Actress Caroline McWilliams R.I.P.

Actress Caroline McWilliams, who was a regular on Soap and Benson, passed on February 11 at the age of 64. The cause was complications from multiple myeloma.

Caroline McWilliams was born in Seattle, Washington, but was raised in Baltimore, Maryland. She graduated from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh with a bachelor's degree. Her first appearance on television was a guest appearance on the short lived Western Dundee and the Culhane. In 1969 she joined the cast of the soap opera The Guiding Light, on which she appeared until 1975. In 1970 she made her Broadway debut in the play The Rothschilds. In 1974 she appeared on Broadway again in a revival of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. in 1975 she appeared in a revival of Boccacio. The next few years she guest starred on such shows as Kojak, Quincy M.E., Barney Miller, The Incredible Hulk, and Project U.F.O.

In 1978 Caroline McWilliams became a regular on Soap, playing Sally. When the character of Benson was spun off into his own self titled show in 1979, she joined the cast, playing Marcy Hill. After Benson went off the air in 1981, McWilliams guest starred on such shows as Hill Street Blues, Night Court, St. Elsewhere, The Comedy Factory, and Cagney and Lacey. She appeared in the films Jake's M.O. and White Water Summer. In 1989 she was a regular on the short lived show Nearly Departed.

In 1990 Caroline McWilliams appeared in the movie Mermaids. She guest starred on the show Sisters and had a brief recurring role on Beverly Hills 90120. She guest starred on Home Improvement, Lois and Clark: the New Adventures of Superman, and Murphy Brown. She had a brief recurring role on Judging Amy.

Death Does Not Take Holidays

Anyone who read this blog lately will have noticed that nearly every post was a eulogy of some sort. Indeed, since January the majority of posts have been eulogies for those with some impact on pop culture who have died. New York Magazine proclaimed the summer of 2009 "the Summer of Death," and I in turn proclaimed last year to be "the Year of Death," but now I fear I was wrong. Of the 37 posts I have written this year, 26 have been dedicated to individuals who have recently died. At  the rate things are going, I suspect more pop culture icons will died in 2010 than 2009.

Indeed, in writing this blog I concluded long ago that the idea that celebrities die in threes was erroneous. Sometimes only one celebrity will die, other times only two. This year it seems as if they are dying in droves. A Shroud of Thoughts seems to be proof of that, as it seems as if lately I cannot go without writing at least two, usually more, eulogies a week. And this is even considering I have ground rules as to whom I eulogise. First, they must have had some significant impact on pop culture (I exclude sports figures for the reason that I do not view sports as part of pop culture). Second, their sole claim to fame must not be that they were a political or religious figure. While certain political and religious figures do have an impact on pop culture, the fact that they tend to be controversial is the reason for their exclusion from this blog. Indeed, I will even avoid eulogising pop culture icons if they tend to be overly controversial (this is why I never eulogised Michael Jackson). Third, since this is my blog, they must have had a significant impact on myself. This is why I have never eulogised country music singers or many artists. They had no real impact on me. Of course, even given these criteria, it seems as if I have written many, many eulogies of late.

Of course, the question remains as to why I should eulogise pop culture icons at all. To answer this, I think we must look at the position pop culture icons occupy in our lives. I do disagree with those pop culture theorists who believe that celebrities are the gods of our day. With the exception of a few distraught individuals, I don't think any of us actually worship celebrities in the full sense of the term. Housewives do not offer sacrifices to George Clooney and rock fans do not pray to Pete Townshend. That having been said, I do think that our society's regard for celebrities is in some way analogous to ancient and not so ancient religions. Quite simply, while pop culture icons may not be the Óðinn or Zeus of our day, they may be the Sigurðr or Herakles of our day. That is, we tend to view them as heroes, individuals touched by the gods, God, destiny, or what have you with talents beyond that of the average man. While modern day pop culture icons do not save the world or battle the forces of evil, they do have a large impact on the average person in the same way the heroes in the old stories did. They take our minds off the daily stress of our lives, cheer us up when we are sad, and in some instances may even influence an individual's choice in careers (an enormous number of NASA scientists became such because they read Alex Raymond's Flash Gordon as kids). When a pop culture icon dies, it is then much like losing a hero, an individual who has had an enormous impact on our lives.

