MetaChat - I am convinced I am a victim of an elaborate hoax

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28 February 2009

I am convinced I am a victim of an elaborate hoax →[More:]My husband tells me this morning that he recently 'unearthed' a band that he liked a great deal as a child in the late seventies, early eighties.
He proceeds to play me an old video, the lead singer of which looks suspiciously like Christian Bale.
So please, bunnies, help a sister out here: My husband is 'claiming' that he is a 'huge fan' of a band that I have never heard of before called 'Rainbow'. Evidently, it was a supergroup, comprised of members of other well-known bands from the era. What kills me is not the fact that I have never heard any of their music, rather the fact that I HAVE NEVER HEARD OF THE BAND AT ALL. That is simply unheard of. I may not be familiar with Def Leppard's music, but I at least know who they are. According to my husband, this band 'Rainbow' toured and made music throughout the late seventies, into the eighties and even into the nineties! How have I never heard of them?!?! Hell, I am familiar even with the names of country and western acts, a genre of music that I don't even care to listen to.
My hypothesis: My husband has signed on to an elaborate internet hoax, which he is now attempting to perpetrate upon me (he even went so far as the memorize the lyrics of the made-up songs!). I am turning to you to debunk this silly Spinal Tap type band. Look at this video, doesn't this look like an attempt make an eighties-looking video?!?!
I ask you this: Have you heard of the band Rainbow, are you a fan of their music, and can you provide non-youtube or non-wikipedia proof of their existence? How is it I could never have heard of this band?

post by: msali at: 12:18 | 32 comments

I have only ever seen Rainbow on youtubian links sent by friends and wondered how I missed them as well.

posted by dabitch 28 February | 12:24

Evidence is mounting....

posted by msali 28 February | 12:28

jonmc must be in on the hoax.

posted by DarkForest 28 February | 12:44

Well of COURSE jonmc is in on the hoax. I suspect he may be the one who started it all.

posted by msali 28 February | 12:45

Your husband may not know ... he's been infected ...

posted by Claudia_SF 28 February | 12:48

With shitty hair metal music? Oh dear god, is there a cure?

posted by msali 28 February | 12:55

Rainbow was never that big. I've heard of them, but...they aren't my thang. They really did exist though.

posted by richat 28 February | 13:05

Ah, crap - Amazon is in on it.

posted by sysinfo 28 February | 13:15

Years ago, I had a Bob Larson book which mentioned them.

posted by box 28 February | 13:35

Even better.

posted by jason's_planet 28 February | 13:44

I´m pretty sure I remember a character on Freaks and Geeks mention ¨Richie Blackmore´s Rainbow¨ when they were talking about band´s they´d seen in Detroit.

posted by concrete 28 February | 14:08

I can vouch for the early-1980s existence of Rainbow. They had a video in heavy rotation on Mtv.

By the time I was aware of them, they were fronted by Joe Lynn Turner. I only know this because a good friend had a (to me, inexplicable) adolescent crush on him.

posted by Elsa 28 February | 14:15

Everything on the Internet seems to date from 2007 or later. Their teeth seem very straight and white for the 1970's. I have never heard about them until now.

posted by Meatbomb 28 February | 14:47

On the other hand, it is well integrated into Wikipedia, including the inclusion of Dio as a member. Hmm. I don't think WP would be "in on" a hoax like this, and don't think they'd be able to (collectively) be hoaxed this elaborately.

posted by Meatbomb 28 February | 14:51

I remember seeing their album covers when I was trawling through record stores in the 1980s. I spent most of the 80s in record stores, come to think of it.

posted by BoringPostcards 28 February | 15:18

I remember seeing them on MTV in the early '80s as well as on pre-MTV cable music shows like Video Concert Hall and Night Flight (as mentioned upthread, they were often referred to as Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow). They existed, and they were tedious.

Of course, this presupposes that they weren't just sowing the seeds for the hoax even then...

posted by scody 28 February | 15:50

Oh, and I actually meant to link to this Ritchie Blackmore page, which is a lot more hilarious than the wikipedia link.

