Thanks be to friend and collaborator Megan Hill for introducing me to Icy Spicy Leoncie, Iceland's Madonna by way of India.
According to her website, Leoncie is "a Musical Wizard and her Musical Work is that of an Incredible Genius. Her Music is not just a Crush, it's a lifelong Love Affair. Her Original Fresh music is a lovely range of aggressive and yet soul touching sensual melodies. Hear SEX CRAZY COP.Brilliant Performance. Leoncie spends countless hours perfecting her music before recording in studio."
Too true.
I actually really like her voice. She sort of sounds like Nina Hagen sometimes. And I like her sense of humour. Sure, her production values might be a little off, but I don't know... she seems fun. Like, have you ever been really drunk at a bar and met a crazy person that you tell your friends about for years to come because nobody would believe that person exists?
Personal story. Some friends and I once went to a Hell's Angels' karaoke bar in Queens- a terryfying sort of place, but also a lot of fun. There was a trashcan fire there- an honest to God trashcan fire! The whole evening was hosted by a rather large, smoky voiced woman named Taz, who looked amazing in a black leather catsuit. Taz was a very bawdy, hilarious woman, but when she sang (and it was always, like, Concrete Blonde's "Joey" or something) she had the voice of an angel and would quiet the bar in a matter of seconds.
Leoncie is like Taz.
God, my life was so ugly before Leoncie. From now on my life will be split into two categories: BL and AL, for before and after Leoncie.
I love the descriptions of each video. This is "Invisible Girl":
Are you Ready for the most Magical Carpet Ride of your life! INVISIBLE GIRL is an Awesome song with great Music and Lyrics by LEONCIE who will dazzle you with her Energetic performance and Piano playing.
"Killer in the Park":
UPTEMPO RIVETTING SONG THAT GUARANTEES TO GET YOUR TOES TAPPING WANTING MORE EXCITEMENT! Watch this cop in action.
My personal favorite. "Man! Let's Have Fun!"
TRAVEL WITH EXCITING LEONCIE TO EXOTIC PLACES. ENJOY YOURSELF, HAVE INCREDIBLE FUN THAT ONLY SUPER ICY SPICY LEONCIE CAN PROVIDE!
Leoncie, thank you for making my world sexy and exciting!
I saw The Shaggs at Playwrights Horizons, a new musical about a band that I've been obsessed with since I was a teenager. For the uninitiated, The Shaggs were three teen sisters in New Hampshire whose father pulled them out of school and forced them to start a band, squandering the family's savings in the process. The band never went anywhere and was relegated to obscurity until the early 80's when radio djs began to play the record as a joke.
It's a really sad story, and it made me glad that these girls didn't record their album in the world of today, with youtube and social networking everywhere. In that regard, they were spared.
But not everybody laughed at The Shaggs. Frank Zappa really loved them. So did famed music critic Lester Bangs. And so do I. And no, not ironically. Sure, they weren't the best songwriters or musicians but, then again, neither were The Ramones. The Shaggs managed to capture the innocence and sadness and anger and mystery of being a teenage girl all at once, and watching the play made me think of The Virgin Suicides and how that novel felt to read. This felt similar. There is something special and weird and wonderful about their music, but also something mysterious and dark too.
I was disappointed to read Isherwood's review in The New York Times. Not because he didn't like the play per se, but because of his glib dismissal of The Shaggs themselves. EDIT: I just read The wall Street Journal review, which is entitled"How Do You Create A Musical About A Terrible Band?" Sigh. I know I'm being sensitive, but The Shaggs mean something to a lot of people, myself included. It made me think about taste.
When I was thirteen I was obsessed with The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Like, really, really obsessed. it had just been played on television for the first time in history for its 20th anniversary, so a lot of kids my age were seeing it for the first time. And, mostly, the kids at school didn't like it. It was gay and weird and cheap (all the things that make it great) and the dumb kids at school just didn't get it. It hurt my feelings, but then it also became a barometer for me. A litmus test. I was simply unable to respect somebody's taste if they didn't like it. That, to me, was 101 shit.