While I do think we today tend to regard pop culture icons as people once did the heroes of old, I also think there is another dynamic at work that causes us to mourn celebrities when they died. This dynamic is a product of mass media, that of the illusion of familiarity. Mass media emerged with the invention of the printing press. The printing press allowed for the mass production of books, and in turn led to the development of the magazine and newspaper. Not only did this result in ideas and philosophies spreading much more swiftly than before, but it also created the cult of celebrity in its earliest form. Now individuals could read about their favourite writers, poets, musicians, artists, and so on, to the point that they almost felt as if they knew them. The development of new mass media, such as motion pictures, radio, and television would only increase this illusion of familiarity. The simple fact is that pop culture icons play such a large role in our everyday lives that we come to think that we know them, even when we do not. Indeed, the average person might never think of referring to his or her pastor as Parson Brown or his or her physician as Dr. Robert, but may well be inclined to refer to his or her favourite celebrities by their first name (just look at The Beatles, they are always John, Paul, George, and Ringo). When a beloved celebrity dies, then, it often feels as if one has lost a close friend, even though he or she might never have met that celebrity in his or her life.

The combination of these two dynamics, the hero worship bestowed on pop culture icons and the illusion of familiarity created by mass media, are the reasons we tend to mourn celebrities so. Using myself as an example, I must say that the past week was a very depressing one for me. It is not that my life itself was so bad, but simply that four of my favourite pop culture icons died within days of each other (Doug Fieger, Dale Hawkins, Kathryn Grayson, and Lionel Jeffries). I did not know any of these individuals personally, yet I mourned them as if I did. At the same time, it felt as if someone significant in my life had passed. Quite simply, my grief was brought on by a combination of hero worship and the illusion of familiarity.

My own personal hope for 2010 is that the number of celebrities dying does slow down. It is true that I do not know such individuals personally. And it is true that they do not exist on any higher plane than any of the rest of us. Regardless, like everyone else I will mourn their deaths and miss them terrible. Like everyone else in modern society, I do not want to see any more of my favourite celebrities die.

The Late Great Lionel Jeffries

Character actor, screenwriter, and director Lionel Jeffries died at the age 83 after a long illness. He appeared in films ranging from The Quatermass Xperiment to First Men in the Moon to Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. He directed such films as The Railway Children and Wombling Free.

Lionel Jeffries was born in Forest Hill, London on 10 June, 1926. He attended Queen Elizabeth’s Grammar School in Wimborne, Dorset. During World War II he served in the Oxford and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry. For his service he was awarded the Burma Star. Following the war he attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts (RADA). He debuted on stage in Carrington V. C. at the Westminster Theatre in 1949. He made his film debut the following year in Stage Fright, in a bit part credited as the Bald RADA Student. In 1952 Mr. Jeffries made his television debut on BBC Sunday Night Theatre in 1952. In 1953 he had a small role in the film Will Any Gentleman..? His first major film role was in the 1954 thriller The Black Rider.

The late Fifties saw Lionel Jeffries' career well underway. He appeared in The Colditz Story, the Hammer sci-fi horror classic The Quatermass Xperiment, Doctor at Large,  The Vicious Circle, Blue Murder at St. Trinian's, and The Trials of Oscar Wilde, among other films. On television he guest starred on Assignment Foreign Legion, The Adventures of Robin Hood, Tales from Dickens, Dick and the Duchess, and The Four Just Men.

The Sixties saw Lionel Jeffries appear in such films as Fanny, The Notorious Landlady, The Scarlet Blade, Call Me Bwana, and 12 + 1. Mr. Jeffries played some of his best known roles during this period. He played Inspector Oliphant in The Notorious Landlady, Joseph Cavor in First Men in the Moon, King Pellinore in Camelot, and Grandpa Caractacus Potts in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (even though he was six months younger than the man playing his son, Dick Van Dyke). In 1970 Mr. Jeffries made his directorial debut, directing an adaptation of E. Nesbit's The Railway Children, which won much praise.Throughout the Seventies he would direct four more films, including The Amazing Mr. Blunden, Baxter!, Wombling Free (featuring The Wombles of television fame), and The Water Babies. As an actor he appeared in Whoever Slew Auntie Roo, What Changed Charlie Fleming?, Royal Flash, and the 1979 remake of The Prisoner of Zenda. He also provided the voice of the title character in the animated series Fred Basset.

Starting in the Eighties, Lionel Jeffries appeared increasingly on television. He was a regular on the show Shillingbury Tales, and starred in the series Father Charlie and Tom, Dick, and Harriet. He guest starred in the shows All For Love, Minder, The Collectors, and C.A.T.S. Eyes. He appeared in the telefilms Ending Up, First and Last, and Jekyll and Hyde. He appeared in the films Better Late Than Never and A Chorus of Disapproval.

