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#gaga for theatrical entertainment value
novadreii · 3 years
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if the best pop singer in terms of raw ability in the 2010′s was jessie j, then the worst one is unquestionably selena gomez. super beautiful, all long and modely with a cute button face but holy shit, she cannot sing. not to save her own life.
edit: she is so closely followed by tswift it’s not even funny. taylor is marginally saved by the fact that she plays an instrument and writes songs, but i hate her boring image and repetitive themes that center around heartbreak. someone give her some weed and get her to a six flags or something to feel something else for once. her voice, while it used to be thin and off-key live, has improved a lot, but let’s not pretend she can sit in the same pew as adele, amy, bey, and co.
and solidly upper mid tier would be demi lovato. she has a big impressive voice with a scratchy sexiness to it, but struggles with consistency, occasionally control and being on-key. to be fair, she’s also been struggling with addiction so i can’t say i blame her.
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highlifesupernova · 3 years
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Kanye West is My Problematic Fave
Can we separate our favorite works of art from the artists who created them?
I'll admit at the outset of this piece that I don't know the answer to this question. Over the last three years, one of my favorite musicians has put on that red hat, released a terrible record about a misogynistic religion, and stood between an unrepentant homophobe and accused domestic abuser on the porch of a replica of his mother's home at a third listening party for an album that seemed like it would never be released. What does that mean for our relationship with his work?
The common thread among my favorite musicians is theatrics - I love nothing more than discovering a universe of sound, concept, and drama in a piece of music. I loved the idea that Sufjan Stevens would release fifty state albums. One of my favorite records of all time is a concept album about the American civil war by Titus Andronicus. Lady Gaga won my heart when she bled out on stage at the 2009 VMAs as commentary on paparazzi culture. I've been a fan of Kanye West (which sometimes feels more like being a Kanye West apologist) since he turned near-universal vilification after interrupting Taylor Swift's award acceptance speech on that same night into one of the most artistically complete albums I know - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy.
Although its artist remained polarizing, MBDTF achieved triumphant consensus among the public and critics alike. It topped best-of lists, produced the immortal singles "POWER" and "All Of the Lights", and earned a perfect 10 from the era's authority on "cool" music, Pitchfork (it also arguably set Pitchfork on the path to its fall from grace, but that's a whole other essay). The record is funny, sad, relatable, introspective, maximalist, and heavy on pop appeal. The Kanye West of MBDTF was disarmingly self aware. In lieu of apologetics, West invited us to experience his hedonistic, lush creative mind for an hour and eight minutes. He was unrepentantly an asshole, and reminded us that we all kind of were, too. He sold us darkness as an indulgence.
In addition to, or perhaps as a result of, being an incredible musical achievement, MBDTF gave West control over his public narrative. He'd been a talented, erratic figure in pop music for years, but with this crowning achievement he became the center of pop culture. He was no longer the egoistical Chicago producer with the backpack - he was the unconventional genius who had made one of the greatest hip hop records of all time. He moved into high art spaces, becoming a figure at fashion week, and ascended to the highest highs of celebrity, marrying one of the most famous women in the world. The public gave West a pass for his behavior because it seemed accessory to his brilliance.
The incident with Swift eventually began to take a backseat to West's music. In the years following the release of MBDTF, including the album cycle for Yeezus, his public persona was brash but ultimately benign. He declared himself a god, had some more close calls at awards shows, and liked some of the Gaga songs. He seemed to maintain control of his image, and his fans, including me, got used to defending him for his art.
Over time, possibly as West's mental health deteriorated, this showboating personality became an erratic one. He went through a MAGA phase, a cowboy phase, and ultimately a Jesus phase, each time expressing opinions that were difficult to rationalize with his prior moral alignment and unpopular among the young hip hop fans who hold him in high regard. It has gotten harder to be a fan. In an era where we've called into question whether a bad action can discredit someone's work, and sometimes find that to be justified, enjoying West's music makes me feel like I need to be ready to defend him as a person. I don't think I can in good faith. It's also hard to hang up my nostalgia for West's earlier work and my abiding adoration of his albums from the early 2010s.
The difficult thing about the case of Kanye West is that he has yet to cause material harm. He has come out with radioactively bad takes ("slavery was a choice"), aired his wife's dirty laundry in public, and associated with some of his more concretely morally delinquent peers. He hasn't, to the public's knowledge, hurt anyone. Engaging with West's work post-born-again-Christianity era might feel strange, but it isn't repugnant in the way that celebrating R. Kelly or Chris Brown is. Giving attention and accolades to someone with shitty opinions versus someone who has used their wealth and status to actively cause harm doesn't feel quite the same, and I don't think it should. Fans cling to this as evidence that we can separate West from his art, or perhaps that we don't need to. I have personally rationalized my support for West in this way.
I started this post intending to come to a different conclusion than the one I've come to since the release of Donda. I was going to talk about how our reactions to art aren't logical or rational, and how I think it's human nature to struggle with denying ourselves the things we love. Admittedly, I was writing this to defend my continued consumption of West's work to myself on the eve of the new record's release. I still think that reasoning holds, but I also think it applies to feeling betrayed by an artist and finding one's opinion of their art tainted as a result.
The Independent gave Donda a zero-star rating, citing accused intimate partner abuser Marilyn Manson and noted homophobe DaBaby's involvement with the record as an inexcusable flaw. This review has been derided to hell by the wider internet, and I don't disagree that perhaps it'd have been more professional to publish a refusal to review the album, but I also can't argue strongly in West's favor here. Even if his apparent statement of solidarity with Manson and DaBaby was an attempt at a demonstration of Christian forgiveness, it is a bad look for West to deliver that absolution without comment in a public platform. I was raised Catholic, and having to sit in that weird little confessional booth really drove home that Christian God expects repentance before he's granting anyone forgiveness. Forgiveness can be earned -- and there are many times when the public could stand to be a bit more merciful -- but it is certainly not given for free. Nobody is obligated to forgive Marilyn Manson, DaBaby, or Kanye West. If the album is unlistenable to someone in the context of their actions, that is a fair reaction.
For the record, I actually quite like Donda. I think it's a fine album and the rollout was entertaining. I also know its release was engineered for maximum shock value, and I don't like that Manson's alleged victims were collateral damage.
There's a shade of grey here that I think is often passed over when we talk about separating art and artists, a shade I think West actually leaned into perfectly in the lead up to MBDTF; the art we like can be taken in context of the things we don't like about it. Kanye West makes incredibly innovative music, and is also very difficult to defend as a public figure in good faith. Those two things have never been mutually exclusive, and synergism of the two is what has made West the cultural icon he is. We don't have to talk ourselves into things being unproblematic in order to like them, and it's okay to sit with unresolved discomfort about art.
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onestowatch · 4 years
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Raissa Is the DIY Artist With Dreams of Doing it All [Q&A]
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They say if you want something done right, do it yourself. Raissa has taken this idea and run with it. 
The 22-year-old is taking the music world by storm with her unabashed lyricism and unique creative direction. She proudly writes and produces all of her music, along with directing her music videos. In a landscape that can feel increasingly oversaturated, Raissa arrives like a breath of fresh air.
