Day 9 – A Song You Can Dance To
“Instant Club Hit (You’ll Dance To Anything)”
The story around my selection of this song requires almost as much backstory as the story itself.
For those unfamiliar, a trend in the 80s, besides the acceptance of new wave bands on the pop charts, was the remix of singles and extended dance versions of songs. The 12” single was huge, and while it’s now common practice today to have several remixes of songs attached to a single, and even entire remix albums, the late 80s was where this sort of thing was beginning to take shape. A band would release a single, and on the 12” version, there would be an extended (often doubling the time) version of the song, and on the back side a shorter remix single version, and possibly an extra song or some “bonus beats” which were used in the lengthy remix single.
The Dead Milkmen skewered this trend with laser accuracy with their 1987 single “Instant Club Hit (You’ll Dance To Anything)” which right off the bat made fun of Siouxsie Sioux and the hours required to achieve that look. The “art crowd” and their self-importance was the lyrical thrust of the song, but musically it was a parody of songs that were getting remixed that might or might not be enjoyed by the subjects of the song. Think of bands such as New Order, Depeche Mode, Erasure, Wham, Pet Shop Boys, etc. Even Skinny Puppy was creating extended versions of their songs. It was a wide sweeping parody that had the subtlety of a nuclear warhead. Made all the funnier by the fact the song was actually something you could dance to.
Naturally, the single included an extended remix of the song. I wish I could find a copy of that single on CD or the 12” record. Sadly, all I have is the cassette, and no way to play it. At least I have the album it was released on (“Bucky Fellini”).
In 1990, when I finally got to see the band on tour, it was at the 1,500 seat Moore Theater. The Dead Milkmen had seen a bit of success since “Instant Club Hit (You’ll Dance To Anything)” was released. “Punk Rock Girl” off 1988’s “Beelzebubba” had seen quite a bit of rotation on MTV. Their next album, 1990’s “Metaphysical Graffiti” was just released as the band embarked on their tour.
I don’t remember if it was general admission, but the orchestra pit was open. After a while, some people ventured into this section right in front of the stage and were dancing about in the fashion of a punk rock show (this was before “moshing” became the term, and people still knew the etiquette for slam dancing). As the show went on, a few people braved the bouncers and climbed up on stage for a quick stage dive. By this time I had found my way into the pit and was bouncing along with the rest of the crowd.
I was lucky, really. I could have been kicked out of the concert by security for not only stage diving, but lingering on stage. Thankfully Rodney Anonymous waved them off when he saw what I was doing, which was dancing with him, following his directions. After about a minute, I dove off the stage before I wore out my welcome.When the band launched into “Instant Club Hit (You’ll Dance To Anything)” I decided I would climb up to do a stage dive. Only, I stayed on stage. During the extended middle section of the song, singer/keyboardist Rodney Anonymous was making up dances, mocking … well, everybody he could. One was the Hysterical Housewife which consisted of jumping up and down with one hand pressed against the cheek and an expression of indignation. Another was Running From The Cops which was essentially just running in place.
After the show I picked a flyer off of the wall, and waited around for the band to have them sign it. The first was Dave Blood, the bass player, who has since passed away. He offered to get a roadie to sign the flyer, which I was happy enough to have as well in addition to the rest of the band. It took a little patience, simply waiting for the band to appear as they were loading their equipment, but it was worth it. This is a souvenir of the night I got to dance with The Dead Milkmen.
I guess I will dance to anything.