This time that awesomeness is Mark King of Level 42. I am so pleased to have had the chance to interview the man partly responsible for two of my favorite songs of the entire 80s decade, not to mention one of the preeminent bass players of our time. Level 42 formed back in 1980 featuring Mark King's lead vocals and distinctive thumb-slap bass guitar grooves. King was joined by Mike Lindup (keyboards & backing vocals) as well as brothers Boon (guitar) and Phil (drums) Gould.

Level 42 has released 11 studio albums which have produced 20 singles reaching the Top 40 on the UK Singles Chart. In 1985, they would gain U.S. popularity and radio play with "Something About You" and followed that up with another big hit in 1986's "Lessons In Love."

"Something About You," from the 1985 album World Machine, would be the band's first and most successful U.S. hit reaching #7 on the Billboard Hot 100. In case you are not familiar with it, here is the original video for "Something About You" by Level 42...

Level 42 - Something About You
Uploaded by jpdc11. - Watch more music videos, in HD!

They would open for huge tours with Madonna and Tina Turner as well as headlining for themselves. The brothers Gould would leave the band in 1987 and be replaced until Level 42 temporarily disbanded in 1994 before reforming in 2001. They are celebrating 30 years now and Mark King has been the one constant the whole time.

Now, let's get on with my interview with Mark King...

Q: There seems to be elements/influences of jazz, funk, soul, R&B and pop in your music. How do you describe the Level 42 sound and its appeal?

Mark: Well, I suppose the music Level 42 makes is a product of the broad range of influences each of the musicians involved has had over the years. When we began back in 1980 we had been listening to a lot of the fusion music that had sprung from the Miles Davis school, guys like John McLaughlin, Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock, Joe Zawinul, along with the funk pioneers from James Browns bands. But if you look back even further then we had all grown up listening to the British pop scene and The Rolling Stones, The Beatles et al, so it's no surprise really that there is something of all these styles in our songs.

Q: I have heard some different explanations, so how did the band name Level 42 come about and what is its meaning?

Mark: Having come along when punk was in its death throes we looked for a name that would somehow distance ourselves from it, and numerology seemed as good a way as any. Douglas Adams had just released The Hitch-Hikers Guide To The Galaxy and the answer to the "ultimate question of life, the universe, and everything" was 42, at least according to the super computer deep thought! The level part was bolted on at the suggestion of our first producer, Andy Sojka.

Q: You just celebrated your 52^nd birthday and Level 42 is celebrating its 30^th anniversary. That means you have known many more years in your life as a member of the band than not. What legacy do you feel the band has left thus far? From your perspective, how has the industry changed over those 30 years?

Mark: Yes, thirty years is a long time to be doing anything really. But I would hope that the energy of the bands live performances today are still an inspiration to the next generation of players that come along to see us as much as we were for Pete Biggin, who came along and sat in with us back in 1991 when he was eleven years old and now has the gig on drums.
The industry has changed radically from back in the day. I don't think the major labels took on board the huge impact that the internet would have on how we buy, listen to, or share music and they are struggling to adapt. As an artist with a long history the internet has been an amazing thing for me and I started releasing my own "home produced" music back in 1998 direct to the fans. It's the way to go!

Q: Your two most successful songs in the U.S. were 1985's "Something About You" and 1986's "Lessons in Love". They are two of my favorite songs of the entire decade. What changed for the band as you achieved worldwide popularity?

Mark: I'm glad you like them, thanks. Those two songs did bust it wide open for us, in every territory, and the work load increased exponentially. That was fine, but there were the inevitable casualties too and we lost Boon, then Phil to the rigors of being on the road for too long. But as one door closes so another opens and we were joined by Gary Husband and Alan Murphy, two fantastic musicians and good friends.

Q: Is it true that "Lessons in Love" was rushed to be released because another artist was going to release a cover version?

Mark: Yes it is. The German branch of Polydor liked the song so much that they had it covered by a local female singer and had plans to release ahead of us, which could have been disastrous as it went on to be a number one there for us for seven weeks. It would be interesting to hear her version, I never have, who knows it might have been better?

The single was released in April of 1986, but the album it would be included on, Running in the Family, would not be released until March of 1987. In addition to hitting #1 in Germany, the single would reach #3 on the UK Charts and #12 on the Billboard Hot 100. Here's the original video for "Lessons in Love" by Level 42...

Level 42 - Lessons In Love
Uploaded by jpdc11. - Watch more music videos, in HD!

