Thanks to everybody who commented on my last blog post! I really appreciate you sharing your playlists with everyone and introducing us to some great new music!

As I was responding to your comments, something hit me. You guys have shown us an incredible ammount of support over the last few years. You’ve called your local DJs to request our music. You’ve come to our shows and purchased our CDs. And your votes have caused us to win more contests and get onto more playlists than I could count. Each of you has helped make what we do possible.

Last week was really cool because we had twenty people contribute to our post! But, our anlaytics show that hundreds of people read it. Why is that? I’m not sure. But I feel that it is – at least in some part – due to the fact that so often the creation and delivery of art is a one way street. I want to change that; so I’d like to invite you to take a moment to do three things:

1. Visit atris.wordpress.com (This will be more fun if everyone goes to the same page.)
2. Scroll down to the comment box and introduce yourself. Write a few words about anything you’d like. How did you first hear our music? What city are you from? What are your favorite movies? Pretend we just met at a coffee shop. If you’d like share your blog address, Twitter ID or someplace where we and other people can learn more about you that would be great too!
3. Check the box that says Notify me of follow-up comments via email.

Please don’t do this for us, do this for yourself and for everyone. It takes a certain amount of bravery to put yourself out there; but it’s worth it. We love to get to know people with similar interests, ideas, and opinions. And it’s really cool when group discussions are started. If you have something in common with someone who posts, let him or her know! It makes me feel great to see people responding to my comments, and I love to chime back in to share my thoughts.

Looking forward to meeting you!

-Mason

Entah kenapa g (g: gue) lagi ingin bikin award2an. Dan untuk bulan ini, g ingin me-list 5 lagu duet tbaik yg pnah g dengar. Gr2 kmrn dgr playlist di hape kali ya. Ada bbrapa lagu duet yg menurut g bagus n mewakili bbagai genre.

Here is my top 5 list of best duet song.

#5
Ballad of Tom Jones (Space feat. Cerys Mathews)

Lagu kocak n sadeess… Tentang pasangan yg kayaknya berseteruuu terus. Ampe mo bunuh2an jo! Tapi gr2 dgr lagunya Tom Jones, hidup n cinta mereka terselamatkan. Musiknya ciri band Space banget, dengan efek2 suara sinyal alien gitu. Model lagunya ya sahut2an gitu trus di chorus nyanyi bareng2. Unik!

#4
Garden of Everything (Steve Conte and Sakamoto Maaya)

A song composed by my fav. composer, Yoko Kanno. Dimulai dengan beat yg lambat n pada part 2 jadi trip hop gitu… Kerren… Steve Conte menyanyi dlm bhs Inggris dan mendominasi di awal2 tiap part. Maaya sendiri menyanyi lbh banyak di bagian chorus dgn bahasa Jepang.

#3
Symmetry (Mew feat. Becky Jarret)

Sweet yet hurting love song. Bercerita ttg “indahnya” keraguan dalam mencintai seseorang. Suara Becky imut bangeet. Smntara suara Jonas Bjerre mengimbanginya dengan nada2 rendah. Musik yg apik n lirik yg mantap bikin trenyuuh… Love it!

#2
I’ve Seen It All (Bjork and Thom Yorke)

G suka Bjork, walau tbatas pada lagu2nya yg masih bermelodi wajar (hehe). G juga suka Radiohead, walau (juga) hanya tbatas pada lagu dgn melodi yg mudah dicerna. Lalu bgmna kalau Bjork n Thom Yorke gabung? Nyeleneh? Nope, nope, nope. Hasilnya baguuuuuusss… Sangat indah. Melodi yg kereeen. Lirik yang dalaaaam. Bcerita tentang arti “melihat” dunia secara sepantasnya, selektif n ga memaksakan diri. Eh, bener ga si? Itu arti yg g tangkap loh.

#1
Young Folks (Peter, Bjorn and John feat. Victoria Bergsman)

Ptama dgr pas thn 2006, saat menjelang akhr kul (ato udah lulus y? Lupa?). Beat yg cukup bikin g trance. Wkwkwk. Asik ni lagu. Nice lyric about accepting your partner as the way he/she is. Hoe~~ Jadi inget masa lalu. Well, the hell with that! LOL.

Is there any of your fav song in this list? Or you have your own fav duet song that you want to recommend me? Any feedback is welcomed.

