The cynic can't avoid the conclusion that its a cash in, though. And as such, a profitable reinvention might work out nicely for the movie studios and those who own the original rights. But for those cases where the original creators are out of the loop, don't own the rights (or there are no rights to be owned), aren't consulted or even acknowledged, where its clear that the rebooters are clearly making reference to the original work in their zeal to entice an audience and are trying to capitalize off of the reputation of that work even though they had absolutely nothing to do with the building of that reputation, in those cases any true fan should refuse to support these frauds no matter how much that fan misses the original. 

The casual patron is one thing, but how can someone calling themselves a true fan take part in a shameless knock-off without at least acknowledging the affront to the original? Furthermore, it really underscores how the copycat, along with their accomplices at the venue, are collectively incapable of coming up with an original concept, let alone promoting their rehash without making clear and overt references to the original work that they're trying to rip off (all the while conveniently abstaining from acknowledging those who labored under difficult circumstances to create the work that these charlatans are only too happy to bastardize without due credit. It's all well and good to smear a person's reputation by claiming that THEY were "difficult to work with," without acknowledging the soul crushing difficulty of the circumstances imposed by the inflexible and often irrational management. Anyone can be all congenial when they haven't suffered for their creation, let's see how chipper they are after going all in with that nutjob for the long haul!!)

*ahem*

One such movie reboot which could't help but improve upon the previous attempt is last year's "Dredd." While I haven't seen "Dredd," I imagine that it would have a lower threshold of acceptance from fans to overcome than a sequel to "Supergirl." From the moment it was announced that the 1995 movie adaptation "Judge Dredd" would star Sylvester Stallone in the title role, fans of the original comic book character felt their own sense of dread. And, well, they were right. While that film can be as enjoyable as any other action adventure fantasy flick to the casual viewer, anyone with any appreciation for the Judge Dredd of U.K. comic fame had every right to be incensed. I mean, . . . Dredd takes off his helmet in the film. . . . !!! Never mind the corny life affirming ending and the love interest, can't they even get the smallest details right? As a comic character, Judge Dredd got his start way back in 1977. But like new wave music, Judge Dredd was a cultural phenomenon that really hit full speed in the 80's. The character was created for a comic magazine that featured a number of different story lines, but would later branch out to a dedicated publication. There would later be a U.S. version as well, and despite not having been created by DC or Marvel, the character of Judge Dredd eventually ranked #35 on IGN's list of 100 all time greatest comic book characters. So what was the name of the U.K. comic magazine that first serialized the character Judge Dredd?

For kids who grew up in the 80's, the Japanese style of animation known as "Anime" might have seemed like a new genre. Of course, it was only new to us. Animation had been integral to the Japanese film industry for most of the preceding century, and crept into the American scene as a sort of best kept secret.

The Japanese were creating animated films as far back as 1917, and the first feature length film of the genre came out in 1944. Disney films of the late 30's, notably "Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs," inspired the development of animation techniques in Japan, and by the end of the 20th Century, American animators were adopting the Japanese Anime style. Back in the 80's, the younger crowd was watching Japanese animated shows like "Speed Racer" on TV, while the adult crowd could check out more underground Anime films at video clubs (especially if the legendary DJ "Mohawk" Adam was spinning.)

One of the shows that turned up toon television back in the 80's was a repackaged space drama that followed the efforts of the Star Force to save the Earth from the blue skinned Gamelons. Much of the show was heavily modified as it was transformed for the American audience, but basically the Star Force must journey to the planet Iscandar to retrieve a device that will cleanse the earth of the radiation the Gamelons have been using to destroy the human race.

Their space ship is called the Argo, and it looks very much like an ocean going battleship (right down to the keel), because it has been built from the salvaged remains of the Battleship Yamoto. So what was the name of (the Americanized version) of this Japanese animated series?

Bonus Question: If you were a kid in France, Belgium, or Quebec back in the late 70's/early 80's, you may have been exposed to another animated series that was quite popular in those places. It featured a staple of the Anime genre: huge battling robots! The show was brought over to France and overdubbed in French, which helped it become popular in French speaking Quebec.

The robot in question had golden colored horns sticking out of his head that shot lightning, arms that turned into rockets, a bladed lasso of sorts, and a circular spacecraft that he fit into the front of for long trips. What was the name of the show?

Pop culture, like the art world it aspires to emulate, has an unbreakable bond with sex and human sexuality. Ian Dury placed it above drugs and rock & roll, Berlin placed it above everything, Marvin Gaye sought it's healing effect, and Thrill Kill Kult put it on wheels. Janet Jackson called out the Nasty Boys, while Vanity proclaimed herself a Nasty Girl.

