Tuesday, December 15, 2009
National Skyline Space Ballet: Spandau Ballet to Be the First Band in Space. Seriously.
Posted by D. Patrick Rodgers on Tue, Dec 15, 2009 at 2:42 PM
Of all the bands in the world, which one have you given the least amount of thought to this millennium? I can't say for certain, but I'll bet romantic British New Wavers Spandau Ballet are pretty damn close to the top of my list. Be that as it may, it looks like they are not only going to venture into outer space before all of us, they're also going to be the first band to perform there. No shit. From Daily Mail:
The aging rockers, who reformed the band this year, have reportedly signed up to perform outside the Earth's atmosphere on Sir Richard Branson's new commercial spacecraft, Enterprise. They will have five minutes of weightlessness to perform one of their greatest hits, either 'I'll Fly For You', 'Gold' or 'True', to become the world's first group in space. As only six passengers and two pilots are permitted to be on board for the flight, cameras, microphones and equipment for the performance will all be automated and operated from earth.
"Automated and operated from earth" is a bit curious, right? Maybe the instruments themselves will be played remotely by a better band. Hey, at least, for one brief moment, it will be impossible for anyone to say Spandau Ballet is the most boring band on the planet.
Now, I imagine the fact that Spandau Ballet just reunited and released a "comeback" record--which consists of two new songs and 11 re-recordings of their classics--has a lot to do with this out-of-this-world publicity boost. But here's what surprised me: They're not on Virgin Records! Of course Virgin CEO Richard Branson isn't going to be super hands-on with his record label--he's got aliens to attempt coitus with--but wouldn't you expect him to pull an act from his own roster rather than reviving this old Mercury Records fossil? Below is a list of Virgin Records artists Branson could have (or should have) selected to go on his space odyssey:
30 Seconds to Mars
Not only is their name totally perfect, they could also jettison Jared Leto and his swoop-haired cohorts into space for all eternity while they're up there. Everybody wins.
Paula Abdul
Hey, she's in deep space half the time anyway, am I right?!
No-brainer.
David Bowie
Ground control to Major Tom! Allegedly, anyone planning to go in Branson's rocket ship has to undergo "intense training over several weeks." I'd guess Bowie couldn't be bothered with such trifling outer spacery. Man, Bowie's still cool.
Culture Club
Spandau Ballet Plus.
Cutting Crew
Spandau Ballet Lite. Half the cost.
dc Talk
This would get them closer to God.
Devo
How perfect would that be?
Iggy Pop
The (Spaceship) Passenger.
Courtney Love
Please, for the love of God, someone send Courtney Love to outer space.
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Before I even clicked to read the rest of the post, I had to google and check if Spandau Ballet was signed to Virgin. Great minds.
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