The Village People Episode | STUFF YOU SHOULD KNOW

welcome to stuff you should know a. production of iHeart. Radio hey and welcome to the podcast I'm. Josh and there's Chuck and Jerry's here. too and when you put us all together um. well things get pretty. great how's it going man it's going. great uh I've been listening to the. Village People off and on all day yeah. same here. [Music].

well we're supposed to both come in last. sorry um Chuck did you pick this uh. because I cannot imagine that you. weren't a cute little seven-year-old um. Village People fan. true so which one did you identify with. the most well I've told this story. before uh because I posted it on.

Instagram way back when I talked about. it but I still have a crayon drawing of. the Village. People um because I would sit around and. play Cruisin The Record Cruisin okay. their third album their third album but. the one with YMCA and I believe in the. Navy and like Mo most of their big hits. outside of my favorite Village People. song which is of course Macho Man sure.

such a good song uh and I would just sit. around and listen to Cruisin and stare. at that record cover of those guys uh. you know on the horse and the Motorcycle. the motorcycle and the bulldozer and. like MH uh I would see them on American. band stand and solid gold and the early. music videos and I would just I thought. they were the coolest most awesome dudes. ever yeah in the world and I would sit.

around and draw crayon pictures of them. and I still have one of them maybe I'll. pin it on Instagram uh I'm sort of. always laughed years later that like who. knows what my parents were thinking and. we'll get into the uh you know whether. or not Village People account or were in. fact a gay band uh but I imagine at the. time in the early to mid 70s with. Southern Baptist parents uh they either. weren't aware of that or were proba.

pretty like worried about their son. right when they need be cuz either way. it would have been fine yeah well put. man you know what I'm saying but back in. the 70s in the in the rural not rural. but in the Suburban uh conservative. South and I'm sure if they didn't if. they did know what was going on they. were probably like uh have you seen. these crayon. pictures like he he drew L counselor got. in touch I drew literal like pancake. boobies on the biker guy.

uh cuz I didn't know how to draw like a. be chest correctly right yeah hey that. works yeah so anyway I'll either scroll. through my insta or maybe I'll figure. out how to pin stuff but um you should. definitely pin it we were talking about. uh Village People technically not the. Village People yeah it's just sort of. one of those things like uh Eagles or. Hollen notes where you just you come to. be known by that name even though that's. not your real name yes like Ed brel and. New Bohemians oh is that what it is it's. not the new Bohemians yeah for some.

reason I've always had this memory of. her correcting David Letterman on on. Letterman in like 1990 or something like. that I don't know why it stuck with me. but I always she got the point across. for sure and Indigo Girls is the other. one they're not the Indigo Girls yeah. don't even say that to their face they. will they will beat you up well if you. say holl notes to uh Daryl Hall he gets. pretty salty he's like we were not holl. notes we never were oh really what were. they look at the the holl not every.

single album It's darl Halland John Oats. they were never Holland oats and it just. does he really get salty about that cuz. there are much much greater things to be. upset about I've seen them get a little. salty but I think it's largely because. they don't like each. other oh man why are you telling me all. this sorry I want Daryl Hall and and. John notes to be like just the best guys. ever you want to be like holl and notes. it's like and exactly wow or dare I say.

and Chuck I'm not participating for the. rest of this episode I have to chew on. some stuff all right let's talk Village. People yeah actually uh one of the. things that stood out to me is this is. like the improved version of our Millie. Vanilli episode because one thing I. didn't realized is that the V the. Village People were like a manufactured. band yeah and they were the brain child. yeah I guess collectively yeah uh of. jacqu morali and HRI Belo Belo.

who are both Moroccan born. Frenchmen yeah who I guess separately. kind of got into the the music industry. by their own grit and determination um. and didn't really know each other at. first they had their own uh I think. starting in the 50s and 60s had their. own careers that they were trying to. build and uh eventually in the 70s they. came together HRI bolo was kind of like. the the brains the producer that kind of. type jacqu morali was more he was a.

producer as well but more the Hands-On. creative type of producer and when they. came together some some Sparks flew even. before the Village People were ever. around yeah uh there's no way to say. this without sounding completely like um. kind of stuck up but I've been listening. to a lot of French music lately oh yeah. yeah there's I mean if you're in the. right mood there if you look up like 80s. sort of New Wave but French music their. their version it is really really. awesome stuff.

nice I will check that out highly. recommended so yeah they were like you. said they were had made a name for. themselves independently uh I believe in. 1973 uh bolo set up can't stop. Productions uh a couple of years later. that's a great name by the way it's just. stuck out to me all day oh yeah and I. remember seeing their that little logo. um like can't stop the music I think. that was the name of the movie right. yeah I didn't put those two together.

actually until just now uh but they. eventually met up in the United States. and their first uh project in release. was a real Banger uh you know the song. Brazil from the 1930s the one from the. movie Brazil uh they took that and. updated it with a a female Trio called. the Richie family as a disco song and it. is like I said it's a real Banger kind. of a classic disco song yes but it was. disco before Disco actually existed so a.

