“Look out, you rock ‘n’ rollers!” Look out was right.
David Bowie’s glammed-up, spaced-out music on the weirdly wonderful 1971 album “Hunky Dory” was a departure from the hippy anthems of the late ’60s. Having already been the mime, the folkie and Major Tom, “Hunky Dory” was a distillation of all of these characters and the blueprint for the platform-wearing, glitter-covered glam-rock alien Ziggy Stardust, who was about to be unleashed on the world. “Hunky Dory” is where Bowie found a voice of his own, and his androgynous sex appeal and strange subject matter remain influential.
From the lyrical “Changes” to the spooky closing track “The Bewlay Brothers,” “Hunky Dory” is a mixture of different styles that come together to make the perfect pop album. One of the most powerful tracks is “Life On Mars?”, a dramatic ballad with an orchestral arrangement that’s too beautiful to be sappy. When Bowie crescendos and hits the high note at the beginning of each chorus, you’re right there with him, mesmerized by the sheer force of his unusual and pronouncedly British vocals.
Bowie’s versatility becomes apparent in the memorable sequence of songs paying homage to his three heroes: Andy Warhol, Bob Dylan and Lou Reed. “Queen Bitch,” Bowie’s ode to Reed’s seedy New York, displays the talents of his future stage foil and Spider From Mars, Mick Ronson. His choppy, slightly distorted guitar rattles the album like a nightclub hustler “pushing ahead of the Dames.”
And while Bowie was shaking things up, songs like the incomprehensible “The Bewlay Brothers” and the ode to the newborn Zowie, “Kooks,” show us that he was certainly hanging on to one late ’60s tradition: letting the freak flag fly. Still, you can afford to shave your eyebrows when you’re writing albums like this.
Yoko Ono,Yes, I’m a Witch, Washington Square News.
March 1, 2011
Yoko Ono Yes, I’m A Witch Choice cuts: “Nobody Sees Me Like You Do,” “Revelations”
Ever since her controversial appearances with the Beatles in the late ’60s, Yoko Ono has hardly been known as an artist who is easy on the ear. Her screeching vocals can be jarring, often sounding like a cat caught in an amplifier. On her latest album, new artists remix Ono’s old songs, making it one of her best and least challenging efforts. Yes, I’m A Witch is aptly titled, as it has many enchanting qualities.
Performers such as Cat Power, Peaches and the Flaming Lips come along for the ride. What is most enjoyable about this album is the new artists’ contributions: Peaches takes the underlying sexuality of “Kiss Kiss Kiss” to a far more provocative level with her edgy electronic sound, while a surprisingly good melody is salvaged in “Nobody Sees Me Like You Do” under Apples in Stereo’s psychedelic direction. “Revelations” sounds like a classic Cat Power track, though it’s a shame to hear Ono interrupt Chan Marshall’s beautiful voice.
While the album’s primary merits rest with Ono’s collaborators, Yes, I’m A Witch does say something about the versatility of Ono’s songwriting – her simple melodies work as well over Le Tigre’s “Riot grrrl” vibe in “Sisters O Sisters,” as they do over the gentler sound of Porcupine Tree in the melancholic “Death of Samantha.” Just as in the days when Ono married John Lennon and jammed with the Beatles, however, her greatest virtue remains her taste in the musical company she keeps.