Entah kenapa g (g: gue) lagi ingin bikin award2an. Dan untuk bulan ini, g ingin me-list 5 lagu duet tbaik yg pnah g dengar. Gr2 kmrn dgr playlist di hape kali ya. Ada bbrapa lagu duet yg menurut g bagus n mewakili bbagai genre.

Here is my top 5 list of best duet song.

#5
Ballad of Tom Jones (Space feat. Cerys Mathews)

Lagu kocak n sadeess… Tentang pasangan yg kayaknya berseteruuu terus. Ampe mo bunuh2an jo! Tapi gr2 dgr lagunya Tom Jones, hidup n cinta mereka terselamatkan. Musiknya ciri band Space banget, dengan efek2 suara sinyal alien gitu. Model lagunya ya sahut2an gitu trus di chorus nyanyi bareng2. Unik!

#4
Garden of Everything (Steve Conte and Sakamoto Maaya)

A song composed by my fav. composer, Yoko Kanno. Dimulai dengan beat yg lambat n pada part 2 jadi trip hop gitu… Kerren… Steve Conte menyanyi dlm bhs Inggris dan mendominasi di awal2 tiap part. Maaya sendiri menyanyi lbh banyak di bagian chorus dgn bahasa Jepang.

#3
Symmetry (Mew feat. Becky Jarret)

Sweet yet hurting love song. Bercerita ttg “indahnya” keraguan dalam mencintai seseorang. Suara Becky imut bangeet. Smntara suara Jonas Bjerre mengimbanginya dengan nada2 rendah. Musik yg apik n lirik yg mantap bikin trenyuuh… Love it!

#2
I’ve Seen It All (Bjork and Thom Yorke)

G suka Bjork, walau tbatas pada lagu2nya yg masih bermelodi wajar (hehe). G juga suka Radiohead, walau (juga) hanya tbatas pada lagu dgn melodi yg mudah dicerna. Lalu bgmna kalau Bjork n Thom Yorke gabung? Nyeleneh? Nope, nope, nope. Hasilnya baguuuuuusss… Sangat indah. Melodi yg kereeen. Lirik yang dalaaaam. Bcerita tentang arti “melihat” dunia secara sepantasnya, selektif n ga memaksakan diri. Eh, bener ga si? Itu arti yg g tangkap loh.

#1
Young Folks (Peter, Bjorn and John feat. Victoria Bergsman)

Ptama dgr pas thn 2006, saat menjelang akhr kul (ato udah lulus y? Lupa?). Beat yg cukup bikin g trance. Wkwkwk. Asik ni lagu. Nice lyric about accepting your partner as the way he/she is. Hoe~~ Jadi inget masa lalu. Well, the hell with that! LOL.

Is there any of your fav song in this list? Or you have your own fav duet song that you want to recommend me? Any feedback is welcomed.

Það leynist ýmislegt í Village Vanguard.

Da ich selbst in einem Chor singe, war ich begeistert, als ich darauf gestoßen bin:

Vädret är verkligen varierande så här års. Tur då att jag har gott om foton från dagar då det inte regnar stup i kvarten. Ytterst lite redigering på dessa tre bilder, tyckte att de var fina nog redan. I övrigt var dagens största bedrift en tacomåltid med väldigt mycket stark sås.

maradona, 2008, acrylic on canvas, 130x195 cm

These are my paintings of iconic people, all of which were commissioned by my brother, Mohammed. And all of which reside with him and Jana (visit them here).

pele, 2005, acrylic on canvas, 122x182 cm

bjork, 2006, acrylic on canvas, 130x195 cm

Perhaps the most stunning song ever. And that’s saying something. Beautiful, emotional, catchy, drama-filled… has it all. Especially love her vocals at the end when she does that lovely scream type thing.

