# Benny Mardones, responsible for creepiest, most pervy music video ever made, has died **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 1, 2020, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/benny-mardones-responsible-for-creepiest-most-pervy-music-video-ever-made-has-died/913949 "2020-07-01T13:40:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![John\_Stamos\_Left\_Ear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_stamos_left_ear/32/3198_2.png) [@John\_Stamos\_Left\_Ear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Stamos_Left_Ear)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2020, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/benny-mardones-responsible-for-creepiest-most-pervy-music-video-ever-made-has-died/913949/1 "2020-07-01T13:40:09Z")
Benny Mardones [passed away](https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/rock/9402923/benny-mardones-into-the-night-dead-73) a couple of days ago from Parkinson’s disease at the age of 73. This thread is not to memorialize him, but to remember him as the person responsible for the creepiest, most pervy music video ever made. I realize that 1980 was literally four decades ago but even then there had to be lines and somehow this video didn’t break them. [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/zWHjJt4833I/hqdefault.jpg "Benny Mardones - Into the Night ( Full Original Video 1980)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zWHjJt4833I) ---
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2020, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/benny-mardones-responsible-for-creepiest-most-pervy-music-video-ever-made-has-died/913949/2 "2020-07-01T14:13:12Z")
Littering is still a problem, but that was pretty blatant. ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUBv.2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanubv.2/32/3260_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUBv.2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUBv.2)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2020, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/benny-mardones-responsible-for-creepiest-most-pervy-music-video-ever-made-has-died/913949/3 "2020-07-01T15:00:43Z")
Oy. I’ve never seen that before. He somehow looks even worse than I pictured him. And the girl looks about 14. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2020, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/benny-mardones-responsible-for-creepiest-most-pervy-music-video-ever-made-has-died/913949/4 "2020-07-01T16:13:21Z")
Somehow, I think I’m missing something. If you think this is the most creepiest, perverted video made, you haven’t seen too many videos. What is it that’s supposed to be creepy? That the girl “looks about 14”? I’m not defending it. I just don’t see it. Sure the song is trying to justify the relationship. The SONG is creepy. But the song isn’t the video. I know a girl 16 when she hooked up with this guy 9 years older than her. Her parents hated the guy. Heck, I might have beat him up, if she were my daughter. They’ve been married 45 years now. ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUBv.2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanubv.2/32/3260_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUBv.2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUBv.2)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2020, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/benny-mardones-responsible-for-creepiest-most-pervy-music-video-ever-made-has-died/913949/5 "2020-07-01T16:42:44Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > Somehow, I think I’m missing something… Speaking only for myself, it’s not the video, per se, that I find unpleasant. I’ve always hated the song since it first came out because to my 14 year old self, it was corny and boring. The big bummer that was played in between the fun, bouncy songs. My dislike of the song itself coupled with the named “Benny” just made me picture the singer as a loser. In the video, Mr. M. does not disappoint. I am surprised they have an actress that looks so young. Usually it’s the other way around; twenty somethings playing teenagers. As to the dating age disparity; I dated a 23 year old when I was sixteen. With my parents permission. 😐 ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2020, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/benny-mardones-responsible-for-creepiest-most-pervy-music-video-ever-made-has-died/913949/6 "2020-07-01T16:53:03Z")
I have to admit I like the song, and have since it first came out, when it appealed to my teenage romantic streak (it’s even on my iPod - don’t you judge me!). But the older the guy and the younger the girl, the pervier it gets. That said, may he rest in peace. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2020, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/benny-mardones-responsible-for-creepiest-most-pervy-music-video-ever-made-has-died/913949/7 "2020-07-01T17:28:53Z")
If he just died at the age of 73, he was 33 when the video came out. A 17 year age gap is pretty pervy. But those flying carpet special effects were pretty groundbreaking for the time 🙄 ---
