While reading the 100th (!!!) edition of Schnipper’s Deep Voices Substack — theme: reader shoutouts to “under loved” songs — I was psyched to see multimedia art prankster Cory Arcangel rep for suburban Illinois rockers Enuff Z’Nuff, and texted Matt immediately:
For the the record, Enuff Z’nuff’s a biiiiiit of a stretch when it comes to the overall guidelines of this personal canon. Their name does a lot of heavy lifting in the Body Glove Rock department, as does a general philosophy towards mixing snares; the EZ catalog has more of a post-glam vibe than anything but that xmas tune remains a heavy chugger.
Moving on!
Body Glove was founded by twin surfers in the ‘50s, after they developed a wetsuit whose snug fit would give their brand a name.
It was respected by pros, but grew waaay beyond that core audience. By the time “surfwear” caught a wave into every single mall store in America, BG was uniquely equipped (tried to stuff a B.U.M. Equipment joke in there but it wasn’t happening) to capitalize on a generational demand for all things neon and/or board-related.
“The company that makes sports-inspired looks look hot,” says Downtown Julie Brown. Wubba wubba wubba!
So by this logic, is Body Glove Rock just… beach?
Not entirely. But it is muscular. Lightly anti-social.
Groovy hooks, bass slaps, a Metal Zone or two.
In the brief window right after hair metal’s peak and just before “alternative” was codified as a commercial format / halloween costume, there were a handful of outliers — alternately too hard, too pop or too funked-out for their respective subgenres, but catchy (and visually appealing) enough for MTV and the emerging world of action sports — that will forever represent (to me) a neon purple shirt with a yellow outline of a hand on it.
Jane’s? So not BGR. “Been Caught Stealing”? Deeply. I can’t explain it.
I don’t know if Anthony Kiedis ever wears the brand in any Chili Peppers videos (or even his Point Break scenes) but RHCP is Body Glove Rock personified. Especially that pre Blood Sugar Sex Magik era when the entire band could be found in shorts (if that!) at any given time.
Nary a pant leg to be found in Ugly Kid Joe’s debut video, filmed in actual surf. But the most Body Glove Rock’n element here isn’t the waves, the fits, or even the chunky (and lightly funky) hooks. It’s that Jackson with the upside down headstock and Floyd Rose tuners. BG boys gotta whammy!
See what I mean? Corey Glover’s literally repping the brand in neoprene while Vernon Reid wheedles some double-stuffed riffs. Let’s throw in “Glamour Boys” too. “I’m fierce… WHOOO!”
There is a Christmas morning photo of me wearing a GOD FODDER t-shirt that came bundled with the Ned’s Atomic Dustbin CD longbox. Perhaps the real through-line of all these selections is “I’m ten,” but let’s keep rocking.
My wife blinged out a jacket for Andrew Dice Clay recently, so we went to see him perform (at Carnegie Hall, of all places). It was only then, three decades later, when I realized ADC’s the OHH! sample behind EMF’s greatest hit.
The Epsom Mad Funkers are on tour with Jesus Jones (right here) right now (badump bump). I love their present-day promo photo so much.
So, just to recap these BGR selects thus far:
A little singing, a little scatting, a lot of Marshall stacks and an affinity for tank tops. The platonic ideal of this hypercolor combo platter?
Had to save “Epic” for last. “Falling To Pieces,” too. Pure gas.
FNM transcend my dumb little taxonomy with their entire discography at the same time as they define it with these all-time alt-rock jock jams.
The sound of going ham on a splatter-painted Pogo Ball.
Play loud!
Colin Quinn Our Time Is Up — typically verbose and entertaining special from CQ, filmed at the Psychotherapy Networker Symposium. Real DSM-5 hours!
Parker Lewis Can’t Lose — the early days of Fox (RIP Jamie Kellner) are responsible for some of the weirdest network series to ever imprint on my brain. This Ferris Bueller’s Day Off bite (and Family Guy gag inspo) is one of them, and the kind souls at The Memory Stick have been steadily uploading the entire series to their channel. Shout out Kubiak, wherever you are.
Dawn Baillie x Mubi — loved the Poster House “Anatomy Of A Movie Poster” exhibit (showing until September 8th in NYC) featuring designer Dawn Baillie’s many iconic contributions to the form. This interview recaps some of her own stories and highlights, along with a personal Top 10 of other designers’ work.
Monkey Hangs Out In Bronx Tow Truck — living the dream.
LaRussell and P-Lo, Majorly Independent — don’t know how I slept on LaRussell for so long. I think my brain accidentally alphabetized and filed him away as a portmanteau of Lecrae and Russ, who share a similar entrepreneurial streak but do not make music I want to listen to (respectfully). But once his videos hit my YouTube algo I was sold. Hyphy, happy tunes!
Playlists updated…