This week - one of the funniest videos I have ever seen. If you are at all familiar with that over-the-top 1980′s anthem TOTAL ECLIPSE OF THE HEART, then you have to see this. The link’s at the end of the post.
But first:
HAPPY ANNIVERSHARY: And this appeals to the romantic in me. It’s not so much a post as a love letter. It’s a beautiful piece from Tameri Etherton
CONFLAGRASHUN: How a whole town disappeared. I found this true story of the Pennsylvania ghost town of Centralia at Unusual Historicals.
TOO MUCH PRESHA? Are the demands on the modern writer growing unbearable? Is it a Twitter too far? Jodie Hedlund asked this very good question here.
DIFFERENT SHPORTS: You know all about the (yawn) Olympics. But you can go here to read about the World Alternative Games, and riveting new spectator sports such as toe wrestling and bog snorkeling.
HISHTORICAL MISHTAKES: And I did like this one from the Historical Novel Society in Sydney about bloopers that we historical authors sometimes make. Please check out the great video clip about sending an email in Regency times.
And finally, to Jim Steinman’s 1980′s power ballad, ‘Total Eclipse of the Heart’, originally performed by Welsh singer Bonnie Tyler in 1983.
It is probably Steinman’s most successful commercial composition ever, going to number one everywhere in the known world. It made Beethoven look like a jingle writer, weighing in at six minutes and fifty-seven seconds in length. The humble little version you may have heard on the radio is heavily edited, with cannons, Mormon choir, eighty-three-piece mariachi band, and the combined bands of the Coldstream and Grenadier Guards all edited out.
In the song, Tyler complains that she’s tired of listening to the sound of her tears. It made me wonder what tears sound like. Plop? Perhaps. You got me with that one, Jim.
The remarkable gothic video that accompanies this humble effort was directed by Russell Mulcahy and storyboarded by Steinman himself, who drew his inspiration from the film Future World. It was shot at Holloway Sanatorium in Surrey. It’s like a Busby Berkeley production where everyone is high on crack-cocaine.
“Once upon a time I was falling in love, now I’m only falling apart.”
Brilliant.
This version though is even funnier. I had tears running down my face. You won’t find it on YouTube. You have to be a little bit sneaky and go here to watch the whole thing. It’s worth it. It’s one of the funniest videos I’ve ever seen.
And because I want to see you all back here regularly, I am offering a free copy of my novel CORRIGAN’S RUN to anyone who joins my blog today! You can’t buy it … it’s not available anywhere else except here! All you have to do is join up, then write to me at colin underscore falconer underscore author at hotmail dot com. I can send you a copy as a mobi Epub or PDF file.
Thank for the mash-up, Colin. I definitely plan on checking several of them out. And the video - different. LOL. Thanks for sharing.
The video is the original, if you haven’t seen it before. it’s only the subtitles that were added. In the eighties it didn’t freak me out as much as it does now. It is just so wrong on so many levels.
great mash up Colin. I’m going to check out the video.
I love it that you included that post by Tameri. I loved it.
Wasn’t it great? I liked how she worked in the thing about the previous boyfriend from way back. Tameri comes up with a lot of great stuff on her blog.
That video is way too hilarious! Having been around when the original came out, I think I like this version much better. You’ve got some great links here I need to check out, especially the historical bloopers. Ooops!
Thank you, thank you, thank you so much for the lovely comments about my anniversary post. I’m very honored you included it in your links.
My pleasure to include it, Tameri. And I’m glad you liked the video, it just cracked me up. If you’ve seen the original, it just makes it better.