tUnE-yArDs

Did I talk about Merrill Garbus already? 

Well, once is never enough with Merrill.  She is having much deserved success and great press and the thing I really love about her is her womanly shape and being utterly unafraid of how she looks.  You'll see what I mean from her video.  Merrill contorts her face, sticks her tongue out, yodels and croons - in the service of creating the sound she wants she is fearless.  I love it.

And here's the great thing - in her fearlessness, she becomes so beautiful.

Another example of her fearless nature is that she slept on my living room floor with her band, back when I was living in Kansas City.  She came through town with her previous band, Sister Suvi, and plopped at our place because she and Lina (and the other bandmates!) were all friends from their Montreal days.  I took them all out to Heaven On Earth, aka Oklahoma Joe's.  Sublime BBQ. Wonderful dinner and conversation.  Good times.

photo source:  Elena Dorfman, The New Yorker

Sasha Frere-Jones, the music critic for the New Yorker is pretty smitten with her, which is great.  In addition to the article in the May 2, 2011 issue, there was a nice sidebar in the September 19, 2011 issue.

Merrill was interviewed last week on Q with Jian Ghomeshi on CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, I think.) via KUOW2.  Jian - can you say hunkapalooza?

Sidebar:  A cool thing about living in the PNW is the diversity of public radio!  There are so many stations available: KUOW, KPLU, KUOW2, and four other ones I don't have time to listen to.  KUOW2's programming is usually CBC and the BBC, with a sprinkling of other awesome-ness thrown in for good measure.

Another artist I adore in her womanliness is Annie Lennox, originally of The Eurythmics.  Back in the '80s when I was living in Crouch End, N8 in North London I used to walk to the end of my street where there was a florist who also sold a small amount of antiques.  Mr. Sorrell was the floral front of house, and Mrs. Sorrell was the antiques maven.  I reckon she may have had too much stuff in her house and Mr. Sorrell put his foot down ("... 'ere, luv.  Let's unload some of this pony and trap...")  and made her put things up for sale.  Ultimately, I think the antiques proved to be more profitable that the flowers.

photo source:  Martin Addison, Flickr

A lot of my brass and copper collection was purchased there.  On the right, the "Floral Hall" (a very tiny place for such a grand name) and on the left is the Church. 

photo source:  Rob Cubbon Design

(I know, RIGHT??  Hogwarts?!)

The Church had been decommissioned and turned into a recording studio, and Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart were recording there.  I was astounded to find myself standing next to Annie in the Floral Hall, both of us waiting to pay for the small treasure we had found that day.  To be completely honest, I don't think I would have recognized her, but for her lilting Scottish burr which made me look at her more closely and I suddenly realized it was her.  She was taller than I imagined she was and lovely and feminine, despite her ultra short hair. 

Annie's androgynous look was intriguing and fit right in with the other music of the time that was rolling across London, including David Bowie's "Serious Moonlight" phase, Freddie Mercury of Queen, Boy George, Adam and the Ants (check out the face paint!!  Merrill - full circle on this post!  Woot!!)

One of the recording labels in London during that time was Stiff Records who had an incredibly deep bench, including Elvis Costello and Devo.  They had an epic button that someone I was related to (cough cough ~ Annie) used to wear:

Closing up this video heavy post is a classic Stiff Records band, Madness, and their video "Our House."

Good times.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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