Do you remember in the 80's when old 50's music became fashionable again? "Fun Rock" (as seen on TV!) sold like hot cakes. Doo-wop crept into the music of Billy Joel and Huey Lewis. Even the Fat Boys remade "The Twist," for Pete's sake. During that resurgence, a restaurant chain started in LA that specialized in reproducing the look and feel of a 50's style diner.
Well, I went to eat there last night before my movies. I remembered that a Johnny Rockets was in the mall where the theaters were, I had a coupon, and I'd eaten there once before and still remembered how good the hamburger had been.
The meal took on a hint of surreality about half way through. "At the Hop" played on the juke box. While it played, I thought about how sick of these songs the staff must get. Then I noticed the manager talking to one of the waiters about some dance moves (I was sitting at the counter, so I could see everything perfectly). Then, when the song ended, the same song started up again, only this time louder. I looked over and the manager and the waiter were dancing in the middle of the restaurant. Not arm in arm dancing, but standing side by side doing identical dance moves. Soon, my waitress joined them. She didn't have the moves quite down, but she was trying to learn. Even the big guy grilling the burgers was singing along from his grill (the low "Oh Baby" part of the song). I'm not experienced enough with Johnny Rockets to know if this is normal or unusual.
When they finished, the other 6 or 7 patrons and myself applauded politely and things went back to normal. But a few minutes later, they were blasting KC and the Sunshine Band's "Get Down Tonight," and all 3 of them were out there again. This time my waitress had the moves down better. I know, that song's not from the 50's, but I said this was surreal.
The movies were fun. While the writing in Monsters vs. Aliens lacked the cleverness and heart of Pixar, the animation was top-notch. The IMAX screen really worked well with the movie, which included lots of enormity: vast, cavernous covert installations, a massive spaceship, even a fight scene at the Golden Gate Bridge between 2 characters who could have stepped on Godzilla.
Drag Me to Hell was thoroughly enjoyable. Just what the doctor ordered. Lots of gross-out gore, lots of adrenaline-inducing jump-out-at-you moments, and one of the best endings I've seen in a horror movie ever (though my sisters and mother would disagree).
The evening was capped off by one more surreal touch. Back home, I turned on the TV while I was brushing my teeth. We don't have cable, so our choices are limited. About the only thing I watch is a low-quality local channel that only shows music videos from the 70's and 80's. When I turned on the TV, the video for the Carpenters' "Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft" was playing. I didn't even realize there was a video for this song, which is a bizarre little number (but probably my favorite Carpenters song). The song was recorded around the time Star Wars and Close Encounters were mega-hits. Something akin to Neil Diamond doing "Heartlight" when E.T. was so big.
Anyway, I was transfixed. And thanks to YouTube, you can be too:
3 comments:
Awesome! I remember that song, but never really paid attention to the lyrics. Cool! Reminds me of how our thoughts, not just our actions, affect the whole universe.
That was truly beautiful to behold. The Carpenters have the sweetest voices. I wept at the sight of them so sweetly singing together likje they always did. I need their CDs. Do you by chance have any?
can't wait to see Drag Me to Hell - i love the Evil Dead series and am a sucker for a good campy horror movie. we have to remember this the next time we are in the same town!
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