Raissa’s music is perfect for when you are deep in your feels but cannot quite put your emotions into words. She wears her heart on her sleeve and doesn’t shy away from being vulnerable in her songwriting. She is unapologetically herself and willing to bare it all in her lyricism. Whether it’s her self-love anthem “Angel Energy” or her untraditional love song “Bullying Boys,” Raissa is able to perfectly balance R&B musical elements with her soft and delicate vocals.
We caught up with Raissa to chat about finding inspiration in Lady Gaga’s theatrical stage presence and Joni Mitchell’s lyricism, staying wholly true to your vision, and the honesty found in writing and producing all her music. 
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Ones to Watch: What inspired you to start making music?
I come from a family of people who, even though they don’t work in music, have always been really big supporters of the arts, so I always grew up around a lot of music. Like when a David Bowie album would come out, we would go and buy it, like my parents have always been big lovers of music. It was very natural for me to start writing music at a really young age. I always felt like I was meant to be an entertainer and music was the one thing that felt easiest to make on my own time. It wasn’t a conscious decision to do it, it just kind of happened.
You mentioned David Bowie, what other artists influenced your musical style?
Prince and Bowie are definitely two huge inspirations. I’ve always been attracted to artists that are very theatrical and are playing a character. There’s a huge juxtaposition of the vulnerability in the music that they write and the theatre in how it’s presented like when you see them in concert or in a music video. Lady Gaga is another artist. I’m a massive fan. She made me feel like, from a young age, that there was room for me creatively to make music, especially as a girl. My songwriting background is more influenced by folk and singer-songwriter music like Leonard Cohen and Joni Mitchell. They made me want to write songs and see the importance of lyrics.
Of all the different places that you grew up, what made you settle down in London?
I came here for school. I got into a good school here, so I decided to go, it wasn’t so much that I really wanted to come to London. I was also looking at schools in the US, but your tuition is just a bit out of control (laughs). I grew up in Kuala Lumpur and I knew that I really wanted to leave, it didn’t really matter where I went.
You’ve gained quite the following in a very short period of time. Do you feel more pressure when you’re making music knowing so many people are listening now?
I actually feel less pressure. All I can really do is make people pay attention and be honest in my music. I feel like my fanbase is young, they’re really excited, and they have a real respect and love for artists. They come from such a place of love and excitement that it pushes me to do better and makes me really happy to be doing what I’m doing.
It’s so cool to see so many artists blow up purely because their fans love and support them. What specifically do you think is drawing people to your music?
I hear from a lot of people that my music makes them feel really empowered to be sensitive and vulnerable, which is always exactly what I’ve wanted to do with my work. There’s a strength in not always being strong and in being kind and hopeful and loving. I’m also just 1000% myself in everything that I do, and people really respond when they can tell an artist cares about their work. And nothing I ever do is cynical – that’s a really important rule for me. And I think that’s probably attractive for young people, too. Like they don’t have to feel silly for liking certain things.
Yeah it sometimes feels like there’s growing pressure to not get excited about things.
1000%. Like something’s either not intellectual enough or too ditzy or too pop or not pop enough. And it’s just like, yo, we are just here to have a good time (laughs).
So, I know you touched on it earlier, but can you take us through your creative process? What does making a song look like?
It really depends. I’ll be on the bus or in a car, and I’ll write a verse or chorus, or sometimes an entire song before I really know what the song sounds like. And then I’ll get into the studio and get on keys or on guitar and figure out the melody and work around that. I like to start with guitar or keys and then build the production around it later. And I like working in small spaces, usually just me and one of the producers that I’ve worked with a lot.
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Would you be open to working with other writers and producers in the future?
I’m not opposed to anything. I just finished up my EP and am about halfway through my album, and there have been no writers involved whatsoever except for myself. I’m super attached to my songwriting and can’t see myself ever singing someone else’s words. My music is like me standing up in front of people and just talking to them, and if someone else wrote what I’m saying, am I really the one talking to the crowd or is it someone else?
And the lyrics are why people connect to your music so much.
Yeah, I’ve seen so many people posting my lyrics or quoting songs in their Instagram captions. People get really attached to the images that I’ve written, which is such a great reaction. There was one girl who posted a video of herself dancing to “Bullying Boys” and I called my manager like screaming because you could tell she was just so excited and happy, and I know exactly how that feels. I used to be that girl dancing in front of my mirror.
What was directing your music videos like?
My manager called me and asked if I would be able to make a video for my song. I’ve always loved drawing and painting and learned how to use different creative software pretty quickly. I knew I wanted to condense a bunch of visual images I loved so I just figured out how to make that happen. I ordered a green screen on Amazon, taped it to the wall, and shot myself against it. It all felt very natural. I did my own makeup, picked out my own outfits, and made my own gloves. It was super fun! It’s made explaining my creative ideas to people much easier, too. If I’m ever in a creative meeting, I can show everyone exactly what I want and make mock-ups myself.
That’s so empowering too. You can do it yourself and get the exact vision you want. 
Yes, for sure. There’s so much value in your point of view and not compromising on it. I think its way more powerful to do a lower-quality project that’s completely true to your perspective than making something super high resolution that has no soul to it.
So, what can we expect from you for the rest of 2020?
An EP and an album! They’re one big story that fit together like two pieces of a puzzle. The EP is coming next month and titled Hero Girl. Every song will have its own piece of visual content. I honestly think it’s the best work that I’ve made to date. Not that there’s a ton to compare it to yet (laughs). And a merch drop along with the EP! I’m working on the design of it right now.
Final question, who are your Ones To Watch?
Mia Gladstone, Brevin Kim, and myself, why not! (laughs)
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honeysucklepink · 6 years
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#7: Born This Way
While “Don't Stop Believin’” may be the Glee anthem, “Born This Way” is certainly a contender. This anthem encapsulates everything that the show is about, including the idea that we should all flaunt our flaws and be proud of our individuality. The song adheres closely to Lady Gaga's original; but hey, the glee club nails the vigor and passion required for the song. The performance just has infectious energy complete with Chris Colfer’s tremendous attitude and some awesome dancing. It’s a treat for both the ears and the eyes.
#5: Defying Gravity
This performance proves that you don't need production values and theatrics to put on a great show; sometimes all you need is the spotlight and a fantastic voice. Both Rachel and Kurt perform “Defying Gravity’ from the musical Wicked, and both are equally great. Kurt's mesmerizing performance makes the fact that he intentionally blew the song to protect his father even more difficult and emotional. The scene is based on Chris Colfer’s real experience, as his high school teacher wouldn't allow him to perform the role of Elphaba due to his gender, and his residual emotion is on full display in this beautiful and touching performance.
#3: The Scientist
This episode isn't called “The Break Up” for nothing. Here, Finn and Rachel, Kurt and Blaine, and Santana and Brittany, all end their relationships. And what better song to accompany the depression then Coldplay's moving ballad, “The Scientist?” The imagery alone makes this performance iconic, with the dark outfits and motionless performers giving the song a suitable air of sorrow and grief. The waterworks really start flowing when the strings and harmonizing kick in, complete with flashbacks to happier times. It's both one of the show's saddest moments and a great cover of an iconic modern song.
