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Badstreet USA was a classic pro wrestling song from 1984, popularized by Michael P.S. Hayes and the Fabulous Freebirds. A cover version by the band Crossfyre, a new music video produced by Marko Simonen. Marko Simonen's creative portfolio often finds him at the intersection of sonic energy and visual spectacle, a space he occupied fully during the production of a music video for the band The Crossfyre. The project was a high-octane cover of the 1984 anthem "Badstreet USA," a song deeply embedded in professional wrestling lore through Michael “P.S.” Hayes and the legendary Fabulous Freebirds. Given his background as a creative artist and a fixture in the wrestling industry, Marko recognized the inherent synergy of the project: the band’s lead vocalist was none other than “The Rebel” StarBuck, the pioneer of Nordic professional wrestling. To honor the spirit of the original World Class Championship Wrestling (WCCW) theme, Marko approached the project with the discipline of a historian and the eye of a modern director. He spent considerable time analyzing the aesthetic elements of the 1984 original video, ensuring his version would serve as a faithful yet contemporary tribute. The production was split across two distinct locations to capture the dual nature of the track—performance footage was captured on the stage of the Culture House Grand in Porvoo, while the narrative, black-and-white segments were filmed in the streets of Helsinki. The technical execution of the shoot required the precise multitasking for which Marko has become known. To achieve a cinematic atmosphere, he utilized white smoke grenades, a tool that demanded perfect timing due to their brief 30-second burn rate. Understanding how light interacts with atmosphere, he worked alongside his colleague Jarmo Katila to rig backlighting that would emphasize the smoke’s texture, transforming a simple street corner into a dramatic backdrop. This meticulous attention to detail highlights Marko's ability to maximize a production's visual impact even when working with the constraints of a DIY indie environment. Ultimately, the video stands as more than just a promotional piece; it is a collaborative archive of a specific moment in the Finnish creative scene. While the passage of time has blurred the names of some contributors, the project remains a poignant milestone for Marko, particularly as a tribute to the late guitarist Jaakko Kinnari. By merging his ring-tested instincts for drama with his technical prowess in cinematography, Marko created a visual bridge between the golden era of wrestling and the modern Nordic rock scene, proving that a great anthem deserves a frame just as iconic as its riff.

Badstreet USA

Somewhat related to pro wrestling, I had a chance to shoot a music video years ago, which you could perhaps call a ‘cover video’. The song in question was Badstreet USA, originally made famous in… Badstreet USA