Jerry Buckner and Gary Garcia are probably best known by most children of the 80’s for their hit song in 1982 about their addiction to a video game. Actually, “Pac Man Fever” spawned a whole album of video game-based pop songs that made them the heroes of arcade-dwelling youngsters everywhere.
However, the songwriting duo of Buckner & Garcia had by that time already established themselves as formidable comedic lyricists with 1980’s seasonal tune “Merry Christmas in the NFL”. They laid a foundation for many of the other great novelty songwriters of the 80’s. I’m proud to introduce to you, Buckner & Garcia!

And now, 80’s fans, here’s your opportunity to relive a slice of the 80’s as only the 80sXchange can bring you! Post your questions in this thread for Buckner & Garcia, and the guys will be along later to answer...and maybe hang out with us for awhile.

Jump to: Answered Questions (http://www.80sxchange.com/forums/showthread.php?postid=272881#post272881)

I've been waiting for this :)

I have a few questions

1) Being a collector of 80's music to the nth degree, I was very excited to see "Pac-man fever" the whole album on CD. I, however, didn't buy it. I noticed it was on K-Tel records and they are notorious for re-releasing new versions of old favorites. My question is, Is this CD the old favorite or new versions that sound a little bit different than the old ones? If it is new versions will the original ever be released on CD?

2) Why did you pick the name Willis "the Guard" and Vigorish for your 1980 "hit" "Merry Christmas in the NFL"? (which I played on my 80's radio show this past Christmas time :) )


3) Who are some of the other artists you have produced?


I'd like to thank you so much for visiting us and answering questions....and I have to say that I think "Do the Donkey Kong" should have gone higher than #103 on the charts. Pure 80's video game pop culture! :)

Hello, Misters Buckner and Garcia, thank you for dropping by.

My questions are as follows:

1.) What videogames of today do you feel would make for interesting novelty tunes?

2.) I was too young to experience MTV in its glory days, so was there ever a video for "Pac-Man Fever"?

3.) I'll be asking this question of the many 80s celebs we hope to have come here, and so I figure I'll start by asking the both of you:

Why do famous people tend to look back on the 80s with regret pertaining to various factors (pop-culture, fashion, et al)?

Thanks for taking the time to drop by here.

Sincerely,

John "outofplacechild" Kilduff

Hey, I've recently been playing the VB version of Pacman here at the xchange. I don't know whether the scoring system is different to the original, but can you remember the sort of scores you were getting on the original game back in the 80s?

Thanks for coming in to answer our questions! :cheers:

I don't really have a question but I wanted to thank you guy's for giving me a great song when I was a kid! :)

Hey guys! It's awesome that you agreed to come hang with us!

I was wondering if "Pac-Man Fever" was successful in many countries and if so, did any compare to the success in the U.S.?

Also... like Outofplacechild, (the post previous to mine) I was curious to your thoughts of video games today.. do you still follow the trends and are any worthy of your songwriting skills? ;)

Lastly... What's your top score? :lol:
(That one was just in fun! ;) )

Thanks for stopping by!!! :wave:

Hi, and welcome! :wave: Thanx for coming in! :)

I'd like to know:
- - What new projects are you working on?
- - Do you have any plans to release an album?
- - Of your own material, which song is your favorite?

Thanx for taking the time! :)

Hey guys :wave: Welcome to the 80s Xchange. I'm so glad you are able to stop by and answer our questions. I really only have one question, and that is:

How did the success of Pac Man Fever affect your lives?

Wait, I thought of another question. :lol:

How do you feel about your song being included in the box set. Like Oh My God! The Totally 80s Pop Culture Box? (Which, I'm salivating to get, btw.)

Again, thanks for taking the time to visit with us and answer our questions. :)

Hi, guys. It's so great to see some of the people who made the 80's the greatest (and my personal favorite) decade ever, helping us keep the 80's alive. Thank you for the memories that you gave me then and for speaking with us now.

The question I have for you is this - What was your inspiration for writing "Pac-Man Fever"? Were you as addicted to the game as the rest of us? Was this something that you both set out to do or was it one of those moments where you suddenly got the idea and scribbled it out on a napkin? Sort of a spontaneous idea?

Thanks again for visiting us here at the 80sxchange. Your time is truly appreciated.

I was trying to wait so as not to steal anyone's thunder with my questions, but I can't wait any longer! :D
First of all, thank you Mr. Buckner & Mr. Garcia for being so generous with your time. It is an honor and a pleasure to have you here. Now...