lot of people kind of credit these two. as really helping lay the found. foundation for disco um it was that that. period right before disco became a thing. so it was a weird transition between. like um. uh oh what's the guy's name Percy um. fledge is it Percy Faith in his. orchestra okay the transition between. Percy Faith and and John Travolta this. is like that that slice of of music lots.

of strings um kind of salsa based um. lots of like chorus and vocals it was it. actually was up for the 1976 Grammy for. Best pop instrumental performance and. lost to the hustle if that gets it. across so like the hustle is like Proto. disco so is this version of Brazil and. it's right before disco became a thing. yeah like on the matter of months though. probably right yeah I would say that. yeah okay I mean losing to the hustle. there's no there's no shame there.

no not at all so they had this uh pretty. good hit with Brazil uh again I. recommend you uh check it out it's and. listen to all these songs they're all. great uh can't stop Productions was like. all right listen we need we got we you. know back then they would just go from. thing to thing uh because it's not like. you can ride out something like the. Richie family forever so they're always. looking for the next new thing uh in 77. they were hanging out in grin Village. New York which uh then as it is now is. is very friendly Community for uh.

especially gay men uh morali was gay but. Bola was not but they were hanging out. there they were going to discos they. were going to bars and stuff and they. started to see these guys in these clubs. that were dressed up as these these sort. of Macho American stereotypes that they. grew up watching on you know American TV. and American movies and this is a a. direct quote from. Balo uh Dave is encouraging me to read. it with a friend accent I'm not sure.

about that yeah but I'll try this is. from billbo magazine uh we saw different. types of characters in bars uh that's. how we decided to create a group that. will represent different characters of. the American male as we had the idea in. the village we decided to call the group. The Village People. simple that was a great pepy. La yeah that was it like they saw these. guys in bars fitting these sort of.

archetypes or stereotypes of what they. thought like a macho American man was. yeah and they were like hey this is like. a concept right here right in front of. us yeah and um actually it it's possible. that it was one specific guy they saw. Philipe Rose Felipe Rose who was known. as the Indian who dressed up as a Native. American Indian around Greenwich Village. very flamboyantly because he was a. Native American his father on his. father's side he was Mescalero Apache.

Lakota and Cherokee which is like that's. the trifecta um and he was very proud of. it so he dressed up in like moccasins. and and Fringe leather vests and all. that kind of thing and they saw him and. that in addition to going to bars like. the Min shaft which was a BDSM gay club. um and then seeing other people kind of. dress up that's where they put the whole. thing together and Dave made a really. good point here that that that whole.

concept of dressing people up as like. stereotypical American male. Macho like image images essentially that. an American producer probably would have. been like that's not a great idea it's. kind of lame but these guys were like. looking at America from the outside in. and I think like you kind of alluded to. they were exposed to this like their. whole lives this is like what they were. fed through American movies and TV so to. them they like this is amazing what a.

great idea like we want to celebrate. this American Macho male and that's. where the Village People came from yeah. I'm not so sure about that part but I. respect Dave's opinion and if you agree. with him I do agree with him on that I. respect you both I'm going with Dave on. this one I bet there were American. Producers that were like oh God it's. right there in front of my face can't. believe I didn't think of that yeah yeah. in. hindsight uh so uh maroli started. writing songs um you know like you said. they were inspired by Felipe Rose I.

don't think you said he was basically. kicked out of his house because he came. out as gay so he was hanging out in the. village working in bars and stuff uh the. Richie family was you know they were. trying to eat a little trying to ring. that thing dry uh from the Richie family. they were getting a new album together. they needed some backup singers and. someone said hey there's this guy he's. uh in on Broadway right now in The Whiz. his name is Victor Willis the guy can. really sing he's got a lot of. personality can dance a little bit uh. you should bring him in here as a backup.

singer maroli brought him into the. studio and was like dude you are a star. so we need to get you to record these. other songs we've written uh that there. were no Village People yet but in 1977. he cut uh their very first disco hit uh. and you'll see a lot of parentheticals. because that was the time but this is. called San Francisco parenthesis you got. me right another good song so yeah. Victor Willis was the first this is long. before Felipe Rose came along um but.

after they had seen Felipe rose right so. they were inspired to create the Village. People but Victor Willis was really the. only Village person at the time. everybody else was just studio session. musicians and singers and stuff like. that right so that worked fine when they. cut that first album which I think was. like four four songs or something like. that and they had that hit with San. Francisco you really got me and with. that hit they're like okay you got me S. Frisco yeah um which is funny because as.

we'll see later on Victor Willis would. become a fugitive from the law and he. would finally be arrested in San. Francisco yeah so um he was he so he but. he was the Village People and now that. San franisco you got me was a hit like. apparently an international Club hit um. they needed more people uh and so they. started looking for other Village People. and the first one they recruited was. Felipe Rose appropriately enough because. apparently he was unknowingly the.