When I was single I couldn't date anybody who didn't like rock and roll music. Why? Because it's just too important to me. Music and movies and plays and art are the most important things in the world to me (after friends and family.) I'm reminded of a quote from High Fidelity: "I agreed that what really matters is what you like, not what you are like... Books, records, films -- these things matter. Call me shallow but it's the f****n' truth." It struck me, reading Isherwood's review, how protective I am of these offbeat little things I love.
I remember seeing a play in the marathon at Ensemble Studio Theatre a few years ago and loving it so much that it's basically my favorite short play I've ever seen. I re-read the script all the time when I need a pick-me-up. I was shocked to discover later that this particular play upset people so much they complained or even walked out and I still fight people about it to this very day. (Later it really hurt my feelings when a few people acted the same away around my play, The Sluts of Sutton Drive. Hell, it was probably the same audience members.)
On the flipside, there have so many things that are universally loved that I just detested. How could anybody sit through Forest Gump? Who on earth would be seen in a Juicy Couture tracksuit? I'm constantly frustrated by other people's "common" taste. And you know what? That makes me an asshole.
This is a lesson I've learned over and over and over in life, but it never quite sticks. To quote my granny, "It takes all kinds." Not everybody can like The Shaggs or Rocky Horror or punk rock or the plays I write. Sure it'd be nice if they did, but they won't.
I don't want to call out Isherwood. I almost never agree with the Times, as their taste, to me, always seems a little stuffy and unadventurous. I don't want to argue the merits of this particular musical, either. I enjoyed it and found it moving, but who cares what I think?
All I want to say is this: let's be our own taste makers, yes? Let's all protect what's precious to us, advocate for the art we love, and follow our own taste. It's really the only way to find a gem.
"Some people think little girls should be seen and not heard, but I think... OH, BONDAGE! UP YOURS! 1-2-3-4!"
One of the most important artistic influences of my entire life, Poly Styrene of X-Ray Spex, has died of breast cancer at the age of 53. I was obsessed with Germ Free Adolescents when I was in 9th and 10th grade and just discovering classic punk, and along with my simultaneous discovery of John Waters' films, the album was a major, tectonic life changer for me.
Poly Styrene was a little girl with braces who had a big, big voice and an even bigger attitude. She made me want to wear army helmets too. And I can't think of a single woman of color from the punk scene of the 70's, aside from Poly. Am I overlooking somebody?
One time, in high school, my best friend and I were watching Sid & Nancy and there's a scene where X-Ray Spex is playing, but the woman singing is a tall red head instead of a shortish, mixed race girl with braces like Poly really was. Also, we had subtitles on. Somehow, "Oh, bondage! Up Yours!' was translated to, "Oh, Mondays! No more." Which is a way lamer song.
Goodbye, Poly. I miss you. I miss you already.
1. This footage of the subway 25 years ago is fascinating to me. A lot of people I know, especially native New Yorkers, talk about how the city is so much nicer than it used to be. I don't know... I've always wanted to live in the grittier, tougher New York. The New York of After Hours. The New York of C.H.U.D. sans the cannibals in the seweres, I guess. It seemed like it was a lot more fun. I was hoping that when the economy crashed and everybody was as poor as I am the city might slide back, but no such luck. Another thing: where the hell did the K train go? A friend and I were just talking about the letters that were unused by MTA and wondered why: H, I, K, O, P, T, U, X, Y. I guess we can cross K off that list?
2. When I was in college I was obsessed with the band Gravy Train!!!! If you don't know them, they are (were?) a queercore electro band from Oakland, California who sang and rapped their way through hilarious and filthy songs like "You Made Me Gay" and "Cotton Mouth BJ". Now one of the gay boys from Gravy Train!!!!, Hunx, has a side project in Hunx and His Punx. This album combines so many things that I love, you don't even know. It's inspired by girl groups of the early sixties set through the lens of contemporary gay dudes.
It. Is. Awesome. This will definitely be the only thing I listen to for the next six months.
Here is the video for You Don't Like Rock N' Roll, which could have been my theme song when I was single and dating years ago. I once dumped a dude on the spot because he'd never heard of R.E.M. I'm not even an R.E.M. fan per se, but come on. That's 101 shit.
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