<3
You know what remains a good song with a good video is Tightrope.
That's a great picture of her at the link, too.
You'll want to love it heebie, and it will be very good, but then they'll do fuck up the math in a way that gets under your skin and you can't ignore and you'll grow to loathe it.
I wonder if she wants to date me? Probably, right?
Janelle Monae is one of those artists that I sort of don't get. I mean, I like what she does just fine -- although it is largely other people's schtick, she looks great doing it -- but she seems to attract a mysterious level of admiration from a lot of people.
But black lady mathematicians from the 50s!
Right. It's going to be hard for this movie to stand out in a crowded genre.
I don't know who this person is. I even clicked through and read the link (!), but it didn't explain.
HURRY UP AND MAKE THIS AND GIVE HER AN OSCAR KTHXBYE
yeah #7.
i like watching her perform, because she's really good at it, even if it just looks like updated James Brown to my eyes. but her music mostly leaves me wondering what the fuss is about.
11. Gotta RTFA. I think it was heebie that linked the video to which neb refers to in 1.
I love, love, love that video. I've only sampled her other stuff, but haven't been that impressed.
ttaM, this made me think of you.
The OP sidebar has made me dimly aware, in my cave, that that Nina Simone movie doesn't look too good.
My favorite song and video of hers would have to be Cold War but the hair neb likes is from her Yoga video, which I've mentioned here before at least twice but may or may not have linked. I don't think she's the best musician of all time, but the effect of the whole thing is extraordinary and I'll bet seeing her in concert is amazing. But I wouldn't know because I had to get my uterine lining scraped out the day I could have seen her and lying around feeling miserable took precedence. Woohoo!
I love, love, love that video. I've only sampled her other stuff, but haven't been that impressed.
I like Electric Lady better than The Archandroid and the video for "Q.U.E.E.N." is very good.
18: I know, that happens to me all the time, too -- there's something I'd have liked to do but I had to do something yucky instead. Bummer, man.
My favorite song and video of hers would have to be Cold War
Huh.
That was one of the songs that made me think, "I like her ambition, and the ideas that she's working with, but I'm not sure that the music is quite strong enough to support it." The lyrics are powerful (and the video, which I hadn't watched before, is good), but I don't like the way that her vocals are processed and the track just lacks impact for me.
Perhaps that it's just that it makes me think (via word associations with the phrases "cold war" and "who are you fighting for") of the Marianne Faithful song "Broken English" which hits me much harder. But that would be a tough comparison for any song because "Broken English" is a legitimate classic.
i like watching her perform, because she's really good at it, even if it just looks like updated James Brown to my eyes. but her music mostly leaves me wondering what the fuss is about.
I honestly totally agree with this and with Ttam, although I think I'm warmer-spirited about it. I find her super appealing as a persona and her videos are really entertaining.
20: It's fine, that's everyday now and for the next few years. Life is like that. But thanks.
Funny, NickS, "Q.U.E.E.N." sort of annoys me both in audio and video forms, though I like it. (That may not make any sense.) For me it's probably as much about what phrases resonate as anything and "Cold War" has a lot of those, though "Even if it makes others uncomfortable / I will love who I am" definitely fits there too.
Funny, NickS, "Q.U.E.E.N." sort of annoys me both in audio and video forms, though I like it.
For what it's worth, that was my initial reaction as well.
It felt, if not pretentious, a little precious. But as I've come to like the album it feels coherent as a whole project, "Q.U.E.E.N." feels like it fits in to that setting, and so I don't get as much of a feeling of artifice as I did when that was the only song that I'd heard.
I wonder her popularity has anything to do with the fact that she's remarkably short? She's an outspoken black woman and she's conventionally attractive overall, and there are a lot of those out there, but she's something like four and a half feet tall counting the hair. That makes her stand out, paradoxically. It makes her less threatening to people who otherwise would have a problem with an outspoken black woman, and makes her cuter and easier to identify with and more impressive to people inclined to like her. Also, the science fiction added into her work probably gives her some kind of crossover appeal. More specifically, she identifies as robosexual. That is a nontraditional alignment, while not being something people go around calling sinners.
That's all ex recto or based on 5 minutes on Wikipedia. I've actually been to a performance of hers with Cassandane but am not a huge fan. Nothing against her, it's just not my genre.