inspiration for the whole thing right uh. funny enough they were um San Francisco. you got me was big in Australia uh as. you'll see that's become a recurring. thing seems like Australians love the. Village People yeah so I'm curious to. hear from them uh that if you look at. that first album cover uh it is not the. Village People and I don't even think. Victor Willis is on the cover it's just. it's a bunch of guys um there is a guy. uh wearing a a Native American headdress.

but I don't think it's Felipe Rose no. none of them um there's a a flannel. shirt hard hat guy and there is a biker. but that's it just those three sort of. Village People that we went on to know. and love uh everyone else is just a. bunch of guys standing around in. t-shirts looking tough uh with a. motorcycle in frame yeah I mean so they. had the concept they just didn't have. the people yet so they're slowly. starting to assemble this now they have. Victor Willis and Felipe Rose they've.

got the first two and um they actually. put an ad in in the paper um I would. guess the Village Voice um looking for. gay men singers and dancers uh with. mustaches to basically audition for the. roles in this band not like can you play. the base can you um can you play the. drums but do you have a mustache and are. you good-looking and and a singer and.

dancer and they got from what I saw like. thousands of replies yeah this was they. were never a band it was always just. supposed to be a singing group uh and. they did um I believe Felipe or I'm. sorry Glenn Hughes who was the biker he. worked at the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel. collecting tolls uh saw the ad by his. memory the ad said seeking gay singers. and dancers very good-looking and with. mustaches that's it probably wasn't hard. to find at that time well all his. friends were like Glenn that's you buddy.

like you need to get in there yeah so. Glenn Hughes became the village people's. Leatherman which apparently was not a. stretch for him I think he was already. into leather at the time so he became. the Leatherman biker right that's right. he was the third uh I think the second. one to join up was Alex bryley who came. at Victor Willis's. recommendation uh he was the original um. sort of stereotype for him was he was. the a fet but then they changed that.

pretty quickly to the to the army guy he. was the GI and also the Navy sailor so. he kind of crossed over the different uh. armed services I guess yes uh and then. another guy who responded to the ad was. David Hodo uh he uh had just gotten done. with a musical about the grand old opera. and basically went out for the cowboy. they're like nope you're a construction. worker through and through a guy named. Randy Jones became the cowboy and so you. had Victor Willis Felipe Rose Al bryley. Randy Jones David Hodo and Glenn Hughes.

which by the way I realized earlier. today that I could rattle off the names. of the original Village People now but. that's who the the Village People were. at first and I say we take a break. because now we've got this Murderers Row. of mustachioed uh generally gay guys. ready to hit the disco scene and uh. they're about to blow up.

[Music]. all right so we're back we have our. Village People. assembled uh I I think we failed to. mention earlier that Dick Clark and. America Bandstand uh American band stand. the TV show had already sort of reached. out after they had San Francisco you got. me as a hit but they were like there is.

no Village People yet we can't just you. know send one guy out there so they got. these other guys together and uh in. December of. 1977 they appeared for the first time on. American band stand uh I could not for. the life of me find this exact. performance uh yeah they no I couldn't. find it anywhere they I mean they were. on quite a few times but I never saw the. one from 77. somehow uh but that was their American. you know TV debut and and Deb of the. World when they sang San Francisco or I.

guess lips synced uh and in the song in. Hollywood uh parentheses everybody is a. star yep and you're right parenthesis. were a thing back then I just died in. your arms tonight is that a real one. yeah remember we talked about it a few. weeks ago that Cutting Crew song I just. didn't know if you fooled me then or not. no no no it's it's it's legit have you. been walking around wondering that yeah. for three weeks so we're on to your.

favorite song Chuck which I agree I. think it's the best Village People song. um Macho Man and that was in their. second album so their first album like. you said was called Village People it. came out in 1977 their second album came. out in. 1978 um and that was the one it was the. album was called Macho Man and the the. big single from it was called Macho Man. as well is it okay if we read some of. the lyrics to some of these songs yes I. saved them too oh you did okay. um I think you should sing them uh not.

going to sing them okay although it. might be hard not to and I'm not going. to read them all because there's that. intro that great intro to Macho Man when. they're going you know body body and. he's going want to feel my body such a. thrill my body want to touch my body. sure that's all that long intro uh and. then here here are some of the the words. to the verse uh every man wants to be a. macho Macho Man to have the kind of body. always in demand jogging in the morning. mornings go man go workouts in the.

health spa muscles. grow. uh you can tell a macho man he has a. funky walk his western shirts and. leather always look so boss funky with. his body he's a king call him Mr ego dig. his. chains every man ought to be a macho. macho man to live a life of Freedom. machos make a stand have your own. lifestyle and ideals possess the. strength of confidence that's the skill. but so so if you dig into that last bit.

this song goes from um essentially just. total body worship and like working out. at the spa and all that stuff and how. everybody wants to be a macho man to. essentially like a that last the last. verse is about Gay Liberation and. basically coming out of the closet it. sounds like have your own Lifestyles and. ideals possess the strength of. confidence yeah I would say so exactly. yeah so it really takes like a sudden. turn there because it's like the most. superficial vein song of all time and.