Björk - Jóga (Strings & Vocals)

listening to All is full of Love (live) by Bjork

7.45 di mattina.
L’autobus è pieno
Gente che va a scuola, gente che va a lavoro.
Tutto è ancora calmo e silenzioso,  tutti vogliono ancora riposare. I vetri lentamente iniziano ad appannarsi e qualche passeggero già sonnecchia.
Una ragazza (o forse dovrei dire donna) sulla trentina siede poco avanti a me, nella fila di fianco. E’ vestita bene, di nero e grigio. Ha un volto ancora giovane e un piercing minuscolo sul naso.
La osservo mentre gli archi di All is full of love si mescolano nell’aria.
Uno strano ombrello, in quello che sembra essere ferro battuto, con una stoffa argentata che si chiude in un vaporoso fiore, penzola di fianco a lei.
Ogni suo oggetto o atteggiamento la rende più bella di quanto realmente non sia.
I suoi capelli a caschetto neri, il viso piccolo e appuntito, mi ricordano mia cugina. Mi ricorda qualcosa che vedevo da piccolo, un’idea che mi ero fatto dell’”essere grandi”, una vita che vedevo nei telefilm che guardavano gli adolescenti del tempo, tra Friends e Daria.
Prende un piccolo specchietto grigio e inizia a mettersi un rossetto scuro -che sembra essere di muji, in una scatola trasparente- con dei piccoli colpetti sulle labbra, frettolosamente.
Mi da l’idea di una che appena arrivata a Milano correrà in ufficio, tra fax e e-mail.
I piccoli carillon e cristalli della canzone accompagnano i suoi gesti, e io continuo a guardarla sorridendo.
Forse perchè vorrei essere lei, forse perchè osservarla mi rende sereno.
Prende la sua borsa e ne tira fuori una coppola in lana grigia, che immagino essere morbidissima. Poi un Ipod nero e si mette ad ascoltare la radio, mentre io sento e mi ripeto “all is full of love”.
Tutto è così bello e calmo, e nessuno sembra accorgersene.
Forse dovrebbero solo imparare a guardare i colori e sorridere.
Forse è che spero sempre, in tutto.
E nonostante molte cose siano irrealizzabili, esse mi rendono felice.

it’s all around you 

Icelandic crazy person and all around genius, Björk, is 44 today. I love this hot mess. She is talented, original, cute as button and crazy as a switch engine.

There is no arguing that Bjork is a one-of-a-kind artist and in honor of her birthday today I wanted to share one of my favorite tracks from her 1993 album entitled “Debut.” I found this video of her performing “Venus as a Boy” live in London. I just love how the tablas and the flute sound in this live version and most of all the way she’s gettin’ down in the video. LOL Check it out…

His wicked sense of humor
Suggests exciting sex
His fingers focus on her
Touches, he’s Venus as a boy.

He believes in beauty
He’s Venus as a boy

He’s exploring
The taste of her
Arousal
So accurate
He sets off
The beauty in her
He’s Venus as a boy

"Does this even need a witty caption?"

Lady Gaga is a confusing artist. I’ll say this right now; her songs are cringe-worthy, and incredibly pretentious at times. However, she creeps up on you, and before you know it you are singing along to every chorus, and trying to join in on the absurd dance moves in her videos. Lady Gaga is the both the worst of pop, and the best of it all at once, and I don’t know if I’ll ever wrap my head around her fully. If her first album wasn’t confusing enough, this special edition bonus tracks-cum-EP-cum-new album that she calls ‘The Fame Monster’ just adds to the Gaga enigma.

Just let me take on the Lady as a whole, first off. She’s incredibly odd, in terms of look, costume, public persona, music, and especially her music videos. By rights, she should have gone the way of Bjork in the public perception, a one hit wonder that drops out of the mainstream but still has hardcore fans who can accept her strange aesthetic and unique musical style. Lady Gaga, on the other hand, endures. I think this is because she isn’t unique. Whether this is pure lack of creativity, or as I like to see her, a big postmodernist comment on the world of pop and celebrity, is still up for debate. What Gaga does well is take on the wide range of what we call pop, smash it all together through massive layers of production and create something decidedly weird, but catchy as hell and so bombastically unoriginal that it comes full circle and feels fresh and new.

I hate to go track by track, but I’m going to party have to for ‘The Fame Monster’ as it is not really a coherent album. Oh sure, it’s being sold as that now, but it was originally planned as a bonus disc for her debut release ‘The Fame’, filled with tracks that were either new or left off that release, depending on which articles you read. The only thing that seems to pull the album together is the repetition of the words “free bitch” in a few of the songs. The reason for highlighting certain tracks will just give you an idea of what to expect, and an idea of how eclectic an album ‘The Fame Monster’ is:

