Van Halen's 1984 hit single "Hot For Teacher" off their hit album "1984" wasn't just a classic '80s rock hit, but it also was a representation of what goes on in the minds of teenage boys at school. The hit single is also noted for its music video, which featured kids at school going hot for their teacher -- and one of the models who played a teacher was Lillian Muller. In the age when MTV was known for just playing music videos, Muller became an instant star because of the hit single and the novelty of music video. But whatever happened to Lillian Muller? The '80s may seem like they were a long time ago, but here's what happened to the former playboy centerfold.
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00:00Ah, the 80s, a decade that couldn't quite decide what it wanted to be when it grew up.
00:05It was self-referential, outlandish, and a little ashamed of its roots.
00:09Disco was roundly derided, despite selling millions of dance tunes.
00:13And while video didn't actually kill the radio star, MTV was playing little short films wrapped
00:17around music singles, and lots of people took notice.
00:20Witness Van Halen
00:22The band composed of brothers Eddie and Alex Van Halen on guitar and drums, respectively,
00:26with Michael Anthony playing bass and David Lee Roth as singer-frontman showman Hare.
00:31The band gelled in 1974 and cut an album four years later with financial backing from Kiss's
00:37Gene Simmons, according to Biography.
00:39And it sold well, but the real success, and presumably the real money, came with 1984's
00:441984, which included such chart-smashing cuts as Panama, Jump, and Hot for Teacher, the
00:50subject of today's lesson.
00:52Music videos were amazingly effective for selling recordings.
00:56Some had practically nothing to do with the song itself — look up Men Without Hats'
00:59safety dance from 1982 if you don't believe us — while some made at least a passing
01:03attempt at a narrative.
01:04They also provided an excuse for the band to hang out with very attractive people, like
01:08in Hot for Teacher.
01:10Roth is credited with co-directing the video, along with Pete Angeles, director on the band's
01:14videos for Jump and Panama, says Song Facts.
01:17The video begins with Waldo, the already awkward new kid in school who's terrified.
01:22Then the teacher walks in, who turns out to be, well, attractive by most standards.
01:27The woman playing the teacher with dance moves was Lillian Mueller, a native of Norway who'd
01:32already had a decent MTV gig, says Ultimate Classic Rock, as part of Rod Stewart's Do
01:37You Think I'm Sexy six years earlier.
01:39Mueller had started as a model in Western Europe, appearing, according to her website,
01:43in the pages of French Vogue and Modeling in London.
01:46That led to yet another bit of pop culture infamy.
01:49Mueller was named Playboy's Playmate of the Year in 1976.
01:53Her website relates that Lillian went on to become the most featured Playmate of the Year
01:57in the magazine's history, scoring nine covers from 1975 to 1999.
02:03As for her Hot for Teacher performance, a Guitar World article from 2012 quotes Mueller
02:08this way,
02:09"'I was in my early thirties at the time.
02:10I was a little old for the role.'
02:12That didn't seem to stop anyone."
02:14Loudwire relates that 1984 has sold something like 20 million copies, and the official video
02:19on YouTube has amassed north of 17 million views.
02:23The Hot for Teacher video also has children standing in as young versions of Van Halen
02:27members, reportedly a stroke of dramatic genius from Angelus.
02:31Waldo himself had little help in his characterization.
02:34The boy's voice was supplied by longtime Saturday Night Live veteran Phil Hartman.
02:38"'I hope you find some friends this year.'
02:42"'Oh, Mom, you know I'm not like other guys.'"
02:47There's some dancing involved, of course, including choreography performed by the band
02:52under a disco ball.
02:53Musical ability doesn't necessarily translate onto the dance floor, however.
02:57Drummer Alex Van Halen couldn't get the moves down, and is pretty much out of step throughout
03:02those shots.
03:03Mueller went on to score guest roles on American television for several years, including appearances
03:08on the original Magnum, P.I. and Fantasy Island, along with a couple of supporting
03:12roles in films, before moving into a new career arc.
03:15She studied at the Actors Studio in Hollywood before launching her brand as a motivational
03:19speaker.
03:20"'My life now is very much about helping people, you know, keep their youth, keep their health,
03:26and looking radiant.'"
03:27She then returned to Norway for more television work, including that country's version of
03:31Dancing with the Stars.
03:33According to her website, she's published a couple of books, including her autobiography
03:37and a volume of advice on personal health for people over the age of 40, all while raising
03:41a daughter as a single parent.
03:43She claims she's never consumed alcohol and has been a staunch vegetarian since her mid-20s,
03:48which perhaps led to her Sexiest Vegetarian Over 50 title in December 2010 from People
03:53for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.
03:55Seems like she still has a few things she could teach us.