Pac, Perry, and Jacques: California (Love/Gurls) and a bit of Ranciere
Apart from their titular references to California, Katy Perry and Snoop Dogg’s “California Gurls” and Dre and TuPac’s “California Love” might appear to have little at all in common. However, the compositional genius of the Perry/Snoop track is that it…
“What is a philosopher?” — Apparently a “hip” white dude
Simon Critchley recently began a philosophy column for the New York Times, and his inaugural post poses the question “What is a Philosopher?”. Here’s the post: http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/16/what-is-a-philosopher/?hp Below, I argue that Critchley’s philosopher practices the logic of hipness. As I…
Some Initial Thoughts on Beyonce’s New “Why Don’t You Love Me?” Video
Beyonce recently released a new video for her funkspolitation-style track “Why Don’t You Love Me?”. While everyone seems to be focusing on her continued use of the pinup aesthetic, I’m going to argue that this is, like “Single Ladies” a…
On Gender and Misogyny in Mark Dery’s Anti-Gaga Argument
Recently, Mark Dery published a piece in “True/Slant” arguing against Lady Gaga’s intellect, artistry, and cultural value: http://trueslant.com/markdery/2010/04/20/aladdin-sane-called-he-wants-his-lightning-bolt-back-on-lady-gaga/ First, I’ll put my cards on the table (and some of you may already be quite familiar with these cards): I’m adamantly…
Kelis does some posthumanist feminism
So, I’ll probably have more to say about this track/video later, but, because this song is so awesome, here are some initial thoughts: 1. The totally minimal nature of the track, the super-clean production, the “restrained” or even “tasteful” vibe…
Liquid Liquid Live on Jimmy Fallon (ZOMGWTF!!!)
http://blogs.villagevoice.com/music/archives/2010/04/watch_liquid_li.php Liquid Liquid, with the Roots, play “Cavern” (i.e., the sample in Gradmaster Flash’s “White Lines”) on Jimmy Fallon’s show. Adding to the general awesomeness of mutant disco on national TV is the fact that LL’s lead singer has a…
“The joy of repetition really is in you”: Lee Edelman and Hot Chip’s “Over and Over”
I’m going to argue that Hot Chip’s “Over and Over” (mainly the song, but also somewhat the video) evinces/endorses what Lee Edelman calls “sinthmosexuality.” Queer theorist Lee Edelman argues that, in the West, “queerness” has come to represent the “death…
further evidence of the KLF’s awesomeness
…remember I mentioned Simon Reynolds saying that Cabaret Voltaire sounded like Daleks? Gary Glitter + Dr. Who + The Justified Ancients of MuMu = win
Telephone, Video Phone, Stronger: Our Work Is Never Over
So, I’ve been working on a reading of Gaga’s Telephone video, but that’s become more of a project than I originally anticipated. So, while I’m still working on that, some initial thoughts regarding the video’s interpretive context. Here’s Gaga’s video:…
Synth Britania – a BBC Doc about [white dudes in] 70s/80s British Electronica
Synth Britania is available in full on YouTube, and it’s an interesting and informative enough documentary filled with a lot of good music. Some of the info is going to be redundant for a lot of serious fans of this…
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