http%3A//www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3DIIu7aoC205s
Who%20is%20this%20guy%2C%20anyway%3F- How about this?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mqs1s8bg5bs&feature=related
- Lou christie was HOT!
- Mmmm. Why didn't he have a bigger career? What ever happened to him?
- R3 He had the curse of the one hit wonder. Some of his later works are piano based soft rock which are actually not half bad. It is like he was Billy Joel before Billy Joel with that sort of thing or something.
One of my brothers messed about on You Tube a while back and was blown away by what Lou Christie of all people was doing after his one hit.
- haven't a couple of DLers talked about hooking up with him?
- Two faces have I!!!!!!!!!!
- More like a two- or three-hit wonder but yeah, fantastic high notes. Love LIghtning Strikes. He does the Golden Oldies circuit, I've seen him on pledge week on my PBS station. He can't really hit the high notes anymore.
- Hate the song, but great falsetto.
- Years ago somebody here claimed that he and Lou fucked.
- I heard he was performing on an oldies cruise -so buy a ticket if you want to meet him!
- also, when he had his hit songs, he had very short blond hair and wasn;t so laid back.
- You're welcome to him, ladies. This clip is from two years ago.
http://www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3DgIIN7LDg7Hg%26feature%3Drelated
- That was painful to listen to, R12.
- He doesn't want the ladies R12. He is gay, Gay, GAY!
- [quote] majorly packing?
Hard to tell. Your video seems from back at the dawn of time. Oddly, the voice does have some melodic sound at times. I Goggled him. Cute Italian boy half a century ago! Now a plain Italian man, voice gone. God! What's going to happen to my buds?
Edga
- Perhaps Edga should have Googled him instead of Goggling him. Perhaps Edga was too mesmerized by the video 'from back at the dawn of time'.
- OP, thanks, there's quite a few good views of his meat in that clip.
For Edga, maybe you'll like this version...
http://www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3Dgma5IUNMTn0%26feature%3Drelated
- WOW! Thanks, poster 16 & 17. I LOVE it!
Or, to give you cause to jibe again (the reason for DL). should I write LOOVE it?
I STILL don't see meat, but the song is the bomb! Rocks, you'd say?
Edga%2C%20authenticated%2C%20%20going%20back%20to%20typing%20school.%20%20What%2
- That one backup singer in the yellow is probably on every big hit from the late 70's and early 80's. She is one of the backup singers on Linda Ronstadt's "You're No Good.".
- A guy from Pittsburgh told me that Lou used to be a male hooker, before he was "discovered" by a producer.
- R18 = FAIL.
- [quote]That one backup singer in the yellow is probably on every big hit from the late 70's and early 80's. She is one of the backup singers on Linda Ronstadt's "You're No Good.".
Wasn't she also one of Streisand's back ups in "A Star Is Born"?
- [quote]Hard to tell. Your video seems from back at the dawn of time[/quote]
Yeah, but it was the first one I found on youtube. I forgot to mention that he looks a bit spacy/medicated in the clip as well.
Can't see his cock? Try at: 1:07 and 2:04, packing to his left. Like I said, I don't normally spot these things, but I think it's pretty clear. Except for that time I was watching an Otis Redding clip and he was in tight pants and it was SO obvious, and one of the youtube comments called him a mule. Speaking of youtube comments, did anyone else notice in R12's slightly unfortunate link that someone asked 'Is it true that Lou has a 12 inch penis?' lol.
Apart from that, he seems to still have fans who care about him and who hint that Lou's been through some rough times. So even if he can't hit the high notes, it's good that he's not struggling any more.
And, of course, want to hear more about him hooking up with Dataloungers! Hilarious.
OP
- Edga - was that J. Edgar Hoover's drag name?
- He looks, sounds and moves like a character from The Sopranos nowadays.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nz9NBNxexNc&feature=related
- I LOVE OPs first clip. I think he looks great in the beard and the denim. My teenage becoming a man mussy would have been dripping for that back then.
- I always liked this one.
Actually sounds q. old fashioned, for 1969.