then it's suddenly like kind of is is a. a shout out for for Gay Liberation yeah. like this was like it's kind of tough to. wrap your head around here in. 2024 sadly it's not as tough as it. should be but it's still tough to to. wrap your head around just how big of a. deal it was for men to be like on stage. singing songs gay like I'm gay everybody. there there's no question about it I'm a.

gay person yeah um that was a big big. deal at the time and then to sing about. it and to sing about how that was a good. thing that was that was really daring uh. and it was really um it's neat that that. that they did that like it's it just. should not go unnoticed or unmentioned. and it's hard to overstate what a big. deal it was and then it's even harder to. overstate how huge of a hit Macho Man. was for the Village People yeah I mean.

little seven-year-old Chuck in Stow. Mountain Georgia dancing around in the. shower to that song yeah like it it. truly reached every corner if that was. what was going on um they went out on. the road which is not something that a. lot of disco X did that disco wasn't. known as a great like sort of live. touring thing well it was like we talked. about in our disco episode it was a. really Anonymous type of music like you. might have never see a picture of the. person who who is your favorite you know.

who sang your favorite song at the time. yeah so there you know there were some. packaged things here and there but. generally going on the road as a disco. act wasn't a very big thing to do uh but. the Village People did it from the start. and Dave dug up this thing from The. Washington Post in 79 that said um that. their first tour had you know usual. stage and equipment problems uh but also. the group was forced to endure all. manner of verbal and physical abuse from. the audience which means that uh people. were either dragged there or went there.

to uh you know to to to boo like like a. hate watch yeah which is crazy it is. crazy but I mean we're talking 1979 you. know I guess so but like to spend your. six bucks or. whatever right to like Hey we're going. to go down to Madison Square Garden and. boo the Village People like I don't know. I guess that was a thing yeah I'm sure. that was a thing but I think more often. than not they were just loved I read a. quote from um Glenn Hughes the Leather.

Man Who B who said he basically had to. beat back women yeah who wanted to sleep. with them and he's like uh he's like I. got a headache yeah he said I have a. headache tonight so apparently some. people just didn't get it some people. didn't care other people did get it and. cared one way or another but they were. they were huge I think for the most part. people were either not reading into it. or just look like purposefully being. obtuse and looking past it I'm not sure. but they were enormous you mentioned. Madison Square Garden they definitely.

Played Madison Square Garden they were. in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in. 1978 they were huge but if you look back. on when they were huge it apparently. lasted Le 22 months less than two years. but they were at the top of the Heap. during that time yeah because you know. disco and again we uh like Josh. mentioned we had one of our favorite. episodes was on Disco many years ago. yeah it was crazy it was you know not a. flash in the pan but it was a pretty. brief stay um. and you know I guess we should get into.

this whole notion of whether or not. Village people were you know a quote gay. group in quote um because that's always. been a question like you know when I was. a kid I believe I've you know people. finally started telling me like you know. those guys are all gay and I I don't. know if it was. um I'm not sure how common knowledge. because pre- internet any of the real. truth was back then um Randy Jones uh. who was the cowboy. uh said we didn't start as a gay group.

and not everyone in the group was gay. that's an incorrect notion so much of. our music was played in uh black Latin. and gay underground clubs though that's. where the first Village People album. found its initial audience um Victor. Willis who uh you know to a lot of. people kind of was and is the Village. People because he was the the the super. super talented Broadway guy he was a guy. that co-wrote a lot of their big songs. uh was not just sort of a backup singer. he was the cop he was the cop uh as the.

front man and he was not gay he was uh. in fact for four years married to. Felicia uh at the time Felicia SS Allen. who had later become Felicia Rashad uh. the wife on The Cosby Show is what she's. most well known for uh but they were in. the whz together on Broadway and then. eventually got together to make music. with morali I think they got together to. write a concept album for her called. Josephine Superstar about the life of. Josephine Baker which oh NE I haven't. heard but I'm going to try and find that.

if it's in French it's really going to. knock your socks off huh yeah but so. Victor Willis was not gay he was the. frontman and Lyricist but like they had. songs about Fire Island and San. Francisco and Key West Greenwich Village. and Key West and if you look at the. lyrics like it's pretty clear that like. the stuff was either coded for gay or. just basically like if you don't know. what we're talking about then you're. pretty dense but if you were even. remotely hip and you read some of like. the the Contemporary or contemporaneous.

um articles on them like the all the. journalists wanted to know like are you. gay I read a I read a new music express. article from like I think 1978 and um. the guy's asking Randy Jones the Cowboys. like are you a gay group and apparently. Randy Jones was sick of hearing this at. the time it was barely containing his. anger and he's like why does it matter. he's like we're not a gay group we're a. disco group but over time they. definitely evolved into a gay group I.

think it it. um I think it kind of occurred to them. like what a huge impact they were having. just by basically being ambassadors of. gayness to the rest of the world and. showing everybody like you like our. music you know like us too yeah maybe. like the gay dude that you work with. exactly and that's what I think Victor. Willis as the as the Straight Lead. singer uh and this is touching on YMCA. which we'll get into. but he said you know I wrote those.

