“Baby won’t you take me there
Make it like you really care
I am feeling good up there
Just keep the diamonds in my hair
Make me feel good right now”

Moby (Feat. Debbie Harry) – New York, New York

This appeared on the Guardian Music Blog on 9 December 2009:

Remembering Jacno: France’s First Punk

The new wave icon, who died last month, founded the Parisian punk scene and pioneered French electropop

“Denis Denis, oh with your eyes so blue/Denis Denis, I’ve got a crush on you.” So sang Debbie Harry on Blondie’s first European hit in 1978. At the time, there were persistent rumours that the Denis in question was none other than Denis Quilliard — better known as Jacno — who died from cancer at the age of 52 last month. After embodying the post-punk years in France, Jacno (his soubriquet, which he acquired as a chain-smoking teenager, was a tribute to the graphic designer who created the iconic Gauloises cigarettes logo) had himself achieved cult status.

Despite being at the heart of the original Parisian punk scene, Jacno hated the herd mentality associated with such movements. One of his more recent songs is called “Je viens d’ailleurs” — “I Come from Elsewhere” — and in his book of interviews, he repeatedly refers to himself as a “martian” (which is quite fitting given his resemblance to Bowie circa The Man Who Fell to Earth).

Jacno met the beautiful Uruguayan Elli Medeiros (now Mme Brian de Palma) during a student demonstration in 1973. They became an item and formed the Stinky Toys (a reference to both Dinky Toys and New York Dolls). Following their first chaotic gig in 1976, the band acquired a reputation for debauched drunkenness that eventually alienated EMI who were about to sign them.

At Malcolm McLaren’s behest, they played the 100 Club punk festival following which Elli appeared on the cover of Melody Maker. Their eponymous first album sold — as Jacno used to point out — as many copies as the Velvet Underground’s debut. And like the Velvets, their small fanbase included such luminaries as Andy Warhol. When he arrived at Orly airport in the summer of 1977 — having been invited to attend the inauguration of the Pompidou Centre — the Pope of Pop was sporting a conspicuous Jacno badge. Over the following days, Warhol would court the young musician assiduously (albeit unsuccessfully), famously painting his portrait on a restaurant tablecloth using a borrowed make-up kit.

On their second album, the Toys abandoned their original riff-heavy sound and explored colder, quirkier climes. The band disbanded after an Altamont-style gig during which a fan was killed by rampaging Hells Angels. It was time to move on.

In 1980 Jacno became the poster boy for the Jeunes Gens Modernes (“Modern Young Things”), a label coined by a local magazine to describe the resolutely elitist post-punk scene based around Le Rose Bonbon nightclub. He provided the soundtrack to Olivier Assayas’s first short movie, including an instrumental entitled “Rectangle“, which no record company would release at first, although it ended up being a massive hit throughout Europe. The film also included a bittersweet track sung by Elli that marked the birth of the Elli & Jacno duo which would go on to sell millions of records until the couple split up in 1984.

Jacno also produced albums by some of France’s greatest stars like Jacques Higelin or Etienne Daho, but he will go down in history as a pioneer of electropop who anticipated the late 1990s French Touch. By playing schmaltzy 1960s “yéyé” tunes on Kraftwerk-style synthesisers, Jacno provided a perfect retro-futurist soundtrack to the melancholy innocence of adolescence. Paris will never be quite the same without him.

Blondie in 1977

Taking a breather from the crème de la crème of today’s emerging artists, I thought I would do a feature about the greatest musicians of yesteryear, that I very imaginarily call ‘Back In Time’! Who better to go first than one of the greatest bands of all time, Blondie!? They have managed to retain their popularity up until the present day and have only had a couple of members being replaced, not bad to say they’ve been around for almost 35 years! Blondie are an easily recognisable and iconic group, front-woman Debbie Harry often being known as ‘Blondie’ due to her two-tone bleached-blonde hair which she still has today. They effortlessly manage to incorporate a range of musical styles throughout their eight studio albums, including rock, pop, reggae, disco and even rap (in their song Rapture) while still keeping the basic style of a new wave band.

Heart Of Glass is one of their most famous and more disco influenced tracks. If you haven’t heard it directly associated with Blondie, it’s guaranteed you’ve heard it on a commercial sometime!

I’ve got maybe two more regular shows left, including this one, and my Christmas show. Spend my last couple of Wednesday nights on KRUI 89.7 fm with me from 8 to 10 pm, you can also listen in online here.

