Today I Listened to...

Guns ‘n’ Roses in Rio 2011: Estranged

thenewcomer — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 15:17:51 +0000

In the world of modern rock music, Axl Rose embodies Shakespeare’s tragic heroes. In the nineties, he was Hamlet performing Estranged: screeching outbursts alternating rage and beauty, a manic dynamo whirling and screaming on the stage, drowning in sorrow and self-pity, battling a destiny of violent separation. But in 2011, when he does Estranged after 18 years, he is King Lear. He stands still, presenting his time-ravaged face and body fully to the audience, daring them to mock him and the awful hat and clothes he is wearing to conceal. He sings as an angry old man, still furious, still caring about it all too much, but too fatigued to do anything much about it. His voice is querulous and demanding, and he sings as though only now he appreciates the full force of the lyrics, what it is to be estranged. Before, it was all raging hormones, but now, now he is facing the real chasm of emotional destitution. The irony of “but I’m only twenty-eight” is as heavy and unsubtle as a sledge-hammer, a truly and uniquely un-postmodern moment hanging in the air like a contemporary, sung version of Cordelia’s hanging body. Half-way through, some girls in the audience hold up a Guns n Roses banner bearing an enlarged photo of the young Axl. Old Axl pauses and stares out at them. He is not angry or sad at that moment, but there is a dreadful wonder in his eyes. He must be surrounded by images of his young lovely self, but it seems that this one, presented full force to him by young half-naked girls, hits home the hardest. Then he moves past it “I don’t know how you’re supposed to find me lately…”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D04Tm9IMiNs

Guns ‘n’ Roses: Mr. Brownstone

thenewcomer — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 15:51:03 +0000

It’s almost as if there are two Axls singing in this clip- the first is a low atypical growl, almost like an ordinary talking voice, which then becomes the high-pitched snarly Axl shriek we all know and love at the end of each stanza. His movements- can’t call it dancing, really, is so, so Axl. So typically himself, and so nobody else. That awful gold snakeskin jacket with the gigantic shoulder pads! That blue sparkly tasseled headband! The way Slash rests his head on Axl’s shoulder right at the end! Moments like these, and I can see why those old GnR fans can’t stop the bellyaching and the hope-against-hope that these two will get back together.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b5VJa-sYsyU

Golden Earring: Twilight Zone

thenewcomer — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 17:28:00 +0000

This is supposed to be a creepy, surreal song, and if you watch the accompanying video, then it certainly is. A song about madness and pain. When I started listening to it, a few months back, I missed out on the madness – I thought it was about the pain of sanity.

But anyway, the video is well worth a watch, the ‘seventies aura merely adding to its creepiness and not as annoying as it could be.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1sf2CzEq0w

Michael Jackson Feat. Slash: Give In To Me

thenewcomer — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 13:25:16 +0000

Michael Jackson does not fall technically under the scope of this blog, being neither white nor old. Still, I think I can give him a pass: it’s certainly not his fault that he’s not old, and given the propensity of rockers to die young (ish), I hereby put in a clause which allows me to blog about dead rockers as well as old ones (cf. Freddie Mercury up there). As regards his skin colour, he was born black, true, but he understood quite well the need to be white to acquire true rock-king status, and he tried his best. With good results, we have to admit.

You mean, he's not white?

With these trifling matters cleared up, we can now turn our attention to the song. Undeniably one of the best, but simply the best love song of all time. And Slash, freed of the inhibiting presence of Axl, pulls all stops, jumping about and head banging like nobody’s business. Something tells me that Michael was much easier work with than Axl, though Slash has a certain extremely irritating quality which is hard to define- something to do with the angle which he holds his guitar, I think, which would try the patience of a saint. And have you noticed the absolutely gorgeous second guitarist? Who is he? What happened to him after this?

The song is so beautiful that I can listen to it and actually enjoy the music, instead of becoming all nostalgic about our road trip last summer listening to this on the car CD player, on the way to the Caspian sea…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJ7qXHjxj_0&ob=av2e

photo credit:

http://fluxuryb.com/uploads/2009/07/michael-jackson-x-rolling-stone.jpg

Pearl Jam: Alive

thenewcomer — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 12:37:45 +0000

Another song flickering in the corner of my consciousness. I had heard the song, and I had heard of Pearl Jam, but I hadn’t realised the lead singer, Eddie Vedder is so damn good-looking, a kind of counter-point to Axl, you could say, with such amazing hair and cheekbones. In fact, I do believe I prefer his hair to Axl’s. Which is saying something.

