July 31, 2007
Okay.. so I was just playing around on Youtube... surprise, surprise and came across a video that my professor had just mentioned in passing on one random digression. It was about a Philippino prison doing a re-make of Thriller by Michael Jackson... as I randomly came across this video I started thinking about certain artists, certain songs and the way people react to them. What makes their music/video/song so great?
Right after I came across the Philippino video I also came across another one that was done by a Greek Army - and they were copying Madonna's song Hung Up. They weren't quite as skilled as the 1500 Philippino inmates but it still makes me wonder... What makes it so great that you would want to organize people, videotape it, and then post it on Youtube.com. (or some other similar website)
If you want to check out the actual footage of these videos, click the link below. This link is to the Philippino Prison:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMnk7lh9M3o
Here is a link to watch Michael Jackson's original video:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=rT90keJ51bY
This link is the Greek Army:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=9V1UTKkE-5Q
Although as of late Michael Jackson has had some pretty questionable actions you can't deny his ability as a singer and as a performer. Watching the video of Thriller you just can't help but be entertained by it. I grew up after Michael Jackson so I am not as familiar with his work as I'd like to be, but I do know how much of an impact he has had on the music industry. Even Backstreet Boys did a little play on the Thriller music video in their video of Everybody (Backstreet's Back). The majority of people are even quite familiar with the choreography! On a personal note - I attended a drag show where a friend of mine was performing. He had a group of people dress up in convincing zombie outfits while he played Michael Jackson. They copied the choreography of the Thriller video and performed it for the audience at the show. Everyone in the audience immediately recognized the song and dance and just loved it. Now why is it that some artists are so effective and influential with their music that they can still have an effect on people over 20 years later?
Is it their style, their willingness to try something new and different while ignoring the criticism that may come with it? Are they making a political stand? Are they breaking 'taboo' ideas like exposing skin (like Madonna)? Is it a combination of all these things that make them so memorable?
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Hot Death Metal Chix
July 17, 2007
So a buddy of mine was telling me about some crazy death metal bands with girls as their frontman - or should I say frontwoman. I didn't think much of this until he sent me some Youtube links to their videos and then my jaw dropped. If I hadn't seen that it was a woman singing in Arch Enemy, I wouldn't have believed that it was a female singer. Her voice is sooo low, raspy and gutteral. This type of singing is called death growl. Very impressive. Apparently she was actually trained by someone to sing this way and also to help ensure that she doesn't ruin her vocal chords. Arch Enemy with frontwoman Angela Gossow is a swedish band. She joined this group in 2000.
Here is a link to a video of Arch Enemy playing the song Enemy Within on Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NizPNmUjeDU
The other band I have heard of with a female frontwoman is in the Italian band called Lacuna Coil. They sing metal goth rock and the lead singer does not sing in the deal growl that Angela Gossow does. One of their lead vocalists is Cristina Scabbia who originally was only supposed to sing backup vocals for the band. They liked the way she sounded so much they asked her to become a permanent part of the band, singing alongside their other male, lead vocalist.
Here is a link to Lacuna Coil playing two songs on Jimmy Kimmel Live Concert Series. They are performing the songs Our Truth and Enjoy the Silence:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AwcIkH2GSz4
This link is to a music video of Lacuna Coil performing the song Heaven's a Lie:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ixxtnrWb17Y
It is pretty unusual to see women fronting heavy metal bands. These bands are similar to a more mainstream band that is more widely known: Evanescence. However, Arch Enemy and Lacuna Coil are more goth rock rather than pop rock.
Backstreet Boys... Gay??
July 27, 2007
Recently we read an article in class about the pop band Backstreet Boys and how they were marketed towards the gay community (as well as young girls). Now I don't disagree that they were possibly marketed to this certain group in society... I just have some disagreements with the way the author found the 'proof' in their videos and lyrics and felt he could write an article stating that they were. The article is "Marketing androgyny: the evolution of the Backstreet Boys" by Daryl Jamieson.
The author of this article clearly states at the beginning of his work that he is gay and grew up watching the videos and listening to the music of this particular boyband. I agree and can see Jamieson's point of view that this particular band totally affected how he felt about being gay, especially when he was a teenager who was finding himself.
At first when I read this article I agreed with Jamieson (thinking back to my own personal knowledge of the Backstreet Boys lyrics and videos) and could understand how he could make several of the conclusions he has. After re-watching these videos and looking at some of the lyrics I totally disagree with many of his reasons for claiming that Nick Carter was focused on more than the other band members because he was young, soft-skinned, and youthful - or sexually androgynous. I think that this author may have actually had a crush on Nick Carter when he was younger and now is only focusing on Nick's parts in the songs and videos and making conclusions from that without fairly looking at the other band member’s parts in the lyrics and videos.
