The Pop Culture Addict presents... Mail

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February 26th, 2009

Hey there friends and readers!

Unfortunately a case of pneumonia has stricken your friendly neighborhood pop culture addict. That's meant lots of laying around on the couch, coughing up green flem and just feeling pretty miserable. However, while it has gotten in the way of my writing, I have had plenty of time to sort through all the great letters we've received over the last few months. As always, I want to thank you for all your letters. It is your comments, memories and information that help keep the pop culture journey alive. Unfortunately I don't have room to publish all the letters we've received, but we do read and answer every e-mail and we appreciate all the letters we get.

Anyhow, our first letter comes from Lily Lung who writes about our look at the musical career of forgotten pop idol Tommy Page. Lily writes:

Hi Sam,

Thanks for the article about Tommy Page. I can't believe anyone would remember him like I do either. All those pics and the info about NKOTB! I'm just a few years younger than you and I actually grew up in Hong Kong. You were right about the Asian market! I was OBSESSED with him and I know every song in "Paintings in My Mind" inside-out! (listened to them on my CASSETTE player) Recently, now that I'm almost 30, found those songs in iTunes and bought them all. I came to your site via Wikipedia and your article made me laugh! Thanks! I don't know why he wouldn't write you back either. Where/How did you find out that he's working with Ashely Tisdale? I'm curious!

By the way, I really like "Shoulder to Cry On" too but my all-time-fav is definitely "When I Dream of You"! Back in the days, I would REWIND my tape over and over again just to hear that piece. Lack of technology back then really makes you work hard to show your devotion... It's a great, great tune.

Tommy Page is my guilty pleasure, so is Roxette. I found them when I watched Pretty Woman when it just came out, when Julia Roberts' character got into the car to run away from the Richard Gere, they played "It Must Have Been Love" in the foreground. What a great song! Since then I discovered "Crash! Boom! Bang!" "I Wish I Could Fly" "Queen Of Rain" and my favorite, "Spending My Time". So corny! So good!

I listen to lots of things. I am a classically trained musician. I play the piano and I sang in many choirs and medieval/renaissance choruses. I also play the Chinese lute called the Pipa. I have a ton of classical CDs (piano concertos are my fav), many, many Cantonese pop songs; I LOVE Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, and Billie Holiday. I also listen to Enigma, Moby, Enya, and Loreena McKennitt. I love the pre-Strange Little Girl Tori Amos, and I also love the new alternative stuff. Of course I also like the ORIGINAL country music, and I listen to Hank Williams, Bill Monroe...etc.

Blahblahblah. I just want to tell you all of this because it gives you a background of how strange it is that I also LOVE Tommy Page and Roxette! HA!

Bye for now,

Lily

Hi Lily,

I want to let you know how your letter really brought a smile to me. I don't know what it is about Tommy Page but the guy just cracks me up. It's great to hear from one of his Hong Kong based fans. Thing is, and don't tell anybody this, but I am a fan of his music too. During the research of that article I ended up listening to a lot of Tommy Page's music and I seemed to have absorbed it. My personal favorite is A Shoulder to Cry On which never made the Billboard charts in North America, although I don't know why. Guess the time just wasn't right for Tommy, but that was his problem. The time just never was right. As I said in my article, he was just a bit before his time both musically and fashion wise. But I think I understand why he has never responded to my e-mails, or allowed me to interview him. A lot of performers I have met and interviewed rather stay rooted in today then to look back at yesterday, and I think Tommy is just one of those types to the extreme. He seems very private, and unwilling to get back into the spotlight. I don't quite understand why, because I feel that the time for a comeback would be right now for Tommy, but we all have to respect it.

Information about Tommy's involvement in Ashley Tisdale's career is pretty common based knowledge and can be found all over the internet.

Wanna know something? I ALSO LOVE ROXETTE! I remember when I was in the ninth grade they came out with their Look Sharp album, which I still think is one of the best albums of the 90's. I actually have it on my ipod and listen to it at the gym. My favorite song is Dangerous, but I also love a little number they did called She's so Vulnerable which I don't think ever was a hit.

I think that anybody who loves music needs to have eclectic tastes and like a bit of everything. I mean, my favorite music is probably classic 60's rock. However I have a huge jazz collection, am a big fan of 70's bubblegum, listen to heavy metal and my guilty pleasure is pop music (I do own every Britney Spears CD). Currently I'm getting into French rock/pop music from the 60's and 70's. My all time favorite musicians include Lou Reed (both with the Velvet Underground and on his own), Elvis Costello, The Shangris- Las, Leonard Cohen, The Doors, The Osmond Brothers, KISS, The Partridge Family, Johnny Cash, Kylie Minogue, Prince and current fave is Amy Winehouse. Oh do I love my Amy WInehouse. But as you can see in that list, there is no sense of reason or pattern at all when it comes to my faves. People who only listen to rock, or only listen to country, or just listen to classical deny themselves an entire world of music. Variety creates a smart music listener.

