Apr 26, 2010

Richard busting a groove?


Here is a dorktastic, homemade dance video made in the early 90's,
which claims to feature a young Richard Armitage.  There is never a close-up of his face,
so we can't be 100% positive that the guy in the white shirt is actually RA, although
he does seem to resemble him in height and at-a-distance glance.

Be prepared to have an early 90's flashback...
*Pause the blog's background music (bottom of screen) before viewing.*

Does anyone else cringe when they see pictures of themselves from the 80's or 90's?
I was too young to wear massive gobs of eyeshadow, but I did sport plenty of neon.  Rad!
Don't worry, Richard... if this is you, we forgive your crazy dance moves and poofy jeans.

What do you think?
Is the dancer in white Richard or is this just a load of YouTube crap?
Either way, it made me chuckle.

Thanks to one of my super RA detectives for bringing this video to my attention!

35 comments:

BJK said...

I don't know if thats Richard but the guy in red has a massive wedgy that kept distracting me!

Judith Johnson said...

Aargh!

Anonymous said...

Apparently the guy who uploaded this (Tim Ward) is in the video himself and he was in the musical 42th Street in 1991 and so was Richard. So it is pretty likely that this is genuine.

Anonymous said...

Yep, I fear it may be true! I think the butt and the hands are the give away for me.

Anonymous said...

Hilarious! I shudder to think what my hair was doing in 1991. Probably a very poor Robert Smith impersonation.

Sue said...

It certainly looks very much like Richard. Like the waggly bum moves. Thank goodness he decided to take up acting! A bit cringe-worthy but then it is the 90's.

Anonymous said...

dorktastic, indeed -- no matter who it is. :) I hope no video shot of me in the 1980s and 1990s ever resurfaces ...

Sue said...

servetus,

Thank goodness there weren't too many video cameras around when I was still in my teens! I remember singing a duet with someone when I was around 18. We must have sounded like a cat's chorus!We really thought we were the cat's whiskers those days, what with platform shoes and pencil skirts!

Myrtle said...

Yup, I think it is him.

By the way there are huge bill- boards appearing all over the UK advertising Strikback. A really huge pic of JP on the motorways!!! dangerous or what!!!!!

Debra said...

I think that huge billboards of Richard Armitage as JP would throw off my driving concentration (for sure)!!!!

I vote: DANGEROUS

Cute video, Nat. That was so-o-o-o long ago....but you have to hand it to him. He does have rhythm.

bZirk said...

Oh, I would have a problem keeping my eyes on the road!

As far as videos of me in the 80s and 90s, I wouldn't have a problem with it. That was when I was a size 4 and still had only black hair. LOL!

Is it just me or does "Richard Armitage" look short in that video? He would have been 20, but didn't he shoot up to 6'2" when he was 14?

Debra said...

He is the tallest in the video. I think that the distortion in the YT video is giving us an illusion that he seems shorter...

bZirk said...

The more I look at it, the more it looks like him. Especially if you pause it when he's on the ground. I think that's when the camera is closest to his face, and then it looks like his facial features.

loriBear said...

The video was corrected by a video guru on one of the forums. There is an issue with the aspect ratio on this vid and if you see if fixed, all of them are taller and much more lean.

I believe this is RA. If you watch the vid closely, you get a good look at his angular nose.. which is unique to him. I didn't it at first either but someone pointed it out to me and I was sold.

All in all, he's a great dancer!

bZirk said...

LoriBear,

There are several forums that could be; please let us know which one. :D

Maike said...

Try and download the video and watch it in VLC player using 1:1 aspect ratio. It's not perfect but better. It will still be early nineties but they will stop to look like garden gnomes.

bZirk said...

Thanks, Maike!

Elvira said...

This is a perfect example of what bad aspect ratio looks like! Maike's description of "garden gnomes" is perfect. YUK!

If you go to the Richard Armitage section of the C19 message board, there is an undistorted version of the video available on the "RA at 20" thread. It's several pages in on the thread, but there if you look for it.

bZirk said...

Oh, I'm a believer now. :D

Joan Crenshaw said...

