Slow an’ Easy was Whitesnake’s first big hit in the United States and the video, which featured the band, a car crash, and an act of strangulation, was Whitensake’s first big video on MTV. It’s certainly much darker than the video for Here I Go Again.
Slow an’ Easy, by the way, appeared on an album called Slide It In. Whitesnake was never particularly subtle but they still rocked.
Enjoy!
Rest in Peace, the great Bob Newhart.
For my money, he was the funniest man to ever tell a joke. People who worked with him said he was one of the nicest and most downright decent people they ever met.
He lived 94 years and starred in two of the best sitcoms ever made. He was devoted to his wife. His best friend was none other than Don Rickles.
And again, he was the funniest man who ever lived.
My favorite Bob Newhart joke was one he told on himself. After saying that he had starred in sitcoms entitled “The Bob Newhart Show,” “Bob Newhart Show,” “Newhart,” and “Bob,” Newhart said that his next show would simply be called “The.”
Bob Newhart, RIP.
As with all of Van Halen’s early videos, this video shows off what made the band so special, the mix of Eddie’s virtuoso guitar work and Diamond Dave’s showmanship.
Enjoy!
This video, which was taken at a 1982 concert in St. Louis, is as close as we have for a music video for Remember the Heroes. Co-written by Journey keyboardist Jonathan Cain, this song is Sammy Hagar’s tribute to the men and women who have served this country, many of whom have made the ultimate sacrifice.
There aren’t many Memorial Day rock song out there. Trust Sammy Hagar to do the day and it meaning justice.
This video features the tragic Layne Staley at his best. This would be the final music video that he would film with Alice in Chains. Again was a moderate hit for the group, though it was also nominated for a Grammy for Best Hard Rock Performance.
Director George Vale has also worked with Our Lady Peace, The Tea Party, Danko Jones, Stars, and Broken Social Scene.
Enjoy!
Secret Service agent Steve Buckner (Charles Starrett) is told by his boss that his activities as the Durango Kid have led some in the Agency to suspect that Steve is himself an outlaw. Even after Steve explains that he only takes on the Durango Kid identity when he needs to step outside of the law to protect innocent people, Steve is still suspended pending an investigation.
With nothing better to do, Steve rides off to the Texas panhandle, where he learns that outlaws have been robbing settlers and stealing government gold. Working as the Durango Kid, Steve discovers that it’s not just outlaws that are targeting the new arrivals but it’s also the corrupt head of the local land office, Ace Gatlin (Forest Taylor). Helping out Steve are settler Tex Harding and Cannonball (Dub Taylor), who works at the saloon and sings a few songs.
This is a standard Durango Kid film. It has all the usual gunfights and horse chases but it doesn’t have Smiley Burnette. Dub Taylor takes Smiley’s place as the comedic sidekick and, while Taylor isn’t bad, he’s still no Smiley Burnette. Dub Taylor’s characters were usually more buffoonish than the clever helpers played by Smiley Burnette and, as a result, the Durango Kid movies with Taylor feel more juvenile than the ones with Smiley. That’s the case here.
This installment is interesting because it reveals that Steve’s superiors knew about his Durango Kid side hustle and were as a confused about why he needed it as everyone else was. Steve reveals he would rather lose his job than give up being Durango. Luckily, at the end of the movie, he gets a telegram telling him that the investigation is over and he’s been reinstated with the Secret Service. All’s well that ends well.
You and me both, Priest, you and me both.
Rob Halford has said that this song is about “freedom.” Once you are on the highway, you can go anywhere you want. With it being Memorial Day weekend, a lot of people are going to be taking advantage of that freedom today.
This video was one of the man to be directed by Julien Temple. Temple will probably always be best known for his work with the Sex Pistols.
Enjoy!
On the frontier, someone is raiding the homes of ranchers like Jim (Henry Hall) and Judy Barton (Paula Raymond). The Homeowners Association summons Steve Roper (Charles Starrett) to bring a stop to the raids. Everyone suspects that Cal Matson (Steve Darrell) and his son, Rob (Billy Halop), are behind the raids but Steve, as the Durango Kid, discovers that a third party is trying to set everyone at war with each other for his own benefit.
The entry in the Durango Kid series was Charles Starrett’s 103rd western. It’s not a particularly distinguished entry, relying heavily on stock footage. I did find the idea of the film’s bad guy trying to manipulate the Bartons and the Matsons into destroying each other to be interesting but the movie doesn’t do much with it and the identity of main villain will be obvious to anyone who watches the film. There is one good scene where Steve disarms three bad guys and then makes them walk all the way back to town without their boots on. Steve doesn’t mess around.
Smiley Burnette provides the comic relief and a few songs. This time, Smiley’s a dime store writer researching his next book. Musically, he is accompanied by The Sunshine Boys. 103 movies in and Smiley still hasn’t figure out that Steve and Durango are one of a kind.
Aerosmith and music video director Marty Callner were always a good combination, as seen in today’s music video of the day.
Enjoy!
College student Jack Mahoney (Jock Mahoney) returns to his hometown on the frontier to pay a surprise visit to his father, Old Henry (Edgar Dearing). Old Henry owns a local stagecoach line and is being targeted by outlaws. When Jack reaches his father’s house, he discovers that someone has shot Henry in the back. With the help of Steve Baldwin (Charles Starrett) and Betty Coulter (Anne James), two of Henry’s employees, Jack Mahoney tries to bring his father’s killers to justice.
Also helping is the masked Durango Kid, who tells Jack that Henry was an old friend of his. Durango, who is never present at the same time as Steve for some reason, teaches Jack how to handle a gun. When Steve is framed for murder, Durango works even harder to help bring the outlaws to justice.
This late Durango Kid entry has more of an edge that some of the other Durango films. Both Durango and Jack are out for vengeance and their grim determination sets this one apart from some of Durango’s other, more jokey adventures.
Even with Durango in a serious mood, Smiley Burnette is around to provide some humor. This time, Smiley is a traveling “specs specialist” who goes from town to town and sells people glasses. (He also sings two songs while accompanied by Harmonica Bill.) At the end of the movie, Smiley breaks the fourth wall, puts on a pair of glasses that he says allow him to see the future, and he lets us know whether or not Durango, Jack, and Betty are going to be safe. Smiley says that he can see himself singing but he can’t hear the song because he only has the glasses. “Looks like a good song, too.”
One final note: this movie actually features Jock Mahoney in two roles. Not only does he play college student Jack Mahoney but he was also Charles Starrett’s stunt double in the movie’s action scenes.
Through the Shattered Lens