Angst In My Pants

Sparks


Rachel Gandin's Post!!!!

Somewhere during the transition from my junior high crush on lesbian folk music and my committed, grown-up relationship with hyper-sexual R&B, I had a brief flirtation with early 1980’s Los Angeles New Wave.

Presumably, Songs From High School exists to convey a mutual feeling of, Oh, look how far we’ve all come! Some will boastfully reveal that they used to luuv 98 Degrees, secure in their extensive knowledge of bands that matter today. Unlike these people, the hippest music I ever liked was during my junior year of high school.

During the 1994-1995 school year I dumped (was dumped by?) the Real Volleyball Girls of Laguna Beach, and found my new, edgy friends in video production class. Products of the Orange County psychobilly scene, they had nose piercings, wore Doc Martins, and totally fucking despised the oppressively mellow surfer/stoner culture of Laguna Beach.

I really liked these kids, but had a hard time committing. Most of their parents were divorced, they lived in apartments (the horror!) and had the freedom to do whatever they wanted, whenever. I could not say the same of my own home life. How could I pierce up my whole face and then go to visit my grandparents? How could I study for honors chemistry with my nerdy friends if I’m all done up like Betty Page?

That year, I saw on TV the 1983 Nicholas Cage movie Valley Girl. While watching, I was reminded of how much I loved the song Melt With You by Modern English. I went out and bought the Valley Girl soundtrack, which came out in 1994, and listened to the album continuously for 6 months straight. That album changed my life. Despite the mediocrity of the movie, Valley Girl managed to produce a very solid soundtrack, made up of many Los Angeles New Wave bands. I fell in love with it because the music sounded angsty, but more playful than angry. I could relate because my teenage years were painted with shades of annoyance and cynicism rather than with rage.

Listening to early 1980’s New Wave in 1994 felt like the perfect non-committal middle ground for me. It was hip enough to express a hint of social resistance, while never having to make a real lifestyle commitment, like if I were into Rancid or The Misfits. It was significant enough of a departure from LBHS’s most beloved Sublime, but the fashion wasn’t so dramatic and the message never too aggressive.

For my final project in video production class, I made a music video for the song Angst in My Pants by L.A. band Sparks, my favorite track from the Valley Girl soundtrack. It featured this punk rock kid named Ian who had a mohawk and a nasal septum piercing. The entire video was composed of close-up shots of Ian keeping the beat with his Creepers, his multi-zippered pants, and his Ray-Ban sunglasses. I have no idea where this video is now, but I’m suddenly compelled to find it. It may well be the only proof of cool I’ll ever have to show for.