- Clementine Amidon
Dishin’ About Finance: Jonathan Adler Celebrates Brilliant Brother David’s Book at Madison Avenue Store
By Clementine Amidon June 26, 2009 | 12:36 p.m
On Thursday, June 25, revelers piled into Jonathan Adler’s Madison Avenue store to celebrate the launch of his older brother David E. Adler’s new book, Snap Judgment (FT Press). The book is about our instincts with money, and when we should obey them or avoid them at all costs, no pun intended! “I could probably be a poster boy for the book,” said 6-foot-4 Sopranos actor Alex Corrado, who seemed to feel a tad out of place among the uptown home decoration crowd. (“It’s like reverse Pretty Woman!”) The Transom couldn’t resist cadging some free advice from Mr. Adler. How are those predisposed to making “snap judgments” with their money supposed to stop themselves? “You can override your gut impulses,” he said. “There are two physiological systems in decision-making, your gut one and a slower analytical one, but they are both physical components of the brain. And you can actually trigger the slow one with sugar, by drinking lemonade! If you are faced with a tough decision, you can sleep on it or you can drink a little sugar, and it slows you down.” So how to explain the rash spending habits of Jonathan, a noted carboholic? “Maybe this will be a wake-up call for me, because I am wildly impulsive,” the preppy potter said. “The only thing holding me back from squandering the Adler squillions is a lack of desirable merchandise in the world.” (Certain fiscal snap judgments seem to be working just fine for Mr. Adler, as he will soon be opening another store in Brooklyn, despite the dreary economy.) Also sharing his saving tips was The Observer’s own Simon Doonan, husband to Jonathan and by extension part of the Adler family. “I would love to be the person who has thousands of pairs of sneakers,” he said. “I would love to be the male Mariah Carey. But being so freakishly undersized, I can’t find clothes in my size. It’s not hard for me to be parsimonious.” And Vanity Fair’s Amy Fine Collins? “I limit myself to only one designer [Ralph Rucci, with Manolo Blahnik shoes]… that’s the way I discipline myself,” she told the Transom. “You can’t be well-dressed without being disciplined.” Breaking news of pop star Michael Jackson’s death cast a brief haze of sadness over the party. Mr. Doonan was visibly shaken: “He was straight, gay, black, white, thin, fat—everything,” he clucked. “Jonny and I have this big plaster bust of him that we bought at a flea market … It looks like a Jeff Koons, but it was really five dollars. I’m going to rush home and put a nice bit of chiffon on it.”
New York Observer, June 25, 2009. Gen Art Benefit
June 25, 2009
Gen Art Benefit Co-opted by MTV; Is No Party Safe From ‘Reality’ Cams?
By Clementine Amidon
Although Gen Art’s 15th Anniversary benefit on the spacious 11th floor of 7 West 34th Street was admittedly thrown as a last-ditch effort to save the floundering organization, the mood was hardly desperate!
First to arrive was lovely New Zealand native Rebecca Taylor, with father in tow. The designer was wearing one of her own creations, a blue jumpsuit—“It covers all your sins! You don’t shave your legs—put on the jumpsuit!” It was Gen Art that gave Ms. Taylor her big break 10 years ago. “Although it was a long time ago, and it was a show of 10 looks, it was one of the nicest shows I’ve ever done. I like to support people who supported me.”
Project Runway’s Christian Siriano flew into the party with a posse of asymmetrically coiffed pals; also in attendance were Gossip Girl’s Laura Breckenridge and Miss USA Kirsten Dalton, resplendent in turquoise and sporting a blinding smile. Erin Lucas, star of MTV’s The City and daughter of AC/DC bassist Cliff Williams, showed off her brand-new AC/DC tattoo—“in honor of Father’s Day.” British rockers Your Vegas, fresh off of tour with Duran Duran, mingled in the closed-off VIP section. Why were they there? “It’s a good place to be!” said one member of the band.
Meanwhile Alex and Simon McCord, stars of The Real Housewives of New York, could not be pried from the red carpet. This was their second event of the evening, having just dashed over from a City Opera shopping event. The couple talked and posed and talked some more, and seemed a little surprised to be asked about Gen Art. “Think about the artists who make paintings,” Ms. McCord said. “Artists are often the ones who are living on the edge, and they need our support. Another thing, too, is that spending money in economic times, you want to feel that you are doing good for someone.” The TV star went on to describe her newly renovated house, filled with artwork “bought at charity auctions” and “recycled furniture.” Did Ms. McCord think Gen Art could reach its lofty goal of a quarter of a million dollars? “People really want to help. And I sometimes think that these tough times bring out the best in people. Well, the worst in some. But people really want to help.”
Co-chair Zac Posen arrived later in the night, dapper in skinny jeans. After chatting about iPhones, the designer took a more serious tone, announcing that “it is important to support Gen Art, or anything that gives a platform to young artists.” Like Ms. Taylor, the foundation was instrumental in helping Mr. Posen in the early days of his career.
A later arrival was The City’s whip-thin Whitney Port, and it soon became clear that the party had actually morphed into a set for her MTV reality show. So that’s why the strategically placed cameras were there, the Transom thought as it inadvertently stumbled into the midst of a scene.
