Take your mind off of everything
March 5, 2016 3:01 PM Subscribe
Evgeni Plushenko is your sex bomb This is a very fun figure skating video from 2001. Here is a Evgeni Plushenko compilation by the Huffington Post from 2014 for further diversion.
Never gets old.
posted by drlith at 3:22 PM on March 5, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by drlith at 3:22 PM on March 5, 2016 [2 favorites]
There was this period in the 90's when figure skating got really big for some reason; after a particularly popular winter Olympics, it must have been. But suddenly there were these big showy programs with a lot of the greats like Scott Hamilton and Kristi Yamaguchi doing pure exhibition performances to pop music, and it looked like they were having a lot of fun.
For example: here is Kristi Yamaguchi doing a number to Bjork. And Kurt Browning used his routine to Brick House in a later championship.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 3:33 PM on March 5, 2016 [4 favorites]
For example: here is Kristi Yamaguchi doing a number to Bjork. And Kurt Browning used his routine to Brick House in a later championship.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 3:33 PM on March 5, 2016 [4 favorites]
I can't remember who it is, but I remember someone doing an ice dancing routine to Leonard Cohen's "I'm Your Man" in the mid-90s.
posted by teponaztli at 3:45 PM on March 5, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by teponaztli at 3:45 PM on March 5, 2016 [2 favorites]
Recipe: 1/4 figure skating, 1/4 bodybuilding competition, 1/4 Chippendale, and 1/4 steroids.
posted by kozad at 3:53 PM on March 5, 2016
posted by kozad at 3:53 PM on March 5, 2016
Gary Beacom - I'm Your Man
posted by obscure simpsons reference at 4:05 PM on March 5, 2016 [5 favorites]
posted by obscure simpsons reference at 4:05 PM on March 5, 2016 [5 favorites]
Kristi Yamaguchi doing a number to Bjork.
Needs more feathers.
posted by rokusan at 4:17 PM on March 5, 2016
Needs more feathers.
posted by rokusan at 4:17 PM on March 5, 2016
Take my mind off everything? But figure skating is rife with politics, and that "new" judging system, oy...
Srsly, I was such a fanatic during the time period, I can see all these in my head.
And btw the extraordinary Kurt Browning did an exhibition to that Cohen song too.
(Fyi it was the Kerrigan attack before 94 Games that zoomed the popularity. Ah, them was the days.)
posted by NorthernLite at 4:28 PM on March 5, 2016 [5 favorites]
Srsly, I was such a fanatic during the time period, I can see all these in my head.
And btw the extraordinary Kurt Browning did an exhibition to that Cohen song too.
(Fyi it was the Kerrigan attack before 94 Games that zoomed the popularity. Ah, them was the days.)
posted by NorthernLite at 4:28 PM on March 5, 2016 [5 favorites]
That is obviously some kind of muscle suit, that isn't his real physique. He probably figured it would be good enough to fool the crowd and the judges, but the video is so sharp and zoomed in, people watching at home totally would have seen how fake it is - must have driven them crazy.
posted by Flashman at 4:32 PM on March 5, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by Flashman at 4:32 PM on March 5, 2016 [1 favorite]
The bodysuit is part of the joke. The audience is in on it.
posted by mochapickle at 4:36 PM on March 5, 2016 [22 favorites]
posted by mochapickle at 4:36 PM on March 5, 2016 [22 favorites]
Oh, and I'll see your Plushenko, and raise you a Kurt Browning Brick House. [ETA: Ack, didn't see link above.]