**Author:** ![Pantastic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3bc359/32.png) [@Pantastic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pantastic)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2020, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/benny-mardones-responsible-for-creepiest-most-pervy-music-video-ever-made-has-died/913949/8 "2020-07-01T19:46:29Z")
The idea of 18 as an absolute age on consent wasn’t established as a cultural idea back in 1980, so the ‘guy in his 30s with a 16 year old’ didn’t hit the same creepy buttons that it does now. While the idea that 18 is the cutoff for ‘adult’ is very common today, it’s still not actually true legally. Numerous US states actually have a 16 age of consent, as do Germany, France, the UK, and Canada to name a few others from a quick google search. I don’t disagree that the video reads ‘creepy’ to me (and most people) now, but it didn’t cross the ‘unacceptable’ line in 1980 and doesn’t even cross the ‘illegal’ line everywhere now. There were a lot of songs up until the 80’s where adult male musicians sang about their love or lust for under-18 girls, so this doesn’t stand out particularly. ---
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2020, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/benny-mardones-responsible-for-creepiest-most-pervy-music-video-ever-made-has-died/913949/9 "2020-07-01T20:07:16Z")
A skeevy-looking guy in his mid-thirties creeping through the window of what appears to be a catatonic, 14 year-old girl’s bedroom would be creepy in any century. Unless it’s an introduction to a personal relationship with Jesus, showing her a love ‘like she’s never seen’ is also problematic. Last time this song came up, someone linked to a defense of the song by Mardones. He claimed that it was based on a platonic relationship with a neighbor’s daughter. It seemed like a stretch, and everything in the video contradicts it. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2020, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/benny-mardones-responsible-for-creepiest-most-pervy-music-video-ever-made-has-died/913949/10 "2020-07-01T20:16:02Z")
> [@Pantastic](#): > > The idea of 18 as an absolute age on consent wasn’t established as a cultural idea back in 1980, so the ‘guy in his 30s with a 16 year old’ didn’t hit the same creepy buttons that it does now. While the idea that 18 is the cutoff for ‘adult’ is very common today, it’s still not actually true legally. Numerous US states actually have a 16 age of consent, as do Germany, France, the UK, and Canada to name a few others from a quick google search. Yeah, I turned 15 in 1980. A girl about my age back then getting hit on by a 33 year old guy, or worse yet, hooking up with him, would have seemed as creepy then as now. ---
**Author:** ![Dadtheinhaler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e480ec/32.png) [@Dadtheinhaler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dadtheinhaler)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2020, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/benny-mardones-responsible-for-creepiest-most-pervy-music-video-ever-made-has-died/913949/11 "2020-07-01T20:29:29Z")
Ya know, if he keeps moaning like that her father’s going to hear! ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2020, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/benny-mardones-responsible-for-creepiest-most-pervy-music-video-ever-made-has-died/913949/12 "2020-07-01T20:37:35Z")
I think he’s far enough away in the front hall, waiting to answer the door and lip sync again if he has to. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Stamos\_Left\_Ear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_stamos_left_ear/32/3198_2.png) [@John\_Stamos\_Left\_Ear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Stamos_Left_Ear)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2020, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/benny-mardones-responsible-for-creepiest-most-pervy-music-video-ever-made-has-died/913949/13 "2020-07-01T20:51:30Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > Somehow, I think I’m missing something. > > If you think this is the most creepiest, perverted video made, you haven’t seen too many videos. Guess you missed the fact I said a _ **music** _ video, huh. ---
**Author:** ![Pantastic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3bc359/32.png) [@Pantastic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pantastic)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2020, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/benny-mardones-responsible-for-creepiest-most-pervy-music-video-ever-made-has-died/913949/14 "2020-07-01T22:30:58Z")
> [@solost](#): > > Yeah, I turned 15 in 1980. A girl about my age back then getting hit on by a 33 year old guy, or worse yet, hooking up with him, would have seemed as creepy then as now. Yeah, the history of songs (and accompanying videos) and popular entertainment disagrees with your experience. In 1958, Elvis in his 20s started dating a 14 year old girl. This was controversial, but didn’t ruin his career. In 1967, a 27 year old Neil Diamond released “Girl, You’ll be a