If you’re a fan of this site then it should come
as no surprise when
I say everyone here at the office is a lil’ obsessive.
Lulu will stay up
until 2 am on a school night rereading Nancy Drew mysteries,
Chris
will see some Old Navy commercial, then turn to me and say, “Put
your shoes on. We’re going to buy Performance Fleece NOW!!!” and
me, well, it seems each week I’ve got a new crush. On Tuesday I
can’t
stop talking about Vinnie and his tampon cases and then by
Sunday I suddenly
must know everything about Claire Grogan of
80’s band Altered Images. Whatever
did we do before Google?
Actually, I remember. When I was a kid I would go to the library
each week and
carry out mini research projects. I’d scroll through
the microfiche to
learn all I possibly could about Doug and Suzie
Tompkins of Esprit or check out
back issues of any magazine that
mentioned the CK model Josie Borain.
But I’d also have these weird fascinations with people in my every
day
life, like Alice the lunchlady who had the word “Elvis” inscribed
in her gold tooth. Those subjects were more difficult to discover, but
not really.
I’d simply interview them for my zine “Hurricane.” We’d
talk up a storm! Turns out working at a high school is the perfect
set-up for
Elvis fans. This way you’ve got summers off and never
miss your yearly
pilgrimage to Graceland to honor the King on
August 16th, the day of his untimely
passing...
Point is, you can learn a lot from a crush. Best case scenario, your
life will
completely be changed. Try to remember that the next time
you see some cute boy
or girl on the bus and then let shyness get
the best of you. I’m living
proof! I met Chris and Lulu at a birthday
party in 1996 and now can’t imagine
what I would be doing without
them. There would be no fredflare.com,
that’s
for sure.
This year for my birthday those two gave me my very own column
which you are
reading right now! (Thanks, guys.) This is where
you’ll learn about some
of my all-time fave people as well as a few
new discoveries. I’m actually
pretty shy myself but here you’ll find
me to be a real people person! I’ll
give raves, I’ll gush and every
coupla weeks I’ll tell you a secret
crush... Email me anytime at keith@fredflare.com and
tell me yours. I’d
love to hear from you! Xoxox, Keith
Have you heard Kylie’s new record Body Language?
Chris and I picked it up the same day we got Britney’s In the
Zone. (We
also bought Madonna’s Remixed and Revisited,
Pink’s Try This and
Olivia’s Greatest Hits so yes, we’re really really gay...)
While we waited in line to purch the merch, I found myself staring at the cover,
gazing into Kylie’s smoky eyes and admiring her perfectly tousled Brigitte
Bardot hair and, well, I couldn’t help it, I just fell in love with her
all over again. She’s my good time girl crush!
Even though we didn’t officially meet until late one night in a hotel
room a couple of years ago when I first saw the video for “Can’t
Get You Out of My Head”, she’s been a major star in Europe since
forever. I remember when I spent my junior year of high school in France in
1989 everyone was talking about “la belle Keeelee Meenoooogue...” Oh
la la!
Her latest single “Slow” is actually her seventh No. 1 in the UK,
making her the longest-running female solo chartopper in that country. (That’s
longer than you-know-who from
1987 to 2003.) She has been pretty much on top of her game for over fifteen
years. Not many
peeps can say that...
And this record is as fun and current as ever, all the while featuring awesome
80’s electro and funk influences from the past. Imagine an Olivia collabo
with Fischersponner, Prince and Lisa Lisa and you get an idea of the vibe.
Why, there’s even a duet with Scritti Politti’s Green Gartside,
another pop dreamboat from back in the day.
Are you going out tonight to some hot Holiday soirée? I recommend playing
this jam while you’re putting your party clothes on! Get ready, you’re
about to have one great night.
Hey, what have been some of your fave records
this year? Please drop me an email at keith@fredflare.com with a mini review.
The best response to arrive
before Dec 19th will win a free copy of Kylie’s latest. And I promise
I’ll post some of your comments this time! I love hearing from you!
