For today’s Friday Video Pick, we bring you this classic from glam metal band Ratt. The video for this 1984 hit was just as memorable as the song, featuring a wealthy family enjoying a dinner party while band members disrupt the flow of the evening by performing in the family’s attic. A subversive metal head butler, a dinner serving of live rodents and a young woman’s transformation from a dutiful dinner party-goer to a rodent-like punk are highlights of this piece.
From princess to rat: Stills from the video for Ratt’s “Round and Round”
Many people cite the appearance of Milton Berle in drag as the highlight of this video (and it is totally worth taking note of), but I think the big surprise is how well the style of the leading lady holds up over time. Initially her look mirrors a Hot Topic employee or a goth Betsey Johnson salesgirl, but soon she’s transformed into the equivalent of a rodent-esque Nagel model after a long crawl through a metallic sewer. Both looks–polished punk princess and disheveled ’80s New Wave–are widely mimicked today.
The splatter paint leggings worn by lead singer Stephen Pearcy aren’t bad either. Click “play” to see the roots of the ’80s fashion comeback…Then tell us: Do you have a favorite tabletop guitar solo? It’s hard to beat this one by Ratt guitarist Warren DeMartini, played after he crashes through the ceiling:
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