Sex and pop had an odd relationship during the new wave era, though. Some artists, like Madonna and Prince, embraced the subject without hesitation (and often without tact). Others like Howard Jones, A-ha, & Erasure kept their distance. Artists like Frankie Goes To Hollywood, Soft Cell, and even George Michael managed to get their videos banned in some places (resulting in big notoriety and sometimes big sales) for being a tad too overt.

Depeche Mode managed to approach the subject without coming off as exploitative. On their first few albums, the band relied on subtle references and analogies. On their fourth album, however, the band included a dance floor favorite that addressed the subject of domination in both sexual relationships and in society at large. So what was the name of this new game Depeche Mode invited listeners to play, as described in the title of their 1985 club hit?

Bonus Question: Funny how things that were shocking for the previous generation often seems tame for the current one, but I guess that's a perpetual cycle. Frankie Goes To Hollywood stirred up enough of a fuss with "Relax" that the song was banned by the BBC. Beyond the controversy over the lyrics, though, the song probably had more different videos shot for it than any other from the era.

There was the MTV-safe laser version, there was the much racier shaving cream version, and there was the 'live' version. And there was one more version, the footage for which was taken from a film that used the song as a centerpiece for one of its dramatic sequences. The plot device that makes it possible is when the main character, on the trail of a murderer, investigates the set of an adult film shoot. The film makers basically embedded their own version of the "Relax" video smack in the middle of their film, complete with all the Holly Johnson and all the other members of the band. This was subsequently edited and released as yet one more version of the video. So what was the name of this movie?

I've been Rickrolled - on numerous occasions in the last few weeks! But unlike humorous internet links, when real 80's fans play Rick Astley’s "Never Gonna Give You Up" video, it’s they enjoy the song. May I humbly suggest that the follow up phenomenon should be Minoguerolling. After all, Rick and Kylie would have been perfect for each other: they had the same producers and (therefore) stylistically similar hit singles.

Anways, you know that Rick Astley’s never gonna give you up, never gonna let you down, never gonna run around and desert you, but can you remember the name of Astley’s debut album?

Bonus Question: Rick Astley’s 80’s hits may seem a little kitschy and dated now, but they were all the rage back then. And the level of success the young artist achieved was impressive. At the tender age of 21, his debut single went to 1 on the U.K. charts and stayed there for five weeks. Even more amazing is the fact that Rick Astley would go on to have all of his first 8 singles reach the U.K. Top 10, a feat which got him a place in the Guinness Book of Records. Not bad for a guy who was singing in a local pub band 2 years before. So what was then name of the pub band Rick Astley was singing for when he was first approached by producer Pete Waterman with a record deal?

And, of course, we cant leave you without the infamous video to enjoy:

The Hooters were a big part of the Philadelphia scene in the early 80’s, and were the first band to take to the stage at JFK Stadium for the American half of the Live Aid concerts. Rolling Stone named the Hooters Best New Band, and they placed three songs on the Billboard Top 40 from their major label debut. But it was and continues to be songwriting skills that brought success to the Hooters. The band’s principle songwriting team, Rob Hyman and Eric Bazilian, penned numerous tunes for other artists. Joan Osbourne’s "One Of Us" was one of theirs, and they also wrote for Sophie B. Hawkins and Jon Bon Jovi. Back in 1984, Rob Hyman wrote a song with Cyndi Lauper that went to 1 on the charts and got a Grammy nomination. What was the song?

Bonus Question: There was another organization from the 80’s that used the name ’Hooters’: the infamous restaurant chain. Hooters restaurants started showing up right around the same time as the band did, ironically. The source of the chain’s name and notoriety didn’t come from melodicas, though, and probably didn’t have a whole lot to do with the food. It was the nature of the service personnel that brought Hooters its fame, as well as a fair amount of controversy. For better or worse, the Hooters girl is the restaurant’s central icon, and was created for its earliest advertising campaigns. The very first Hooters girl was a former cheerleader who used the celebrity status she obtained to launch a successful career in modeling, acting, and radio. What was her name?

It's time for another round of 'everything old is new again,' with NBC's recent revision of the classic 80's crime fighting show "Knight Rider!" First "American Gladiators," now this! Will we see a return of "Manimal?" Seriously, though . . . last Sunday night NBC aired an updated version of "Knight Rider," starring Justin Bruening as Mike Tracer (the new driver/crime fighter) and Val Kilmer as the voice of the new car. Now, the angel didn't get to see the two hour movie event, but word has the 'Hoff made an appearance, reviving his role as Michael Knight. K.I.T.T. is back too, but this time around it's a Mustang (Ford Mustang Shelby GT500KR, to be precise). So what kind of car was the original K.I.T.T., as seen in the original 80's Knight Rider series?