1. Blondie, Blondie (1976), X Offender

I pulled this sweet image of Debbie Harry off of the Blog entitled “x” Another cool bit of info is that this photo was taken by Bob Gruen who’s exhibit at the MoMA I just got to experience. “x” does a really nice job describing the image, so I won’t go there, if you want to read about it check it out.
2. Talking Heads, Stop Making Sense (1984), Take Me To The River
3. Joy Division, Unknown Pleasures (1979), Disorder
4. Liz Phair, Whitechocolatespaceegg (1998), Polyester Bride
(I’m engaged, and I wouldn’t mind having a polyester dress.)
5. Lyres, 12 Classic 45s, I Want to Help You Ann
6. Mazzy Star, So Tonight That I Might See (1993), Fade Into You
(God I love this song, tell me its not beautiful?)
7. Mission of Burma, Vs. (1982), Trem Two
(Another definite favorite, it’s in my top 10 favorite songs for sure.)
8. New Order, Power Corruption and Lies (1983), Age of Consent

9. The Replacements, Let It Be (1984), Unsatisfied
10. Sonic Youth, Dirty (1992), Theresa’s Sound World

11. Superchunk, Incidental Music 1991-95, Night of Chill Blue
I might have to say this is my favorite Superchunk song.
12. Pixies, Doolittle (1989), Here Comes Your Man
This song just appeals to everyone, I bet even my parents would jam to it and they prefer to rock out to Elvis and Peter Paul and Mary.
13. The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, Jon Spencer Blues Explosion (1992), Chicken Walk
14. The Jesus and Mary Chain, Automatic (1989), Head On
(The Pixies do an awesome cover of this track)
15. Pavement, Terror Twilight (1999), Spit on a Stranger
You know what I heard? Pavement is going to be featured on GUITAR HERO! Yuck. Steve what are you doing? You know who else is going to be featured? Spoon. I don’t know why this shocks me and I can’t seem to figure out why it annoys me. If someone can articulate this better than me please do it. For now, I’m going to sit down and think about it.

16. XTC, English Settlement, Senses Working Overtime
17. INXS, The Best of INXS, Need You Tonight
The single came out around 1986.
18. The Psychedelic Furs, Talk Talk Talk (1981), Pretty in Pink

19. Tears for Fears, The Hurting (1983), Change
20. Billy Idol & Generation X, Billy Idol (1982), Dancing With Myself

21. The Swirlies, Cats of the Wild, Vol.2 (2003), Sleepytime
22. Polvo, Exploded Drawing (1996), Bridesmaid Blues
23. Enon, Believo, Cruel
24. The Jam, The Gift (1982), Town Called Malice
25. PJ Harvey, Uh Huh Her (2004), You Came Through
26. Slowdive, Souvlaki (1993), Souvlaki Space Station

Once upon a time, rap music was all about legitimacy, beginning with the poet activists of the ’60s and the inner-city residents rhyming about life on the streets of the Bronx in the ’70s and ’80s. Then something happened. Something horrible.

The mainstream media began using rap to push everything on consumers, from rapping Chicken Nuggets to video games. Even white-bread celebs like David Faustino and “Rappin’” Rodney Dangerfield tried their hands at the musical genre. Join us as we take you on a detailed, blow-by-blow journey through Where It All Went Wrong. As with so many things that went wrong, it all ends with Miley Cyrus.

Keep reading to travel through time to see the worst raps in history, covering movies, television, commercials and more.

Our journey begins in 1981. Until that point, rap music had safely been kept in the hands of urban toughs who knew how to keep it cool. White suburban rich kids had never even heard of the style. It would have stayed that way, too, if not for the one location where the dregs of urbania mingle with snotty rich kids: the punk clubs. Enter Blondie.

With her horrible flow in “Rapture,” Debbie Harry put rap on the radar of those who would eventually kill it. However, horrible rap music still hovered below the mainstream bubble. So society turned to its number one ambassador for bringing things from the ‘hood to the picket fence: Mr. T.

Mr. T makes it seem OK, even cool to rap like about how to “treat your mother right.” Soon, every celebrity with a big ego and a dearth of performing talent tried to cold shock the mic, ala Rappin’ Rodney:

Despite all this, shoddily constructed raps were still seen as an art form only good for appealing to children. Awful rap would not take the next step until it appeared on the one medium which interests children and low-functioning adults: football. It’s the 1985 Chicago Bears with the “Superbowl Shuffle!”

