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Up to the minute notes on the current state of free thinking and free living: Kentucky moonshine - original analysis and reporting from MoreThings, and all round pop culture museum of sight and sound - photo galleries, mp3 and video downloads.
Al Barger and MoreThings - getting people's goats since 1998.
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May 21, 2004
Madonna's boring shock tactics
Looks like Madonna's new "Re-invention" tour is going to be shocking and controversial. Ho-hum.
From the New York Post:
The show reportedly opens with a frisky Madonna simulating sex with a female tango dancer - which is quaint compared with other segments of the "Re-Invention" show.
When she sings "Papa Don't Preach," she'll be backed by a chorus line of scantily clad, heavily pregnant babes.
That ought to provide comic relief from the setup for "American Life," when the audience gets to hear the sounds of bombs dropping and watch a video montage of troops battling in Iraq.
A video of sickly, starving children will reportedly unspool while Madonna delivers her cover of the John Lennon classic "Imagine."
I suppose I should start sputtering indignant noises now, and beat the crowd- except that I doubt there'll be much public indignation over these extremely trite, passe and unimaginative gestures. It pretty much sounds like The Onion parodying Marilyn Manson with a "Boo" tour.
As so often, Elvis Costello says it best:
"How many times can you jump out of the cupboard
Before someone gets suspicious or someone gets discovered?"
-Elvis Costello "Worthless Thing"
None of this is challenging the audience, or the general public in any significant way. What, simulated lesbian sex? That might appeal to my prurient interest, but surely is not spiritually uplifting or intellectually provocative in any way whatsoever. What's the point?
Now, I'm all in favor of a good controversy, but mere simulated sexual display is not particularly controversial in most of the Western world. Maybe if you do actual nudity on prime time broadcast network television, but that's still just dumb- and it did not in fact even sell Janet's crappy record.
Here's a hint: Bob Dylan's silly Victoria's Secret ad was MUCH more controversial and intellectually provocative than yet more simulated sex acts from grandma.
What, she's a liberal and doesn't believe in the war? Shocking controversy! She wants to show pictures of bombing and carnage from the war? No, somebody stop her! I am too provoked. Where are my smelling salts?
Oh, she's going to sing "Imagine." If I didn't hate that sappy song and those trite, nonsensical lyrics before, I would by the time she got done with them.
Oh yeah, and she's got an electric chair that she will be executed in at the climax of each show. This may have been provocative or shocking when Alice Cooper was doing such stuff THIRTY YEARS AGO, but sure sounds just plain silly for a Madonna gimmick.
If Madonna took half the effort that she puts into these costumes and sets and cheap gimmicks, and put it into sitting down and writing actual songs, maybe she'd have something worth bothering about.
If Madonna simply came out on a stage with musicians and instruments- no dancers, hookers, or costumes, dressed in t-shirts and jeans- and just actually played her new album, would anyone be able to sit through it?
posted by Al at 5/21/2004 03:07:00 PM
Fats Waller's 100th Birthday
Surely we would be remiss not to note the 100th birthday of the great Fats Waller, who was born May 21, 1904. Many decades after his passing, his work continues to kick ass. Among other groovy things, he wrote "Ain't Misbehavin'."
His last professional performances were caught in front of Hollywood movie cameras for the classic musical Stormy Weather. You should own this movie and/or the soundtrack. He died a few days later of pneumonia at age 39 on a train headed back to Harlem, December 1943.
Which only adds a bit of poignancy to his spirited performances of the hit, and in a beautiful battle-of-the-sexes duet with Ada Brown, "That Ain't Right". It all looked so fine, then it was gone. As he said repeatedly in his hook line on screen and final public words, "One never knows, do one?"
Among Mr. Wallers more stellar recordings, you might sample some of these:
Ain't Misbehavin
The Viper Drag
Honeysuckle Rose
Keeping Out of Mischief Now
Hog Maw Stomp
Smashing Thirds
A Handful of Keys
Tea for Two
posted by Al at 5/21/2004 03:08:00 AM
May 17, 2004
New album releases, week of 5-18-2004
Most promising new CD release this week is Patience, the first all new George Michael album in eight years. We'll see if he's still got it, or whether he's let it rot on the vine.
Morrissey has a new album You Are the Quarry, and it's been even longer since he had an album. This is a big deal for some people. Why anybody EVER cared about this guy escapes me. Not a single song of his has made any lasting impression. What's the deal with him, anyway?
Alanis Morissette has a new album So-Called Chaos, already #2 on the Amazon sales chart.
Tori Amos has a live DVD Welcome to Sunny Florida, which includes a bonus CD, apparently with new songs, but I haven't seen a track listing.
Lenny Kravitz used to be pretty big. I don't know how much anyone cares at this point, but he's got a new album called Baptism.
Note that there are several classic Muddy Waters albums being re-issued this week with bonus tracks.
Complete listing of this week's major releases. Labels: new_album_releases
posted by Al at 5/17/2004 11:14:00 PM
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