Vic Galloway dips a finger into the volatile pie mix that is music and politics.
Bizarrely. l've been quizzed recently about my views on the G8 summit and what decisions 'our leaders' should make. Naturally, I'm delighted to mouth off and throw my tuppence worth into the quagmire of uneducated opinion. When it comes from ordinary people used to talking on the radio, playing guitars and writing senSitive lyrics about girls. it can often sound ridiculous. But why not? I've always been a Cynic. someone who normally raises an eyebrow to the ‘Pope of Rock‘. Bono. his right-hand-man ‘Saint’ Geldol and their ‘alter boys' Michael Stipe and Chris Martin. However, l’rn starting to tire of the media's indifference to the fact that the i'nuSic-listehing masses can actually influence change. The Beatles. Bob Dylan. MCS. Sly Stone. Bob Marley. the Clash and countless punks stood up. so why not us? Anita Roddick ol the Body Shop says actiVism is sexy! I don’t know about that. but it certainly feels like the correct time to get it right up the politicians.
I'm not saying everyone should enjoy the soundtrack to Live8 but surely it's our duty form an Opinion. I've been pondering mUSlC and politics, and for the most part it makes me uneasy when rock stars try to mix the two. it looks as it Gelde and his cronies have picked their moment and done Such a thing once again. helping reap actual benefits — a massive am0unt of Third World debt has been cleared, or so it looks to the untrained eye. It's obvious that outspoken musicians weren’t solely responsible for this huge step. but they certainly played an important role. Maybe rock‘n'roll can change the world after all. Although the powers that be totally ignored the anti-war marches and the voice of the global electmate a law years ago, maybe they‘re now starting to listen a little closer. This can only be a good thing.
Vic Galloway presents BBC Radio Scotland's ‘Ai'r' at 8. 05— 70. 00pm on Mondays and BBC Radio 7 at 7. 30—9pm on Thursdays.
68 THE LIST .
POP
ANTONY AND THE JOHNSONS Liquid Room, Edinburgh, Thu 30 Jun; ABC, Glasgow, Fri 1 Jul
‘Sent from heaven itself’, ‘breathtaking’ and ‘utterly magical’ are just some of the choice phrases amongst the blanket of praise given his latest album [Am a Bird Now. Lou Reed requested he sing on his Raven and Animal Serenade LPs, join him on a 70-date tour of four continents, and is known to burst into tears at the sound of his voice. Steve Buscemi created a whole extra scene in the film Animal Factory for him after attending one of his concerts. His first UK performance at London’s lslington Academy in November resembled, if reviews are to be believed, some kind of tectonic musical awakening. Clearly there’s something about Antony.
Born in Chichester before relocating to California aged ten, he was the quintessential sexually confused outsider throughout his youth, smitten with the androgyny of Boy George and the elegance and punk of 805 New York underground cabaret. A curiosity to explore a scene in which he might be able to express himself better led Antony to the Big Apple to study
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performing arts in the early 905, having his first flits with the stage through flamboyant performance collective Blacklips. Boasting a stunning voice — encapsulating all from the sexual ambiguity of Nina Simone to the melodramatic bombast of Bryan Ferry or Klaus Nomi — he eventually turned his attention to music, first unleashing his inimitable vocal chords on unsuspecting after-hours crowds at the Pyramid Cocktail Lounge. Having gathered his cast of supporting musicians in the Johnsons - a band with a veritable embarrassment of musical credentials - he released the first of his two albums to date in 2000.
Notable as much for his provocatively raw and emotional lyrical concepts - tackling themes of longing, love, lust and loss with emphasis on the complexities of identity and gender - as his ability to be all from a searching torchlight balladeer to soulful gospel crooner, Antony’s rightfully attained more than the average significance as an artist. The list of guest contributors on his latest release - including Devendra Barnhart, Rufus Wainwright, idol Boy George and patron Lou Reed — says all that needs to be of the sheer respect he commands. Don’t expect a dry eye in the house. (Malcolm Jack)
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