Last night I went to the Australian premiere of "Liza With A Z" at the Sydney Film Festival. I already own the DVD (it was released in America a couple of years ago) but I couldn't resist the opportunity to hear Liza's comments in the highly publicised, live-via-satellite Q&A session. Unfortunately, in true diva style, Liza cancelled at the last minute. A representative cited exhaustion in the wake of her recent Tony Award win but I'm guessing that's just code for "passed out in a bowl of coke". I was disappointed for about 30 seconds but then the film started and all was forgiven.
Everything about "Liza With A Z" is extraordinary. Bob Fosse's direction is as sharp and precise as his dazzling choreography, while the music - most of which was written specifically for the show by Kander & Ebb - lifts the concert from a mere performance into the realm of modern art. And then, there's Liza. Fresh from the success of Cabaret, at the very height of her formidable powers. Liza's vocal performance is staggering but I'm even more impressed with her dancing and comedic timing. She was the original triple threat! The result is 51 minutes of unmissable pop culture that won 4 Emmys and delivered Liza's only US top 20 album.
It's impossible to pick a favourite performance. The soundtrack hasn't really left my stereo since I was teenager, so I know each and every song back to front. There simply isn't a dud in the show. I love all the cover versions. "My Mammy", "Son Of A Preacher Man" and "God Bless The Child" are all vocally impeccable, while the staging of "I Gotcha" and "Bye Bye Blackbird" revolutionised pop concerts. Madonna, or more precisely her choreographer, ruthlessly ripped off the latter in both her Blond Ambition and Girlie Show tours. As great as the covers are, the real gems for me are the Kander & Ebb numbers. The Cabaret medley makes a fittingly brilliant finale but the songs written for the show are just as good. "Yes" is wonderfully upbeat, while the title track is as gay as it gets. However, if I had to choose a highlight it would be "Ring Them Bells". I've always loved this song. The witty lyrics never fail to crack me up and it's hard not to identify with the desperate adventures of Shirley Davore. Unfortunately all I got in Dubrovnik was a bad case of diarrhoea! Make sure you check out Liza's stunning performance below.
As far as I know, there are no plans to release "Liza With A Z" in Australia but I think that might change with her upcoming tour. If you can't wait (and I don't blame you), it's easy and relatively inexpensive to order the DVD from Amazon.
I was invited to a dinner party recently, which was held by a lovely couple in their 60s. I had a great time chatting with the EOGs (Extremely Old Gays) about musicals, showtunes and Liza's upcoming Australian tour. As the night wore on, a slightly inebriated gentleman with a rather large nose put a fruit bowl on his head and burst into an impromptu rendition of "Hello Dolly" - which went down a storm with everyone except my friend who sat there with a blank look on his face. He wasn't being rude. He just didn't get the Streisand reference at all. When I explained it, he just said "who gives a shit about that old bag anyway?" Well, I was completely outraged. Call me a stereotype if you will but I think there should be a law requiring all gays to own at least one Babsi "Best Of"! Barbra Streisand is not only one of the greatest vocalists of all time, she's also one of our most enduring gay icons. Like her or lump her, it's hard to deny that Barbra is a part of our gay cultural heritage.
The thing is, I totally understand why younger gays find Barbra such a monumental bore. I would feel exactly the same if the only exposure I'd had to her music was dirge like "A Love Like Ours" and mind numbing collaborations with Celine Dion and Bryan Adams. Happily, there's so much more to Babs than boring ballads and dire duets. In her halcyon days, Barbra changed image more frequently than Madonna and experimented with every genre I can think of apart from death metal and rap. My favourite period is the 1970s when she dabbled in disco, soul, pop, soft rock, folk and classical music. I was going to focus on that decade to highlight her versatility but I wanted to give a brief overview of Barbra's career from the very beginning. However, I'm not going to spend a lot of time on the 1960s because most of her output from that decade simply doesn't connect with modern pop fans. I just know that sentence sent some aging tranny into cardiac arrest but as much as I personally love it, something like "Je m'appelle Barbra" is about as relevant to people who grew up listening to Britney and Christina as "The Best Of Bing Crosby". There are, however, more than enough highlights from the swinging 60s that resonate with gays of all ages.
