Dale Bozzio in the early 80's
Regardless of the recent incident, I’m still a huge fan of Bozzio. She was fearless, edgy and sexy. Her bold and inventive fashion sense influenced me. Clearly, Lady Gaga was influenced as well. Some 20+ years later, Gaga has “borrowed” Dale’s style and is enjoying fame of her own. I know my friend WendyB is a fan!
Dale wearing a bubble wrap vest (it's actually got nice structure and I like the use of small bubbles vs. large!)
Since their lyrics weren’t the most poetic and thoughtful (i.e. “Walking in L.A. Walking in L.A. Nobdoy walks in L.A.” Or, “My lips are moving and the sound is coming out.” Genius… ), it’s safe to say that Missing Persons’ success was largely due to Ms. Bozzio’s outfits. Light bulbs, electrical appliances and even bubble wrap were all parts of her ensembles. Dale is also known for her high-pitched squeaks with which she so often finished verses. Luckily, I’m able to imitate this fairly well so “Words” is my go-to tune when forced into a karaoke situation.Dale with Missing Persons singing "Words" on Solid Gold! Remember Marilyn McCoo?
It requires a high level of confidence to be influential or to be an icon. Thank goodness Bozzio was ballsy enough to step out on stage wearing nothing more than a sheet of tin foil or a few light bulbs! Fashion has greatly benefited from her avant-garde approach to style. It’s actually nice to see Lady Gaga bringing it all back. I’m feeling nostalgic…
Musical style icons are so on the edge. It's so true though. Ms. Gaga owes a lot to Dale B. I wish I had the nerve to go out in a swatch of tinfoil. :-) (We know Wendy's going to rock that look at one of her avant garde concerts coming up :-))
ReplyDeleteGreat post (Mental Hopscotch was my fave MP song). I definitely see the Gaga inspiration. I know someone who is going to dress like Dale in October!
ReplyDeleteoh i didnt even know this person existed.... im so lame!!
ReplyDeletebut i love the style and your right lady gaga was def inspired :)
She was waaaaaaaay ahead of her time. I heard she was a Playboy model? Is that right?
ReplyDeleteMy hubbo told me that her husband, Terry Bozzio, played with Frank Zappa. Now *that's* ahead of one's time.
I didn't miss that reference GaGa made to Ms. Dale. It was really clear to me where that idea sprouted.
You are soooooo right. It never occurred to me how much they have in common style wise. I bet Terry feels like she is looking into a mirror when she sees GaGa.
ReplyDeleteI saw Missing Persons at the Whisky-a-go-go way back in the 80's. Good times!
I'm a close friend of Dale. Very close. Glad to see that overall the comments here are so positive. Dale has indeed had a difficult time since leaving Missing Persons. But as has often been said -- no one gives you a handbook on how to be a rock-n-roll star. Managing money is one thing, but when money is combined with fame, well, bad decision making seems to come easily. Still, Dale assumes responsibility for herself and her decisions, even the mess that was the 'cat incident' in New Hampshire -- a situation of good intentions gone horribly wrong. That said, she has indeed left a solid legacy. Missing Persons began as a live band -- not a studio band, and their live performances, particularly those of the early days in L.A., are now the stuff of legend. Four of the five MP members were Zappa proteges, and Dale was discovered by Frank. She was in L.A., pursuing dreams of acting stardom, but Zappa encouraged her to take on many vocal character roles for several of his LPs. Zappa did work with a handful of women -- primarily musicians. But Dale performed more vocal roles for the famed non-conformist than any other woman. Frank taught Dale to sing -- taught her the scales, and convinced her that performing was not necessarily about a melodious, 'classic' voice, but rather, vocal attitude. One listen to Dale's low growls and high pitched flourishes on 'Mental Hopscotch,' and it's clear -- she had a wonderful attitude toward performance. Amazing, really. Thanks again.
ReplyDeleteSounds like she had/has a big heart, hence taking cats that were likely already sick/in trouble to begin with... and also, what an original artists. -very sad for her that she had to go through all her recent troubles. This is an awesome post. I'm glad you reposted it since I somehow missed it in January!! :)
ReplyDelete-Melissa