lyrics so technically it's not a gay. song because I'm not gay and I wrote it. but I never had any qualms that it was. embraced by the gay community yeah he's. like not there's anything wrong with. that yeah B basically so uh on the other. hand the Hodo the construction worker. says I mean look at us we were a gay. group the song was written to celebrate. gay men at the YMCA was it yes. absolutely and gay people loved it um. YMCA was you know it's the song I I. think Macho Man is a much better song.

but YMCA is is became part of the. cultural Zeitgeist like. forever yeah I saw somewhere I couldn't. find it but that it's it's in a time. capsule in orbit around Earth right now. it was included in like a bunch of songs. that was sent out into space Oh yeah for. sure it was yeah it's a huge hit like. that's just yeah it's part of American. culture I guess International culture. really but the the idea behind it is. that um Randy Jones the cowboy when he.

moved to New York in 1975 one of the. first things he did was join the YMCA on. West 23rd Street in Manhattan which. became the inspiration for the song YMCA. because he took um jacqu morali to the. YMCA with him to work out with some of. his buddies who apparently were gay. adult film stars and jacqu morali was. just blown away that there was this. place yeah it's like this secret hidden. gay Oasis yeah on the cheap right like.

it costs almost no money to not only. like work out there but get a room there. too he could stay there at the time so. apparently he was just Star Struck at. the whole idea and loved going to the. YMCA and decided to write a song about. it so he wrote the bones of YMCA and. then Victor Willis came in and wrote. kind of the rest of it but the whole. idea behind YMCA is that it was a an Ode. to to just the gay experience at ym CA. um and Victor Willis though he wrote a.

lyric that I hadn't noticed until I was. listening to it. yesterday um where he's talking about. how how how just he arrived in this new. city and he was very unhappy about being. there he said I thought the whole world. was so Jive I never noticed so Jive like. he just didn't like anything he thought. the whole world was Jive until he. discovered the YMCA and realized that. this place was awesome and amazing and. the world in turn was pretty amazing too.

um I had never heard that lyric before. or noticed it and when I did I was just. I just thought that was so great it's a. great lyric uh if you look at the. original music video um it has a. close-up shot of the mcbournie YMCA at. the very beginning there on West 23rd. and was basically just a video of them. dancing in the street outside of it yeah. uh as far as the um the YMCA hand. gestures they did not create that. um they if you if you look at that video.

and basically any performance of them. doing it um on the why like you know it. builds. up it's fun to play and they go they. throw their arms up on why and what. they're doing is they were just kind of. throwing their arms up in unison as like. a dance move but it sort of looked like. a y and as Randy Jones tells it that it. was a live performance where some of the. audience like just started doing the you. know the Y and then the MCA and they the.

audience sort of started it yeah they so. they when they threw their arms up the. audience mistook that is like the. beginning of them spelling out why with. their arms and they took it from there. and so some kids on American band stand. are the ones who actually came up with. the YMCA dance yeah and Hodo said uh. here's the quote when I saw the. movements I thought wow this is so. stupid then everyone in America started. doing it and I thought wow this is so. brilliant yeah it's pretty awesome and. the YMCA itself apparently remember this.

is not a time where everybody's like hey. gay is great the YMCA was like you can't. use our name like that right it's. trademarked and I guess got in touch. with Casablanca records which was. producing the Village People at the time. and um it just petered out it just went. nowhere they they they ultimately. decided not to I think they kind of. concluded it was actually way better. press to just leave it as is and that. they risk getting terrible press for. suing the Village People for for singing. how great YMCA is so they just left it I.

think uh in the movie version it will be. like the the head of uh YMCA is on the. phone to the record company and right. before he goes to tell them that he. wants a cease and deist letter drawn up. uh some some kid you know some uh. lowlevel worker busts in the room and. goes boss and he comes up with the phone. memberships are through the roof that's. right and then it just you know oh no. never mind this is all good yeah he's. like wrong. number so before we break we'll talk.

quickly about the um the fact that you. cannot go to a baseball game anymore. without hearing YMCA like a major league. baseball game especially the Yankees. especially the Yankees uh that all. started at spring training in Tampa uh. I'm not sure if the Yankees are still. there but that was their home at least. at the time MH and in 1996 uh this did. not happen in the 70s was in the mid90s. top of the fifth inning the ground screw. came out uh to take care of the infield. like they always do Midway through the.

game and they broke into the YMCA you. know spelling out those letters as the. song played and everybody thought it was. the best thing ever and that's how it. was born it was transferred to the new. Yankee stadium and then it just became a. thing yeah you can hear Larry David as. Stein Brer ordering them to to get the. YMCA. dancers in the grounds crew but yeah I. saw I saw a video of it from a Yankees. game and they're just out there doing. like the the raking like normal and then.

YMCA's playing like it's just playing as. a song for the crowd and then all of a. sudden when it gets to the YMCA they. just drop their rakes and start dancing. and then when that's done they pick up. their RS and go back to work it's pretty. great it is uh you want to take that. break you promised let's do it okay. we'll be right back.

