Billboard & Buddy

Hello today, people of the Eastern Seaboard. Yesterday, did the earth move for you like it did for me? Oh, darlings, of course it did!

Damned if Britney didn't go and snag the #1 spot on the Billboard dance music/club play chart with her middling muddle, "I Wanna Go," keeping Kylie in second place with her more affable and upbeat "Put Your Hands Up," which has charted now for its 8th week in a row. Beyonce's "Best Thing I Never Had" is third -- helped enormously by the Dj Escape/Tony Collucio club mix in the US and the Andy Caldwell remix for the European market -- followed by Yoko Ono's clever "Talking to the Universe," still upwardly mobile.

Lady Gaga's "Edge of Glory," meanwhile, begins its descent. It peaked at the top spot and has, so far, been on the chart for ten weeks but is still in the top ten at #9. Rihanna's "California Queen Bed" is on its way up at #11 in a mere 4 week's time; nice remix by the ubiquitous Moto Blanco. Ricky Martin's "Freak of Nature" at #15 after peaking at #7.

The UK's lovely and talented Leona Lewis strongly makes her way into the top 25 with "Collide" (#22) up 10 spots from its debut in the top 50 last week. And Adele's "Set Fire to the Rain" holds on at #24.

People often ask me about my nom de disco, so let me enlighten. My childhood nickname was Buddy so, in a sense, it's actually my real name. And Beaverhausen... well, anyone who's watched the sitcom Will & Grace on tv will recognize that as the occasional alias used by the character, Karen. Plus, there's a nod to Ipana Toothpaste's own Bucky Beaver in the name. Originally, I thought I'd go by Dj Percy Galore but changed my mind. Does have a nice ring to it, though, no?

By the by, you can find me on Twitter now. Look up DjBuddybeaverha, ha ha!

Also, check out PopMuse's blog as he frequently discusses pop music with a bias toward the indy scene. In March, he blogged of yours truly:

Know this about PopMuse, I am not too proud or too big a music snob to walk my ass into Rainbows and Triangles in Chelsea and buy a CD or two when visiting NY. And when I do I want the absolute GAYEST disc they have. I'm not talking about some Master Beat compilation, I'm talking about a [promo] CD called "DJ Buddy Beaverhausen's Gay Sock Hop 2". Or a [promo] called "Divas: Rare and Classic Mixes 3" - Gurl, "3" means we're going deeeeeep.

This brings me to Viola Wills. DJ Buddy Beaverhausen is a huge fan, and I don't really have a history with Viola beyond knowing she was the disco diva behind "If You Could Read My Mind". But DJ Buddy Beaverhausen dropped two of her covers on "DJ Buddy Beaverhausen's Gay Sock Hop 2" that have been blowing my mind this week. And I want you children to hear them too. So here you go...

Viola Wills "Both Sides Now" My favorite Joni Mitchell song gets an 80s disco treatment that is both awkward and epic.

Viola Wills "Always Something there To Remind Me" This will always be Naked Eyes to me (not Dionne - although watch this Dionne Clip below - super chic performance!) Viola does a nice job disco-izing this one too.

Links to songs can be heard by going to the PopMuse blog. Cut & paste into your browser (Sorry, blog's link function temporarily on the fritz):
http://popmuse.typepad.com/my_weblog/2011/03/viola-wills.html

Kevin Scott Hall is a cabaret critic and writer for Bistro Awards and has a cabaret column at Edge New York (both online), largely covering the city's currently vibrant cabaret scene. But he's mentioned Buddy in three separate columns. In fact, for the last two years, he has reviewed my Christmas promos. Last December he wrote:

DJ Buddy Beaverhausen has been a follower of this column for quite some time, so I have been fortunate enough to receive some of his promo compilations. This time of year always yields a new holiday collection of mixes. Last year I wrote: "Meanwhile, for something completely different, if you can get your hands on DJ Buddy Beaverhausen’s promo Hark!, snap it up!" ...

This year’s disc is "Merry Happy" and selections range from the sublime (Diana Ross & The Supremes’ "My Favorite Things"―Thee Worq’n Bitches remix) to the ridiculous (The Raindolls’ 1978 "Disco Santa Claus") . . . but then, that is the point, isn’t it?

We also get reworkings of Julie Andrews’ "Do Re Mi", Madonna’s "Holiday" (what a great idea to promote this as a seasonal favorite!), Dolly Parton’s "Peace Train" and―believe it or not―the Carpenters’ "Merry Christmas Darling." Throw in Charo, Mariah and Kristine W for good (merry) measure, and you have enough to please any gay fan. And why shouldn’t we dance to Kelly Clarkson’s "Oh Holy Night"?

I asked the mysterious deejay (his promos are everywhere but he has yet to surface much on "the scene") where he finds these rare gems. (I mean, "There’s Frost on the Moon" by the Artie Shaw Orchestra featuring Peg La Centra? To die for!)

"I have an extensive collection myself and I do a lot of shopping through old vinyl and the Internet," Buddy told me. "The fun part is actually choosing because I start off with more tracks than I can actually use." Keep your eyes peeled for Buddy Beaverhausen this Christmas and, in fact, all year round.

Look for Kevin under "Latest Reviews" at http://www.bistroawards.com/
& at Edge New York. His latest review there is of the Barbra Streisand album officially released just yesterday. Go to Edge New York online and have a look.

Until the next post, enjoy the music and dance the nights away!