Now, all of middle America was exposed to music’s latest art-form-turned-marketing-gimmick. And what a played-out gimmick it became. Nerdy kids bought into it, as evidenced by this “Legend of Zelda” rap.

The Lakers did it, proving they’re the richer, slower guy’s equivalent of the Chicago Bears.

British people who worked on Wall Street bought into it:

This was right about the point where the fad reached its peak of ridiculousness, then began to collapse upon itself like a dying star. This phenomenon was documented in the following video. (The rap starts at 2:20, but the whole thing is hilariously horrible.)

Via: Asylum

Deborah Harry, surviving New York, 1976, by Bob Gruen

Debbie Harry: “The idea was to be desirable, feminine, and vulnerable, but with a resilient, tenacious wit, rather than poor female sapped of her strength by hearthrob.”

NOISES ON: Can’t believe it, but they swear it’s true. The Frantics, the certifiably insane, oooh, oops, sorry, the mentally extrvagant comedy troupe

THE FRANTICS: Noises-makers

comprised of Paul Chatto, Rick Green, Dan Redican & Peter Wildman, are about to turn 30. (I know, I know, they don’t look a day over 29 .) To celebrate they’re launching a new Greatest Hits CD, Frantic Noises, and working on anniversary release dates for (1) The Very Best of Frantic Times (“more than 1,000 bits compiled from our CBC Radio show,”) (2) The Frantics Walk Upright

STOJKO: Red Door booster

(“the lost tapes of our final performance together in 1998,”) (3) an all-music CD that they’re recording now, and (4) the DVD of their Frantics Reunion Show, which aired on the Comedy Network. Big news is, they’re set to perform live at The Royal on College street — for one performance only, to launch their new CD — on Monday Dec. 7 at 7 pm. All proceeds from tickets ($10 +tax in advance, $15 +tax at the door) will go to PAL (the Performing Arts Lodge.) To order your tickets now, go to their website at www.thefrantics.com, or just click here.

GOING, GOING, GONE: Today is your last chance to bid on a unique online jewelry auction where all of the proceeds raised benefit the Red Door family

PINSENT & PINSENT: all about Uniti (photo: Zoomer magazine)

shelter. Called the Uniti Collection, the pieces are created by 18Karat Goldsmiths and inspired by celebnties partnered with designers. Sparklies adding their lustre to this cause include Leah & Gordon Pinsent, Elvis Stojko and Breakfast Television charmers Dina Pugliese and Jennifer Valentyne. To review the collection and get your bid in, click here … surfers are finding more and more treasures at on-line auctions, which is why they’ve become so popular. BID 2 BEAT AIDS, LIFEbeat’s fifth annual 10-day eBay Celebrity Memorabilia Auction honouring World AIDS Day starts December 1 at 12 noon, with proceeds going to ongoing AIDS/HIV programs in the U.S. Up for grabs are personal items from Michael Feinstein, Debbie Harry, Cheyenne Jackson, Lady Gaga, Cyndi

PUGLIESE: Breakfast jewel

Lauper, Patti LuPone, Madonna, Ricky Martin, Tim McGraw, Liza Minnelli, Stevie Nicks, Cynthia Nixon, Bernadette Peters, Joan Rivers, Henry Rollins, John Waters, Vanessa Williams and the late Bea Arthur, among others. For more information, including a complete list of participating artists and images of many of the items, click here … and  Julia Roberts is among the glitterati reportedly ready to act up for the Labyrinth Theater Company’s seventh annual gala benefit called Celebrity Charades 2009: Jackpot. Beginning

ROBERTS: charity charades

December 7, celeb teams do battle in charades competition, so in addition to Julia look for Eric Bogosian, Bobby Cannavale, Mariska Hargitay, Christopher Meloni and more. And feel free to  follow the action online — where else?!? — at  www.LABtheater.org.

Like I said — not yer average rock band.

TOMORROW:

Why Liz Smith always makes me laugh.

Plus, Brangelina update, and more!

Growing up a fan of early Madonna and Debbie Harry in Blondie, I gained a deep appreciation for the female aesthetic in my pop/rock music. Throughout the 80’s Belinda Carlisle fueled that taste quite a bit as well, but Belinda always played to being the earnest pop star.

