2010-07-13 - Village People weigh in on YMCA's New Attitude and Name...Read on -

Village People, the disco icons whose hit YMCA has become a staple at nearly every ballgame, wedding and Bar Mitzvah, registered a comment from the road where they are still performing year-round after 33 years. "We are deeply dismayed by today's announcement from the YMCA that they feel a name change and a rebranding are in order after 166 years. Some things remain iconic and while we admire the organization for the work they do, we still can't help but wonder Y." Village People will continue to perform all four letters in their concerts around the world, which this summer and fall include venues in California, Virginia, Massachusetts, Australia, Central America and more. YMCA is, to date, their best selling single, amassing sales of over 15 milion units worldwide (four million in the US alone). ***Cowboy Jeff, G.I. Alex and Native American Indian Felipe were guest DJs on UNICEF's tapradio.org for a one hour program of the guys' favorite songs plus VP experiences. A really fun hour with an important message to bring clean water to children around the world...Check it out...and contribute $5. It makes a big big difference. ***David and Felipe were on NPR's "Wait.Wait.Don't Tell Me" radio show and in addition to a funny interview, they won money for a contestant. Go to the NPR website to look for the April episode with Felipe and David. ALSO: Over 40,000 fans danced the YMCA dance at the Sun Bowl and Guiness World Records has certified it as the largest YMCA dance in history! Check YouTube and Twitter for video. WE'RE ON FACEBOOK - not on those imitation facebook pages, but on THE OFFICIALVILLAGEPEOPLE QUIZ page...You can find the page one of two ways: Here on the homepage, there's a link to the Facebook Quiz. Or on Facebook, Search for Village People or "What Village People character are you?" Enjoy! ***We've been adding new photos, a few every few days, of VP with celebrities including Oprah Winfrey, Michael Buble, Paul Abdul, Whoopie Goldberg and more! Check the Celebrity Photo Gallery. ***If you have tried to write to us recently through this website, your message may not have gotten thru. We've had a bit of trouble. Please try again. All should be cool now. ***Did you get the 2009 VP Holiday Card that was emailed to all fans who gave us their email on this website? If not, it's because we didn't have your email address. Click on Join our Email List on the homepage! ***The guys wish you all an upbeat and positive 2010. We know it's been a difficult year for many and we hope to make you forget your troubles at one of our parties/concerts where we hope to see you singing and dancing along with us. ***2009 EVENTS: New Years Eve in Honolulu - Aloha Hawaii!!! November with Wendy Williams!!! Fond memories of Michael Jackson-Village People co-starred with Michael Jackson a long time ago. He is still and forever very much in our thoughts. Ray remembers..."I worked with Michael when he recorded "The Wiz". I was the voice of one of the crows (there were 4 crows, Zach Sanders, Frank & Bobby Floyd, and myself). Michael was the scarecrow in the field. I was fortunate enough to see him at work in the studio. Watching him record his song 'You Can't Win' for the movie, was amazing. Q (Quincy Jones) was the producer. Michael never sang the song the same way twice. Each take was amazing. It was like Quincy was squeezing an orange and just when you thought there couldn't possibly be any more "juice", Quincy would squeeze him and the juice would flow just like the first squeeze. He was simply limitless with possibilities and inexhaustible with energy. I remember thinking, 'How can you pick one take? They are all incredible'."-Ray Simpson. ***The Hollywood Walk of Fame Star for Village People is situated between Liberace and Betty Grable at 6529 Hollywood Blvd (near Wilcox, if you want to take a look). ***Please donate to a very worthy cause (named after a Sept 11 World Trade Center victim and someone very dear to the group), please send your donation to Jonathan E. Briley Scholarship Fund, P.O. Box 44322, Fort Washington, Md. 20749.