STAROCK - Music for the Future (from the near-distant cable-access past)

Back in the mid-80s, El Space Vato spent awe-struck moments, watching the SF CH-25 cable-access show STAROCK. Now I'm a convert too. You can't see the show any more, but you can enjoy the very unique essence that is STAROCK on their YouTube. Roland Grand was the west coast Dave Stewart to Monica West's Annie Lennox. Together they work potent psychedelic magic. As Vato points out, their enthusiasm is only matched by their incredibly high self-regard. I genuinely like this band and their full-throttle go-for-itness. Anyone this true to their aesthetic gets a head-nod from me. Damn catchy too.

Somebody over at STAROCK forgot to hit the "embedding disabled by request" button when he uploaded this one. So at last I can share their supreme presence with the world.



The lyrics are not top-notch. Note:
Making eyes, meeting guys, telling lies...Joy Riding
Hanging out, tearing out, making out...Joy Riding
Breaking up, shakes me up, but making up...Joy--(and so on)

But look at that gung ho performance by Monica West. She believes in STAROCK. And I'm not going to sit here and deny her belief system. The available STAROCK videos shall remain links for now. Do click--you won't be sorry. Really.

My personal favorite, Your A Natural (sic), with its "One, two, three, yeah, yeah, yeaaaaah" finger-count chorus and sparkly attired West doing free-dance choreography in natural settings to bubble-gum keyboard accompaniment, speaks to me.

STAROCK bills itself as the only band in the world to use PROJECTION TV as an ACTUAL BAND MEMBER! Roland Grand is in "Two Places At Once," on keyboards, bass and drums. Technically that's three places, but that only makes him more fantastic in my book. Projection TV does its thing in The Original Scene.

Now dig this: Changing Faces. Monica looks right through you in an asymetrical striped top and futuristic purple eye-shadow. Roland is in full military garb and also in another place, wearing some kind of poncho or cape-like device. There's a gold record hanging on the wall of the studio. That is the mise-en-scène. Take from it what you will. You won't be sorry.