#1: Cough Syrup
There is perhaps no sadder scene in the entirety of Glee than this. Blaine performs Young the Giant’s “Cough Syrup” with intermingled images of Karofsky preparing for suicide. Darren Criss does an amazing job in relaying the pain behind the song, and Max Adler's performance as the pained and suicidal Karofsky is simply heartbreaking. The editing, difficult subject matter, lyrics, and Criss's stellar vocals combine to create an overwhelmingly emotional sequence. Glee entertains but it also has repeatedly shown its ability to touch viewers on a deeply personal level. We don't know about you, but we cry every time.
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The Hollywood Bowl: Where Angelinos Celebrate Summer
It is summer in Hollywood. Except it is not. Most entertainment venues are closed. Movie theaters sit empty. There are few tourists ogling the Walk of Fame and the newly created Black Lives Matter street mural on Hollywood Boulevard. Musso and Frank’s has launched take out service. Masks are no longer just for superhero characters busking in the courtyard of the Chinese Theatre. Social distancing is the current norm.
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The strange sense of “life suspended” is felt most deeply by the cancellation of the Hollywood Bowl season. The venue has not been dark during its summer season in more than 98 years; the official centennial will be marked in 2022 (something to look forward to). The Bowl IS summer in Hollywood: every style of music on the planet, picnics, fireworks, graduations, and dates under the stars. My mood lifts the minute I enter its gates, and I know I’m not alone. Music-filled air in an outdoor amphitheater in the wooded Cahuenga Pass with a (sometime) view of the Hollywood Sign. It just does not get much better.
What better time to pause and reflect on just what a community achievement the Bowl has been. Over 100 years ago, the Hollywood community was just beginning to create a vision of what it wanted to be: a place known for the visual and performing arts worldwide. Outdoor venues played a role from the start. At the turn of the century, Paul de Longpres’ gallery and gardens set the tone for art in Hollywood. Creators of a relatively new art form called “motion pictures” chose Hollywood as their base. Legitimate theater productions and opulent religiously themed pageants were developed; the casts were often actors from the New York stage transplanted to the West Coast to work in the movies. Hollywood formed a chorale and a local orchestra. By the end of World War I, Hollywood had been a part of the City of Los Angeles for less than a decade. Its population of affluent, educated transplants from the Midwest and East Coast needed to be entertained. Music was key.
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In 1918, a patron of the arts from Philadelphia, Christine Wetherill Stevenson, came to Southern California to produce performances of Light of Asia, written by Sir Edwin Arnold and adapted by Hollywood resident, Georgina Wharton Jones. Stevenson, an ardent member of the Theosophical Society, whose local chapter was headquartered on Krotona Hill in Hollywood, demonstrated with the production that theatrical performances outdoors were feasible and valued. In collaboration with local leaders, including poet and songwriter Carrie Jacobs Bond, director DW Griffith, developer CE Toberman, Marie Rankin Clarke and a host of others, she formed the Theater Arts Alliance and began searching for a location with superior acoustics. In the canyon just north of the Hollywood Hotel, Toberman found parcels owned by Myra Hershey, the hotel’s proprietor, and several others which fit the bill. More than 50 acres were assembled; the funds came from Mrs. Stevenson and Mrs. Clarke on behalf of the Alliance. Differences of opinion soon arose about the use of the venue, originally known as Daisy Dell.  
Mrs. Stevenson wanted the site for Theosophical events while most others wanted it used for musical purposes. By 1920, Mrs. Stevenson became disenchanted with the concept, the perceived slowness of fundraising, and left the project. The Arts Alliance was dissolved and replaced by the Community Park and Art Association, consisting of many of the same players. They were joined by community and music leaders FW Blanchard, William Merritt Garland, Harry Chandler, George Eastman, architect Frank Meline, and pianist Artie Mason Carter. Carter, a “good mixer and organizer” according to EO Palmer, took the lead, organizing an Easter Sunrise service in 1921 and began “Symphonies Under the Stars” with world renowned musicians which quickly drew audiences of 15,000 by 1925. The first stage elements built in 1922-23 were rudimentary, but the offerings were diverse. Local Native Americans continued to use the site for various events. Prices started at 25 cents.
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The 60 acres of land was transferred to the County of Los Angeles in 1924, forming a partnership which allowed Allied Architects to put in more permanent seating and stage infrastructure. Bench seating, box seats, and various configurations of the stage evolved through the years. Capacity was increased, but degraded the acoustics, a problem that recurred well into this century. Architect Lloyd Wright designed a pyramidal shell from lumber originally used in the sets of Robin Hood in 1927. That lasted only a year, so Wright followed up with an arched shape of concentric rings the next year, variations of which became the norm for future designs as the shells were replaced in 1929 and again in 2003. A reflecting pool graced the front of the stage from 1953-1972. At the entrance on Highland Avenue stands the monumental Muse Fountain by George Stanley. Picnic and parking areas, a museum and restaurants are also tucked into the wooded site.
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Featured in A Star is Born (1937), Double Indemnity (1944), Tom and Jerry and Bugs Bunny cartoons, not to mention countless other TV and films, right up to today’s NBC family drama This is Us, the location is a star in its own right. It quickly became a goal of every major performer in classical, jazz, rock, punk, rap and international music to play the Bowl. Beginning with performances by violinist Jascha Heifitz, jazz great Benny Goodman, Frank Sinatra, and Marian Anderson, the Bowl gained worldwide renown by the 1950s. A financial crisis closed the venue for two weeks in 1951 while the Board regrouped with new leaders including Dorothy Buffum Chandler. 
The parade of luminaries soon continued with Nat King Cole, Peggy Lee, Van Cliburn, Ella Fitzgerald, and Louis Armstrong. The ‘60s saw rock ‘n roll added to the classical musical lineup of the Hollywood Bowl Symphony, featuring tunes by the Beatles, the Beach Boys, Bob Dylan, and the Rolling Stones. Subsequent decades also hosted Santana, the Grateful Dead, The Eagles, Elton John, as well as YoYo Ma, Pavarotti, John Williams, Baryshnikov, Willie Nelson, the Dixie Chicks, and Lady Gaga with Tony Bennett. Broadway musicals were adapted; movies projected on huge screens brought the medium full circle. “The talent onstage has changed, but the audience relationship with the Bowl has remained constant—one year stretching into the next, until the parade of time can be marked by shared moments in this place,” wrote one LA Times writer earlier this year.
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We look forward to the time when the canyon will once again echo with music, when fireworks and performances awe, and friends gather over picnics and wine in this unrivaled cultural facility. In the meantime, a trip through our photo collection of the Bowl will have to tide you over, along with the virtual presentations planned by Gustavo Dudamel on KCET/PBS starting August 19th. Six episodes composed of past performances will constitute “the 2020 season.” And you better believe, it ends with fireworks.
