Dystopian Dance Party

Tag: chaka khan

  • Jheri Curl June: Chaka Khan’s “This is My Night”

    We’re breaking Jheri Curl June protocol in a few ways today: first, because Callie and I were both out of town on a family vacation last Thursday and Friday, we’ve extended Ladies’ Week into the first few days of this week. And second, rather than following up Callie’s 1985 Aretha pick with something later, I’m going a year back in time. My original plan had been to pick something from Destiny, Chaka Khan’s 1986 followup to her smash 1984 album I Feel for You. But, frankly, there isn’t anything on Destiny that slaps anywhere near as hard as I Feel for You’s opening track, “This is My Night”; and our priority for Jheri Curl June has always been to slap first, follow the rules later.

    https://youtu.be/sy6IUDoL8Bg

    But if any sticklers out there have doubts, allow me to enumerate the reasons why “This is My Night” deserves the spotlight today. First and foremost, there’s Exhibit A: the shimmering keyboards and freestyle-inspired drum programming by songwriters David Frank and Mic Murphy of JCJ vets the System. And if that isn’t enough, there’s Exhibit B: the above music video, an homage to 1930s backstage comedies featuring Chaka, in all her bewigged-and-décolletaged glory, acting opposite everyone’s favorite bald ’80s character actor, Wallace Shawn. I rest my case.

    We’re now back on our regular schedule, so we’ll see you again tomorrow for a few more days of Jheri Curl June. Meanwhile, playlists are below!

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  • Jheri Curl June: Meli’sa Morgan’s “Fool’s Paradise”

    Like last year’s Jheri Curl June inductee Vesta Williams, Meli’sa Morgan was a backup singer for Chaka Khan before beginning her solo career. The influence is obvious. Morgan and Khan both have larger than life, soulful voices; even larger hair; and a connection to Prince: the title track and first hit single from Morgan’s solo debut album was a cover of “Do Me, Baby.”

    © Capitol Records

    But it’s the album’s third single, “Fool’s Paradise,” that I’m inducting into the hallowed halls of Jheri Curl June–mainly just because it’s a goddamn bop, and this video of Morgan lip-syncing, flanked by three dudes in half-shirts in a room full of bubbles, is what Jheri Curl June is all about:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BP3Wrbr2gFg
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  • The Prince Issue Podcast with Guest Erika Peterson

    As you may have heard, we recently launched a physical magazine, the first issue of which is dedicated to eclectic art and writing inspired by the music of Prince. So, to celebrate a successful launch–and to get us back in podcasting mode after an unplanned six-month leave of absence–we invited Erika Peterson, a friend and contributor to the magazine, to talk about her work and the most funny/surreal moments of Celebration 2018 at Paisley Park. We also talk about Dystopian Dance Party’s ongoing beef with Questlove, and do our best to try and beat him at his own game of guessing Prince songs from their opening seconds. It doesn’t go well.

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  • Jheri Curl June: Vesta Williams’ “Once Bitten Twice Shy”

    Similar to Monday’s Jheri Curl June inductee, Pennye Ford, Vesta Williams also began her career as a backup and session singer for various artists, including Chaka Khan. Her 1986 solo debut, Vesta, included her first Top 10 R&B hit: “Once Bitten Twice Shy”–which, regrettably, is not an R&B version of the Ian Hunter song, later covered by Great White. But, that would be amazing.

    Anyway, we’ll be back tomorrow with more from the ladies of Jheri Curl Music–playlists below!

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  • Dystopian Book Club Podcast, Jheri Curl June Edition: The Memoirs of Rick James

    It didn’t take a stroke of genius to come up with the idea for this year’s Jheri Curl June podcast. Rick James may be the most important architect of the genre we call Jheri Curl Music who we hadn’t already commemorated with a long-term feature. He also has a hell of a story: one he told in not one, but two posthumous memoirs–2007’s Confessions of Rick James: Memoirs of a Superfreak and 2014’s Glow–which makes him a perfect candidate for the Dystopian Book Club. A “habitual line-stepper” in both life and art, James was vital in bridging the gap between 1970s P-Funk and 1980s Jheri Curl; his later decline into drug addiction and imprisonment was unfortunate, but could only somewhat dampen his boundless talent and charisma. So join us on this most sacred of occasions as we celebrate Mr. Cold Blooded himself: a man whose artistic potential was the only thing bigger than his larger-than-life personality and appetites. Gimme some ganja!

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  • Jheri Curl June Special: Prince

    I think we’ve already established that we are huge fans of Prince here at the ol’ DDP, so we have to do something to celebrate his 56th birthday tomorrow, June 7–especially when that birthday falls right at the end of the first week of Jheri Curl June. And besides, if we’re really going to celebrate jheri curl music this month, it’s important to acknowledge that Prince practically invented it: he was the first R&B artist to popularize the use of synthesizers instead of horns, a major cornerstone of the jheri-curl sound. So today, instead of choosing just one Prince track for Jheri Curl June, we’re going to present an informal history of Prince’s role in the jheri-curl movement, musical and otherwise.

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