R.I.P.: Doug Fieger of The Knack

Sad news:  Doug Fieger, founding member/vocalist for The Knack, passed away over the weekend after a six year battle with cancer.  I never saw The Knack personally, but every time I think of the band, inevitably my mind drifts to the following moment in Reality Bites (this would be a good time for a small confession:  I might do this dance each and every time that “My Sharona” comes on the radio.):

While the band is probably best known for “My Sharona,” they had two additional hits, “Good Girls Don’t” and “Baby Talks Dirty,” both of which were Top 40 charting songs for the group.  Here’s an interesting documentary that goes behind the scenes of the success of “My Sharona.”  Unfortunately, one of the three parts is missing (thanks to Warner Music copyright control), but the other two parts that are still posted on Youtube are a good watch.

13 Comments on “R.I.P.: Doug Fieger of The Knack

  1. While people may want to dismiss the Knack as a one-hit wonder, it's significant to note that during the late 70s, guitar-driven pop was not a big player on mainstream radio as it had been from the 60s through the early 70s. Corporate rock and disco ruled the day. “My Sharona” was a welcome return to four chords, a melody and a beat. The “Get the Knack” album was very influential at that time and remained so for many years to come. I think I'll go find my copy right now…

  2. i'm pretty sure that matt found the videos the same place you did — youtube. for instance, i just posted that same reality bites clip on my blog — and just saw now that he did the same thing. it happens when there are a small amount of cool clips for one band on youtube; there's lots of inadvertent overlap.

  3. i'm pretty sure that matt found the videos the same place you did — youtube. for instance, i just posted that same reality bites clip on my blog — and just saw now that he did the same thing. it happens when there are a small amount of cool clips for one band on youtube; there's lots of inadvertent overlap.

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