Not Those '80s Hair Bands. . .

The phrase "'80s hair band" has usually been applied to glam metal, but heres examples of two bands whose unique hair styles mark them as products of the '80s . . . fun, bizarre, wild products of a fun, bizarre, wild era.

The band A Flock of Seagulls have become memorable in part due to the quirky hair of their lead singer, Mike Score. His "waterfall" hair style is today remembered as one of the more garish examples of '80s new wavish fashion.



But just as equally memorable (once you've seen it, you can't quite forget it) was the band's video for the 1983 hit "I Ran (So Far Away)." Another '80s new wave video artifact made apparently with garbage bags, makeup, and a lot of mirrors, watching the video remains a frolic through '80s quirkiness . . . the thing that made the '80s such a fun time to have grown up in.

I always thought this video resembled the kind of odd dream that occurs after youve eaten too much pizza.

But not to be outdone in quirky, wild '80s new wave stylings is the band Dead or Alive, whose lead singer, Pete Burns, is no slouch to pushing the boundaries of fashion, hair and otherwise. Burns was androgynous, colorfully clothed, and armed with a hard-to-miss hairstyle as well as an eyepatch. Alas, he has been more recently in the news due to personal problems.

I remember seeing for the first time their video to "You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)," and hearing the utterly catchy song that went with it.