#121 Johnny Gill (+ Fugazi bonus)

This is Johnny Gill's only solo MusiCard, though we've already seen him with his New Edition bandmates back at card #85. It's a nice posed shot, but you'd think whoever was putting this card together could have rotated the photo a notch clockwise so as to not have the Super Stars box covering the side of Johnny's forehead.

Full headshot on the back. The quote is kinda funny, making you think of a little kid walking around making comments in a grown man's voice, confusing everyone he comes in contact with.

"Rub You The Right Way" is really the only Johnny Gill song on my radar, hearing it plenty on the radio back around 1990. Other than that track that's got some "new jack swing" edge to it, he's mostly known for his romantic ballads. But yeah, that's been working out well for him, as he's moved over 15 million units as a solo artist, not to mention the success with New Edition, other collaborative projects, and even some legit acting. He's kept busy in recent years touring with New Edition.

CUSTOM CORNER

Here's another wild pairing, but I'm going with the band Fugazi to round out the post. Johnny Gill and Fugazi are both recording artists that came out of Washington, D.C. in the mid 1980s, so that's a good enough connection. (Had I planned it out better, I would have gotten this post published on the 4th of July to really play up the "music from our nation's capital" angle.. but hey, still fitting for July's post here.)

This custom has a back.

Fugazi had a real nice decade-plus run of putting out quality music and touring until going on hiatus in 2003. They might be the quintessential "no sellout" band, and so it's no surprise they've resisted doing any reunion cash-grabs in the years since.

"Waiting Room" seems to be their most popular track today. It's the first cut on their debut release, so I guess they really did put their best foot forward to kick things off.

While musically an outlier from their usual sonic onslaught, another song of theirs that tends to connect with listeners is the two-minute piano ballad "I'm So Tired".

I don't have much personally to say about the band other than just generally profess my love. Back in the days when cars came equipped with CD players, I had a 79-minute CD-R crammed with my favorite Fugazi songs that I kept in regular rotation for years. These days, that's expanded to three 45-minute playlists for dog-walking.

How about you listeners? I'm curious to hear in the comments if you've spent much time listening to Johnny Gill or Fugazi. Regardless, thanks for spending a moment here with me and my MusiCards.