In the Nineties Mr. Jeffries guest starred on Inspector Morse, Boon, The Mixer, Casualty, and Lovejoy. He was a regular on the series Rich Tea and Sympathy and Woof. His last role on screen was a guest appearance on the series Lexx.

There can be no argument that Lionel Jeffries was one of the greatest comic actors of all time. His talents were put to great use in comedies ranging from Doctor at Large to Royal Flash. He had utterly perfect timing and a knack for making the most outrageous characters believable. At the same time he could be very convincing in more serious roles, such as that of Joseph Cavor in First Men in the Moon. Of course, Jeffries was also a talented director and screenwriter. His adaptation of The Railway Children was one of the best adaptations of a book ever filmed. Lionel Jeffries was a multi-talented artist with a considerable gift for inducing laughter. Very few actors were ever his equal, and it's doubtful very many ever will be.

Actress Betty Lou Keim R.I.P.

Betty Lou Keim, who played Frank Sinatra's wild child niece in Some Came Running, passed on January 27 at the age of 71. The cause was lung cancer.

Betty Lou Keim was born on September 27, 1938 in Malden, Massachusetts. She started acting while very young, making her Broadway debut at the age of seven in the play Strange Fruit. In 1948 she appeared in a revival of Crime and Punishment. In 1949 she was on Broadway once again, in the play Texas, Li'l Darlin'. It was in 1949 that she made her motion picture debut, in Doorway to Death. She appeared in three episodes of the anthology series Armstrong Circle Theatre, an episode of Lights Out, and there episodes of Hallmark Hall of Fame.

In 1953 Betty Lou Keim played Peggy Allison in the short lived series My Son Jeep. Later that year she appeared on Broadway again in The Remarkable Mr. Pennypacker. Over the next few years Keim appeared in episodes of  Philco Television Playhouse, The Alcoa Hour, and Goodyear Televison Playhouse.  In 1955 she made one last appearance on Broadway, in the play A Roomful of Roses.

Betty Lou Keim would become an exception to the rule in that she was actually under contract to two different studios, MGM and 20th Century Fox. For MGM she appeared in These Wilder Years in 1956. For Fox she reprised her role in the adaptation of A Roomful of Roses, Teenage Rebel, also released in 1956. It was the first of two times she would play a rebellious teenager. Keim continued to appear on television, in episodes of Robert Montgomery Presents, The U. S. Steel Hour, and Matinee Theatre In 1957 she played a small role in the film The Wayward Bus. It was in 1958 that she played the role for which she is perhaps best known, playing Frank Sinatra's reckless niece in Some Came Running.

Afterwards Keim's career unfolded completely on television. She guest starred on Yancy Derringer, General Electric Theatre, and Riverboat. Her last acting job was as a regular on The Deputy. It was in 1959 that she married actor Warren Berlinger and retired from acting. They would have four children together.

I must confess I have seen very little of  Betty Lou Keim's performances. I was born long after she left Broadway and the anthology shows on which she appeared were long off the air by the time I was born. All I have seen of her acting are a movies and her stint on The Deputy. That having been said, I have been impressed by what I have seen of Betty Lou Keim's acting. Indeed, there are very few actresses who could have been as convincing as rebellious teenage girls as she was. Her performances in both Teenage Rebel and Some Came Running were impressive.

Godspeed Soprano and Actress Kathryn Grayson

Kathryn Grayson, the beautiful soprano who starred in classic MGM musicals, passed yesterday at the age of 88.

Kathryn Grayson was born Zelma Kathryn Hedrick in Winston-Salem, North Carolina on February 9, 1922. Her family moved often when she was a child, until at last they settled in St. Louis. Realising that she could have talent as a singer, her parents set up an audition before opera singer Frances Marshal. Marshal saw promise in young Kathryn, and encouraged her family to continue her voice lessons. The family later moved to Los Angeles so that Kathryn could receive more training.

It was after the family moved to Los Angeles that Kathryn Grayson came to the attention of Louis B. Mayer of MGM. Mayer had been looking for a pretty soprano who could match Universal's own Deannna Durbin. Grayson herself had doubts about a movie career, as her ambition had always been to perform in opera. When she told Mayer that she thought they were wasting their time, he gave her an ultimatum: they would make a screen test and if MGM liked it she would stay, if not she would go. As things turned out, the studio did like the rather lengthy screen test they gave her. Grayson did not and told Mayer so. He then went home and had a heart attack, which convinced Grayson to remain (a decision which forced her to turn down the chance to sing "Lucia" at the Metropolitan Opera). She later learned feigning a heart attack was often a ploy Mayer used to keep actors to stay at MGM.

