Pop Reviews : Right Said Fred Proves Disco Lives

Is Right Said Fred’s “I’m Too Sexy” the biggest disaster for pop culture since polyester, as some have moaned? Of course not, unless you consider a ‘90s “Macho Man” some sort of harbinger of the Apocalypse. The hit song is undeniably annoying, the “where’s the beef?” of ‘92; it can only be a matter of time before a presidential candidate declares, “I’m too sexy for this debate.” But that’s no crime against nature.

On the other hand, isn’t there something in Revelations about the Millennium’s being heralded by a return of disco? If so, better hold on tight to your gold chains, because Right Said Fred’s mini-show at the Shark Club on Wednesday left no doubt that disco lives.

English skinhead body-builder brothers Richard and Fred Fairbrass only did four songs--and those were backed by recorded tracks, with Richard singing along and Fred pretending to play guitar behind him. But it was plenty to show that there’s a place today for the real thing, not just the more modern techno-dance derivative that’s all the rave.

Maybe it’s a nostalgic longing for pre-AIDS liberation. Maybe it’s just cultural campiness. But don’t be surprised if the Freds’ classic disco mix of solid beats and swelling strings, Richard’s bumping and grinding and preening in a skin-tight white vinyl union suit before masses of throbbing bodies under throbbing strobe lights proves to be less anomalous these days than you might hope. What Fred said Wednesday--with no apologies to Danny & the Juniors--is that disco is here to stay.