TV:
Best Week Ever
Daily Show
Brian Azzarrello: 100 Bullets
Brian Michael Bendis: Daredevil, New Avengers Powers, The Pulse, Secret Wars, Ultimate Spiderman
Kurt Busiek: Astro City
Dan Clowes: Eightball
John Kovalcik: Dork Tower, Dr. Blink: Superhero Shrink
Scott Kurtz: PVP
Alan Moore: Promethea
Greg Rucka: Adventures of Superman, Gotham Central Queen & Country, Wonder Woman
Stan Sakai: Yusagi Yojimbo
Brian K. Vaughan: Runaways, Y the Last Man
Bill Willingham: Fables
]]>Albums
Singles
“All for You,” Sister Hazel - 3
I just found out this isn’t Blues Traveller. Even worse, I discovered that I like the new Blues Traveller song, which is getting lots of play down here thanks to the Carolina connection. I have to admit it, that big fat annoying guy can play the blues harp. Better yet, when his mouth’s on it, he can’t sing. On this other hand, this Sister Hazel song sucks.
“Alone,” Bee Gees - 3
How can artists roll along with talent to burn for so many years, then just dry up so quickly? Ask Paul McCartney, I guess. I mean, these guys survived everything from the British Invasion (Australian Division) to disco. So why couldn’t they roll with the ‘80s, backlash or no? I always want to like new Bee Gees records, but David Foster is no Arif Mardin. By the way, did you see Barry’s hair on VH-1? I guess the 70s really are over.
“Around the World,” Daft Punk - 6
I caught this on MTV Asia while Kate and I were in Greece this summer. Why Greece gets MTV Asia instead of MTV Europe, I don’t know, but it gave us the chance to catch lots of really cool Bollywood videos. They also mixed techno right in with the heavy rotation, just like it was pop music or something. Imagine that. Maybe someday, America will be ready once again for the aural challenge of C&C Music Factory, too. This track, like so much of its brethren, is a little noodly for a single, but then, they can’t all be block rockin’ beats, can they?
“Bitch,” Meredith Brooks - 5
If I admit that I feel sorry for the guy in this relationship, do I have to turn in my Liz Phair records? By the way, does anybody know what Liz’s response has been to those 7-Up commercials that parrot her so shamelessly, only as Liz-goes-Carribbean? I can’t decide whether she’d be flattered or appalled. I can’t decide which I’d want her to be, either.
“Block Rockin’ Beats,” the Chemical Brothers - 10
Almost as cool as the track I used to blast in my bedroom and run around in my pajamas to when I was 8, “The Theme from S.W.A.T.” So these guys are a cult item while Prodigy is #1 because they don’t have a face, right? So what’s the problem, are Rob and Fab too busy to join up?
“Breathe,” Prodigy - 4
I admit, Maverick’s marketing job on these guys has been awesome. I thought hyping the amazing “Firestarter” when there was no actual album to sell would burn out peoples’ interest prematurely. Instead, it got them so pumped up they’ve accepted this trifling follow-up and pounced on the underwhelming album. I hear Prodigy’s starting to bitch about being too cool to be on Madonna’s label. Is this just part of the brilliant hire-a-punky-front-man-for-personality scheme, where his job is to leer at the camera, spike his hair, and bitch about authenticity? I can’t believe the bored-looking guy in the videos responsible for all the racket gives much of a crap.
“Butterfly Kisses,” Bob Carlisle - 3
Have I been listening to too much Van Morrison, or does this song just scream “pedophilia”?
“Can U Feel It,” 3rd Party - HH (sorry, I can’t)
“A Change Would Do You Good,” Sheryl Crow - 3
The album is actually pretty solid, but boy, is this plodding on radio.
“C U When U Get There,” Coolio - 5
Rap-goes-classical is a great idea, although this doesn’t really get there.
“The Difference,” the Wallflowers - 7
A great track, marred by incessant overplay in these parts.
“Don’t Wanna Be a Player,” Joe - HH, but I’ve seen the album cover - it’s too late, he’s already a player.
“Do You Know (What It Takes),” Robyn - HH (sorry, I don’t)
“5 Miles to Empty,” Brownstone - HH
“Fly,” Sugar Ray - 4
Supercat must resent this particular paycheck - they trot him on the way ‘60s British bands condescendingly jammed with blues greats.
“The Freshmen,” the Verve Pipe - 1
Sophomoric.
