Life is just a fantasy, so why don't you turn me loose, cause tonight I'm on the loose.

It's growing increasingly common that my perfectly sincere and banal utterances inspire derisive milk out the noses of my colleagues.  For instance, yesterday at lunch I said "I was watching Aldo Nova videos last night".  What?  Well I was. 

Let's set the scene! 1982, night, in an abandoned part of the city.  A Nerd jealously guards a Les Paul guitar as a pair of sub-machine gun-toting preppies in sunglasses-at-night look around with an exaggerated sense of urgency.  It's like 24 in '82.  A helicopter alights, safely guarded by these Canadian uzi-preppies.  A Man steps out of the chopper - he is about 5'4", 115 lbs, dressed in a skintight jaguar-suit.  He is ALDO NOVA (nee Caporuscio), and someone's GONNA PAY!  ...just as soon as ALDO and pals can bust into that abandoned rock-arena right over there.  When his toadies fail to bust the door down, it falls to ALDO to demand the Les Paul from The Keeper of The Axe.  ALDO takes aim... and shoots a guitar laser at the door -- all this before the song has even begun!

Aldo Nova, "Fantasy" (youtube video link)
Aldo Nova today. (pic link, unsuitable for this space)

So yeah, I was watching Aldo Nova videos last night... then I cranked up Red Rider's** "Lunatic Fringe", rocked the tennis-racket guitar to Triumph's** "Fight The Good Fight", and did a few pushups to Loverboy's "Turn Me Loose", before going totally "On The Loose", with Saga.  And if you've got a problem with any of this, then Mister, you've got a problem with Canada.

** these bands have never been played on WFMU

Comments

[Lee R.]

Don't forget to crank Rush's "Spirit of the Radio" and April Wine's "Roller". Throw in some Max Webster's "Paradise Skies" and you've got a party.

[Scott]

April Wine, good one! "Sign of the Gypsy Queen". Forgot they were Canadian.

[joisymikes]

Me? - I'll stick with NomeansNo, YouthYouthYouth (YYY), and who can forget Martha and the Muffins?

Cheers

mIKES in TN

[Steve PMX]

haha my Music Industry professor in college was in Loverboy for awhile. He'd always bring it up in class like we'd think that was so cool - now that the 80s are back, apparently it's cooler than I anticipated...

>>RICHARD DIGIALLONARDO, Associate Professor; Coordinator of the Music Industry program - James Madison University

Early in his career he was arranging and performing with some of the top groups on the West Coast, and working as a studio session player for Universal Studios and K-Tel records. These and other associations lead to his signing with Geffen Records, and later with Polygram Records. Rick was a founding member of the first new act signed by Geffen records called Quarterflash, which recorded two platinum albums in the 1980s.

Rick’s experiences include live and studio performances, national television appearances on MTV, VH-1, American Bandstand, and others, along with National and World tours throughout the U.S., Canada, Europe, Japan, and Australia. He has performed, arranged, and composed with such notables as Elton John, Joe Walsh, Bob Seagar, Rick Springfield, Linda Ronstadt, Sammy Hagar, QuarterFlash, and many more. During this time Rick’s studio experience also included writing and performing on movie soundtracks such as ‘Gremlins,’ ‘NightShift,’ ‘Fast Times at Ridgemont High,’ and others. His musical endeavors led to his receiving three Gold, and three Platinum Albums in the U.S., Canada, and Japan; along with an ‘American Music Award,’ and two ‘Grammy’ nominations.

Rick is actively involved in the industry and is in constant demand as a keyboardist and producer. He teaches courses in Songwriting I, Songwriting II, Artist Management, Marketing of Recorded Music, Entrepreneurship in The Music Industry, History of Rock, and directs the music industry internship program.<<

[David]

Bad Canadian music has always sucked in its own special way. Sadly, your list encompasses the best of eighties mainstream Canadian rock. The stuff that never got airplay south of the border, but got played to death in the Great White North due to federal Canadian Content regulations - that was truly awful music. Still, I'd take any of it over Our Lady Peace.

[Deena]

I've said it before and I'll say it again...no less a rock & roll authority than Bill Kelly has been known to bust out "Fantasy" every now and then on the Teenage Wasteland. My Canuck husband disdains most "Canadian party rock," but I have a warped fondess for Mr. Nova--I covet that leopardskin suit he's wearing in the video. We're obliged to play 36% Can-con on our CIUT radio show (and just yesterday our program director asked us not to point that fact out on the air!), but fortunately there are quite a few legitimately good Canadian records out there, most made pre-1970...see Nicholas Jennings' "Before the Gold Rush" for details.

Signed D.C.
Currently Torontonian, Forever Queensian.

[Krys O.]

Quarterflash on a resume? 'Gonna Harden My Heart' has the lamest saxophone. Ewww.

Anyone heard of RPM?

[Lukas]

I have a problem with Canada. Just two days ago I watched the Russian movie House of Fools. It is really good, except for the totally inappropriate appearance of Bryan Adams. And he doesn't only show his face, he is allowed to sing! Several times!!

