I had another 80s night last night alone in my apartment in downtown New Orleans; and the response was, again, overwhelming! As I write this, the 80s night video has reached over 12,000 with 380 comments and 45 shares. That’s huge and shows that this silly thing I started doing after the stay-at-home/social distancing orders were issued in New Orleans has become appointment viewing.
The posted comments on the WWL Radio and the Scoot On The Air Facebook pages are mostly positive and thanking me for providing a break from the never-ending tension of the coronavirus crisis.
The first Thursday night under the stay-at-home orders, I was in my apartment thinking about how I would be getting ready to go to 80s night at One-Eyed Jack’s - a nightclub in the French Quarter. I often go on Thursday nights because it’s a great night with an awesome crowd and the best 80s music. When I realized I would not be going to 80s night because all of the bars, clubs and restaurants in the French Quarter were closed - I thought I would just go on Facebook Live and do 80s night by myself.
The first song I danced to was “Hungry Like The Wolf” by Duran Duran, and I put on a black leather jacket with jeans and a scarf. The video of me dancing went viral, and I decided to do it again the next Thursday. I think the next week I danced to “Look of Love” by ABC while wearing a blazer with bold blue and white stripes that reflected the imagery from the original ABC video. That video also went viral.
The idea of dressing in something that captured the mood of the videos for the 80s songs I was dancing to was catching on and attracting an audience - I had to keep doing it. Other iconic songs featured on 80s Night were “Relax” by Frankie Goes To Hollywood - “Don’t You Want Me” by Human League and “Lucky Star” by Madonna. All of the videos are still posted on the SOTA Facebook page. I don’t claim to be a great dancer - but I was an eyewitness to the dance phenomenon of the 80s and was on the air on B-97 playing these songs when they were first released as hits.
One 80s night I was talking to this girl when a Madonna song came on and she said, “Wow, this song reminds me of when I was in the 3rd grade!” I paused and said, “This song reminds me of when I was 35!” I’m fascinated that the love of 80s music transcends generations.
Every week - my 80s night on Facebook has been a huge social media success; and the comments from people expressing their appreciation for this weekly solo dance party are amazing. My idea was just to have fun - be silly and break the routine of navigating through this unprecedented crisis. Apparently, it’s working.
I was touched by a few comments from nurses who are working on the frontline in the battle against COVID-19. For them to tell me that I made them smile after a grueling day at the hospital confirmed that 80s night was indeed fulfilling its goal.
But it was the story that I heard this morning that touched me and really convinced me that 80s night was serving a purpose.
A patient from Slidell Memorial Hospital told me that while she was in for an infusion of iron - a group of nurses were laughing at something they were watching on a cellphone. She had seen my 80s night video last night. When another nurse asked what they were watching and one said something about someone dancing in a red dress, she knew they were watching the 80s night video from last night.
An elderly patient - who was in the room for 8 hours of chemo - wanted to know what the nurses were laughing at - the nurses went over and showed her the video of me dancing in a red dress to “Dude Looks Like A Lady” by Aerosmith. Not knowing who I was the elderly patient said, “That boy is so cute!” She was smiling and moving her body to the music.
Since the woman was going to be there for 8 hours today - she said she was going to take a nap and asked the nurses to show her the video again later to cheer her up.
If my simple, silly video can bring a smile to a patient facing a long day of chemo - then I would say that the 80s night social distancing dancing from my apartment is serving a purpose.
Thanks to all of you who join me on Thursday nights and I have heard that some people are dancing with me.
The next 80s night will be Thursday, April 30 LIVE at 9:00pm on the Scoot On The Air Facebook page and shared immediately on the WWL-Radio page. And - no - I have no idea what song or what I’ll wear. It’s always a surprise for me too!
When the threat of the coronavirus spread subsides - I want to plan a time and place where we can get together and dance to 80s music in person with each other!
Be safe and enjoy this beautiful weekend!