How can you not love Haircut 100’s “Love Plus One”? I dare you to resist it’s infectious Caribbean riffs, sinuous sax line and buoyant good cheer. You can’t. Unless you have NO soul.

So here’s to a Happy Friday, may you find love, plus one.

This is the first 45 I ever purchased and I spent HOURS in my room doing my own choreography to this song. Growing up in the 80’s is something I wouldn’t replace with any other era. Reagonomics, the Cold War, neon clothing, the “me” decade, AIDS, John Hughes, Molly Ringwald, getting felt up in a closet, fake ID’s, Depeche Mode, The Cure, OMD, .79 cent gas, Busch beer (I’d NEVER be caught drinking that now), 18 and under dance clubs, proms — good times, good times. ‘Cept the AIDS thing, truly, we all could have done without that. Thanks free love freaks of the 60’s and 70’s.

For me, growing up in the 80’s was the coolest thing. So much of my cultural experience was derived from that time period and now I will subject my obsession on to you, our unwary readers. Much of my interest is the music, and film. So expect more weird 80’s nonsense. Hopefully k will join me in this orgasmic explosion of bad hair, cool music, goofy clothes and the height of Gen X apathy!

Please feel free to share your own experiences of dancing awkwardly to Frankie Goes To Hollywood or doing the Safety Dance. Or not.

Dear John:

Although some people might think you are a bit crazy to do it, I, for one, applaud your decision to wear and maintain an authentic 1980’s feathered haircut:

“Today I set off on my newest project,” writes the 30-year old musician, who made news this week after spending time in Miami with Jennifer Aniston. But his newest project isn’t romantic — it’s hairier than that. His goal: “To grow and maintain an authentic ’80s style feathered haircut,” he blogs, further insisting, “It’s something I’ve wanted to do for some time.” He admits to being “very excited to bring this amazing look into today’s pop culture landscape,” noting, “The feathered cut projects an attitude of ease and quiet confidence that seems to have all but eluded our generation. And as my hair grows longer it will serve to become a more stirring and poignant statement.”

But as someone who actually lived through the 80’s, I have to say…you’re on your way (the jacket you have on is a nice touch), but you haven’t got it right just yet.  Please, allow me to offer you some advice.

But wait, there’s more…

Adam Ant Wonderful - The funniest videos are a click away

I am a complete 80’s New Wave freak. Seriously, there’s very little about the 80’s NW music I can’t recall in the way of names and dates. I was GLUED to MTV. Ahhh the good old days, before I knew about scary cults and famous professional wrestling dads who rub oil between their daughter’s thighs.

I digress….Anyway, I just found this gem, it’s not from 80’s, in fact this was from Adam’s last album Wonderful released in 95. Supposedly this song was written for his ex-girlfriend Heather Graham whom he is alleged to have threatened or some such incident. It turns out poor Adam was diagnosed with bi-polar disorder, therefore that may explain his *interesting* behavior.

All I know is, in the 80’s Adam was THE MAN. I would have done some very scandalous things with Mr. Ant were I not a minor and he a famous singer.

Ok, moment of nostalgia is over. I return you to your regularly scheduled program.

I know Dawn did a great story on this a few days ago, but I have to add my two cents…it seems that Rick Astley has become such an internet phenomenon, Sony is going to re-release his greatest hits:

The video for his 1987 hit Never Gonna Give You Up has received more than 15million hits after that internet prank.

Web users were tricked into thinking they were visiting footage of celebs up to no good — but were in fact directed to an Astley promo.

Now Rick, left, is set to coin it thanks to the scam - dubbed “Rickrolling” — revived interest in him.

Record label Sony are re-pressing his greatest hits collection in a bid to get it on shop shelves again by the end of the month. Rick Astley: The Ultimate Collection is due out on April 28.

It’s currently out of print — a situation that’s nothing short of mystifying.

I just want to say that I’ve always loved Rick Astley.  I’ll be in line for mine.  Who wouldn’t dig that smoove baritone?  Like buttah.

For those of you who haven’t rickrolled, basically it’s like this…someone sends you a link (or posts a link) to something like “CELEBS GONE WILD, U GOTTA SEE DIS!!!!!!11!!”  When you click the link, instead of nakie people, you get this.

But you know he’s gotta love rickrolling…after all, it’s boosted his career and undoubtedly done great things for his bank account!  Besides, it gives all us who grew up in the 1980’s something to reminisce about.  Those acid-washed pants, the Wayfarer sunglasses (I still wear mine), those faux-pompadour hairdon’ts….what’s not to like?

I know it’s not technically a rickroll, but…

Well, not sure if everyone in America wants to be a Pepper, but Dr Pepper sure wants to see Axl Rose release the long-awaited (and awaited and awaited) “Chinese Democracy” this year…so much so that the soft drink giant is offering a free can of Dr Pepper to every man, woman, and child in America (excluding Slash and Buckethead) if Axl releases his album in 2008:

Many have tried, but so far nobody has been able to pry the decade-in-the-works Guns N’ Roses album “Chinese Democracy” from the hands of lone remaining original member Axl Rose.

