Count Floyd in The Club
Nightlife - The Wet Secrets (Newer Music Tuesday)
I am incredibly saddened to hear that actor Joe Flaherty passed away yesterday. SCTV has been a big part of my family for years now, and I have always been obsessed with his character embodiment and the way he makes being hilarious look so easy. As I was reflecting on my favorite Flaherty moments today, I was happy to be able to look back at his starring turn “Nightlife” by The Wet Secrets, one of the greatest music videos to ever exist. It follows an aging version of his classic late-night vampire television host Count Floyd as he navigates the new, hip version of nightlife circa 2014. It’s a video that made a tune I already loved even more important to me, one of those videos that really sticks with you. To be honest, the only others I can think of that get close to “Nightlife” for me is Bowie’s “Life on Mars” and Blur’s “Coffee and TV”!
When I say tune I already loved, I mean that I’d been listening to it for a while before I saw the video. It’s interesting because I usually have a vehement dislike for monotonous sounding harmonies — stuff like The Waitresses or Bananarama (no offense to them, just not my thing) — but the horizontal consistency of the legato “doodoodoodoos” in the verses and stacatto “hoohoohoos” in the chorus add a perfect layer that really put the song together. I always liked the quality of the lead vocal, this well-used and tinny sound that matches the fuzz of the track’s intro.
“Nightlife” stays repetitive for just long enough where you can get the gist of the melody, but switches up at exactly the right time. Heavy bass drum leads into a cascading keyboard for the chorus, a sort of alien rain that frames the central question; is THIS the nightlife we crave? While I love the song as a whole, I gotta say that it features what I consider to be one of the absolute greatest bridges in history. It’s the type that kicks your mind’s feet out from under itself, surrounds it in stars and heavenly light only to drop you right where you began. I genuinely believe that those fifteen seconds have the ability to completely change a life.
Like I said, “Nightlife” has been a favorite of mine for years, becoming even more so when I was shown the connection between it and one of my favorite shows of all time. I love sitting down and watching Count Floyd in the club! If you watch until the end, you’ll see a lovely moment where Joe Flaherty lets out his signature vampire howl, which leads into a room absolutely filled to the brim with laughter. I think that’s the best clip to remember him by. Thanks to The Wet Secrets and their wonderful song for bringing that to us.
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