Bonus Question: Back in the 80's, David Letterman used to go through the T.V. Guide and point out shows where the main character faces his or her own 'evil twin.' It was a plot device that got used quite a lot, and "Knight Rider" was no exception. In one episode, David Hasselhoff and his amazing computer controlled car actually had to battle another amazing computer controlled car. It turns our that K.I.T.T.'s evil nemesis was actually the first prototype of a talking automobile, produced by Knight Industries before they got their act together. It was slated to be dismantled due to flaws in its programming, but somehow it escaped the scrap heap and it's out to settle the score! So what was the name of K.I.T.T.'s evil twin? (And you have to get the spelling right!)

As the saying goes "everything old is new again." In this case, it's the show "American Gladiators" that's been brought back for another run (and yet there's no effort to revive "Puttin On The Hits?" Go figure.)

The original "American Gladiators" debuted in 1989, and featured athletes and body builders competing in oddball events that might be considered the precursor to X-treme sports. The combatants had nicknames like Zap and Nitro, and a few have turned up in reality shows in recent years. The host of the original series was sportscaster Mike Adamle, and he was joined each season by a co-host.

Adamle's co-host for the first season in 1989 was a former NFL quarterback who started out playing college football for Notre Dame, and went on to become starting quarterback for our own Washington Redskins. He lead the Redskins to victory in Super Bowl XVII, and he was the NFL's MVP in 1983. What was his name?

Bonus Question: Speaking of those nicknames, one of the original six Gladiators on the first season back in 1989 was a former pro racquetball player named Deron McBee. As an American Gladiator, he had the tanned surfer dude persona. During the 90's he scored small parts in the Batman sequels, guest appearances on "Walker, Texas Ranger," and a visible role in the second "Mortal Combat" movie. What was Deron McBee's nickname on American Gladiators?

Speaking of car commercials that use songs from the 80's, KIA is airing a commercial right now that uses the song "Maniac." The song originally became a hit when it was included in the 1983 film "Flashdance." The video for the song was a montage of scenes from the film, and the images of dancers being doused with water and chased by strobe lights are about as 80's as it gets. The fact that the video barely showed any shots of the artist responsible for the song didn't stop him from becoming one of the great one hit wonders of the decade.

The artist who co-wrote and recorded "Maniac" was a seasoned session musician, who collaborated with stars like Stevie Wonder, The Jackson 5, Chaka Khan, Donna Summer, New Edition, and George Benson. So what was his name?

Bonus Question: It's a fairly well known fact that "Flashdance" star Jennifer Beals didn't do any of the dance routines in the film herself, instead they were performed by body doubles. But the breakdancers were real. In fact, one of the breakers featured prominently in the film and the music video was New York native 'Crazy Legs' (a.k.a. Richard Colon).

Crazy Legs had come up through the earliest incarnations of the New York b-boy scene, when battling other breakers with dance moves was the pathway to glory and street cred. He would eventually become president of one of the best known breakdance outfits, a group that brought breakdance performances from the Roxy Nightclub in NYC to stages in London and Paris, and even to an appearance at the Royal Variety Performance for Elizabeth the second, Queen of England, in 1983. So what was the name of the famous 80's breakdance group that Richard "Crazy Legs" Colon presides over to this day?

The 80's nostalgic moment is when you get that blast from the past, that moment of familiarity with something long forgotten. "Where have I heard that?" "Who did that song?" "Where have I seen that before?" Being able to put your finger on that moment is one of the things that makes 80's trivia so much fun. There's a commercial on the television right now that gave me such a moment.

The commercial is an ad for Honda's latest model of fuel efficient car, and it features a song from 1981 with the line "Hold on tight to your dreams." The song was the last top 10 hit for a group that formed in the 70's with the intention to "pick up where 'I Am The Walrus' left off." The singer from this group would go on to be an influential producer and a member of the Traveling Wilburys. So what was the name of the band that recorded "Hold On Tight?"

Bonus Question: When I heard "Hold On Tight" being used by Honda, I was struggling to remember the TV commercial from back in the 80's that also used this song. There was a Cutlass commercial featuring Precilla Presley that used the tune, but the ad I was thinking about was for one of the staples modern living. Just as there are commercials for milk and cheese and beef and "the other white meat" that promote a general product without touting a specific brand, this one promoted the use of the food product being advertised for its stimulating effects. The commercial featured rock stars, football players, author Kurt Vonnegut, and a voice over by actress Cicely Tyson. And much like ads for cigarettes in the 60's, this ad is somewhat ironic in these health conscious times. So what was the group, identified in the commercial, that this advertising campaign was designed to target?

References to Heaven and Angels are numerous in the songs of the 80's. The Psychedelic Furs sang about "Heaven," Qfeel were "Dancing In Heaven," Belinda Carlisle declared that "Heaven Is A Place On Earth," the list goes on and on. And there's no shortage of references to Angels, either. Juice Newton was the "Angel Of The Morning," U2 sang of the "Angel Of Harlem," The Eurythmics felt "There Must Be An Angel (Playing With My Heart)."