[Hmm, perhaps we need a fanfare thread for skating. Cos now I just wanna post all my favorite skaters' top programs, humorous or not - like Virtue and Moir's Umbrellas of Cherbourg.]
posted by NorthernLite at 4:48 PM on March 5, 2016 [1 favorite]
[Hmm, perhaps we need a fanfare thread for skating. Cos now I just wanna post all my favorite skaters' top programs, humorous or not - like Virtue and Moir's Umbrellas of Cherbourg.]
posted by NorthernLite at 4:48 PM on March 5, 2016 [1 favorite]
He probably figured it would be good enough to fool the crowd and the judges,
It's meant to be clearly fake, as mochapickle noted, but it's also clearly an exhibition performance, not a judged routine.
posted by jacquilynne at 4:50 PM on March 5, 2016
It's meant to be clearly fake, as mochapickle noted, but it's also clearly an exhibition performance, not a judged routine.
posted by jacquilynne at 4:50 PM on March 5, 2016
He's sporting a hockey flow.
posted by asockpuppet at 5:00 PM on March 5, 2016 [3 favorites]
posted by asockpuppet at 5:00 PM on March 5, 2016 [3 favorites]
Thank you for all these ice skating videos, I really need this right now! I remember that Leonard Cohen routine, going to watch it now. And yes, I did watch a lot of figure skating in the 90s, but I didn't know anyone else who did, or at least I didn't realize it was a trend. The routines just seemed to get really good.
posted by maggiemaggie at 5:21 PM on March 5, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by maggiemaggie at 5:21 PM on March 5, 2016 [2 favorites]
No Elvis Stojko mention?
posted by sallybrown at 6:09 PM on March 5, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by sallybrown at 6:09 PM on March 5, 2016 [2 favorites]
Skating! Skating! Skating on Metafilter! Yippee! Isn't everybody THRILLED about Virtue and Moir coming back?!?
posted by BlahLaLa at 6:22 PM on March 5, 2016 [3 favorites]
posted by BlahLaLa at 6:22 PM on March 5, 2016 [3 favorites]
Kurt Browning Brick House.
I know exactly jack shit about skating but damn those were some impressive jumps- he made it look like I could do it! (despite never having skated.)
posted by small_ruminant at 6:31 PM on March 5, 2016
I know exactly jack shit about skating but damn those were some impressive jumps- he made it look like I could do it! (despite never having skated.)
posted by small_ruminant at 6:31 PM on March 5, 2016
This sort of thing is why I wanted to get into ice-skating as a kid (well, maybe not Sex Bomb, but SPORT AND DANCE AND SO PRETTY).
Of course, growing up in Malaysia kinda puts a damper on that.
posted by divabat at 7:43 PM on March 5, 2016 [1 favorite]
Of course, growing up in Malaysia kinda puts a damper on that.
posted by divabat at 7:43 PM on March 5, 2016 [1 favorite]
One, that Eurovision look of Plushenko's put me in mind of nothing so much as Rhys Ifans' character in Notting Hill so...that was a fun momentary mental image.
Two, if we're posting our favorite 90's pro skater pop exhibitions, I must toss in Brian Orser and Deeply Dippy, which is three minutes of pure delight and joy and really smooth footwork.
posted by angeline at 7:45 PM on March 5, 2016 [1 favorite]
Two, if we're posting our favorite 90's pro skater pop exhibitions, I must toss in Brian Orser and Deeply Dippy, which is three minutes of pure delight and joy and really smooth footwork.
posted by angeline at 7:45 PM on March 5, 2016 [1 favorite]
I got to see Jeremy Abbott doing a "Wolf of Wall Street" routine to "Black Skinhead" that was quite entertaining.
posted by mogget at 8:04 PM on March 5, 2016
posted by mogget at 8:04 PM on March 5, 2016
Nope, nope, nope. Related: Plushenko skating at EUROVISION. *shudders*
Now I'm imagining some sort of version of that where Plushenko trips and that barefoot singer loses some toes.
posted by mochapickle at 8:41 PM on March 5, 2016 [1 favorite]
Now I'm imagining some sort of version of that where Plushenko trips and that barefoot singer loses some toes.
posted by mochapickle at 8:41 PM on March 5, 2016 [1 favorite]
And yes, I did watch a lot of figure skating in the 90s, but I didn't know anyone else who did, or at least I didn't realize it was a trend.