“Full of Smoke,” Christion - HH
“G.H.E.T.T.O.U.T.,” Changing Faces - HH
“Gimme Some Love,” Gina G - HH
“Hip Hop Drunkies,” Tha Alkaholiks - HH
“How Do I Live,” Leann Rimes - HH. I actually like BLUE a lot, but I have to admit that the first time I saw the album in a Billboard chart, I assumed Leann Rimes was a gangsta group - you know, “Lean” with an extra “n” like the Dogg Pound, and “Rimes” like Busta. Don’t tell anyone else, OK?
“Hypnotize,” the Notorious B.I.G. - 4
Am I the only one spooked by the way MTV’s decided Biggie’s death doesn’t need to put a crimp in the hype for his videos? “Coming up next, the latest from Biggie Smalls . . . ” “The Notorious B.I.G.’s riding high on the charts this week . . .” Biggie’s not doing anything other than pushing up daisies; it’s Puffy et al who are flogging his corpse. And while this, like almost all of Puffy’s ouvre, does little for me, I have to admit a fondness for “Mo Money, Mo Problems,” which made me realize Puffy’s just the new Hammer. So, does all the gangsta bullshit mean he’s kept it “real” enough to never face a backlash? That’s a bummer - that throwing in tired references to your gatt and your dick is enough to make you an artist, and not just a pop star. Maybe Hanson should take some pointers.
One more thing - what’s the deal with all these overproduced speedboat-chase videos? Is every rapper’s fantasy these days to be in a crappy Simpson-Bruckheimer movie?
“I Belong to You (Every Time I See Your Face),” Rome - HH
“I Can Love You,” Mary J. Blige - HH
“If You Could Only See,” Tonic - HH
“I’ll Be Missing You,” Puff Daddy & Faith Evans - 1
This sets the standard for opportunistic cash-in tributes, blowing past Diana Ross’s “Missing You” and those stupid mid-90s songs about Kurt Cobain. It’s a long way from the glories of “Night Shift.” It also makes you wonder at what point a guy like Sting wouldn’t go, “fuck it, what do I need this guy for? I’ll just rerelease the goddamn track myself.”
“The Impression That I Get,” the Mighty Mighty Bosstones - 8.5
I don’t know how, but they’ve made a ska track that doesn’t get on my nerves. A cure for cancer can’t be far behind . . .
“It’s No Good,” Depeche Mode - 3
I’ll take his word for it.
“Listen,” Collective Soul - 3
No thanks, I’ve got better things to do.
“Look Into My Eyes,” Bone Thugs-n-Harmony - HH, oddly. And I like these guys better than Wu-Tang, too.
“Man That You Fear,” Marilyn Manson - 4
I’ve been kicking myself for forgetting to tape the NBC TV movie version of “The Lottery” starring Dan Cortese that aired this spring. That was probably more fun than this ponderous affair. Marilyn’s such a great phenom; it’s a shonda his music isn’t more interesting.
“Men in Black,” Will Smith - 2
OK, so how come Will doesn’t get flack for “Parents Just Don’t Understand”? Maybe Hanson can end up as event movie stars.
“Midnight in Chelsea,” Jon Bon Jovi - 3
Jon Bon’s latest grasp at maturity consists of bragging about how he’s finally left Jersey behind and moved into the big city. But you know the girls on the corner look at him and think, “bridge and tunnel, all the way.”
“Monkey Wrench,” Foo Fighters - 5
About as unassuming as you’d expect the drummer’s band to be, I guess.
“No One but You,” Veronica - HH
“Not Tonight,” Lil’ Kim - HH
“Paranoid Android,” Radiohead - HH
“Push,” Matchbox 20 - 2
They say the lyrics have nothing to do with domestic violence, which isn’t strictly true. Any metaphor is, at least, partly, about the first meaning as well as the second; “the wine-dark sea” says something not just about the sea, but about wine as well. But it’s hard to get too worked up over these jokers. “I want to take you for granted” - why would you tell someone that? Why would you need to aspire to ignore someone? Either you already take them for granted, or you don’t - it doesn’t take a lot of work to get to that stage.
“Quit Playing Games (With My Heart),” Backstreet Boys - 4
I wish I liked this better, since the phenomenon they’re a part of warms my heart so mightily. Boyzone’s track off the Mr. Bean soundtrack is much better - I love those British teen heartthrobs who always look like they’re pushing 40 and have been through two divorces already. (Alternately, they look like they’re 12 and sound like they’re 70, like Rick Astley.)
“Return of the Mack,” Mark Morrison - HH
Where’d he go? I never noticed him stepping outside.