~ Christy McAvoy, Historic Hollywood Photographs
Sources: Bruce Torrence archives; EO Palmer; The LA Times; In Concert at the Hollywood Bowl website
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mastcomm · 4 years
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Renewing the World (or the Theater, at Least)
BERLIN — When a new play from one of Germany’s leading avant-garde theatermakers sells out a 2,000-seat venue, you know the world’s gone topsy-turvy. Imagine Robert Wilson debuting a show to a full house at Radio City Music Hall!
Yet, since October, a huge revue theater in the heart of Berlin, the Friedrichstadt-Palast, has been selling out every night it presents a new work from the acclaimed writer-director René Pollesch. (In 2021, Pollesch will become the artistic director of the high-minded Berlin Volksbühne.)
At the cavernous Friedrichstadt-Palast, the show shares the schedule with “Vivid,” an over-the-top, Vegas-style extravaganza that is about as far in tone from serious theater as you can get. This irony clearly hasn’t been lost on Pollesch, whose play seems to refute “Vivid’s” sleek, razzle-dazzle aesthetic at every turn, starting with its mouthful of a title.
“Believing in the Possibility of the World’s Complete Renewal” (“Glauben an die M��glichkeit der völligen Erneuerung der Welt”) is a minimalist chamber drama set loose on one of the world’s largest stages. Don’t expect death-defying acrobatics or rousing musical numbers. It’s a mordantly funny monologue about isolation and alienation that fuses personal reminiscences with critiques of capitalism.
As its star, Fabian Hinrichs, pontificates about loneliness, 27 dancers from the “Vivid” cast follow him around the stage like dutiful children, imitating Hinrichs’s gestures and poses and occasionally breaking into a choreographed number.
Wandering the auditorium and stage in a gold bodysuit, the sad, funny figure of Hinrichs, who is billed as co-director, intones his laconic and disjointed soliloquy with consummate theatricality (and often without a microphone). Is this melancholy poetry or tragically chic drivel? Pollesch seems to want it both ways.
In addition to the dance troupe, “Believing in the Possibility” also recycles staging elements from “Vivid,” including a gliding futuristic bridge and trippy laser lights. Such allusions seem intended to send up that vacuous blockbuster, whose non-songs and bizarre sets are periodically enlivened by muscular acrobatics and outlandish costumes. (Think second- or third-rate Cirque du Soleil.) At the same time, there’s a note of poignancy to Pollesch’s text and Hinrichs’s delivery: Against the odds, they make you believe in the sincerity of this undertaking.
Local critics have gone gaga for “Believing in the Possibility,” and much of the enthusiasm probably is owed to Pollesch’s cult status here. But despite Hinrichs’s blistering performance and Pollesch’s unmistakable prose, the show feels slight, dwarfed less by the Friedrichstadt-Palast’s massive stage than by the all the hype.
Inviting a serious avant-garde director to work at such a huge commercial venue is both an act of folly and a publicity stunt, and I wonder how much the show’s success has had to do with its breathless marketing, which promises the event of the century. The show’s initial run has been limited to a dozen performances, but the Friedrichstadt-Palast’s website teases that more may be coming in 2021.
Few could have foreseen that Pollesch would ever play the Friedrichstadt-Palast; but I suspect the Friedrichstadt-Palast is also playing him.
“Believing in the Possibility of the World’s Complete Renewal” could also serve as the slogan for Stefan Pucher’s production of “King Lear” at the Münchner Kammerspiele in Munich. In this new translation by Thomas Melle, Lear’s ungrateful daughters are radical feminists calling for the dismantling of the patriarchy by any means necessary. Surprisingly, it works.
The production shifts the emphasis away from Lear’s madness and focuses on the king’s refusal to stand aside after ceding power to the next, female generation. While he clings to his privileges, his heirs set about dismantling those traditional power structures.
Regan and Goneril are usually portrayed as scheming, bloodthirsty villains, but here they are guided by noble ideas. Understanding them as feminist crusaders neither cheapens their struggle nor excuses their wickedness. Melle does not go for moral relativism, and he does not exonerate the daughters for their villainy.
Despite Melle’s deep cuts — including to the dramatis personae — the plot is left pretty intact. But there are some unexpected changes, including a much-younger-than-usual Lear (played with abrasive bluster by Thomas Schmauser) and a clever gender-switch for Gloucester (the commanding Wiebke Puls), who chastises the king’s rogue daughters at her peril. Another standout is the charming and chameleonlike Samouil Stoyanov, who does double duty as Kent and the Fool.
The unnatural cruelty of children to their parents registers with forceful immediacy in this visually vibrant production. Set loose on Nina Peller’s pop-glam set (a single-story, rotating house topped by a billboard announcing “The End”), nine exciting actors from the Kammerspiele’s permanent company bring the story to contemporary life, fabulously attired in Annabelle Witt’s eclectic costumes.
Increasingly, “Lear” feels like the play of the moment on Germany’s stages. While the world seems to go to hell in a handbasket, directors from Hamburg to Stuttgart have turned to Shakespeare’s bleakest tragedy to comment on the broken times in which we live. The Kammerspiele’s absorbing production proves that an old chestnut can be refreshed with clever and sensitive modification.
Another contemporary take on a classic currently at the Kammerspiele is far less successful. In “Die Räuberinnen” (“The Robbers”), an all-female deconstruction of Friedrich Schiller’s 1781 play, the director Leonie Böhm reduces the five-act melodrama to a plotless 80 minutes. Schiller’s memorable characters represent Enlightenment values, but Böhm refuses to treat them as avatars of abstract ideals. Instead, they address the audience in confessional monologues that can be painfully personal, or funny, or both.
Throughout the brisk performance, the focus remains on the protagonists’ psychological profiles. The direct addresses, developed by Böhm together with her actresses, are lively, and the acting is engaging, but the production meanders despite the energetic performances.
These include Julia Riedler’s ultracool Karl, the play’s hero, who leads a band of honorable robbers in the Bohemian forest, and Gro Swantje Kohlhof, who as Karl’s rival, Spiegelberg, ad-libs a lengthy and increasingly manic speech while standing on a seat in the middle of the audience.
A massive cumulous cloud dominates the production. Eventually, a storm arrives, dousing the stage in rain for the last 20 minutes. The actresses peel off their clothes and slide around sopping wet wearing next to nothing. Does the rain come to wash away the male-dominated canon of Western culture?
There is something both exhilarating and weary about this zany finale. As gleefully anarchic as it is, it feels sloppy and vague. When it comes to renewing the world onstage, more precision and focus is required. Creating a utopia, even a theatrical one, is serious business.
Glauben an die Möglichkeit der völligen Erneuerung der Welt. Directed by René Pollesch. Friedrichstadt-Palast, Berlin. Through March 5. König Lear. Directed by Stefan Pucher. Münchner Kammerspiele. Through March 17. Die Räuberinnen. Directed by Leonie Böhm. Münchner Kammerspiele. Through March 31.
