Earlier on this month I admitted that October finds me "drawn a little to darker music...laced with an undercurrent of death, decadence and, dare I say it, sex." I then went on to promise you "a wee drop of the harder stuff" in time for Hallowe'en. Well, I like to keep my promises and tonight I've got an extraordinary d-i-y, lo-fi, renaissance woman who is a musician, video-maker, photographer and visual artist all wrapped up in one provocative package. I'm referring to Sophie Nadaud of La Seyne sur Mer, France who records, blogs and makes videos under the name of 'Madame B'. Sophie describes her music as; "Instinctive and emotional D.I.Y music recorded at home using bass, guitar, keyboard, beat box DR110, banjo, ukelele and everything I can find around."
Don't be fooled by the banjo and ukulele reference into thinking this is more of Griff's indie-folk shenanigans. No, this is doomed, Gothy, post-punk weirdness with attention grabbing titles such as; Raped by BitternessFuck Off, Dead Bitch and (ahem) Fingerinme. So, no twee, gentle insubstantiality in that lot, I think you'll agree! Personally I can hear a bit of Lydia Lunch and early Siouxsie and the Bansheesin Sophie's music.Those of you who enjoyed Gordon's recent Rosa Yemen tribute may perhaps also see some similarity to Lizzy Mercier-Descloux. I came across Madame B on last.fm and was immediately hooked by the first song I heard, which was the provocative 'I'm Sorry That I Hate You'.
I do like that song very much indeed but I must admit I would love to hear it with a live drummer. The Madame B last.fm page is well worth a visit as all of the songs featured on there, and there are scores of tracks off half a dozen albums, are available as free MP3 downloads. There is also a Madame B Youtube page and this is where Sophie's art really comes into its own; with the fusion of her own fierce, experimental music and vampish visual imagery. Below are a few of my favourites videos from that site but there are many more which are well worth a look during the dark winter months. Enjoy!
As the incomparable Mercedes Jones, Amber Riley brings her locomotive of a voice to our living rooms each week. Instantly sassy, irresistibly brassy, her Mercedes is a talent who refuses to play second fiddle, even when that’s all-too frequently the role thrust upon her. She said it herself: “I’m Beyonce. I ain’t no Kelly Rowland.” What Riley brings to Mercedes, besides those ridiculously perfect pipes, is a refreshing burst of confidence. On “Glee,” her presence speaks volumes without even using her voice. On a stage filled almost exclusively with slim starlets and six-packing studs, Riley is more of an everyteen (though in real life she is the crush-appropriate age of 24).
Her size became a subplot for a millisecond last season, but it does not define her. Instead Riley’s Mercedes is known for her confidence, strength, loyalty and – of course – that voice. I know this will be sacrilege to some, but I really loved her rendition of “Sweet Transvestite” in this week’s “Rocky Horror Glee Show” episode. Yes, it was silly they changed “transsexual Transylvania” to “sensational Transylvania.” No, she isn’t Tim Curry. But, lord, who is? Instead she gave it her own sexy stamp. Bonus points for using Brittany and Santana as backup dancers. I don’t know about you, but watching all three of them dance together is definitely good for relieving my tension. Happy weekend and Halloween, all.
Hopefully, you'll remember my previous blog about ukulele pop cutie mkf, otherwise known as Maria Kristie Fabila (pictured). At that time we previewed her sweet and spooky little song 'swooky', which was a real Streetlamp favourite, and informed you that it was "the first track of an EP to be made fully public in October of this year". Well guess what, boys and girls? The full 7 track album is now up and available for listening/downloading here on bandcamp. The album, also called 'swooky', is that rarest of beasts; an indie-pop concept album, the concept being ghosts, and is perfect Hallowe'en listening. The album features tracks with titles such as 'just one spook' and 'no body nobody' as well as Maria's own unique and magnificent take on the old Patsy Cline standard 'Walking After Midnight'.
This being mkf we also have to bring you the obligatory 'clever little video'. In this one a multi-tracked Maria covers The Lovin' Spoonful's 'Summer in the City'. Yeah, we know that it's October in Scotland and that there's currently snow on the hills, but you'll have to take Maria's word for it that in California it's "really hot". Now, throw another log on the fire, close your eyes and pretend.