Debbie, in particular, had a very appealing come-what-may detachment from her singing oftentimes, which lent the New Wave Blondie songs a very punk appeal. When Debbie sang, she sometimes didn’t care if you found her sexy or angry or meaningful–she was just going to sing. The video appearances where she gazes glassily into the distance during her performances adds a layer to what I mean. She’s out there (perhaps quite literally at times) and she doesn’t care if you are along for the ride.

So the female vocals then have become one of the most exciting aspects of recently discovering Sonic Youth via my friend Michael (catch him DJ’ing Fists of Fury the second Wednesday of the month at the Rock and Roll Hotel in DC). I’m one of the last people to know that Sonic Youth consists of the core husband-and-wife team of Thurston Moore and Kim Gordon. But Gordon’s detached yet feminine vocal delivery continues the tradition found in those wonderful Blondie songs. She manages to add an extra punk veneer to the already eclectic yet melodic post-punk stylings of her band.

A great example occurs in the latest Sonic Youth album I purchased–Washing Machine. I’m skeptical that I would ever find anyone who would say it’s their favorite Sonic Youth album but fans cannot help but to enjoy it immensely due to entries like the title track. In lesser hands, the song could come across as an odd attempt to compare a date to a laundry cycle. But Gordon’s vocals add the appropriate feel to the song, painting an urban landscape with her whimsical yet hardened delivery.

Blondie playing CBGB’s, 1976, by Godlis

Famous people I have seen in their natural habitats include: Debbie Harry on Broadway near Houston, noted fashion photographer Nigel Barker in a Greenwich playground, Josh Hartnett in a bar making out with an anonymous model type, the guy who played Artie on the Sopranos in an Italian restaurant (!) in Brooklyn the day before the Sopranos finale (!!), the guy from Quantum Leap on an airplane to LA, and Colin Quinn outside a comedy club having a smoke break – not sure if that one counts. In D.C. I have seen New Orleans mayor Ray Nagin and disgraced former New York Times reporter Judy Miller as well as the cast of the Real World, and I know none of those count.

But probably my favorite celebrity sighting was in Griffith Park in LA a couple of years ago, and I didn’t even recognize the guy. Remember the nurse from Arrested Development, the Australian one who urged Buster to wake up from his coma, which he was faking in order to avoid testifying against his father? And when Buster responded to her cajoling, she shrieked, “FAKER!” and slapped him? She had done it several times before, as shown in flashbacks, urging various other patients to overcome their illnesses, only to scream FAKER and slap them and run away when they responded to her coaching.

One of the flashback showed a man trying to take a step in physical therapy while holding onto handrails. “I know you can do it,” the nurse said. “Just one step, if you really love me.” The man took one step, and whammo, “FAKER!”, slap, scream, run. The camera lingers on the man, who is crestfallen. “But he wasn’t faking,” intones the narrator. “It was love that made him take that step.”

Anyway, I saw that guy walking in the park. My friend recognized him because he’s a regular in the LA comedy scene, as is she. I don’t know his name, though.

I’d say at least three times a week I browse through nearly everything offered instantly from Netflix.  Typically there’s a heavy glass of red wine sitting next to me on my floor – that needs to be vacuumed with something of industrial strength – that I’ll get to once I put my X-Box controller down.  My intention is to see what is new on “instant watch” and then start buffering up a movie that hopefully doesn’t suck.  A good lot of the time I browse for too long then flash through my queue and can’t decide on any one thing.  Why?  Too many options.  I’ll even work together with my roommate Jordan to widdle down the choices, but usually I give up and head to my room for a comic or two before bed.

Sometimes too much is just too much.

I was born in ‘84 and I’ve seen the Super Nintendo (de)evolve into the Dreamcast then grow wings and become the 360.  Without having to read and recite a book about science, I’m saying that I’ve witnessed technology grow exponentially.  Today I have the option to watch hundreds of movies with the flick of joystick and a little pressure applied to a brightly colored button.  Oh, Band McMusic just re-released their live EP from the secret show they played in Hungary – circa ‘98 – during that accidental aerial bombardment from NATO Y-Wing.  ”Type type type” then “click click click” and I have that album sitting on my desktop.  It’s obvious that we’re spoiled when it comes to the entertainment that’s a hyperlink away and I’m not sure how I feel about it.

X-Box Live just added Last FM as an application for it’s fancy Gold Members – who pay 40 some dollars a year – and are given many more reasons to never bask in natural light.  Not that this invention is anything new to the interwebs, but I can pick an artist, make a station via that artist, and listen to music within the same vein of said artist.  I know, this sounds like the radio if you were able to put it under the microscope and manipulate what you wanted from it.  It is, but sometimes it’s just too much.

