Grace Jones, relentless “Hurricane”
At 60, the ultimate underground diva Grace Jones decides to hit the stage for the Meltdown Festival curated by Massive Attack, and tears it up. As if that weren’t enough, her first new album in 19 years, Hurricane, dropped in November, produced in part by Brian Eno and Tricky. And, just in case you’re still “Jonesing”, there’s a documentary on the way – just as soon as Miss Jones can find a way to edit the last 4 or 5 years of her fabulous life into a film of manageable length. Kids, don’t try this at home. It’s just not worth the shame. Then again, you may as well aim high – a stratosphere amazing Grace is intimately acquainted with. Whatever you do, as she reminded one fan, don’t try to touch her because “nobody can touch me, but me…”
MV3
When I think of the music and video programs that shaped my taste and colored my adolescence, three come to mind. You’ve got your Soul Train, with its glossy funk; you’ve got your American Bandstand, with its clean-scrubbed Top 40. And then, some of us had MV3.
Part video dance party and part “live” performance, MV3 was an extension of L.A. new wave way-station K-ROQ FM (106.7) and its aim was to reflect what “you are really watching, listening and dancing to”. 
Unlike MTV, the syndicated show was on broadcast TV, and therefore limited to one hour . Hosted and anchored largely by Richard Blade, MV3 gave emerging California bands like X, Romeo Void, Berlin, Wall of Voodoo, Oingo Boingo, and Missing Persons, as well as many UK new-wave/post-punk groups, a stage on which to lip-sync to the after-school set. On any given episode sun-kissed mall-rats and rebels in Rude Boy regalia would be bopping side-by-side to Italo-disco one minute and electro-goth the next. Of all the DJs and VJs from the station or show, Blade crossed-over most successfully and was featured in the TV show “Square Pegs” an the movie “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” – which, was filmed at our High School – making the Brit and his taste in music that much more impossible to escape.
Whereas I can imagine the Soul Train and American Bandstand kids turning out OK, my instinct and experience lead me to wonder what became of some of those “cutting-edge/modern rock” types mirror-dancing to Pleasure and the Beast’s “Dr. Sex”.
Let’s Get Physical
Who needs words when we can communicate via Body Talk? The Glimmers’ version is way funky; but who can resist a Euro-disco vogue dancing trainwreck? And, don’t front like you didn’t love the O-Neutron-Bomb – you know your sissy ass burned off a few pubescent pounds lip-syncing in front of the mirror, M’kay?
Super Natural Beats
Friday night, the Natural History Museum – yes, that one – will be hosting (along with Flavorpill) the latest in their One Step Beyond DJ Planetarium gigs featuring Superpitcher, currently one half of Supermayer (along with Kompakt boss Michael Mayer). Their new album Save the World just dropped – and yours truly has been playing email tag for another interview.
Last word, Flavorpill wants to videotape the pre-show chat, as well as run it in Earplug. Word is Superpitcher’s as camera shy as I am, so we’ll see how this goes. There aren’t too many videos online that do the mixes justice; but don’t let that dissuade you. Recommended tracks – “Two of Us” (played twice in one set by Sasha at Webster Hall Friday night), their remix of Gui Boratto’s “Like You” and the dreamy, buttery Lawrence remix of Superpitcher’s own “Happiness.”
Rave on, kids. “Mom, we’re going to the museum…See ya Sunday!”
Planet Unicorn – Heyy!
OK, so it’s been a slow few days at work. Now that we’ve moved into our office overlooking Times Square, and it’s summer, we’ve been spending a lot of time staring out the window and doing “pop culture research.”
PS1 Warms It Up
PS1’s Warm Up opened its 2007 season with the theme “Liquid Sky”. Go figure. We got wet. It was hot, cloudy, but mostly clear and sunny, so I hopped the “E” line to 23/rd Ely in big bad ass LIC. It was the usual pack of stylish art whores shaking their collective groove thing to the sounds of Tim & Tim, and DFA, among others. I arrived around 5pm and the line went completely around the block and back to the front, almost. It bumped right up against the end of the shorter “List” line. I started to get in the regular line, but quickly abandoned that noble intention. I scanned the girls working the clip-boards, flipping their sheets, pulling the pens from their hair and scratching names off, or shaking their heads. 
I found one I got a good vibe from and went up to her. “Hi, Before I get in this line, can you make sure my name’s on the press list,” knowing it likely wasn’t since this was a last-minute decision. I rattled off my name and a couple titles; one clicked. As luck would have it – “We never got that list on time. So, you’ll just have to sign yourself in. And, remind them to have the list in on the night before the event,” she winked.