I have a thing for vampires, this is no secret. The fangs, the biting, the immortality. That’s one sexy combo. It helps that lady vampires are being portrayed right now on screen – both big and small – by some very attractive actresses. So with Halloween approaching, I thought we’d pay tribute to these toothsome talents. But why mindlessly ogle when you can make it a cutthroat competition? Let’s sink our teeth into the beautiful bloodsuckers from the three biggest vampire series out currently (“True Blood,” “The Vampire Diaries” and the “Twilight” saga) and see which group tastes the best.
TRUE BLOOD
PamHot, blonde and into chicks.
Sophie-AnneHot, ginger and into chicks.
JessicaHot, ginger and not into chicks, but I would happily spend an eternity trying to convert her.
THE VAMPIRE DIARIES
KatherineEvil, but has a good doppelganger so, you know, kind of the best of both worlds.
CarolineI like her so much better as a vampire than a human, is that wrong?
IsobelWe all knew Jenny Schecter was a vampire already, this is just more upfront about it.
TWILIGHT
Esme and Alice CullenDoes the fact that they’re not really mother and daughter makes it any less creepy that I think they make a nice looking couple? OK, still no.
RosalieI’m just going to say it, I don’t like Nikki Reed as a blonde.
JaneDoes the fact that her character is, like, 1,000 years old make it any less creepy that she is actually 16? OK, still no.
So, which lady vamps do it for you? Who sucks the least, figuratively? Or the most, literally? Yes, I know I went there with all the bad puns. Bite me.
Opinions are like assholes, or so the saying goes. So it only follows that many assholes have opinions. But you are still taken aback, way aback, when an asshole is such an asshole about her opinions. Like, for instance, the Marie Claire blogger who posted her thoughts on the new CBS sitcom “Mike & Molly.”
Let me break down the essence of her post for you:
HEY FATTIES, EAT SOME UNPROCESSED FOOD AND GET OFF YOUR BIG ASSES. ALSO, STOP KISSING. GROSS.
And I’m not even really paraphrasing there. This is what was actually written.
My initial response was: Hmm, being overweight is one thing — those people are downright obese! And while I think our country’s obsession with physical perfection is unhealthy, I also think it’s at least equally crazy, albeit in the other direction, to be implicitly promoting obesity! ….
So anyway, yes, I think I’d be grossed out if I had to watch two characters with rolls and rolls of fat kissing each other ... because I’d be grossed out if I had to watch them doing anything. To be brutally honest, even in real life, I find it aesthetically displeasing to watch a very, very fat person simply walk across a room. ….
I’m happy to give you some nutrition and fitness suggestions if you need them — but long story short, eat more fresh and unprocessed foods, read labels and avoid foods with any kind of processed sweetener in them whether it’s cane sugar or high fructose corn syrup, increase the amount of fiber you’re getting, get some kind of exercise for 30 minutes at least five times a week, and do everything you can to stand up more — even while using your computer — and walk more.
(p.s. That last sentence is 84 – EIGHTY FOUR – words long. How about learning how to slim down your writing instead, lady?)
WHAT THE FUCKITY FUCK WAS THAT FUCKING SHIT?
The post has made the rounds, been roundlycriticized and, by my rough estimate, garnered some 6 gazillion very unhappy replies in the comments section. The writer has apologized, said the post was an insensitive, thoughtless reaction to her own struggles with anorexia. Blah blah blah. That may well be true. While we should be rightfully furious with its writer (a Maura Kelly – who has been published in The New York Times, The Washington Post and Glamour, among others. Also, she loves peanut butter!), we should also see this as a symptom of a larger, more insidious disease we have as a society. This Maura person articulated it almost perfectly.
In our society, we think to be loved you have to look a certain way. If you don’t look that certain way you are unworthy, unhealthy, unhappy, undeserving. If you don’t look a certain way you shouldn’t kiss, find love, walk across a room. If you don’t look a certain way you should be ashamed, disgusted and hate ever fiber of your big, ugly, repulsive body.
What a colossal load of unrelenting horse shit.
Without getting into the flat-out fallacies of Maura Kelly’s argument (all weight can be managed through diet and exercise, etc.), let’s talk about her piece’s casual yet calculated cruelty. It’s a cruelty that permeates our society. It’s fed by the fashion and beauty industries. It’s fed by Photoshopping the already beautiful into impossible beauty. It’s fed by almost every image we see projected and plastered everywhere. This is how you should look, if you don’t look like this how could you possibly be happy? An entire body-shaming industrial complex profits from our continued misery.
