Hazy Shade of Winter

Time, time, time
See what’s become of me
The Bangles



I’ve been feeling down lately. I’ll get through it, but for now I’m feeling blue. I was bumping around YouTube in an attempt to cheer myself up, but it wasn’t working. It didn’t matter how many loud, crude songs I listened to, I was still feeling bummed. Finally, I succumbed to the Dark Side and slicked on a playlist called “2AM Bitch Songs”. It’s exactly what it sounds like. Videos that I would typically watch only around 2 AM, when I’m feeling like a bitch.
Anna Nalick, Tori Amos, Regina Spekter, Natalie Merchant, Lisa Loeb, Sarah McLachlin and Nina Gordon are there, but so is Walking Down The Street by The Bangles. After that video, I suddenly remembered this song–a song from a great movie of the ’80's, Less Than Zero. After that it was wham, bam, thank you ma’am and I had an idea for the blog post I honestly didn’t feel like writing.
I’m gonna be straight with you. I’ve had the Susanna Hoffs dream. Guys, you know what I’m talking about. Some girls do too. Maybe even more chicks know than care to admit it. I’ve also had the dream where it was Me vs. The Bangles in a naughty naked kind of game. I’ve oft wondered who would be the best of them in bed and I’m not sure, but I bet the redhead knows a trick or two. One thing I do know is that Susanna Hoffs has one gnarly set of bedroom eyes! I also would have tapped Jami Gertz (from the movie), but I figured that went without saying.

Look around
Leaves are brown
And the sky
Is a hazy shade of winter

When I started writing this I was feeling all kinds of shitty. I’ve played this song a couple of times as I’ve been tapping on the keyboard and I have to say, I’m feeling a little better. That may sound weird, considering the movie this song is about is a total fuckin’ downer. I will say this though, no one plays a better coke fiend than Robert Downey, Jr., with the possible exception of Charlie Sheen.
The Bangles have a special meaning to me. They are Drama Queen’s first ever concert. When she was eight or nine, I took her to the House of Blues at Downtown Disney to see them. She really liked it, especially when they played Walk Like An Egyptian. She started to do the dance as well she could and yelled, “Keep playing,” when they stopped.
Even though she saw the Bangles in person, my daughter’s first REAL concert was when she was 11. I got tickets for us to see Paramore and No Doubt at Staple Center (Home of the NHL’s LA Kings and the NBA’s Lakers & Clippers). They packed in 19,000 and it freakin rocked. I’ve seen No Doubt numerous times. As a guy who grew up in (and next door to The OC)The IE, I saw them in small clubs when they were an up and coming ska band. Those were rad days. I also saw Oingo Boingo live several times before they hit it big. It was during the summer at Magic Mountain. They played new wave concerts in the amphitheater and Boingo was a regular guest. Sweet, huh?
If you’ve never heard the song or if you’ve never seen the video, I implore you to check it out. If you’ve never seen the movie Less Than Zero, get to Netflix and say, “Top of my queue, yo.” It’s definitely worth your time.