Comments on: M M M My Sharona... M M M My real estate agent?

M M M My Sharona... M M M My real estate agent?

Mr Pointy — Tue, 22 Mar 2005 11:49:58 -0800

M M M My Sharona... M M M My real estate agent? Sharona Alperin was only 17 when she inspired the Knack's 1979 hit single "My Sharona." Now she sells real estate in Los Angeles...On the flip side of lyrical fame, 16-year-old Brenda Spencer inspired another set of lyrics in 1979 -- the Boomtown Rats' haunting song "I Don't Like Mondays" -- which chronicled Spencer's slaying of eight school children and a principal at an elementary school near her San Diego, CA-area home. It's not an urban legend: Spencer told a reporter who called her during the 6 1/2 -hour siege that she opened fire because, "I don't like Mondays. This livens up the day." Spencer reminds us today that schoolyard shootings are not a new phenomenon. Now 42, Brenda is serving a 25-year sentence and is up for parole soon...

By: goodnewsfortheinsane

goodnewsfortheinsane — Tue, 22 Mar 2005 11:52:52 -0800

I can't believe these two stories haven't had proper posts about them yet. Good post!

By: BlackLeotardFront

BlackLeotardFront — Tue, 22 Mar 2005 11:53:57 -0800

Haven't checked this out yet, looks cool, but coincidence that it follows a "Girls With Guns" post? Extraordinary...

By: Mr Pointy

Mr Pointy — Tue, 22 Mar 2005 11:56:17 -0800

D'oh. Can't tell you how many times I proofed that but still... Should have said "Spencer's shooting" of eight children. The kids survived. The principal and a custodian did not. Eh, it's my first post. I'll do better next time :-I

By: jonmc

jonmc — Tue, 22 Mar 2005 11:57:12 -0800

To tie the two posts together with another 80's, I give you Mr. Tommy Shaw...

By: thirteenkiller

thirteenkiller — Tue, 22 Mar 2005 12:07:28 -0800

The song makes her sound like a little nympho groupie or something.

By: Swampjazz!

Swampjazz! — Tue, 22 Mar 2005 12:13:42 -0800

Sharona tells that "My Sharona has had an impact on my ability to understand the entertainers mind, there's something simpatico. You've got to care to the n'th degree. You can't drop the ball for one minute." Running down the length of my thighs, Sharona Never gonna stop, give it up. Such a dirty mind. Always get it up for the touch of the younger kind.

By: Robot Johnny

Robot Johnny — Tue, 22 Mar 2005 12:34:42 -0800

Swampjazz, sounds like she held onto those balls pretty good.

By: matteo

matteo — Tue, 22 Mar 2005 12:39:45 -0800

what a post! I love Sharona!

By: orange swan

orange swan — Tue, 22 Mar 2005 12:55:08 -0800

I think it would be cool to be the inspiration for a fictional character or piece of music or the like - although, naturally, not in the way that Brenda Spencer did, and not even in the way that Sharona Alperin did, because I don't like that song (okay, so I'm too picky and mouthy to be anyone's muse). It's probably the closest anyone ever comes to seeing themselves as another sees them.

By: madamjujujive

madamjujujive — Tue, 22 Mar 2005 12:59:13 -0800

Excellent post, Mr Pointy, and very topical - proof that *newsfilter* can be done well and creatively. Bravo!

By: salad spork

salad spork — Tue, 22 Mar 2005 13:06:46 -0800

and then there's the story behind the Pumpkins song "starla" - turns out Billy misheard the girl's name, and it's Darla, not Starla...

By: three blind mice

three blind mice — Tue, 22 Mar 2005 13:10:00 -0800

i second the madam. outstanding post.

By: spicynuts

spicynuts — Tue, 22 Mar 2005 13:17:39 -0800

I'm confused about the parole. According to the snopes article, she was sentenced to 25 years at the age of 16. She's 42 now, which means her time should be up, period, soon, parole or no. Once you have served a sentence, they can't decide to keep you in longer, right?

By: Mr Pointy

Mr Pointy — Tue, 22 Mar 2005 13:27:50 -0800

Spicynuts is correct. I mischaracterized Spencer's sentence; she was sentenced to 25-years-to-life. She will remain incarcerated until the parole board sees fit to release her.

By: tkchrist

tkchrist — Tue, 22 Mar 2005 13:29:09 -0800

BIG Boomtown Rats fan. "Mary of the Fourth Form" was a kick ass song.

By: mkultra

mkultra — Tue, 22 Mar 2005 13:29:47 -0800

Wow, great post!

