I just came across a story about Pete Burns, the bisexual lead-singer of the 80s band Dead or Alive. It turns out that he is critically ill and Burns issued this statement via the band's official website:
"I simply want it announced I collapsed on wed and was rushed to hospital going in two kidneys failure and rushed for emergency 5 hours surgery where they found 8 stones in each kidney but were unable to remove them as they were blocking both kidneys, the urethra and bladder. I'm in a very serious condition on 24 hours intravenous morphine for the pain. Intravenous fluid as I'm so dehydrated and the kidneys can't retain the liquid. I also have diabetes insipidus which is pulling water from my lung, liver, heart and brain. I'm critically ill and under 24 hours observation and will be in hospital for quite a long time."

In case you are not familiar with him, Burns shocked audiences in the 1980s with overt sexuality and flamboyant style which included his pre-Boy George androgynous clothing choices, exotic hairstyles, high heel shoes, long fingernails, trademark black eyepatch, and heavy make-up (although he maintains that he is not a tranvestite and that his wardrobe choices are based on fashion and image rather than sexual enjoyment). Almost as much as his career with Dead or Alive, Burns is now known for his ever-changing appearance, which he freely admits has been greatly modified by cosmetic surgery (some of which were botched and/or had complications). You can see by a more recent picture of Burns that he appears even more feminine now.

Dead or Alive is probably best known for a song from their 1985 album Youthquake. So one of this week's Flashback Videos is "You Spin Me Round (Like A Record)" by Dead or Alive...

That song was a #1 on the UK charts and went to #11 on the US charts. My favorite song by the band came from the 1987 album Mad, Bad, and Dangerous to Know. The other of this week's Flashback Videos is "Brand New Lover" by Dead of Alive...

That song went to #15 on the US Billboard Hot 100, but all the way to #1 on the Billboard Dance chart. Hope you enjoyed another walk down memory lane with Flashback Videos. Pete Burns seems to be a pretty weird dude, but we wish him all the best and hope he recovers from his condition.

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 new Fan Page where I ask you to then click on "Become a Fan". Even if you are not a Facebook member yet, please consider joining and registering as a fan at that page. Let other 80s fans know about it as well! Peace and much love.