“Rhythm of Love,” DJ Company - HH, but I always love songs called “Rhythm of Love.”
“Semi-Charmed Life,” Third Eye Blind - 10
This year’s “Santa Monica.” These guys are probably twerps, but man, is this a wonderfully crafted song, with multiple unforgettable hooks, and that great strained-falsetto on “goodbyyyyyyye.” Falsetto - now there’s something grunge bands, for all Kurt’s claims to challenge masculinity, never had the guts to handle. Let’s hear it once more for the return of pop, even if the lead singer thinks he’s still alternative because he’s got a doofy post-goatee Lincolnesque beardlet.
“6 Underground,” Sneaker Pimps - 5
Trip-hop is mostly hype, and probably peaked a couple of years ago with Portishead, but this is still pleasant enough.
“Smile,” Scarface - 3
“Smokin’ Me Out,” Warren G - HH
“Sunny Came Home,” Shawn Colvin - 3
Ugh. Our local pop station has decided to lean toward Adult Album Alternative, which means we’ve heard this and the Tracy Chapman singles nonstop for months. I always had a vague sense that I was supposed to like Shawn Colvin, based, I think, on her haircut. But at this point, there’s not much to choose between her and Katie Couric.
“2 Become 1,” Spice Girls - 7.5
What is there left to say about the Spice Girls? I’ll leave it to others to rave about the wonders of “Wannabe,” the virtues of ass-kicking female role-models, the limitations of British dentistry and skin care. What intrigues me the most at this point in the Spice wave is how feeble the backlash has been. I mean, I’m sure there are plenty of die-hard alterna-weenies out there who bitch about them, but really, what are they holding out for? If they think Ani DiFranco alone can really lead them into the next millennium, well, they’re forfeiting a lot of pleasure along the way.
“We Trying to Stay Alive,” Wyclef Jean - 5.5
It hasn’t taken long for those cliches Spike Jones and his cohort repackaged as meta-cheeze to become as tired as they were the first time around. Those Levi’s tributes to Kojak, for example, don’t do much more that remind you why those shows sucked in the first place. Breaking in some new material here with Saturday Night Fever and “Beat It” helps a little, but already feels way more calculated that, say, Weezer’s “Buddy Holly.” Actually, Jean does better with the musical material itself - the sample may be obvious, but at least he plays with it, and doesn’t just beat it to death the way Puffy would.
“When I Die,” No Mercy - HH - but what is this teenybop band doing with such a metal name?
“Where Have All the Cowboys Gone?” Paula Cole - 1
Does she really think John Wayne would’ve put up with this bellyachin’?
“Where’s the Love,” Hanson - 10
I just learned that the Hanson kids are apparently the products of a really hard-core Christian family, complete with home schooling. Which scares me, because it confirms my fear that maybe a good old-fashioned religious upbringing IS the best way to raise your kids. I mean, Rod and Todd Flanders may be dorks, but what’s so wrong about Ned encouraging his children to look at the world with love, caring, and respect? In this case, these kids turned out not only bright-eyed and optimistic, but with enough of a dark side to spend their first single pondering the vagaries of fame with a level of introspection and compassion Leonard Cohen would kill for. I’m sure the spotlight will fuck ‘em up plenty, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they come out the other end intact. Except maybe the little drummer guy. He looks like a troublemaker.
“The World Tonight,” Paul McCartney (ex-Beatle) - 4
“Wrong Way,” Sublime - 3
“You Bring Me Up,” K-Ci & JoJo - HH
“Your Woman,” White Town - 9.5
Somewhere, Taco is happy.
Albums
The year in jop
On Hanson: I recently learned that the Hanson kids are apparently the products of a really hard-core Christian family, complete with home schooling. Which scares me, because it confirms my fear that maybe a good old-fashioned religious upbringing IS the best way to raise your kids. I mean, Rod and Todd Flanders may be dorks, but what’s so wrong about Ned encouraging his children to look at the world with love, caring, and respect? In this case, these kids turned out not only bright-eyed and optimistic, but with enough of a dark side to spend their first single pondering the vagaries of fame with a level of introspection and compassion Leonard Cohen would kill for. I’m sure the spotlight will fuck ‘em up plenty, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they come out the other end intact. Except maybe the little drummer guy. He looks like a troublemaker.
