Welcome to the newest regular feature here at True Genius Requires Insanity, the “Crate Dig.” As you may already be aware, we strongly feel as though it’s time to advocate a “back to basics” movement in music. We feel that instead of everyone being an innovator, that some of us need to be preserving the importance of original source material. To that end, the “Crate Dig” will feature members of the TGRIOnline.com staff, the “Hustlers of Culture,” digging through their mental crates to remember the songs that made them appreciate music. There will be some amazing, and yes, embarrassing choices here, but always the key impact is to remember when music was not something to be over studied, remixed, downloaded, forgotten and torn asunder. We’re remembering when music was simply a song you liked, and really couldn’t tell you more than a sentence or two why. Sit back, reminisce, and enjoy the building blocks of music appreciation.
Year Released: 1977 Year “Discovered” by Me: 1993
Reason Discovered: Camp Shohola/Camp Netimus camp dance, Greeley, PA
Why a fan?
Being an only child raised in an all female environment, my mother found it necessary at the age of 14 to ship me off to an all boys male summer camp for three summers between 1992 and 1994. Camp Shohola was responsible for a lot more than being my first significant exposure as a youth to rampant masculinity. I learned how to be a radio and performance DJ at WCSR (Wild Camp Shohola Radio) spinning classic disco, funk and new wave from a record collection 15 years out of date, as well as playing the finest radio hits of 1993 and 1994 during rest hours and at the end of the night “Lights Out” shows. However, my most important development was learning about what happens when testosterone rages out of control and meets estrogen at all camp dances. Frisky isn’t even the word for it. No song better describes the moment of realization that there are girls in a room and that they share the same emotions you do about sex and sensuality at that exact moment to me than Camp Shohola/Camp Netimus all camp dance staple “Paradise By the Dashboard Light.”
They’d split the dance floor into a line of boys facing a line of girls, and then the DJ would drop the Meat Loaf and Ellen Foley classic. The sections of the song describing Meat Loaf’s desire for sexual conquest and Ellen Foley’s demure and coquettish put offs to his come ons now seem really risque for campers, but wow. Screaming about sex across an invisible border is certainly a far better look than gaggles of teens scampering off for woodland romance, so for that I give Shohola and Netimus infinite credit. The sexual frustration contained in that song is more up front and hysterically real than any other song in the genre of “songs about needing to get laid and fast,” and really drums up the memories of a misspent youth.
Once done with camp, there’s always that point when you head back to school and try to see if what was cool with camp friends is cool with school friends. Lucky for me, “I Would Do Anything for Love,” a similar man/woman Meat Loaf/Celine Dion ballad came out in 1993, and while almost as epic as “Paradise…” at least I had the ability to like Meat Loaf, and all of his out of control, overwrought, syrupy love song glory in public without humiliation. Take a listen, and tell me that “Paradise by the Dashboard Light” isn’t incredible. It totally and completely is.
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