Tampabay.com
JANUARY 12, 2009

Musicians-turned-actors of the '80s

MadonnaLast month, we lampooned "Actors Turned Musicians of the '80s." And thanks largely to the one-two sucker-punch of Michael J. Fox and Crispin Glover, there was was much rejoicing and frivolity. So much in fact, we decided a sequel was needed.

So now we bring you ... "Musicians Turned Actors of the '80s." (Pause for appreciative gasp from readers who are suddenly now just seeing the genius in all of this.)

Oh, there are plenty of choose from, but as always, we want YOUR PICKS for the best and worst musicians-turned-actors of the '80s. There's one big guideline to follow: Though the musician doesn't have to be exclusively an '80s one, the acting work needs to have occurred in the '80s.

Here are a couple names to get the brain cells moving again:

Davidbowie138 BRAVO!!: David Bowie comes to mind first. Absolute Beginners, Labyrinth, Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence, The Hunger, The Last Temptation of Christ. Bowie had it going ON in the '80s.

GRAB A TOMATO: Poor Neil Diamond. Great performer, but nearly unwatchable in The Jazz Singer. (And yet, I watch it every time it's on TV. So who's the bigger loser? ... Please don't answer.)

Rickspringfieldpicture ON THE FENCE: Rick Springfield! Yes, he was just a teen singer from Australia at one point in time. That all changed in the '80s. But General Hospital and Hard To Hold? Thankfully he's a semi-handsome guy, right?

DON'T EVEN MENTION...: You want to scream Madonna at me, don't you? You're just going for the cheap reaction. Well, it doesn't get much cheaper than Shanghai Surprise, Who's That Girl and even the somewhat dreadful Desperately Seeking Susan. (Best ... Will Patton ... movie ... ever!)

OK, so start firing off your nominees -- good, bad or Madonna-esque. We'll be back in a few weeks with a killer podcast on the subject.

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About the blogger

Relive the '80s music, movies and culture with Tampa Bay Times entertainment news editor Steve Spears. A teen during the greatest decade ever, Steve is obsessed with everything from Duran Duran to Journey, John Hughes to John Cusack, and parachute pants to Reaganomics.

E-mail Steve Spears:
stuckinthe80s@tampabay.com
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