Rockin' Funnies: I Wanna Be A Lifeguard (1981)

Summer is officially here, and so it's time to start thinking about sun, sand, surf,......you know, the beach!

To help you get started, here's a slice of musical history from my home district. Blotto, the pride of Albany, NY, released "I Wanna Be A Lifeguard" in 1981, which landed them airplay on Dr. Demento's radio show and, of course, on the then-fledgling MTV. The video was shot in and around Albany, including a sequence shot in a section of Central Avenue that may be familiar to some of you.

Today, Blotto regroups every year to play some local music festivals---in fact, they were in my hometown over the weekend---and "Lifeguard" is always a crowd favorite. The band members are all in other vocations nowadays. Lee Harvey is a lawyer, Sarge is a freelance music critic, and so on. The video for "Lifeguard", uploaded by---wait for it---BlottodotNet, was produced by the band with the aid of some University of Albany students.



Now, admit it. Some of you had those dreams before Baywatch came along.....!