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1982 "Stray Cats" music video advertisement...
1982 "Stray Cats" music video advertisement...
Item # 720498
October 05, 1982
THE VILLAGE VOICE (weekly), Greenwich Village, New York City, Oct. 5, 1982
* Stray Cats - American rockabilly band
* Video Lounge at Danceteria advertisement
* "Rock This Town" written by Brian Setzer
* Video of the Year at MTV's inaugural VMAs
Page 119 has an advertisement for upcoming performances at the Danceteria nightclub in New York City. Within these ads is special notice to Village Voice readers for "Be In The Stray Cats Video !" and more. (see image) Although not well documented, AI gave me the following details:
AI notes: The advertisement placed by the Stray Cats in the October 5, 1982, issue of The Village Voice—calling for sharply dressed participants to appear in a music video filmed on Thursday, September 30, 1982, at 2:30 PM on the second floor of Danceteria—was almost certainly a casting call for extras in the official music video for their breakout hit “Rock This Town.” Released as a single in August 1982 from the album Built for Speed, the song became a rockabilly anthem and MTV staple, peaking at #9 on the Billboard Hot 100. Directed by Julien Temple, the high-energy video features the band—Brian Setzer, Lee Rocker, and Slim Jim Phantom—performing on a small stage in a packed, dimly lit club filled with over a hundred extras in 1950s-inspired attire, dancing with choreographed fervor, perfectly matching the ad’s “dress sharp!” directive. Danceteria, a multi-level Manhattan hotspot known for hosting music and performance events, provided an authentic backdrop, and the daytime Thursday shoot aligns with typical low-budget video production schedules. The resulting video won Video of the Year at the inaugural 1982 MTV VMAs and remains one of the defining visuals of the early MTV era and the rockabilly revival.
I suspect this to be an extremely rare item because there was really no reason to save it at the time.
The Village Voice was an American counterculture newspaper known for being the country's first alternative newsweekly. It introduced free-form, high-spirited, and passionate journalism into the public discourse - a tradition it maintained throughout its 60+ year history. It is quite common to find great political cartoons, satirical cartoons and articles, thought-provoking editorials, and ads and reviews for both concerts and theater productions - both on and off Broadway. Many iconic writers and musicians credit their appearance in The Village Voice for at least a portion of their success.
Complete with 142 pages, tabloid size, one fold along the center, small library stamp on the front page, nice condition.
Provenance note: This issue comes from The Village Voice's own archives, part of their in-house collection used to create their digital archive. Rare as such.
Alert: Many issues of The Village Voice contain articles and/or photos which some consider offensive, and are certainly inappropriate for children. Please purchase with discretion.
Category: The 20th Century
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$72.00