It shouldn’t be a radical statement to say that we are all humans and that we all deserve happiness no matter our size, race, sexual orientation, disabilities, whathaveyou. Yet here we are, in the year 2010, and some people are still saying how gross it is that two fatties have the audacity to actually kiss. How dare they be happy, don’t they know?
Treating all people with basic human decency and respect, now that’s fucking beautiful.
Okay.... So this one is a bit of a departure. It's not quite trebley guitars, twee vocals and a sunny yet romantically doomed disposition. No, this ones a bit more ambient, a bit more orchestral, dare one even say it.....a bit more 'classy'. So, now that we know we're not in ~Kitten Wine~ territory, let's try to put this into some kind of perspective because, even though this doesn't really follow the ~Streetlamp~ blueprint, it does cover a guilty pleasure much enjoyed by all here at the Streetlamp HQ. Let's take a closer look.....
About eight years ago Griff and I, completely independently of each other, stumbled upon a radio show called 'Late Junction'. What was odd about this is that Late Junction is broadcast on Radio 3....yep, THAT Radio 3....the BBC Radio 3. Now, as veterans of the Punk/Indie/Twee revolution, the idea of listening to pompous, lemon-sucking, head-up-it's-own-arse Radio 3 was quite abhorrent. But there...around 11:15p.m most weekday nights was an oasis of musical splendour; a mix of lo-fi pop, light classical, world music, ambient soundscapes, modern jazz, folk, chansonnier songs, Math Rock(Rodan, Slint etc) and the odd tracks by Sonic Youth, Daniel Johnston, Jim O'Rourke, Le Tigre etc.....I'm sure you get the picture. This allowed us to hear music away from the stuff we usually listened to. Plus the overall texture of the show coupled with the late night feel made it a very ambient, intoxicating experience. In fact, I'd wager that if Proust or Rimbaud were alive today, this would be top of their listening agenda.
And it was on this show that I stumbled upon the wondrous track that I have come here to discuss tonight. A track called 'Dinah And The Beautiful Blue' by Thomas Feiner & Anywhen. This song is almost unspeakably beautiful, an aching, ambient, hallucinatory joy that moves at such a somnambulent pace that it becomes a sensory overload. Every movement within the song seems to bruise the heart and numb the senses(in the most dreamy way)....not for nothing is this song taken from an album called 'The Opiates'. Think of Tom Waits deciding to make an ambient track, or David Sylvian scoring the soundtrack to your favourite childhood daydream.....or if you are a Scott Walker fan, imagine if he really made that album you've always hoped he'd make and not that unlistenable 'difficult' art-music he makes now. It's almost impossible for me to describe just how magical and life-affirming this song is....it totally changes my mind-set and perception of time, space and memory. It makes me become like Proust, or Rimbaud, or Baudelaire, or Huysmans, or any of those namby-pamby pantywaists, draping myself over the chaise lounge in my velvet dressing gown, the scent of lavender in the air, heavily perfumed Chateau Margaux in hand, longing for the goodnight kiss from Mamma....
Oh yeah, music can do funny things to pretentious buffoon!
This is easily one of the most beautiful pieces of music I have heard in a long time, and I urge you to listen to it all the way through and not to give up on it because of it's slow pace....allow it to seep into you! And I hope it acts as a good advert for the fantastic Late Junction show which we here at the Streetlamp cannot recommend highly enough.
~Gordon~
"If a little dreaming is dangerous, the cure for it is not to dream less but to dream more, to dream all the time" Marcel Proust
Sometimes, when putting together Tank Top Tuesday posts, I struggle to find a theme. Sporty shots. Black and white shots. Candid shots. Fancy shots. Shoddy shots. But then sometimes I look at my pictures and realize, honey, you’re really over thinking it. Hotties + Tank Tops = No Additional Explanation Required. In other words, as you can see from Salma Hayek above, I picked these pictures today because they’re hot. You’re welcome. Now go have a nice Tuesday.
Tricia HelferShe is going to guest star on “Lie to Me.” Jesus, Tim Roth. First Jennifer Beals now Tricia? Lucky bastard.
