Yesterday’s shooting of congressmen practicing baseball got me to thinking about attacks on politicians in the 1980s.

For most of us, if there’s an attack on a politician in the 80s that leaps to mind, it’s likely the assassination attempt on President Ronald Reagan on March 30th, 1981.

Reagan was shot in the left lung but survived; three others were wounded in the attack.

There were, however, others that you may have forgotten about or may not have even heard about.

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Russell G. Lloyd, Sr. served as the Republican mayor of Evansville, Indiana from 1972 to 1980 and was an alternate delegate from Indiana to the 1972 Republican National Convention.

On March 19, 1980, a mentally ill assassin (I refuse to name the killers in this article) arrived at his home.

They shot Lloyd four times with a handgun, in the head, neck, and shoulders, in a fit of anger after a brief argument.

Lloyd was taken to the hospital, where a brain scan indicated brain death.

Doctors announced “there is no hope” shortly before turning off Lloyd’s medical ventilator.

His killer died in the Indiana Prison’s medical ward in 2014.

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Allard K. Lowenstein was an American Democratic politician, including a U.S. Representative of the 5th Congressional District in Nassau County, New York for one term in 1969 to 1971.

Lowenstein was murdered in his Manhattan office on March 14, 1980, at age 51 by a mentally ill gunman who was convinced that Lowenstein had been plotting against him since their acquaintance at Stanford University.

The gunman then calmly waited for the police to arrive and arrest them.

On June 30, 2000, a judge found that the killer was no longer a danger to society and granted him a conditional release from all levels of custody.

A veteran of the United States Army, Representative Lowenstein is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.

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Ed King was the Mayor of Mount Pleasant, Iowa from 1975 until his murder on December 11th, 1986.

He was killed during a city council meeting by an assailant had been in dispute with municipality over a clogged sewer line.

The killer first shot council member Ron Dupree, waved the small-caliber pistol at other Council members, and then approached Mayor Edward M. King, and shot him in the forehead.

As the 12 to 15 spectators scrambled in terror from the tiny City Hall, the assassin turned and shot Joann Elizabeth Sankey, another Council member, who was sitting next to the Mayor.

She fell to the floor with wounds in the head and abdomen.

They then walked back, shot the 53-year-old Mayor again in the head and then fired another bullet into Councilman Dupree.

Then the killer calmly sat down in the front row to await his arrest.

They were sentenced to life in prison and died in 1999 in Fort Madison.

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I’ll be praying for a quick and complete recovery for Steve Scalise, Matt Mika, Zachary Barth, Krystal Griner and David Bailey.

I hope you will, too.

A New Way to Celebrate the 80’s Generation

There are some people who are hooked on the 80’s generation – from wearing a pair of Reebok High-Tops and Members Only jacket to filling up their iPods with popular 80s hits such as those from Madonna, Prince, and Gloria Estefan. When it comes to having fun, those who were born during the 80’s were often seen in the disco club or at the bingo hall.

Even though years have passed by, you can still see some of them going to Culture Club in New York City and playing at CheekyBingo just to get a taste of the 80’s again. Combining all the elements of that generation, many organizers from all over the world have hosted their own 80’s Music and Bingo events.

To give you some idea on how you can put up your own 80’s-themed bingo party, then check out our list of events below:

Banger Bingo

This is not your typical bingo event because it features other elements including stand-up comedy, DJ entertainment, and karaoke. The participants of Banger Bingo all dress up like the famous rockstars of the 80’s such as Guns and Roses, The Cult, and Extremoduro. Each bingo ball corresponds to a trivia question, a song, a joke, or a game like the inflatable guitar showdown. The organizer from Alberta, Canada offers their services for private parties, bingo charities, and other occasions.

80’s Post Bingo

This event is the brainchild of musicians Brian Perez and DJ Cooky Parker, whose goal is to transport their guests back to the 80’s. This mashup party was recently held at the Holocene in Portland, Oregon. The 80’s Post Bingo celebrates the magical decade by playing hits from the 80’s – from Aviador Dro’s new wave songs to Bill Joel’s mellow songs. Of course, the party won’t be complete without the bingo games. The winners get a chance to take home cool vintage items like Swatch Watch Guards and Rubik’s Cube key chains.

“Into The Groove” by Madonna has an interesting history.

If you were living in the United States in the 1980s, do you remember ever purchasing a 7″ 45 RPM single of “Into The Groove?” Do you remember even SEEING a 7″ 45 RPM single for “Into The Groove?” How about in your local jukebox… no?

There’s a very good reason why you don’t remember a 7″ single for “Into The Groove”… it’s because there wasn’t a 7″ single for “Into The Groove!”

Here’s what happened:

March 29th, 1985 — “Desperately Seeking Susan” starring Madonna is released to movie theaters. “Into The Groove” is used in the movie. A music video made solely of clips from the movie is created.

April 10th, 1985 — Madonna releases the single, “Angel.” The B-side of the 7″ in the United States contains a dance mix edit of “Angel.” HOWEVER, the 12″ released to clubs, select record stores, and some radio stations has “Into The Groove” on the flip-side of “Angel.”

First club DJs and then radio programmers begin flipping “Angel” over and playing “Into The Groove,” and their audiences go WILD.

July 13th, 1985 — Madonna performs “Into The Groove” as part of her set during the Live Aid concert for famine relief.

July 23rd, 1985 — “Into The Groove” gets a proper 7″ single release worldwide… EXCEPT in the United States. Why? Because the record label was afraid of releasing another single so quickly on the heels of “Angel.”

Despite this, radio stations in and outside of the U.S. race to add it to their playlists.

Because “Into The Groove” never graces the A-side of a single in the United States, it never appears on any Billboard Hot 100 singles chart.

Autumn 1985 — Madonna’s LP “Like A Virgin” is re-released with the addition of “Into The Groove,” but again the United States misses out on this re-packaging.

November 18th, 1987 — Madonna releases a remix LP of some of her hits titled “You Can Dance” (a title taken from the opening lines of “Into The Groove:” “…And you can dance / if you want to…”). “Into The Groove” receives a spectacular 8 and 1/2 minute remix.

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By the end of the 1980s, “Into The Groove” is honored by Billboard Magazine as the Dance Single of The Decade.
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September 18th, 2009 — “Into The Groove” finally appears on an album in the United States in its original hit form (the version on “The Immaculate Collection” is a remix and edit) for the first time, on the compilation titled “Celebration.”

You can hear the original hit version of Madonna’s “Into The Groove” nearly any Friday or Saturday night as we play PartyMixes on BlackLight Radio!