Q: What are your personal favorites of the Level 42 hit songs? Are there any lesser known songs that you have always particularly enjoyed?

Mark: I like playing "To Be With You Again" and "Heaven In My Hands" is always good to play live, but I've no real favorites as they are all great fun to play, particularly for a bass player.

"To Be With You Again" was also from 1987's Running in the Family album. It would be a top 10 single in the UK, but was not even released as a single in the U.S. "Heaven In My Hands" was from 1988's Staring at the Sun album and is the first single released after the Gould brothers left the band. Here's the original video for "Heaven In My Hands" by Level 42...

Level 42 - Heaven In My Hands
Uploaded by UniversalMusicUK. - Watch more music videos, in HD!

Q: So many bands who had major success in the 80s seem to "run away from the 80s", but you seem to embrace it. I think that is cool. Any particular reasons you choose not to run away from those great years?

Mark: The 80s were really good to me and I cherish the good fortune that gave me my career in that era. We were lucky enough to have grown up through, and been inspired by the 60s and 70s, then been able to get our music out there at a time when radio and TV wasn't so one dimensional. A fantastic time.

Q: I read that you actually switched from drums to bass when forming the band. How did that decision come about? We certainly don't regret it, but do you ever wonder what it would've been like if you would've never made the change?

Mark: When we began in 1980 we were rehearsing at The Guildhall School of Music where Mike Lindup was a student, and I had lost my drums in an abortive trip to Austria. Phil had the drum kit so I borrowed a bass guitar and got stuck in on that instead. Phil was a great drummer though so it was all good! At that time I always believed I'd be back on drums in some band or other but it just never happened that way.

Mark's drummer rhythm and instincts would transition nicely into his distinctive slap-bass technique. This style was more common in funk and jazz fusion, but was pretty fresh for pop music. Here's a short video of Mark demonstrating his slap-bass technique...

Mark King's Slapping Technique
Uploaded by Fanuchi. - Music videos, artist interviews, concerts and more.

Q: I have noticed that you wear black tape around your thumb when you play. Have you always done that and is there a reason for it?

Mark: When we first toured Holland in 1981 I thumped the bass a bit too hard and split my thumb open, we still had another thirteen shows to follow so I just had to tape it up and get on with it. Now it feels weird without the tape.

Q: I have heard your fun version of "All I Want For Christmas Is You" on YouTube. I think it is great. Have you ever considered releasing an entire Christmas album? I think it would be outstanding.

Mark: Hey, great idea! I'm a big Christmas fan and love having the family around, it's what life's all about, really.

Here's the video I referred to of Mark King performing "All I Want For Christmas Is You"...

Q: I love your new 4CD Box Set called Living It Up. I particularly love the acoustic versions included and especially the acoustic "Something About You." It is exceptional. Is that something that came out of your live shows? Also, I have to imagine playing acoustic bass is quite different than the usual.

Mark: The acoustic album came about because we needed to play something on live radio interviews. We'd just released the Retroglide album in 2006 and one of the songs "All I Need" leant itself to the acoustic "treatment" quite well. Then the fans were asking if we could play more of the songs acoustically so that's what we did and the 30^th Anniversary Box Set was the perfect excuse.

Q: What is Level 42 up to right now and what are plans for the near future?

Mark: We are midway through our UK tour and then off into Holland, Belgium, Germany, and Switzerland ending mid November. We've already been out to Japan in June and the US in July with loads of festivals in Europe sandwiched in between. It really has been a great 30^th Anniversary Tour and you can keep up with it all on www.level42.com!

What an honor it was for me that Mark took the time to answer my questions so I could share them with you here. I have been a big fan of Level 42 since the first time I heard "Something About You" back in 1985 and now I can appreciate the music of the band so much more. The new 4CD Box Set is outstanding and I highly recommend it to any Level 42 fans. Be sure to visit the website www.level42.com to see the great things that Mark and the band are still doing. Mark King is one of my favorite musicians of all time and he has certainly made his mark on 80s pop culture and music. I want to take this opportunity to thank him for that and for reminiscing with us for a little while.

That's all for this special issue of Kickin' it Old School. Thanks as always for reading and hope you are enjoying the interviews. If you are interested in reading any of my other 80s related issues, please click there for a summary of those. You can also always click on the Archives in the upper left hand column or use the Google Search Box at the top of the right hand column to find any other issues you may have missed. If you are a fan of Kickin' it, PLEASE CLICK ON THE FACEBOOK LOGO in the upper right hand column. This will take you to the Fan Page where I ask you to then click on the "Like" button. Even if you are not a Facebook member yet, please consider joining and registering as a fan at that page. You can also follow Old School on Twitter by clicking on the FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER LOGO also in the upper right hand column. This will take you the page and you can just click on the box that says "Follow". I am sending daily 80s tweets, so sign up to get those. Let other 80s fans know about it as well! Peace and much love.

