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There’s a film coming out Stateside called Bros, which stars and is co-written by Billy Eichner of “Billy on the Street” fame. I’ve no opinion on Bros, since I haven’t seen it. But the title does make me smile, because while Americans will pronounce it in the way it’s intended (rhymes with “hose”), British people of a particular vintage—myself very much included—will reflexively pronounce it in a way that evokes a certain pop act who found immense fame in the UK in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s (rhymes conveniently, if cruelly, with “dross.”)
Bros, comprised of bleach-blonde twin brothers Matt and Luke Goss (and for a short time their mate Craig Logan on bass), were active between 1986 and 1992. Even though I was very young at the time of Bros’s pomp, I couldn’t help but be aware of their ubiquitous hit singles “When Will I Be Famous?” and “I Owe You Nothing”, both chirpy, synth-laden earworms given a weirdly aggressive edge by Matt’s furious, straining-for-soul falsetto.
Like many people, I suspect, I’d forgotten all about Bros (save for the occasional Luke Goss acting performance) until an astonishing documentary about the band emerged in 2018. Entitled After the Screaming Stops, and directed by Joe Pearlman and David Soutar, the film follows Matt and Luke, now estranged, as they attempt to patch up their differences in order to play a big comeback gig at London’s 02 Arena, more than a quarter of a century after their last live performance.
Needless to say, things don’t go smoothly, and in addition to a sensitive and thoughtful treatment of the effects of the boys’ rapid initial rise and fall—oh, the price of fame!—the doc also gifts us some of the most hilarious and cringeworthy material this side of This is Spinal Tap and The Office, as Matt and Luke prove themselves to be masters of unintentional comedy. Exhibit A: this bewildering, 39-second exchange about darts and conkers.
After the Screaming Stops, then, is this week’s first quick rec, and is available to stream on various platforms. As moving as it is ludicrous, it really is worth a watch, even if you’ve never heard of Bros.
Staying on a musical theme, this week’s second quick rec is inspired by the release of Brett Morgen’s new David Bowie doc Moonage Daydream, which I enjoyed a great deal. It’s an all-archival montage film, and pretty assaultive stuff, like being E. Honda-slapped in the face with Bowie clips for over two hours—that’s more fun that it sounds, I promise, especially if you’re already a fan.
Anyway, one of my favorite ever Bowie vids is this 1978 live performance of “Stay”, a tense, tightly-wound funk monster, and the fifth track from his 1976 LP “Station to Station”. Filmed in the northwest German city of Bremen for the TV show Beat Club, the set from which this performance is taken was first broadcast on 4 August 1978.
Here, Bowie is backed by: Adrian Belew on electric guitar; George Murray on bass guitar; Carlos Alomar on rhythm guitar; Dennis Davis on drums; Simon House on violin; Sean Mayes on piano and strings; and Roger Powell on keys and synths.
I must have watched this clip fifty times or more, and I can’t get enough of Bowie’s infectious joy throughout; it’s like he just cannot believe his luck at getting to rock out with a group of such talented musicians. Bowie displays a particular beatific affection for showman guitarist and King Crimson man Belew, who would later tour with Talking Heads, among many other groups.
And before I disappear this week, a third and final quick rec, just because I’ve been listening to it lots recently: US R&B band Cameo’s “Back and Forth”, the third single taken from their 1986 hit album “Word Up!”
“Back and Forth”, a skeletal and sinewy funk workout about the vacillating nature of relationships, is less well-known (and charted much lower) than the LP’s earlier singles, title track “Word Up”, and the amazing “Candy”, but is just as good, not least for the hilarious comedy gunshot sound effect that follows the line “Love’s funny like that / It'll make you blow your cap!”
The video for the truncated, four-minute single version is lots of fun, and features, among other things, a lascivious opening zoom into singer Larry Blackmon’s trademark red vinyl codpiece, and a brief, unexplained appearance from a slightly mummified-looking Miles Davis:
But the unabridged, spacious, six-and-a-half minute strut from the LP is the one to listen to. Enjoy!
Until next week!
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