Rockitober!
Back around 1984, I used to watch a lot of MTV (which likely explains a lot about me). I also watched other music programs like Night Tracks, Friday Night Videos, and Night Flight. So I was often viewing strange music videos at 2 in the morning or later (Night Flight was especially damaging… they would show experimental movie shorts and bizarre comedy skits and who knows what other surreal stuff. It’s also where I first saw “Bambi vs. Godzilla.” I loved Night Flight!).
One such bizarreness was Herbie Hancock’s “Rockit!” –
Imagine being 14 years old in the 80s, when MTV and all this stuff was still kind of new, and seeing that at 4 in the morning.
The song was awesome, though – Herbie totally nailed the vibe of the time with the record scratching and synth sound. So awesome that he was nominated for a Grammy award, where he performed “Rockit!” live. I believe I saw it when it originally aired. Pay attention to this one –
Didn’t see that coming.
Also, watch after the song to see Michael McDonald announce the nominations for Best R&B Performance and see who Herbie was up against. Nice remix of the winning song (Spoiler: it wasn’t Michael Jackson) at the end.
Posted on October 30, 2016, in ♫ ♪ ♫, Fun Stuff and tagged 80s, fun stuff, music, Rocktober. Bookmark the permalink. 12 Comments.
nightskyradio 
Great song. I always get it and Axel-F mixed up though.
This might help ya.
Or not.
If you’re still having trouble, your hero is here to help you –
Geez, thanks.
You’re brutally welcome. 🙂
Sheesh.
I never watched the video all the way through till now, even when you used it as a lead in to your robot theme a few years back.
Wild!
I won’t say I’m one of them necessarily, but there are some amongst us who think Herbie’s finest work was with the Miles Davis quintet (Tony Williams, Wayne Shorter, Ron Carter, Miles) and think it was more or less downhill after that.
Think of it like Bob Dylan going electric, or something.
Actually I thought the stuff up to the albums with the Headhunters was fantastic, but when Herbie started going disco even I started to get the snootiness.
But you’re forcing a reappraisal on me.
Look, this isn’t easy. I mean, how would you feel if Alice in Chains started playing Bee Gees?
how would you feel if Alice in Chains started playing Bee Gees?
I imagine it would sound something like this.
OT, I suppose by this time you’ve been exposed to PPAP?
No, somehow through unexplainable circumstance I inexplicably missed this worldwide pen-omenon. Clearly, I have been far too isolated.
I guess you should be thanking me!
As of last night, there is a Halloween version:
You’re welcome!
That is simultaneously hilarious and disturbing in almost equal 50/50 portions.