Video I Wish We All Were Schmader
posted by on September 8 at 10:38 AM
David Schmader’s live screening of Showgirls at Triple Door this past Thursday was incredible and incredibly genius. I don’t know if I have ever had more fun watching a movie. There was duck and pilsner. Schamder was in shamanic oratory form, pausing the movie to interject commentary and pontificate on how beyond bad the movie is.
Pinpointing the scenes and breaking them down inside a collective societal context, Schmader said this is why it’s bad, and this is how bad it is. I choked on my duck twice laughing. Schmader turned the bad movie into good. In essence, David Schmader gives all bad movies hope.
I had never seen Showgirls before. The music in a couple scenes is from Prince’s The Gold Experience. Not Prince, but the Artist Formerly Known As. Anyway, it got me thinking about early Prince. The Dirty Mind Prince and Controversy.
Controversy was originally released in 1981 but Warner Bros. re-released it in ’83. I had an older brother who bought the cassette. My mother confiscated it. With songs like “Sexuality”, “Do Me, Baby”, “Private Joy”, and “Jack U Off”, I now understand why.
The best song is the title track, “Controversy.” It is skuzzy dance funk and hits a dance floor hard. Mom’s don’t understand. This is necessary education for a musical child, sans the skuzzy sex of course. In the song, Prince sings:
People call me rude, I wish we were all nude I wish there was no black and white, I wish there were no rules
I guess my mother was right. Nude with no rules would not be ok for a child. Then the songs, “Do Me, Baby” and “Jack U Off”, those are definitely for adults. Maybe Prince could release a G rated version for children who want to learn certain types of dance funk.
Maybe “Have Some Ice-Cream, Baby”, or “Jack, U R a Nice Guy”? And instead of Controversy, call it Mr. Prince & Friends Eat Snow-Cones. I don’t know, G rated early Prince is tough.
And even earlier Prince:
Didn't Prince record the heartbeat of his baby for a rhythm track? How is his baby? some sort of handicap if I remember right. Was the Gold Experience the cassette from 91 or so with the tripped out glossy coverimage materialthat Quest/Comcast is using in their mailers lately? Or for that matter, pizza Hut used the weird two-tone effect plastic during their "oooooh, aaaaaaaah" campaign during the early 80s - oh god, i used to be into that kind of decoration, you know, the kind that the ridgemont high guys have 'devo' and the miss bright Sunshine non-talker and his poster of Nietzche. groovy stuff, makes me not to want to be a teen ever again
Such an insightful article.
Children (of all ages) take note: Mother knows best. ALWAYS.
I did not know that Prince used to be in Hall & Oates. I didn't know it used to be Hall & Oates & Prince. I don't remember hearing that.
Mother Knows Best, you should start another blog with that for a prompt. In the midst of Price, always controversial, let David take to the stage more often. Showgirls was a great idea.
Tante
Reminds me of when I saved my money to buy tickets to go see Eddie Murphy (when he was the comedian...before he was the movie star). Not only was I not allowed to go, but my stepmother sat me down with all her research (before the internet - not sure how she got it?) listing every bad word he used in his show. Sitting through that was worse than losing my money or missing the show!
I like the Hall & Oates & Prince idea.
It would be "Darling Maneater."
HUGE hit.
Showgirls was fantastic. David was at the top of his game.
As for Prince with Hall & Oates I say we give that a go. Maybe David could commentate that too.
What would he have to say about a mash up of "Private Eyes" and "Purple Rain" -
I introduce into the world now -
"Private Rain"
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