RIP Andrew Koenig / Boner

This week the body of actor Andrew Koenig was found from an apparent suicide. A sad passing in my world of entertainment because I grew up a huge fan of the tv series Growing Pains, in which Koenig portrayed the dim witted loyal friend to Mike Seaver - Boner. In many ways, Boner was a more identifiable character for me than Mike because Boner was a misfit, an outsider. During my teen years I could certainly recognize that feeling. I'll never forget that episode where Boner decides to join the military and grow up, sending Mike into a fit. This of course has no bearing on Andrew Koenig the person as Boner was a character. It's sad that Koenig suffered from depression despite being accomplished and well liked from the reports I've seen. Hopefully the attention paid to depression in general will bring something positive from Koenig's death.

I Wanna Go Back

"I Wanna Go Back" is an oldie but goodie hit from the Money man in 1986, a song that Blender magazine rated one of the Top 500 songs of the past 25 years. For decades, I thought Eddie Money was the only guy to release a recording of this sentimental slice of pop rock. But in the past month I've found out that there are two versions that pre date Edward Mahoney's smash take. The original version is by a band called Billy Satellite who managed to make the Hot 100 in 1984 with it (a song co-written by guitarist Danny Chauncey, latter of the revamped Thirty Eight Special). Their take was a little softer and after watching the video online I realized I had seen/heard their clip before way back when and didn't realize it was the same tune two years later. Then, when buying a Gregg Rolie cd for $1 last week I found yet another version of "I Wanna Go Back" on it (released in 1985). So the song had a longer and interesting history than I ever knew, though of course Money's punchy version with the swanky sax will always be the best known.

To tie it together with another sudden recovery of memory, on New Years Eve of 1985 I saw a concert that included both Eddie Money and Gregg Rolie. I wonder if Rolie played that song that night (I can't recall that vividly)? I wanna go back and find out, but I can't go back I know.

For some bonus fun, here's a memorable clip of Beavis & Butthead carping on E. Money's "Shakin" video.

The Force Of One

The cinematic event of the 90's for me wasn't Jurassic Park, or The Matrix, or even Independence Day. It was the re-release of the original Star Wars trilogy, granted with updated special effects. The chance to see the three classic films on the big screen again led me and tons of others to stand in a long line at the movie theater like it was 1977 all over again.

It was a thrill to view these movies "as they were meant to be seen" again, even though the added special effects seemed just OK to me. The only added scene with punch for me personally was a chance to watch the Jabba The Hutt scene in its entirety after decades of seeing just still pictures (even if it had the most jarring new effect with Han Solo "stepping" on Jabba's tail.) While the rest of the new effects (like the Death Star battle) were spiffy it was hard not to miss the old scenes that had been committed to memory.

I can't claim to be a total purist and hate the special editions, it's just a shame that Star Wars became like a scab that George Lucas couldn't stop picking. Particularly after the prequel trilogy, the original films got more revisions than a bill through Congress. Just the same, the 90s would have been a bit duller without the re release of these incredible films.