Diane LaneI thought about seeing “Secretariat,” but (spoiler alert) I already know the horse wins. So, um, where’s the suspense in that?
Liv TylerI know a lot of people look at her and see an elf queen, but I’ll always see that gal who cavorted with Alicia Silverstone.
Kate HudsonProof that every gal looks great with suspenders and a belt chain. Even gals who only really ever made one good movie. (“Almost Famous,” duh.)
Amber HeardSpeaking of good movies, boy, “Drive Angry” does not look like one. But, um, Amber is still pretty – and in 3D.
Emily HainesI want Emily to dance around in sparkly shirts and fierce boots while filling my heart with joy forever and ever. And if that sparkly top happens to be a tank top, all the better.
Debbie HarryDebbie doesn’t need to dance around to fill my heart with joy forever and ever. Those cheekbones are more than enough.
Angie HarmonSo much is happening here. A plane. A headset. All that cleavage. I have no idea where this is from. I am completely OK with that. (p.s. You’re reading the Rizzoli & Isles Retro Subtext Recaps, right? Right.)
You know what I like? I like it when women who break up with guys who then immediately start dating women 20 years younger their junior find a way to still show up their exes in spectacular fashion. So when Elisabeth Moss and Fred Armisen got divorced earlier this year, and then he started to date his 23-year-old “Saturday Night Live” co-star Abby Elliott (he is 43, by the way), I thought, “Bring it, Elisabeth.” Granted, Elisabeth is only 5 years older than Abby, but her ex still managed to trade younger. Well, consider it brought. Besides her continued “Mad Men” success, Elisabeth is set to make her London stage debut next year. Opposite Keira Knightley. Who she falls in love with. In a revival of “The Children’s Hour.” Hmm, getting lesbionic with Keira night after night in front of a live audience? That’ll do it.
So, I could quibble about the play itself. Really, must we revive the lesbian love ends in tragedy and despair thing again? But the casting is amazing and the story while sad is well told. So bully for them. Of course, this role will require research. So let me offer these helpful, Straight Gals Acting Like Gay Gals-y acting tips to Elisabeth to prepare for her West End debut.
Hang out with fake gay ladies.Though you might want to take Joyce up on her offer next time, for practice.
Hang out with real gay ladies.Tell her you like vampires, gay ladies love vampires.
Dress like a gay lady.You know the cop contingent is your favorite float at the Pride Parade.
SGALGG at every opportunity.Erika Christensen looks more than happy to help.
Hey, but no SGALGGing with Tina.Sorry, she’s mine.
Become part of a lesbian ship.Do they have a portmanteau yet?
Become the ham in a very pretty sandwich.That’s the kind of bread you really want to butter.
Add a different kinds of Hamm.I mean, come on, even lesbians like a little Jon Hamm.
Look ridiculously hot.So random women everywhere are forced to go, “DAMN, GIRL.”
When all else fails… …just keep getting licked.
Never mind the Stanislavski Method, this is the SGALGG Method.
Back in May, in what became ~Kitten Wine~#7:'60 Minutes in The Anorak City', I wrote about a mix-tape that has been a constant companion of mine over the last 22 years. In listing the songs and enthusing about them I was lucky to find video clips to accompany most of the songs. However there were about 5 songs that I could find nothing for at all. All from flexi-discs released in the Spring of 1988. In fact for four of them I could find scant info on the Internet at all....just nothing. So.... A few weeks ago on a beautiful Autumn's afternoon Griff, Ray and myself convened at the Streetlamp HQ and set about putting this to rights, and so we made MP3 copies of the original tracks and then Ray created videos for them. So here we have it....a chance to finally enthuse properly about these fantastic songs and at last share them with people who, unless you bought the fanzines these Flexidiscs came with at the time, will never have heard them.
Let's do it....