Barbra started her career singing in nightclubs way back in 1960, making her the original Queen of clubs - sorry, Dannii! The struggling 18 year old gained enough notoriety to be invited to perform on a plethora of television shows and made a name for herself interpreting classics like "A Sleepin' Bee", "Nobody's Heart (Belongs To Me)" and "Moon River". The diva's first big break came in the 1962 Broadway production "I Can Get It For You Wholesale", where she played the hapless secretary Miss Marmelstein. That role led to a contract with Columbia Records and they released her debut album in 1963. As magnificent as her early recordings are (I particularly love "The Second Barbra Streisand Album"), I can't see them winning over too many new fans. This kind of music simply isn't made anymore. However, one performance from this era that everyone needs to see is Babsi's appearance on The Judy Garland Show. Talk about a clash of the titans! Imagine Kylie & Madonna - if they had really good voices - sitting down to chat and belt out a few of their favourite tunes. Their medley of "Get Happy" and "Happy Days Are Here Again" (below) is pure bliss and required viewing for everyone.
The next essential career milestone for Barbra was winning the role of Fanny Brice in the Broadway musical "Funny Girl", which ran for more than 1000 shows from March 1964. Babs reprised her character in the film adaptation and won an Academy Award for her scintillating portrayal in 1969. The movie is an absolute treat and very highly recommended. I've almost worn out my DVD! The title track is glorious, "People" never loses its shine but the undisputed highlight for me is "Don't Rain On My Parade", which has become part of popular culture and the subject of many a drag act. 1964 also saw the release of what could be described as Barbra's first pop album. "People" is very easy listening by today's standard but fans of beautifully performed ballads that haven't been overproduced to the point of being ridiculous should dig this out of their mother's record collection.
The rest of the 1960s was filled with television specials (check out the amazing "My Name Is Barbra" and the trippy "Colour Me Barbra") and movies - most notably the camp classic "Hello Dolly" and the Vincente Minnelli directed "On A Clear Day You Can See Forever". Both are considered sub par by critics. Even Barbra has expressed her distaste for "Hello Dolly" but I find it utterly joyous (particularly if you watch it after smoking a bong), While "On A Clear Day" is one of the most beautifully staged musicals I've ever seen. The score is lovely and the costumes are divine. Sure the storyline is complete rubbish but you can't have everything! By the close of the decade, Barbra was already Hollywood royalty but by the end of the 1970s she would be an icon. Stay tuned for that next week.
There was an amazing surprise waiting for me in the letterbox this afternoon. Hiding beneath all the bills and junk mail was a package from my lovely Spanish gays, Pablo and Fernando. They were kind enough to send me a copy of "Sin Miedo - The Deluxe Edition" in addition to a film that culminates in a woman biting off a man's cock. As much as I enjoyed my introduction to the wonderful world of Spanish cinema, I'm even more ecstatic about the Soraya album. I'm just so proud that she's decided to follow in the fabulous footsteps of Dannii by re-releasing an album that no one bought in the first place!
Despite being a rather desperate ploy to cash in on Soraya's stunning Eurovision "success", the deluxe edition of "Sin Miedo" is actually rather classy. Sure, there are only two bonus tracks - the previously released "Hasta El Final" and a remix of "La Noche Es Para Mi" that could well have been whipped up on Soraya's home computer - but the real treat is the bonus DVD and photo gallery. Who needs gay porn when you can watch all 8 of Soraya's trashtastic video clips in a row? It's fascinating to see how the Spanish diva's sound and image has evolved. The early clips are hilarious, particularly the kung fu dance moves in "Mi Mundo Sin Ti" and the karaoke themed "Call Me".
