No, it’s not Friday, but I just saw this today and had to share it immediately! Although first, I need to clarify something: there was no such thing as a “German Sparkle Party” until Da General brought the troops to Monster Ronson’s back in March 2009 for the very first Join the Sparkle Army party. Now while I suspect The Something Experience is making a bit of a joke here, I love this video and it makes me smile a lot, but it also makes me wonder if they know about the Sparkle Army because our party is amazingly similar. Maybe they’ve been to it? Maybe they want to come to it? It just seems a little too coincidental.. am I right?
As a follow up to last week’s Sparkle Video (and the first of 2011), today we have the Ohio Players– you guessed it- also on the Midnight Special and also rocking the denim bedazzler look. “Love Rollercoaster” is a classic funk favorite and there’s no other way to look when you’re playing this song than like they do here: Sparkly, Funky and BadAss! Watching this group get down and glitter gets me beyond excited and the splendid addition of old school pop n’ lock dancers makes me wanna scream “F*ck Yeah!”.
I know you are just gagging to ask, “General, what’s your obsession with the Midnight Special?” and I will tell you it’s my comfort food. You see, when I was just a wee lass, I had terrible insomnia and couldn’t sleep at all. I was born ready and waiting for the day when I would be old enough to party all night, but in the meantime, I had no choice but to stay up very late and watch television. The weekends were the best because the Midnight Special was on and I got to watch all kinds of fabulous bands, covered in rhinestones and lit with star filters during my innocent formative years. It truly made it’s mark on me, but then again, perhaps I was already into this stuff and that’s why I watched? The world may never know.
As you all know, I just can’t stop talking about Light Up Dance Floors, but something I never considered before has come to my attention: Light Up Ceilings! There are so many versions out there, but this one looks like some sort of tunnel that encapsulates you like a spaceship gone wrong- I must have it. I want to walk through it, dance through it.. possibly vogue through it! In fact, I want both the Light Up Dance Floor and the Light Up Ceiling and I want anything else that lights up too because it’s now 2011 and EvenMore is More!
Today’s Sparkle Video was an easy choice for our last day of 2010 because it’s plea for peace, love and understanding is still relevant. We should be asking ourselves “What’s Going On?” every day and I implore my fellow Americans, if I may quote Nancy Spungen, to “wake up the f*ck up!” in 2011. In this new year, we must reach out to one another, find genuine resolutions to conflict and celebrate the one thing that unites us all- SPARKLES!
This live performance from the Midnight Special is a fabulous example as it showcases Marvin Gaye’s “bedazzler period” which proves that you can still be butch and sparkle. Accomplished through the use of head to toe denim, this look is “manly with a kick” and the addition of metallic platforms is purely top drawer! On a random note, I also adore the super smooth dancers in the white outfits, but what’s with the guy in the green suit? Why, why would he dare approach Mr. Gaye during one of the most beautiful songs in history, especially while he is clearly feeling it? And why, why would he fashion himself as the mayor of Emerald City?
Tomorrow is New Year’s Eve when we’ll finally say goodbye to tiresome 2010 and usher in “bringing back old-school partying 2011”. You did get the memo, right? Yes, this coming year is all about partying like it’s 2069, and while there are endless ways to add glitz and glamour to your evening, one of the easiest is to use NYX Glitter Cream Palletts (sure the correct word is “palette”, but that’s how it’s spelled on the packaging, and really- what do you want for $3.99? ). They come in an exciting range of colors and the cream is really an invisible base that’s jam packed with dazzling gems of glitter. Shown in the photo is 07 Royal Violets, which has three fabulous shades of purple as well as gold and a silvery gunmetal. To see how much pizzaz they delivered, I skipped the applicator and just used my finger to pat some onto my lids. Tomorrow night, I’ll pump up the drama with eyeshadow and contour… KABLAM!
A while back, I promised to add a new category to this blog about historic clubs that have passed on to Disco Heaven. Naturally, I wanted to start with the glamorously galactic Starship Discovery, however, every time I started researching, more and more cool information would be unleashed and I would lose focus and postpone it for another time. But no longer…
Starship Discovery opened in New York City in 1977, had 3 floors and featured a state of the art sound and lighting system where the guests of the club were taken on a dazzling journey. Entrance was through a 100 foot mirrored wall dubbed the “Time Space Entry Portal” which lead to the check-in window where a computer console decided if their boarding pass was valid and if so- they would head in for fabulous fun times! The dance floor was located on the “A'” deck, and had a moving lighted ceiling with custom made smoke machines that billowed from above to simulate a trippy voyage through the clouds. The DJ booth was fashioned after a spaceship control panel and there was a neon mountain that flowed rolling smoke throughout the night and is featured on the cover photo of the Saturday Night Band’s “Come On, Dance Dance” album. The Starship Zodiac Lounge was on the “B” deck where live disco acts would perform and the “C” deck had a projection theater that showed hours upon hours of sci-fi movies. Sounds like my kind of place!
