The present Sunset Thomas appears on the (vinyl) album cover of San Francisco art punk band The Spectacles’ disc of 30-year-old unreleased tracks, “ReSpectacled.”
There’s something about a gracefully aging porn star, maybe sadder but wiser, that seems to give comfort to aging men. The Spectacles’ cover is reminiscent of “Quadrophenia” and features Thomas in a pose recalling her 90’s porn heyday, but she isn’t made up to look anything other than her current age.
Eventually we will all get too old for this. At that time, I imagine bumping into, say, the 60-year-old former Ava Rose or Belladonna at Fresh & Easy, addressing them by their real names (they will call me Ronnie James Dio) and, as we leave for our Elder Pilates classes, book clubs, or Chamber of Commerce luncheons, I will think, “The old girl’s still got it,” and weep silently in my car. Then I will pass out. When the EMTs revive me, I will say something inscrutable like, “She was glorious in ‘Big Wet Asses 15’ back in ought-9.”
I imagine that, then as now, it will still be winter in normal parts of the country but, around our Silverlake shopping complex, it will be 85 degrees. “The fuck?” I’ll say, as I’m saying now. “Why didn’t I ever move?”
According to label Raveup Records, “[The Spectacles were] really popular in the Bay Area and opened for many important bands such [as] Black Flag, The Lewd, The Mentors, Los Lobos, [and] Red Hot Chili Peppers. This album is essential for every fan of bands such [as] Devo, Pere Ubu, Screamers, [and] Von Lmo.”
Previously on Porn Valley Observed: “Into the Sunset” review; Demi And Sunset: Value-added moms; “Big Wet Asses 15” review
See also: Raveup Records
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