I thought it was absolutely endearing and cute. How often do you get to see someone like Richard just goofing around when he was a kid? If my son ever becomes famous, I have him in footed jammies and a striped mitten moonwalking and singing a Michael Jackson song at age 5.

Joan

bZirk said...

I think it's adorable, and if this is the worst thing that comes out on him, he's doing well!

@Rob said...

Those are some young kids with some big dreams. I too, think this vid, is super sweet. They look like they are having a great time. I love the little butt shake in at the start of the number. Actually, yg RA has great form, dance form that is!!!

Twinkling Moon said...

@bZirk, thanks for bringing the height thing up, I was wondering the same thing. But I can see how distortion would throw things off.

The video makes me chuckle, but I can't help wondering, what exactly are they doing? And their costumes crack me up, we got the girl all dressed up for a dance video, and a couple of guys in jeans and one who looks like he's dressed up preppy style. There's no rhyme or reason to this video it seems, other than it is the joys of youth :)

As for the Strike Back billboards in the UK, that has to increase RAs profile which I think is a good thing. Hopefully that means more opportunities for him to work and therefore more opportunities for us to see him :)

Oh yeah, one other thing. His hair looks dark here, and I have always wondered what his natural hair color is. I think I assumed it was more of an auburn-like color, like he had in BTS because I think that was one of his earliest, if not first TV gig so I assumed that had to be his natural tone. But now I am wondering. Anyone know?

Maike said...

These are not just some kids goofing around, they are professional dancers, cast members of 42th Street, and I think they may have created their own choreography. On channel of the person who uploaded this is more stuff like this (though without RA).

re: RA's hair colour. It is too reddish in BTS. The film material has a warm, yellowish hue and that affects everyone's hair, eye and skin tone.

bZirk said...

So you think it's him?

After looking at the video with the aspect ratio corrected, I know I'm inclined to say it is.

Lady Gis-Monet Thornton said...

Hey everyone! I've been reading this blog for a while now, and I absolutely love it! Thanks Nat! It's wonderful and so witty. :) Quick question: can someone please give me the actual name of the video and/or the name of the Youtube channel it was found on? The video here doesn't play on my phone (only Internet and source of RA goodness!), but Youtube works. If you (well, anyone) can help me, I'd really REALLY appreciate it. Thanks again! ;D

bZirk said...

Nat is adorable too! :D

The channel name is timsleyward and here's the link to the video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rp3hwluo-XA

If you're a member of C19, there is a version of the video with corrected aspect ratio, but I don't think that will be up for long.

Lady Gis-Monet Thornton said...

@ bZirk: Thanks so much! Wow, I didn't really expect such a fast response! I'm going to check out the video now (squeeee!) :D btw-love your avatar, bZirk. So funny!

Lady Gis-Monet Thornton said...

Whoo, just watched the video. LOL! It looks like him! What a cute video. :) It's great to see him dance and have a good time (I remember reading in one of his interviews him saying that he used to be especially good at the Argentine Tango. Now, if only a video of that would pop up...Yum! Tangoliscious!). Thanks again bZirk for the link. Despite the "garden gnome" aspect, it was awesome!

Sue said...

There's no mistaking those peaches is there?

I must admit I had a quiet chuckle to myself as I watched the beginning of the video where all three lads are waggling their backsides (not that I'm complaining of course!I just wish Richard had been wearing his Gisborne leathers!).

bZirk said...

Well, as much as I've enjoyed this adorable video, I'm not willing to say definitively that it's him. But whoever those "peaches" belong to, it's all adorable. :D

Manda said...

My childhood friend and I totally had a dance to go along with that song too. Good times.

flandersdreamer said...

Hm! Difficult ... no, I have to agree with bZirk here. I can't recognize him in this. Unless his hair line has receded hugely in twenty years, which I have trouble believing when I look at his present pictures, this can't be him. Sorry, it's cute but no Richard.

bZirk said...

@flanders,

I'm not so sure.LOL! Have you seen the version with corrected aspect ratio?

Traxy said...

Wow, what a find! :D I agree, the nose does look familiar... and yes, 1:1 is better. The other two guys danced really badly!

Thanks so much for posting!