We begin with 'Anorak City' by Another Sunny Day. Now this Flexidisc is numbered Sarah 3, and came with a fanzine entitled Sarah 4. I'm sure you've probably figured out that these were the third and fourth releases on Sarah Records. The cover of the fanzine announces that both fanzine and flexi can be purchased for a whopping 50p. The fact that this fanzine and flexi combo now commands over £100(if Record Collector magazine is to be believed!) is staggering. I've already declared my love for this song profoundly enough in ~KW~#7, so I'll share with you what Matt and Claire of Sarah say about the records inside the pages of the accompanying fanzine: "Anorak City plays at 45r.p.m because that's POPmusic speed, ALBUMS play at 33....is just 5 and 3/4 inches across and the thinnest plastic ever because it's only POPmusic, flimsy, throwaway stuff....crackles and fizzes and POPs because it contains such things as ENERGY, COLOUR, EXCITEMENT....is called 'Anorak City' because some people are incredibly stupid". Sentiments we all agree with. I LOVE this song and I hope that you enjoy both it and the video Ray has created to accompany it....
The next tracks are by The Magic Shop and The Visitors and are on a Flexidisc released on Sha-la-la Records. Unfortunately I've long since lost the fanzine it came with, but thankfully not the record....although I'm sure there are many people out there who have either lost both, or made the record unplayable and kept the fanzine in mint condition! 'It's True' by The Magic Shop is a splendid little ditty that chings along all trebley guitars and wobbly Farfisa organ. When we were converting this track, Griff couldn't stop smiling at the singers vocals as it sounds as though his voice is in the process of breaking as he sings, or that the song is in too high a register for him. It's a cracking wee song though and really buzzes with youthful naivety and exuberance...
Naivety and exuberance are hardly to the fore on 'Goldmining' by The Visitors however. This is quite a bitter, downbeat little track that seems to find it's creator raging hard against marriage.I'm not quite sure exactly what the overall point of his bitterness is, but in a literal reading of the lyrics it sounds like he(or someone) has married their childhood sweetheart only for the marriage to end amid boredom and infidelity. I hope the singer isn't speaking from experience. The song doesn't sit well amongst all the sweetness and frivolity of Sarah Records and their compatriots, but that's one of the reasons I love it so much, and why we're bringing it to you here for the first time anywhere....
Next up is another Flexidisc from Sha-la-la only this time showcasing two bands from the Sombrero Records roster. Sombrero actually only had three bands, all with rubbish names, all wonderful; The Siddeleys, Reserve and Bob. All three bands, it's safe to say, were indebted to The Smiths....The Siddeleys were often compared to The Smiths and vocalist Johnny Johnson(a girl by the way) was often hailed as the female Morrissey. Bob once had a song that mentioned 'Slow Hand Johnny and Steven P M', and Reserve couldn't sound more influenced by The Smiths if they tried! We intend to cover Bob in a full Blog sometime in the near future, but today let's concentrate on The Siddeleys and Reserve. 'Wherever You Go' by The Siddeleys is just fantastic, a jaunty, jangly little whizzbang of a song that, nowadays, would be said to be about obsessive love, but really it's just about love and infatuation. That's the problem with growing old and cynical, you forget the electric shock rush you used to feel when the girl of your dreams walked by that now you view these self same feelings in others as unhealthy and obsessive. But this song is not dark in any way, it bursts with joyful declarations of undying love that only seem to come from the young and the naive. Leave your cynicism at the door and wallow in the headrush fireworks of young romance....
And so we finish off with 'The Sun Slid Down Behind The Tower' by Reserve. It seems apt to finish with this as this is the track I used to finish the mix-tape. I'm always a sucker for songs about Summer nights and the romance of sunsets and that's exactly what this song conveys to me. As I said above this is a band that maybe listened a little too closely to The Smiths; the janglesome guitars, the vocal pitched just a little too low and morose sounding. But it all works beautifully and if ever a track captured that end-of-a-golden-Summer feel it's this one. I feel that Ray has created one of his best videos to accompany this track, which is only fitting.
It feels such a privilege to able to bring these long lost songs to you, especially as they have meant so much to me over the last couple of decades. Whilst you can find info on Another Sunny Day, Reserve and The Siddleys on the Internet, there seems to be absolutely NOTHING on The Visitors or The Magic Shop. If anyone connected with either band happens to stumble across this Blog, we would really like to hear from you so we could do a more in depth piece on both bands. Also, as we've mentioned above, we have the tracks here on MP3s if anyone may be interested. Contact us at the e-mail address at the top of the page.
