December 19, 2008 Earworm

Oh, good: I got you before you went out. As of this writing, I'm already home from the bar that I bellied up to at four so, I beat you.

Before the hi-jinks, shenanigans, and/or whatever it is that you do to get your weekend started, I'd like for you to remember "The Dominatrix Sleeps Tonight". Born from the strangely perfect collaboration of New York Funhouse DJ, Ivan Ivan, performance artist Stuart Ar(ga)bright, singer Claudia Summers and former PIL member (and sort of a Kirsty MacColl in his own right) Ken Lockie, Dominatrix had three minutes and thirty one second of brilliance and, through remixing and dub, they stretched it out to half an hour, and ended up in the record collection of every home we would visit back in 1983.

The video, featuring Dominique Davalos, daughter of "East of Eden" co-star Richard, was immediately banned by MTV, and put into heavy rotation at the more adventurous clubs. Watching the silliness now, it is hard to see what the fuss was about. It is quite tame and guilty of nothing more than inspiring the wave of video sluts that would fill the oeuvre of the hair metal bands to come.

The record itself is a different story. Listen closely and you can hear the sterile elements of Madonna's "Erotica" era - she once proclaimed it her favorite record - and a latin groove that would bring the Miami electro sound to domination of the pop charts in the latter part of the 80's. Listening closer, I can still hear the sound of Aqua Net and eyeliner and articles of clothing flying from one to another as a house full of youngsters dress to control the club and reign supreme.