Was it a trend? For me it's because my mom and sister were really into ice skating, so I got really into ice skating. I even took figure skating lessons in 3rd grade, a fact I have never been able to tell anyone without getting laughed at.
posted by teponaztli at 9:28 PM on March 5, 2016
Was it a trend? For me it's because my mom and sister were really into ice skating, so I got really into ice skating. I even took figure skating lessons in 3rd grade, a fact I have never been able to tell anyone without getting laughed at.
posted by teponaztli at 9:28 PM on March 5, 2016
sallybrown: "No Elvis Stojko mention?"
There wasn't a Canadian mom in 1993 that wasn't heavily into this.
posted by cranberrymonger at 9:31 PM on March 5, 2016 [4 favorites]
There wasn't a Canadian mom in 1993 that wasn't heavily into this.
posted by cranberrymonger at 9:31 PM on March 5, 2016 [4 favorites]
For my money, the oddest/most interesting choice in this vein was Josee Chouinard skating to "The Sweater."
posted by EvaDestruction at 11:31 PM on March 5, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by EvaDestruction at 11:31 PM on March 5, 2016 [1 favorite]
Gary Beacom is an interesting guy. He was a creative skater and always did these weird jumps and moves that no one had ever seen before, so the judges would look at their lists of jump types and have no clue what to write down.
Then he became one of those guys who decides that the US Constitution doesn't require anyone to file a tax reform, even a Canadian living and working in the US, so he was arrested, convicted, and went to prison, then was deported. He was just starting to do pairs skating at the time and his pairs partner was quite angry with him.
posted by eye of newt at 11:44 PM on March 5, 2016 [3 favorites]
Then he became one of those guys who decides that the US Constitution doesn't require anyone to file a tax reform, even a Canadian living and working in the US, so he was arrested, convicted, and went to prison, then was deported. He was just starting to do pairs skating at the time and his pairs partner was quite angry with him.
posted by eye of newt at 11:44 PM on March 5, 2016 [3 favorites]
Anyone remember who did that Neutral Milk Hotel routine?
posted by benzenedream at 1:48 AM on March 6, 2016
posted by benzenedream at 1:48 AM on March 6, 2016
It's more recent, but Johnny Weir skating to Poker Face is my current favorite.
posted by kimberussell at 7:17 AM on March 6, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by kimberussell at 7:17 AM on March 6, 2016 [2 favorites]
It's more recent, but Johnny Weir skating to Poker Face is my current favorite.
That was great! It led me to his skate to "Born This Way" and I feel like somewhere between Plushenko & Weir and everything in between there's a really interesting paper on men's figure skatings responses and critiques of gender performance and masculinity.
posted by Salamandrous at 8:53 AM on March 6, 2016 [1 favorite]
That was great! It led me to his skate to "Born This Way" and I feel like somewhere between Plushenko & Weir and everything in between there's a really interesting paper on men's figure skatings responses and critiques of gender performance and masculinity.
posted by Salamandrous at 8:53 AM on March 6, 2016 [1 favorite]
Gary Beacom is an interesting guy. He was a creative skater and always did these weird jumps and moves that no one had ever seen before, so the judges would look at their lists of jump types and have no clue what to write down.
This is pretty baller.
posted by kenko at 9:33 AM on March 6, 2016 [3 favorites]
This is pretty baller.
posted by kenko at 9:33 AM on March 6, 2016 [3 favorites]
It started before the 90s -- when I was a teenager in the 80s, there was an exhibition tour that rolled through DC and hit the Capital Center every year. I think it got bigger after the 1984 Olympics, with Torvill and Dean, and then there was Boitano at the 1988 Olympics, and so on.
posted by tavella at 10:48 AM on March 6, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by tavella at 10:48 AM on March 6, 2016 [2 favorites]
this aligns with my interests.
posted by stagewhisper at 4:30 PM on March 6, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by stagewhisper at 4:30 PM on March 6, 2016 [1 favorite]
Would've been better with the flipper song..
posted by judson at 9:32 AM on March 7, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by judson at 9:32 AM on March 7, 2016 [1 favorite]
Someone needs to put together a Gary Beacom FPP. What an interesting and creative guy, too bad he was infected with the SovCit mind virus.
posted by benzenedream at 3:07 PM on March 7, 2016
posted by benzenedream at 3:07 PM on March 7, 2016
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