Cut to Nocturna– one of my distractions. This 1979 movie is part of that small, but cherished genre, the “vampire disco” flick and is one of the best things I’ve ever seen. It’s low budget and the acting and story line aren’t great, but it’s a non-stop sparkling treat! What’s not to love about a movie whose leading lady’s wardrobe is made up of our favorite combo, chiffon and sequins? Her love interest, Jimmy, is straight off a porn set and there is a constant soundtrack of classic disco throughout- some of which has never been released on its own. The pinnacle of all this fabulosity are the scenes shot at Starship Discovery, where we can see in full living color both the exterior and interior of the club. For this alone, Nocturna must be seen.
I wasn’t able to find out exactly how long Starship Discovery was open, but it doesn’t seem very long, possibly a year or two. Still, it made quite an impact on the lives of the people who went there and it’s memory lives on in their hearts- and that’s what makes a club legendary.
“My friend and I met a lot of people there; it was all about having fun! We actually loved it so much; we said we wanted to be buried under the Starship when we died. I was so disappointed when it closed, I never wanted to leave it-but I guess nothing lasts forever.” – Mickey (discomusic.com)
What could be better on Christmas Eve than a Sparkle Video filled with dancing tarts dressed like ribbon candy moving to the sultry sounds of The Stylistics? Throw in some classic 70’s kaleidoscope effects, stir well, sit back and enjoy. Happy Holidays Everyone!
An awesome thing happened this week. Two new, equally sparkle-tastic videos were posted online and there was no way to choose which one would be today’s Sparkle Video. Since everyone knows that more is more, I’m featuring both!
“And We Danced” is a delightful treat mixed and produced by musical genius Sare Havlicek. This track from Xequtifz features the vocals of gorgeous and talented Hannah Mancini who turns out so much joy in multiple sparkle outfits (HOLLA HANNAH!). Intoxicating happiness will overwhelm you and the “giddies” will attack when a rainbow of dancers in colorful spandex make the scene and once those gigantic bows come out- it’s ALL OVER and a party of fabulous proportion ensues!
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K86bxnMIz7c
Crystal Ark’s “The City That Never Sleeps” was directed by none other than Sparkle Army Heroes, The Dazzle Dancers. Anything they touch is pure sparkle gold and this is no exception! I’m not sure if I got the translation right, but what I see is sex kitten Viva Ruiz and synth whiz Gavin Rossum doing any righteous New Yorker’s duty by helping all night partiers find the fiercest, most “going-on” after party in town. This is absolutely the track I’d wanna hear on this dance floor filled with flashing lights, laser beams and sparkling magic horsies,monkeys and other shimmering creatures. The answer is “YES! I want some of whatever it is they’ve got!
I finally got to see “Mitzi Gaynor Razzle Dazzle!: The Special Years” the other night and my long wait did not disappoint because it’s filled with snappy musical numbers, lots of dancing men and so many sequins and rhinestones it’s almost blinding! Starring the gorgeous Mitzi Gaynor, this movie is a must for anyone who enjoys the simpler times of the late 60’s and 70’s when it was okay to light up a cigarette, drink a highball and enjoy show-stopping production numbers. Mitzi is a fierce triple threat (actress, singer, dancer) who does it all to perfection and what’s showcased in this film is the television specials that spanned 10 years featuring luxurious costumes from Bob Mackie and an arsenal of long and lush false eyelashes. All of her fabulosity was smartly lit for maximum sparkle and filmed with the magical star filter for extra wow, extra KABLAM!
Mitzi Gaynor: Glittering Perfection and Sparkle Army Hero!
Today’s Sparkle Video is a tribute to how cool childrens’ television used to be. “Kaptain Kool and the Kongs” was a delicious Glam Rock n’ Glitter treat every Saturday morning that I’m pretty sure contributed to my overall outlook on life. Teaching kids important stuff like how to rock out in rhinestones and sparkles is something we don’t see enough of today and we need to bring that back PRONTO! If not, we are destined to face generations of very unsparkly and unfabulous people and I don’t want to live in a world like that- do you?
Join the Sparkle Army 