For me it's probably as much about what phrases resonate as anything and "Cold War" has a lot of those
I can understand that, the lyrics are strong. My reaction, which boils down to, "it just doesn't grab me" shouldn't be a reason for anybody else to think less of it.
Also, as long as we're talking about Janelle Monae, I want to mention again that it astounds me how much the video for "If Anybody gets Funked Up" (1996) uses similar visual and political imagery. I find it striking.
25: I had no idea she was short, so I'm not buying that theory.
Yeah, that was the first I'd heard of that. I don't remember her seeming particularly short from the Tightrope video. Trickery, or hiring short dancers? The sci-fi stuff is definitely part of the appeal for me (though not the robosexual thing, which is also news to me). But mainly it's just that she has a bunch of super catchy tunes. There's a fair amount of filler on the albums, but I really like her best stuff.
she seems to attract a mysterious level of admiration from a lot of people
She seems classy and independent, which makes her cool.
"A mysterious level of admiration," indeed. Who is that and what have you done with ttaM? I distinctly remember him knowing what good music was.
It's with good reason that Monae's level of showmanship and musicianship gets her compared to James Brown, Prince or the Great Gloved One. I'm no Beyonce hater but I do think that in a just world, Monae's records would be outselling Bey's efforts by a wide margin.
re: 30
Well, yeah, but that high-energy performance style is pretty closely aping Brown, and her music, to my ears, just isn't that interesting. It's fun. I'm not saying it's not good, it's just not [to me] that innovative in a way that would attract some of the praise.
Google says she's 5'0", which is only 5ish inches shorter than average, so maybe that's not all that remarkable. Oh well.
Did none of you watch the Justice for Flint concert livestream the other night? She. Was. Fantaboulouslyamazinglywonderouslymarvelous. I have rarely seen a live performer who put so much energy and passion into a performance, with such a tight, precision-crafted set of choreography and musical segues.
And then to see the way that she solicitously cared for Stevie Wonder when he came out as the surprise musical guest -- and then to see her impromptu stage-managing and producing on the fly of 100+ amateurs (Flint activists) plus professional musicians on stage at the end...stunning. There were a row of young women in the front of the audience who were just hanging on every gesture -- and then she came over and started gripping their hands as she danced and sang. It was quite the spectacle, in the very best sense of the word.
Wait how could anyone dislike the video for Q.U.E.E.N.?
I didn't say I disliked it. I've watched it many, many times. It just could have been something I'd have liked more and isn't, but that's my failing.
The word I used above was artifice, but thinking about it now, my initial reaction to Q.U.E.E.N. had an element of, "it's bold to have a video that so explicitly self-aggrandizing." It seemed like it might be a little full of itself. But, as I said, as I've spent more time listening to the album I've liked the video more.
"it's bold to have a video that so explicitly self-aggrandizing."
Surely not!
I think her music is really good, energizing and thoughtful, and haven't seen any of the videos.
I get the feeling Ttam describes from the artist known as Grimes. With her, it's like, these songs just sound like pop songs, by Icona Pop or whoever, but with weird lyrics.
Can we say that the Primetime video (is that even what it's called?) is way uninspiring? Cute ear jewelry if I recall, but that's basically all I recall, whereas I think I could pretty much describe every scene of the Q.U.E.E.N. video from just the audio. Even though a straight/robosexual romance is at the core of the Cyndi Mayweather story, the girls-dancing-and-not-caring-about-the-male-gaze videos (however you want to read them beyond that) seem more fun and more successful.
33: Fantaboulouslyamazinglywonderouslymarvelous.
Apt description of Monae just generally. I'm always rather gobsmacked when it seems to need explaining. It's like, if you don't need an explanation for such superlatives attached to Purple Rain, why would you need it for Monae? Baffling.
I don't think I would recognise Janelle Monae or any of her music, but more films about the glory days of NASA are unquestionably a good thing. One of the most fascinating things about the Golden Years (1945-1980) is that the Space Race was rooted in some of the worst and most reactionary bits of humanity - the Nazis, the arms race, international tension, the nuclear standoff, the Soviet Empire, the military industrial complex, the state of Alabama - but it also served as this incredibly rich source of imagery and inspiration for all sorts of truly imaginative (and occasionally off the wall) stuff.
