Man 2 Man (later known as Man to Man) was an American

hi-NRG Hi-NRG (pronounced "high energy") is a genre of uptempo disco or electronic dance music (EDM) that originated during the late 1970s and early 1980s. As a music genre, typified by its fast tempo, staccato hi-hat rhythms (and the four-on-the-flo ...

band Band or BAND may refer to: Places *Bánd, a village in Hungary * Band, Iran, a village in Urmia County, West Azerbaijan Province, Iran * Band, Mureș, a commune in Romania * Band-e Majid Khan, a village in Bukan County, West Azerbaijan Province, ...

from

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

that formed in the early 1980s. It was best known for their

hit Hit means to strike someone or something. Hit or HIT may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Fictional entities * Hit, a fictional character from ''Dragon Ball Super'' * Homicide International Trust or HIT, a fictional organization i ...

singles Singles are people not in a committed relationship. Singles may also refer to: Film and television * ''Singles'' (miniseries), a 1984 Australian television series * ''Singles'' (1992 film), written and directed by Cameron Crowe * ''Singles'' ...

"Male Stripper", "Energy Is Eurobeat" and "I Need a Man".

Beginnings: The Fast

The Fast was an American

glam Glam is a shortened form of the word glamour. Glam or GLAM may also refer to: Film * ''Glam'' (film), a 1997 experimental drama film Institutions * University of Glamorgan, founded in 1913 and merged into the University of South Wales in 2013 ...

punk Punk or punks may refer to: Genres, subculture, and related aspects * Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres * Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...

band formed in New York City in the mid-1970s by brothers Miki Zone and Mandy Zone, along with Tommie Moonie (

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Wood * Bass or basswood, the wood of the tilia americana tree Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in th ...

) and Peter Hoffman (

drum The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel–Sachs classification system, it is a membranophone. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a ...

). With the addition of third brother Paul Zone in 1975, the Fast was an integral/influential part of the

Max's Kansas City Max's Kansas City was a nightclub and restaurant at 213 Park Avenue South in New York City, which became a gathering spot for musicians, poets, artists, and politicians in the 1960s and 1970s. It was opened by Mickey Ruskin (1933–1983) in Dece ...

CBGB CBGB was a New York City music club opened in 1973 by Hilly Kristal in the East Village, Manhattan, East Village in Manhattan, New York City. The club was previously a biker bar and before that was a dive bar. The letters ''CBGB'' were for ''Cou ...

scene alongside Blondie and the

Ramones The Ramones were an American punk rock band formed in the New York City neighborhood Forest Hills, Queens in 1974. Known for helping establish the punk movement in the United States and elsewhere, the Ramones are often recognized as one of th ...

, with their blend of

power pop Power pop (also typeset as powerpop) is a subgenre of rock music and form of pop rock based on the early music of bands such as the Who, the Beatles, the Beach Boys, and the Byrds. It typically incorporates melodic hooks, vocal harmonies, ...

and

garage punk A garage is a covered structure built for the purpose of parking, storing, protecting, maintaining, and/or repairing vehicles. Specific applications include: *Garage (residential), a building or part of a building for storing one or more vehicl ...

. As the New York punk rock scene was in its infancy, the Fast were a headline act at Max's Kansas City and CBGB in New York City. The Fast's first single, "Boys Will Be Boys" (CBS Records UK) was released in 1976 and was produced by Peter Crowley. "Boys Will Be Boys" as well as "Wow Pow Bash Crash" were released on the Max's Kansas City (Ram Records) release "Max's Kansas City 1976" along with other acts Wayne (now Jayne) County & the Backstreet Boys,

Suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Risk factors for suicide include mental disorders, physical disorders, and substance abuse. Some suicides are impulsive acts driven by stress (such as from financial or ac ...

Pere Ubu Pere Ubu is an American rock group formed in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1975. The band had a variety of long-term and recurring band members, with singer David Thomas being the only member staying throughout the band's lifetime. They released their ...

and others. The Fast's sound and style was developed with 1960s mod pop elements and the use of

synthesizer A synthesizer (also synthesiser or synth) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis a ...

s just before the instrument became a staple of

new wave music New wave is a music genre that encompasses pop music, pop-oriented styles from the 1970s through the 1980s. It is considered a lighter and more melodic "broadening of Punk subculture, punk culture". It was originally used as a catch-all fo ...

. Their second single "It's Like Love" (Ram Records) was released in 1977 and produced by

Richard Gottehrer Richard Gottehrer (born June 12, 1940) is an American songwriter, record producer and record label executive. His career began as a Brill Building songwriter in the 1960s. His first number one record as a songwriter and producer was " My Boyfr ...