Like many of MGM's starlets, Kathryn Grayson was given a try out in an Andy Hardy movie opposite Mickey Rooney. Her first part in a film was the title role in Andy Hardy's Private Secretary in 1941. She then played in three minor movies: a comedy  (The Vanishing Virginian),  a musical opposite Abbot and Costello (Rio Rita), and another musical (Seven Sweethearts) before starring in a major motion picture. Grayson was cast as Gene Kelly's girlfriend in the MGM extravaganza Thousands Cheer, released in 1942.

Following Thousands Cheer Kathryn Grayson played opposite Gene Kelly once more in Anchors Aweigh in 1943. The next several years she starred or appeared in several major motion pictures, including It Happened in Brooklyn (1947), The Kissing Bandit (1948), Show Boat (1951), and So This is Love (1953). What may have been her best role was also one of her last, playing Lilli in Kiss Me, Kate. Her next film, The Vagabond King, released in 1956, would be her last. Having a bad experience on the film, which she thought should not have been made, convinced her to leave motion pictures.

Kathryn Grayson made a few appearance on television. She appeared in two episodes of General Electric Theatre and on Playhouse 90 and Lux Playhouse. She later appeared in an episode of Baretta and in the recurring role of Ideal Molloy on Murder She Wrote. Grayson remained very active on the stage. In 1960 she finally achieved her goal of performing opera when she performed Madame Butterfly, La Traviata, and La Boheme. She appeared on Broadway in Camelot in 1962, playing Guinevere. She would go onto star in the touring version  of the musical for sixteen months. In 1982 Grayson played her first stage role with no singing in Night Watch. The following year she appeared in Orpheus in the Underworld for Opera New England. From 1988 to 1997 she toured in her own show, An Evening with Kathryn Grayson. In 1996 and 1997 she appeared with Van Johnson in Love Letters. She spent her remaining years giving voice lessons.

Howard Keel, her co-star in three movies (including Kiss Me, Kate) once referred to her as the most beautiful woman in the history of movies. And while Kathryn Grayson was obviously pretty, one must suspect that Keel was referring to more than her physical appearance. She was perhaps the most congenial actress in the history of Hollywood, with the only harsh words she ever spoke being directed towards co-star Mario Lanza. No on had harsh words to speak of her. What really made Kathryn Grayson stand out, however, was her voice. One could not help but take notice of Kathryn Grayson when she was acting, but when she started to sing she consumed one's entire attention. Quite simply, Kathryn Grayson had one of the most beautiful voices in the history of the film. This is not to say that she was not a great actress, as she was. She was equally convincing as the rather sweet natured, naive Magnolia in Show Boat as she was the "shrew" Lilli in Kiss Me, Kate. Quite simply, Kathryn Grayson was a remarkable performer, a great actress, and an incredible singer. She will be missed.

Rockabilly Pioneer Dale Hawkins Passe On

Rockabilly pioneer Dale Hawkins, best known for his hit "Suzie Q," passed on February 13 at the age of 73. The cause was colon cancer.

Dale Hawkins was born on his grandfather's cotton farm near Goldmine, Louisiana on August 22, 1936. Although they worked independently of each other, his first cousin was fellow rock 'n' roll ledge Ronnie Hawkins. Dale Hawkins' parent divorced when he was only three years old. His father toured as a musician for a short time, even working with the Sons of the Pioneers. Hawkins took an interest in music early, shining shoes and delivering newspapers when he was only nine years old in order to buy a guitar. At the age of fifteen Hawkins enlisted in the United States Navy. He served aboard a destroyer during the Korean War. Following his service, Hawkins lived with his mother in Shreveport, Louisiana. There he worked in a record store, spending his nights playing in clubs.

Dale Hawkins made his first record as the direct result of someone else's hit. Taking notice of the 1956 Bobby Charles hit "See You Later, Alligator," Hawkins wrote a response entitled "See You Soon, Baboon." Hawkins' boss at the record store, Stan Lewis, was impressed enough with the song to recommend Hawkins to his friend, :Leonard Chess, the owner of the legendary Chess Records. Dale Hawkins became the first European American artist signed to the label. While "See You Soon, Baboon" did little business, his next song would be a smash hit. "Susie Q" featured one of the most distinctive guitar riffs ever written. In 1957 the song reached #27 on the Billboard singles chart. It would be covered by Gene Vincent, The Rolling Stones, Quicksilver Messenger Service, and, most notably, Creedence Clearwater Revival.