Woman soon” to reach the top 10 on the pop chart. In 1968, a 25 year old Mick Jagger released “Stray Cat Blues” about lusting after a 15 (often 13 in concert) year old groupie. In 1977, “Christine Sixteen” sung by a 30 year old Gene Simmons of KISS ranked 25 on the Billboard charts. Kip Winger at 27 released “She’s only Seventeen” in 1988 and hit 26 on Billboard. While they might not have been in the specific ‘mid-30s and 16’ lineup at the time of release, all of the hits were kept in rotation for a decade or more, so they did feature the age gap in this song (and a larger one later). You just don’t generally see songs by adult singers lusting after 13-17 year old girls, or adults dating 14-year-olds and remaining a popular musician today, as far as I’m aware - do these still make the charts? While it might have been ‘creepy’ to see in person or for you as an individual, I don’t see how you can contend that it ‘crossed the line’ back then when songs like the above were considered fine when sung by singers with an equal or larger age gap. The general cultural opinion of older guys with under-18 girls has shifted a lot. ---
**Author:** ![robby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robby/32/11048_2.png) [@robby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robby)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2020, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/benny-mardones-responsible-for-creepiest-most-pervy-music-video-ever-made-has-died/913949/15 "2020-07-01T22:51:56Z")
I’ve definitely heard the song before, but never really paid attention to the lyrics. (I rarely pick up on song lyrics unless I see them in print.) Never seen the video before, but agree it is definitely pervy. Guy looks to be in his mid-30s; girl looks like she’s 14. And he’s a litterbug. 🙄 ---
**Author:** ![John\_Stamos\_Left\_Ear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_stamos_left_ear/32/3198_2.png) [@John\_Stamos\_Left\_Ear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Stamos_Left_Ear)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2020, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/benny-mardones-responsible-for-creepiest-most-pervy-music-video-ever-made-has-died/913949/16 "2020-07-01T22:52:02Z")
> [@Pantastic](#): > > Yeah, the history of songs (and accompanying videos) and popular entertainment disagrees with your experience. In 1958, Elvis in his 20s started dating a 14 year old girl. This was controversial, but didn’t ruin his career. In 1967, a 27 year old Neil Diamond released “Girl, You’ll be a Woman soon” to reach the top 10 on the pop chart. In 1968, a 25 year old Mick Jagger released “Stray Cat Blues” about lusting after a 15 (often 13 in concert) year old groupie. In 1977, “Christine Sixteen” sung by a 30 year old Gene Simmons of KISS ranked 25 on the Billboard charts. Kip Winger at 27 released “She’s only Seventeen” in 1988 and hit 26 on Billboard. And yet none of them had videos that were creepy. Hell, Kip Winger didn’t even touch his _bass strings_ in his video, let alone any jailbait! [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/Irc5j1gkihY/maxresdefault.jpg "Winger - Seventeen (Official Music Video)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Irc5j1gkihY) ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2020, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/benny-mardones-responsible-for-creepiest-most-pervy-music-video-ever-made-has-died/913949/17 "2020-07-01T22:55:32Z")
So I shorthanded. I meant MUSIC video, and no, that isn’t even close to the creepiest MUSIC video I’ve ever seen. It’s downright tame. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Stamos\_Left\_Ear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_stamos_left_ear/32/3198_2.png) [@John\_Stamos\_Left\_Ear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Stamos_Left_Ear)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2020, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/benny-mardones-responsible-for-creepiest-most-pervy-music-video-ever-made-has-died/913949/18 "2020-07-01T22:58:30Z")
Cite? ---
**Author:** ![Dark\_Sponge](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dark_sponge/32/121_2.png) [@Dark\_Sponge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dark_Sponge)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2020, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/benny-mardones-responsible-for-creepiest-most-pervy-music-video-ever-made-has-died/913949/19 "2020-07-01T23:25:27Z")
It’s a different style of pervy but I thought Blurred Lines by Robin Thicke was worse. I was actually turned off by the nudity. He took some of the most beautiful women in the world and reduced them to slabs of meat. ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2020, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/benny-mardones-responsible-for-creepiest-most-pervy-music-video-ever-made-has-died/913949/20 "2020-07-01T23:42:31Z")
The song is a piece of crap. Regardless of the lyrics or the video it’s an offense. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/benny-mardones-responsible-for-creepiest-most-pervy-music-video-ever-made-has-died/913949.md?page=2)