Thanks again for your delightful e-mail Lily. I hope we'll hear from you again.

Our next letter is from Allyson Kitchens who writes about our look at the problems with the country music industry. Allyson writes:

I love your site. All about things and people I grew up on. I loved your article on country music. You are right on! I'm a music therapist. I live and breathe music and keep up with the trends. I lived in Nashville until recently, and the a&r people at the record companies all have pop backgrounds. They don't know the first thing about country music. And they are so youth-obsessed. If a prospective artist is over 25, forget it! I stopped listening to country radio about 10 years ago--about the time Shania took over--ugh! The business is so image-obsessed as well. I heard an interview with Vince Gill a couple of years ago in which he commented that he wasn't cute enough for country now. The sad thing is, if the business had been like it is now 40-50 years ago, there would be no country music, because Patsy, Hank, Lefty, and George Jones weren't cute enough. The shallowness of the whole thing disgusts me. Top 40 country is nothing but power ballads and dance pop with fiddles. Shame! There is good country music being made. Go to some of the live venues in Nashville and places like Austin, Texas. The music is there, but you won't hear it on the radio. And if you want to write a piece on why you hate Taylor Swift, I will applaud you.

Regards,

Allyson Kitchens

Hi Allyson

I want to let you know how much your letter really delighted me. It means a lot to me that somebody who has a career as a music therapist is on the same page as I am. It only strengthens my convictions that my opinion on the matter of country music is right. There is some times I wonder if I am alone against my opinions on country music, although every now and then I do get a letter about this subject.. Basically, I still blame it on Billy Ray Cyrus, who never produced anything culturally important, for the exception of maybe Miley Cyrus...but then that's a whole other argument.

I agree how disgusting it is that record companies are so youth oriented. Truth is, most twenty year old kids have no idea what they are talking about. Bur I also agree and I'm very aware that there is more traditional country music still being made. Even up here in Canada a new grassroots movement known as "alternative country" has been taking a hold. Basically it is young country artists who are fusing the traditional country feel and sound with a bit more of a rock energy, but without the power ballads and the dance pop that you so rightly observed. Take a few minutes and download groups like Elliott Brood, Arbuckle and Luther Wright and the Wrongs to see what I mean. They have a more traditional approach to country music, without the redneck whitetrashness that goes along with it. I guess it's Canada's way of making up with that whole Shania Twain thing. Ugh is right!

However, for a whole different country music experience, we also have what could be the world's first country/death metal band called The White Cowbells of Oklahoma. I've seen those guys in concert and their stage show is totally psychotic! Imagine if the Oakridge Boys crossed paths with Gwar! Untraditional, but definatly unique. These guys may not be everybody's cup of tea, but you gotta see them to believe them. If the White Cowbells of Oklahoma come through your town don't dare miss their show.

And as to Taylor Swift, she has barely crossed my pop culture radar for the exception that when my cousin had it out for her because she was dating her favorite Jonas Brother. Thus far she is not at all relevant on the pop culture journey IMO.

Thanks again for the letter Allyson. Keep on fighting the good fight against bad music. Hope that you'll be in touch with us again.

Next letter comes from Wayne Elliot who writes about our recent look at Made For TV Bands. Wayne writes:

Good read!
Just wondering if you considered Loretta Haggers (aka Mary Kay Place)
of Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman? There's some great performances on
YouTube from her.
I'm big MH2 fan- as a kid I remember it was on when the news was on
all the other channels so I ended up watching it by default and got
hooked- then of course there was the Fernwood 2-night spin off which
included one of the most memorable Tom Waits performances I have ever
seen!

Love and Groovyness,
WEBmadman

Hi Wayne,

Well I gotta admit, until I received your e-mail Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman had never crossed my pop culture radar. I mean, I had heard of the show, but I had never watched it. Yet, after reading a bit about the series, thanks to your e-mail, I ordered the first season on DVD and the series just slayed me. It is such a subtle and clever program. Unfortunately, it is so dated that I don't think modern audiences would get it, but each episode I've seen just broke me up. Louise Lasser could be one of the funniest actresses of the 1970's. Such as shame that more people aren't aware of her brilliance.

As to Mary Kay Place, as her role as country singing neighbor Loretta Haggers, her character's singing career did have an interesting life beyond the imaginary town of Fernwood. Her album Tonight at the Cari Lodget, which she recorded as her MH2 character, was nominated for a Grammy Award, and the album's single, Baby Boy, reached the number 3 spot on Billboard's country charts in 1976. Mary Kay Place even won an Emmy Award for her role the same year. But what really makes Loretta Haggers special in the context of made for TV groups is that she was the first, and only time to my knowledge, that a program created a successful country act.

For those who haven't seen Mary Kay Place, check her out here as Loretta Haggers via our friends at YouTube. BTW - this is the "good" kind of country music that myself and Allyson Kitchens speak of above.

Most of all Wayne, I want to thank you for introducing me to Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman. Thanks to you I've discovered a new favorite show.