[Music]. okay Chuck so uh We've hit Macho Man. YMCA uh I think it's time for in the. Navy which was their last big hit their. last big single it came out in 1979 that. was on the album Cruisin which I guess. YMCA was as well right yeah that was. that was the one that I had so that was.

their third album second album in 1978. These Guys released two albums in one. year I thought it was all three was it. just two uh two okay no the first one. was. 1977 uh Macho Man and cruising came out. in 1978 and then um there was uh. whatever the. third no I guess it was three there was. no there's three singles four albums so. I'm missing an album um but that that. album came out in 1979 the fourth one. yeah that last album was uh go.

west yes which by the way I always. thought that was a pet shot Boys song. because it was on their album very from. the 90s and um I was listening to. Village People and came across that and. was like oh I never realized it was a. Village People song okay I actually had. this album too now that I'm seeing the. cover because it's basically them on a. uh well clearly a green screen but like. a tropical island. setting uh and that had in the Navy on. it so I think I'm just getting those. confused because I had both records sure.

uh but can we read a little bit of in. the Navy yes all right uh here we go. everybody in the Navy by Village People. where you can find pleasure search the. world for Treasure learn science. technology where you can begin to make. your dreams all come true on the land or. on the sea where you can learn to fly. play in sports and skin dive study. oceanography sign up for the big band or. sit in the grandstand where your team. and others meet in the Navy and that's.

when it starts that great. chorus and then weirdly at the um at the. end of the song they're singing like the. in the Navy part over and over again and. Victor Willis is um I guess singing. about how he doesn't want to join the. Navy and at one point he goes but I'm. afraid of the water yeah and it's just. it's hilarious it's like purposely funny. and that really kind of to me captures. like what the Village people were doing. like they were balancing like really.

good disco music with high camp right I. mean these guys were dressed up as just. Macho stereotypes with like like. genuinely funny lyrics sometimes um and. I think that that really kind of. captured it for me I saw that in that. new music express article the author. said that they were experts at balancing. what is Deft and what is. daed can I read verse two yeah oh yeah. sorry I didn't know you were oh no. that's right. uh I think it works better to split it. up so people can just fully absorb okay.

um if you like Adventure don't you wait. to enter the recruiting office fast. don't you hesitate there is no need to. wait they're signing up new cammen Fast. maybe you're too young to join up today. but don't you worry about a thing for. I'm sure there will be always a good. Navy protecting the land and sea uh and. there's another you know line in the. chorus about you know you can protect. the motherland like it is legit Navy. recruitment song uh so much so that the.

Navy said you know what we'd like to. actually use this for recruitment uh and. in exchange we will let you film your. music video aboard uh like will. completely help you out and not charge. you money we'll give you all the the the. Navy uh seamen that you want as. background actors and stuff and you can. shoot it above aboard our active ship. the USS Reasoner MH and that's what they. did they said all right great we got a. lot of production value here you can use.

it as a official recruitment song yeah. uh that I mean that's just amazing that. like that's just crazy but that's what. happened apparently the Navy any ship. that had a closed circuit TV system got. that video and I guess would play it. over and over again which um I mean. luckily it's a good song and it's an. interesting video I was at a Dunkin'. Donuts the other day um and they had the. Super Bowl AFF like Jennifer Lopez. commercial on Loop oh boy and everyone.

inside were were completely out of their. minds it was an awful awful scene. terrible place to be yeah yeah oh man so. what I'm saying is I don't think that. would have happen on board those Navy. ships because it was a pretty good song. yeah and I think their their actual. recruitment did like increase. supposedly uh while the song was out and. being used uh I I think the American. Military was maybe like my parents they. they weren't like wait a minute what.

what are we what song are we using and. by what band as active recruitment for. our US military right but uh you know. I'm glad they were uh daed enough to not. recognize that I guess right well the. other thing about it is I didn't see a. single kind of gay inuendo lyric in that. song it was more just a gay group. singing about being in the Navy which. you know coded for there plenty of like. gay dudes in the Navy secretly at the. time and I'm sure still are but I'm sure. it's much less secret so I think that's.

more what it was than it being like a a. gay song it was like you said a straight. up like like promotional song for the. Navy yeah it it doesn't say in the Navy. you can maybe meet your next husband. right right exactly that got cut yeah. that that lert got cut so that was like. we said the last big hit um it was in. 1979 and I alluded earlier I think I. just said outright didn't even allude to. it they had a 22mon run just burned.

white phosphorus hot during those 22. months I saw that both Madonna and. Michael Jackson opened for them while. they were on tour during this time my. guess would be. 1978 wow Michael Jackson surprises me. yeah because he was already like famous. from The Jackson 5 but I mean that goes. to show you just how crazy huge the. Village People were for a time yeah and. this is before Michael Jackson himself. was like just. biggest star yeah um but yeah it still.