(Blondie/

The Go-Go's The Go-Go's are an American all-female Rock music, rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1978. Except for short periods when other musicians joined briefly, the band has had a relatively stable lineup consisting of Charlotte Caffey on lead guitar ...

the Strangeloves The Strangeloves were a band created in 1964 by the New York City, New York-based United States, American songwriter, songwriting and record producer, production team of Bob Feldman, Jerry Goldstein (producer), Jerry Goldstein, and Richard Go ...

/ Raveonettes). "It's Like Love" was a blending of electronic synth sounds and

bubblegum pop Bubblegum (also called bubblegum pop) is pop music in a catchy and upbeat style that is marketed for children and adolescents. The term also refers to a more specific rock and pop subgenre, originating in the United States in the late 1960s, th ...

. The

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph record, vinyl records and Compact cassette, cassettes, and the terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side of a Single (music), single usually ...

was "Kids Just Wanna Dance". It was also during this time that Tommie Moonie left the band and was replaced by Hoffmann's brother, Robert. This line up lasted for a year till 1978 when Mandy Zone left the band to form his own band, Ozone, along with former bassist Tommie Moonie. Peter and Robert Hoffman decided not to carry on with the band, so they were replaced by Joe Poliseno on drums and Louis Bova (who was a recording engineer on the "Max's Kansas City 1976" album) on bass. For a short time, the Fast changed the name of the band to Miki Zone Zoo to signify a drastic change to the band sound, but after a few months reverted to the Fast due to name recognition. In 1978/1979, the Fast toured the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

Ric Ocasek Richard Theodore Otcasek (March 23, 1944 – September 15, 2019), known as Ric Ocasek ( ), was an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He was the primary vocalist, rhythm guitarist, songwriter, and frontman for the America ...

, after seeing the band perform at the

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

rock club The Rathskeller (The Rat), decided to have them open up for

the Cars The Cars were an American Rock music, rock band formed in Boston in 1976. Emerging from the New wave music, new wave Subculture, scene in the late 1970s, they consisted of Ric Ocasek (rhythm guitar), Benjamin Orr (bass guitar), Elliot Easton (l ...

at their next stadium show in

Portland, Maine Portland is the List of municipalities in Maine, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maine and the county seat, seat of Cumberland County, Maine, Cumberland County. Portland's population was 68,408 at the 2020 census. The Portland metropolit ...

. Ocasek also decided to produce for and have them record at famed Electric Ladyland studio in NYC which wound up as half of their first LP ''The Fast for Sale'' (Recca Records), released in 1980. In 1981, their second LP, ''Leather Boys from the Asphalt Jungle'' (Recca Records), was released. This would be the last time Paul and Miki Zone recorded with a live band. In 1982, the Fast went electronic; Paul and Miki toured the U.S. East Coast with two back-up keyboard players. In 1983, they began performing as a duo at New York City's Harrah, S.N.A.F.U., The Pyramid Club, and The Mudd Club, using keyboards, electronics and backing tapes.

The Fast discography

*"Boys Will Be Boys" (Single, CBS Records UK) 1976 *"It's Like Love" / "Kids Just Wanna Dance" (Single, Ram Records) 1977 *"B Movies" / "Cars Crash" (Single, Sounds Interesting Records) 1979 *"The Fast for Sale" (LP, Recca Records) 1980 *"Leather Boys from the Asphalt Jungle" (LP, Recca Records) 1981 *"Moontan" / "Love Is Like an Itchin in My Heart" (Single, Recca Record) 1982

Man 2 Man

After the Fast, the Zone brothers spent the first half of the 1980s singing on a number of hi-NRG and

disco Disco is a music genre, genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the late 1960s from the United States' urban nightclub, nightlife, particularly in African Americans, African-American, Italian-Americans, Italian-American, LGBTQ ...

records for

record producer A record producer or music producer is a music creating project's overall supervisor whose responsibilities can involve a range of creative and technical leadership roles. Typically the job involves hands-on oversight of recording sessions; ensu ...

s such as

Bobby Orlando Robert Philip Orlando also known as Bobby Orlando or just Bobby O, is an American record producer, indie record label owner, songwriter, and musician. He is regarded as an innovator in the hi-NRG genre for developing his signature sound, using a ...

(records like

Divine Divinity (from Latin ) refers to the quality, presence, or nature of that which is divine—a term that, before the rise of monotheism, evoked a broad and dynamic field of sacred power. In the ancient world, divinity was not limited to a singl ...

's "Native Love" and

the Flirts The Flirts are a project concept group formed by Bobby "O" Orlando to front his performances as an artist, musician and songwriter. The group consisted of Orlando and featured a revolving roster of female session singers and models. Under The F ...

