“Watching T.V.”

Nine billion years ago, i.e., around 1975-ish, there was an obscure British pop group named Charlie.

They had some really good musicians play with the group and they wrote one or two really cool songs but they never made the transition from obscurity to not-obscurity and eventually they just disappeared.

But like a lot of obscure British guys these obscure British guys somehow remained alive. The main guy and one or two others from Charlie are still alive and have put out a new album.

They have a website: Charlie Music

Their old songs are on iTunes.

And some of their stuff is on YouTube.

Among most people who knew about Charlie they’re mainly famous for their album covers, which tried to be sexy and interesting and almost all of which looked like these two:


Just a little before it became popular to be post-modern and “deconstructionist” about modern media, Charlie put out my favorite song about modern media. It is post-modern in a very relaxed way and I’ve liked it very much these last nine billion years, even before it became available in digital form.

It’s called “Watching T.V.” and it’s available on iTunes and YouTube.

Here is the YouTube version and the lyrics:




Watching T.V. - the American shows
Watching T.V. - with those superheroes
Watching T.V. - and I'm gonna be someone just like them someday

Well, I like T.V., 'cause it shows me what the world's all about
And I watch endlessly, every car chase, every fatal shoot-out

I wanna be like Starsky & Hutch, and those
Sweet Charlie's Angels say 'Look, but don't touch'
I wanna be in Hawaii-Five-O, I say
'No way, McGarret, let's go!'

Watching T.V. - the American shows
Watching T.V. - with those superheroes
Watching T.V. - and I'm gonna be someone just like them someday

And I like cop shows, all that action and the life on the street
And I dig Harry-O and Steve Austin, well, he's never been beat

I wanna be like the Bionic Man
And break down iron doors with one blow of my hand
Run like a cheetah - fight with such flair -
Jump thirty feet in the air

Watching T.V. - the American shows
Watching T.V. - with those superheroes
Watching T.V. - and I'm gonna be someone just like them someday

I live each day just waiting for the time
My heroes come to me ... on my T.V.

Watching T.V. - the American shows
Watching T.V. - with those superheroes
Watching T.V. - and I'm gonna be someone just like them someday

Oh, I love Star Trek, Captain James Kirk, he's the Master of Space
And there's Scott's flight deck, beams the crew down to another strange place

I wanna travel the aeons of time
Speed through the cosmos at warp factor nine
Beat off the Klingons with phasers on stun
Killing strange people is fun

Watching T.V. - the American shows
Watching T.V. - with those superheroes
Watching T.V. - and I'm gonna be someone just like them someday

Watching T.V. - the American shows
Watching T.V. - with those superheroes
Watching T.V. - and I'm gonna be someone just like them someday

Watching T.V.