On the Puffster: After months of resistance, I was forced to admit a fondness for “Mo Money, Mo Problems,” which made me realize how to make sense of Puffy: he’s the new Hammer. (Except for the “All About the Benjamins” remix video, which is a “We’re Not Gonna Take It” for our times.) So, does the early investment in gangsta bullshit mean he’s kept it “real” enough to never face a backlash? That’s a bummer - that throwing in tired references to your gatt and your dick is enough to make you an artist, and not just a pop star. Maybe Hanson should take some pointers.
On Spiceness: What is there left to say about the Spice Girls? I’ll leave it to others to rave about the wonders of “Wannabe,” the virtues of ass-kicking female role-models, the limitations of British dentistry and skin care. What intrigues me the most at this point in the Spice wave is how clumsy the backlash has been. I mean, at this late date, what do the authenticity weenies think they’re holding out for? Ani Fucking DiFranco?
]]>“Ahead by a Century,” The Tragically Hip - HH
“Always Be My Baby,” Mariah Carey - 3 - I guess it’s cute, a retro move like Madonna’s “True Blue” and “Cherish.” But Mariah works much better mining early-80s Tom Tom Club singles than rehashing second-hand nostalgia.
“Bulls On Parade,” Rage Against the Machine - 10 - This is where I finally gave in. I like their politics, they’re loud, they’re funky without thinking they’re funkier than they really are (no Red Hot Chilli Peppers half-assed poseur chicken-scratch - “Aeroplane” gets a big 0, by the way) - I can forgive a little stride ncy. Actually, what I’m mostly using them for now is my Zeppelin fix - where else are you going to get big, thudding boogie? Not out of any metal bands these days.
“California Love,” 2 Pac featuring Dr. Dre & Roger Troutman - 2 - The G Funk era may be drawing to a close. I can’t remember a thing about this song, other than the vocoder stuff. Mad Max nostalgia is always appreciated, however.
“Chains,” Tina Arena - HH (but cute name)
“Children,” Robert Miles - HH
“Closer to Free,” Bodeans - 2 - I was wondering if Hootie would kick free the rock these guys were hiding under! This makes the Rembrandts sound good. Also features the lamest wordplay of the year, maybe decade: “Everybody one/Everybody two/Everybody FREE”
“C’mon ‘n’ Ride It (The Train),” Quad City DJ’s - 9 - Kate, who’s from Florida, can’t figure out what Quad Cities they’re referring to. And actually, it’s practically impossible to ride the train to Florida; there’s a deal where you can unload your car in DC and pick it up around Jacksonville, but it’s a major hassle. On the other hand, I should probably stop using ValuJet… .
“Counting Blue Cars,” Dishwalla - 0 - God, how I loathe this song. It makes me miss “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” (by the way, did you noticed how there’s a line in that song, “we both kinda liked it,” which sounds designed to be rhymed with “Holly Golightly,” but never is? What do you think happened? Did Capote’s trademark people complain?) It doesn’t make me miss the early 80s (although I do get a kick out of the new Burger King commercial that uses “Melt With You,” complete with mouth-watering burger-shots synched to the “Mmm mmm mmm” bridge). I can’t decide what I hate the most - the way the singer pronounces the “t” in “often,” the butt-ugly band name, or just the idea that anyone would be interested in all this guy’s thoughts on God. What a conversation-stopper.
“Tha Crossroads,” Bone Thugs-n-Harmony - 5 - These kids today, what with their loud music and their four-part harmonies. I have to admit, I just don’t get this latest gangsta trend. But I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt and assume that it’s my fault for now.
“Don’t Look Back in Anger,” Oasis - 7 - Mott the Hoople nostalgia goes down easier than Beatles nostalgia.
“Everything Falls Apart,” Dog’s Eye View - 2 - What a crappy set of sound-alike one-hit-wonders 1996 has offered. Will anyone look back and wonder, “what ever happened to Dog’s Eye View, Dishwalla, and Jars of Clay?” Actually, I’m already wondering. Actually, this is competent sub-Gin Blossoms retro-mid-80s American rock, a slightly preferable variation from all the competent sub-Live retro-early-80s Second British Invasion pop, but I’m docking points for the company it keeps.
“Fastlove,” George Michael - 5 - Competent, no more. I assume he can pull an Elton John and coast on songcraft for 20 years or so. It’s not the career path I would have chosen for him, but it’s an honorable one.
