Spandex Lovelips
New Years 1989
When i was sixteen my parents somehow allowed for a party to occur at our house on Pepperidge Way. As New Year’s Eve is one of the busiest evenings for those in the “entertainment” business, my parents, who worked at casinos (of course), did not have the night off. This made this party allowance even more magnanimous and oddly trusting -though perhaps my older cousin Carol visiting from Kansas was the real deal maker. The event was a clean affair, even if many of the details were lost in the succeeding 20 years.
The highlight of the evening was the second show of the party-time trio The Spandex Lovelips featuring Ken J. on guitar and vocals, Matt Marston on bass and lead smiling and clowning, and Shaun Taylor on drums and lead stoked-ness. Their first show was only 3 days prior at Karen’s D’s house-party for Amber H. and Robbie B’s dual birthday extravaganza, where they opened for the one time only band Leathermeat (featuring Lee S., Joey R., Gary B., and Jonathan I.) That these two events happened in such short order is still amazing to me.
It is odd to think how today every single event is captured in multiplicity by little tiny cameras in every phone. Twenty years ago an event or performance had to rely on it’s own memorability to be remembered. Perhaps this is why everyone seems to feel that time is moving faster; our brains have relaxed from taking things in in real time while being caught up recording for posterity. i dunno. Take less pictures? Live in the moment?
What i remember: Everyone dancing and having fun. Ken singing “Phantom of the Disco”. Shaun making up for his newness to the drums by exuberantly playing his Mo Tucker inspired beats. Matt Marston practically growing into his shoes before our eyes. Spandex Lovelips playing a version of “Burning Love” that i still prefer over Elvis.
Rest in peace Shaun and Matt. May Spandex Lovelips live forever in memory of a night, 20 years so long ago…