By: Juicylicious

Juicylicious — Tue, 22 Mar 2005 13:33:49 -0800

"At a 2001 parole hearing, Spencer claimed she had been on drugs and alcohol and was hallucinating – shooting at "commandos storming her house". "I live with the unbearable pain every day of knowing that I was responsible for the death of two people and caused many others physical and additional pain and suffering, but I'm not a murderer," she said." I beg to differ, you are a murderer. "I'm confused about the parole. According to the snopes article, she was sentenced to 25 years at the age of 16. She's 42 now, which means her time should be up, period, soon, parole or no. Once you have served a sentence, they can't decide to keep you in longer, right?" She was actually sentenced to 25 years to life. She became eligible for parole in 2001.

By: scody

scody — Tue, 22 Mar 2005 13:53:05 -0800

Fun Doug "The Knack" Fieger bit o' trivia: his brother is Jack Kevorkian's lawyer.

By: KirkJobSluder

KirkJobSluder — Tue, 22 Mar 2005 14:02:27 -0800

Sharona tells that "My Sharona has had an impact on my ability to understand the entertainers mind, there's something simpatico. You've got to care to the n'th degree. You can't drop the ball for one minute." I read that myself and thought it was one of those amazing bits of obsfucated marketing speak worth saving for something. Do people actually talk this way?

By: TimTypeZed

TimTypeZed — Tue, 22 Mar 2005 14:05:37 -0800

I'm sure I've seen 1482 Blue Jay in a photo spread or on a video or two. Not that I look at those kind of photo spreads or videos. Can you imagine the commisions when you're regularly selling houses at that price? She must be doing better than any members of The Knack. For the dignity of forgotten rock stars everywhere, I hope Doug Fieger at least has better hair than Jeffrey.

By: kyrademon

kyrademon — Tue, 22 Mar 2005 14:08:56 -0800

I was amused by the fact that it doesn't seem to mean . . . anything at all, too, KirkJobSluder. On the other hand, what's she going to say? "My vast experience with how underage girls turn on rock stars makes me the perfect person to find you a home!"

By: Mayor Curley

Mayor Curley — Tue, 22 Mar 2005 14:12:00 -0800

Forced irreverence when giving a motive is the worst quality a killer can have. Brenda Spencer didn't like mondays. Arthur Shawcross said he was "taking care of business." I don't care for Bachman-Turner Overdrive, but it's still cooler to reference BTO than "Garfield." Brenda Spencer, you are lamer than the Genesee River Killer.

By: rcade

rcade — Tue, 22 Mar 2005 14:14:00 -0800

I beg to differ, you are a murderer. You spend your entire life, day after day, without murdering a single person. Then you slip up just one time, and they never let you hear the end of it.

By: cali

cali — Tue, 22 Mar 2005 14:28:19 -0800

I think this post is a good example of "topical" as opposed to "newsflter". Nicely done, thanks.

By: fossil_human

fossil_human — Tue, 22 Mar 2005 14:40:24 -0800

This is a wonderful post. I've always wondered what the story was behind "I don't like Mondays".

By: thomcatspike

thomcatspike — Tue, 22 Mar 2005 14:52:39 -0800

rcade, are you writing a song for the thread or telling us why you would not slip up murdering one time. [bangs head] the song "day after day" stuck in head now. [reads thread's title] "MMMMy Sharona..." Ahhh, bettter.

By: spock

spock — Tue, 22 Mar 2005 16:39:13 -0800

What??? Nobody complaining about the misused ellipsis and double-hyphens? What is wrong with you people today? : )

By: naomi

naomi — Tue, 22 Mar 2005 17:14:25 -0800

Don't you mean misused ellipses and double hyphens? Yeah, let's hear it for English majors! Wheeee! Sigh...

By: redneck_zionist

redneck_zionist — Tue, 22 Mar 2005 17:21:24 -0800

The scene of Spencer's crime, Cleveland Elementary School in San Carlos, is up for lease.

By: amberglow

amberglow — Tue, 22 Mar 2005 17:35:11 -0800

thanks for this: I Don't Like Mondays was such a big deal when i was in highschool. Much more important than My Sharona : > "and the silicon chip inside her head got switched to overload..."

By: id

id — Tue, 22 Mar 2005 17:35:29 -0800

Oh that's awesome, redneck_zionist... Now, who wants to start an indoor paintball arena?

By: davidmsc

davidmsc — Tue, 22 Mar 2005 17:58:35 -0800

Don't care about the Rats song -- but the Sharona info is wonderful! I have always loved that song, from the first time I heard it on KMET (or was it KLOS)? And knowing about Feiger and his bro -- man, does that make sense -- genetics are powerful, eh? Much obliged for the fun links!

By: graventy

graventy — Tue, 22 Mar 2005 17:59:44 -0800

You spend your entire life, day after day, without murdering a single person. Then you slip up just one time, and they never let you hear the end of it. rcade, are you writing a song for the thread or telling us why you would not slip up murdering one time. He's paraphrasing a joke. Goatfucker. That's the original punchline...I'm not calling you a goatfucker.

