I was recently talking with someone about Pia Zadora. Sort of a “whatever happened to so and so…” and isn’t her name just automatically dirty sounding but also about how she was how I first learned as a kid that Showtime can be steamy and naughty late at night. Well a quick consultation with wikipedia produced this:
“When the Rain Begins to Fall” is a 1984 song recorded by the singers Jermaine Jackson and Pia Zadora, and released as a single at the end of 1984. The song was performed in the movie Voyage of the Rock Aliens in which Zadora played a lead role. It was covered by some artists.
There is so much here. But overall it really rings with the naive confidence and nonchalance of when the possibilities must have seemed limitless for a young Jermaine Jackson, and at least some of us considered Pia Zadora both nubile and talented. The video is a real eighties archive: something like MadMax visits the middle east… with awesome sunglasses… and mopeds. Voyage of the Rock Aliens obviously. Also, somehow it seems important to mention that the single was certified platinum in France.
Comments 5
Thank you so much for reminding me of my brief fascination with Ms. Zadora, which, upon looking at her videomovie credentials now, is totally inexplicable. I’m not sure which of her five leading-role movies drew me in, or if it was just her hypno-exotic name. Most likely, it was the Showtime-After-Dark/Finger-on-The-“Back”-Remote-Button qualities of the films.
And remember, time goes by so fast, you’ve got to have a dream to just hold on.
Posted 12 Oct 2009 at 11:10 am ¶You’re totally right. She was like a brief and perfect storm of titillation: the sexual onamonapeia-ness (?!?) of her name coupled with her um, forbidden, choice of roles.
Posted 12 Oct 2009 at 11:22 am ¶This prompts the question: Who is more talented, Pia Zadora or EG Daly? I’ll vote for EG.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNJgVilhcBw
This week’s winner will go head-to-head against Samantha Fox. Or Paris Hilton.
Posted 12 Oct 2009 at 11:30 am ¶EG Daly? OMG. I totally didn’t think of her vis a vis this milieu but she is absolutely ringing the same bell. Not a cowbell. A kind of weird yet accessible, dorky-sexuality gong!
Posted 20 Oct 2009 at 7:34 pm ¶PS: Perhaps we should explore the Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure-as-post-modern-text angle that you bring up here.
Side-side note. Really, this note is lurking somewhere on your upper-thigh, near that part that always looks weird in skirts…
What happened to Rae Dawn Chong? Discuss.
Posted 20 Oct 2009 at 8:07 pm ¶Post a Comment