Now, Dr Pepper thinks it’s up to the challenge. The soft drink company says it will give a free can of Dr Pepper to “everyone in America” (excluding ex-Guns members Slash and Buckethead) if “Chinese Democracy” arrives anytime during the calendar year 2008. […]

“Chinese Democracy” was most recently scheduled for release in March 2007, but promptly vanished from the schedule without a new date being set. Rose said at the time that all the recording had been completed, but there were some “scheduling difficulties.”

It will be the first album of fresh Guns N’ Roses material since the 1991 sets “Use Your Illusion I” and “Use Your Illusion II.” Rose has reportedly burned through $13 million in recording expenses for “Chinese Democracy,” and also burned his bridges with the bandmates who helped him turn Guns into one of the biggest rock groups in the world by the early 1990s.

Now there’s motivation if I ever saw it!

Axl, for his part, doesn’t seem to be as thirsty as other people are:

We are surprised and very happy to have the support of Dr Pepper with our album “Chinese Democracy,” as for us, this came totally out of the blue. If there is any involvement with this promotion by our record company or others, we are unaware of such at this time. And as some of Buckethead’s performances are on our album, I’ll share my Dr Pepper with him.

Could somebody please fetch the diva a manicurist, I think he has a hangnail and it’s making him a cranky-pants.

Here’s a thought…why not just have Axl buy us all a Dr Pepper and skip the album release altogether.  It isn’t like G&R are, oh, what’s the word I’m looking for…relevant? Did it suddenly become 1987 again when I wasn’t looking? I stopped caring about G&R (outside of “Sweet Child o’ Mine”) about the time I stopped bleaching my hair like Cyndi Lauper’s. (don’t ask)

Besides, it looks like Miss Thang has been spending a little too much time with Mr. Plastic Surgeon and Miss Hair Oh-No-You-Dinnt. I mean, look at the guy. What happened?

Scuze me. I need to step out to the corner mart for a moment.

I drink Dr Pepper, don’t you know
It’s the original taste that I love so
And the taste is making Peppers
Everywhere I go…

I’m a Pepper
He’s a Pepper
She’s a Pepper
We’re a Pepper
Wouldn’t you like to be a Pepper, too?

Be a Pepper, drink Dr Pepper…

When I first started covering the Anonymous vs. Scientology movement I found myself a victim of the RickRoll. Not sure what this is? Yes, well neither was I. A Rickroll is a very insidery joke amongst internet savvy folks where they lure you with a link and instead of finding your intended pr0n or pictures of cute kittens, you get a YouTube video of 80’s pop phenom Rick Astley performing his huge hit “Never Gonna Give You Up.”

Neat huh? Well, to those in Anonymous this isn’t so much a prank as it is a shout out to a relatively well-crafted, jaunty little number which delights the senses and hearkens back to a time when life and music were much simpler. It really is a compliment to Rick Astley and not at all intended to negate his talent. It’s also quite hilarious, even when you’ve fallen for it a once or twice, a handful, SEVERAL times. What? I’m gullible like that.

So, in light of this new resurgence in Rick’s popularity, the LA Times, (writer David Sarno) did a feature on the man behind the lightweight, but likable pop ditty, and asked him what he thinks of the whole internet-driven appreciation.

“If this had happened around some kind of rock song, with a lyric that really meant something — a Bruce Springsteen, “God bless America” … or an anti-something kind of song, I could kind of understand that,” Astley said. “But for something as, and I don’t mean to belittle it, because I still think it’s a great pop song, but it’s a pop song; do you know what I mean? It doesn’t have any kind of weight behind it, as such. But maybe that’s the irony of it.”

Astley would never put the song down, mind you. It’s just that, as he says, “If I was a young kid now looking at that song, I’d have to say I’d think it was pretty naff, really.”

(Wikipedia on “naff”: British slang for “something which is seen to be particularly ‘cheesy’ or ‘tacky’ or in otherwise poor aesthetic taste.”) “For me it’s a good example of what some of the ’80s were about in that pop sort of music way. A bit like you could say Debbie Gibson was absolutely massive, but if you look back at it now … do you know what I mean?”

Yes, I think we do. But even still, with all the renewed attention to his work and his — albeit 20-year-old — image, does Astley have any plans to cash in on Rickrolling, maybe with his own YouTube remix?

“I don’t really know whether I want to be doing that,” he said. “ I’m not being an ageist, but it’s almost a young person’s thing, that.”

“I think the artist themselves trying to remix it is almost a bit sad,” he said. “No, I’m too old for that.”

Astley, who will be touring the U.K. in May with a group of other ’80’s acts, including Bananarama, and Nick Heyward, Heaven 17, Paul Young and ABC, sums up his thoughts on his unexpected virtual fame with characteristic good humor:

“Listen, I just think it’s bizarre and funny. My main consideration is that my daughter doesn’t get embarrassed about it.”

Rick’s list of tour dates, for those so inclined.