The President of the United States of America is looking into a camera and telling gay kids everywhere that “You are not alone. You didn’t do anything wrong. You didn’t do anything to deserve being bullied. And there is a whole world waiting for you, filled with possibilities. There are people out there who love you and care about you just the way you are.” Does it negate the deep disappointment I feel about how his administration has handled DADT, ENDA, gay marriage, etc.? No. Does it make me proud to have a president who cares enough about gay kids to speak to them directly and tell them their lives have worth? Yes. The leader of the free world wants gay kids to know they shouldn’t be bullied and they shouldn’t kill themselves. It seems so simple, but it is so very significant. This is how things get better. Thank you, Mr. President. Happy weekend, all.
UPDATE: A little more on why, despite our disappointments, this is still a Big Fucking Deal. (Joe Biden.)
For those of you who may have not yet heard the news, I'm sorry to say that Ari Up, vocalist with The Slits, has died. The singer, born Arianna Forster, passed away yesterday (20 October) after a "serious illness".The announcement was made by representatives of Ari's stepfather, John Lydon, last night. A statement on his website reads: "John and Nora have asked us to let everyone know that Nora's daughter Arianna (Ari Up) died today after a serious illness. She will be sadly missed".
I'm not the sort of person who would normally succumb to the modern inclination for misplaced grief at the death of a 'celebrity' so that is why I feel so utterly discomfited at how this news has made me feel; numb and forlorn. Let me try to put this into some kind of perspective. In 1979, my sister and I came across a record at the record stall in the old indoor market in Cardiff with a sleeve which could just not be ignored; 3 wild-haired, almost naked girls covered in mud and with a fuck-you look on their faces. The record was, of course, Cut, The Slits debut album, recorded that Spring at Ridge Farm Studios and released on the Island Record label. Understandably, given our mile-wide rebellious streaks at the time, it came home with us and as it spun on the turntable, the needle poised to descend, I was not to know that my life was about to change forever. 32 minutes later (it's a short album containing merely 10 wonderful, beautiful, mesmerising songs) I understood the power that music can have and I knew I wanted to hear and make music; free, passionate, wild and exhilarating; just like this for the rest of my life. 30 years have passed since that epiphany, bands and artists have come and gone and my record collection has mutated into a CD and now an MP3 collection, and yet one fact remains. If you were to ask me in 1980 what my favourite album was I would have told you unhesitatingly; Cut by The Slits. If you were to ask me in 1990, I would tell you - Cut by The Slits. If you had asked me in the year 2000, when Punk was just a fading memory and the idea of youth rebellion and changing the world was scorned as naive and unsophisticated, I would have told you - Cut by The Slits. And I'm telling you again tonight, when our young people are all blank-eyed consumers and we live in a soulless world of voracious, rampant capitalism, and horribly, unbelievably, Ari Up is dead! My favourite album, of all time, is Cut by The Slits! From the first time I heard them I loved and treasured all of The Slits musical output, even when others couldn't understand and were hurtful and disparaging. I could say so much more about the art of Ari Up. In fact, I could go on and on until you begged me to stop but this is not the night for that. This is a night for remembering the woman, the musician, and the strength and the joy that Ari Up gave to so many people through the transforming power of her music. So, I'm going to give you this instead:
When Joe Strummer died, Griff phoned me that night so we could at least try to share the grief we both felt at his tragic passing. Joe was really the first 'music' death that really touched us....yeah yeah Sid Vicious, yeah yeah Ian Curtis, yeah yeah Kurt Cobain....but we never really felt it like we did when Joe died. Joe is one of the reasons this Blog(and ~Sighrens~) exists, he was the first of our gang to die and it hurt like hell.
The reason I mention this is not so I can now belittle Joe's passing, or appear disparaging about it, but the simple fact is that as much as we miss Joe, his death could never shock or sadden us the way Arianna's tragic passing has!