Bad Romance is the closest to what I’ve come to expect of Gaga thus far, with a similar sound to previous songs like Paparazzi, though with a vocal hook that reminds me of Boney M’s Rasputin, and a verse in French for no other reason than it’s a Lady Gaga song. Alejandro opens with a spoken intro in a bad, pan-European accent, and carries on in that vein, sounding like Shakira taken to the Europop extreme. Monster is booming R&B and features the line “he ate my heart and then he ate my brain.” ‘nuff said. Speechless would sound like Abbey Road/Let It Be era Beatles mixed with Christina Aguilera, if it weren’t for the strange accent Lady Gaga puts on to sing it. Try to imagine a country drawl mixed with Dick Van Dyke quality cockney and you’ll be about half way there. Dance In The Dark sounds a little like a darker version of her earlier song ‘Just Dance’, funnily enough. Telephone (feat. Beyonce) opens with a harp, and then breaks out into a thumping club track. If you like random vocal effects and hearing Beyonce for a verse, then you’ll probably enjoy it, there’s not much else to it really. So Happy I Could Die is what Rhianna would sound like if she’d been around in the 90s, pop R&B scene. Finally we have Teeth, which to my ears is the love child of Fanz Ferdinand’s ‘Ulysses’ and everything Scissor Sisters ever released. Though sadly, unlike those bands, Lady Gaga’s tongue is nowhere near her cheek in this one.

So where does that leave us? The Fame Monster is an eclectic mix of songs, which while possibly enjoyable on their own, don’t totally work together. Actually even on their own, just as you start to get into a song something, be it the lyrics, or an odd sound effect Gaga decided to add, will make you cringe. The subject matter is a little more mainstream than her main her first album, with each track seeming more about relationships than celebrity. Here’s the rub. Nothing I or any other reviewer says about this album will matter. This album will sell. It will pump out single after single, and Lady Gaga will make video after absurd video to promote it. I still can’t work out whether Lady Gaga is a genius or just very lucky to hit on some untouched artery of the market, but it doesn’t really matter. She’s cemented in pop culture now, and this album is doing nothing to endanger that.

5/10

Standout Tracks:

Bad Romance

Speechless

Telephone (feat. Beyonce)

You’ll be given love
You’ll be taken care of
You’ll be given love
You have to trust it

Maybe not from the sources
You have poured yours
Maybe not from the directions
You are staring at

Twist your head around
It’s all around you
All is full of love
All around you

All is full of love
You just aint receiving
All is full of love
Your phone is off the hook
All is full of love
Your doors are all shut
All is full of love!
** Icelandic part **
All is full of love, all is full of love
All is full of love, all is full of love …

Back in March or so I ruthlessly cast off all my CD cases and transferred all the CDs worth keeping to my computer. I also gave away about 150 CDs to be sold in a car-boot-sale. I focused then on getting only the best or the highly recommended versions of classical works and my collection grew from 50 or so CDs to about 350 in about 6 months. What a great 6 months! I discovered so much music and so many great recordings of works I had known before. I again tell anyone, don’t buy just any version of a piece especially thinking you are saving money. Only get the best. There are countless bargains on the best recordings too.

When I decided to turn to popular music I started interestingly with Bob Marley. Someone I rate very highly. A guy who is I think underrated in many circles still. It is the simplicity and honesty I love both of how he puts the emotion across and how he puts together a lyric. I got 9 CDs by him to add to the one I had. Now I have a decent Bob Marley collection with 2 live albums also.

Next I took care of firm favourites Led Zep. I got all the studio albums and the brilliant live album, How the West Was Won. This is what rock is all about.

I continued to bolster here and there also adding more of the incomparable Jazz Pianist Bill Evans to my Bill Evans Collection – I loved his music from the moment I got my first of his CDs.

Now it is the electronic and trip hop of the nineties that gets attention. I have done well not to over spend to get key missing albums by Massive Attack and Portishead. Two of the best bands that ever existed. Massive Attack seem never to put a foot wrong producing albums and songs that are now legendary. Portishead, dominated by the incredible voice of Beth Gibbons, have also been favourites since I first picked up a copy of Dummy in 1999, believing it then to be the best album I had ever heard.
I am now ‘completing’ my Bjork collection. I have loved Bjork since about 1998 but known of her for longer than that. I find her vocal style, her emotional directness and her so beautiful harmonies irresistible.

Here she is with Play Dead, one of her more commercial numbers yes but also one of her most passionate vocals.