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uniquepuppytrash · 4 years
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MOST POPULAR FASHION  BRAND  - VERSACE
Gianni Versace S.r.l. (Italian pronunciation: [ˈdʒanni verˈsaːtʃe]), usually referred to simply as Versace, is an Italian luxury fashion company and trade name founded by Gianni Versace in 1978. The main collection of the brand is Versace, which produces upmarket Italian-made ready-to-wear and leather accessories.
In the fashion world, Gianni Versace is credited with being the first to blend fashion and Rock & Roll, influencing pop culture with a force never seen before. Having been a costume designer for many years, Versace dressed top celebrity artists for stage, including Tina Turner, Elton John, and Madonna.
The merging of fashion and music cultures quickly translated into the now common practice of seating celebrities in the front row of fashion shows, giving credibility to the fashion labels in the minds of consumers. Becoming a celebrity himself through this practice, Gianni Versace went on to dress some of the world’s most distinguished people of his time, including Princess Diana of Wales.
Versace’s celebrity also helped to establish the celebrity of others, launching the careers of “supermodels” like Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford, and Christy Turlington. Actress Elizabeth Hurley was virtually unknown before wearing the now famous “Safety Pin Dress” when she accompanied Hugh Grant at the premiere of Four Weddings and a Funeral in 1994.
Gianni Versace was a highly decorated designer, with truly award-winning style. He received an American Fashion Oscar in 1993, as well as theater’s Maschera D’Argento prize for his achievements in theatrical costume design. Versace’s designs have also been featured around the world in prestigious museums, such as Chicago’s National Field Museum, London’s Royal College of Art, Japan’s Kobe City Museum and Germany’s Kunstgewerbem
After having influenced the world through fashion culture, the House of Versace experienced a nearly fatal blow when founder and visionary, Gianni Versace, was murdered in front of his Miami home in 1997 by serial killer Andrew Cunanan. Versace’s killer would later commit suicide with the same gun, leaving officials and the family no answers concerning the reason why Versace was targeted and killed. Cunanan senselessly murdered at least five people including Versace on a killing spree that lasted three months.
Donatella Versace – A New Vision
Credited by her late brother, Gianni Versace, as his muse, Donatella Versace has risen to power in the fashion world by revitalizing and redefining Versace style for modern times. Having worked as a stylist for her brother Gianni and being a designer in her own right, Donatella was the clear choice to continue the line.  Through hard work and innovation, Donatella Versace has become notorious for rebellious but elegant sensuality in her designs, and her connection to some of today’s most bold and outrageous music artists, including Lady Gaga and Nicki Minaj.
Although the death of Gianni Versace rocked both the fashion world and the House of Versace with an impact that would be felt for years to come, Donatella Versace successfully rose from the ashes. She continued to influence popular culture through music with the donning of Jennifer Lopez in the now famous “Green Versace Dress” she wore when she accompanied Sean “P Diddy” Combs to the Grammy Awards in 2000. Versace would officially enter the 21st Century with a fresh interpretation of celebrity style, and go on to become an illustrious symbol of American affluence and influence.  
Today, Versace is a household name. The star power of both Gianni and Donatella Versace has translated into infusion of the Versace brand and style into music and entertainment media, appealing especially to young and urban audiences.
Lady Gaga, an admitted muse of Donatella Versace, modeled for the brand in spring of 2014, and released an upbeat song called, “Donatella”, homage to the fashion icon and style mentor.
The rap group Migos expresses the urban connection to the brand in a song called, “Versace”, in which the remix by Canadian rap star Drake instantly went viral.
The fame of the House of Versace has even been expressed on screen, in the made-for-TV movie, The House of Versace, by the Lifetime network. Supposing to be a biographical account of the events surrounding the untimely death of Gianni Versace and Donatella’s rise to power, Donatella Versace calls the film “a work of fiction” and refuses to endorse it.
Now recognized worldwide, Versace is best known for the Medusa head, Greek key, and gold chain design elements. These quintessential features were made popular by the brand and have been essential to the Versace fashion line since its inception. Of the Medusa head logo, Donatella Versace says, “In mythology, the Medusa can petrify people with a look — which is a good thing, I think. But the Medusa is a unique symbol — something strong. It’s about going all the way.” Connecting their Italian roots to the strength of Medusa, the House of Versace seeks to make women and men feel bold, strong, and empowered through beauty and expressive personal style.
The Versace ready-to-wear brand aesthetic is an evolution of edgy, modern chic, meant for men and women who use their look to turn heads and express power. Versace haute couture embodies sensual elegance, yet uses strong lines and colors to contrast hard and soft in a way that causes classical glamour to evolve into a new look that is modern and relevant. The Versace brand is iconic for intense, sleek, fashion forward style.
The name Versace now covers a wide range of fashion offerings, from haute couture to retail fashion, making the luxury of Versace available to everyone. The Atelier Versace line is a custom, handmade, one-of-a-kind haute couture line that is responsible for dressing international celebrities such as Jennifer Lopez, Claudia Schiffer, and Angelina Jolie.
Versace Shoes
Versace is also known for their super sexy shoes, handbags, and sunglasses. Inspired by classic Greek footwear and designed with a modern twist, Versace shoes are always an indication of where fashion is headed. Made with the richest materials, Versace shoes are indulgent and bold, with a style signature that is highly recognizable by the fashion elite.
Perfectly complementing the shoes are Versace handbags, which often feature oversized classic Versace design elements, like the Medusa head, Greek key, or gold studs and safety pins. A favorite of celebrities, Versace eyewear is glamorous and ostentatious, yet sleek in execution. The often oversized sunglasses demand attention, and have become an important fashion accessory.
In addition to clothing and accessories, Versace produces many fragrances for men and women. Versace also offers luxury home furnishings, including furniture and tableware. The brand will no doubt continue to grow under the design leadership of Donatella Versace, introducing new products and lines as the demand for Versace style in every area of life continues to grow.
Today, Versace is currently valued at $5.8 billion. The success of the brand over the past three decades has caused the net worth of the company to continue to rise, despite the brief period of decline after Gianni Versace’s untimely death.
Gianni and Donatella Versace With Elton John
Versace Home Collection
Versace  Perfumes
Versus Versace
Lady Gaga For Versace
Jennifer Lopez In Versace Grammy’s Dress
Versace Heels
Versace Women’s Accessories
Versace Palazzo Bag
Versace Greek Key Medusa Logo
Versace Sunglasses Collection
Gianni Versace Fashion Show
Princess Diana and Elton John By Gianni’s Funeral
Donatella With Nicki Minaj in Versace For H&M
Angelina Jolie In
Versace Wedding Dress
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titoslondon-blog · 6 years
Text
New Post has been published on Titos London
#Blog New Post has been published on http://www.titoslondon.in/angels-or-demons-political-shadow-hangs-over-victorias-secret-china-show/
Angels or demons? Political shadow hangs over Victoria’s Secret China show
By: Reuters | Shanghai | Published:November 20, 2017 10:24 pm China has long kept tight control of performers it allows into the country. Justin Bieber, Lady Gaga, Bjork and Bon Jovi are all banned over perceived bad behaviour or for broaching sensitive topics like Tibet or Taiwan. (Source: AP, Reuters) Related News
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Victoria’s Secret’s glitzy annual fashion show hits the stage in China on Monday night for the first time, but will do so without several of its “angels” and star names who had been expected to attend, including model Gigi Hadid and pop singer Katy Perry. Hadid has confirmed her absence, while reports have swirled ahead of the show about visas being denied over political sensitivities and strict controls around the Shanghai event – a potential headache for the brand famed for its racy lingerie.
