Bad Manners

Bad Manners are an English ska band led by frontman Buster Bloodvessel. Early appearances included Top of The Pops and the live film documentary, Dance Craze.

They were at their most popular during the early 1980s, during a period when other ska revival bands such as Madness, The Specials and The Selecter filled the charts. Bad Manners spent 111 weeks in the UK Singles Chart between 1980 and 1983, and they also achieved chart success with their first four studio albums with Gosh It's... Bad Manners, Loonee Tunes! and Ska 'n' B being their biggest hits.

Formation

Fronted by Buster Bloodvessel (born Douglas Trendle), the band was formed in 1976 while the members were together at Woodberry Down Comprehensive School near Manor House, North London. They commemorated the 1981 closure of the school on the back sleeve of their Gosh It's... Bad Manners album.

Career

After becoming popular in their native London, Bad Manners signed to Magnet Records in 1980, and became regular guests on television shows such as Tiswas. The band also appeared on The British Music Awards (1981) and Cheggers Plays Pop. In 1985, they also appeared on The Time of Your Life, hosted by Noel Edmonds. Being closely associated with the 2 Tone movement (though never signed to 2 Tone Records itself), they were one of six bands featured in the 1981 documentary film Dance Craze.

Bad Manners (film)

Growing Pains (also known as Bad Manners) is a 1984 American black comedy teen film released by New World Pictures. Written and directed by Robert Houston and produced by Kim Jorgensen, the film follows a group of teenage delinquents who escape the oppressive Catholic orphanage where they live in order to rescue one of their fellow "inmates". While the film's adult stars Martin Mull, Karen Black, Anne De Salvo, and Murphy Dunne received top billing in promotional materials, the story is told through the perspective of the adolescent protagonists; played by Georg Olden, Pamela Segall, Michael Hentz, Joey Coleman, and Christopher Brown.

Synopsis

The film begins at the ominous "Home of the Bleeding Heart" Catholic orphanage, where teenage delinquent "Piper" (Georg Olden) arrives by police escort. There he meets the cruel overseers: the stern head-mistress of the orphanage, Sister Serena (Anne De Salvo), and the cattle-prod wielding head-master, Mr. Kurtz (Murphy Dunne). After disobeying the home's loathsome authority figures, Piper is sent into solitary confinement where he befriends a group of adolescent trouble-makers; "Girl Joey" (Pamela Segall), the tough-talking "tomboy" of the group; "Mouse" (Michael Hentz), the smallest, youngest and "cutest" of the group; "Whitey" (Joey Coleman), the platinum blonde, self-appointed "leader" of the group; and "Blackie" (Christopher Brown), the "intellectual" and only black orphan at the home.