By: graventy

graventy — Tue, 22 Mar 2005 18:00:25 -0800

On topic, awesome post. Man, My Sharona is a dirty song.

By: jfuller

jfuller — Tue, 22 Mar 2005 18:06:27 -0800

The Chipmunks' My Sharona cut the Knack's to shreds.

By: fluffycreature

fluffycreature — Tue, 22 Mar 2005 18:17:58 -0800

Bravo on the post, this was interesting. I ended up doing a Google for Brenda, to find a picture of what a child looks like after 30 years in prison. No luck on that. But, I did find a ton of websites where people are tying the mistrea tment of animals to murder or some such behavior. Our little Brenda was not nice. Who knew?

By: Aster

Aster — Tue, 22 Mar 2005 20:07:38 -0800

I ended up doing a Google for Brenda, to find a picture of what a child looks like after 30 years in prison. No luck on that. This page has a couple of pictures of the older Spencer. It's not pretty. Apparently prison culture is big on mullets. A news story quoted on the page reveals that "Buell said one child who was enrolled at [her] center was the offspring of Brenda Spencer's father, Wallace, and his present wife, who was Brenda Spencer's 17-year-old cellmate when she was being held at Juvenile Hall." Nice to see he's gotten on with his life.

By: euphorb

euphorb — Tue, 22 Mar 2005 20:48:43 -0800

Heloísa Eneida Menezes Paes Pinto better known as the girl from Ipanema.

By: IshmaelGraves

IshmaelGraves — Tue, 22 Mar 2005 22:10:01 -0800

Buell said one child who was enrolled at [her] center was the offspring of Brenda Spencer's father, Wallace, and his present wife, who was Brenda Spencer's 17-year-old cellmate when she was being held at Juvenile Hall." Nice to see he's gotten on with his life. If this is true, it makes me take her claims of his sexual abuse a bit more seriously. I'd read about this story many times, but this thread convinced me to download the song. Catchy.

By: dabitch

dabitch — Tue, 22 Mar 2005 23:14:39 -0800

How timely; The Outstanding Contribution to Music Award will be presented to the original Boomtown Rat, Sir Bob Geldof at The BRITs25. Sir Bob natirally played "I don't like Mondays" after accepting his award, as I watched I wondered which school killing it was that inspired it. Now I know, without having to google myself. :)

By: dabitch

dabitch — Tue, 22 Mar 2005 23:21:25 -0800

euphorb, wow great link and her sweet sixteen photo makes it pretty clear where that "aaah" comes from, so adorable.

By: George_Spiggott

George_Spiggott — Tue, 22 Mar 2005 23:52:56 -0800

I'm amazed to discover someone's actually hosting a .wav of this piece of Carter-era history.

Americans are mostly cool, mostly cool But now we're really startin' to fry- atollah! And you know if you were here, you were here, We'd hit you in the face with a pie- atollah!

By: peacay

peacay — Wed, 23 Mar 2005 00:17:01 -0800

Despite being a well constructed post I'm not happy Mr Pointy. That fucking song My Sharona has been playing in my goddamned head all day! Gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah! I thought I had got over it 20 years ago. "Nurse!! Bring my lithium this instant!!"

By: taz

taz — Wed, 23 Mar 2005 00:44:12 -0800

Peggy Sue, Peggy Sue - pretty pretty pretty pretty Peggy Sue oh Peggy - my Peggy Sue oh well, I love you gal and I need you Peggy Sue I love you Peggy Sue - with a love so rare and true oh Peggy - my Peggy Sue well I love you gal - I want you Peggy Sue Here she is!

By: postmodernmillie

postmodernmillie — Wed, 23 Mar 2005 01:01:19 -0800

And let's not forget Toto's Rosanna.

By: kirkaracha

kirkaracha — Wed, 23 Mar 2005 06:30:36 -0800

"Something," "Layla," and "Wonderful Tonight" are all about Patti Boyd, who was married to George Harrison and Eric Clapton and is now a photographer. Harrison and Clapton were best friends when Boyd got involved with Clapton, and "Layla" is about his conflicted feelings. The title comes from the Middle Eastern legend of Layli and Madjnun. Man, My Sharona is a dirty song Not as dirty as "Good Girls Don't."

By: Cookiebastard

Cookiebastard — Thu, 24 Mar 2005 08:02:37 -0800

I wonder how Mrs. Meyer feels about her husband's fame for "Filling up the basket" of a young Al Yankovic.

By: orange swan

orange swan — Fri, 25 Mar 2005 09:06:16 -0800

Patti Boyd ought to conduct seminars on how to do whatever it was that she did. Man.