“Flood,” Jars of Clay - 0 - Is it just me, or does this sound just like America? I keep waiting for Noah to hop on a Horse with No Name. I guess here’s as good a time as ever to pontificate on all the God crap in singles these days (“Flood,” “Counting Blue Cars,” “Everything Falls Apart,” “One of Us”) I’m sure it signals an urge to fill the spiritual void in Gen Xers’ lives, yadda yadda yadda, and that the millenium’s to blame. I’m just glad there’s been an equal sci-fi buzz to counterbalance the religious hype, in part because I read SF as coded Jewish (cf Jeff Goldblum, who’s now required to appear in all science fiction movies), while all the God stuff’s been unabashedly Christian. “One of Us” is the worst on that count: no, Joan, you don’t have to believe “in Jesus and the Prophets and in all the rest;” you can stop at the end of the Old Testament, if you prefer.
“Free to Decide,” Cranberries - 2 - I’ve hated every single from this album, after surprising myself by enjoying everything on the first 2. Their U2 stridency has finally outpaced their Europop songcraft.
“Give Me One Reason,” Tracy Chapman - 7 - Unlikely comeback of the year. How exactly do radio stations pick the one blues track they’ll humor every five years?
“Hay,” Crucial Conflict - HH
“Heartspark Dollarsign,” Everclear - HH
“Here in Your Bedroom,” Goldfinger - 8 - You know, after 15 years, I’m finally starting to warm to ska. Or maybe they’re finally getting it right. This is actually catchy enough that I can forgive all the plaids and jumping around.
“If I Ruled the World,” Nas - 3 - The epitome of the keeping-it-real boor. (Although for some reason bringing in R&B backup singers doesn’t count as selling out any more. So what does it take to sell out at this point? Strings?) This is why hip-hop is dying.
“Inside,” Patti Rothberg - 4 - In a slow year, this might’ve caught my ear. But Patti’ll have to take a seat behind Tracy Bonham, Jewel, Alannis, et al.
“It’s All the Way Live (Now),” Coolio - 4 - Coolio needs to take a long vacation and write 15 real songs. You shouldn’t have to release filler for your singles when you’re this talented.
“Jealousy,” Natalie Merchant - 2 - For 2 singles, the Steely Dan-style production managed to make me forget how much I hated 10,000 Maniacs. Now I remember.
“Just a Girl,” No Doubt - 4 - The sarcasm gets a little pushy, then self-congratulatory. But it’s nice to see someone take up the Blonde Ambition killer-cheerleader look.
“Killing Me Softly,” Fugees - 4 - Nothing wrong with this, although it doesn’t show much imagination. Why these people are supposed to be the salvation of hip-hop is beyond me. The original still sounds better.
“Lady,” D’Angelo - 4 - I really loved this album last year, but the ‘70s soul dude shtick is already wearing a little thin. I hope he’s got some more tricks up his sleeve; it’s a pretty barren era otherwise for R&B.
“Leviticus: Faggot,” Me’Shell Ndegeocelle - HH (And with that title, I’m not surprised it didn’t make it to North Carolina)
“Macarena (Bayside Boys Mix),” Los Del Rio - 9 - These dance crazes are always fun, although I doubt this’ll lead to a long-term new audience for Sabado Gigante.
“Mother Mother,” Tracy Bonham - 10 - Gets that just-out-of-school-and-about-to-snap vibe perfectly. “EVERYTHING’S FINE!!!!”
“Nobody Knows,” the Tony Rich Project - 5 - Are you sure this isn’t Babyface? He gets around enough already without going and cloning himself. Not bad, though.
“Pepper,” Butthole Surfers - 4 - I feel guilty, because I hated this song when I heard it on the radio and thought it was just an anonymous Beck clone, then warmed to it when I found out it was the Buttholes. It is nice to see some old pros get some airplay. The talk-rap sorta reminds me of “People Are Still Having Sex.”
“Pretty Noose,” Soundgarden - 3 - Remind me why I’m supposed to care about these guys? …
“Reach,” Gloria Estefan - 4 - Did it bother anybody else that the inspiring moment in the Olympics was supposed to be when a young girl risked severe leg damage for the sake of not wobbling an extra inch? The “take one for the team” ethic is ugly enough in macho sports (see Bill James on Butch Hobson for more detail); it’s depressing to see it imported into gymnastics. And for those who found Bela Kayroli’s proud-papa act heartwarming, read Joan Ryan’s Pretty Girls in Little Boxes for the real story. Oh, the song’s OK, better than that Celine Dion thing and the opera, not as much fun as the closing ceremonies when the atheletes crashed the field, swarmed the inexplicably-costumed dancers, and partied to a confused Little Richard, Gloria Estefan, Faith Hill (?), and BB King.