When I was a kid I had the radio, a small book of CDs, and the local Video Barn for entertainment.  I was content too.  As the years have passed and I now put onions on nearly every sandwich I make, it’s obvious my likes and dislikes have expanded.  My Mom would slice onions in our kitchen back home and just the scent was enough to keep me away from our downstairs for hours.  What used to sate or deter me as a child isn’t the case anymore.  Now I need three new movies in the mail twice a week to keep me from clawing at the walls.  There has to be a refresher from some new band I’ve never heard – or given any time to – at least a couple times a month, otherwise I start biting my nails down to the cuticle.  I’m American, I drink beer out of the can, and I need to be fucking entertained 24 hours out of the God damn day.  Yeah, it’s true.

I think I kinda lost my train of thought at some point in this rant, so I’ll get to some kind of point.

We used to worship idols made of stone and wood then men who said they were actual gods filled in that spot.  After that we started to hear these stories from wise elders about these powerful beings that have always been and will always be, so it was the smart choice to praise them.  Now we have the internet.  The internet knows all, tells all, and does all.  What else do we need?  If this laptop I’m typing on had a vagina built into it, could pour alcohol out one of it’s many ports, and ejected the makings for a sandwich from the CD drive… yup, wouldn’t leave the house.

I could go on with this, but I’d probably end up running my words and thoughts into solid wall of nonsense, which would most likely drive me to making dick and fart jokes.  Let me save you from that and tell you about some music you should be listening to.

1. Bang Maiden, they’re from San Francisco (make some unjustified generalizations from that fact alone because that’s what I’d do).  On Halloween last month they played their first show at The Parkside in the Misson and they definitely fit the bill if you wanna drink, dance, and bang your head.  They just uploaded a three song demo EP for download and I’m a fan.  Hardcore  - and whatever sub-genre within the same realm you babble about – is one of those sounds that’s in a bit of a slump as of late.  Don’t get me wrong, there are many greats acts currently putting out original and good tunes, but the majority is nothing more than the same old riffs that started in the ’80s, got reworked in the ’90s, and has continued the same cycle into the 2000’s.  What do these guys have that sets them apart from the fodder?  They don’t have drums, they got beats.  Patrick is the programming wizard in the three-piece that mixes the backbone of sound , which gives the group an artificial rhythm that is danceable… like boner-jams danceable.  It’s not too often you can listen to something that cuts a rug all Samurai Shodown 2 (I suck at that game), yet urges your veins to replace some of that red with drunk and maybe punch some random, all in good fun of course.  It’s dirty and fun, so give it a listen, go get tested afterwards, and pay me the ten bucks you owe.

2. Now these guys just got dredged out of the dungeon – I call it my iPod – and put a real dumb smile on my face.  Since the mammoth performance I witnessed a while back at the West Seattle Legion Hall, Giant became Brave Young, but the sound hasn’t changed a bit.  I’ve been allowing my music to grow a little more grand these days (drugs are bad), so the music I’m seeking needs to consume me and wall me up inside of it.  Brave Young is an undertaking that weighs on your ear drums with its heavy guitars and bass.  The sound becomes one looming entity that is lumbering with each bang of the drums and it’s one voice roars just far enough from the instruments before it melds back into the mass of noise.  This is one of those bands that I may never see live again, but from that one show – whatever summer it was ago – I feel lucky.

3. Oh yeah, I’m doing it.  Oingo Boingo has been the musical “first ice cold beer of the day” for me lately.  It’s fun, it’s upbeat, it can get a little spooky, and it’s one of those aspects of the ’80s that I don’t hate.  I’m not saying the 80’s were horrible, I mean come on, Earth Girls Are Easy?  You don’t have to say anything, just try not to get lost in Jeff Goldblum’s eyes, even though he does have mind powers.  There really isn’t any reason for me to explain any further.  Fire this shit up and let Danny Elfman do the rest.  Watch this too:

one of Mr. Rock's many infamous photographs...

I love photography. When I try to scan my head for the images by one photographer that ring most deeply within me — many artists names come to mind. But, I think the one photographer who most grabbed my imagination is Mick Rock.