Griff's eulogy above says more than I ever could about Ari and the beauty of The Slits but I can't let this just pass without me putting in my tuppence worth. It was Griff who introduced me to The Slits when he gave me a mix tape which featured their interpretation of Marvin Gaye's 'I Heard It Through The Grapevine', an event that has already been covered in a ~Streetlamp~ Blog. From that moment I was thoroughly smitten and 'Cut' became a permanent fixture in my musical and mental landscape. The disjointed rhythms, Ari's swooping and soaring vocals, the complete lack of any boorish 'boys only' cock-rock posturing....magical, vital, scary, sexy, ESSENTIAL! It's safe to say that Ari's voice has filled the four walls of my room as much as Steven Morrissey, Robert Wratten, Nick Cave, Stuart Staples, Brian Wilson or Lennon and McCartney and it will continue to do so for many years.I'll always smile when Ari sings "Again another evening without falling in love// So I listen to the Radiooooooo...."(from 'Ping-Pong Affair') because I always smiled when she sang it in my headphones as I walked to school. It's the little things like that which I will always treasure.A couple of years ago The Slits reformed to play live shows and Griff and I swithered and swayed about going to see them. In the end we didn't! To say that I am, at this very moment, extremely f*cked off by this barely scratches the surface.
Whilst The Slits music will always be dear to us(to put it mildly), I've chosen not to close with a Slit's song as Griff has already covered that above, so I've chosen one of her greatest guest vocals.....'Fade Away' by New Age Steppers.......
You know when you first hear a song and think, “OK, that’s dumb.” Then you hear it again and go, “OK, that’s dumb, but it has a good beat.” And then by the third time you hear it you’re singing the chorus at the top of your lungs in the car? Yeah, it’s like that.
So right now that song for me is “Whip My Hair.” There really isn’t anything to it. The title is two-thirds of the lyrics. In fact, on its surface the song’s pedigree is its most interesting attribute. You see, the insanely precocious half-pint whipping her hair back-and-forth like a pro is none other than Willow Smith, the 9-year-old daughter of Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith. Yes, that’s right, another one. The couple’s son Jaden was in “The Karate Kid” remake this summer and now Willow has a hit single. I swear, at this rate I’m pretty sure one of the Pinkett-Smith offspring will run for president in 2012.
What makes the whole hair whipping phenomena more interesting is its juxtaposition with the also just-released “I Love My Hair” video by Sesame Street. The cherry little number is an ode to African-American hair and, well, adorable. So damn cute.
So, well, you can see where this is all going? Yes, kittens, the inevitable “Whip My Hair”/“I Love My Hair” mash-up. Please, by all means, enjoy.
Not to over-intellectualize the reasons for one’s possible enjoyment for any or all of these videos, but - um, you know – sometimes a gal just wants her hair to look good.
People have criticized the “It Gets Better” project. They say it’s idle words and cold comfort for kids who are hurting now. But it’s much more than that. It’s a community coming together for a community that isn’t always easy to find when you’re new. It’s a community showing those who are just realizing who they are what it looks like to finally figure it out fully. It’s a community reassuring each other that, yes, we have all been there and, yes, it does really get better.
It’s also those who support our community showing us what it means to be an ally. Yesterday, our biggest straight ally to date stepped in to the conversation. Our Secretary of State Hillary Clinton released an “It Gets Better” video. Before you watch, I want you to think about the magnitude and significance of this – a sitting Secretary of State filming a message of support intended specifically for GLBT youth. That’s a powerful message from someone with real power.
Oh, Hillary. Just when I think I couldn’t possibly love you more.
Today is also Spirit Day, a day to remember GLBT youth who have tragically taken their lives and rally to end anti-gay bullying. I admit, I’m not wearing purple. I wore my one purple shirt to work on Monday and, alas, do not own another. (It was my high school color, and no one wants to be reminded too much of the days when you were forced to look like a grape while dealing with acne and adolescence.) But I’ve changed my Twitter profile for the day. And I know each time I think about Hillary’s support, I’ll swell with purple pride. It does get better, and it will because so many people – like Hillary, like everyone else who has recorded a video – care enough to make sure it does.
Look, “Glee,” I’m excited about the “Rocky Horror” episode next week as anyone. I am ready to Time Warp all up in this business. But I was not prepared for a horror of another kind. What is happening in this GQ photoshoot? I understand that all parties involved are, in fact, above the legal age of consent and therefore this photo isn’t technically underage. But, doesn’t it look underage? And isn’t that the nod and wink they’re trying to convey by it being set in a high school. Of course, it’s no surprise the shot was done by perennially plaid-shirted and bespectacled hipster photographer Terry Richardson. He gives almost all his shoots an uncomfortable, bad 70s porn feel. But what is supposed to be hot here is just, well, creepy.