1. How did you guys meet?

2. Does the perception of you being "one-hit wonders" (even though you're really not) bother you?

3. My third question is actually a request. Please talk briefly about some of the humorous episodes during your rise to fame (such as the "pastrami sandwich order" and the Solid Gold appearance) :lol:

I got a million more, but I'll leave room for everyone else. :)

Alright guys! I'm getting anxious to meet ya!!! :wave:

Mod's note: this is the response I mentioned in the "Changes for the Better" thread (http://www.80sxchange.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=18899). I have put their answers in bold - nb

We would like to thank all of you for taking the time to send in your questions. We had a great time reading and answering them. We would also like to give a special thanks to Nolan for his help and patience in putting this all together.
Best Wishes!
Buckner & Garcia
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djdaffy1227: Being a collector of 80's music to the nth degree, I was very excited to see "Pac-man fever" the whole album on CD. I, however, didn't buy it. I noticed it was on K-Tel records and they are notorious for re-releasing new versions of old favorites. My question is, Is this CD the old favorite or new versions that sound a little bit different than the old ones? If it is new versions will the original ever be released on CD?

Gary Garcia: The re-release of the PMF album on CD by K-Tel is a recut version of the original album, but we tried to do an excellent job on it and we feel it turned out great. Give it a listen and let us know what you think! The original version will probably not be released again.

DJ: Why did you pick the name Willis "the Guard" and Vigorish for your 1980 "hit" "Merry Christmas in the NFL"? (which I played on my 80's radio show this past Christmas time )

GG: Willis the Guard was a radio disc jockey here in Atlanta, already using that name, Vigorish, a term for the profit or fee charged by gamblers, was added by Handshake Records.

DJ: Who are some of the other artists you have produced?

GG: Steve Carlisle (WKRP in Cincinnati), Edgel Groves (Footprints in the Sand), Bertie Higgins, Bobby Vinton, and too many more to list.
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Outofplacechild: What videogames of today do you feel would make for interesting novelty tunes?

GG: We have not kept very current on the newer video games, but we can write a song for any of the games out now.

OPC: I was too young to experience MTV in its glory days, so was there ever a video for "Pac-Man Fever"?

GG: No, there was never a music video made for PMF mostly because the video era was just beginning at that time and we caught the time period just prior to that. We did appear live on MTV for a "Pac-Man Fever / Buckner & Garcia Day"

OPC: I'll be asking this question of the many 80s celebs we hope to have come here, and so I figure I'll start by asking the both of you:
Why do famous people tend to look back on the 80s with regret pertaining to various factors (pop-culture, fashion, et al)?

GG: I really don't have the answer for that one. Probably as in every time period, when you look back it appears dated. We feel that the 80's were a great time for music and a lot of great songs were done during that decade.
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Recker: Hey, I've recently been playing the VB version of Pacman
here at the xchange. I don't know whether the scoring system is different to the original, but can you remember the sort of scores you were getting on the original game back in the 80s?

GG: As I remember, somewhere in the 20-30,000 area. We were never super exceptional and were beaten and embarrassed regularly by any young individual who stepped up at the time.
________________________________________________

Tinajo: I was wondering if "Pac-Man Fever" was successful in many countries and if so, did any compare to the success in the U.S.?

GG: Yes, PMF was and still is very popular in many foreign countries and still gets played world-wide. It was very big in Japan where we had to edit it to Puc-Man Fever.

Tina: Also... like Outofplacechild, (the post previous to mine) I was curious to your thoughts of video games today.. do you still follow the trends and are any worthy of your songwriting skills?

GG: Although we aren't as up-to-date as we once were with the newer games, we feel that some of them are too violent and more sexual than they were in the old days. Since young children have easy access to these games, we feel that care has to be used so they don't get into the wrong hands at the wrong age!

Tina: Lastly... What's your top score?

GG: Our high scores?.............No Comment!.........But I'm sure not as high as yours.......
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ValJ: What new projects are you working on?

Jerry Buckner: We continue to write songs and produce special projects in the studio many of which you may hear but not know that it is us.

Val: Do you have any plans to release an album?

JB: We have no plans at present to do an album however it is something we have talked about. We love writing and producing so it would be great to go back in the studio and record some new material.

Val: Of your own material, which song is your favorite?

JB: That is a difficult question to answer. We have written a lot of songs many of which were never released. One of our best had to be “E.T. I Love You.” It was a beautiful ballad inspired by the Steven Spielburg movie and would have been a multi-million seller record had CBS not buried it in favor of Neil Diamond’s song “Heartlight.” If you are talking about the Pac Man Fever album there are 2 songs in particular that I always liked. I loved the melodic chord changes in, “Centipede.” My other favorite was “Hyperspace.” It probably had the best feel of any track on the album. But I will always have a special place in my heart for “Pac Man Fever.
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Jen: How did the success of Pac Man Fever affect your lives?