I mean, aside from the real artistry one can see in his “simple” images — he managed to be in the right place at the right time so often. A sort of alchemy. He even manged to create a cool image for Carly Simon! …Not that she isn’t cool, but you know what I mean. The cover to “Come Upstairs” does not match the music one will hear on that disc. Yet, his images of David Bowie, Queen, Blondie and Iggy — all of those images capture the look of the sound that those artists put forward.

If you’re wondering I was looking at my copy of two of books of collected photographs this morning. I felt a yearning to post something about his work.

Mr. Bowie at the mirror...

Debbie being so NY cool...

raw and classic...

bohemian!

See? Way cooler than one might expect...

...and, this promo shot for Blondie hangs in our living room

Just in time for the upcoming Runaways biopic — directed by Floria Sigismondi and starring Kristen Stewart and Dakota Fanning — the Mattel toy company is unveiling its “Ladies of the ’80s” collection’s Joan Jett Barbie.

The set includes Joan Jett, Debbie Harry, and Cyndi Lauper in all their ’80s glory – Lauper in a poofy red dress, Jett rocking out with a guitar in all-black and sneakers, and Harry in a tight, shiny, hot pink mini-dress with mic stand in hand. The dolls are going to sell $34.99, and set for release in December.

Harmless nostalgia or upsetting appropriation of feminist icons by a most unfeminist icon?

Any guess as to the average age of doll buyer? Would the girl who LOVED JJ buy a Barbie of her as an adult? With no twinge of guilt?
I’m guessing any hesitation will be quickly overcome. Too optimistic?

The 70/80’s icon, Debbie Harry had/has a style which is recognisable and known world-wide. The two-tone bleached hair, red lipstick  and printed t-shirts were what created the icon.

Being the lead singer of the New Wave group, Blondie, threw her in the limelight – highlighting her punk image. With hits like ‘Atomic’ and ‘Heart of Glass’, we have seen her rock the classic, t-shirt and jeans combination, the PVC jackets and the retro sunglasses.

She’s been in a number of films and even been associated with the infamous legend, Andy Warhol. But has she still got the style factor?

In this video, you can see she’s wearing a masculine, trouser suit, with a shirt and tie. This trend is in fashion now and she’s a perfect example of how good it can look. Her whole image was just unique and ‘punky.’

Not only was she the big icon of the 70/80’s, but she’s an inspiration to us now.

Debbie Harry on a bus somewhere in England
By Bob Gruen

Joan Jett, Cyndi Lauper, and Debbie Harry as dolls; image courtesy of southern4life.blogspot.com

Attention holiday shoppers, ’80s nostalgists, and feminist music geeks! Debbie Harry, Joan Jett, and Cyndi Lauper went Barbie for Mattel’s Ladies of the ’80s collection. Apparently this was announced late last month, but I didn’t hear about it until checking Caryn Rose’s Twitter feed last night.

So, as with most things, I’m a bit ambivalent about this collection. For one, it’s hard for me to imagine pre-pubescent playing with these dolls. Furthermore, with the collection’s bent toward ’80s nostalgia, there’s a good chance that girls today don’t know who these rockin’ ladies are (though I hope today’s parents are exposing their children to this music — I know many of the campers at GRCA this summer knew who Debbie, Joan, and Cyndi were when I taught the music history workshops with my friend Kristen). 

I also take issue with how the women’s features have been homogenized to look more like Barbie. While this seems appropriate for Harry, as she has delicate features and was very slender during her days with Blondie, I’d appreciate it if Lauper was curvier and maintained her multi-colored mane. Jett’s costuming is fine, but I’d like her mullet to be more pronounced. Also, get the lady a leather jacket, please. And maybe the rest of The Runaways to reunite with her.

There’s also the issue of price. After a quick glance at Barbie’s Web site, it looks as though the average price for a doll is around $20. While hardly inexpensive for some folks, the retail value of the Ladies of the ’80s collection is $35 a rocker chick. Imagine how the price would go up if they decided to create and market ’80s-era girl bands, like The Go-Gos. 

Let’s not overlook race either. It looks as though Mattel only considered white women when selecting the female pop stars that best defined the era. Where’s Janet Jackson or Tina Turner, to name but two examples? Also, I’d like an expansion of the collection to include male musical artists. How about starting with Michael Jackson and Prince? 