Big hit in England, not sure about the USA.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=haYvrO5D_Yo
- Yeah, R26, I'm so glad that was the first video of Lou's that I saw because wow, some of the other ones are horrifying. His yellow 80s hair and Captain and Tennille outfits are probably the low point. Beards are not normally my thing, but he kind of fascinates me in that clip.
I'm thinking of buying 'Paint America Love' just ... just because he's had such a weird career and I like the snippets on amazon.
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51dij-dA4sL._SL500_AA300_.jpg
- He's not bad-looking for a guy pushing 70. I wonder if he'd have looked better or worse without the facelift, though.
- Wasn't he the one arrested for child molestation?
- R29, he HAS a facelift. You can see his mis-aligned facelift ears.
- Photos of his mis-aligned ears, R31?
Why would a guy like him get a facelift, anyway?
- Hmmm. He's pretty funny, but does NOT sound like I expected.
http://www.jerseygirlssing.com/Ronnie%20Allen%20Show%20--%20Lou%20Christie.mp3
- If you hurry, you can see a shot of him here - click to enlarge - that tells the package story.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/LOU-CHRISTIE-7-PS-JAPAN-LIGHTNIN-STRIKES-G565-/320690428046?pt=Music_on_Vinyl&hash=item4aaaa3988e
You're Welcome!
- I worked with him in 1988. We were in the same oldies show. By then he had the facelift, pancaked face, and streaked hair. He accompanied his act with several hip sways and kicks (must have been going through a Tom Jones phase). Pants always tight. Nice guy, seemed pretty jacked/coked up. I can see where we can infer he's hung.
And yes, gay.
There's a chapel in The Pines
- This is the version of Lou Christie I met in 1988. All streaked up and jacked up. Shoulder pads - but tighter pants. And very into his "sexy" moves.
I think he actually looked hot with his Midnight Cowboy/Hustler get-up and shirtless fringed vest (so 1969 gay!) in the Make You Mine video. He had the moves then.
By 1988, he was glued together and kind of hoaky.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1YjSAMtSQ2Y&feature=related
r35
- "I worked with him in 1988. We were in the same oldies show."
What were you doing in the oldies show? Backup singer? Musician? Just curious.
- Singer with the host act
- He owns and lives in the PH apt. of a Hells Kitchen building in my neighborhood. Thick, uncut pinga. Nice guy. His writing partner, Twyla died about 10 yrs. ago.
- His writing partner was something like 20 years older than him so she must have been up there when she kicked.
- Listen to the back-up girls in the verses of "Lightning" - at first I thought it was "baby ah ooh" but recently Lou told me it's "puppy ah ooh" - - because it sounded better.
- Some of the youtube posters claim they're singing "fuck me aah oooh":)
But it's nice to finally hear what the syllables are (I was never sure)
- The various incarnations are kind of hard to reconcile. I just ordered 'Paint America Love' off amazon (and it'll take 4-8 weeks to get here, I just read in an email!) but that neo-hippy/non-mainstream look and feel are just so different to his 80s schtick. I really don't like or get the streaked/tanned/earringed 80s look, but in that radio interview I linked earlier Lou sounds so normal and funny, even kind of sharp, like he'd get how cheesy he looks now.
Plus, the trainspotting interviewer keeps asking him about the backing vocalists for different tracks, and then says the girls on 'Lightning Strikes' told him they were singing 'buppy-ah-oooh' though Lou claims it's 'puppy-ah-ooh.'
More importantly, can we have more info about him being gay? Any other stories? I didn't even know this guy existed a week ago, but he fascinates me.
To the other singer on the thread, have we ever talked about you on the DL? Do you have any other stories about your era?
- r43 - I'm not a famous singer and am relatively younger than those oldies acts. I'm 50 yrs old now. In 1987 I was in a Rock N Roll Music Song & Dance Review that had rotating guest "stars" from the 50's and 60's. We were based in one of the large Casinos but we also toured.
Can't say I was a "back-up" singer because I had solos and was featured prominently in the review, singing with the starring host. But I'm no one DL would ever be concerned with.
