January 20, 2024

"Look at the way Mary looked then! Good Lord, she was only 15! She had the perfect tough girl image."

"Hers was a look that in those days -- where I was anyway, in northern New Jersey -- we called 'hoody.' It was the alternative to the mod look, which I personally favored. I knew one girl, a friend of my sister's, who had the Mary Weiss look. It was sort of the dark side to the candy-colored mod/psychedelic style that I believed would conquer all. But this other thing! It came from the wrong side of town. My sister's friend scared me a little. She didn't live with her parents. She was from over in Boonton. She wore Tabu perfume. Really, I would never wear Tabu perfume. It's unbelievably sweet and strong. But I'd love to have some to dump into a handkerchief to inhale while listening to old Shangri-Las records."

I wrote, about Mary Weiss, back in 2007. 

Now, I see this morning, she has died.

Oh, no. Oh, no. Oh, no no no no no.

14 comments:

Yancey Ward said...

I remember that blog post! I think it was the first time I had ever heard about an individual member of The Shangri-Las. That top song on that playlist was a favorite of mine since I was a young boy.

Dear corrupt left, go F yourselves said...

who are men flanking her?

The Crack Emcee said...

Awww. She had a real late career spurt going there for a while.

https://youtu.be/GKuvz4o9JBc?si=veys3NdjrwimMq8m

lonejustice said...

The Shangri-Las. Wow, this brings back some fantastic memories from high school. Thanks for the trip down memory lane.

Big Mike said...

@Althouse, you and I were teenagers in the 1960s, and like Mary Weiss we made it into our 70s. Will we make it into our 80s? I’m gonna do my best and I assume you will too.

RBE said...

Loved their music then...still do. RIP Mary.

Iman said...

Look out! Look out! Look out!

tcrosse said...

Boonton had a soapy smell, possibly because of the plastic dinnerware factory. My parents had a full set of Boontonware dishes. In those days one did not pronounce the second n in Boonton.

BUMBLE BEE said...

https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/the-life-of-the-shangri-las/
Iggy remembers...
https://www.petoskeynews.com/story/news/local/2014/01/11/do-you-remember-harbor-springs-club-ponytail/116836082/

The Crack Emcee said...

She was making decent music when she started her comeback.

https://youtu.be/GKuvz4o9JBc?si=KOMM-c0XMExB0fwx

gilbar said...

she was The Best Bad Girl.. EVER*
Can you imagine going to buy some furniture, and seeing her working away?

EVER* Well, except for the Ganser sisters.. Who were Pretty awesome Too

Karpntr said...

Karpntr said…
I was lucky enough to see them at a ballroom in Fort Dodge, Iowa in ‘67 I think. I remember they recruited a guy from the audience to do the motorcycle sound in “Leader of the Pack”. I was wearing my Nehru shirt and probably too much British Sterling.

Estoy_Listo said...

People were always putting the Shangri-las down (down, down.)

MacMacConnell said...

Most girls I dated in 1967 wore Ambush.