It's hard to pick a favourite video from all these classy gems but, if pushed, I would have to go with "La Dolce Vita" (below). Not only is it a fantastic cover of a classic song, the clip is the trashiest thing I've seen since Suzy Ray revolutionised the visual medium as we know it with "Disco In My Car". Everything about "La Dolce Vita" is perfect. The costumes are glamorous, the choreography is fun and Soraya looks breathtakingly gorgeous. I really think my future wife should choose the best songs from her two English albums and try her luck outside Spain. Who could resist such a fabulous goddess? Anyway, the re-release seems to be working for her at home. "Sin Miedo" sits at #33 in the Spanish charts this week. Now that's what I call Dannii-esque $ucce$$!
I know my writing can be distinctly tongue in cheek, so let me clarify in advance that this post is not intended to be ironic or sarcastic in any way. I honestly believe that Heidi Montag is one of the leading lights of modern pop music. There, I said it! Since her first recording leaked in 2007, the reality TV star has unleashed pop gems at an alarming rate. Songs like "Fashion", "Overdosin" and "Your Love Found Me" rival anything in the charts and yet Heidi is still staging fake weddings in Mexico to drum up publicity. Despite hooking up with some of the world's hottest producers, the poor bitch is no closer to a scoring a hit record than Tila Tequila and the reason is blindingly obvious - Team Montag doesn't have a clue.
Camping it up for "Overdosin" - my favourite Heidi track
Heidi Montag the pop star was always going to be a hard sell. This is a woman who is primarily famous for having the world's biggest douche as a boyfriend and sunbaking in skimpy bikinis. In other words, she's a typical Gen Y celebrity. Unfortunately, a degree of notoriety isn't a free ticket to chart success. People need to believe that Heidi is taking music seriously - not just using it as a means to fund her next breast augmentation. On that front, I think she's done pretty well by working with some of the hottest songwriters and producers (David Foster, Red One, Cathy Dennis etc) in the game. Heidi's problem lies in what comes next. Premiering your music on Perez Hilton and then dumping the songs on iTunes is not a well thought out marketing campaign! Either is spending a fortune on hot tracks only to release them with a cheesy home made video clip filmed by your drunk boyfriend. Heidi needs to settle on a single and give it a proper push - learn a dance routine, ask Britney for miming hints and do some traditional promotion in clubs and on television. I dread to think how she plans to promote her upcoming album. Simply being on The Hills isn't enough.
Proof in point is the media whore's latest single. Penned by the amazing Cathy Dennis, "Blackout" is a top notch pop tune tailor made for the American market. I love everything about it - from the sweet chorus to the hook laden verses (those "woahs" get lodged in your head and simply refuse to leave). There's nothing particularly original or cutting edge about the track, it's just an old fashioned dose of well crafted pop music. I still think "Overdosin" is Heidi's masterpiece but this comes pretty close. What a shame then that it has to suffer the indignity of a poorly promoted iTunes release and possibly the year's most tragic video (below). The trash addict in me aches for this kind of shit but the song deserves better. You can download "Blackout" from Australian iTunes now.
Lady GaGa is probably the most polarising force in pop music today. No other diva is loved and hated with so much passion. Up until recently, I was one of the few pop aficionados to set up camp in the lonely middle ground between the fanatics and the haters. That changed when I saw the video to "Paparazzi". I've always been a fan of Lady GaGa's music (I ranked "The Fame" as the 12th best album of 2008 in my end of year countdown and in retrospect, it really should have been top 3) but this was the first time that everything clicked for me - the music, her avant garde image and the artsy styling. I was originally going to write a simple post about the amazing "Paparazzi" video but I'm more interested in why the woman generates such a negative reaction from people. Here are some of the reasons I've come up with:
1) Her Music This is pretty self-explanatory. No one has to justify their musical taste. However, many GaGa haters rant about her stealing ideas from other artists and lament that she was simply lucky to hook up with a hot producer. Ironically, these remarks often come from fans of Britney and Madonna.