Björk – Play Dead (HQ)

Just got finished watching tonight’s episode of “FlashForward.”

For anyone suffering from “Lost” withdrawal and weekly watercooler conversations about the meaning of the Dharma Initiative and John Locke’s miraculous resurrection, FF offers a fix that will get you through the rough patch.

It has an interesting and ever-deepening mythology; pacing that continually moves the story toward a future that may or may not be set in stone; and an often strained American accent by Joseph Fiennes.

But what I really love about the show is the use of music — from a Bjork tune played over a gorgeous shot of park dwellers slipping into their 137-second glimpse of their future, to tonight’s montage set to a live version of Bob Dylan’s “Shelter from the Storm” and moments in recent weeks backed by Pearl Jam, Rufus Wainwright and the Rolling Stones. Whoever is in charge of the music is doing a masterful job in selecting tracks that offer maximum impact at a given moment.

That’s also one of the many reasons I miss “The Shield.” (If you know what’s coming next for poor Lem, the music and that last shot of Shane Vendrell is enough to give you goosebumps.)

Greatest Hits is a compilation album released in November 2002 featuring the songs of Icelandic singer Björk. Although not all of Björk’s singles are included on this collection, all of the songs on Greatest Hits were released as singles. The tracks were selected by fans through a survey on Björk’s website. Greatest Hits presents the songs in descending order of most-popular votes, with the exception of “It’s In Our Hands” which was a new song and appears at the end of the compilation.

As with many greatest hits compilation albums, some of Björk’s biggest singles were absent. The most obvious omission is “It’s Oh So Quiet”, her highest-charting UK hit. Also missing are “Alarm Call”, “I Miss You”, “Cocoon” and “Violently Happy” as well as any pre-Debut material.

Track listing

1. “All Is Full Of Love”
2. “Hyperballad”
3. “Human Behaviour”
4. “Jóga”
5. “Bachelorette”
6. “Army Of Me”
7. “Pagan Poetry”
8. “Big Time Sensuality” (The Fluke Minimix)
9. “Venus As A Boy”
10. “Hunter”
11. “Hidden Place”
12. “Isobel”
13. “Possibly Maybe”
14. “Play Dead”
15. “It’s in Our Hands”

Genre: Electronica

More info @ Wikipedia

The best concert I’ve ever attended begins and ends with Bjork’s show at ACL Fest 2007.  To that point, I’d never seen her live, and the anticipation of her closing performance made the heat and the crowd and the drunk kid that came bursting out of a the port-a-john vomiting all over himself (and others) fade into the background noise of my excitement.

You could feel tangible fervor in the crowd before the show started.  A young girl standing in front of my wife was asking everyone around her, “Do you like Bee-york?” to which we replied, “Heck yeah, we do!”  It was touching to see that the youth has better options for inspirational female musicians than Hannah freakin’ Montana.

The sun went down and Bjork took the stage, barefoot and painted and fierce (and cute), and began to knock out tracks from her entire catalog, one right after the other, ending each song with a demure curtsy and a girlish “Thhhhank you” in her adorable Icelandic accent.  This delicate display was nicely juxtaposed next to her amazing and intense vocals on songs like Declare Independence, which had all of the Festival stomping around and waving their freak flags higher, higher.

Accompanying her delicious and complex cacophony that night was a ReacTable, a sort of digital synthesizer turntable thingy that produces amazing sound and a spectacular visual.  The swirling lights and noise from this machine displayed on the giant screens did nothing to hamper the show’s affect, believe you me.

We danced and cheered and stood in awe at the perfection of Bjork’s show set against the backdrop of the stunning Austin skyline.  I held my wife tightly during Joga, a song that always brings a knot to my throat.  It was by far my best concert experience to date.

What about you?  Post a blog entry and send it to sltfan@sweetleaftea.com for your chance to win an autographed Sweet Leaf Tea Gibson Epiphone guitar.

Bjork, the iconic Icelandic musician and actress has recorded a new song with Radiohead singer Thom Yorke. The single was composed specifically to encourage active support for the Náttúra campaign, which aims at collating and providing sustainable and eco-friendly options suitable for Iceland, and generating alternative ways to utilize it’s natural resources. People will be able to submit their ideas on the website for sustainable green workplaces for Icelanders.