While I was wandering around outside the same crowd control guy kept bumping into me. Maybe it was my hot pink shirt that attracted him? Whatever the reason, the second time he singled me out, I waved him away – “You need to find someone else to focus on cuz I’m beginning to think you like me.” I was going to get super sissy on him and threaten to have him fired, but even in my altered state, I knew better. 
So, I backed off. He did seem mighty suspect though. I went into the galleries to cool off.
Instead, I only became mildly re-irritated when I stumbled into a dark gallery showing a video clip of a guitar being dragged by a truck through the dirt. It instantly reminded me of the Byrd lynching/dragging/dismemberment in Texas, and of the appropriation of black music by white musicians as symbolized by the electric guitar. Were they laughing at us again? I was the only one not laughing. All the other granola children thought it was cute.
So, back outside I went, emerging into the sun and spray to the sounds of Murk’s staple, “Some Lovin’” – the Liberty City single tickled everyone. 
The crowd was stripped down to summer skimpies – sarongs, shorts, flip flops, tube tops, wife beaters, sunglasses, beer, cigarettes. The boys seemed to be working a Louis Sullivan thing, with their manicured beards, updated with jaunty l’il hats and ironic T-shirts. The girls were either exotic sex kittens with parasols or just one of the guys. More than a few of them were “fruit flies.” Also in the crowd – iPhones.
I was going to stroll down to Water Taxi Beach for Prins Thomas, and then to Studio B in Greenpoint for DJ Vadim’s set with Scruff, but by the time I took my first break outside – avoiding the beer lines and overpriced snacks – I was done.
Vadim lives in Brooklyn, and I’m sure Prins Thomas will be back since he and Lindstrom just dropped a set of remixes. And I just didn’t feel like hustlin any more for the day. Club years are like dog years. Just cuz we make it look easy, don’t mean it is. As long as it’s fun, we’ll keep puttin’ it down for the cause.
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Bat for Lashes
Got this from Piglet. She’s working with a P.R./event crew on all kinds of fashion and music related stuff. The last thing she tipped me to was the casting call for the last CocoRosie video. By strange coincidence, a group of 4 of us bumped into each other on 15th street, under circumstances similar to what Piglet and I were talking about….this thing that happened yesterday, which we’ll write about separately and discreetly. For now, check out the video. The info’s from the press release.
Bat For Lashes is the work of British singer/songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and visual artist Natasha Khan. Born in 1979, yet combining influences that span decades, Natasha’s work dwells in the elemental, emerging in timeless forms.
Bat For Lashes played her first big show in London supporting CocoRosie at the Scala at the end of 2005. A year later almost to the day, Bat For Lashes headlined a sold out Scala, where the likes of Bjork, Nellee Hooper and Brett Anderson were to be seen in the sold out crowd. Other fans include Devendra Banhart, Jarvis Cocker and Thom Yorke (who chose ‘Horse & I‘ for his iTunes Top Ten Playlist, saying “I love the harpsichord and the sexual ghost voices and bowed saws. This song seems to come from the world of Grimm’s fairytales, and I feel like a wolf.”)
Bat For Lashes – Whats a Girl To Do
DEMF Video Clips
Video clips from Detroit. Warning: They’re short and loud – kinda like me. But, that’s what you get that close to the speakers.
Moodymann Dancers serving up what MM didn’t:
DEMF
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DEMF Breakdancers, Chicago Tribe:
DEMF
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Kevin Saunderson Takes you to a place I know you wanna Go:
DEMF
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Stacey Pullen, Still Feelin it:
DEMF
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Reclusive Technocrat Baby Ford in effect:
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DEMF Crowd:
DEMF
Don’t Want No Short Dick Man (Or do I?)
At work, the idea for a ringtone based on the old hip house novelty track, “Booty Call” came up. It was a video I was going to work on, but never go to. I did however make another equally stellar contribution to pop culture while in the trenches of Chicago’s no-budget casting game. In 1994 I spent a less than balmy day wrangling Gillette and posse in a warehouse and on a beach on the South Side (beats herding no-name bitch-slappin gansta rappers in deepest winter). At least the director, Gillette and I agreed on the lead, if not her outfits. Though notorious for my tumescent predilections, this babysitting assignment was purely coincidental and my own blooper cameo, ahem, wound up on the floor. Perhaps my cue to, as I have been considering, hang up my size queen tiara in hope that trading down the totem pole might snare me a more cuddly, devoted lover. Rumor has it they stray less and try harder, kinda like chunky boys. Either way, something’s gotta give and soon. Of the two men on my radar at the moment, the computer nerd in Jersey freaks if I don’t call back within the day, while all I want is sex (in Manhattan, thank you); and the dirty doctor is allergic to cuddling. In true Gemini fashion rather than make a decision and time for either I lose myself in work. Oh well…
