The podcast for our February 27th Revenge of the 80s Radio Show is up and available at the bottom of this post. This week’s program features a conversation with Louise Robey, who scored several dance hits in the 1980s including her rendition of “One Night in Bangkok,” was also well-known for her role as “Micki Foster” on the TV show Friday the 13th – The Series. Robey has led a very interesting life and has had a diverse career. She is also coming out with new music. Our interview takes place during the second hour of the show.
Robey has a vocal range of five octaves, a talent that was found out not long after she was first discovered as a model. After her first band, Louise and the Creeps, broke up she found success as a solo artist as “Robey.” While actor Murray Head’s version of “One Night in Bangkok” got most of the promotion and airplay in the U.S., Louise’s take on it, which had a touch of her patented elegance, hit #5 on the Billboard Dance charts and spent time in the Top 100. She also had a number of other memorable tracks, including “Killer Instinct,” “Paris Paree” and a beautifully done cover of the 70s soul hit “Tighter, Tigher.”
On Friday the 13th – The Series, Robey did not allow the character of Micki Foster to become the typical cardboard female science-fiction character. She gave life to a role that was supposed to be the girl sidekick to John P. LeMay. It can be argued that without Robey’s portrayal of Micki Foster, there might not have been future female sci-fi characters with more personality and background like Gillian Anderson’s “Scully” from the X-Files. On that subject, Louise Robey says: “If they wanted the girl next door, they should have hired her.” Louise is back in the studio these days and lives in France with her husband, well-known photographer Stan Shaffer. Together, they formed a special artists’ Open Forum to help creative talent protect their work from potential rip-offs and the possibility of being cut out of residuals from their music, art, acting presence and intellectual property. Her new music will be released very soon.
Shaffer has a book out, You Should Have Been With Me, and there is a website for his photographic work here.
During our conversation, Louise and I discuss:
The stories of how she got into modeling, singing and then acting
The early days with Louise and the Creeps (and some breaking news about their music)
During the first hour, we played the new single by Depeche Mode, “Wrong,” which will be released on April 6th, a few weeks before their new album, Sounds of the Universe will be available to the public. We also featured classic alternative cuts from artists including Missing Persons, Wall of Voodoo, Monte Video and the Cassettes and INXS.
Tonight’s guest on Revenge of the 80s Radio will be Louise Robey, best known for her 1980s dance hits “One Night in Bangkok” and “Killer Instinct” as well as for the TV role of Micki Foster on Friday the 13th – The Series (Season 2 DVDs have been recently released). We will play some of Robey’s classic tracks, one from her band Louise and the Creeps and something from her soon-to-be-released collection. My conversation with Louise Robey leads off the second hour of the show. The podcast will be made available on Saturday.
Louise and I talk about her music, modeling and acting career as well as why her role as Micki Foster was important to science fiction history. We also discuss an artists “open forum” started by Louise and her husband, the world-renowned photographer Stan Shaffer, to help other artist learn how to protect their rights and creative work from being ripped off by members of the entertainment industry. Louise tells me what triggered the idea of the open forum and her thoughts on issues involving royalties.
After her first band, Louise and the Creeps, broke up, Robey went out on her own and scored a big dance hit with “One Night in Bangkok.” She developed a following from the club scene and soon went into acting, winning several parts in television series pilots before landing “Micki Foster.” Not only does Louise have a five-octave vocal range, but she has several talents — which we discuss throughout our conversation.
During the first hour, we will play classic alternative favorites from artists including Missing Persons, Wall of Voodoo and Monte Video and the Cassettes. We will also play the new single from Depeche Mode, “Wrong.”
Revenge of the 80s airs live on Friday nights 7-9ET on Q99.1FM in the Hudson Valley (www.wtbq.com) and on Wednesdays 12noon Melbourne, AUS time on Radio 80s 87.6FM. Podcasts are available on Saturdays after the live show.
Also, I would like to add to the list my friend and fellow radio personality Mary DeSilva‘s other website, Stop the Mishigoss, where she gives advice concerning that quote we heard several times as kids and teens from our parents: “Because I Said So.”
We at Revenge of the 80s Radio have some surprises coming up as well and will post them in due time. Thank you for coming to Revenge of the 80s, reading the blog and listening to the show (radio and podcast).
Members of the Classic Alternative music world have been reflecting on the passing of Pylon Guitarist and Founding Member Randal Bewley, who died this week after suffering a heart attack on Monday while driving, according to the Athens Banner-Herald.
Bewley and his bandmates started Pylon in 1979. They are considered one of the most influential bands of the early new wave era and once referred to by Fred Schneider of the B-52s as “The best band to ever come from Athens.”