And finally, there’s the issue of turning these women into dolls at all. Now, I was never much of a doll enthusiast as a girl. I understand that feminist and doll collector are not mutually exclusive identity markers (after all, “Lisa Vs. Malibu Stacy“ is my favorite Simpsons episode). Still, it’s hard for me to see the collection and not think of how this group of punk-y women and their individual contributions to popular music challenged how women could look and sound in media culture are being normalized and exploited for corporate gains.

But, as Erica Rand points out in her wonderful book, Barbie’s Queer Accessories, the cultural limitations of the doll are defined by the collector, not the corporation.

Cover of Barbie's Queer Accessories (Duke, 1995); image courtesy of dukeupress.edu

Here’s hoping that some collectors use their imaginations to maximize these doll’s progressive or even transgressive potential. With any luck, the dolls will have formed a band, cured cancer, come out, gone bald, or dyed green in some homes by the end of the holiday season.

I en seriös pedagogisk debatt häromdagen pratade vi om grundskolan som en feminin arena. Vi pratade om problemet med att grundskolan är utformad efter en viss typ av elever och att det finns specifika egenskaper som värderas högre än andra. Men inte sjutton är det bara könet som avgör den puttinuttiga utformningen av grundskolan. Det beror på att det är i stort sett samma sorts människor som arbetar där, oavsett kön. En lärare brukar inte vara svår att känna igen efter ett par år i yrket, men varför är det så? Varför finns inte kvinnor som dessa i skolan?
Jo, för att de passar in lika dåligt i mallen som de flesta män.
Behövs de? Ja, det tycker jag.

..
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Länkar till andra bloggar om: skola, grundskola, genus, Crucified Barbara, Blondie, Debbie Harry, Sonic Syndicate, Karin Axelsson, underhållning, rock, hårdrock, pop,

We’ve all been to one at some point in our lives, or at least we’ve seen the pictures. The mindless droll that sets us back five intellectual years with every photo we see. I’m talking about ‘80s-themed parties. You can’t spend a weekend on a college campus without hearing about one.

“Party of the year”

The first quarter I was at SCAD, I got invited to “The Party of the Year,” according to some very credible sources. My knee-jerk reaction was to say no because it was, in fact, an ‘80s party. I get dragged to said party because I have unfortunate lapses of judgment and moments of pathetic weakness. Read more.

Jemina Pearl, frontwoman of the late punk outfit Be Your Own Pet, had a couple of good records over the past few years, and I was poised to pounce all over this solo effort and tear it to shreds, as I was certain it was going to be pretty piss-poor; I imagined fake punk studio stand-in instrumentation that was completely devoid of any trace of legitimacy. Everyone has that love-to-hate tendency about something or another, music critics doubly so. Needless to say, as this is a short review and the score is already visible (not that the reader doesn’t often check the score before reading, anyway), I was pleasantly surprised to find a somewhat convincing depth behind this young lady’s solo writing. She crosses the melody of Debbie Harry with the poise and resounding yelp of Johnny Rotten, but never leans too far toward ripping either one off.

Jemina actually pulled some all-star talent here, even though it sounds like a laundry list of name-drops straight out of Juno: Iggy Pop sings with her on “I Hate People” and Sonic Youth’s Thurston Moore was in the video for it. Her swagger alone makes her ten times more believable than Katy Perry, and though she lacks the insane vocal talent of Hayley Williams, she’s got a rough-hewn tangibility that neither of the other two can replicate; the choruses are fantastic to sing along to, the guitars are loud, and the lyrics are lovelorn and burnt at the edges. The kind of focus you get from having a unified group with a developed sound is somewhat diminished without her former bandmates, but the album is something of a modest success.

The exaggerated coughing outro for “So Sick!” is only enough of a subtle nod to AC/DC’s “The Jack” as to make you question whether it’s just coincidence, and therein lies the some of the charm. Miss Pearl obviously isn’t breaking any new ground, either in her own career or in the punk aesthetic, but it’s a pretty fun record, and undoubtedly an equally engaging live show.

Jemina Pearl’s “Looking For Trouble,” from Break It Up.

- JB

Debbie Harry, Joan Jett e Cindy Lauper!

“As comemorações em torno dos 50 anos da Barbie não páram. Além de um filme sobre a boneca anunciado recentemente pela fabricanteMattel em parceria com a Universal, agora a marca fala sobre o lançamento de versões pra colecionadores que vão deixar muito fã de música com água na boca. Perto do Natal, devem chegar às lojas versões de Debbie Harry, Joan Jett e Cindy Lauper da Barbie! ”

Via