Who Cares About Paris When We'll Always Have Paré

There are some times in life when I wish that I wasn't so addicted to the idiot box, and then there are times, like now, when I get down on my knees and thank the sweet Lord for cable. Observe:

Wednesday night on VH-1 Classic: Eddie and the Cruisers
Tonight on Cinemax "Outer Max" : Streets of Fire

Is Michael Paré the worst actor ever? Maybe. Nah, probably not. But maybe. In any case, watching these movies to try to come up with an answer is the most fun an '80s kid can possibly have on a weeknight. And acting skills or not, there's no denying that Paré is hot.

Now, onto another burning question...

Which of the above mentioned movies has the better soundtrack? That is a difficult one. The Eddie and the Cruisers soundtrack has so many great '50s-style rockers and, my favorite, Eddie's career-destroying "Season in Hell." There isn't much variety on the record because, as with Purple Rain, it focuses on one act - in this case, John Cafferty and the Beaver Brown Band. Although Eddie's...er...John's tunes are a lot of fun, I have to give the edge here to Streets of Fire because of the range of artists featured and the theatrical song stylings of Jim Steinman ("Nowhere Fast" and "Tonight is What It Means to Be Young"). Not to mention that two of my favorite gals, Maria McKee and Stevie Nicks, contributed tunes to the record.


Now, if you'll all excuse me, I'm going to tease my hair and act out this song in my bedroom mirror.

Comments

chelene said…
I agree about Streets of Fire's soundtrack. I really like that movie. It's cheese, but good cheese. And what on earth happened to Maria McKee? I was just singing Ways to Be Wicked the other day.
Tanya Espanya said…
OHMYGOD! I LOVED Streets of Fire! I loved Michael Paray (Parade? Pareo?). He really looked fine.
Tanya Espanya said…
Oh, and I don't know if you know Lainey's Gossip site?

You're welcome.
Do you have the right sort of brush? Not for the hair teasing - to use as a mic.
Anonymous said…
Eddie and the Cruisers! Wow don't get me started!

Best movie ever!
LoraLoo said…
Wow I totally forgot about that song! I need to go back and watch that movie again.
David Amulet said…
Michael Pare is a great answer to 80s trivia questions.

And thanks for showing us that picture to remind us Diane Lane has been exceptionally hot on screen in THREE decades.

-- david
Metal Mark said…
I have never seen Streets of fire and I think I made it through maybe 20 minutes of Eddie and the cruisers before switching channels.
Unknown said…
Never heard of any of these folks :)

Maybe I am the inattentive child of the 80s? Or maybe I just got squeezed into the 90s?

Hi there - got here from the X Spot.
Johnny Yen said…
Think of the devil...

I was just wondering the other day whatever happened to him, and then he pops up twice. Once in your post, and then in Hope Floats, on cable (I had it on for background noise while napping a couple of days ago.)

I've never actually watched Streets of Fire-- it looked so bad, it didn't seem like I needed to actually see it to confirm the fact.

One of my favorite groups, the Blasters, were on the soundtrack. They turned down 48 Hours (the Busboys got the job instead). Bad career move, guys.
cube said…
Teasing causes eating disorders... oh, teasing your hair? Nevermind. Tease away ;-)
Happy Villain said…
Hah, I have a friend who recently joined a band that does covers of bands like Rush, The Who, etc. I had no inclination to see them live until he told me they're doing songs from the Eddie and the Cruisers soundtrack, and now their show is on my calendar. Way to be timely in my life, Beckeye!
Martin said…
That's why I keep thinking of Bonnie Tyler and Meat Loaf when I see that part of the movie... Steinman has that effect. I was always a bigger fan of Eddie & The Cruisers but I have to say that the power of the soundtrack is evident here and definitely helped the film.
BeckEye said…
Chelene - Maria has been flying under the radar with a solo career. I have two of her solo records, and my favorite is "You Gotta Sin To Get Saved." You should check it out. I think she has a new one coming out now too.

Tanya - Yeah, Paré is undeniably hot. (And I'm so proud that I figured out how to make accent marks on the computer.) Thanks for the new gossip site...a lot of what I saw was pretty funny!

Barbara - Oh, I have my brushes categorized by function and musical genre.

Nancy - There are so many flaws in the movie, but I enjoy watching it every time. And I forgot to mention that Tom Berenger was super hot back then too.

Loraloo - That's one of the greatest, over-dramatic songs ever.

David - Diane is a very hot chick, I concur.

Mark - If you enjoy bad acting and plot holes, you really must watch one or both.

SJ - Thanks for swinging by! Now, go to the official Michael Paré website immediately. (If there is one.)

Johnny - Yeah, The Blasters are cool but I hated 48 Hours.

Cube - My hair is lacking in vitamins, I think.

HV - Oh hell yes! You need to report back on the show. You should tell the singer that when he starts up "Tender Years," he should stop abruptly and give a really bad speech about how he had to bury his friend, the best sax player he ever heard, and then walk offstage.

80s Nut - I need to meet Jim Steinman and thank him for the drama.
Travis Cody said…
You know, I didn't like John Cafferty until I saw the flick. Now I couldn't even tell you what the band looks like, cause all I see is Eddie and the Cruisers whenever I hear that music.

And as far as great bad movies, this one is in the top 5.
X. Dell said…
I can't make a comparison. I saw Eddie and the Cruisers a long time ago, but not the other movie.

Never was a big fan of John McCafferty, either.
Les Becker said…
How is it that I lived through the 80's and never heard of this guy or this song? Oh yeah. Beer and grass. Never mind.
Perplexio said…
Wasn't Pare also on The Greatest American Hero for a season?