Check this out: With Halloween coming up soon, here are some creative (yet naughty) pumpkin displays that I thought were worth sharing with you...

Quote of the day: "The city is built
To music, therefore never built at all,
And therefore built forever."
-Alfred Lord Tennyson
(both Tennyson and Mark King hail from the Isle of Wight - the country which is an island south of England)

For this issue, that awesomeness is Joyce Hyser Robinson. I had the privilege of an interview with the gorgeous actress who I will always remember for her starring role in the 1985 film Just One of the Guys. I fully admit that it is one of my favorite teen comedies of the 80s. I did not see it in the theater, but saw it dozens of times on cable TV and since then have owned it on both VHS and DVD. I remember raving about it to friends back then when it seemed many had not even heard of the movie, but it has unexpectedly gained popularity and almost a cult status over the years.

Just One of the Guys is rather compelling and this has a lot to do with the performance of Joyce Hyser as "Terri Griffith." After feeling she is a victim of gender discrimination, the "aspiring journalist learns the hard way that there's more to being a dude than just stuffing a tube sock down your pants" when she decides to pose as a boy at a different school to prove her point. The story has some holes, but if you suspend your disbelief for a little while you will be entertained by a well-meaning film that deals with some real issues. The movie was nominated for Young Artists Awards including Best Family Motion Picture and (for Joyce Hyser) Best Starring Performance By a Young Actress. Here is the trailer for Just One of the Guys...

Now on to the interview with Joyce Hyser which begins with several questions about Just One of the Guys...

Q: What was your initial take on the film? Did you see it as just a teen comedy or making a deeper more important statement on sexism/feminism and social status.

Joyce: Although it may be cloaked in a silly teenage romp I was ABSOLUTELY drawn to this project because of its subversive gender identity messages (for both young women, and young men.) The film actually operates on so many different levels and deals with so many teenage issues from homophobia to the pressure that is put on kids to conform to a certain ideal, that it always surprised me that at the time of its release it was not really judged for the sum of all its parts. I always did get a good laugh over one criticism that I saw repeatedly, and that was that I was not really "believable as a guy." Really? Are you kidding? I WASN'T a guy. I was never meant to be a guy. I was always just a girl in high school PRETENDING to be a guy. It was a fine line I had to play, because I was supposed to be a teenage girl, not an actress playing the part of a boy.
I had my questions about the script when I first read it, but as soon as I met Lisa (Gottlieb, the director) and we started talking about the character and her ideas for the film I knew we had the opportunity to make a movie that had a little more gravitas than your normal teen comedy. The film is definitely dated, but it's chockfull of interesting subtext that resonates to this day.

Q: Do you remember the audition process for the role of Terri Griffith? You were gorgeous, yet someone thought you could pull off playing the role of a boy. You were in your mid-20s and playing a high school student. It turned out that you were perfect for the role, but did you realize what you were getting in to at the time?

Joyce: Actually I think I was 26 when we made the movie and I had to screen test for it. There were 3 women who tested and one of them was Jennifer Jason Leigh. Going into it I was a little nervous about Jennifer because she got a part over me once before, but once the test was over I felt pretty confident. I did not think that anyone could play that part as well as I could.

Q: I have to ask about two physical things. First is the hair cut. How did you feel about having to cut your hair? Did you wear a wig for the early scenes when your hair was long? How long did it take you to grow it back out after the film?

Joyce: I actually had long hair before the movie and they had to cut it off and make a wig for the long hair, which by the way I hated!!! They spent a fortune on that wig and it was just g-d awful! My hair grows VERY fast so it didn't take that long for it to grow back in. It's funny that I never had short hair again after that, because it was actually very flattering.

Q: Second is the topless scene. The scene when you reveal yourself as a girl is quite memorable. Was that in the original script and did you have any reservations about the nudity? What reaction to the scene did you get after the film was released and even today?