Think hotels, arenas, cruise ships, night clubs, and yes - auuugghh - even Theme Parks - and the kind of shows they do.
- But R44, that's still fascinating. I can only imagine some of the stories you have from working on a cruise ship or in a theme park. You must have seen some crazy stuff ...
For one thing, do the 'oldies' acts ever resent that they're seen as nostalgia acts? Given how the majority of them seem to have been ripped off by their record companies, do they hate having to perform when they could be retired? Or do they genuinely love performing?
- Yes, yes, and yes, r45.
For your second question - they only hate a little having to be stuck singing tween lyrics like "My Boyfriend's Back" and "It's My Party" just because they were so easily disposed of way back when and were not allowed to grow up as performers. They give it as positive a spin as possible ("let's go back to a time when everything was much more innocent") but it must kill someone like Lou Christie to be singing "Lightning Strikes" for 45 years.
The audiences want to hear the song more than they want to hear the performers. Those who still sound like their 16-yr.old selves do best (Little Anthony, The Angels, Lou Christie - he was always a little off anyway - etc). Those who don't but still have amazing voices (Jay and the Americans, Lulu, or groups with names that are owned by promoters who hire great appropriately aging singers) do second best, and then there's those with the great songs who can muddle their way through them (Shirley from Shirelles, Lesley Gore, etc).
The saddest cases are those who had fantastic songs and now sound like overaffected crap (Martha Reeves) or plain can't sing anymore (you're gonna kill me but Paul McCartney falls in this category, even though as a legend and one half of the most brilliant songwriting team in Pop Music History, he has many other laurels to enjoy).
Same thing happening with Disco acts (old ladies singing and moaning about sex, fucking and sucking, old men gyrating to pulsating sex ballads), and coming soon to an AAA sports arena near you, aging Debbie Gibsons, Vanilla Ices, Ricky Martins and Britney Spears's - in that order.
It's a fate reserved exclusively for mainstream pop acts. Rock, soul, jazz, adult-oriented, ballad, stage musical singers fortunately don't get stuck having to sing their hits to screaming elders at all times.
What saved Cher? Re-invention, and before that, believe it or not, the night club scene, which moved her from teen pop rebel act to adult entertainment (then came movies, etc).
What saved Madonna? Re-invention of course. But she has refused to grow up with her audience, opting instead to cultivate new young ones. Sometimes it works, a la Tina Turner, and it has a lot to do with universal themes, lots of stamina, intelligence, and nice visuals. Madge may just be able to get away with it. Britney won't.
- I remember reading a quote from Rob Grill (Grass Roots) where he said that he figured out very early on that people who attend these oldies shows want to hear only the hits and not much else. I guess if you're from a group like the Grass Roots, who had a bunch of hits, you could mix it up and have occasional variety. But, I'm thinking that if he had a dime for every time he sang "Midnight Confessions", he would have died a very wealthy man.
Now that there are no longer any original members in the Grass Roots, time will tell if it's the group or the songs.
- It's the songs.
Fake Temptations did very well even before every last one of their original members passed away. Replacement Cadillacs and Duprees sound better than the originals do now but still very much like the originals did in their golden era. There are a few fake Marvelettes out there with varying degrees of audience reception.
Then there are groups that have one original member (usually not their soloist or star) to maintain some legitimacy or connection to the era, who surround themselves with solid singers.
There are other fake groups that don't do as well (Shangri-Las), but that's because they hire people who don't look/sound like them or who are obviously way too young to identify with the era.
The key element is to sound as close as possible to the original recording while capturing the essence of the era, something you can't do with young people who weren't alive in the 60's. You have to be able to transport the buying customer to the moment. Same premise used for evaluating antiques and relics.
Abbaesque Beatlemania
- Is Lou deep in the closet or quietly out? It would be kinda cool if he could be persuaded to post here.
- I think I'm more of an "it's the band" person. I've gone to "oldies" shows and loved that I was seeing Rob Grill, Mark Lindsay, Gary Puckett, etc. perform. While I would likely enjoy seeing tribute bands perform that great music, I don't think I'd shell out extra money for it.