So creepy that it is making me feel weird/wrong/worried about getting arrested just by looking at these pictures. In fact, I feel my only recourse other than finding some sort of industrial memory erasing soap with which to scrub out my brain is to rate the pictures on an “EWWW”-Factor scale from 1 to 10, 10 being something involving sex dice, riding crops and your grandparents.
Dianna Agron, Cory Monteith and Lea Michele
The first person to Photoshop Cory out of this picture and replace him with Heather Morris or Naya Rivera gets a cookie. Watch where you put those hands, young man. Well, at least Lea is touching Dianna. But my Faberry fantasies are a strictly two-person only affair. In other words: Go away forever, Finn! Ewww-Factor: 8
Lea Michele
Really, a sucker? Really? How original. Why didn’t they just give her a banana to suck on? Though, I wish the photo was a little higher resolution so I could tell what that tattoo was of. Ewww-Factor: 6
Dianna Agron
Speaking of tattoos, I really wish this picture was bigger so I could see what was written on Dianna’s side. And, yes, I kind of wish there was a stiffer breeze in that auditorium. Ewww-Factor: 4 (Two of those points are all me, by the way.)
Hey, who wants to talk about that British show with all the gay ladies and the skinny, androgynous, hipster-haired lesthario who is definitely not Shane? No one? Really? Fine. I’ll just go eat this crumpet in the corner with a spot of tea then. Weather’s been nice for this time of year. Turned a touch cold last night. Wait, what’s that? You do want to talk about that British show with all the gay ladies and the skinny, androgynous, hipster-haired lesthario who is definitely not Shane? Well why didn’t you say so. I’ve been dying to discuss “The L Word with Better Accents” “Lip Service.” Let me just finish this tea first.
SPOILER ALERT:Talking about the show means talking about spoilers for the pilot episode. Also I’m also going to talk about some spoilers for the pilot episode of “The L Word” – you know, for all three of you who have never seen it.
First of all, stop comparing it to that other lesbian show. “Lip Service” is nothing like “The L Word.” “Lip Service” has a thin, tortured lady’s lady with an edgy hairdo named Frankie. “The L Word” has a thin, tortured lady’s lady with an edgy hairdo named Shane. Frankie takes pictures. Shane cuts hair. Different, not the same. Oh, shit. Didn’t Shane start taking pictures in, like, season six or something? Damn.
“Lip Service” is set in Glasgow, “The L Word” was set in Vancouver Los Angeles. LS starts out with three main gay ladies, TLW started out with six main gay ladies. LS began with a death, TLW ended with a death. LS took 1 minute and 25 seconds to get to the first lesbian sex scene, TLW took 10 minutes and 35 seconds to get to the first lesbian sex scene. LS has hot Scottish accents, TLW had hot Jennifer Beals arms.
All joking aside, the shows have very different tones (LS is a little more raw, TLW was a lot more glossy) and very different obvious initial story arcs (LS is about lost love, TLW was about self awakening). I would still advise all “Lip Service” actresses steer clear of any swimming pools, just in case.
The bigger question remains: How was it? It was good. I wouldn’t say I fell in love instantly, but I most definitely want a second date. And I can’t wait to get it naked. You know the biggest problem with “Lip Service” so far? No one is especially likable yet. Tess whines (though her robot love was adorkable), Cat furrows her brow while showing varying levels of concern and Frankie looks very Shane today. Granted, we are only one episode in. But one episode into “The L Word” I already loved Alice, adored Dana and wanted to be bossed around like a bad puppy by Bette.
I believe the rest of my feelings about “Lip Service” can be best expressed in screencaps. It was between that or interpretive dance. I think, for everyone’s sake, I made the right decision.
Meet Frankie First Lesbian Sex Why It’s Better to be British Meet Tess Meet Cat Meet Her One Facial Expression Yes, Really But How Was It? Bonus: Ship it.
Earlier on this month I admitted that October finds me "drawn a little to darker music...laced with an undercurrent of death, decadence and, dare I say it, sex." I then went on to promise you "a wee drop of the harder stuff" in time for Hallowe'en. Well, I like to keep my promises and tonight I've got an extraordinary d-i-y, lo-fi, renaissance woman who is a musician, video-maker, photographer and visual artist all wrapped up in one provocative package.
