Wednesday, June 13, 2007

Alice Cooper 'Da Da'


I have marked my calendar for June 26th, thanks to Mr. Brad K.!

Why?

Well that’s when Zero Hour will be released on DVD.

What is Zero Hour you ask?

Here’s the description from Amazon…. A routine flight turns into a major emergency as passengers and crew succumb to food poisoning - is there anyone on board who knows how to fly a plane? If that sounds vaguely familiar, it's because 'Airplane' was a send-up of this forerunner of the 1970s disaster movie.

That’s right! My favorite film of all time is directly ripped off from this film. When you’re watching it, you get the feeling that the Zucker Brothers saw Zero Hour in the theaters and made their own out-loud jokes much like Joel and the robots eventually did during the 80’s and 90’s on Mystery Science Theatre 3000.

“Cigarette?” asks the man on the movie screen.

“Yes, I know,” a Zucker says out loud to the delight of theater patrons.

Not only do they rip off the story, they also deliberately shoot scenes the same way by using the same poses for the actors with the same camera angles.

I taped the movie years ago on the Suspense Movie channel with my DirecTV. I still have it somewhere on VHS, but now it’s time to get that cult classic in my collection.

“We must get these people to a hospital,” said the only doctor on board.

“What is it?” the stewardess asks from the movie screen.

“It’s a big building with lots of sick people, but that’s not important right now,” says a Zucker brother in the theater.


And all in the movie house crack up.

Ahhhhh… Zero Hour is great fun, but I wouldn’t suggest getting it unless you’re a fan of Airplane! like me.

Just rent it and see it for yourself.

As you can see… Alice Cooper finally found his way into my musical choice of the day rotation. ‘Da Da’ is an okay album from Mr. Cooper. That album marked the first time Alice used a drum machine. That was a pretty big deal back in the early 80’s when those babies were taking off.

And in my opinion… That album has one of the greatest dysfunctional Christmas songs ever… “No Man’s Land”.

The song is about a drunken man with multiple personalities who leaves his Santa gig in the middle of dealing with all the children… He can’t pass up the opportunity to split the scene for a romp in the hay… Here’s a sample of the lyrics…

I left fifty kids standin' in line, they were whining, they were crying
And their mothers they were screaming in hysterics and I swear
I never heard such profanity
I dropped my suit on the floor,
They were trying to block the door
They were calling her a whore
They were driven to nativital insanity
We drove away in her Mercedes Benz,
Dirty blond split ends in the breeze
She said "I want to put you under my tree
You're just a little gift from me to me"


Bob Dylan has been quoted as saying that Alice Cooper is one of the most underrated songwriters of our time. And I happen to agree with that statement. Although he did go through a slump back in the late 80’s when MCA was trying to mold him to sound like everyone else in order to rack up some sales.

His songs are littered with little sardonic tidbits that will cause you to laugh. You may not get it the first time, but when it finally kicks in, you will see his genius.

For those of you with MP3 players… Here (in my opinion) are some must haves (amusing tunes) for your collection…

“Aspirin Damage”

“No Man’s Land”

“Prettiest Cop On The Block”

“For Veronica’s Sake”

“Cold Ethyl”

The guy is funny… In the song “Department Of Youth”, he asks the kids “Who gave you the power…” and they shout back "Donny Osmond!" Classic stuff!

6 comments:

  1. Anonymous11:36 PM

    Teenage Lament 74
    Unfinished Sweets

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  2. Looks like I picked the wrong day to read this blog...

    I will be quoting this movie all day tomorrow! Never seen Zero Hour though. Guess I better join the rank and file of Netflix eventually.

    I wonder if Netflix has The Kentucky Fried Movie? Film at eleven...

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anonymous9:02 PM

    Molly,

    Blockbuster.com has The Kentucky Fried Movie. The local Blockbuster will give you a two-week free trial for their online service, then if you have a convenient location to rent from, you can trade in your "mailed" movies for a local movie as part of your plan.

    It's sweet. I have been pleased with their service for the most part.

    Disclaimer: I'm not affiliated with Blockbuster blah, blah, blah...

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thanks, bebo! My mom also recommends Blockbuster Video. I'll have to weigh the differences.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Anonymous11:39 AM

    alice cooper is a national treasure.

    clay

    ReplyDelete
  6. Yeah Brad... "Teenage Lament '74"! Forgot about that gem!

    ReplyDelete