R47
- He and my father were friends in PA. I met him at my folks anniversary party in the 1980s. Very nice guy, very laid back. Got high with him in my car when he came with me to get more ice at the Shoprite. He was my type--bearded, hairy, Italian and sex on a stick. Let me suck him off.
I saw him at my Dad's funeral in Nov 2009. Older, but still a nice guy. Said some kind words about my father in church.
A helluva nice guy in real life.
The%20Dowager%20%22Inez%22
- If he's packing onstage, one can only hope it's the real thing.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xPWazHqtLrw
- R46, you can say what you want about Paul McCartney - what talent he had is long gone.
Lol R52, I haven't seen that in a long time ...
That's so hot, 'Inez.' More details! Who initiated it?
- Ha, this video is weird - first off, now-bizarre footage of a singer smoking (and giving someone the look) and then ... Lou Cristie walking, getting his boots polished, and walking some more. Who thought that was a good idea for a video?
http://www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3D16VdyCMFE9Y%26feature%3Drelated
- r46, thanks for sharing your experiences!
Do you know anyone else on the oldies circuit who was gay(besides Lou and Lesley Gore)?
- r51!!
(Tell me more, tell me more)
How big's he's penis?
(Tell me more)
To match our lies
(Tell me more)
Dirty cumstained nails
(Tell me more)
How did you get hiiiiigh?
The Shangri-Las
- r55 -
One of the original members of The Elegants (a married, short, not bad looking, guido-y guy) constantly made pases at me every time they were our guests in AC. I'm not talking insinuations but outright "we can get together and fool around in my hotel room after the show." As an openly gay man, I was too embarassed to be seen with him (my own hang-ups) so I turned him down. At a certain age, you don't hang out with sleazy slick guys (I'm over that now) -- plus he was married (not over that ever - not interested in married guys, only because I'm single. If I were partnered I wouldn't mind fooling around with other partnered open-relationship types. But when you're single, you get to go home without breakfast).
I messed around a bit with a replacement Dupree (he was young, hot, and talented!) but it was more the result of us getting high (coke) and kind of went south when I found out he was engaged. HE also started feeling guilty.
Then there were our own cast members of course (more contemporary to me). 12 male dancers ALL gay/bi (including the married guy with kids) and 3 singers - all gay.
I am SURE Martha Reeves has dug into the Rubyfruit Jungle, but very quietly.
Of course, Little Richard is gay.
Don't have to tell you Dusty was.
Neil Sedaka (our producer had been his agent in the seventies and had to procure rentboys for him).
Darlene Love (giving you the easy ones LOL).
I'm willing to bet Ellie Greenwich did not divorce Jeff Barry "because the music caught up with us and we had married too young." To me, she seemed a closeted big ol'dyke. But as a Catholic Girl she felt uncomfortable with the tough biker-girl twins in the Shangri-Las (that's all I needed to know to place that big L on her sweater, a la Laverne).
I also think a lot of Temptation Paul Williams' suicidal demons had to do with the subject (he pinged so much, almost like Michael Jackson, Little Richard - and just as good a dancer).
Nona Hendryx (Patti LaBelle and the Bluebelles and later Labelle
The Bobettes were boozers (all three originals and all three with giant bottles of vodka, whiskey b4 show)
Wolfman Jack was SO wasted all the time that, like Elvis, I wouldn't be surprised if towards the end there a mouth was just a mouth (when you're that gone you don't fuss around looking for titties).
Chuck Berry was an asshole. Plain and simple.
The guy from Herman's Hermits was a horny bastard and pretty hot even after aging. He had tons of (ugly) groupies and I wouldn't be surprised if he allowed men into his harem.
And to this day, I think I could have gotten the gay out of Bobby Rydell (not that I wanted to).
Then it would surprise you who were very straight-arrowed family men/women - Paul Revere and the Raiders, Dion Di Mucci, The Angels, Born-Again Shirley from the Shirelles (nice lady), Little Anthony, The Box Tops (kinda hairy and ugly), etc
And from disco quite a few as well, besides open and obvious artists like Sylvester, MJ, Dan Hartman, Paul Jabara,and the Village People there was also Sharon Redd, Alicia Bridges, Ed Debarge, CeliBee, etc
- This has become my favourite thread on the DL.
