Part 212: Top 3 Crushes

RECORD STORE TALES Part 212:  Top 3 Rock Star Crushes

I was quite legendary at the Record Store for my celebrity crushes.  I talked before about about Dayna Manning — she was but one on my list of fantasy girls.

3. MARIA DEL MAR (National Velvet)

T-Rev and I were given tickets to see Helix at Stages, in 1996.  Opening was a new band fronted by ex-National Velvet singer Maria Del Mar.  You might remember National Velvet’s hit, “Sex Gorilla”.  Her new band was good, and after the show Maria came and sat down next to us!  Gasp!  She was really loaded.  T-Rev and I handed her business cards for our stores and encouraged her to visit, call, sell albums there on consignment, anything!

Unfortunately, it seemed to us that she preferred the sharp Austrian looks of Peter the Rocker, who also attended the show.  Maria wouldn’t leave him alone.  She never called us either.  At least Helix were good!

Tastes as sweet as “Sex Gorilla”

2. NICOLE HUGHES (Scratching Post)

A couple friends of ours opened for this band in 1998.  I drooled all over the stage looking at singer/guitarist Nicole Hughes.  That red hair.  The leather skirk, playing that guitar.  Oh yeah.  I was in love.  I admired every magazine cover she appeared on.  One of the girls at work used to try to bug me by commenting that Hughes’ mouth was “too big”.

I never had the guts to speak to her at any of those concerts!  Nothing more than a “great show, eh.”  I was given copies of their two albums for my birthday one year.  Imagine my horror at finding that I didn’t really like them.  I sold them off before I quit the store.

Scratching Post’s only really good tune, “Bloodflame”

1.       TALENA ATFIELD (Kittie)

I was never a Kittie fan.  I’m not denying their talent, I’m just not a fan of that sound.  I’ve never bought any of their albums.  I only like a couple tunes. But as far as I was concerned, I did like Talena Atfield, the bassist!  After she left Kittie, I found her on MySpace and sent her a message.  Something lame like, “Hey, I manage a record store, you should come in if you’re in town,” or whatever.  The response was brief, but positive – she called me cute!  Well didn’t I go and tell everyone at the store about that?

So, they made fun of me for yet another rock star crush, but it turned out OK in the end.  Now I’m married, and it’s fun to look back of these rock crushes. Mrs. LeBrain used to like Trent Reznor, so I know I’m OK!  (She says she likes her men short.)

Next time on Record Store Tales…

Long-forgotten Dandy drama

24 comments

  1. I know I am happy but somewhere sometime I still hold out hope that Chrissie Hyde has one more really bad decision to make in her personal life….even if at both our ages that probably means I get to sit next to her at a bingo game and share a half decaf coffee.

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      1. I’ll share the Chrissie Hynde love. I think she was my first musical crush (Debbie Harry might have been around the same time), but there’s something about Chrissie’s voice that’s still so sexy. I don’t think anyone’s come close since, although I do have a thing for Garbage’s Shirley Manson, and there was a brief time in the late-80s/early-90s that Sharleen Spiteri of the Scottish band Texas seemed like the new Chrissie Hynde.

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        1. Ahh Debbie Harry. And artist both my dad and I had a crush on. And I’m with you on both Shirley Manson and Sharleen Spiteri. I never understood why that band was called Texas though.

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        2. I believe they picked that name based on the movie Paris Texas, which featured music by Ry Cooder. Their guitar player, Ally McErlaine (I think that’s his name…too lazy to look it up), really emulated his slide guitar playing and they felt their sound fit the mood of that soundtrack/film. I saw them on the tour for their first album in 1989, at The Bottom Line (my favorite music venue, long since gone), and immediately fell in love with Sharleen. Also saw them on their second tour…still great, but haven’t been that interested since.

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        3. Well thanks for the answer Rich! I’ve never heard of Paris Texas either!

          It was like that with me and Nicole Hughes from Scratching Post…saw her in concert, fell in love, and then stared at the album covers. Which, once played, were not that good!

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      2. Chrissie is absolutely the best.
        Mkldo-Do you know if Maria of N.V. ever got married or has a significant other? I have a fascinating tale of meeting her boyfriend of 1994 in a bar in Hamilton.I did not know this til much later.
        We didn’t date but he was a very tall,georgeous,Irish looking
        bass player.I’m wondering if he’s still with her.I still love you,J.M.

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        1. Heh, no, I haven’t a clue! Maybe Maria will one day stumble across this blog and answer, but I don’t have an idea at all what she’s up to these days.

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  2. At 2/3 of your list, it looks like yer wife better dye her hair red for you, buddy! ;)

    For me it was probably Alannah Myles. I was a kid, and that Black Velvet video… yeah.

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  5. I do recall your Avril Lavigne crush. And I think… Ashlee Simpson? Though the latter may be a bit of creative license on my part. My vote (personally) goes to D’arcy Wretzky.

    Also, diapers? What?

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        2. haha – sounds promising & not at all implausible! I’ve only seen the clip with the “90s singer-style” doing karaoke, pretty good impression of a dark era of knockoffs

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  8. I think Avril & Chad fit
    surprisingly well as a
    couple.Avril was a really
    striking looking girl when she hit the charts,
    with her dark hair &
    cool outfits.She is still cute but she’s mostly
    heavy make-up & hair
    extensions.This ‘tomboy’ to gentlewoman act is degrading to women.Tomboy connotates a
    negative image to many
    & is just a sexist title for
    an active assertive girl. I am not a Nickleback fan but Chad is a really nice human being.I’m sure he had some P.S.done cuz
    he looks way better.

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