And then there is this nice inexpensive Chinese restaurant in Ann Arbor, MI, which plays Celine Dion songs all the fucking time. Earplugs recommended. (There is also an Indian restaurant in AA which plays Bob Marley all day long, but that is slightly off-topic, I guess.)

[Steve PMX]

CIUT has some killer programming on the evenings, though. I used to catch Greg Clow's weekly show regularly - I wish we had anything remotely close to that on the DC airwaves. FM is a f'ing joke in DC. all garbage

[Jim Treacher]

Saga was AWESOME. Were Steel Breeze Canadian? They shoulda been.

[Brian C]

How about Teenage Head? I always thought they were like the Canadian Ramones. I wonder if they've ever been played on fmu?

[Dale Hazelton]

Canadian new wave is veering off course, but Teenage Heads "Topdown" is one of my college-years favorites. Don't forget about B.B. Gabor (http://www.canadianbands.com/BB%20Gabor.html). "Nyet, Nyet Soviet.....Soviet Jewelry"

Now, what about the horror of Gino Vanelli?

[Krys O.]

Nah, Gino Vanelli wasn't fearsome. His voice was like a prog-keyboard. Beauty.

[mike]

Poor Canada. Even with Stars, New Pornographers, Broken Social Scene, et al. setting trends today, it'll never live down its corny '80s past of Bryan Adams and Loverboy.

[Scott]

Gino Vanelli? Oh, he's over here:

[l]

read this last night, watched 'Fantasy' twice, went into a complete tailspin of youtube 80's ending with Culture Club before I had to forcibly gnaw my mouse-clicking-mind -of-it's-own-Strangelove-evildead2-hand from my arm, thanks...alot

[Tony]

Man, Saga and Aldo Nova are very high on my guilty pleasures list. I am sure I rollerskated to those.

The zenith of Canadian rock hilarity for me is Triumph's performance at the US Festival. They played thw whole set one afternoon on VH1 Classic and I about fell out.

Another funny Canadian band: Toronto.

[David]

The aforementioned CanCon regulations allowed many sub-par bands to enjoy a career when they deserved to stay in the garage. I won't name those groups, but any Canadian over 30 knows dozens. Though we can today laugh at Toronto, Chilliwack, The Headpins, Red Rider, et al., they all offered at the very least a few good singles (The New Porno's "Your Daddy Don't Know" cover (from the "Fubar" soundtrack) pales in comparison to Toronto's original). And US radio rock was also pretty bad in the '80s, let's not forget.

Also: while commercial radio played the pablum 25 years ago, Canada had a ton of fine punk and new wave bands. Vancouver alone had oodles: D.O.A., Subhumans, The Modernettes, Pointed Sticks, Young Canadians. The list goes on and on.

And never forget: we Canadians hate Celine Dion far more than you Americans ever will.

[Scott]

David, what was the name of that Chilliwack song that got MTV play for about a week? I remember that it existed, and that's about it - can't find nothing nowhere, and I know I spelled it right. I'm not sure I want to hear it, but I won't know til I know. Thanks.

Hey, what's the big idea behind Celine Dion being -Switzerland's- 1988 Eurovision Song Contest submission?!?

[Tony]

Chilliwack had that "gone gone gone you been gone so long" song - that was a funny pop song. I think it's called something simple like "My Girl."

And the Diodes were definitely good. But talking about good bands is not fun.

[Colin McKay]

Aldo Nova. Good times.

Being Canadian, I was having an 80s hair metal/pop discussion just yesterday. Surprised to see Lee Aaron hasn't been mentioned - especially her "Watcha do to my body":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MO9tUdNRNxw

[Dale Hazelton]

Chillwack? "Fly at Night" is a FANTASTIC song that really holds up.

Canada has given us some great prog/folk from Harmonium, prog/jazz from Maneige, and Acadian folk from the group CANO. Claude Levelle was in Maniege and split to do some fantastic electronica in the Klaus Schulze vein, although more musical, in the early 80's. There's horrible, good and great from EVERYWHERE, not just Can-a-day.

Besides, growing up near Buffalo, you had to cross the Peace Bridge to get any Chinese food at all! That plus the American side of Niagra Falls sucks makes Canada ok in my book.

[Dale Hazelton]

Oh, I forgot....Q107 and CHUM FM were simply the best radio stations in the area.

[Brian C]

Hey Dale,

What about CFNY? 102.1! I aways dug them more than CHUM and Q107.

[Dale Hazelton]

I never heard of CFNY. On the Beefalo side all we had was Rock 102, a progenitor to "Jack". For about 6 months you always got the same loop of music...The disco Star Wars medley back to back with Steve Miller's "Jet Airliner", Bonnie Tylor's "Total Eclipse of the Heart" back to back with a Hall and Oates song. All the DJs had been executed, I think.

This string is pretty old now, but nobody mentioned Triumph, and that saddens me.........