Singers do songs now about how they want a nice car or whatever, but David Bowie, Sun Ra, Stanley Kubrick etc had their sights set a lot higher - they wanted to go to Mars. The fact that we'd used the moon as a metaphor for "unattainable" for so long - "you might as well ask for the moon", that kind of thing - and then suddenly attained it (against the will of most of the US public), had a very salutary mind-blowing effect.
the state of Alabama
My expectations for Alabama were never high to begin with, but driving through a couple years ago I was impressed that Alabama Public Radio seems to have crystal clear statewide reception—probably aided by the fact that the state is pretty flat. Also, I've heard Alabama has really nice beaches (but probably too close to Florida for urple's vacationing needs).
On my way to the airport to to leave for Narnia where I will meet up with Chani and watch some Hou Hsiao-hsien movies at the last of the traveling retro.
Movies so on topic.
I liked The ArchAndroid but was initially puzzled by a black Jazz-ish pop singer in the 2010's making a SciFi themed concept album, because "SciFi themed concept album" is something I associate with the epitome of white 70's nerdiness (Rush & etc.). Then I remembered that there's a tradition of afrofuturist scifi themed albums going back to the 70s.
Still, it would be kind of cool if Monae came out as a Rush fan, if only because it would make millions of hipster heads explode.
In re Janelle Monae and dating, when last I heard there was a rumor (via Autostraddle) that she was not married to anyone but rather dating MC Lyte. So probably she will not be interested in you, neb.
I was kind of hoping for her to lead a revolutionary army rather than become a movie star, but perhaps she can lead the revolutionary army after she has built up more of a base via stardom.
For the record, 6 was a way too subtle joke implying that 'she' in 5 was in reference to 3 and not the OP.
Frowner commits bi-erasure. Anyway, even if she's a lesbian she'd make an exception for neb. He's dreamy.
The sci-fi concept album is something that has never really grabbed me, the "sci-fi" part often comes off like a plot summary scribbled on a napkin, but I did at least love the interludes on Electric Lady with DJ Crash Crash.
45: I have certainly read similar rumors!
The fact that we'd used the moon as a metaphor for "unattainable" for so long - "you might as well ask for the moon", that kind of thing - and then suddenly attained it (against the will of most of the US public), had a very salutary mind-blowing effect.
Bob Dylan begs to differ
Man has invented his doom
First step was touching the moon
Not sure why I feel compelled to bring up what could very well be Dylan's most straightforwardly dumb lyrics.
Wow, someone likes the DJ Crash Crash interludes?? And yes, none of the "I'm only attracted to androids" would be necessary if she'd only offer up if she wants men, women, both, neither, but she won't.
Watched about 3 minutes of JM Queen
Back to Etta James and Billie Holiday
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Anime!
In line with today's news about the computer program going up 2-0, and it is looking easy, I want to mention again the series Hikaru no Go, this time for people/children who want to learn about Go.
A shallow 11 year old boy is turned into a Go Champion by the ghost of a young Heian era master.
Skip the manga. The anime shows you games played, and has a 2 minute lesson at the end of every show.
The show is brilliant in its many levels. Before I talked about work, making money, compromises and it touches on reporters cab-drivers booth hustlers in a way that valorizes effort. It show the pleasures the fans (metaphor for anime fans) get from following the pros.
It is on a deep level about aesthetic competition and the real time making of cooperative art (a game) in a way that links Heian aesthetics like renga and poetry/incense contests to our modern age and comments on the contrast.
It is moving in the relationship and funny in the reactions of a Heian to modern technology.
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53: Heh, ironically I suspect Etta James and Billie Holiday would've been the last sort of people to throw shade on a performer like JM, but to each their own.
53: I've been reading Go discussion boards to see the reaction to Lee Sedol losing to Alpha Go, and people keep making Hikaru no Go jokes, that Alpha Go is possessed by the spirit of Sai, etc.
I watched a broadcast of the third Sedol-AlphaGo match, and even the commentators were making Hikaru no Go jokes. I think it says something about how otherworldly it seem to the top pros to suddenly be upstaged by a machine.