R46 onwards, thanks for all the details, and for the post at 56 :) Like you, I'm just as curious about the dope smoking as anything sexual.
Speaking of the Box Tops, did you ever meet Alex Chilton?
Also, I found a much higher quality version of 'Lightnin' Strikes' on the Midnight Special. It's out of synch except when played full screen (but you'll want to watch that anyway, lol).
http://www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3DHaX6ApRyzSI%26feature%3Drelated
- [quote]Speaking of the Box Tops, did you ever meet Alex Chilton?
No. The Box Tops were Chiltonless by 1987-90.
- All this denim and the thick beard... it's quite a leap from just a few years earlier when he founded The Lou Christie Minstrels folk group.
- very interesting r46 et al, thanks for posting.
- I just went to buy 'She sold me magic' on itunes, and ... it's not there. Now I'll have to find a copy online somewhere. The song has a weird urgency that I really like.
Or you know, I could just buy a copy of the single off ebay with the fabulous cover.
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/r-LOU-CHRISTIE-7-PS-JAPAN-MICKEYS-MONKEY-G510-/320689234908%3Fpt%3DMusic_on_Vinyl%26hash%3Ditem4aaa9163dc
- Damn, r 62!!!!!
- So, R63, I won't be the only person bidding on that item? ;-)
62
- Not to worry, r 62/64!
I saved the pic in my downloads! :-)
That is one fine example of uncut Italian sizemeat.
r 63
- Hello, 'Inez,' we're still waiting for more details! I'm so curious. Who initiated it - was there flirting before you headed out to get ice and was that just a pretext?
Also, there aren't many tracks of Lou's on youtube, but the ones I've seen all have comments by the same 3 women. On a different black and white clip, one of them wrote how she loved Lou's green eyes ... what? He sounds good in the clip I've linked, but what's with the nuttily inappropriate dancers?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NzhuZ4jMnZU&feature=channel_video_title
- Lou Christie's version of BEYOND THE BLUE HORIZON is the best ever. It's just a mediocre song but he transforms it. If you haven't heard it, check out one of the YouTube versions.
anonymous
- R53 -- He was passive. Very, very hairy. Average uncut cock. I don't know if he's gay or just liked blow jobs.
The%20Dowager%20%22Inez%22
- For R67, here's a link. I just listened to 'Saddle the Wind' and 'Wood Child' as well, and I really like that dreamier, more country side to his voice as well.
Oh Inez, I have so many questions ... there's just this part of me that wonders how he felt, hooking up with the son of a friend. Or maybe that kind of thing happened to him a lot. Was it weird, afterwards? Was it spontaneous or did you do the ice run hoping something would happen? Did you enjoy yourself? And did you kiss?
http://www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3DsSrYIfMMoRw
You%20know%20I%20have%20a%20million%20more%20questions
- What'd you party with?
Whitney's Pipe-n-Torch Set
- "Beyond the Blue Horizon" is Lou Christie's BEST song, imho!!
anonymous
- Maybe, but 'She sold me magic' is my favourite at the moment ... it's just kind of frenzied and nutty.
http://www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3Dcx7ueMHAjQw
- This is a great thread but I swear I've read it before, like it's a re-do of a thread from a few years ago.
- I was not familiar with this artist but I've listened to a number of songs mentioned on here and wow - what a talented man. Lots of variety to the things he recorded.
Great thread. Thanks OP and all that contributed.
New%20Fan
- R73, really? When I heard 'Lightnin' Strikes' in the 'Strange Behaviour' clip, I immediately looked for Lou Christie songs on youtube and I had this nagging feeling that I'd seen his name somewhere ... this happens a bit with celebrities on the DL. Was his name in the thread title?
R74, you and I are in the same boat! I have to admit that I'm not as crazy about the earlier do-wop songs, but love the 60s and 70s material and that he recorded such a range of songs.
