Yeah, I’m still tripping on Miami Vice. It acutally came on TV last night, so I watched it for the first time in 25 years. Does it hold up? Yes and no. The sets are awesome. The acting is decent, though it is at times laughably cheesy and melodramatic. The music is another story. It still sounds fresh, 25 years later. I often brush of 80s music as nostalgic but kind of lame. But this show was a reminder that there was some good stuff out there. The episode I saw was Smuggler’s Blues, which reaquainted me with a kickass song I hadn’t heard in years. Glenn Frey has plenty of cheesy songs, but this isn’t one of them. This song rocks (though the video is pretty bad.) Anyways, an article I came across from a few years ago talks about how influential Miami Vice was to television.

Mann favored neon and reflective surfaces for his night shots, even hosing down the streets so they shimmered like black glass. Combine that glossy look with striking camera angles, smash-cut editing, and dramatic use of freeze frames, and Mann had developed a powerful visual language that is still widely copied.

His ambitious accomplishment unleashed a once unthinkable exodus. In the two decades since “Miami Vice” first aired, more and more feature film talent – actors, writers, producers and directors – have moved over to work in television, resulting in a remarkable improvement in the quality of TV drama. Without “Miami Vice,” there is no “ER” or “The Sopranos” or “CSI.”

Just as important as the look of “Vice” was its sound. From the industrial-strength opening of Jan Hammer’s electronica theme, this was a show fueled by music. “If you remember what other TV show theme songs of that era sounded like, this was shock therapy,” says Hammer. Both the “Miami Vice Theme” and the “Miami Vice” soundtrack album would top the Billboard charts.

In addition to Hammer’s score, “Vice” also used a rich variety of contemporary pop and rock songs during episodes. Until that time, if a TV show wanted to employ a pop hit, it usually resorted to a sappy, elevator music version to avoid paying stiff rights fees. But “Vice” used the original recordings of artists from Eric Clapton to Depeche Mode, from U2 to Peter Gabriel.

Not only that, it often let these songs play out in their entirety over scenes without dialogue. The impact of these music video operettas, beginning with Phil Collins’ “In the Air Tonight” in the two-hour pilot, was unusually powerful.

Mark Twain tried his hand at trivia, and in the end he turned out a game that is interesting, but not near as fun as quizzo. Nonetheless, it’s a decent game called “Mark Twain’s Memory Builder” which might be more fun if you did it with sports. Basically, you name a year, and pick out an important event from that year. For example, if Player one picks the number 76, he can then say Declaration of Independence signed or Legionnaire’s tragedy in Philadelphia. Different types of events are worth different points. You go through the numbers, with players taking turns. Sounds like it could be kind of fun. I guess. Maybe.

Played the quiz last Monday at Westbury. My squad ate it in the final round. Thinking about playing UA quiz tonight. Holler at me if you’re interested in playing. Here’s a few thoughts from Mike Minion.

Last Monday was a Tale of Two Bars. The UA was a little slow, so there was no quiz.  More on that later.  The story at The Westbury was quite the opposite, to say the least . A lively crowd and spirited competition made for an interesting evening.  Group W (a subsidiary of Steak ‘Em Up) came from behind with an impressve final round to win for the second week in a row.  JGT’s team imploded in the last round, and finished out of the money.  Big surprise.  This week, I’d like to see some new team step up and keep Group W from completing the hat trick.

Last week also marked the start of a new feature.  I let the team with the lowest score for the night pick the theme for this week’s wild card round.  They choose “Science”. Lest this scare you off, have no fears.  In my book, asking who recorded the song, “She Blinded Me With Science” counts as a science question.  The 2nd round should be amusing as well.

Re the UA quiz: The UA regulars (L. Ron, Lambda) have been conspicuously absent from Monday nights.  Maybe they only want to play when they know the topics are slanted in their favor.  Or perhaps the idea of facing The Champs is a little intimidating.  Just thinking out loud.

Beer specials at both venues. Dollar off all drafts at Ugly American, and Great Lakes Edmund Fitzgerald Porter is on tap for $3 at Westbury, as well as a dollar off all Dogfish Head beers. Gonna be a fun quiz. Hope to see you tonight, and start studying your Thomas Dolby songs!

Quite an interesting music round last night, as you had to name 1980s hits…as played by ragtime piano player Scott Bradlee. See how many 80s hits you can recognize in the above song. Furterhmore, I highly encourage you to buy it off itunes. It’s all one medley, so the whole thing only costs 99 cents.