Bonus Video! NBC's Supertrain Disaster, an Icicle Murder, and Unreasonably Large Hats
Added 2022-03-20 17:00:05 +0000 UTCHello, time for another bonus video! I've just come into a vintage copy of an important issue of Andy Warhol's Interview magazine, and here's what I learned: Sometime in 1982, the singer Carly Simon interviewed her then-boyfriend, actor Al Corley (who played the gay son on Dynasty) and the results were VERY bizarre. I've also obtained an even older TV Guide in which we learn some fun facts about Supertrain, a colossal fiasco that nearly bankrupted NBC; and some more facts about a jiggle-counting minister getting made fun of my a group of priests in a fast food restaurant. (I promise it'll all make sense.) All that, plus ... HATS!!!
Backup link in case the embed's not working:
https://youtu.be/M6Pe9r2akWA
Comments
Oh wow this is really exciting, thank you!!! I don't have a Power Rangers video on the schedule right now, BUT I'm always gathering research and this is an amazing resource!
Matt Baume
2025-01-28 22:14:38 +0000 UTCHello Matt, I'm a new supporter of the Patreon and have been going back through these videos. At the very beginning of this video you hinted at a possible video you've been working on about Power Rangers! (Or at least, I assume that's what it is based on the shirt.) I know this video is older BUT ALSO I know videos can be in the pipeline for awhile. If you are still working on this topic, I would love to help! I wrote a huge Queer History of Power Rangers a few years back. https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/power-rangers-the-road-to-queer-representation/ If you need any extra resources or insights into the franchise (I've been professionally writing about the show since 2014) don't hesitate to reach out!
Shamus Kelley
2025-01-26 18:57:11 +0000 UTCCarly Simon is SO WEIRD. She has low level Bjork vibes that we don't give her credit for.
Erin Rodgers
2022-04-13 14:54:01 +0000 UTCJust caught up with this video and I have relevant info! re: Carly's "each man kills the thing he loves" question, she's quoting Oscar Wilde's "Ballad of Reading Gaol" (stanza 7 or so, here: https://poets.org/poem/ballad-reading-gaol ). Weird inside joke to have with your boyfriend! Guess they were doing a lot of reading? Also, Peer Raben used it as the text for a song sung by Jeanne Moreau in Rainer Werner Fassbinder's adaptation of Querelle in Brest: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DprNsG02pDI . There's even a real recording with Moreau on vox and a fancy orchestral arrangement, because "Each Man Kills The Thing He Loves" was evidently something the record-buying public needed.
Jon
2022-03-31 21:12:27 +0000 UTCI was curious about Wildman (mostly to see if he was dead or not) and started digging around. He retired from American Family Association in 2010 and was no lightweight. He's a serious POS. That group is responsible for a lot of the wacko boycotts/protests against homosexuality, certain TV shows, other religions, Ellen in JC Penny, comics having gay characters, etc. that we've seen over the years. They try to get their religious beliefs into public schools and are behind the so-called One Million Moms organization. Awful.
Trevor
2022-03-26 15:13:04 +0000 UTCThey are performing in my area. I'll let you know how it is.
Trevor
2022-03-26 14:59:25 +0000 UTCOh my God no WAY
Matt Baume
2022-03-26 08:26:25 +0000 UTCFor fans of Dynasty, three of the leading men are touring with a nightclub act. This teaser even has a little Al Corley joke. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YRtAJYluMdI
Trevor
2022-03-25 22:47:02 +0000 UTCThere's a Today Show profile on Supertrain on YouTube (with a young Tom Brokaw and Jane Pauley) by venerable newsman Jack Perkins. It aired the morning of the two-hour premiere and you can tell there were lots of doubts about the series. A promo at the end claims it's, "Loaded with mystery... Filled with fun! ... And packed with action!" Oy! I remember buying issues of Interview. Great cover artwork and photography. I think the articles were trying to compete with the depth of the Playboy interviews but also be really "out there" and artistic. The magazine was created by Andy Warhol and John Wilcock (the co-founder of the Village Voice) so, in that context, the contents come as no surprise. The magazine lasted over 50 years but changed a lot by the end.
Trevor
2022-03-25 21:50:09 +0000 UTCFrom the comments, it seems like there are quite a few of us vintage queers on Matt's Patreon. I, too, remember the premiere of Supertrain. It looked to me to be another one of those Love Boat/Fantasy Island-type shows that I never really liked much, so I gave it a miss. By the time Dynasty came along, I was in college and working nights, so I had no time for TV. I wore those big shoulder pads with pride, but I've never seen an episode of Dynasty. This is probably going to get me banned, but I have to admit I was never much of a Joan Collins fan. I loved her sister, Jackie Collins, though...well, I loved her books anyway (❤️🔥steamy!).
Irisarc
2022-03-24 08:18:11 +0000 UTCPretty sure the reason for this bonkers interview is "cocaine."
Kelly
2022-03-23 18:09:34 +0000 UTCOMG YES please do Melrose next!!!
Chris Covell
2022-03-21 18:54:08 +0000 UTCWhile I'm relishing the upcoming video about Reverend Donald Wildmon, I should caution you against calling it a "hatchet job"; if he's still alive, he might be litigious. I'm just kidding, but I did find an article in Variety from 2005 in which Wildmon's son admits the campaign to derail NYPD Blue was an abject failure.
Greg Beneteau
2022-03-21 04:03:05 +0000 UTCI grew up reading the TV Guide like it was the New York Times. I remember one article where Bea Arthur's Golden Girls wardrobe was referred to as a " Daymare". I don't know why that stuck with me.
The Stepford Life ( Bryce )
2022-03-21 01:28:15 +0000 UTCNot sure if "Interview" is in the Readers' Guide to Periodical Literature but if your local library offers online access to the index that may help you find articles and which issue you are looking for. I remember when Supertrain premiered.
Darren Simon
2022-03-20 22:50:39 +0000 UTCMatt, I love these wild scavenger hunts you go on. So, I'll admit I don't watch every bonus episode, but when I saw Al Corley's name in the liner notes, I raised an eyebrow and hit play. So I'm just slightly too young to remember Dynasty, but a few years ago I really got into Italo Disco music and other obscure songs from that era. It's funny - I only knew the name Al Corley from him being a singer, never knew he was also an actor. I bet they're on youtube, but check out his songs "Square Rooms" and "Cold Dresses". Admittedly, the lyrics in those songs are strange like his interview. As always, keep up the good work! :)
Jason Pagano
2022-03-20 21:30:21 +0000 UTCDefinite echoes of ABC renaming Temperatures Rising to The New Temperatures Rising Show and then back again for maximum confusion
Matt Baume
2022-03-20 18:21:03 +0000 UTCI always love a good mention of Supertrain. Ran for nine weeks, but still ended up having two different theme songs.
Turner Arrington
2022-03-20 17:09:22 +0000 UTC
