Song Of The Day 11/22/2014: Man 2 Man Meet Man Parrish - "Male Stripper"

British Hits, American Misses: Well, this has been an educational and fun week just like the Reading Rainbow, so what better way to bring the whole thing to a close than with some grade-A electro homoeroticism? Man 2 Man were actually from New York City, and evolved from punk-era favorites The Fast (mock-pop, lots of Farfisas) into a high-NRG electronic duo that moved from CDGB's to larger dance spaces with better ventilation. Man Parrish was an enormous influence in the development of electronic dance music in the '80s, having helmed several elaborate productions at Studio 54 and clubs around town. I still get a lot of kicks from his best surviving hit ""Hip Hop, Be Bop (Don't Stop)." He's still around, actually, and was supposed to be cooking up an album for Fatboy Slim's label at some point.

But anyway, Man 2 Man and Man Parrish met and cooked up the magically delicious hit "Male Stripper," and on its second trip to the British charts in 1987 it stayed in the Top 10 for a month. The British didn't have quite the same problems with gay-themed pop product back then, not the way America recoiled and stayed in its woodsheds and drank beer and felt compelled to defend their masculinity whenever confronted by something other than meat in tube form and girls in halters. We were far too reliant on our traditional, straight-agenda superstars, like Elton John and Culture Club. Boom!

There's the end of that theme week. I'm not sure how to describe what's going to be taking over this blog for a few days beginning tomorrow, so just roll with it. Like you always do. Like a male stripper just trying to make ends meet.