Bjork – Náttúra

According to Björk, “It is now more important than ever before to emphasize a respect for nature…I believe that profits, technological advances and working together with nature can all go hand in hand. None need to be sacrificed at the expense of the others.”

Having witnessed the splendors of Iceland firsthand, I can totally get behind any cause that aims to preserve its natural beauty. Everyone should see Iceland…glaciers, volcanos, waterfalls, hot springs, geysers and super shaggy goats EVERYWHERE. Here are a couple of pics of the most magical place on Earth.

Is it any wonder Bjork wants to protect it?

think of Bjork…think of Sigur Ros…then think of Marilyn Manson and The Cure.

what is the least common denominator for these artists?
that they’ve created an ambient around the music they play. an ambient that contains their music, their visions, their style. they’ve developed a sense of aesthetics that emphasizes what their music is about.
how many musicians do it? gangster rappers and fashionista singers apart (!!!), I can only think of a few, the “freaks of the industry”!

yes alright, all musicians create a certain ambient for a certain video, but you must agree most lack an overall artistic vision. The few artists on my list, instead, offer their inner world!

and to do it, they turn to other artists that understand their “cosmo”, one of them being Floria Sigismondi, a superb photographer and film director.
I got to know her thanks to the video “The Beautiful People” by Marilyn Manson and got immediately hooked up with her work that reminded me of photographer Joel Peter Witkin.
she perfectly translated the oniric quality of those musicians (the ones I mentioned at the beginning) into images and movement.

There are recurrent elements that characterize her work: the way things and people move (or crawl) – her technique reminds me of stop motion; the patina that reminds me of old films and photos, the sense of darkness that reminds me of “Freaks”.
in a metaphor, she provides the warp in which the musician can weave its weft!

I suggest who doesn’t know her work immediately go check it out. it’s wonderfully inspiring!!

http://www.floriasigismondi.com/

from "Untitled #1" by Sigur Ros and directed by Floria Sigismondi

Bjork ha composto una nuova canzone. Si intitola The Comet Song ed è stata composta con l’aiuto dello scrittore e poeta Sjon, vecchio collaboratore dell’islandese  ai tempi degli Sugarcubes, per la colonna sonora di Moomins and the Comet Chase, film basato su una serie televisiva per bambini, The Moomins.

I Moomin sono i personaggi di una serie di libri e fumetti, pubblicati tra il 1945 ed il 1993, a cura del finlandese Tove Jansson di cui, secondo il sito ufficiale di Bjork, la stessa artista è una grande fan dei Moomin e possiede magliette con alcuni dei personaggi della serie. Il film, in realizzazione da parte della Filmkompaniet, dovrebbe arrivare nelle sale nel corso dell’estate 2010.

Maggiori informazioni le trovate qui.

Poster for Tank Girl; image courtesy of 24hourstomidnight.files.wordpress.com

So I was originally gonna roll up all cavalier-like and blurt out my opinions on Tank Girl, which I watched for the first time a few nights ago. I had some pre-conceived notions about the movie and what I’d think of it, as the film adaption of the beloved Jamie Hewlett comic is widely regarded as a commercial and critical flop.

Now I’m not entirely sure how to approach the subject matter, because a) I’m not sure how to read this movie, as it is disjointed and oftentimes inscrutable, b) I didn’t realize going into my viewing that several friends were fans of both the movie and the comic, and c) . . . I haven’t gotten around to reading the comic. I’m more than willing to read it, especially since I’m a fan of Hewlett’s work with Damon Albarn on Gorillaz and am interested in their ongoing professional relationship. I simply haven’t had the chance yet, as I just finished Truman Capote’s super-dense In Cold Blood and started Margaret Atwood’s promising The Blind Assassin. If anyone has a copy they’d like to push into my hands, my palms are flat and open.  

I'll gladly read this; image courtesy of hero-trailers.blogspot.com

But I still wanted to see the movie and write about it because:

1. Lori Petty stars as Rebecca Buck and I wish her career had taken off instead of stalling around the time of this movie’s 1995 release. While she’s recently run into some legal troubles and I still haven’t seen Point Break or Prey for Rock’N'Roll, I’ve long had a soft spot for this tough, mouthy, gender-queer tomboy ever since her turn as Kit Keller in A League of Their Own. It’s too bad that she was replaced by Sandra Bullock in Demolition Man and that Gwen Stefani sounds just like her, with both women having more visible, financially successful careers.