My response: Personally, I think it's hard to disrespect Lady GaGa as an artist. Unlike most of her contemporaries, she writes all her own music and can actually sing live unlike the aforementioned divas. I'm not suggesting for a minute that she reinvented the wheel (electro dance pop is hardly a new genre) but at the moment she's simply doing it better than anyone else.
2) Her Authenticity & Image This has always been my biggest problem with Lady GaGa. As much as I love her music, I always felt that she was trying way too hard. A common cry from maniacal haters is that she's too manufactured and pretentious. I also think some of her eccentricities are a little forced - like walking around London without pants in the middle of winter and that incredibly lame saga with her teacup. However, as a hardcore trash addict, I have a ridiculously high tolerance for publicity whoring. Most of my idols would throw their grandmother in front of a truck for a photo opportunity, so I find it hard to get worked up about Lady GaGa flashing her knickers.
My response: I honestly believe if Lady GaGa were a charisma free robot from Sweden the very same people who diss her would be singing her praises. I think we should be celebrating the fact that the biggest pop star in the world right now has a face like a slapped arsehole and dresses like a blind tranny. Lady GaGa brings something different to the music scene with her leotard fetish and crazy costumes. She's following in a long line of fabulous outcasts like Grace Jones and Amanda Lear. While those women carried off "crazy chic" (for want of a better description) effortlessly, does it really matter if Lady GaGa's outrageousness is all part of an elaborate marketing plan? The woman has always been completely upfront about her desire for fame and fortune at all costs. I find it hard to judge someone for displaying that rarest of qualities in a pop star - honesty.
3) Her Success Lady GaGa's biggest crime is upsetting the pop pecking order. In the space of 3 months she's equalled Britney's tally of #1 hits on the Billboard charts and brought dance music to the American mainstream - something Madonna hasn't managed in over a decade.
My response: I firmly believe this is the real reason why most people hate her. If Lady GaGa was just another flop diva like Annie, Robyn or Roisin Murphy - she would be the darling of blogland. The great irony is that the haters loudly lament the absence of pop music from the upper reaches of the charts and yet, when a pop act actually manages to push aside the indie bands and rappers, they still complain. I'm not even going to guess what the future holds for Lady GaGa. Sometimes I think we're witnessing the birth of a new pop icon and other times I think she could be the pop equivalent of Alanis Morissette by having one hugely successful and influential album that overshadows the rest of her increasingly irrelevant career. But even if that is the case, I still think "The Fame" will join "Fever", "Confessions", "State Of Mind", "Neon Nights" and "Lost & Found" (shut up!) as one of the greatest dance-pop albums of this decade.
Now I've got that off my chest, I want to write a little something about "Paparazzi". Sorry that this is turning into such a long winded post! It's just that this happens to be one of the best videos I've seen in a very long time. "Paparazzi" takes me back to glory days of the late 80s/early 90s when video clips were considered an artform - not just a cheap and cheerful way to promote music on youtube. So what makes the video so good? Everything. The styling is incredible, the storyline (remember those?) is fabulous and Jonas Akerlund's direction oozes class. It's pretty much perfect from beginning to end. Here are some of the highlights:
- No one really needs to see Lady GaGa making out in bed for 30 seconds but do you blame her? If I were in her place, I'd be sitting on Alexander's face for hours! - I love it when the poor bitch is thrown off the balcony. The scene where she's falling against the hypnotic background reminds me of Lars Von Trier's Zentropa. The effect is positively iconic. - Perhaps the best thing about the clip is the strong vein of black humour that runs through it. The newspaper headline "Lady GaGa hits rock bottom" makes me laugh every time and the wheelchair scene is a trippy cross between Whatever Happened To Baby Jane? and Xanadu. In other words, it's completely fucking perfect! - Lady GaGa's dance routine on crutches redefines fierce. - The Minnie mouse styling in the grand finale is positively creepy. It's like a shoot from Italian Vogue edited by a Japanese Anime director with an arse fetish. I think I like it.
