Ages and ages and ages ago now, I meant to go on about Antipopper's awesome [ FOR THE UNCONDITIONAL MILITARY DEFENSE OF BRITNEY FROM SEXIST WITCH-HUNTS ] slogan/byline, the genesis of which you can read about here. I asked for more, because I'm far too image/visuals orientated, and lo, I received here. But best of all, a second image was given unto us.



I will wear this on a t-shirt before I die. It's one of those things where if you don't already get it, I'm not sure I could ever explain it to you. I will say, however, that I'm wondering whether an X-Tina one wouldn't be even more appropriate right now, as currently she seems to be on the receiving end of the most Sexist Witchhunts. Or maybe I'm just worried about what the new Britney album is going to sound like (or more accurately, what the singles are going to sound like) - I mean, a track produced by Fred Durst? Yikes.

(While I'm plugging Antipopper, this is one of the best concise summaries of the differences between the recent couple of seasons of Buffy and Angel that I've read.)

(I keep posting stuff I've written elsewhere here instead of the stuff I mean to write - apologies, but this one is too important not to include here for posterity.)

If you're talking Seventies soul, you're talking Hot Buttered Soul. Even though I think it was released in 1969 - but hey, that makes it the blueprint, right?



Four tracks, three of them past the ten-minute mark. All of them utterly fantastic, and goddamn but with the weather as it is right now, I need to dig out my tape of this, or maybe even go buy it. Everything about this album is flawless, from the music to the title to that photo of Hayes' big beautiful bald dome. YES.

It's a little annoying the way everyone thinks of Isaac Hayes as being just about sex, and in a 'comedy' way to boot (which is why even though a lot of the stuff he did in South Park was funny, I wish he hadn't done it). This is serious music, not in a joyless muso zzzzzzz way, but in an oh-my-god-this-is-fucking-amazing-you-cannot-fuck-with-Isaac-Hayes way. It's also weird that so many people over at the Amazon entry for the album seem to think it's great 'make-out' music - most of this record is tragic! 'Hyperbolicsyllabicsesquedalymistic' is the only song that's actually about sex - the rest are about heartbreak of one kind or another, and they all contain the quality that makes so much black American music so great: infusing tales of personal struggles with an anguish that draws on the wider context of political and historical struggle.

Worth noting that Hot Buttered Soul is also one of the most heavily sampled albums I know of, and by the best artists in hip-hop. I believe Public Enemy built 'Black Steel In The Hour Of Chaos' around a piano loop from 'Hyperbolic...', while the Wu-Tang Clan liked 'Walk On By' so much they made a song that was basically just RZA and Ghostface rapping over the top of the arrangement - and sounding like they were about to burst into tears - then invited Hayes to come and sing on it as well ('I Can't Go To Sleep').

That was a hint, kick & nik!

The following isn't, though, it's just me playing fantasty DJ. Actually, there's a Barbelith thread in this. Hmmm. Yes. 'Sister Saviour' and 'Rich' and 'Fighter' and 'Focus' and...

Royal Trux - 'Juicy Juicy Juice' - probably one of the tracks which explains why Royal Trux kept getting Rolling Stones comparisons for so long - not so much for the way it sounds (except for the bit where everything cuts out except for the cool percussion - maraccas? - and Neil singing "these are the membership blues"), but more for the spirit: Stones circa the best party tunes on Beggars Banquet or Exile... Great filthy squealing guitar riff, chorus like someone kicking a dirty football around the inside of yr head (pounding and silly and insistent and FUN), and the whole thing goes on far longer than you'd expect with all kinds of noise fading in and out. Dance like a sozzled muppet, rock kids.

God, I love The Rapture's 'Sister Saviour'. The bassline. The "heyyy-eyyy" bits. The "last night I had a dream" bit. It's ace. I hope I get to dance to it tomorrow night.

This blog is going to have to go back to being largely a random bunch of short, epigrammatic (my arse) musings. Because I can't seem to find time for longer posts...

So, for now: Madonna's 'Hollywood'. Shit, and it only sounds like a slight return to form because 'American Life' was so embarrassingly "Top 10 Worst Records By Anyone" bad. It also rips off that Garbage song about JT LeRoy ('Cherry Lips'), to these ears anyway.

And there's something really icky about the video... "Look, I can still rock various looks from my own past and pull it off! Remember how much you used to desire and/or aspire to be me! I've still got it!"

I don't mind being manipulated, I just insist on it being done well.

shouting "lager, lager, lager" at the Goth bar, Goth bar, Goth bar

What's that you say? Vampires fighting werewolves? Sounds a bit geeky and Gothy and LIVEACTION! roleplaying to me. Hmmm? Oh, the vampires have guns - guns given to them specially by the man from whom John Woo buys all his guns? And they shop at the same PVC/leather outfitters as Neo, Trinity and the girls from Birds of Prey? Well, in that case...

Aw, who I am trying to kid with the scorn? I'm dying to see Underworld, a surprisingly unfaithful adaptation of the great American novel by Don DeLillo - or not.



Let's start a war.
Start a werewolf/vampire war.
At the Goth bar, Goth bar, Goth bar.

Oh shit. When will I learn to keep an eye on when bands I like are playing decent venues at reasonable cost, so I can book tickets in advance and NOT find out on the day, when I have no disposable income and the gig is sold out... I'm not even going to name the band in question this time, it's too depressing.

It's kind of ridiculous that I now have two weekends to recap, in addition to all this other crap I keep meaning to write... I've been dancing. And other things. Work is hectic, money's as ever, but the weekends are lovely. I'll get back to you soon, I promise.