says quite a bit um and they they kept. it going they kept trying to to go with. it and they released a movie as you do. uh like you said earlier it was called. can't stop the music very bad I can't. even make it through the the trailer no. it's it's bad it's well known as like. one of the worst movies of all time just. a disco fluff ball that keeps hitting. you in the head over and over again um. Steve Gman ber is the star yeah good he.

and the whole thing is kind of like a. fictitious or. fictionalized version of the the story. of how the Village People came to be so. he plays a a an Americanized. fictionalized version of jacqu Morelli. um his name is Jack Morel in it and. again he roller skates everywhere and. finally puts together this group um that. became the the Village People and it was. so bad that apparently it inspired the. Razzi award right uh as The Story Goes. it it was uh helped create the razis and.

with the inaugural worst. picture uh and worst screenplay winner. in. 1980 um you know where it was a modest. hit though I do Australia I think that's. where they made just the tiny amount of. money that they made back that's where. they made it back I guess so I would. love to hear from some uh Aussies of of. a certain age that could testify as to. whether or not this is true I would love. to hear that as well yeah so we'll we'll. find out yeah I think the the guy one of.

the guys who created the razis the. golden raspberry Awards which for those. of you who don't know it's like for the. worst movies of the year they they hand. these out. um he went and saw a 99 cent double. feature of can't stop the music in. xanado do and wanted his money back. that's how bad he thought that movie was. zanadoo was great he clearly was not. talking about zanado do he must have. just completely been focused on can't. stop the music uh when was the last time. you saw Zanna do not that long ago okay.

I love it it's also got a great. soundtrack too it does I mean this was. the time when they were making these big. sort of movie musical like pop pop movie. pop music movies yeah it was it was a. strange time uh and everyone was on. roller skates yeah you know none of them. had like were the best like plotted you. know and they were just wor what they. were which was can we get someone into. the movie theater that likes this music. yeah and roller skates uh after disco uh.

Village People did try uh their their. hand at New Wave because that's what. came. next it did not work out um Victor. Willis left the band in. 1979 and this is where the story gets. you know sad I guess sad in one way or. or just a little confusing because. Victor Willis who a lot of people say. like Victor Willis was Village People as. the leader as the original singer and. songwriter. but he left had many many run-ins with.

the law awful awful drug problems um. many warrants out and you know for like. illegal firearms and and cocaine. possession and stuff like this kind of. over and over and over kept getting. Second Chances from sympathetic judges. who were like Hey listen you know you. got a lot to offer the world like can. you get yourself clean in the meantime. uh Ray Simpson Sugar Ray Simpson took. over his lead singer and like for 30. years. and all new Village People uh save.

Felipe Rose and Alex Briley as the. Indian and GI toured and played sold out. cruise ships and county fairs like all. over the country and world for like 30. years without Victor Willis they would. do 280 shows a year yeah I mean very. successful touring like Nostalgia. touring group but without Victor Willis. yeah and Victor Willis was not very. happy about that so he'd been um again. you said he had huge huge self-inflicted. problems um and run-ins with the law he.

was on an episode of America's Most. Wanted ones cuz he kept skipping Bale I. know um he uh at the same time he. definitely had been taken advantage of. by can't stop the music productions. early on he'd only gotten less than two. grand an album even back in 1978 that. wasn't that much money for something. that was just super mega hits MH he got. 1 and a half% of Village People royalty. for the songs that he co-wrote co-wrote. like he wrote significant portions of.

these songs and like you said to a lot. of people he was the Village People so. um there was a point in time where the. Village People were playing the Sano. County Fair and a mile away Victor. Willis was in the San Mato County Jail. probably could hear at least a little. bit of it from from his jail cell right. so it was pretty bad and apparently the. lowest point came in 2008 when they got. a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

yeah I looked this up and apparently. they've edited out anything uh because I. watch sort of the whole ceremony but. apparently Willis was in the crowd in. that cop uniform like yelling and. screaming and talking about how it was. fake and caused A disruption so I don't. know if they just got him out of there. and did the ceremony or if they edited. the thing out but uh it is not in the um. YouTube video but what is evident when. you're watching that YouTube video so no. disrespect to these guys mhm but those.

aren't the Village People no when you. watch those guys they like that's not. those aren't the guys you know there're. not guys I drew in crayon it's kind of. like if you see a guy dressed like the. Incredible Hulk you're like that's not. the Hulk he represents the spirit of the. Hulk and in the same way these people. represented the spirit of the Village. People they were there to accept the. award yeah in honor of the Village. People I hope they realized that that's. what they were doing they didn't even. mention Willis like they were listing. off names and no one said Victor. Willis's name yeah there were a lot of.

sour grapes I think and so Willis. actually took can't stop Productions to. court oh yeah and in a really rare. unusual turn um he won big time as a. matter of fact they went from giving him. 1.5% of royalties to 50% totally I. didn't see did he get back royalties I. don't know that I was really curious. about that cuz he just he became. probably something close to a billion. her overnight if they did um and then he.