Joyce: I had a NO nudity clause in my contract and I was quite adamant about not doing the reveal scene. Lisa (Gottlieb, the director) recently reminded me of a story that at the time had absolutely cemented my decision to not show the real deal. I had discussed the script and the scene with a very close friend, another actor, who had advised me against it. Her argument went something like this..... "Honey, with those breasts if you go topless in that scene, no one you meet will ever look into your eyes again." That just freaked me out!
The crazy thing about my decision to actually shoot it the way we did, was that this was long before the internet. Had I known then that one shot would end up on porn sites one day - there is not a chance in hell I would have ever done it. In the end I agreed to shoot it both ways if, and only if, the decision would be totally mine on which way we would go. After watching it both ways it was undeniable to me that this was in no way gratuitous and in fact it was essential to the unfolding of the story.
After the movie was released I did find that I had to remind many a young boy that they might get a better response from me if they actually looked at my face when they talked to me because the breasts have no voice!

Q: What do most people tell you they remember best from the movie (other than the scene mentioned above)? I actually was able to impress a girl in high school with the "pencil eraser as a replacement earring back" trick. I will always remember Buddy's emphatic statement that "all balls itch!" What was your favorite?

Joyce: The ball scratching scene is definitely a fan favorite, but my favorite scene is when I come home drunk and Kevin is there and then I tell my brother that there's a naked girl in my room "feeding pizza to the fish."

Q: Buddy (played by Billy Jayne) and your character had great chemistry as brother as sister on screen and the scenes when you would go back & forth are some of my favorites in the film. Did that just come natural? Was any of that ad-libbed or was it all in the script?

Joyce: Billy and I had GREAT time together. He was a mature 15 and I was an immature 26 so the age difference wasn't much of an issue. Our banter although pretty raunchy at times was designed to be a little throw back to old school screwball comedy. There was definitely some make it up as you go, but most of it was scripted.

Q: How was it working with Billy Zabka (who played "Greg Tolan")? There was no one better than him at playing the bully role in an 80s movie and this was no exception. He could make you dislike him within seconds of being introduced to his character. How was he off the screen?

Joyce: Billy Zabka is a total sweetie pie off screen. Seriously, absolutely nothing like most of the characters he played.

Q: Can you believe it has been 25 years since the film was released? I can't. Do you keep in touch with director Lisa Gottlieb, Zabka, Clayton Rohner (Rick Morehouse), Billy Jayne (Buddy) or any of the other cast members?

Joyce: Most of us are on Facebook together, and I've seen Clayton and Lisa in the past year.

Joyce had some other contributions to the 80s as well. Here are some questions not about Just One of the Guys...

Q: Prior to Just One of the Guys, you had roles in films directed by Sylvester Stallone (1983's Staying Alive), Rob Reiner (1984's This Is Spinal Tap) and Martha Coolidge (1983's Valley Girl). What memories do you have from being around any of them?

Joyce: I loved Sly and I loved John Travolta who I had known prior to being cast in the film. I ran into Sly not that long ago and he couldn't have been sweeter.
Rob Reiner was also a doll. Sweet as could be, very funny and super talented!! That movie was a ton of fun to make and I just wish that my stuff had not been totally cut out of the film! All my scenes were with Chris Guest, Harry Shearer, Michael McKean and Vicki Blue. Vicki and I play 2 groupies Chris and Harry pick up on the road and we go out on tour with them. Those guys are all comic geniuses and it was an honor to work with them.

Q: How did you end up being in the video for the 1984 hit single "I Can Dream About You" by the late Dan Hartman? Do you like the song more or less now because of your connection to it?

Joyce: I knew Dan's manager and he asked me if I would do it. We shot at the Hard Rock in London. I honestly remember very little about it, but Dan was very nice and I absolutely love that song. I did another music video for ZZ Top's song "Pin Cushion" which I really like. It was directed by Julian Temple.

"I Can Dream About You" was from the soundtrack for the film Streets of Fire and would reach #6 on the Billboard Hot 100. Joyce appears in the video as the beautiful patron that the bartender played by Hartman is pining for. Here is the video for "I Can Dream About You" by Dan Hartman...

Q: You had the recurring role of Jimmy Smits' girlfriend "Allison Gottlieb" on L.A. Law (from 1989-1990). Anything particularly memorable about your time on what I consider to be one of the best TV dramas of the 80s?

