Thanks to Charlie Horse 47 and Killdumpster for their sponsorship of this post, via the magic of Patreon.
A band, whose name I've long since forgotten, once sang a song which began with the words, "I'd like to fly away in my beautiful, my beautiful, balloon."
And they weren't alone.
But, unlike them, someone actually decided to do it instead of just standing around singing about it.
And that man was Lawnchair Larry an individual who, in July 1982, flew 16,000 feet above Long Beach, California, in a lawn chair supported by weather balloons.
I like to think he's still up there but I suspect he isn't.
A man who's definitely not still in the place that made him famous is Michael Fagan who breached security at Buckingham Palace, that month, and found himself in the Queen's bedroom. Needless to say, this caused quite a kerfuffle at the time.
Also causing a stir, back then, were Italy who beat West Germany 3–1 to win the 1982 FIFA World Cup in Spain.
Not quite as happy as those Italians was the Reverend Sun Myung Moon who was, in New York, sentenced to 18 months in prison and fined $25,000 for tax fraud and conspiracy to obstruct justice.
While all this drama was going on, the world of the Hit Parade carried on as normal. And so it was that July 1982 saw the UK singles chart topped by Captain Sensible's Happy Talk and then Irene Cara's Fame.
Over on the British album chart, the month began with ABC's The Lexicon of Love gripping the top slot but even that behemoth finally had to make way for the unstoppable juggernaut that was Fame, as the month ended with the chart being ruled by that movie's Original Soundtrack.
And, of course, through all of this, the nation's greatest science fiction comic still kept rolling along, unconcerned that it was now less than 19 years away from its title becoming passé.
As we had been for quite a while now, we were treated to the thrills and spills of Robo-Hunter, Rogue Trooper, Mean Arena, Judge Dredd, Ace Trucking Co and Tharg's Future Shocks.
However, Progs 273-274 also gave us a Steve Moore written tale called Trouble in Tree-World which was, it seems, an Agent Rat adventure.
I must confess I don't have a clue who Agent Rat was, as I'm assuming he wasn't The Stainless Steel Rat who had, at one point, had a strip in the book.
But what I do know is it's somewhat incongruous to see the Rogue Trooper talking about the mystery of fruit gums, on the cover of Prog 272.
Steve - I've heard that ABC was from Sheffield and that, due to free (near free) bus fares, they were able to meet up and create their music. Minus the free bus fares, "Shoot that Poison Arrow Through My heart" would never have pierced our consciousness. Any comment on that?
ReplyDeleteLawnchair Larry... he was indeed all the talk here in the USA! IIRC (w/out checking the google!) he took a BB gun along, intending to eventually shoot the balloons for a controlled descent. But it became so cold that his hands shook and he dropped the BB gun. Eventually at altitude the balloons started popping on their own, given the reduced atmospheric pressure.
ReplyDeleteAhhh... if only LL had bought himself a Sten Gun out of a UK comic, he would not have had this problem!
I think LL must have been on the weed.
Two Stem guns, Charlie, mounted on the handles of a high-powered pogo-stick.
DeleteCharlie, bus fares weren't free but they were very cheap. An adult could make any journey in the city (possibly the county) for 7 pence. A child could do it for 2 pence. Whether this was the key to ABC's success, I couldn't say.
ReplyDeleteCharlie, the flip side of ABC owing their success to the loony left is that Thatcherism finished them off.
ReplyDeleteMartin Fry has said in interviews that after touring the Lexicon Of Love they returned to Sheffield (which had been one of the most prosperous cities of the north) to find it completely changed, with pretty much everyone they knew unemployed and skint - suddenly the ironic gold lame suit and glitz of ABC's breakthrough didn't seem quite so clever.
So instead their next album, Beauty Stab, was more stripped down, with songs like King Money - "So if your king is money/ Then I feel sorry for you" - and bombed.
-sean
On the others hand,Sean, thta does mean that Thatcherism is responsible for The Full Monty.
ReplyDeleteYes, that film's something else to hold against them dangermash.
ReplyDeleteActually, the Full Monte - which I finally saw on tv a couple of months ago - turned out to be not as bad as I thought might.
The opening, with that old 70s PR film about Sheffield being the jewel of the north followed by the caption "25 years later", was nicely judged...
-sean
Anyway, on to the progs. Still a bit of a dull era for the galaxies greatest comic Steve, but at least the Apocalypse War is over. Good to see the fatties back in Dredd.