Jamieson continues in his article saying that Nick Carter was the main singer in the band with many lines of songs devoted especially to him. After watching the video's I disagree. I believe that Brian Littrell is focused on the most out of all five members - having the most lines to sing and he is focused on quite a bit in the music videos.
Jamieson singles out Nick, saying he sings the particular line "Am I Sexual" in their song "Everybody (Backstreet's Back)" and claims this is important because he is the sexually androgynous person in the band. Nick is also dressed as a mummy in what Jamieson says "appears to include some sort of leather bondage gear, which is a highly anachronistic, sexually charged touch" (Backstreet Boys 253). Nick also mentions at the end of the video that there were women dancing with them which Jamieson views as Nick trying to prove to the guys he is not gay by talking about women. Is Jamieson reading way too much into this? I definitely think so.
In the song "As Long as You Love Me" Jamieson sees it as a love song between Brian and Nick who sing the majority of the lyrics with the other boys joining in on the chorus. He even comments that in the video they share the microphone and look at each other. Well Brian and Kevin also share the microphone at one point and the song's lyrics do not specify the gender of the person it is singing about.
And, finally, in Backstreet Boys song "Quit Playing Games with My Heart" Jamieson raises many different points about Nick being excluded from the group (appealing to gay people) and not showing his chest in the video as the other guys do, and wearing a white hat when no one else has a hat on. The whole band is marketed to a feminine and gay audience, not just Nick. All of the boys in this video have some equally gay characteristics and they are all singing about feelings.
Although I could have gone into much more detail I just briefly outlined some of the things Jamieson was discussing and how I disagree with it and think that he was just reading too far into Nick and not focusing fairly enough on the other band members.
Recently we read an article in class about the pop band Backstreet Boys and how they were marketed towards the gay community (as well as young girls). Now I don't disagree that they were possibly marketed to this certain group in society... I just have some disagreements with the way the author found the 'proof' in their videos and lyrics and felt he could write an article stating that they were. The article is "Marketing androgyny: the evolution of the Backstreet Boys" by Daryl Jamieson.
The author of this article clearly states at the beginning of his work that he is gay and grew up watching the videos and listening to the music of this particular boyband. I agree and can see Jamieson's point of view that this particular band totally affected how he felt about being gay, especially when he was a teenager who was finding himself.
At first when I read this article I agreed with Jamieson (thinking back to my own personal knowledge of the Backstreet Boys lyrics and videos) and could understand how he could make several of the conclusions he has. After re-watching these videos and looking at some of the lyrics I totally disagree with many of his reasons for claiming that Nick Carter was focused on more than the other band members because he was young, soft-skinned, and youthful - or sexually androgynous. I think that this author may have actually had a crush on Nick Carter when he was younger and now is only focusing on Nick's parts in the songs and videos and making conclusions from that without fairly looking at the other band member’s parts in the lyrics and videos.
Jamieson continues in his article saying that Nick Carter was the main singer in the band with many lines of songs devoted especially to him. After watching the video's I disagree. I believe that Brian Littrell is focused on the most out of all five members - having the most lines to sing and he is focused on quite a bit in the music videos.
Jamieson singles out Nick, saying he sings the particular line "Am I Sexual" in their song "Everybody (Backstreet's Back)" and claims this is important because he is the sexually androgynous person in the band. Nick is also dressed as a mummy in what Jamieson says "appears to include some sort of leather bondage gear, which is a highly anachronistic, sexually charged touch" (Backstreet Boys 253). Nick also mentions at the end of the video that there were women dancing with them which Jamieson views as Nick trying to prove to the guys he is not gay by talking about women. Is Jamieson reading way too much into this? I definitely think so.
In the song "As Long as You Love Me" Jamieson sees it as a love song between Brian and Nick who sing the majority of the lyrics with the other boys joining in on the chorus. He even comments that in the video they share the microphone and look at each other. Well Brian and Kevin also share the microphone at one point and the song's lyrics do not specify the gender of the person it is singing about.
And, finally, in Backstreet Boys song "Quit Playing Games with My Heart" Jamieson raises many different points about Nick being excluded from the group (appealing to gay people) and not showing his chest in the video as the other guys do, and wearing a white hat when no one else has a hat on. The whole band is marketed to a feminine and gay audience, not just Nick. All of the boys in this video have some equally gay characteristics and they are all singing about feelings.
Although I could have gone into much more detail I just briefly outlined some of the things Jamieson was discussing and how I disagree with it and think that he was just reading too far into Nick and not focusing fairly enough on the other band members.
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