hugh manatee has posted a different version of Laurie Anderson’s Only an Expert which is much better than the one I wrote about yesterday. I partially withdraw my snarky comment.
Baby’s On Fire
OK, I mentioned Laurie Anderson. That got the brain cells working and Brian Eno spat out the other end. That means I get to mention that Eno’s Baby’s On Fire (shown in that link with unrelated Eno graphics) is one of the greatest rock songs in the history of the universe.
The versions by Venus in Furs and Velvet Goldmine and Creepers and Granada (electro-pop!) and Bomb Everything are also more than acceptable.
I just thought you should know this.
Alternatively, you could watch the Tractor Square Dancing from the Pennsylvania Farm Show.
Laurie Anderson repeats herself again and again
Thanks to typing is not activism… I’m now OK with the fact that ’Pong and I missed Laurie Anderson when she was in Sydney last month.
They posted this video of her singing Only an Expert / Maybe if I Fall and I reckon it’s crap. The minimalist backing tune is just the same sort of thing she’s been doing forever, and she mumbles through the words without that accurate staccato that used to mark her work. Is age causing her mouth to be less accurate? Or does she just not care any more?
What I do find interesting is that she walks out onto the stage as an Artist (with a capital “A”). Because she’s an Artist, she gets polite applause and respect for something which is really just a smarty-pants poem — but delivered in such a pretentious way that she’d be howled off stage at a real poetry open mic night.
So, I’m happy that I missed her.
I reckon you can learn everything you need to know about Laurie Anderson by listening to her seminal work O Superman and her one hit song, Language is a Virus.
The latter has one of the best opening lyrics of any song: “Paradise is exactly like where you are right now, only much, much better.”
Weekly Poll: Revealing comments
If you listen closely to the conversations between you and your friends, you’ll discover tiny little phrases that reveal who you really are.
So this week’s poll — yes, I know it’s a week late, deal with it! — asks you to choose from a number of phrases the one you’re most likely to use in conversation. Go to the website to vote.
[poll id=”10″]
Last week’s results: Yes, without a doubt, Duran Duran is the greatest band in the history of pop.
Weekly Poll: Who’s the greatest pop band?
Enough of the politics! Just answer me this, boys and girls: Who’s the greatest pop band in the history of music?
Go to the website to vote. Your choices are limited. Problem with that? Explain yourself in the comments!
[poll id=”9″]
Last week’s results: By a very slim margin, most voters would prefer to see Senator Natasha Stott-Despoja sing Samanta Fox’s Touch Me.
LFO: “Freak”
While digging out the videos for the Perfect Lists I stumbled across another fave from LFO: this wonderful video for Freak. The music isn’t as good as the more famous LFO but man, that video! Nothing to do with the Silverchair song or Daniel Johns.