Joyce: I'm very proud of my work on L.A. Law. I love Jimmy Smits and he was an absolute dream to work with. I was originally hired to do one guest spot as a video director who was shooting a video with Arnie Becker (played by Corbin Bernsen) and it turned into a 2 year recurring role. I was brought on to the show by a wonderful writer by the name of Judith Parker who had wanted me for a pilot she had created for NBC prior to her stint on L.A. Law. She was definitely a champion of mine and I will always be grateful to her for her belief in me.
My most memorable L.A. Law moment came off the set when I was home one night watching Nightline with Ted Koppel, which I watched religiously. In those days, his set was a desk in front of a huge bank of monitors. The opening music comes up and the monitors are filled with the same image of me and Jimmy Smits in our first love scene playing on a loop. Then Ted says, "Sex in television. Has it gone too far?" I must say that may have been one of my proudest moments. LOL!!

Q: It is reported that you dated Bruce Springsteen back in the 80s. Can you confirm and do you have any interesting Springsteen stories?

Joyce: Bruce and I were together for almost 5 years. I grew up with him. We are friends to this day.

Q: Were there any 80s roles that you auditioned for or were considered for that would be interesting or surprising?

Joyce: Nothing really notable in the 80s that I really cared about. I tested for Volunteers and lost to Rita Wilson. I turned down a role in Eddie and the Cruisers. My biggest career disappointment was The Sopranos. I tested for Dr. Melfi. It was between me and Lorraine Bracco. Oh well!

Q: The last role that I see that you had was in 2003. What have you been up to since then?

Joyce: I fell in love with writing and that's what I'm doing now. I have an amazing writing partner and you may see something from us soon on the small and the big screen. I have not turned my back on acting, just taking a good long break from it that was much needed.

I can't tell you enough what a pleasure and honor it was for me that Joyce took the time to answer my questions so I could share them with you here. As I said earlier, I have been a big fan of Joyce and Just One of the Guys since the first time I saw them, but after this I am an even bigger admirer of Joyce Hyser Robinson. She undoubtedly made contributions to 80s pop culture through film, music video and television. I certainly thank her for those and look forward to what she might bring to the screen next as a writer.

That's all for this special issue of Kickin' it Old School. Thanks as always for reading and hope you are enjoying the new interview feature. If you are interested in reading any of my other 80s related issues, please click there for a summary of those. You can also always click on the Archives in the upper left hand column or use the Google Search Box at the top of the right hand column to find any other issues you may have missed. If you are a fan of Kickin' it, PLEASE CLICK ON THE FACEBOOK LOGO in the upper right hand column. This will take you to the Fan Page where I ask you to then click on the "Like" button. Even if you are not a Facebook member yet, please consider joining and registering as a fan at that page. You can also follow Old School on Twitter by clicking on the FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER LOGO also in the upper right hand column. This will take you the page and you can just click on the box that says "Follow". I am sending daily 80s tweets, so sign up to get those. Let other 80s fans know about it as well! Peace and much love.

Check this out: I really find Jimmy Fallon to be pretty funny more often than not. Here is an older clip where he performed a routine on Conan. You really can sing almost any 80s song to the tune of "U Can't Touch This"...

Quote of the day: "Treat people as if they were what they ought to be and you help them to become what they are capable of being." -Goethe

For this issue, I had the honor of interviewing Deon Estus. In case you did not already know, he is a singer, bassist and producer who is probably best known for his time playing bass for the legendary 80s band Wham! and then continuing with George Michael on his solo projects. He had a big solo hit in 1989 as well which I will elaborate on below. Estus learned to play bass from none other than James Jamerson who was the uncredited bassist on most Motown hits of the 60s/70s and regarded as one of the most influential bass players in modern music history. Estus was on tour with Marvin Gaye and working on what would be Gaye's last studio album, 1982's Midnight Love which included his comeback single "Sexual Healing," when he made the decision to join Wham!. To find out more, let's just jump into my interview with Deon Estus...

Q: You were born and raised in Detroit, Michigan. How does a kid from Motown end up hooked up with a British pop band like Wham!?

Deon: I went to Belgium in 1979 with Marvin Gaye. From there I moved to Dublin, Ireland. In 1982, I received a call to go meet George Michael. The rest is history.

Wham! is often recognized as the duo of George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley, but Deon Estus says he "was considered and made to feel as if he was the third member of Wham!." The band had success earlier in the UK, but it was not until 1984 when they had a hit single with "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" and their second album, Make It Big, went to #1 in the U.S. that they took the rest of the planet by storm. That album would also feature hit singles "Careless Whisper," "Freedom" and "Everything She Wants." These four pop gems made me (and pretty much everybody else who listened to the radio) take notice. I think my personal Wham! favorite is 1985's "I'm Your Man" which would appear on the band's final album Music from the Edge of Heaven. Here's the video for that song and take notice of the outstanding bass groove courtesy of Deon Estus who also happens to appear several times as well...

