Rocking the Bedazzler

"It looks like his wife got him a Bedazzler for Christmas," Mr. Ginley quipped last night.

The Bedazzler (photo credit below*)

We were watching episodes of The Midnight Special, a musical extravaganza of the 1970s that featured all of the popular pop/rock acts of the day.

The Bedazzler comment was made in reference to a member of Aerosmith, whose shirt sparkled with gewgaws. Back in the day, the Bedazzler was used to affix said gewgaws to items of clothing.

As well as sparkly shirts, vests, jackets and pants, performers were bedecked in large bellbottom slacks (which we used to call "elephant pants"), karate-style pantsuits, frilly shirts in yellows, pinks and baby blues and, of course, the requisite platform shoes. 

Plus lots and lots of guys with open shirts. (Not a bad thing for a young Peter Frampton, for example.)

While we enjoyed the trip down memory lane, and we were certainly guilty of some of the fashion OMGs we saw on display, it was all a bit sad, too, as the refrain became, "Is he/she still alive?" and "Whatever happened to...?" Along with, "Wasn't Graham Nash the lead vocalist for the Hollies at some point?"

So, as we listened to the music, I went a-googling.

"Which one of the Bee Gees is still around? (Barry Gibb). 

"Is Helen Reddy still alive?" (No)

"What song did War do besides Cisco Kid?" (Low Rider)

We also discussed the lyrics to Patti Labelle's Lady Marmalade, which was quite racy at the time but today wouldn't even raise an eyebrow. Mr. Ginley, having mastered three years of French I, translated Voulez-Vous Coucher Avec Moi to: "Will you sleep with me?" 

John Denver did a duet with Mama Cass. Ironically, it was I'm Leaving on a Jet Plane (although John Denver's final flight, as I recall, was a prop job).

I also commented on how one guitarist (who shall remain nameless because I don't know his name) must have a little willy because it seemed to me he was trying to overcompensate with an electric guitar that was an über-fancy double-neck behemoth.

And on we went, late into the evening, skipping over a bunch of the artists but savoring the likes of Peter Frampton, Robert Palmer and Blondie.

It was fun traveling back in time to our "yutes" (as Joe Pesci pronounced it in My Cousin Vinnie). But a little sad that so many of our fellow travelers are gone.

And I'll never again wear elephant pants or platform shoes. 

I guess it's true that every cloud has a silver lining.

*This image, which was originally posted to Flickr, was uploaded to Commons using Flickr upload bot on 25 October 2013, 21:38 by Ke4roh. On that date, it was confirmed to be licensed under the terms of the license indicated.