The greatest thing about the clip is that it's so quintessentially GaGa. This is the first time she has really come into her own. Kylie wouldn't have the balls to pulls this off and Madonna doesn't have the sense of humour. "Paparazzi" showcases an amazing pop star at full flight. Bend over and take it like a man - this is a triumph!
In possibly the year's most fabulous development, pop trash icon Tina Cousins is returning to the music scene with a trancetastic cover of "Sex On Fire" by the Kings Of Leon. My sex burst into flames the moment I heard Tina was back in the studio and I haven't been able to put the fucker out since hearing her magnificent comeback anthem!
"Sex On Fire" is the legendary dance diva's second overhaul of a classic rock track in a row after vastly improving upon the Foo Fighters' "Ever Long". Check out Tina's version here. Unfortunately, that stunning gem remains unreleased but things are looking up for the honorary Australian (well, it's not like she has hits anywhere else). Her radical makeover of "Sex On Fire" is gaining a lot of buzz among influential UK DJs and the song has already premiered on Radio 1. By Tina's standards, that's the equivalent of a triple platinum #1 hit!
With any luck this could be Ms Cousins' ticket back to the pop charts. The transformation of "Sex On Fire" from rock to dance is surprisingly seamless. Tina's glorious pipes breathe new life into the lyrics, while the production is commercial without being too cheesy. There's no news of a release date yet (in fact, to my knowledge Tina is still unsigned outside Australia) but fingers crossed it all comes together soon.
My sex will rival the touring inferno if the fabulous bitch drags her old carcass over here for a promo tour. And then there's the delightful prospect of a video clip. I can just picture it - Tina rolling around in bed with an icepack between her legs!
By the way, a Scandipop flavoured Panel will appear onDon't Stop The Popthis week in celebration of Rob's Swedish Season. I'm assured it will be posted today or tomorrow. The Pop Panel will return to Pop Trash Addicts next weekend - hopefully, with a classy new judge!
Last night I went to the Australian premiere of "Liza With A Z" at the Sydney Film Festival. I already own the DVD (it was released in America a couple of years ago) but I couldn't resist the opportunity to hear Liza's comments in the highly publicised, live-via-satellite Q&A session. Unfortunately, in true diva style, Liza cancelled at the last minute. A representative cited exhaustion in the wake of her recent Tony Award win but I'm guessing that's just code for "passed out in a bowl of coke". I was disappointed for about 30 seconds but then the film started and all was forgiven.
Everything about "Liza With A Z" is extraordinary. Bob Fosse's direction is as sharp and precise as his dazzling choreography, while the music - most of which was written specifically for the show by Kander & Ebb - lifts the concert from a mere performance into the realm of modern art. And then, there's Liza. Fresh from the success of Cabaret, at the very height of her formidable powers. Liza's vocal performance is staggering but I'm even more impressed with her dancing and comedic timing. She was the original triple threat! The result is 51 minutes of unmissable pop culture that won 4 Emmys and delivered Liza's only US top 20 album.
It's impossible to pick a favourite performance. The soundtrack hasn't really left my stereo since I was teenager, so I know each and every song back to front. There simply isn't a dud in the show. I love all the cover versions. "My Mammy", "Son Of A Preacher Man" and "God Bless The Child" are all vocally impeccable, while the staging of "I Gotcha" and "Bye Bye Blackbird" revolutionised pop concerts. Madonna, or more precisely her choreographer, ruthlessly ripped off the latter in both her Blond Ambition and Girlie Show tours. As great as the covers are, the real gems for me are the Kander & Ebb numbers. The Cabaret medley makes a fittingly brilliant finale but the songs written for the show are just as good. "Yes" is wonderfully upbeat, while the title track is as gay as it gets. However, if I had to choose a highlight it would be "Ring Them Bells". I've always loved this song. The witty lyrics never fail to crack me up and it's hard not to identify with the desperate adventures of Shirley Davore. Unfortunately all I got in Dubrovnik was a bad case of diarrhoea! Make sure you check out Liza's stunning performance below.