Q: What are your favorites of the Wham! hit songs? Is there a song that never was released as a single or just never became a hit that you have always particularly loved?

Deon: I liked all the Wham! songs that we did. "Blue" is one of my favorites along with "Credit Card Baby."

I also happen to like the song "Blue." In 1985, Wham! was one of the first western musical groups to perform and tour in China. In case you are not familiar with this song which was recorded live during that tour in China, here they are performing it there...

Q: With the incredible success that Wham! had after just 3 albums, it was surprising that the band broke up. Was George Michael just that destined to become a superstar that it was inevitable? Did you know already that you would continue working with George on his solo projects?

Deon: George was definitely already a star. George and myself wanted to go on and do solo careers. Yes, I knew that George and I would always work together.

George Michael only went on to sell over 100 million records worldwide and release 5 singles as a solo artist which would hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the U.S. In 1987, his first solo album, Faith, went 10x Platinum and featured hits like "I Want Your Sex," "Faith," "Father Figure" and "One More Try." Estus was right there contributing to his friend's incredible success. Here, at an April 1987 concert, the two perform a fun cover of Len Barry's 1965 single "1-2-3" which happened to be a cover that Estus had recorded himself on an earlier project...

Q: Other than with George Michael, any other hits that we might be surprised to hear Deon Estus playing on? I heard you worked some with Elton John?

Deon: To name a few- Annie Lennox "Why" (1992) and Tina Turner "Simply the Best" (1989). I worked with Elton John, played bass on the Ice on Fire album (1985).

The biggest hit single from that Elton John album was "Nikita" which not only featured Deon Estus on bass, but also George Michael on backing vocals. The song peaked at #7 on the Billboard Hot 100 and here's the video...

Q: I have liked your hit single "Heaven Help Me" since the first time I heard it on the radio. To be honest, I originally thought it was a new song by George Michael with his contributions to it. Your voices both harmonize together well. Any special memories about your 1989 hit?

Deon: George Michael and I wrote that song together. We do match up well together and our voices are similar in a lot of ways. It's another great song that we are both very proud of.

From his 1989 solo album Spell, "Heaven Help Me" which was co-written and features backing vocals by George Michael made it all the way to #5 on the Billboard Hot 100. It ranks highly on my Most Heartbreaking Songs of the 80s list (a couple spots ahead of "Careless Whisper" coincidentally). Here's the video for "Heaven Help Me" by Deon Estus...

Q: I assume you still keep in touch with George Michael. Do you keep in touch with Andrew Ridgeley too?

Deon: Yes, I have spoken to both George & Andrew and look forward to working with George in the future.

Q: Lastly, I know you are out performing, but what else you are up to lately?

Deon: I am getting ready for my new album which I am very excited about. I'm sure all the fans will like it. Only Love Is Real.

"Only Love Is Real" is the title of the first single from his upcoming album that is hopefully soon to be released. I definitely am looking forward to hearing his new material. Those are only some excerpts from my interview with Deon Estus and you can find out more at his official website www.deonestus.com. It was a real privilege getting to ask Deon some questions. I want to thank him again for making himself available for his fans and being willing to talk about the past. He is certainly one of the top bass players in the world. He certainly made some major contributions to the great decade of the 80s and it is great to hear that he is still going strong.

That's all for this issue of Kickin' it Old School. Thanks as always for reading. If you are interested in reading any of my other 80s related issues, please click there for a summary of those. You can also always click on the Archives in the upper left hand column or use the Google Search Box at the top of the right hand column to find any other issues you may have missed. If you are a fan of Kickin' it, PLEASE CLICK ON THE FACEBOOK LOGO in the upper right hand column. This will take you to the Fan Page where I ask you to then click on the "Like" button. Even if you are not a Facebook member yet, please consider joining and registering as a fan at that page. You can also follow Old School on Twitter by clicking on the FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER LOGO also in the upper right hand column. This will take you the page and you can just click on the box that says "Follow". I am sending daily 80s tweets, so sign up to get those. Let other 80s fans know about it as well! Peace and much love.

Check this out: There is always some funny stuff happening over at www.FunnyOrDie.com. The latest is a parody of the 1989 Bobby Brown hit "Every Little Step" which stars Wayne Brady and Mike Tyson. Bobby actually appears in it himself too. Pretty amusing...

Quote of the day: "And in the end, the love we take will be equal to the love we make." -The Beatles