Gen Art Passes the Hat; CEO Admits ‘Panic’
By Clementine Amidon
On Wednesday, June 24, the Gen Art organization will throw a benefit in honor of its 15th anniversary, titled “I Heart (Gen) Art.” Celebrities chairing the event include designers Zac Posen, Rebecca Taylor and Georgina Chapman, plus actors William H. Macy, and the Adrians Grenier and Brody. The event will feature an exhibition of works from more than 60 artists who have been associated with the foundation during its existence, as well as a silent auction of fashion. But the mood over at Gen Art is far from festive: The foundation, which has hosted the Gen Art Film Festival since 1996 and prides itself in supporting young emerging talent, is in dire financial shape.
“It’s been a very rough year,” said Ian Gerard, the company’s CEO. “Eighty percent of our revenue came from corporate sponsors, especially in the auto and financial sectors. These companies are at 30 percent of where they were a year ago.” The Web site of Gen Art’s home page is plastered with pleas for donations, imploring “Who Will Support the Next Generation of Talent?” and claiming that “Gen Art’s very existence is in jeopardy.” Mr. Gerard said he has been working hard to recoup recent losses, by cutting expenses “massively,” which has necessitated some layoffs, and creating four-day weeks for some remaining staffers.
This Wednesday’s party will be the company’s first benefit in over a decade. Mr. Gerard admitted to having had “a bit of a panic attack” in the weeks preceding the benefit. But “people make decisions much more last-minute these days,” he said with some optimism, “so we have sold 70 percent of our tickets in the last four days.”
New York Observer – June 18, 2009 “Sullivan’s Travels: Novelist Has Come a Long Way Baby”
June 25, 2009
“Sullivan’s Travels: Novelist Courtney Has Come a Long Way, Baby
By Clementine Amidon and Eliza Shapiro June 18, 2009 | 11:47 a.m.
Literati packed into Gail Collins’s shabby-chic Morningside Heights apartment on the evening on Wednesday, June 17 to celebrate the launch of J. Courtney Sullivan’s debut novel, Commencement, set largely at the author’s alma mater, Smith College. Ms. Sullivan, who previously penned Dating Up: Dump the Schlump and Find A Quality Man, was the center of attention, teetering around in silver stilettos and a tight blue bosom-revealing dress. “This is the kind of thing I used to dream about in geometry class, which is probably why I got a D,” Ms. Sullivan gushed during the remarks by her boss, Times columnist Bob Herbert, and Ms. Collins. Both of her hosts poked fun at Ms. Sullivan for making the jump to the Times editorial board directly from Allure, but praised her prolific contributions to a mélange of publications. “I don’t think she’s ever written for Institutional Investor actually, but I’ve never written for Men’s Vogue!” exclaimed Ms. Collins. Commencement follows four women in a world which, according to Ms. Sullivan, finds feminist ideals “quaint and silly.” The book has been pegged as an harbinger of a new wave (yes, another) of feminism. However, the social dynamic of the party adopted a “separate, but equal” mantra, as the few male guests huddled together by the bar. Times columnist Nicholas Kristof praised the novel, but admitted to being “shocked by the debauchery” of same-sex institutions depicted in Commencement. Did Eugene Sullivan, the author’s father, have any reservations about sending his firstborn to a women’s college where transgender debates rage and girls are called SLUGS (Smith Lesbians Until Graduation)? Quite the opposite, claimed Mr. Sullivan, who has sported a “Smith Dad hat” for the past 10 years; he felt his daughter was “empowered” at the college. The Transom asked Ms. Sullivan about her thoughts on the militant feminism sometimes associated with women’s institutions. “I was once on a rooftop bar drinking margaritas, and I ended up reading aloud to the man beside me from Andrea Dworkin,” said the doe-eyed brunette with a laugh, “so I’m probably not the person to ask.” However, her bosses at The Times claimed to have looked to the author for feminist inspiration over the past few years. Said Ms. Collins, author of the upcoming When Everything Changed, a book about the last 50 years of feminism in America: “I’ve gotten so extremely old, by the time I was doing the book, I always had this trouble when I got to the 2000s. I had no idea what the hell I was writing about … and Courtney really was the one who took me through it all.” Mr. Herbert agreed about his assistant’s authority on the subject: “She would actually raise my consciousness to just how much sexism permeated ordinary, everyday society, and she encouraged me to pay closer attention even than I was paying to women’s issues.” Success at The Times aside, Mr. Herbert was quick to note that “the novel is her novel, and she’s a great writer, and I think that it’s wonderful for her to have this fantastic success.” Ms. Sullivan, giggling and quaffing white wine with old Smith friends, seemed as if she hadn’t had this much fun since her halcyon days in Northampton.
