New Wave was a peculiar genre of music by default, producing dozens of oddball one-hit wonders back in its early 80s heyday. One such example was Toni Basil’s quirky 1982 hit “Mickey”, a song that really blew up thanks in large part to its iconic cheerleader-centric music video that was in heavy rotation on a new niche channel called MTV back in the day (you know, back when the network actually played music videos). If that song is stuck in your head now, you’re welcome (or perhaps apologies are in order), but whatever the case, if you thought that was all Toni Basil had offer, you’d be mistaken.
Granted, “Mickey” was obviously her biggest hit, and as quirky as that song/video was, it turns out that it was only the tip of the oddball iceberg, as this Toni Basil Special from 1982 delightfully demonstrates. It’s 30+ minutes of creatively flamboyant costumes (shout out to the gorilla), idiosyncratic set designs, and off-kilter choreographed dancing that, coupled with Basil’s uniquely captivating/eccentric delivery, makes the entire thing very hard to take your eyes off (the Devo covers here are also an added bonus). Enjoy:
