For Your Listening Pleasure
Blue Man Group – The Complex
I just got my hands on a copy of this CD to review, and so far my first impression is that it sounds a bit like Yanni on a waterslide, although there are some songs that rock — in particular, the cover of Jefferson Airplane’s “White Rabbit”. Is that ’cause this version of the song rocks, or just simply because some songs are so good they’re impossible to ruin if covered by competent musicians? Hmmm…
News to You
Where to begin…
Been a crazy few weeks at my “day job” so all apologies to those of you disappointed that the last few columns have been a little more than a week apart… How’s this? If you want me to never miss a column again, I will gladly accept donations — you can PayPal me at matthew@4sternstaging.com — tips, or advice. Uh, yeah.
Speaking of tips, here’s one for you: next time Joshua Grutman produces a play, make sure you GO. Josh — whose 411mania columns can be found here and here — has put together a collection of three short plays, all of which were performed last weekend at the St. Mark’s Theater in Manhattan’s East Village, under the title “Dumped, Ditched and Lied To”, and the show was fantastic. It was funny. It was smart. It was even a little gay. It doesn’t get any better than that… So stay tuned to Josh’s columns at 411 for information on future performances. You won’t be sorry. Unless you don’t go.
Back to MUSIC news:
The greatest band in the history of the world, Tenacious D, has announced that its DVD collection, “The Masterworks”, will be available on September 9. What can a silly rock duo include on a DVD COLLECTION, you ask? Big mistake. You’re the silly one. According to Billboard.com’s Jonathan Cohen, the double-DVD set will include Tenacious D’s HBO series, music videos and “making of” segments for “Wonderboy” and “Tribute”, short films, a 90-minute concert from London’s Brixton Academy, a tour documentary video, TV appearances on “Mad TV” and “Crank Yankers” and rare in-studio footage. Look out baby, he got the moves!
Also, I just read that A Tribe Called Quest is finally reuniting. This is one reunion I’ve been looking forward to since the trio split up five years ago, and I actually first heard this rumor from fellow Native Tongues hip-hop heads Black Sheep at a Knitting Factory show a little while back (side note: the opening act was a hot little twosome called LJ and UK that I’m sure you’ll hear more about in this column sometime soon). Of course, this reunion still has some logistical issues to be worked out between the group and the Jive label, and Q-Tip has been working on solo projects for what seems like just as long as Guns ‘n’ Roses’ Chinese Democracy, so who knows when this will ACTUALLY happen. But I’ll keep my optimism, and enjoy the latest Tribe remix album, as well as November’s solo debut from Muhammad — hoping it’s stronger than Phife’s so-so try at a solo career — so why don’t you?
Where the Womenses At?
So, out of 101 inductees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, only 24 are women (or groups that include at least one woman). Let’s take a look, in the order they were inducted:
Aretha Franklin
The Supremes
Bessie Smith
Ma Rainey
Carole King (w/Gerry Goffin)
Tina Turner (w/Ike Turner)
Ruth Brown
Etta James
Dinah Washington
Martha and the Vandellas
Gladys Knight and the Pips
Grace Slick (w/Jefferson Airplane)
The Shirelles
Maureen Tucker (w/The Velvet Underground)
Joni Mitchell
Mahalia Jackson
Christine McVie & Stevie Nicks (w/Fleetwood Mac)
Mama Cass & Michelle Phillips (w/The Mamas and the Papas)
Dusty Springfield
The Staple Singers
Bonnie Raitt
Billie Holiday
Brenda Lee
Tina Weymouth (w/Talking Heads)
24 out of 101. I don’t know about you, but I was surprised… I asked the above-mentioned Joshua Grutman what he thought, and here’s what ensued:
moodspins: I’m writing a column on women in rock… any thoughts?
VPJG: It is impossible for a woman to rock the way a man rocks unless the woman is fronting an all female band. That makes them seem somehow more rockish.
moodspins: What if the woman is a drummer in an otherwise all-male band?
VPJG: She’s sexy, but that doesn’t rock.
moodspins: i.e. the Lenny Kravitz afro chick. SHE can rock.
moodspins: Meg White? Not so much.
VPJG: Nope. Lenny rocks. Afro chick is cool looking back up.
moodspins: Moe Tucker?
VPJG: That’s all you’re getting from me on this issue.
VPJG signed off at 6:38:14 PM.
moodspins: Fair enough.
Previous message was not received by VPJG because of error: User VPJG is not available.
Okay, so that didn’t really go anywhere. But I guess the small percentage of women in the RnR HOF really shouldn’t be that much of a surprise, considering the large percentage of male performers vs. females going back through the history of rock, and that the HOF’s mission statement is “to recognize the contributions of those who have had a significant impact on the evolution, development and perpetuation of rock and roll” with its inductions (for more on the selection process — artists are eligible 25 years after their first record — click over to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s Web site). What does it take for one’s impact on rock to be considered “significant”? If I was one of the “rock experts” called upon to pick the next inductees into the HOF… what women would have the best chance of getting in that aren’t there already?
The first that comes to mind is Deborah Harry… and I’m boggled to find that Blondie isn’t already in the Hall. “Heart of Glass” is both punk and pretty disco at the same time, and I don’t know a person that doesn’t love the song; “Rapture” was technically the first “rap hit”; and I actually watched, and enjoyed, the short-lived David E. Kelley TV show “Snoops”, and a big reason for that was how psyched up I became whenever I heard its theme song. You know, the one that goes “One way or another/I’m gonna find ya’/I’m gonna get ya’, get ya’, get ya’, get ya'”… I don’t even know the band’s entire catalogue, yet I hear Debbie rock out, and I can’t imagine how she’s not considered significant to rock’s evolution by the “experts”. And Blondie’s first album was in 1976, so the 25 years are up. What are they waiting for?
Who else, who else…
Patti Smith (first album: 1975), perhaps? What rocker grrrrl wasn’t influenced by her? How about Chrissie Hynde and the Pretenders (1980)? They may have jumped the shark as the 1980s turned into the 90s, but did they make an impact? You bet.
And here’s one to chew on: what about Ms. Madonna Ciccone (1983)? I can’t see how she can be left out, as she constantly changes with the times, always making headlines, and may be the best female musical performer, as far as drawing power goes, of all time. Has anyone over the last two decades made MORE of an impact than Madonna?
Some others to consider: Kate Bush? ABBA? Kim Gordan (Sonic Youth)? Cher? Sinead? Aimee Mann? Ani DiFranco? Cyndi Lauper? The Go-Gos? Bjork? Sheryl Crow? Whitney? Mariah? Tori Amos? Janet? Melissa Etheridge?
It all really depends on where you draw the line between “pop” and “rock”, I’d imagine. I personally would cringe upon hearing that Sheryl Crow was inducted… and, depending on the longevity factor, I’d be surprised if Ani DiFranco isn’t a shoe-in, simply because of the unmatched success of her independent Righteous Babe record label. In the modern rock era, has anyone else done what she has without the backing of a major?
Let me know what you think.
Until next week…
peace. love. moe.
– Matt
Till My Head Falls Off can be found weekly on 411 Music (old columns are archived in the pull-down menu below). Already hit everything on 411? You can find more from Matthew Michaels at moodspins and 1-42.