this this is this to me where I was like. I wish this hadn't happened they also. gave him full control over the Village. People Like name and likeness the the. name of the band the whole intellectual. property that was the Village People you. feel bad for the other guys yes yeah. that's so wrong they kept the thing. going for decades and what did he. do well I mean he started playing shows. as Village People with you know entirely. set of new guys behind him he fired them.

he fired some of the original Village. people like you said I think it was um. uh Alex Bley fipe Rose and Ray he was. not the original but he came in so. closely after um Victor Willis did he. was for all intents and purposes an. original but he was the cop what are you. g to just say all right now put on the. some like the GI uniform sure and Alex. Bradley would be like I'm the GI so it. probably would have gone back and forth. for a little while could have. accommodated them instead he was like. you guys are out and I don't know that.

they had anything to do with the. decision to to you know mess over Victor. Willis and yet he took his angst and. anger out on them and I thought that. that was wrong yeah I don't know enough. of the story to judge it because I don't. know how they treated him when he was. down and out so well that's the best way. to judge his story I'm I'm gonna just. reserve my judgment on this one I I do. think it's a shame that they couldn't. get the the original group back together. for at least the show because when I saw.

the the what I considered the not real. Village People performing online was. like this isn't right and then when I. saw Victor Willis and those guys he got. together I was like well this isn't. right either right you know yes I wanted. I wanted all I wanted the gang back. together I wanted all my my gay friends. that I gazed upon and Drew and crayon I. wanted them to reunite I'm with you you. you wouldn't be able to unfortunately. Glenn Hughes died of lung cancer in I.

think 2000 or something like that yeah. is he the I believe he's the only one. that passed right I believe so but both. um I think HRI bololo and um jacqu mlli. are both dead um I think jacqu died of. AIDS sadly and um HRI Balo died in like. the late 2010s I think I'm not sure of. what but uh yeah so there are some. Village people out there still you can. go see him touring you can see the. Victor Willis version uh at the San.

Diego County Fair in on July 4th and if. you happen to be in Santiago Chile or. bogat Columbia you can see them in May. all right okay so that's your assignment. stuff you should know Army go out and. see the Village People and let us know. what you. think uh in the meantime you can uh sit. there and listen to listener mail oh. interesting I was just make I was trying. to verify really quickly if they were. all alive cuz that's important yeah sure. and I just saw here that uh and this is.

Real Time fact everybody uh Alex bryley. um. supposedly that his brother was thought. to be the falling man from the 911. building no. way wow who knows man that took a very. strange turn here that did take and uh I. believe that you're right I believe that. uh I believe that Glenn Hughes is the. only one who has who's passed away got. but the rest of the guys are still. trying to trying to do stuff is it Randy.

Jones he's he released a song in 2017. that reached number 42 on the billboard. dance club song chart so that's not too. bad Randy Jones was the cowboy uh yeah. Cowboy so you never answered which one. did you um identify with the most or did. you identify with them as a. group I don't know like identify is a is. a weird word because I didn't like. identifies and like I wanted I think I'm. one of those guys but like I I think I. thought that the biker was the coolest.

uhhuh because like that leather man that. mustache and that Chopper like I thought. that was just the coolest thing ever dig. those chains yeah so I think definitely. the biker you know I mean that's the one. who drew with little round. boobies I always saw them pretty much. collectively but if any of them stood. out to me it was probably the. construction worker yeah you're always a. blue color kind of guy right I think it. was this sherp line jean jacket that. always stood out to me and then the the. mirror aviators it's those Toledo roots.

oh yeah the aviators right uh okay now. everybody it's time for listener mail I. think well I don't have a listener mail. cuz I thought we could just talk a. little bit about our upcoming live shows. oh yeah let's do that as just sort of an. in show uh announcement because we are. hitting the road this is a very fun show. that uh you put together and uh we've. been getting emails from parents like. hey can my kids come kids are always. welcome at our shows sure uh it's a it's.

kind of a um well it's a kid-friendly. Topic in that it's not you know not. kid-friendly but it's not about Barney. the dinosaur you know what it's not it's. not terrifying though it's pretty funny. if you're cool with your kids hearing. the SW word occasionally you're fine. yeah yeah we we have a cuss word or two. here and there but it's not too bad but. um we were going to be uh we're going to. be in Medford Mass on May 29th then DC. on the 30th and New York on the 31st mhm. then this summer we're going to hit the.

road in uh August on the 7th 8th and 9th. to Chicago Minneapolis and Indianapolis. for the first time very nice and then. we're going to wind it out in September. on the 5th and 7th in Durham North. Carolina and here in Atlanta tickets are. are moving pretty good in most cities um. but we really want to make sure this. this first leg gets close to sold out. yeah for sure we would love that if you. would like to come see us we would love. that too uh and you can get all the info. you need you can get links to ticket.

sites and all that kind of stuff by. going to our website stuff know.com. clicking on the tour button or you can. also go to our link tree link tree ssk. live and it'll give you all the stuff. you need to come see us because again we. would love that right Chuck it's a good. time yeah yeah uh and in the meantime if. you want to get in touch with us via. email you can send it off to stuff. podcast at iheartradio.com. stuff you should know is a production of.

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