Also, that video for "Stone Cold" totally reminds me of babysitting in junior high, specifically those tedious hours late at night after the kids had gone to bed, enduring hours of awful bands on MTV while hoping for the occasional David Bowie video and waiting for the parents to come home.

posted by scody 28 February | 15:57

This album cover of theirs used to fascinate me.

posted by BoringPostcards 28 February | 16:28

ABSOLUTELY existed in the 1980s. When MTV was very new, they ran Rainbow's "Can't Happen Here" in heavy rotation. I remember some of the chorus...

"Can't Happen Here /
Can't Happen Here /
All that you fear /
Can't Happen Here"

Sorry, this is not a new band or a hoax band. ;-)

posted by tcv 28 February | 17:10

I am unconvinced. If you cannot provide any more proof than this, I can only assume you are in on the hoax. You are all suspect!

posted by msali 28 February | 18:11

I'm with scody - I distinctly remember seeing Stone Cold on MTV.

I solemnly pinkie swear that I'm not part of any conspiracy or hoax.

posted by deborah 28 February | 18:51

Oh, Rainbow is real enough. I was a huge Deep Purple fan in the 70s, and when I found out their lead guitarist had formed a new band, I figured they would be pretty good too.

I was wrong.

posted by Doohickie 28 February | 19:44

msali: Leave your home, head directly to the closest Gymboree store. Outside is a three legged yellow dog with no testicles. Scratch this dog's belly three times, and my people will contact you within 36 hours. We have information regarding this subject that you may find...interesting.

posted by middleclasstool 28 February | 21:11

msali, I have no memory of this group, like you. And I watched the video link thinking I would recognize it, and I didn't. Plus, I was creeped out. I vote hoax!

Maybe not really, but I feel your disconnect.

posted by rainbaby 28 February | 21:29

You all have no idea what a conflict this is causing in our household at this point. My man is claiming, "Rainbow was popular at the same time as .38 Special!", and I'm all, "Well, I know who .38 Special is, you are just fucking with me now!" etc. ad nauseum. Rinse and repeat. Unless the fucking band itself appears before me to personally refute this hoax, I remain unconvinced that Rainbow is a real band, goddammit.
Actually, if they REALLY were a true band, their music is sucky, and I cannot understand how they were ever popular. As far as I am concerned, at this point, they are a Snuffleupagus band.

posted by msali 28 February | 23:24

Yeah, Rainbow was Ritchie Blackmore of Deep Purple and Ronnie James Dio, who later joined Black Sabbath and then struck out on his own as Dio; you remember the awesome early '80's metal song "Rainbow in the Dark?"

It's no shame to have never heard Rainbow, I mean stuff like Stargazer is pretty chewy, but there are I-mean-serious fans and historians who would differ.

posted by Hugh Janus 01 March | 00:23

You obviously didn't go to college with the Pennsylvania rednecks that I did, who played every 70's hard rock band to death. If I never hear "Man on the Silver Mountain" again, I'll be very happy. Awful stuff.

posted by octothorpe 01 March | 00:26

COME AND MAKE ME -- HOLY AGAIN!

I'M THE MAN OF THE SIL-VER MOUN-TAIN!

posted by jason's_planet 01 March | 00:33

Never heard of them either. I think what makes it so hard to believe is the band name. If I were to see an album of theirs in some used record bin, I'd think "OMG, there was an out queer rock band that from THAT era?!? How cool!!"

posted by treepour 01 March | 06:37

Man, I didn't even like rock that much when I was in high school, and even I have heard of them. I didn't like them, but I did hear of them.

posted by eekacat 01 March | 09:44

I've ~~gotten stoned~~ shared a Coca Cola Light with Roger Glover of Deep Purple.

posted by dabitch 01 March | 14:13

dabitch: Did you ask him how he could write such awesome music and such dreadful lyrics all at the same time? I mean, I rock out to Space Truckin' every time I hear it, but I dare not sing along because the lyrics are just too.... st00pid.

posted by Doohickie 07 March | 15:53

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