2. Speaking of Stefani, did she rip off Tank Girl’s style to cultivate her own look, because oh my damn do they look alike. 

But maybe I’m being unfair in pitting Petty/Tank Girl against Stefani against one another and instead should remember the cultural context from which they were formed. I’m reminded of my thesis adviser Mary Kearney, whose dissertation focused on contemporary discourses around girlhood and youth culture. Joy Van Fuqua draws on Kearney’s work in her essay ”‘What Are Those Little Girls Made Of?’ The Powerpuff Girls and Consumer Culture.” In her discussion of the show’s popularity, Van Fuqua borrows from Kearney to suggest that, like many other girl characters during the 1990s, Bubbles, Buttercup, and Blossom had to embody both genders in order to succeed in athletics and other male-dominated activities.

Buttercup, Blossom, and Bubbles are gonna fuck yr shit up; image courtesy of msdn.com

3. Speaking of promising actresses, Naomi Watts plays her sidekick and was a total nobody in the states when the movie was originally released. She’s also rockin’ a brunette bob haircut, which I appreciate.

4. Speaking of wacky ladies, Ann Magnuson makes an appearance as a madame who runs a state-of-the-art brothel where folks like Iggy Pop run around in drag and the talent break out into Busby Berkeley-esque routines to Cole Porter’s “Let’s Do It.”

5. Speaking of musicians, the soundtrack is an alternative rock behemoth. Hard to imagine many of the artists represented here got radio play in 1995. Alternative was commercially successful, allowing rock music to splinter off in various, musically diverse directions. Hootie was of course a major player, but Pulp could get a hit single. Beck was at this point a one-hit wonder, but was working on an era-defining record that would come out the following year. The bubble hadn’t burst yet. Man, 1995 was a strange and amazing time. Bush, Björk, Veruca Salt, L7, Belly, Portishead, Hole. They were all on commercial radio playlists and they’re also on this soundtrack.

6. Speaking of Hole, note that Courtney Love was the movie’s music consultant. Now, I’m not entirely sure what her title means here. Titles like “music consultant” and “music supervisor” tend to be flexible. The latter term is usually held by people who work closely with the director, the editor, and multiple representatives from various record labels, as well as help tend to legal matters like acquiring publishing rights, and clearing songs to be used in the movie and often the accompanying soundtrack. 

Courtney Love, 1995's burgeoning hyphenate; image courtesy of rollingstone.com (Ouderkirk/WireImage.com)

My hunch is that Love’s duties were picking what songs she liked and would work with the movie, but had little involvement in the production. After all, she was a busy lady who was trying to heal from the death of her husband, raise her daughter, become a respected actress, and headline Lollapalooza with her band Hole. I don’t think she had time to field phone calls with label execs, although I’d like to imagine what those conversations might be like.     

7. Oh, and since the first six points all involved women, let’s add the cherry on top. Tank Girl was directed by a woman named Rachel Talalay.

But as far as reading this movie . . . hummina. I don’t know what I saw. I know it takes place in what is now a not-too-distant, dystopian future and involves our fearless heroine leading a rag-tag group of girls and mutant kangaroo boys against a corrupt faction that control the earth’s water supply. Still with me? Here’s the trailer.

So, things I enjoyed or found interesting about the movie.

1. Naomi Watts kicks ass as Jet Girl. At first shy and fretful, she learns to embrace her intellect and technological savvy and develops the confidence to take charge of the crew and help beat the cast of baddies.

Jet Girl holding it down; image courtesy of kideternal.com

2. Tank Girl has strong relationships with Jet Girl and Rebecca, Tank Girl’s boyfriend’s young daughter. Homosocial bonding and female mentorship, holla!

3. OMG, the costumes. They could be a chapter in a dissertation on third-wave feminism’s fragmentive, performative, and self-reflexive relationship with fashion (note: if such a chapter exists, I want to read it). Tank Girl never wears the same outfit or hair color twice, and her wardrobe toys with historical periods, film genres, youth culture movements, often playing with age, gender, and race as well.

What are you wearing, Tank Girl?, image courtesy of theage.com.au

4. I can’t tell if Ann Magnuson’s Madame, who briefly kidnaps and attempts to employ Rebecca, is a sex-positive feminist, a critique against the then-timely rise of media’s interest in d0-me feminism, or just morally bankrupt.