ReplyDeleteProg 273 has a Future Shock by the world beating team of Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons, "The Disturbed Digestions of Dr. Dibworthy" (in which the titular doctor - on the verge of a breakthrough in the secret time travel - gets visited by increasingly older versions of himself offering contradictory advice).
-sean
Hey Charley and Steve-
ReplyDeleteI was under the impression that Lawnchair Larry used regular, average toy balloons in nets, as opposed to weather balloons.
Guess Google research is in order...
There was an old computer game, about 25 years ago, called "Leisure-Suit Larry"
ReplyDeleteHe used a different type of "balloon". (Insert an Eric Idle "Wink, wink, nudge, nudge" here. Lol!).
I liked ABC.
ReplyDeleteIs that wrong of me?
M.P.
I was mostly indifferent about those guys, myself.
DeleteIts not wrong M.P, but liking a limey haircut band does tend to put a bit of a dent in your north American heartland blue collar authenticity.
ReplyDeleteBut at least its not Flock of Seagulls.
-sean
I am just as God made me, Sean.
ReplyDeleteM.P.
...uh, I was trying to be funny there.
ReplyDeleteTough crowd!-The internet, no visual cues for comedy.
M.P.
KD - I think that Lawnchair Charlie did use common ballons. Hence they started expanding and popping at altitude due to the reduced air pressure. I refuse to google though! I guess CHarlton Heston would have no trouble prying LL's gun from his "cold, dead hands," since it fell out of them probably around 10,000 feet LMAO! Cold, blue (!) dead hands, LOL.
ReplyDeleteMP - I confess that I too liked the timely UK bands of the early 80s. Human League, Heaven 17, Cutlure Club, Spandau Ballet, ABC, Duran Duran, Bowie, etc. I did see Flock of Seagulls warm up for the Go Gos! That was my closest brush with New Wave live
I include Bowie in New Wave b/c... let's be honest... the chap has only one really popular album. "Let's Dance" released at the height of New Wave! (Before my UK bros come and hunt me down with the Sten Guns they bought out of their UK comics in the 50s, I am talking about Bowie's popularity here in the US where he was really just a one-off hit maker with Fame until Let's Dance.)
UK Gents -
ReplyDeleteIs this "estimated A-level (high-school) graduation grades to get into university" thing a true issue or a political opportunity? I mean, is it a legit issue or a politician making hay at the expense of whomever?
It certainly seems to be dominating your air waves?
Charlie, the estimated grading is defintely a big thing. People are furious about it.
ReplyDeleteKD and Charlie, I can confirm that Lawnchair Larry used weather balloons. However, they were brightly coloured and smaller than many weather balloons and could, thus, at a distance, be mistaken for normal balloons. Howver, up close, they were bigger, by far, than normal balloons.
MP, you're perfectly allowed to like ABC. While I'm not a huge fan of theirs, I am willing to admit that All of My Heart is a contender for the title of the greatest single ever to come out of Sheffield, along with The Arctic Monkeys' Do I Wanna Know? and Tony Christie's Walk Like a Panther.
Sean, I think I lasted about fifteen minutes before giving up on The Full Monty. It was no Threads.
The American pop group The 5th Dimension recorded "Up, Up and Away" ("in my beautiful, my beautiful balloon") in the late 1960s. It was #9 on Billboard's Easy Listening charts in the US, and #1 in Canada and Australia.
ReplyDeleteTWA and TAA both used it as an advertising jingle ca. 1970.
Steve, just because the Full Monty wasn't as bad as I expected doesn't mean I thought it was any good. No doubt not being from the peoples republic of Sheffield makes it easier to watch through to (more or less) the end.
ReplyDeleteThreads was a bit far fetched - after all, Sheffield was a nuclear free zone back then! - but otherwise I preferred it too.
Mind you, its been a long time; I used to think early '80s underground Sheffield noir flick Johnny Yesno was pretty good til I actually saw it again recently...
-sean
TC, thanks for identifying the song.
ReplyDeleteSean, I always have a problem with Threads, that the nostalgia of seeing lots of buildings that no longer exist always makes me feel happier than a film about nuclear Armageddon should do.
Well Steve, seeing as nuclear Armageddon didn't actually happen back then I don't think you really need to worry about enjoying Threads too much.
ReplyDeleteSeems like you lot actually had more to fear from Sheffield City Council planners than World War Three.
-sean
......Waitaminnit.