Perry and Hadid have both drawn criticism in state media and online in China, the former for appearing at a concert in 2015 to show support for Taiwan, a self-governed island that China considers a wayward province and an integral part of its territory. The furore underscores the challenges for global firms looking to hold major live events in China, even as music producers, Hollywood and sporting franchises increasingly look to tap into the country’s fast-growing entertainment market.
“Brands have to be much more aware of politically or morally sensitive topics here,” said Ben Cavender, Shanghai-based principal at China Market Research Group, adding the lure of the market meant most people would nevertheless take risks. “It’s a very different political environment than their home markets and we’re at a time when China is on a drive to clean up behaviour and push a sort of moral code.”
China has long kept tight control of performers it allows into the country. Justin Bieber, Lady Gaga, Bjork and Bon Jovi are all banned over perceived bad behaviour or for broaching sensitive topics like Tibet or Taiwan. Under President Xi Jinping, a push to reinforce socialist “core values” in cultural products from video games to music shows has also meant firms like game developer NetEase Inc to the producers of the Grammy Awards have had to clean up their offerings.
Hadid, penned to be one of the Victoria’s Secret “Angels” at the show, tweeted last week she was no longer attending. The tweet followed a video posted online of her squinting her eyes while holding a small Buddha statue drew ire in China. US media reports said Perry was denied a visa due to support for Taiwan at a 2015 show where she draped a flag of the democratic island around her shoulders.
Influential state-run Chinese tabloid the Global Times wrote in an editorial ahead of the show that it was “logical” the two had been denied visas due to their past actions. “Payback was unavoidable. Those who are serious about developing careers in the Chinese market can draw lessons from this case and learn to abide by the rules in China,” it said.
Victoria’s Secret did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Asked whether or why Hadid and Perry had been banned from coming to China, Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said he did not know any of the details of the situation, but reiterated that China welcomed foreigners to visit to carry out “normal” business, tourism and cultural activities and issues visas to those who meet the conditions. “But at the same time I want to say that like all other countries, China as a sovereign state has the right to decide itself in accordance with its laws and policies whether or not to issue papers to foreign citizens,” Lu said, without elaborating.
Reuters could not reach Hadid for comment. Perry did not respond to a request for comment.
The show, held in Paris last year, blends fashion, fantasy and entertainment, and has featured scores of supermodels, celebrities and musicians since its inception in 1996. The firm claims to sell the world’s “sexiest panties and lingerie”. The pre-show theatrics are an unwelcome distraction as Victoria’s Secret looks to grow in a women’s underwear market expected to hit $33 billion by 2020, according to Euromonitor. The firm opened its first mainland store in Shanghai this year.
But getting in the government’s bad book would be even worse, said Ryan Bao, a Beijing-based executive at SM Entertainment. South Korean performers he worked with had been frozen out over the last year amid a political standoff between Beijing and Seoul. “The government is very smart. It wouldn’t openly say someone was banned or give the reason, but would find a way to keep them out anyway,” he said.
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melindarowens · 6 years
Text
Angels or demons? Political shadow hangs over Victoria’s Secret China show
November 20, 2017
By Adam Jourdan
SHANGHAI (Reuters) – Victoria’s Secret’s glitzy annual fashion show hits the stage in China on Monday night for the first time, but will do so without several of its “angels” and star names who had been expected to attend, including model Gigi Hadid and pop singer Katy Perry.
Hadid has confirmed her absence, while reports have swirled ahead of the show about visas being denied over political sensitivities and strict controls around the Shanghai event – a potential headache for the brand famed for its racy lingerie.
Perry and Hadid have both drawn criticism in state media and online in China, the former for appearing at a concert in 2015 to show support for Taiwan, a self-governed island that China considers a wayward province and an integral part of its territory.
The furor underscores the challenges for global firms looking to hold major live events in China, even as music producers, Hollywood and sporting franchises increasingly look to tap into the country’s fast-growing entertainment market.
“Brands have to be much more aware of politically or morally sensitive topics here,” said Ben Cavender, Shanghai-based principal at China Market Research Group, adding the lure of the market meant most people would nevertheless take risks.
“It’s a very different political environment than their home markets and we’re at a time when China is on a drive to clean up behavior and push a sort of moral code.”
China has long kept tight control of performers it allows into the country. Justin Bieber, Lady Gaga, Bjork and Bon Jovi are all banned over perceived bad behavior or for broaching sensitive topics like Tibet or Taiwan.
Under President Xi Jinping, a push to reinforce socialist “core values” in cultural products from video games to music shows has also meant firms like game developer NetEase Inc to the producers of the Grammy Awards have had to clean up their offerings.
Hadid, penned to be one of the Victoria’s Secret “Angels” at the show, tweeted last week she was no longer attending. The tweet followed a video posted online of her squinting her eyes while holding a small Buddha statue drew ire in China.
U.S. media reports said Perry was denied a visa due to support for Taiwan at a 2015 show where she draped a flag of the democratic island around her shoulders.
Influential state-run Chinese tabloid the Global Times wrote in an editorial ahead of the show that it was “logical” the two had been denied visas due to their past actions.
“Payback was unavoidable. Those who are serious about developing careers in the Chinese market can draw lessons from this case and learn to abide by the rules in China,” it said.
Victoria’s Secret did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Asked whether or why Hadid and Perry had been banned from coming to China, Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said he did not know any of the details of the situation, but reiterated that China welcomed foreigners to visit to carry out “normal” business, tourism and cultural activities and issues visas to those who meet the conditions.
“But at the same time I want to say that like all other countries, China as a sovereign state has the right to decide itself in accordance with its laws and policies whether or not to issue papers to foreign citizens,” Lu said, without elaborating.
Reuters could not reach Hadid for comment. Perry did not respond to a request for comment.
The show, held in Paris last year, blends fashion, fantasy and entertainment, and has featured scores of supermodels, celebrities and musicians since its inception in 1996. The firm claims to sell the world’s “sexiest panties and lingerie”.
The pre-show theatrics are an unwelcome distraction as Victoria’s Secret looks to grow in a women’s underwear market expected to hit $33 billion by 2020, according to Euromonitor. The firm opened its first mainland store in Shanghai this year.
But getting in the government’s bad book would be even worse, said Ryan Bao, a Beijing-based executive at SM Entertainment. South Korean performers he worked with had been frozen out over the last year amid a political standoff between Beijing and Seoul.
“The government is very smart. It wouldn’t openly say someone was banned or give the reason, but would find a way to keep them out anyway,” he said.