Finally, our last letter comes from Jeremy Patterson who also writes about our look at Made For TV Bands. However, while Wayne points out one of the best of the performers I overlooked, Jeremy points out some of the not so good ones. Jeremy writes:

I have seen your 2-part Made-For-TV Band series, But I have noticed that the various attempts at musical careers of stars of Nickelodeon's TEENick line-up were ignored from the list!

The first show to be designed specifically for the TEENick block, Taina, was the starting point of this nonsense, debuting as part of the initial TEENick line-up in January 2001. The show combined a tween sitcom with a musical. Christina Vidal was cast as the title character & LaTangela Newsome played her friendly foe, Maritza Hogg. Both ladies even did their vocals on the show! It was the last sitcom to be produced in Nickelodeon Studios. It was canned after two seasons, despite strong ratings.

After the demise of Taina, TEENick kept trying to launch musical careers of their stars with similar failure rates: Emma Roberts, star of Unfabulous, reached #46 on the Billboard with her album & that was that. Jamie Lynn Spears (aka zoey) could not break free from the musical shadow of her older sister. TEENick did launch Romeo! in 2003, starring an existing star, & he is till doing well. Drake Bell's various attempts to launch a musical career resulted in disaster. Daniel Curtis Lee's currently trying to get into the rap market. Lil' JJ, star of 'Just Jordan', is showing some promise.

Now we are going to the current TEENick batch:

The Naked Brothers Band , in my mind, is even worse than 2Ge+Her!

Miranda Cosgrove, like Drake Bell before her, is trying to get a musical career going with little fanfare!

Now we have Keke Palmer of 'True Jackson VP'. Her rapping is garbage, even by Rico Suave standards! I hope Greg Proops could make the show better than average!

TEEnick is not the only kid's block struggling in that aspect. There is the Slumber Party Girls, who appeared as part of 'Kol's Secret Slumber Party on CBS' on the 2006-2007 TV season, & seen prominently on the one-season wonder 'Dance Revolution', which was based on a series of Konami video games. They were intended to be a competitor to The Cheetah Girls, but the end result was similar to the near-instant burn-out of Hoku. While Hoku is doing quite well in the indy circuit nowadays. The SPG struggles. When DIC retooled the line-up in 2007-2008, the block was renamed KEWLopolis, & the SPG were evicted from the roster!

Jeremy Aron Patterson

Hi Jeremy,

Now I'm going to be honest and tell you that all of the shows and performers you mentioned are completely new to me and until your letter I had never heard of any of them. That's great because it only proves that all of us has something to teach each other on the pop culture journey, and through letters like yours all of our knowledge is expanded. Your e-mail is very valuable source of information

Why have I never heard of these shows? Probably a number of factors play into the reason. First is regional. We don't have Nickelodeon in Canada, although most of their programs do air on a Canadian channel called YTV. However, most programs on that station don't interest me because I don't fit in their demographic. YTV caters to teens and tweens, and with nobody under the age of twenty in my home these programs go unseen and unheard of, thus slipping under my pop culture I'm only aware of something like Hannah Montana due to the fact that it is such a phenomena that you'd have to be living in a cave not to know what that is. Most of the other "teen/pre-teen" programs in my article (Degrassi, KIDS Incorporated) are recognized because they were shows from when I was growing up, thus I remember them.

But I took the time to look at YouTube clips from some of the programs that you wrote to me about, and for better or for worse, we should share them with the PCA readers..

The first one I checked out was Taina and I can't express how much the clips made my brain hurt. I guess I've always hated shows like that. A school full of cool people who can all dance, sing and groove at the drop of a hat. I mean the music was good, but the show had a stench of phoniness that didn't at all appeal to me. I hated programs like that ever since I was a teenager because I never could relate to any of the kids.

I also took a look at the Naked Brothers Band. I can't express how annoying I found that kid's voice. He sounded like Peter Brady during his voice changing episode. Not cool. No wonder I haven't heard of them beyond your letter...and thank god. I feel sorry for you for having heard of them Jeremy.

Finally I took a look at the Slumber Party Girls. I mean with a name like that how could I not check it out! Well the whole thing just seemed like a bad parody of something...but I'm not sure what. Too bad because, just like Tania, those girls can sorta sing.

After that I just stopped watching because I had come up to a conclusion about TeeNick's musical lineup. Obviously it is a sad attempt to compete with their rival Disney's success with High School Musical and Hannah Montana. Yet, while Disney seems to not only be able to market their products far better, they also seem to have the cream of the crop when it comes to the stars of tomorrow. Disney is doing something which, be it good or not, has captured the imaginations of the public. TeeNick is trying way to hard to copy that success, and their desperation shows by the lack of quality their performers and productions possess.

Anyhow, that's my take on it Jeremy. Thanks again for your letter.

Well folks, that's the mail bag for this month. Thanks again for all the great letters folks, and make sure to keep sending in your comments. The more mail we get, the more often we can dip into the mail bag.

Stay tuned because there is more to come,

Sam Tweedle

Pop Culture Addict

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