For tonight's Trivia Challenge, what's the name of the 80's hit that includes the lyrics "You're like an angel and you give me your love?"

Bonus Question: Before the band Ministry transformed into motorcycle riding tattooed love gods, they were somewhere between a synthpop band and an industrial band. They had a great tune on one of their early albums called "The Angel." What was the name of the early Ministry album that included this song?

Fans of Heavy Metal music are mourning the death of the lead singer of the group that was arguably the first of the genre to put a record at the top of the Billboard pop charts. On Sunday, November 25th, the body of Quiet Riot lead singer Kevin DuBrow was found in his home outside of Las Vegas.

DuBrow had been a member of the band during their L.A. club days in mid 70's, and got to see the band become the vanguard of the burgeoning hard rock sound in the early 80's. Their 1983 release "Metal Health" (often incorrectly credited as their debut, although it was the first of their albums to be released in the U.S.) rode to the number one spot on the Billboard Hot 100, largely on the success of the second single.

Now, it does depend on how one defines the genre, but the number one spot for the album and the number five spot for the single were firsts for a Metal band in the U.S. But it was the first and last major hit for the band. When their success started to fade with their next release, DuBrow made something of a pariah of himself by accusing other successful Metal acts of riding his coat tails (his own band eventually fired him after getting fed up with his posturing). But even Metalheads have a heart, and although he never made it to the top again, he is being honored for his contributions to the scene.

Quiet Riot's biggest hit was actually a cover of a Slade tune, but it became the bands signature. What was the name of the song?

Bonus Question: What was the name of the album that "Metal Health knocked out of the number one slot on the Billboard Hot 100 back in 1983?

Today's trivia pays tribute to the 80's synthpop duos and the sound that put the waves in 'new wave.' Synthpop didn't create the idea of the duo. After all, there were duos all throughout the era of popular recorded music, like Roy Rogers and Dale Evans, The Everly Brothers, Simon & Garfunkel, and the Captain And Tennille . But the proliferation of synthesizers and drum machines during the 80's made it possible for a pair of songwriters to skip the step of assembling a band in order to record and perform their songs.

One person up front to sing and move about, the other behind the keyboards to cue up the tracks and play the melody. Acts who followed this new paradigm included Soft Cell, The Pet Shop Boys, O.M.D., Yazoo, Erasure, Naked Eyes, Eurythmics, and Romania. In fact, there was a synthpop duo back in the 80's who took their name from an English dessert pudding. They never made it to the top ten in the U.S., but they were a fixture on MTV, and made it to 7 on the U.K. charts with the song "Living On The Ceiling." What was the name of this duo?

Bonus Question: At the root of synthpop's family tree is the legendary German quartet Kraftwerk. Their pioneering efforts from the 1970's presaged the role computers and electronic instruments would play in popular music. At the dawn of the 1980's, the title track of their album "Computer World" predicted the role computers would eventually play in our daily lives. In addition to mentioning crime, travel, communication, and entertainment, the song's lyrics mentioned four organizations which rely heavily on computers. What were they?

I have always had a fondness for tunes that swing. As much as the rock and roll explosion of the 50's was seen as a rebellious move away from the culture of the previous generation, the platters that were spinning at the sock hop retained the swing rhythms and energy of the big band era.

As a child in the 70's, much of the television I viewed was interspersed with advertisements for K-tel "oldies but goodies" collections of songs from each of the eras (plus a good measure of 60's doo-wop). The music caught my ear, and as a result, I was primed and ready when the rockabilly craze of the mid 80's took hold.

Later on in the 90's, there was a big revival of the big band sound, and some of the same (stray) cats stepped in to help the youth cut a rug or two. Even last year, the Christina Aguilera single "Candyman" brought back a vintage sound. I don't know if this is the sign of another revival on the way, but it seems like we're overdue.

Anyways, there were lots of cuts with triplet tempos back in the 80's. In 1984, the band Wang Chung released there first full length LP "Points On A Curve." Much of the album had a moody New Wave tone to it that earned them comparisons to Japan, Ultravox, and Naked Eyes. But the most successful single from the album was a little more upbeat, with a sultry swing feel that was "cool on craze." What was the name of the song?

Bonus Question: Here's an obscure and long forgotten gem that's well worth the trip: back in the late 70's, The burgeoning San Francisco scene gave rise to Romeo Void, Translator, Wire Train, and a band called the Explosions. The dynamic front woman of this band would later go solo and release a truly fabulous album on her own. Clash bassist Paul Simonon was involved with the album at some level, and was even married to our mystery singer for a spell. What was her name?