One more time for Suzi

I guess we should have known really. I mean the way he stuffed those love handles into that mock elvis white with the high back collar, the painted on surprised eyebrows, the impossible stacks, the theatre make-up.
Oh Gary, Gary, Gary. Why couldn't you just leave well alone after the last time? Did you think it didn't count because they were Vietnamese? Or because they were girls? Or was it that you really thought paying them would make it go away. It's not that we ever loved you, but riffs from your music punctuate the soundtrack of that era for us.

Only Bowie has aged gracefully, been true to himself. Kept the faith. OK, he isn't innovative anymore, he doesn't rock my world, but he IS still an icon, he hasn't compromised that. And when it was his day, he pushed the boundaries. He tried and talked about bisexuality. It seemed like hype then, but now, it seems like Zeitgeist. And man he's a good clothes hanger. The boy done good.

Then Suzi - little Suzi Q. There was something disquieting about her at the time. While we were pogo-ing to the Stranglers, thumping to Adam and the Ants, thrashing around to punk or glam rock, while Debbie Harry was wearing ripped bin bags, and we shopped for dark colours at Biba and Mary Quant, Suzy wore leathers and played a guitar too big for her. We rocked out to 'Can the Can' and 'Devilgate Drive'.

She was from a different rock era, incongruous, like driving along the freeway here and overtaking Derek Trotter's reliant robin. In the time now depicted in 'That 70's Show', she could have been out of Happy Days and then suddenly, years later, there she was, IN Happy Days, Leather Tuscadero, seven whole episodes and the offer of a spin-off. Suzi was playing herself, but she didn't want to be typecast, so she turned it down.

Suzi married and had a kid, but you know what? Really, she WAS Shane from the L-Word, the husky voice, same way of talking, same look, the boy-woman. How could we not have known ?
She's nearly 56 years of age now and she looks fantastic, fantastic and the same. She's just released an album and she's still touring. She's the rock legend that no-one ever mentions.

Let's hear it one more time for Suzi.