Yesterday, after having lunch with my reclusive rock star friend Pete Larson, he and I were driving around Ann Arbor, listening to loud music, with our windows rolled down, and taking turns, as we often do, commenting on how much we hate the things around us. Well, at some point, the Hall and Oates song Private Eyes came on, and, instead of criticizing it, we started singing along to it. Loudly. And, by the way the young University of Michigan co-eds started staring at us, I could tell that something magical was happening. Clearly we’d hit upon something big, I thought.
Pete must have been thinking the same thing, because, just as we concluded the song, he turned to me and said, ” You know, we have to start a Hall and Oates tribute band, right?” While it would have been incredibly funny, I fought the urge, and didn’t respond by touching the steering wheel, the dashboard and my nipples in turn, and saying, “And, that’s why I can’t go for that.” (As Pete wouldn’t have gotten the reference, it would only have scared him.) Instead, I nodded silently in the affirmative, paused for a moment, and said, “We could call ourselves Corridor and Grain.” (It would later occur to me that Corridor and Quinoa might have a better ring to it, but I’m not sure.)
I, of course, came home later that night and announced the plan to the world via Facebook. The response was enthusiastic. Sure, there may have been a few who thought that it was sacrilege, but, for the most part, they kept their mouths closed. The best comment came from my friend Kerri, who encouraged us to start our journey by making a shot-for-shot remake of the Hall and Oates video for the song She’s Gone, which you can watch below… Somehow, I’d never seen it. It’s absolutely brilliant, and, since watching it last night, it’s all that I can think about. I’m generally pretty humble when it comes to my so-called creative endeavors, but I can tell you with confidence that there are no two performers on the earth today who are better positioned to pull off a faithful recreation of this video than Pete Larson and myself. Pete… pardon me for the language I’m about to use… would absolutely rock the f-ing shit out of the shirtless Oates guitar lead, and I know that I could master the disaffected stare of Hall as he decides to toss that money in the air. I have never been so enthusiastic about a project in all of my life. I will no doubt share more with you about this over the coming months, but, for now, I wanted you to watch this video, and give some thought as to how we, as a community, might be able to pull it off visually. Please watch it closely, and leave a comment if you know where, for instance, we I might be able to find any shag carpet of that shade, or a guitar of that particular make and model. As I’d like to do this as faithfully as possible, right down to the upholstery on the chairs, I’m going to need all of your help. This, I’m confident, if we all pitch in, could be the biggest thing since Chris Elliott pulled off his remake of Shatner’s Rocket Man.