Sadly, Dale Hawkins was never quite able to match the success he head with "Suzy Q." He has respectable success with such songs as "La-Do-Dada," "My Babe," "Superman," "A House, a Car, and a Wedding Ring," and "Class Cutter (Yeah, Yeah)." Unfortunately, rockabilly's days were numbered and Dale Hawkins stopped recording with Chess in 1961. In 1960 he became the host of a teen dance party show, The Dale Hawkins Show, which aired locally on WCAU in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It lasted a year and a half.

By the mid Sixties Dale Hawkins became a record producer. He produced “Not Too Long Ago”  and “All These Things” for The Uniques, "Do It Again - A Little Bit Slower" for Jon and Robin, and "Western Union" for The Five Americans. He was executive vice president of Abnak Records and later Vice President, Southwest Division, Bell Records, where he produced James Bell, Bruce Channel, Ronnie Self, The Dolls, and The Gentrys, among others). He later served as  A&R director, RCA West Coast Rock Division, where he worked with such notables as Mike Nesmith and Harry Nilsson.

It was in 1999 that he released his first album of new material in over thirty years, Wildcat Tamer. In 2007 he released his last album, Back Down to Louisiana.

While Dale Hawkins' success was brief, he would leave an indelible  mark on rock 'n' roll. With its distinctive riff, "Suzy Q" was the forerunner of nearly every guitar driven subgenre of rock, including garage rock, power pop, and heavy metal. Indeed, its heavy, bluesy guitar would provide the gist for the evolution of heavy metal nearly ten years later. Of course, while Dale Hawkins' career might have begun with "Suzy Q," it did not end with it. Over the years, Dale Hawkins would produce a large number of quality songs, even when those songs were not necessarily hits. He was a true rock 'n' roll pioneer.

The Late, Great Doug Fieger of The Knack

On 14 February, 2010 Doug Fieger, leader and founding member of The Knack, passed at the age of 57. The cause was lung cancer. The Knack were best known for their 1979 mega-hit, "My Sharona."

Doug Fieger was born on 20 August, 1952 in Detroit, Michigan. He was raised in nearby Oak Park, Michigan. His father was a civil rights lawyer, while his mother was a teacher. His older brother is the famous lawyer Geoffrey Fieger. They have a younger sister, Beth.

Mr. Fieger took an interest in music from a very young age, becoming swept up by Beatlemania  in 1964. He was not even a teenager when he formed his first band, The Royal Jammers, drawing upon the British Invasion bands for inspiration.  He was still attending Oak Park High School when he joined the band Sky as their bassist. John Loury, and Rick Stawinski formed the band Sky. Playing an early form of American power pop, Sky played gigs with MC5, The Stooges, Bob Seger, and The Who. It was Doug Fieger, then only 17 who wrote producer Jimmy Miller (perhaps best known for his work with The Rolling Stones) in London. Miller went to Detroit to listen to the band. They were signed to RCA and put out two albums,  Don't Hold Back in 1970 and Sailor's Delight in 1971. Power pop being somewhat out of fashion at the time, neither album met with success. Sky broke up in 1971.

After the break up of Sky, Doug Fieger moved to Los Angeles. It was there that he became part of the Sunset Strip proto-punk scene. He became bassist of The Sunset Bombers, a group which included Brandon Matheson (later of  The Rubber City Rebels) on drums, Rick Armand on guitar,and Nick Armand on vocals. The Sunset Bombers were signed to Ariola Records America and put out one, self titled album in 1978.

It was in 1978 that Doug Fieger, guitarist Berton Averre, bassist Prescott Niles, and drummer Bruce Gary formed The Knack in Los Angeles, taking their name from the 1964 Richard Lester film The Knack...and How to Get It. The Knack soon became a huge draw in the Los Angeles club scene, playing clubs throughout California even before they were signed. Rolling Stone began following the band even before they had received a recording contract. By November 1978, no less than thirteen different record companies  were competing to sign The Knack. Eventually The Knack was signed to Capitol Records. Mike Chapman, who had produced both Sweet and Blondie, was signed to produce the first album.