(Reporting by Adam Jourdan; Additional reporting by Pei Li and Jiang Xihao, and Ben Blanchard in BEIJING; Editing by Christopher Cushing)
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everettwilkinson · 6 years
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Angels or demons? Political shadow hangs over Victoria’s Secret China show
November 20, 2017
By Adam Jourdan
SHANGHAI (Reuters) – Victoria’s Secret’s glitzy annual fashion show hits the stage in China on Monday night for the first time, but will do so without several of its “angels” and star names who had been expected to attend, including model Gigi Hadid and pop singer Katy Perry.
Hadid has confirmed her absence, while reports have swirled ahead of the show about visas being denied over political sensitivities and strict controls around the Shanghai event – a potential headache for the brand famed for its racy lingerie.
Perry and Hadid have both drawn criticism in state media and online in China, the former for appearing at a concert in 2015 to show support for Taiwan, a self-governed island that China considers a wayward province and an integral part of its territory.
The furor underscores the challenges for global firms looking to hold major live events in China, even as music producers, Hollywood and sporting franchises increasingly look to tap into the country’s fast-growing entertainment market.
“Brands have to be much more aware of politically or morally sensitive topics here,” said Ben Cavender, Shanghai-based principal at China Market Research Group, adding the lure of the market meant most people would nevertheless take risks.
“It’s a very different political environment than their home markets and we’re at a time when China is on a drive to clean up behavior and push a sort of moral code.”
China has long kept tight control of performers it allows into the country. Justin Bieber, Lady Gaga, Bjork and Bon Jovi are all banned over perceived bad behavior or for broaching sensitive topics like Tibet or Taiwan.
Under President Xi Jinping, a push to reinforce socialist “core values” in cultural products from video games to music shows has also meant firms like game developer NetEase Inc to the producers of the Grammy Awards have had to clean up their offerings.
Hadid, penned to be one of the Victoria’s Secret “Angels” at the show, tweeted last week she was no longer attending. The tweet followed a video posted online of her squinting her eyes while holding a small Buddha statue drew ire in China.
U.S. media reports said Perry was denied a visa due to support for Taiwan at a 2015 show where she draped a flag of the democratic island around her shoulders.
Influential state-run Chinese tabloid the Global Times wrote in an editorial ahead of the show that it was “logical” the two had been denied visas due to their past actions.
“Payback was unavoidable. Those who are serious about developing careers in the Chinese market can draw lessons from this case and learn to abide by the rules in China,” it said.
Victoria’s Secret did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Asked whether or why Hadid and Perry had been banned from coming to China, Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said he did not know any of the details of the situation, but reiterated that China welcomed foreigners to visit to carry out “normal” business, tourism and cultural activities and issues visas to those who meet the conditions.
“But at the same time I want to say that like all other countries, China as a sovereign state has the right to decide itself in accordance with its laws and policies whether or not to issue papers to foreign citizens,” Lu said, without elaborating.
Reuters could not reach Hadid for comment. Perry did not respond to a request for comment.
The show, held in Paris last year, blends fashion, fantasy and entertainment, and has featured scores of supermodels, celebrities and musicians since its inception in 1996. The firm claims to sell the world’s “sexiest panties and lingerie”.
The pre-show theatrics are an unwelcome distraction as Victoria’s Secret looks to grow in a women’s underwear market expected to hit $33 billion by 2020, according to Euromonitor. The firm opened its first mainland store in Shanghai this year.
But getting in the government’s bad book would be even worse, said Ryan Bao, a Beijing-based executive at SM Entertainment. South Korean performers he worked with had been frozen out over the last year amid a political standoff between Beijing and Seoul.
“The government is very smart. It wouldn’t openly say someone was banned or give the reason, but would find a way to keep them out anyway,” he said.
(Reporting by Adam Jourdan; Additional reporting by Pei Li and Jiang Xihao, and Ben Blanchard in BEIJING; Editing by Christopher Cushing)
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from CapitalistHQ.com https://capitalisthq.com/angels-or-demons-political-shadow-hangs-over-victorias-secret-china-show/
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ricardosousalemos · 7 years
Text
Father John Misty: Pure Comedy
Father John Misty presents a sprawling double-feature: the skewering of an infantile generation, and the self-skewering of its author. From the mind of an apocalyptically inclined neurotic, who reads Žižek and Freud and believes humanity is condemned to moral chaos, comes Pure Comedy, a grueling, often inspired odyssey that screams to be taken as art. Across its 75 minutes, humility is scarce. In one song, having indexed the species’ flaws, he reprimands God: “Try something less ambitious next time you get bored.” It is intense, fatalistic, exhausting, and grandiose—sometimes devastating, sometimes pretentious. (Regarding love—he’s not really doing that anymore.) So yes, it is a Father John Misty album, and Josh Tillman still excels at tormenting those unlucky souls who enjoy his music.
The record is also Tillman’s first opportunity to confront pop culture from the frontline. After releasing I Love You, Honeybear, whose inquiry into romance and masculine folly won many hearts, he coasted through the last two years as an indie firebrand. He perfected theatrical cynicism, sarcastically covering Taylor Swift, trolling music sites, claiming responsibility for a stolen crystal and using the coverage to denounce health food. He shot a video with Lana Del Rey, who shares something of his postmodern mystique, and wrote for Lady Gaga and Beyoncé, who do not.
That behind him, the Pure Comedy circus kicked into gear at a New Jersey folk festival last July. Instead of his songs, Tillman performed a rambling soliloquy, triangulating Trump anxiety, the obstetrical dilemma hypothesis, corporate evil, folksy escapism, and the “fucked up entertainment complex.” Along with all those themes, Pure Comedy channels the speech’s righteous delirium, a rhetorical mode Tillman finds irresistible. If his confessions favor ironic distance, his big-picture theses exude something close to rapture. “The Memo,” a highlight here, smashes together cynicism and compassion, with Tillman declaring that it’s “not self-love that kills you,” it's when “those who hate you” are allowed to profit from your vulnerability. Such sermons are typically repelling, but what saves him from insufferable smartassery—for the most part—is his ability to turn yelling at clouds into a grand form of entertainment.
Pure Comedy follows the thread of Honeybear outliers “Holy Shit” and “Bored in the USA.” The latter concealed sincerity beneath melodrama, its mockery of “middle-class problems” complicated by troubling reflections on depression. Those uncomfortable collisions—bourgeois ills explored through otherwise sympathetic characters—emerge throughout Pure Comedy. 
Beneath Pure Comedy’s synth-dappled country, blue-eyed soul, and pop fashioned after George Harrison is a battleground filled with religion, pop culture, technology, and neoliberalism. To open “Things It Would Have Been Helpful to Know Before the Revolution,” a wonderful portrait of life after the climate apocalypse, Tillman nonchalantly topples capitalism: “It got too hot,” he sings, “And so we overthrew the system.” Midway in, an orchestral cacophony swirls into an outrageous chorus, which I’m sure Tillman would love to see quoted unabridged:
“Industry and commerce toppled to their knees The gears of progress halted The underclass set free The super-ego shattered with our ideologies The obscene injunction to enjoy life Disappears as in a dream And as we returned to our native state To our primal scene The temperature, it started dropping And the ice floes began to freeze”
The indulgence is pure Tillman. But the passage, in all its mad glory, matches the size of the task, particularly in times of total dysfunction. It’s never been easier to sympathize with Tillman’s pomposity. Only in the song’s conclusion does the façade collapse, as “visionaries” start developing products that will rejoin this new society with capitalist realism. A cop-out, maybe, but who else would have copped in to begin with?