But really, I came here to say that my single from Japan arrived today, lol. I couldn't resist! It's awesome. The 'cover' isn't a cover at all, but a 4-page insert with the lyrics in Japanese and English in the middle. On the back there's ads for a band I've never heard of, 'The Tokens', and Melanie ... didn't she sing that roller skate key song?
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Lou-Christie-She-Sold-Me-Magic-Nippon-Columbia-LL-2404-DA-Japan-7-/190597201314%3Fpt%3DMusic_on_Vinyl%26hash%3Ditem2c607a7da2
OP%2C%20linking%20to%20similar%20item
- Trust me, r75, you know The Tokens:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_LBmUwi6mEo
- Yeah, That's Melanie. She also did a Ruby Tuesday cover.
- Okay.
Lou Christie has made me his.
Tremendous, right down to the bear-fur vest.
http://www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3DhaYvrO5D_Yo%26feature%3Drelated
- You're right R76, I do know them ... and funnily enough, I only read yesterday or so that Lou Christie originally sang that song but his voice was removed and replaced due to someone unsuccessfully playing hardball about money. He said this was 'devastating' for him. Imagine if that'd been his most famous song.
R78, I can't get past the girls dancing in that clip. The one with dark hair is so scarily tiny.
- bump
- So is he openly gay or just into the occasional cock worshiping by a guy?
- I'd still tap it.
http://www.claycoleshow.com/Lightning_Strikes_40_years_for_Lou_Christie_with_Denise_and_Bernadette.JPG
- [quote]Speaking of the Box Tops, did you ever meet Alex Chilton?
I met Chilton a zillion times. He used to play at the old Antenna Club in Memphis in the mid-80s.
http://antennaclub.com/
- So what was he like, R83?
- Thanks for the Beyond the Blue Horizon info & link, R67 & R69. I didn't know that version was Lou Christie's. I've loved it ever since Linda Ellerbee and Bill Schechner played it behind a similar montage on their last broadcast of News Overnight back in the 80's.
- I should have checked youtube-- that final News Overnight version & montage is actually there. Best network news show evah.
http://www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3DWlKu02AX_gI
- There's not a nice way to say... the majority of you on this post are pathetic gossips. You have no respect/appreciation/or trusted confidentiality of an individuals privacy. You make me feel sick.
angelmax
angelmax
- R78, that chest is HOT but the best part of the video is the girl way off to the side. It's like she didn't wash that day so they made her stand off camera.
- I eat old people's excrement. angelmax
R87
- How immature that someone typed response #89 and placed my computer name on it. Obviously, someone does still look at this site and wasn't happy with what I had to share because they had to look at themselves and their behavior on this site and be responsible for it. Grow or go !!
angelmax
Angelmax
- My pussy stinks!
Angelmax/R90
- :-( again...
Can't take it, huh?
I'll look for a mature site for LC.
angelmax
angelmax
- He was SO hott.
- He looks like Renatta Scotto in drag--is this where he gets the soprano pipes?
- That clip at r66 of him singing Since I Don't Have You is absolutely beautiful.
- I used to love Sha Na Na. But I wonder why Johnny Contardo was replaced. Did he quit, voluntarily?
Always loved Lou Christie! Didn't know he is Italian.
Did wonder about Bobby Rydell; another very nice Italian! He had a big health scare not long ago.
Anonymous
- YOU ALL SUCK!!
- Lou is the most talented dude out there, He is Hot, Hung, and Sexy. You should see him in person. I drive half way across America to see him. He was hung up on Diana Ross in the 60's and wrote a song called She sold me Magic. It was number 1 in Japan and yes he's hung like a horse. I've heard stories about how he rocked every girl group in rock and roll. Hes also married to one of the most beautiful women from England. A international beautiful queen. Two children. One daughter, and you can see her on his website. Lou Christie. com Keep going Lou
Betty
- Love the backup singer's tunic pantsuit in R27 link.
60s/70s%20Pantsuit%20Troll%20
- My partner and I saw Lou Christie host the Follies in Palm Springs this past winter.
The emcee was really homophobic and it ruined the show.