Pylon’s best work includes the singles “Cool,” “Danger 2″ and “Stop It.” The Athens Banner-Herald this morning put out an article on fans and friends’ thoughts on the band and memories of Bewley
Fans of Men Without Hats looking forward to seeing one of Canada’s top exports of the 80s live for this year’s Regeneration Tour will be disappointed to learn that they will be unable to perform at this year’s flashback concert series. In a statement given to tour organizers Red Entertainment Agency and posted on the Regeneratio Tour’s website, lead singer Ivan Doroschuk apologizes:
Hello Everybody,
Due to circumstances beyond our control, Men Without Hats will not be joining the Regeneration tour this year. We would like to thank you very much for your continued support and for helping us land the gig in the first place . Hopefully we will be able to rectify the situation and see you all in the very near future .
Until then , have fun & keep dancing
Ivan Doroschuk
Lead singer/songwriter – Men Without Hats
While it was honorable for Doroschuk to kindly inform Red Entertainment and fans of the bad news, Men Without Hats will be missed on the tour.
Organizers, however, reached an agreement with Cutting Crew to join the tour, which already features ABC, Wang Chung and Heaven 17. Cutting Crew is remembered for such hits as “One For the Mockingbird” and “I Just Died In Your Arms.”
Singer, Model and Actress Louise Robey will be my guest on the next Revenge of the 80s Radio show (2/27). She is best known in the early 80s as “Robey,” when she had some hits on the Billboard Dance Charts, including her rather elegant version of “One Night in Bangkok,” which made the Hot 100. Science Fiction fans know Robey best for her role as “Micki Foster” on Friday the 13th – The Series.
Louise Robey is a very multi-talented lady who has been involved with several interesting projects. She was discovered by photographer Jacques Henri Latigue and she soon appeared in Vogue. While a model, her five-octave vocal range was discovered and she helped for the band Louise and the Creeps. After the band broke up, Robey went solo and soon earned several acting roles in television pilots before landing the Micki Foster part. Her portrayal of that character was unprecedented at the time as science fiction heroines were often one-dimensional and cardboard. Robey injected Micki with a level of depth and personality that allowed her predecessors like Gillian Anderson’s “Scully” to exist and develop, creating a new breed of female roles in that genre.
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Among Louise Robey’s credits (which we discuss in the interview) are Countess, children’s book author and adviser. Robey and her husband, world-class photographer Stan Shaffer, lead an “open forum” for artists who want to learn how to protect their hard work from being stolen or sold and distributed without permission or compensation.
Louise has led an extremely interesting life and I found our conversation quite compelling. She is also back in the studio and working on a new album; we will play one of those new tracks during the interview, as well as some from her past that were special to her.
The premiere performance of “Wrong” by Depeche Mode during the Echo Awards show on German TV Saturday, February 21st has been posted a few times on the internet. Below is one from YouTube:
The single has been released to radio stations and will be available to the public on April 4th in Europe and April 7th in North America; we will play the song on this Friday’s show. The long-awaited album, “Sounds of the Universe” is scheduled for an April 21st release date.
The podcast for the February 20th Revenge of the 80s Radio show is up and available at the bottom of this post.
This week, we feature classic alternative tracks from artists including REM, Altered Images, Kate Bush, Depeche Mode (whose new single, “Wrong,” will premiere on German TV on 2/21) and Aneka.
For Aneka, whose real name is Mary Sandeman, the song “Japanese Boy” became an international hit and reached the Top 20 on the US Dance charts in 1981. Sandeman released some other very good songs as Aneka, but they never matched the success of “Japanese Boy.” The other problem seemed to be that the oriental persona of and image of Aneka kept the Scottish-born Sandeman from using her regular voice.
After Aneka’s star faded, Sandeman resumed her career as a singer/songwiter performing under her own name, which she is still doing today.
Interestingly, Aneka has found a new generation of fans thanks to the inclusion of “Japanese Boy” in the Grand Theft Auto: Vice City video game.
This week’s show will feature classic alternative tracks from artists including Depeche Mode (whose first single from their upcoming album will premiere on German TV tomorrow), Kate Bush, Aneka and Book of Love. We will also catch up on some requests, which can be made by e-mailing us: radio@revengeofthe80sradio.com.
Revenge of the 80s airs live on Friday nights 7-9ET on Q99.1FM in the Hudson Valley (www.wtbq.com) and on Wednesdays 12noon Melbourne, AUS time on Radio 80s 87.6FM. Podcasts are available on Saturdays after the live show.
As Depeche Mode fans are gearing up for their long-awaited new studio album, “Sounds of the Universe,” the band announced the North American release date for their single, “Wrong” will be April 7th (April 4th in Europe).
“Wrong” will premiere on Germany’s Echo Awards TV show this Saturday. Radio stations around the world will receive the track for airplay on Monday, according to industry media source All Access.
The album’s release date is slated for April 21st. It can be pre-ordered here.
Depeche Mode allowed fans to view some of their progress through a series of Youtube videos.
