Atonement

Atonement, Lucinda Williams, World Without Tears, 2003

 Maybe it’s her Louisiana upbringing, but Lucinda Williams has a fascination with tent revival Christianity. I read a profile of her in The New Yorker which described her collechtion of Jesus and Mary kitsch. And this interest frequently comes out in her songs. In this case the tent revival is portrayed as a grotesque carnival sideshow atmosphere.

Atomic

Atomic, Blondie, Eat to the Beat, 1980

 

Blondie created  a monster named punk pop. The combination of throbbing disco synths, new wave style and don’t give a shit punk attitiude has been emulated by a generation of girl singers ranging from Karen O to Ashlee Simpson. Debbie Harry is a punk Marilyn Monroe, at once untouchably glamorous and completely relatable. She’s the pop star hip girls still idolize, even more than Madonna, who has fallen into self-parody and camp. Debbie Harry may be the coolest girl at CBGB but she’s still the nice Jersey girl gazing across the river, dreaming.

Athena

Athena, The Who, It’s Hard, 1982

It took two albums after Keith Moon’s death in 1978 for the other Who members to realize that they suck without him. They graciously stopped recording, switching to solo work. It’s Hard was their last album until they recently came back with the Endless Wire. It sucked, but they pulled together with one last flash of brilliance. Athena is the last great Who song.

A-Tisket A-Tasket

In 1938 A-Tisket A-Tasket became one of Ella Fitzgerald’s first hits. It is a new version of a nursery rhyme, cowritten by Ella. The video is from a bit later. It is a clip from an Abbbot and Costello movie, Ride ‘Em Cowboy, 1942. Note how Fitzgerald, a huge star, is shown riding in the back of the bus. While she appears to be interacting with the white passengers in a friendly manner, she never moves more that a few rows up and returns to her seat at the back. Ahh, the bad old days. This clip very obviously shows the social injustice and degrading treatment that even a bestselling singer had to face in those days. It also shows, in  a more subtle manner, the ways in which Fitzgerald was lucky to have lived in those times. While, as an African-American, she faced enormous obstacles, as a woman she was lucky not to live in the Beyonce era. Think about it. Would a woman with Fitzgerald’s face and figure be a top star today? Would she one of the most popular singers in the country? Would she get to be in movies? No. Female singers today are not judged by talent, but by booty-shaking ability. Anyone unwilling to slim-down, tone-up and flash their ta-ta’s doesn’t stand a chance. Is there any young female star today who hasn’t been forced to pose in her underwear? What would today’s casting agent say to Marilyn Monroe if she came strolling in asking for a screen test? They’d laugh at her. They’d tell her  ”hit the gym you fat piggy”. Maybe in the 30s women had it better in some ways.

At Least We Tried

Here’s Moby’s At Least We Tried from the album 18. Video homemade by someone with an anime fetish. I like me some anime, but everything in moderation. The depth of anime obsession that some people have, I just don’t get. Don’t watch the video, enjoy the song.

At Home, At Work, At Play

At Home, At Work, At Play, Sparks, Propoganda, 1974

Sparks ‘At Home, At Work, At Play’ lyrics
(Ron Mael)

At home, at work, at play
I know you’re unavailable from dusk to dawn
Or if you were available you’d bring along
A lot of what could only be a hindrance to me
I ain’t a glutton for a lot of sweaty company
You gotta catch her while she’s still at home
You gotta catch her while she’s still at work
You gotta catch her while she’s still at play
The only way is at home, work, or play

Time really flies when it ain’t that much time
You better shave half your face at a time
And brush the front of your teeth, leave the rest
And be with her when she’s not with the rest
Stop, there’s gotta be a million girls like her, though
I can’t think of one
So you catch her while she’s still at home
And you catch her while she’s still at work
And you catch her while she’s still at play

Don’t let her calendar be any cause to pout
There is a bit of time when there are few about
I’m gonna skirt the issue of her popularity
And just avail myself of all the time that she is free
You gotta catch her while she’s still at home
You gotta catch her while she’s still at work
You gotta catch her while she’s still at play
Cause half the day she’s at home, work or play

And time is fleeing the scene of the crime
The act of passing out wrinkles and lines
To every person regardless of race
To every person regardless of face
Stop, there’s gotta be a million girls like her though
I can’t think of one
So at home she says you butler well
And at work she says you’re typing well
And at play she says you caddie well

Stop, There’s gotta be a million girls like her though
I can’t think of one
So you catch her while she’s still at home
And you catch her while she’s still at work
And you catch her while she’s still at play

I’m gonna love you under incandescent light
I’m gonna love you under fluorescent light
The glaring sun above should not inhibit us at all
I’m very glad to know that your libido never palls

Stop, she’s unique, especially at home
Where you’re butler, maid, and often cook
And at work together juggling books
Or at play between the tennis sets
Or at play before she’s placed her bet
Or at play while she’s still slightly wet
Or at play while she is dripping wet