“Standing Outside a Broken Phone Booth With Money in My Hand,” Primitive Radio Gods - 10 - This may be sacreligious, but I think that BB King sample has a poignancy to it that King himself almost never manages to capture. His tunes are almost always too in-your-face for me - that sorta staticy, fading-out sound lends a real affecting tone of despair.
“Stupid Girl,” Garbage - 5 - I know there’s nothing to be outraged about, and I usually enjoy bands this crass. But for some reason this by-the-numbers marriage of grunge and early-80s synthpop still leaves me a little cold.
“Sweet Dreams,” La Bouche - HH
“Tahitian Moon,” Porno for Pyros - HH
“Theme from Mission: Impossible,” Adam Clayton & Larry Mullen - 1 - A desecration of a classic. The idea that any song can be made “funkier” by slowing it down and adding the bassline-of-the-moment is one of the lasting fallacies of the age of the remix. The original is brash, intense, and in its own way, damn funky. This is a tepid debacle.
“Tonight, Tonight,” The Smashing Pumpkins - 4 - Sadly, not a West Side Story cover. Actually, they do that string thing OK, but I’m just sick of Billy Corgan’s whine.
“Too Much,” Dave Matthews Band - 2 - Not quite as hopeless as “Aeroplane,” but close.
“Touch Me, Tease Me,” Case featuring Foxxy Brown - HH
“Tres Delinquentes,” Delinquent Habits - HH
“Trippin’ on a Hole in a Paper Heart,” Stone Temple Pilots - HH
“Twisted,” Keith Sweat - HH
“Until It Sleeps,” Metallica - 1 - Face it, beyond “One,” were these guys ever really that great? The only thing I liked about them was their hair, so now …
“Walking Contradiction,” Green Day - HH
“Where It’s At,” Beck - 10 - Almost as perfect as “Loser.”
“Who Will Save Your Soul,” Jewel - 10 - She’s got that sorta conversational-sounding Joni Mitchell/Suzanne Vega/Michelle Shocked vibe I just die for, plus that throaty blues-mama thing on the chorus. Great folk-rock.
“Whoo-Hah!!! Got You All in Check,” Busta Rhymes - 7 - He gets a little exhausting after awhile, but this is the only rap single in recent memory to capture the anarchic spirit of early hiphop.
“Work It Out,” Def Leppard - HH, sadly
“Wrong,” Everything But the Girl - HH
“You Keep Me Hangin’ On,” Reba McEntire - HH (Is this a cover? I guess my country station isn’t playing it.)
“You Learn,” Alanis Morissette - 7 - It’s got that classic play-over-the-closing-credits sound to it, doesn’t it? I can just picture Alanis wrapping up her shows with it: “You live … Good night Cleveland, you’ve been a wonderful audience … You learn …”
“You’re Makin’ Me High,” Toni Braxton - 4 - Did you catch the R. Crumb guy they give thumbs down to in the video? Had somebody just rented the documentary? Actually, Toni and her friends may be a little svelte for his tastes, anyway …
“You’re the One,” SWV - HH
]]>Singles
The year in jop
Well, any year with the Macarena in it can’t be too bad. Actually, I first heard the Macarena in the summer of 1994, when a fellow box viewer in my request-neighborhood demographic got good and obsessed with it. The problem was, something was fucked up with the video, so all we’d get was 15 seconds of the beginning of the cut, skipping over and over again. Impressively, that synth intro help up under repeated listenings, fortelling of greatness to come. The Macarena was the only pop music this year to become nearly as significant as, say, Independence Day - a mass culture touchstone. What I can’t decide is if that’s the moment when a text really begins to matter, or if that’s when it ceases to have any meaning altogether. Bob Dole and Jack Kemp both did the Macarena - does this signal a new era of bubblesalsa
The Smashing Pumpkins are the G’n’R of the mid-’90s - arrogant, self-pitying, and overambitious in a way only an true fan could love. So why are they so tiresome? James Iha and D’Arcy make just about as good foils for Billy Corgan as Slash and Duff did for Axl, and they’re certainly an `improvement in fashion sense. The problem is Corgan - his charisma just isn’t up to the challenge of being a rock god, and he doesn’t have anywhere near the singing chops to pull off either the snarling rockers or the gushy ballads. (He gets closer on the gushy ballads - at least then his whine isn’t on full pitch.) Only the atmospheric pieces like “1979” really work, which hardly seems worth the price of admission.
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