Ah yes, the song. An anthem to the fierce joy of living, it is ironic that Vedder, He of The Gorgeous Brown Mane looks so desperate while singing it. Maybe he had run out of conditioner? But yeah, he’s still alive. Unlike Some Other pretty pretty rock stars. He made it. Others didn’t.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbhsYC4gKy4

Red Rider: Lunatic Fringe

thenewcomer — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 13:24:59 +0000

Have you watched the kids’ animation movie “Cars“? No? Still, you have probably heard its theme song “Life is a highway” a million times since it was released, back in 2002 or whenever.

Ha! Stuck in your head now, isn’t it? Life is a highway… i’m doin’ my way… ALL NIGHT LONG… sorry, you’re stuck with it for another five hours at least.

But the people who sang that are no one-hit wonders. However, it is their misfortune that they are Canadian, and so, despite having an impressive array of songs, nobody has ever heard of them, and think that their songs are from Pink Floyd – or some other British/American skinny old white male song.

To serve my adopted country, allow me to set the record straight: this is a song from Red Rider and the lead singer is called Tom Cochrane, and he was performing in Halifax last year, only nobody was interested in going to see him. Now that I have listened to a few more of their songs, I think I would, if he were to return. Here’s one to savour:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uqUa_G1h3pw&feature=related

Creedence Clearwater Revival: Have you ever seen the rain?

thenewcomer — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 14:09:54 +0000

Another band with an incomprehensible name, an obstacle to its success.

The cover band played this song the last night my brother lived in Halifax. He had requested it, in his mind, and they understood.

So, another song to fill my eyes with tears. Another song to stab me with a sharp pang of separation and loneliness. As if I needed any reminders.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TS9_ipu9GKw

Guns n’ Roses: Better

thenewcomer — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 18:35:03 +0000

“Better” is my favourite song from Chinese Democracy. Or maybe it’s “Sorry”. No, I do believe it’s “Better”. I think it’s that sawing music at the beginning, as if the violin is hacking through your brain. Also those short, sharp, rhyming lyrics “heart/spark” “part/heart”. Also the truth of the lyrics- if I had known, but now I know, so much better. Oh so much.

This performance is living proof that time does not mellow, nor does it weaken the passion. At least not Axl’s. He flings aside the standing mike which has some ridiculous black and white piece of cloth tied to it with burning venom. A guy walks across the stage and straightens the mike, the guitarists exchange glances and the top-hatted fella seems to be suppressing a nervous giggle. Axl starts jumping up and down furiously- he can’t decide which he hates more, the mike, or the very stage he’s performing on. We catch a glimpse of the audience- this is London, 2010, and they sit straight and polite, elderly and in sober dark clothes, watching him work it out.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qSHthZS8mbE&feature=fvst

Rolling Stones: Gimme Shelter

thenewcomer — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 14:37:16 +0000

A big song, full of big feelings. The kind of music which makes your heart swell even though you don’t have a clue what they’re singing about. Only the words “just a kiss away, just a kiss away…” is enough. Oh- and the something something about the children.

Anyway, this 1995 version is amazing- it shows Jagger in a recognizable present-day format, full of those famous twitches and jerks. And the woman, whose voice naturally knocks the socks of Jagger, but oh well, she isn’t old, white, skinny or male, and so nobody seems to know her name or have ever heard of her. She comes forward on stage and metaphorically elbows Jagger out of the way. Another interesting point: the other musicians all look frighteningly alike. Why? Are old rock bands like what old marriages supposed to be, with members growing more and more like each other as the years roll by? See for yourself:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rCrbziy20aU

Ian Thomas: Painted Ladies

thenewcomer — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 18:08:08 +0000

A Canadian one hit wonder. Another song impossible to not to like or dislike, albeit with a very catchy refrain. A smooth, melancholy tune, with a whiff of Neil Young:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3pvsiQvSPs