And then there were things I hated.

1. While Tank Girl’s costuming is fascinating, that’s really the extent of her characterization. Much of this seems to be the fault of the writing. Petty is engaging enough, but Tank Girl is written as less a complex action heroine and more of a buzzword-and-slogan dispenser. Thus, she brings to mind characters like Itchy and Scratchy’s Poochie, who was created to make fun of corporate-friendly extreme, in-your-face, subcultural cash cows. Perhaps her perceived lack of depth speaks to the awkward process of adapting a comic book into a movie, but her cinematic flatness betrays the torpedo bras.

Torpedo bras don't always provide dimension; image courtesy of mermaidligan.blogspot.com

2. Tank Girl also kicks a disappointing lack of ass here and has questionable methods. I can’t speak to her defense strategies in the comic, but the movie repeatedly has her lure disgusting men with her feminine wiles. Sometimes they get kicked in the balls, but she still shows them her bra or promises sexual favors beforehand.

3. Man, how did Malcolm MacDowell fool people into thinking he could act? He’s the villainous Kesslee here and is making himself quite the ham sandwich. Some may want to bring up Al Pacino and note that some actors deliver progressively broader performances as they age, but I think MacDowell’s accent played a role in snowing audiences as well. I think his Britishness even convinced people he was better in If . . . and A Clockwork Orange than he actually was. Charismatic and handsome? Yes. Once a great actor? I don’t think so.

4. I feel like there’s something racially problematic about the mutant kangaroo soldiers who take up with Tank Girl’s crew. Thoughts?

In short, Tank Girl makes for a maddening but interesting spectatorial experience. Now to get a hold of the source material . . .

Dear Miss Björk (I don’t know your last name, or know if you even have one),

You are 44 today, congratulations. To be honest I’m surprised you’ve survived so long, because your music is just abysmal. Anytime one of your songs comes on the TV it makes people immediately reach for the remote to press the mute button to stop your incessant screeching (I’m sorry but I don’t class what you do as singing, you just sound like a cat being thrown about). Sadly, your appearance isn’t much better, as you also look like a cat that’s been thrown about.

..Happy birthday!

Torno da casa di Claudio dopo una folle serata con i ragazzi, dopo aver fatto casino fino a notte fonda, semplicemente stando insieme e ridendo e scherzando su qualsiasi cosa. In testa il casco, dietro di me Melania che mi parla della sua intenzione di voler fare il militare, intorno la notte. Lascio Melania davanti alla sua porta, ci salutiamo con una risata, riparto. Le mani intorpidite dal freddo, poche luci, solo il rumore del mio scooter. Mi fermo all’incrocio buio, la lampadina del lampione è fulminata: intorno a me soltanto l’oscurità che distorce le sagome delle case addormentate, l’unico suono è ancora quello del motore quasi soffocato dal freddo. Sento che la città è nelle mie mani. Vado piano, cerco di ridurre al minimo il rombo del motore, taglio l’aria gelida e umida quasi con solennità, stupendomi dell’aura di irrealtà che mi avvolge mentre procedo verso casa, come se fossi l’ultimo sopravvissuto di una cittadina che sembra dormire anche di giorno. Arrivo davanti a casa, spengo il motore e resto un po’ fermo ad ascoltare lo strano silenzio che invade la città. Osservo la luna che mi occhieggia da sopra il tetto dello scheletro della casa che veglia alla mia destra, ormai, da tanti anni , celata appena dal mio fiato condensato. A sinistra la strada continua, gialla per i malinconici lampioni che vomitano schivi la loro pallida luce, e s’interrompe contro il muretto, dietro cui si staglia la sagoma minacciosa della scuola magistrale. Un gatto mi passa davanti di corsa, dopo aver fatto cadere un sacco dal secchio dell’immondizia: mi risveglio dal mio breve torpore, apro il portone del garage e accendo la fredda luce al neon, che non fa altro che aumentare il forte senso di isolamento. La falsa paura che qualcuno possa rapinarmi dentro casa, a quell’ora della notte, mi fa sorridere mentre spingo lo scooter dentro il box. Mi fermo davanti alla soglia, ripenso a quanto possa apparire inerme e magica la mia città, Vittoria, di notte, riprovo la sensazione del freddo contro la mia faccia, che adoro. Chiudo il portone. Nell’aria, “Headphones”.