ReplyDeleteThe Full Monty took place in Sheffield? I didn't know that. I guess I missed that part.
Wow, maybe that place really is on the outskirts of the Twilight Zone.
My mom loves that movie. She was raving about it and I said "Jesus, Ma, I don't wanna hear you talking about a movie with naked guys in it! Spare me, willya?"
That's just...I don't wanna go there.
I liked the movie, but I'm not a little old lady and I can handle R-rated material.
M.P.
Sheffield surely sounds like a magical place. Trapped between the past and the future. ABC and Human League. World Snooker Championships. An extinct castle. Steve Does Comics. Free bus fares. Fully Monty. A former Republic.
ReplyDeleteAnything else?
(And I thought Gary, Indiana was the center of the universe. Sheesh...)
MP- Let's you, me, and Killdumpster do a road trip? Steve and Sean - you ready?
Charlie, that sounds like a meeting of the Secret Society of Supervillains or the Legion of Doom.
ReplyDeleteSean would be Lex Luthor, obviously...both evil...
Me, Gorilla Grodd, maybe? At this point I'd settle for being the Riddler.
M.P.
MP - I always wanted to be Paste Pot Pete. I would play with caulk guns for hours. Something about shooting a big load of paste on my enemies...
ReplyDeleteSounds like me in high school.
ReplyDeleteM.P.
Greetings to all the fine folks at SDC! I'm crawling out of the hole of isolation I've been in lately. Must chime in a little. Yes, I remember Lawnchair Larry, but gave in and Googled him anyway. He brings to mind the Pixar film "Up", but sadly Larry had an unhappier ending.
ReplyDeleteMan, ABC ruled my turntable that month. Really loved that album. And all the talk of Sheffield has piqued my interest. Might have to put it on a potential itinerary if that trip Across the Pond comes to fruition...
I think all are glad to have ya back, Red.
ReplyDelete("When Smokey Sings" is my personal favorite)
M.P.
Welcome back to the World Wide Web, Red.
ReplyDeleteGents - in the official video "When Smokey Sings" is that a Citroen car at the beginning?
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BTV5FvNCbhk
Red, MP = I agree that "When Smokey Sings" is my fav of the bunch. I am surprised, though, that they didn't get a wee bit higher in the charts in the 80s.
Backing up a bit, I have to question our host's claim that the greatest single from Sheffield was by ABC (or possibly the Arctic Monkeys or even Tony Christie).
ReplyDeleteC'mon, have you forgotten Jilted John, Steve?
-sean
Not only that, Sean but I'd also forgotten about John Shuttleworth's entire oeuvre as well. The two greatest recording artists in the city's history and I'd ignored them both. I don't know if I'll ever be able to live down the shame.
ReplyDeleteCharlie, I'm no car expert but that does look like I'd expect a Citroen to look like.
Gents - has this been discussed before and I was just oblivious???
ReplyDeleteI found on youtube "made in sheffield" documentary which seemingly will focus on Human League, ABC, Cabaret Voltaire, Heaven 17 and... Def Leppard?
Was this mentioned before in this venerable blog and I just over looked it???
Charlie, I am totally unaware of the documentary.
ReplyDeleteMade in Sheffield!
ReplyDeleteThe first few minutes have me all a gaga!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RDSjA0Ck244
2 more Sheffield 1980s singers - Joe Cocker & Paul Carrack!
ReplyDeletePhillip
John Shuttleworth's Euro Pigeon documentary - about his attempt to enter the Eurovision song contest (how SteveDoesComics a topic is that?) - is on Youtube too Steve.
ReplyDeleteThe good thing about Made In Sheffield is the coverage of people like the largely forgotten Artery. On the other hand, Def Leppard fans may be disappointed by their absence (which is of course another plus).
A pity there was nothing about Sheffield label Warp Records, a major force in the rise of northern bleep at the end of the 80s.
-sean
The interesting thing, about 13 minutes in, was that the "expert" says that across the UK you had this punk explosion with people "learning the same 3 chords" and playing the same ole punk whilst in Sheffield the scene was creative with electric music.
ReplyDeleteWhy Sheffield?
Early on they seem to say it was a dismal place with steel mills and no culture, so the youth decided to create some?
Was it really that dreary in Sheffield 50 years ago? The all encompassing sounds of drop forges smashing hot steel into various shapes? (I worked in the steel mills of Gary so I can appreciate that. But then again we had the Jackson 5 come out of our home town and local DJ Vivian Carter was the first to sign the Beatles in the USA so there was some "culture.")
