VH1 gives '80s bands an encore
On the surface, VH1's new series "Bands Reunited" looks like the sort of television that would appeal exclusively to folks waiting for parachute pants and Jheri curl to make a roaring comeback. It's a showcase for ensembles such as Kajagoogoo and Flock of Seagulls -- one-hit wonders that have been reduced to cheap jokes in Adam Sandler films -- to reunite for one-night-only special concerts.
But VH1 does something remarkable with "Bands Reunited," which debuts tonight at 10. The show makes you care about bands like Berlin and Dramarama (who?), even if you don't know all the words to "No More Words." In the process, it becomes the music network's most engaging show since "Behind the Music." Look no further than tomorrow's shockingly lachrymose episode, featuring Romeo Void, for proof that the music business can be more sadistic than an apprenticeship under Donald Trump.
Each of the 10 episodes features host Aamer Haleem, who has the personality of a well-oiled door hinge and who freely drops phrases such as "In the house," stalking members of 1980s bands from the back of a minivan.
With a camera crew and boom mike following him, he springs like a member of the Publisher's Clearing House team, sans giant checks and balloons, and corners and cajoles former rockers into returning to the stage for a night. Most of the recovering rockers react as if Haleem is from the FBI, but are happy to be released from the cubicle farm for one more night in the spotlight.
Once enough members of a band have been tracked down and signed on to the reunion, they have just a day or two to rehearse and reconnect before the big concert. This is when the drama kicks into high gear, particularly in the case of Klymaxx, the R&B girl group that scored with the hit "Meeting in the Ladies Room." Guitarist Cheryl Cooley absconded with the band's name and formed a new Klymaxx, much to the chagrin of the original members. Watching her try to worm her way into the reunion concert is akin to the days when Heather Locklear made similarly shameless power plays on "Melrose Place."
But between the fascination of discovering what happened to these performers, and more important, what happened to their hair, is an undeniable sweetness. The episode where former Romeo Void saxophonist Benjamin Bossi deals with his hearing loss and members talk about record industry snubs of singer Debora Iyall because of her weight reminds us that former MTV icons have feelings, too.