' "Passion"). Soon after, they formed a new band, which was originally called Man's Favourite Sports. However, another band had already claimed the right to use this name, so they became known as Man 2 Man. Man 2 Man performed live in some of NYC's larger dance spaces: The Funhouse, The Limelight, & The Saint. They also appeared live at Heaven in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, UK. The duo recorded self-produced 12-inch dance singles through 1985. They continued to perform as a live act, touring alongside

Sylvester Sylvester or Silvester is a name derived from the Latin adjective ''silvestris'' meaning "wooded" or "wild", which derives from the noun ''silva'' meaning "woodland". Classical Latin spells this with ''i''. In Classical Latin, ''y'' represented a ...

& Divine in mid-to large sized venues throughout the UK,

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a considerably smaller portion in the Northern Hemisphere. It can also be described as the southern Subregion#Americas, subregion o ...

and

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

"Male Stripper"

Under this name the band scored their biggest hit, "Male Stripper", teaming up with cult electro producer

Man Parrish Manuel Parrish (born May 6, 1958) is an American songwriter, vocalist and producer. He, along with artists such as Yellow Magic Orchestra, Kraftwerk, Art of Noise, Arthur Baker, Afrika Bambaataa, John Robie, Jellybean Benitez, Lotti Golden, Ric ...

. Originally released in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

in August 1986 on the Bolts Records

label A label (as distinct from signage) is a piece of paper, plastic film, cloth, metal, or other material affixed to a container or product. Labels are most often affixed to packaging and containers using an adhesive, or sewing when affix ...

, "Male Stripper" was a big

club Club may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Club'' (magazine) * Club, a ''Yie Ar Kung-Fu'' character * Clubs (suit), a suit of playing cards * Club music * "Club", by Kelsea Ballerini from the album ''kelsea'' Brands and enterprises * ...

hit throughout the autumn and peaked at No. 64 on the UK Singles Chart in September. Miki Zone died of

spinal meningitis Meningitis is acute or chronic inflammation of the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord, collectively called the meninges. The most common symptoms are fever, intense headache, vomiting and neck stiffness and occasionally ...

caused by

AIDS The HIV, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a retrovirus that attacks the immune system. Without treatment, it can lead to a spectrum of conditions including acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). It is a Preventive healthcare, pr ...

on December 31, 1986. In early 1987, "Male Stripper" charted again in the UK, and this time the song became an even bigger hit, spending five weeks in the top 10 and two weeks at No. 4. The song peaked at number 3 in Australia. "Male Stripper" was a breakout crossover pop hit and in March 1987 Man 2 Man appeared on a segment of the British music TV show ''

Top of the Pops ''Top of the Pops'' (''TOTP'') is a British record chart television programme, made by the BBC and broadcast weekly between 1January 1964 and 30 July 2006. The programme was the world's longest-running weekly music show. For most of its histo ...

''. "Male Stripper" was featured in the 1988 British film '' The Fruit Machine''. The next single, "Who Knows What Evil", reached No. 90 on the UK chart in April 1987. After the death of Miki, Paul Zone decided to change the band name to Man to Man and recorded a

cover version In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song release ...

of the

Grace Jones Grace Beverly Jones (born 19 May 1948) is a Jamaican singer, songwriter, model and actress. She began her Model (person), modelling career in New York State, then in Paris, working for fashion houses such as Yves Saint Laurent (brand), Yves St ...

hit " I Need a Man" which peaked at No. 43 on the UK chart. Paul Zone continued recording under this name into the 1990s, working with producers such as

Jacques Morali Jacques Morali (4 July 1947 – 15 November 1991) was a French disco and dance music record producer and songwriter, known for collaborating with Henri Belolo to create acts such as the Ritchie Family and Village People. Early life ...

. "I'll Try Anything Once" was released in 2008 on

iTunes iTunes is a media player, media library, and mobile device management (MDM) utility developed by Apple. It is used to purchase, play, download and organize digital multimedia on personal computers running the macOS and Windows operating s ...

and featured vocals by

Debbie Harry Deborah Ann Harry (born Angela Trimble, July 1, 1945) is an American singer, songwriter and actress, best known as the lead vocalist of the band Blondie (band), Blondie. Four of her songs with the band reached on the US charts between 1979 and 1 ...

of Blondie.

Discography

Albums

*''Malenergy'' (Mexico only, 1986) *''Man to Man'' (with Paul Zone, 1988) *''Male Stripper - The Best Of'' (1995) *''Male Stripper: Hits & Rarities 1985–1990'' (2007)

Singles

References

External links

The Fast
at

Discogs Discogs ( ; short for " discographies") is a database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. Database contents are user-generated, and described in ''T ...

Man 2 Man
at Discogs {{DEFAULTSORT:Man To Man American hi-NRG groups Musical duos from New York (state) Electronic music groups from New York (state) LGBTQ-themed musical groups Sibling musical duos Musical groups from New York City