But did you have cheap bus fares and a peoples republic in Gary, Charlie?
ReplyDelete-sean
Sean - we had cheap buses but I don't know how cheap. We did not have a republic but we did develop into a war zone with many fiefdoms, starting in the 70s. The link below provides some sense of the scope.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.abandonedamerica.us/gary-indiana
Musical creativity is linked to unemployment. Britain had 3 million unemployed in 1982. So, a lot of people, at home, noodling around on guitars! The Miners' strike in 1984 continued this trend. Billy Bragg made hay out of this! Working all day on a drop forge, I imagine you'd fall asleep shortly after arriving home from a shift! No energy for guitar noodling.
ReplyDeletePhillip
Charlie Horse 47 Very interesting article.
ReplyDeletePhillip
Phillip - interesting thought indeed! For several weeks, you are indeed exhausted working in a steel mill. Intense heat, intense noise, intense safety issues (I do not want my hand cut off, to be crushed, to be burned...)
ReplyDeleteEventually you get used to it. But for sure if you are working vs. noodling you are probably going to be more creative.
FWIW - Gary, like Detroit, Cleveland, Allentown, etc. was wiped out by the loss of steel-industry jobs in the 1970s to imported steel. The trend started in the late 1950s when the steel workers went on strike for 6 months, allowing foreign steel / imports to get a toe hold in the USA.
Sorry to go off topic lads, but that ruined Methodist chapel in Gary reminded me of this:
ReplyDeletehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Abbey_in_the_Oakwood#/media/File:Caspar_David_Friedrich_-_Abtei_im_Eichwald_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg
It was used as the cover art for 'Gothic Tales' by Elizabeth Gaskell, published by Penguin classics.
Being into comics means artwork sticks in your mind, even if you can't remember where it's from!
Phillip
Thanks for the reply Charlie - there's clearly a lot of connections between Gary & Yorkshire in the 1970s/80s.
ReplyDeletePhillip
So far as unemployment being a factor in musical creativity goes, its not that easy to find the time for messing around with guitars or whatever if you don't have a job either... unless social security at least covers your rent. Back in the 80s the unemployed had yet to be redefined as "jobseekers", and the sell off of public housing - and gentrification - were only just getting started.
ReplyDeleteNice pics there at Abandoned America, Charlie - are those derelict buildings an actual tourist attraction yet?
In the north of England there are theme "factories", where the locals re-enact the sort of jobs they used to do, like in Wakefield where the last working mine became a museum.
I'm sure I've read about some sort of theme steel "village" just outside Sheffield...
-sean
Sean, I suspect you mean Abbeydale Industrial Hamlet which is very old style: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cHFYlDTRAPQ
ReplyDeleteOn a totally different scale, there's the Magna Centre which is an old steelworks that's been transformed into a sensory-overloading interactive science and industry visitor attraction: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFj152Y3FYI
And there's Kelham Island Industrial Museum featuring what's claimed to be the world's most powerful surviving steam engine: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8lW0PJu8wUg
Sean - good question about touring destroyed cities like Gary. I have heard of a "destruction tour" that goes from South Chicago to Gary to Cleveland to Detroit. Not sure who would sign up... Japanese and Euro tourists?
ReplyDeleteAdmittedly it must look fascinating in a way.
The problem from my perspective is that there is a whole lot of grisly, sadistic murders that took place in Gary, South Chicago, etc. starting in the 70s Getting gunned down on St. Valentine's Day would have been seemingly been far preferable...
Phillip - I really don't know zip about Yorkshire, I regret saying. I need to google it! (I have heard of Yorkshire pudding, though! Is it good?)
What's interesting is to join the Northwest Indiana facebook page of which Gary had the most residents. You get a never ending stream of former glorious things (schools, churches, ice cream parlors) followed by "It's so sad what's happened" followed by the implication that "black folks caused it all."
You get that kind of thing a fair bit here too Charlie, although I'm not really clear on how exactly the blacks - and muslims - were able to deregulate the economy and close down whole industries. (Anyway, I thought it was all supposed to be the European Union's fault...)
ReplyDeleteGrisly murders are quite good for tourism. I remember being in an empty Whitechapel pub one evening, when a large coach party came in for beers - turned out they were on a Jack the Ripper guided tour! According to the bar woman, that kind of thing was regular enough to keep them from closing down.
-sean