Is Nik Kershaw the Whitest Boy Alive?

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I used to be sure that Erlend Oye is the Whitest Boy Alive, but then I saw this video. No I see things differently.

AKA The Eighties-White-Bread-YouTube-Thread

― Herr Fahrstuhl (Herr Fahrstuhl), Thursday, 3 August 2006 19:20 (twenty years ago)

Speaking as a 13-year-old albino male, I find this thread deeply offensive.

― nabisco (nabisco), Thursday, 3 August 2006 19:24 (twenty years ago)

ughh...why did i click? he's not white. he's translucent...

― J. Grizzle--Here Comes Treble (trainsmoke), Thursday, 3 August 2006 20:29 (twenty years ago)

b-b-but he actually starts sounding like Stevie Wonder halfway through! LISTEN!
I don't think I've ever seen more "80's" per square inch tho.
I like the song, never heard of him.

― tremendoid (tremendoid), Thursday, 3 August 2006 21:23 (twenty years ago)

at least not more 1988 per square inch...

― J. Grizzle--Here Comes Treble (trainsmoke), Thursday, 3 August 2006 21:24 (twenty years ago)

omgomgwtflol!!!!

― Kim (Kim), Thursday, 3 August 2006 23:45 (twenty years ago)

The song and the video are both classy and elegant -- the song itself isn't very "white" as it seems at least partly influenced by classic R&B. Maybe the video is a patently "white" one, though that would make little sense. Nik Kershaw's complexion in the video? Seriously gorgeous. I don't see why more white people with that kind of complexion don't want to preserve it with all their might. Tans only serve to make white people look vile and disgusting. (I'm saying this as a non-white person.) Um, so I'll only be with you if you're going just by the video, which is rather "white".

― Phoenix Dancing (krushsister), Friday, 4 August 2006 00:59 (twenty years ago)

(Apparently the concept of a "white" video began to make more and more sense to me as I composed my message.)

― Phoenix Dancing (krushsister), Friday, 4 August 2006 01:00 (twenty years ago)

it's pretty embarassing how much I liked this guy circa grade 8.

this video though - am i the only one thinking of this?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FsvkEn-6Y5w

― Kim (Kim), Friday, 4 August 2006 01:51 (twenty years ago)

just to be clear, i'd never heard that Nik song before today.

now *this* was the Nik era i was into http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=En_hXG7Nrz4

(i love how i'm presenting it as a superior option, but there it is)

― Kim (Kim), Friday, 4 August 2006 02:09 (twenty years ago)

As a participant in ILM, you are permitted to dislike performances, but not artists, categories, or genres. You may have complaints about this or that Nik Kershaw performance, but to dis' Nik qua artist is to engage in the foulest strains of rockism, racism, and rank insensitivity.

― Shoes say, yeah, no hands clap your good bra. (goodbra), Friday, 4 August 2006 03:14 (twenty years ago)

Dear Shoes, please don't tell me what I am permitted to like or dislike "as a participant in ILM". Apart from that, I don't see any dissing going on anyway.

Full disclaimer: I own every album by Nik Kershaw up to "To be Frank", plus several 12-inches. I even paid a ridiculous 40 DM for a used copy of his CD "Works" which the track in case is included on.

I just thought it might be amusing to counter the (constructed, essentialistic, eurocentric blah blah blah) notion of "blackness" in music by examples of what might be considered "whiteness". Also, "rockism, racism and rank insensivity" won't go away if we pretend categories such as ethnicity and skin colours do not exist in people's minds. Rather, they might be less of a burden if we decided to use them playfully and lightly (of course acknowledging their history, connotations etc.), as I tried to.

Now, back to what this thread should be about: More YouTube videos.

― Herr Fahrstuhl (Herr Fahrstuhl), Friday, 4 August 2006 09:09 (twenty years ago)

Good lord. I can't believe you took my joke seriously.

― Shoes say, yeah, no hands clap your good bra. (goodbra), Friday, 4 August 2006 14:46 (twenty years ago)

Oh. That makes me look stupid now. Or does it?

― Herr Fahrstuhl (Herr Fahrstuhl), Friday, 4 August 2006 17:24 (twenty years ago)

It's more of a comment on ILM culture than anything personal about you, dude.

― Shoes say, yeah, no hands clap your good bra. (goodbra), Saturday, 5 August 2006 00:30 (twenty years ago)

Kim: Thank you so much for making me drag out Human Racing. Ack, I'd forgotten how brilliant it was. And "Dancing Girls"? Seriously, they made a music video for that? Sweet! The quality of that video file is suspect, but it's great seeing a Nik Kershaw video that ISN'T "Wouldn't It Be Good" or "The Riddle".

― Phoenix Dancing (krushsister), Saturday, 12 August 2006 21:54 (twenty years ago)

I don't think I'd heard Elisabeth's Eyes before, but it seems to owe a massive debt to Scritti Politti.

― Chewshabadoo (Chewshabadoo), Sunday, 13 August 2006 09:49 (twenty years ago)

Obv. Nik Kershaw is not the whitest boy alive. He is the widest boy alive!

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Wednesday, 16 August 2006 11:21 (twenty years ago)

Btw. I always kind of like "The One And Only" by Chesney Hawkes. He may have been just another stupid teen idol, but the actual song is Kershaw at his songwriting best.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Wednesday, 16 August 2006 11:25 (twenty years ago)

He was such a "stupid teen idol" that Miles Davis wanted to record an album with him.

― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Wednesday, 16 August 2006 11:28 (twenty years ago)

Nik Kershaw: The Riddle (the track) C/D

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Wednesday, 16 August 2006 12:23 (twenty years ago)

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