Chita Rivera

www.chitarivera.com

For the strangest Flash animation I've seen in a very long time. Who'd have thought a Broadway diva would choose Prodigy's "Slap My Bitch Up" as her theme music? Go figure...

Conor's Loves #48 - Book Off

I found a copy of Naomi Campbell's album "Babywoman" yesterday in the newly-opened Book Off cd & book shop in Seijo. Also a copy of Ruthie Henshall's George Gershwin album. Both of these are entirely out of print (the first deservedly, the second scandalously) and I'm delighted!!

Conor's Loves #47 - The Remix

I absolutely love remixes. Filling up the pod over the past while has confirmed this love.

I don't remember the first remix I ever heard, or how precisely I came to enjoy them (occasionally far more than the original song) but I suppose it's the ultimate postmodern musical expression - chopping up a song and, on occasion, completely changing its character. My current favourite for this is Stuart Price (aka Paper Faces aka Les Rythmes Digitales aka Man With Guitar aka Thin White Duke...) - his remixes, often of songs he produced himself in the first place - are almost uniformly fabulous. Zaki (and I love her for it) recently sent me in the direction of the Verve Remixed series - Jazz classics from the Verve back catalogue that have been given some very slinky facelifts by painfully chic deejays and producers for our listening pleasure. I also recently got my hands on the Cirque du Soleil compilation "Solarium/Delerium", which remixes many gorgeous tracks from their back-catalogue.

Of course Madonna has long been a pioneer of the remix - as far back as 1989/1990 she was at it, and included her most startling "remix" - The Beast Within, on her Justify My Love single. Fancy juxtaposing lines of text from the Book of the Apocalypse with her (thereto) most overtly sexual song. What are you gonna do?

Of course there are many less-than-satisfying remixes, and mashups/bootlegs might get another blog entry at some point in the future (as the 21st century, post-postmodern bastard cousin of the remix...) but for now, here's a few of my all time favourite remixes, listed because they give an entirely new feeling to a song, or, mainly, because they're cool...

The Music - Bleed from Within (Thin White Duke Remix)
Missy Elliot - Lose Control (Thin White Duke Remix)
Depeche Mode - A Pain That I'm Used To (Jacques Lu Cont Remix)
Gwen Stefani - Hollaback Girl (Hollatronix Remix)
Madonna - Don't Tell Me (Victor Calderone Sensory Mix)
Madonna - Sorry (Man With Guitar Rmx)
Madonna - The Power of Goodbye (Fabian's Good God Mix)
Madonna - Nothing Really Matters (Kruder and Dorfmeister Remix)
(ok you get the picture, lots and lots of Madonna remixes)
Ofra Haza - Shali K Rework
Delerium - Silence (DJ Tiesto In Search of Sunrise Remix)
Tina Arena - Never (DJ Tiesto Remix)
Whitney Houston - I Will Always Love You (Hex Hector Remix)

Oscar The Grouch

I can't comment much as I didn't see the telecast and half the movies aren't even out here in Japan. The fact that Memoirs of a Geisha is now an Oscar-winning movie is sad. The fact that Brokeback couldn't possibly win best picture is sad (but go the score-composer for what he said about love!) The fact that Reese beat Judi and Felicity is sad. The fact that so many people wore ugly dresses is sad. The fact that P S Hoffman looked like a tramp at the OSCARS is very sad. Oh well, I guess it's because he's a serious character actor - don't they have to make an effort? (David Straithairn looked marvellous, by contrast)

But, saddest, of all, Dolly Parton didn't win the chocolate-filled trophy for her lovely Transamerica song. And she had so much work done for the big night. Lady is starting to look like Jocelyn Wildenstein...!



Favourite quote of the night:

"I do have some sad news to report. Bjork couldn't be here tonight. She was trying on her Oscar dress and Dick Cheney shot her." Jon Stewart.

But why would she be dressing as a septaguanarian republican??