The Speedies - An Unfinished Pop Revolution Let Me Take Your Foto

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Posted: September 09, 2005

Description: The Speedies took form in 1978 in Brooklyn, New York where Eric Hoffert,... (more)

Description: The Speedies took form in 1978 in Brooklyn, New York where Eric Hoffert, Gregory Crewdson, Allen Hurkin-Torres, John Carlucci and John Marino transformed into Eric Pop, Greg Zap, Allen Zane, John Carl and Buckwheat.

Devoted to producing 3 minute, ultra-catchy yet edgy pop songs, the band kicked off its career with an attendance record for Tuesday night at Max's Kansas City. Their first single, "Let Me Take Your Foto" was also one of the first ever music videos that played on MTV. Voted as one of the best unsigned bands in NYC, playing the Palladium, and having Clem Burke of Blondie produce the second of their two 45's, The Speedies accomplished their goal and raised the colorful flag of power pop in a decade dominated by heavy metal and disco. All this from a group requiring parental attendance at shows and homework backstage.

After the apocalyptic end of high school, the band members took their separate ways. Eric moved to San Francisco and was one of the inventors of Apple's QuickTime multimedia standard; Gregory is a Professor at Yale University and a world famous photographer; Allen, living two houses down from the birthplace of the Speedies, was elected as the second youngest Supreme Court Judge in the State of New York; John works for Warner Bros. in LA and plays in five bands; and John retired from a career in telecommunications, relocated to Las Vegas where he is practicing singing. Most recently, DeepMix (a music-licensing agency in LA) and the Speedies created a remix called "Let Me Take Your Photo(2005)" which has been used in a new TV ad for Hewlett Packard, spawning a revival of the legendary pop ensemble.

Believe it or not, these teen rock stars turned techies and scholars created music like Green Day and the Killers 25 years ago. The debut album "You Need Pop" can be ordered from the Apple iTunes store.

• Director: Danny Cornyetz
• Director: Dennis Politakis
• Producer: Video Mix Productions

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