# Did that Hey Mickey chick invent the Talking Heads arm chop?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-that-hey-mickey-chick-invent-the-talking-heads-arm-chop/183727>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [June 23, 2003, 7:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-that-hey-mickey-chick-invent-the-talking-heads-arm-chop/183727 "2003-06-23T07:57:54Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Bill\_H](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a5b964/32.png) [@Bill\_H](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_H)\
**Post date:** [June 23, 2003, 7:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-that-hey-mickey-chick-invent-the-talking-heads-arm-chop/183727/1 "2003-06-23T07:57:54Z")

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I’m watching some VH1 program where the great “Once In A Lifetime” by the Talking Heads is on some list or another. David Byrne says that Toni Basil directed it, and makes some complimentary reference to her as a choreographer. She’s the one-hit “Hey Micky You’re so fine” singer if you don’t recall.

And suddenly it occurs to me that as the choreographer, she may have made up the famous arm chopping move from that song/video. Which strikes me as a little scary and maybe even a bit distasteful. Possible?

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**Author:** ![refusal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ac91a4/32.png) [@refusal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/refusal)\
**Post date:** [June 23, 2003, 11:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-that-hey-mickey-chick-invent-the-talking-heads-arm-chop/183727/2 "2003-06-23T11:07:02Z")

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I don’t know about the arm move, but before Hey Mickey, Toni Basil was a respected choreographer and dancer who also worked as an actress. She appeared in Easy Rider, which is even freakier than choreographing David Byrne.

Here’s a bio:

[http://www.swinginchicks.com/toni\_basil.htm](http://www.swinginchicks.com/toni_basil.htm)

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**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\
**Post date:** [June 23, 2003, 11:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-that-hey-mickey-chick-invent-the-talking-heads-arm-chop/183727/3 "2003-06-23T11:29:35Z")

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IIRC, it comes from Africa. I’ve seen a video with Byrne doing the chop and then it cuts to some African women doing the same thing. The motion means just what the lyrics say, “Same as it ever was”, meaning, “nothing new with me, how about you?”