Straight from the city where image is everything and substance counts for nothing comes this hideous piece of junk television, marketed as "the magazine you watch instead of read" apparently aimed squarely at Hollywood's intellectual light-weights of 1991 who found reading like a bit of a drag, you know?

Fast, loud, and "in your face" the show features interviews with a number of pretty young faces of the time. However, such faces remain neither young nor pretty and most of the subjects in this show have long since been forgotten - their recording contracts or television careers long since taken from them as quickly as they received them in the first place.

The producers make an occasional attempt at examining subjects such as animal rights and environmental issues but the total time allotted is but a fraction of that given to other topics such as that year's fashion in swimming costumes.

Things pick up though a little over half way through the show when the unmistakable sound of Raw Youth's Tame Yourself song can be heard. For just a few moments this show features footage from the launch party of the PETA benefit album of the same name, held at the Hard Rock Café, in New York. An interviewer for this show moves from guest to guest enquiring about their views with regard to animal rights.

Suddenly the interviewer turns to one celebrity attendee and the camera and spot-light lock onto their target like a missile and refuses to let go. With the distinct appearance of a wild animal caught in a car's headlights River looks like he always used to do when surrounded by noise and crowds of people. He looks like Little Boy Lost.

"When did you first become aware of PETA as an organization?" shouts the interviewer. Distracted and overwhelmed, "About four years ago," is about all River can manage. "And what cause of theirs appealed to you most?" the interviewer continues relentlessly. "Err, just err, the commitment to speak out for the speechless - which are the animals at this point," replies River.

Others attendees at the party include both Keith Strickland and Kate Pierson of the B-52's as well as Chrissy Hynde of the Pretenders and k.d. lang. River's lack of ability to handle situations of this kind is self-evident as he slowly disappears into the shadows, trying his best to simply get away from the bright lights and the attention of others.

Singer k.d. lang, front, and a very frightened little boy, behind.

Watching material like this leaves one with no doubt whatsoever about the magnitude of crushing pressures that River's fame ultimately brought him.

Previous Page

Next Page