The first album, Get The Knack, was recorded in only eleven days for $17,000. It was also recorded with an absolute minimum of post-production. Capitol Records gave Get The Knack an amount of promotion nearly equal to the British Invasion bands of the Sixties. The album was certified gold in only thirteen days. It was certified platinum in less than seven weeks. As to the most famous song from that album, "My Sharona" entered the Billboard Hot 100 on June 23, 1979. By August 25, 1979 it was number one, a position it held for six weeks. At the time only "I Want to Hold Your Hand" by The Beatles had stayed at number one longer. Since then only "I Kissed a Girl" by Katy Perry has stayed longer at number one than "My Sharona."

Sadly for The Knack, success brought a backlash against the band from the nation's critics. Fixating on the band's British Invasion image (complete with black suits and skinny ties), critics accused the band of aping The Beatles. Many critics even claimed that The Knack's music was derivative of The Beatles, even though the band sounded much more like the early Kinks. Not a few critics focused on what they saw as misogyny in The Knack's lyrics, even though they were less worse than that found in many Rolling Stones lyrics. Despite the backlash, The Knack pressed on. They recorded their second album, ...But the Little Girls Understand, which was released a mere eight months after Get The Knack. ...But the Little Girls Understand would not be nearly as successful as the first album, only reaching #15 on the Billboard chart. It would not go platinum.

The Knack took a break for a year before they recorded their third album, Round Trip, during which time Doug Fieger produced The Rubber City Rebels' debut album. Released in 1981 when the critics still viewed The Knack as anathema, Round Trip only went to #93 on the albums chart. It became the first Knack album to produce no hit singles, "Pay the Devil" reaching only #67 on the Billboard chart. It was only two weeks into the tour supporting Round Trip that The Knack broke up.

Following the breakup of The Knack, Doug Fieger worked with Detroit based funk rock band Was Not Was, The Manhattan Transfer (for whom he wrote the Grammy wining song "Soul Food to Go"), and The A.G.'s. The Knack reunited for a tour that lasted from 1986 into 1987. Although the tour was a success, a new Knack album was not forthcoming. It would not be until 1991 that The Knack would release a new album, Serious Fun. The album produced an FM radio hit in the form of the song "Rocket of Love."

In the meantime, Doug Fieger appeared in the semi-regular role of Nick on the TV show Roseanne. He also appeared on Roy Orbison's final studio album, King of Hearts and Ringo Starr's album Time Takes Time, both in 1992. The band regrouped again in 1997 to provide their rendition of "No Matter What" to Come And Get It: A Tribute To Badfinger. In 1998 the band released the album Zoom. In 1999 Doug Fieger released a solo album, First Things First. In 2001 The Knack released their final album, Normal as the Next Guy. Mr. Fieger's last work would be vocals on one song on Bruce Kublick's solo album B3K.

With the exception of The Monkees, perhaps no other rock band was as hated by critics as The Knack. And like The Monkees before them, The Knack did not deserve such hatred at all. It is true that their songs did not have the complexity of such contemporaries as Elvis Costello or The Talking Heads, but then they did not have to. What such critics failed to see is that there something to be said for clean, pure power pop. It was the genre of music performed by The Beatles, The Who, and The Kinks in their early days, and by Cheap Trick to this day. And The Knack performed power pop with an energy and zeal that few bands ever had before or since. True, The Knack's lyrics could be perceived by some as sexist, but then the same could be said for artists ranging from The Rolling Stones to The Beatles themselves. The Knack was no better, nor any worse than other bands of their time, nor any before them or since them either. Whether the critics wish to admit it or not, the "crime" for which they were vilified by rock reviewers was simply patterning themselves after the British Invasion bands of old and being successful at it, which is really no crime at all.

While the other members of The Knack made their contributions, there can be no doubt that it was Doug Fieger who was the band's heart and soul. It was Doug Fieger's song writing talent that propelled Get The Knack to the top of the charts and his showmanship that made the band a hit in clubs and later on tour. And it was his talent as both a song writer and showman that gave The Knack a legion of fans, even after their albums and singles no longer topped the charts. The conventional wisdom is that The Knack produced one good album, and afterwards several mediocre ones. This is the judgement of those who have never listened to The Knack's entire discography. While none of those albums could match the quality of Get The Knack, all of them are good albums. And that is largely due to Doug Fieger, one of the most talented front men in rock music of all time. It is perhaps time for critics to stop gnashing their teeth at the retro, British Invasion inspired image and sound of The Knack and start recognising the obvious quality of their music. And in doing so, perhaps they will finally recognise the power pop genius that was Doug Fieger.