At some point during the early 2000s, the world of indie started to re-embrace the Boss — a welcome development for those, like us, who’ve always appreciated Bruce Springsteen’s songwriting talents. Springsteen’s always been more interesting than his popular image dictated — anyone who just knows him as the “Born in the USA” guy might be surprised to know that he frequently covers Suicide’s “Dream Baby Dream” and sang on Lou Reed’s magnum opus “Street Hassle” — and over the last decade or so, a steady stream of contemporary musicians have started to make decidedly Bruce-influenced tunes. Of course, as with anything, there’s the good ones and the bad ones — so in celebration of the release of latter day Bruce-alike Craig Finn’s debut solo album Clear Heart Full Eyes, here’s our verdict on Springsteen wannabes over the years, starting with the best and working progressively down the totem pole.
Most erudite and music-savvy Flavorpill readers are no doubt familiar with the concept of a mondegreen — it’s a song lyric that’s frequently misunderstood, often with hilarious results (like the all time classic, “Excuse me while I kiss this guy,” from Jimi Hendrix’s “Purple Haze”). But what about entire songs that are misunderstood? These can be even more amusing and/or squirm-inducing, so we thought we’d round up a few classics of the genre for a bit of Friday afternoon comic relief. If you’ve ever had the mildly embarrassing feeling of having to explain a joke to someone who just doesn’t quite get it, then imagine how the songwriters after the jump feel.
We all fall down the YouTube rabbit hole every once in a while. Most of the time, it’s an inane abyss, but every once in a while, you stumble upon something that makes your day. That’s exactly how we came upon the treasure trove of music history you’ll find below — a set of notable TV commercials for some of pop and rock’s most popular and influential albums. What makes these clips so interesting is that they were made before the records in question had been sanctified by critics and/or certified platinum, giving us a glimpse at how legendary albums were introduced to the public. See Kurt Cobain give birth, Michael Jackson in neon, and Blondie go disco after the jump.
The Occupy movement is famous for welcoming anyone who wants to join. But you can’t help but wonder if, for campers who’ve endured taunts and snow and pepper spray, some musical guests are more welcome than others. Yes, it’s a thrill to see Philip Glass using the people’s mic at Lincoln Center, but too many of the celebrities who visit OWS seem (at the risk of being uncharitable) to be using its fame for their own good instead of vice-versa. One wonders, for instance, how many impassioned discussions of banking regulations and foreclosure statistics were ever interrupted by the comment, “You know who I’d love to hear right now? Third Eye Blind.”
With that in mind, we offer ten dream concerts for OWS — double bills of music that’s relevant and rousing, from artists (unlike these movement-friendly newcomers) with enough name recognition to draw both fans and media attention to Zuccotti Park, or anywhere else the 99 percent are trying to make themselves heard. Read More »
Recently, we found out that Sacha Baron Cohen is slated to play Monsieur Thénardier in The King’s Speech director Tom Hooper’s upcoming film adaptation of popular Broadway musical Les Misérables. Now, we love Sacha Baron Cohen as much as the next guy, and we know he can sing, but we can’t help but think he’s altogether too goofy for the role. Other than Cohen, so far Eddie Redmayne is signed on for Marius, Anne Hathaway for Fantine, Hugh Jackman as Valjean and Russell Crowe as Javert — all adding up to a group that we have mixed feelings about at best. To soothe our souls, we decided to put together a dream cast for the Les Misérables movie, and just for fun, we’ve decided to pick only from proper singers, and just resolve to hope that they can act. Click through to see our picks for Cosette, Javert, Fantine and the rest, and let us know which musicians you’d love to see in the classic roles in the comments. Read More »
Recently, we read an article in the Guardian wherein critic Tom Ewing proclaimed loudly that he’d never heard Nirvana’s Nevermind. While Ewing’s oversight was apparently more due to apathy than willful ignorance — as he writes, “often I let an album pass me by, watch the buzz around it swell, crest and ebb” — the piece did get us thinking about how we’re generally of the opinion that you should give everything a chance, and then make a judgement, not dismiss things out of hand because they don’t fit your view of what’s good and what ain’t. While only the most curmudgeonly would dismiss Nevermind out of hand, there are plenty of other less fashionable albums that people these days tend to dismiss a priori as terminally uncool. And so we got to thinking about some such unfashionable records that we still think are totally worthy of a spot on your shelf and/or your iPod. We’ve nominated a few after the jump — (polite) suggestions are, as ever, welcome.
You’re taking a stroll through Boston Public Garden. You stop to acknowledge the fingerpicking fellow busking nearby, maybe throw him a dollar, and then you realize — surprise! It’s Bruce Springsteen. Well-known rockers rarely take to busking, since they don’t have much need for petty cash, but impromptu public jams from Bruce and other musicians are always appreciated. We’ve gathered some noteworthy street sessions after the cut.
Lady Gaga in drag? Meh. Kanye and Jay-Z bro-ing it up live? Not that groundbreaking. Justin Bieber’s pet snake, Johnson? Blech. Last week’s MTV Video Music Awards didn’t do much for us, but there was one redeeming moment — when we found out that Beyoncé was pregnant. Even those of us who don’t live vicariously through the tabloid-chronicled personal lives of pop stars couldn’t help but be excited for hip-hop’s first couple. Of course, they’re hardly the first pair of musicians who have spawned. Our brief history of kids with two rock-star parents, from Chaz Bono to Kelis and Nas’ son, is after the jump.
The George Foreman grill. Lady Gaga for Polaroid. Bob Dylan’s Victoria’s Secret commercial. Celebrity product endorsements are ubiquitous, and sometimes bizarre. What makes Seriously Bleak’s Celebrity Endorsed series, which we found via Dangerous Minds, so hilarious is its aptness — in fact, the goods being advertised are more absurd than the idea that actors like Alan Thicke (who reps the Bread Buoy) and Delta Burke (Turtleneck Pants) would accept money to endorse them. Check out the faux ads after the jump.
You might be familiar with Anton Corbijn’s recent film work (Control, The American) or his music videos for bands like Nirvana, U2, and Depeche Mode, but it was photography — particularly portraiture — that first launched his career. In Inwards and Onwards, currently on view at Amsterdam’s Foam Gallery, the Dutch photographer returns to his roots, training an intense lens on a few of his favorite artists in an examination of the creative process.
“The images are basically from the past eight years,” Corbijn explained to The New York Times back in November. “After 2002, when I did my self-portraits, there was a whole period that I started in the early ’70s that I felt I had finished. I wasn’t sure what direction to go to, so I was just taking pictures. But after a few years, it dawned on me that I was just going back to basics — taking simple black-and-white photographs of people I wanted to meet.” From a candid portrait of Alexander McQueen hiding behind a turtleneck in his studio, to a photo of a naked Iggy Pop sprawled out in Central Park, to an older shot of his one-time housemate Kate Moss, see some of our favorite black and white images from the exhibition after the jump.