JB: It immediately gave us credibility in the industry. It’s amazing how quickly you become a “genius” when you have a hit. It opened a lot of doors for us and gave us new opportunities. Of course the large royalty checks made a big difference too. We were able to buy things we had not been able to afford before. But none of that lasts forever. I would say the lasting effect is knowing we recorded an album that people still like to listen to.

Jen: How do you feel about your song being included in the box set. Like Oh My God! The Totally 80s Pop Culture Box? (Which, I'm salivating to get, btw.)

JB: We don’t mind except the truth is that you rarely get paid on compilations. (We don’t care for the title of this particular collection because we find offensive spiritually.)
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Shakey: What was your inspiration for writing "Pac-Man Fever"? Were you as addicted to the game as the rest of us? Was this something that you both set out to do or was it one of those moments where you suddenly got the idea and scribbled it out on a napkin? Sort of a spontaneous idea?

JB: Actually it would be a little bit of all you mentioned. We were working on a project at the time and stopped in a local bar each night just to play the game. One night it occurred to us it might be a great idea for a song. When our manager, Arnie Geller, also mentioned we should write a song about it we decided to pursue it. We wrote it in maybe an hour or so and recorded it that same week.
________________________________________________

Nolanbuc: How did you guys meet?

JB: Gary and I grew up in Akron, Ohio and went to school together from 7th grade on. After high school we played in several bands before heading to Atlanta where things eventually started to happen for us.

NB: Does the perception of you being "one-hit wonders" (even though you're really not) bother you?

JB: At one time that phrase was considered a dig in the business and I must admit bothered me somewhat. But I don’t think is is perceived that way now. I mean there are so many great songs in that category like, “Funky Town”, “Key Largo”, “She Blinded Me With Science” and on and on. What people don’t understand is that the record companies play such a key role in the artist’s future. Many times they are just happy to keep the money on a first time big hit and move on leaving the artist in the dust. That was certainly the case for us at Columbia Records. They made a ton of money and decided not to release any more of our records.

NB: My third question is actually a request. Please talk briefly about some of the humorous episodes during your rise to fame (such as the "pastrami sandwich order" and the Solid Gold appearance)

JB: One I remember happened prior to an appearance on Nickelodeon. We were to appear on a talk show for kids with a format much like The Phil Donahue Show. The topic was video games and it’s effect on kids. They assembled a cross-section of guests including 3 highly agitated woman from an anti-video game coalition. We were all crammed into the green room waiting for the show to start when a loud argument broke out between the woman and the reps from Bally-Midway, the parent company for the Pac Man game. Gary and I figured we were really going to get it when they found out who we were. Suddenly the woman turns to me and asks if we are Buckner and Garcia. I reluctantly answered yes and to my surprise she politely begged for autographs for her daughter. She couldn’t have been nicer at which point she then proceeded to go out on national TV and run the video game industry down. California produced some of my favorite stories. We were in Los Angeles taping some shows and were staying in the Beverly Hills Hotel. One morning I was walking down the hall and heard a woman singing. I could hear it coming from one of the rooms whose door was open and stopped to listen. It didn’t take long to realize it was Sheena Easton singing her heart out. She sang as great as she looked. Then there is the story about the woman I met on the same trip who told me that aliens were going to land soon and she and I were going to be given the state of Montana to rule over together.
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Mod note - I want to thank Buckner & Garcia for being kind & generous enough to visit with us. I have enjoyed meeting them and wish them continued success in every endeavor. Many thanks also to all those Xchangers who participated in this Q & A session. - nb

This is great! Thanks again Buc for a wonderful idea. Like all great ideas, it takes a while to fine tune them. Think nothing of the delay!

Wow, great job Nolan and thanks to Buckner and Garcia. That was a great interview.

I'll second that! A very good interview!!
Thanks to the guys for taking the time to give informative and detailed answers! What nice guys!

Thanks for keeping up on that, buc! :thumb:

What sweet guys! That was very nice of them to answer in such detail.:)

Great job Nolanbuc!:D

Mr. Buckner & Mr. Garcia, thank you very much for having taken the time to answer our questions. I truly appreciate your time. Thanks to you also, Buc, for having taken the time to make this happen.

Fantastic interview! Thanks to Nolanbuc and Buckner and Garcia for taking the time.:)

Awesome, awesome, totally awesome!! :D :D Buc, you got it goin' on! :* Great job. It was great of them to answer individually like that, too. :) Neatness!