While “Revolution” is its least discreet flirtation with utopianism, Pure Comedy makes plenty of time to call bullshit on visionary capitalism. The title track swirls with religious fanaticism, secular ideology, and pharmaceutical greed into a repudiation of almost everything. In the last chorus—“But the only thing that they request/Is something to numb the pain with/Until there’s nothing human left”—the record hurtles into a chronically pleasurable near-future. “Total Entertainment Forever” is a postcard from the brave new world: Backed by sarcastically ecstatic horns, Tillman celebrates a “permanent party” where our appetite for distraction has eroded the old-fashioned human soul. His characters finish the chores, slide on the Oculus Rift, and jump into bed with the pop star du jour. He heralds the “freedom to have what you want” in a tone that suggests freedom, whatever it may be, does not look like this.
After that opening suite—“Pure Comedy,” “Total Entertainment Forever,” and “Revolution”—the music settles into a tonal plateau. Even the most gripping songs unspool with acoustic leisure, and they can be long and lofty trips. The spiritual anchor is “Leaving LA,” in which fragments of orchestral splendour—all arranged by the brilliant Gavin Bryars—are buried beneath a 13-minute pilgrimage through Father John Misty’s psyche. An unappetizing prospect, perhaps, but he writes captivating scenes; one revisits a traumatic childhood saga soundtracked by Fleetwood Mac’s “Little Lies” in a JCPenney, another a New Year’s sunset that “reminds me, predictably, of the world’s end.”
Five verses into the song, Tillman inserts a mocking female character: He’s just “another white guy in 2017,” she groans, “who takes himself so goddamn seriously.” “Leaving LA” reaches for transcendent honesty, but this lyric feels misjudged. Is this a sincere concern or an attempt to shoot down nonexistent thinkpieces? Father John Misty’s music is certainly exasperating, but it’s not due to his entitlement so much as that irrepressible impulse to outpace the listener’s criticism. The moment somebody says, “I know I’m being annoying” is often when you realize it’s true.
Tillman has, of course, anticipated this critique. His childish desire to be loved or hated on his own terms is dredged up on “A Bigger Paper Bag,” but there’s an added, delicate touch that’s endearing. “It’s easy to assume that you’ve built some rapport/With someone who only likes you for what you like yourself for,” he sings, over a woozy arrangement evoking peak Elliott Smith. “You be my mirror/But always remember/There are only a few angles I tend to prefer.” It’s a rare callback to Honeybear’s psychological burrowing, and I find myself returning to it. His sociological bombast is dwarfed by these quiet revelations. The scarcity of such interludes doesn’t undermine the Misty manifesto, but it does mean the record’s pontifications, particularly the tired false equivalencies of “Two Wildly Different Perspectives,” can test your patience. David Foster Wallace—whose critiques on irony, entertainment, and self-consciously “hideous men” are all over Pure Comedy—once advocated for bleak fiction in dark times. Wallace said that it should “find a way both to depict this world and to illuminate the possibilities for being alive and human in it.” This redemptive spirit eludes Tillman. Given his off-record provocations—that a pop star’s “wearing next to nothing” strips her music of value, for instance—it’s reasonable to expect him to dream up something for us to really care about (or at least to button up his shirt). He instead settles on soothing defeatism, a litany of conquered crises whose lessons amount to, “That’s just the way it is.” Given the album’s thematic largesse, it’s almost charming. Almost. But you wonder what kind of progressive future he envisions: that which will lift society or merely flatter his own intellect.
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nativespiritual · 7 years
Text
GOING GAGA FOR THE SUPERBOWL
First and foremost, I am not a fan of sport. I have never really taken time out of my life to sit and watch a sports event, but tonight is an exception. The 51st Superbowl sees 30-year old entertainer Lady Gaga perform at the half-time show. And I am certainly rushing to the front seat.
As strange as it sounds, tonight in a way marks what feels like a historical moment. As someone who has literally grown up with Gaga’s music, tonight feels like not only the biggest performance of her career but also a celebration of everything she has achieved over the past decade. Tonight is ultimately a soldification of Gaga being a pop icon- an artist who can now join the list of musical greats that boasts Michael Jackson, David Bowie, Madonna, Whitney Houston, Freddie Mercury, Prince etc. A true modern icon.
It is easy to forget that Lady Gaga released her first album (’The Fame’), nearly 10 years ago. I myself at that time was only 11-years old, but clearly remember the sheer impact Gaga had on pop culture as though it was only yesterday. With every album Gaga released, it directly identified with the period I was going through in my life. ‘The Fame’ (2008), for instance, was released when I started secondary school; an environment where fame, popularity and materialism is everything. Just a year later, Gaga released ‘The Fame Monster’ (2009)- a Gothic, synth-pop EP that explored the more darker, terrifying aspects of being famous. This was ultimately something I could relate to, due to the fact I was suffering with depression and deeply struggling with establishing myself into friendship groups in a school that was still very tormenting to me. Following the success of her first two albums, Gaga released ‘Born This Way’ (2011); a record that arguably had the most significant impact on my life, and continues to do so. Just before Gaga’s third album was released, I came out as gay. However, this expression of my sexuality was not easy- during this period, I was a deeply frustrated, angry, insecure, confused 14-year old who had difficulty accepting who I was. ‘Born This Way’, released during my time of oppression, allowed me love myself, feel comfortable in my own skin and help establish my own identity; and without a doubt remains Gaga’s most pivotal album to me. As I approached adulthood, Gaga released ‘ARTPOP’ (2013). The artisitc, rebellious and ‘no-rules’ nature of the album directly related to the free-spirited 16-year old I was at the time of its release; as I myself was growing very quickly into a young man who was forming my own opinions, views and values that opposed to others. And here, we reach ‘Joanne’ (2016). After years of theatricality, controversy and outrageous personas, Gaga released her most personal album to date through music that showed her artistic maturity, while I similarly seemed to have reached a stage of my life where I no longer felt like I needed to prove myself or compromise. ‘Joanne’s themes of home, family and friendship mirrors the realisation I have had over how important the loved ones that surround me are. Looking closely at it, Gaga’s entire discography is the soundtrack to my youth.
While Gaga has evolved as an artist, I have evolved as a person. Now, at the age of nearly 20 years old who is a student at University and forming a future for myself, I am hugely grateful to Gaga. She helped me be strong. She helped me be brave. She helped me to firmly believe in myself when I only had myself. And that is why tonight means a great deal to me. As part of her fan-base, it feels like a moment of “Look how far we have come”; we went from being oppressed youth who were considered as ‘freaks’, to powerful, fearful and dynamic adults who have the entire world at their feet.
Tonight, let’s celebrate not only Lady Gaga, but equality in a world that is being cast in a shadow of hate, injustice and discrimination.
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