Astronomy Domine

This is an early television appearance by Pink Floyd during their psychedelic phase. Astronomy Domine is from Floyd’s first album Piper At the Gates of Dawn, 1967. Pink Floyd were quite a popular live act during this time, drawing crowds to clubs like the UFO. This puts the lie into The Beatles claim that their material was too complex to replicate live. Obviously, Pink Floyd had no trouble playing their own complex material live. Anyway back on point, this is Floyd’s first album. The title Piper At the Gates of Dawn is a reference to The Wind in the Willows, where the deeply spiritual Rat and his friend Mole encounter the piper playing his flute. In 1967 it was very trendy for psychedelic pop groups to be fascinated by children’s and/or fantasy literature. Hence songs like White Rabbit, Brian Jones’ purchase of the actual Hundred Acre Wood, Page and Plant with their Tolkien fetish and the prescence on the scene of Steve Peregrine Took.

In the video, you can plainly see one of the biggest problems facing pop stars in the sixties. In those dark days a group wanting to be on television or to have any media attention at all had to deal with unappreciative squares in suits. There were plenty of programmes showcasing pop music both on TV and radio. Unfortunately, the hip John Peele was the exception that proved the rule. Most journalists, hosts and djs were old guys who hated pop. Pop musicians could expect to be insulted and humiliated on live tv by the likes of Ed Sullivan and Dean Martin. They faced hordes of condescending  journalists who asked insipid questions like “Why does it have to be so loud?” and “Why don’t you cut your hair” and “What is your favorite color?”.

In this video, filmed only a year later, something seems different. What has changed? Oh, yeah. Syd’s gone. In the interview above, Syd appears quite lucid. Explanations for Syd’s rapid decline include schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, photo-epilepsy, or simply too much LSD. However, Syd’s sister says that Syd was never diagnosed or treated for any mental illness, nor was he a recluse. She says that while he hated publicity and avoided people from his wild past, he was not a shut-in and often enjoyed trips to London to see new exhibitions and visit the Botanical Gardens. He pursued painting, photography and gardening.  She explains that is was his health problems that kept him from being more active.

 

Astro

Astro, The White Stripes, 1999

This is from the White Stripes first album, kind of typical of their sound at the time. At the time they were exploring the possibilities of just how noisy two people in a home studio could be. The album was a little bit too samey-samey, especially compared to the diversity of their later work. It did include a couple of really sharp covers,  but mostly a lot of garage rock like this. The video is also from an early show, circa 1999. Jack White is an unbelievably fierce live performer. He plays like a demon. I saw him play with the Raconteurs and I would go on a killing spree to see the White Stripes.

Assholes On Parade

Assholes On Parade, Timbuk 3, Edge Of Allegience, 1989

Timbuk 3 is a good example of a band having a hit song and a shitload of talent and good material, but still not going anywhere.  This is one of their quintessential songs, which should have been a huge hit. I was going to illustrate a video with appropriate pictures of Bush et al, but I made myself sick doing the research

Jumping for Joy

Harper’s Bazaar, an otherwise classy magazine, hasn’t featured a model on its cover since September 2004. So I am completely thrilled to see Gisele on the cover of this month’s issue. I think that the celebrity cover trend has gone on long enough. I have my favorite stars whom I love to see, but I am sick and tired of the same faces of has beens and b-listers. For example, I am sick of Drew Barrymore. When was the last time she made a good movie? 2001. Eight years ago, that’s when. Part of the reason so many movie stars are now cover girls is that the new crop of models aren’t exactly super material. The new girls are just too bland, too wispy. I open a magazina and I can’t remember any of the girls’ names. There is no one who has the charisma to become a real supermodel. Gisele is the last great supermodel. I love her. What makes her great is that she is always herself. It’s not even her beauty or her body. (I think her body looks like a noodle with boobs) It’s her personality. No matter what fantasy she’s dressed up as, she brings her personality to it. No matter how sexy or glamorous she’s made to look, she’s always still herself – friendly, fun, relatable. She seems like someone you’d want to hang out with. And by all account she really is what she appears to be – a really nice person.

All the stories in Bazaar this month, as well as the cover, were shot by Peter Lindbergh. Lindbergh is a photographer whose style is instantly recognizable. What sets his work apart is that he’s never not shooting portraits. His pictures don’t feel posed. Even if they are posed, they feel natural and intimate. He’s not shooting clothes, he’s shooting people. Besides the Gisele shoot, there’s a story featuring Cindy Crawford, who is now a living legend. There are also stories featuring new girls and the difference is obvious. Hilary Rhoda and Lily Donaldson just don’t have the magnetic quality that a Gisele or Cindy has.

This 1989 shot is one of Lindbergh’s most iconic images. Naomi Campbell, Linda Evangelista, Tatjana Patitz, Christy Turlington and Cindy Crawford show what a real supermodel looks like.

In comparison, who the hell are these people? Sasha Pivovarova, Natasha Poly, Catherine McNeil, Lily Donaldson and Doutzen Kroes. They are beautiful, but they just don’t have it. I think Doutzen is my favorite of this bunch. She needs to work on her personality, that is get one, then maybe she can be a star.

P.S. Why are girls without boobs modeling bras?