As a child, I was fortunate enough to grow up with a father who emphasized the importance of 1980's sci-fi/horror. Unbeknownst to me at the time, I possessed the tacit advantage of having no referential perspective. To me Predator 2 and Weird Science were every bit as import as The Terminator and Aliens. By virtue of that, Bill Paxton was a staple of cinema. For his role as Private First Class William L. Hudson in James Cameron's Aliens, Paxton danced between comedic relief and military machismo perfectly. His performance of that character was a crucial component to me enjoying that film to the level I did then and still do to this day. And on account of his extensive filmography, there will be no shortage of people whose lives were affected by Paxton in some capacity.
However, given the nature of this site, it seems more appropriate to highlight Paxton's work alongside Andrew Todd Rosenthal in new wave outfit, Martini Ranch. The stuff is a qunitiseetial-1980's sythn driven weirdo-pop style reminiscent of Thomas Dolby's "She Blinded Me with Science" and principal new wave act Oingo Boingo. I would recommend spending some time with their 1988 album Holy Cow to those who have any interest in Devo or The B-52’s, as Mark Mothersbaugh and Cindy Williams both contributed to the records production. Linked below is their music video for the track "Reach", directed by frequent Paxton collaborator, James Cameron.
Bill Paxton- prolific actor, modest new wave artist- passed away on February 26, 2017 due to complications stemming from heart surgery. He was 61. As 2017 progresses I’m almost certain it is not far from literally raining shit.
