I was saddened to learn that author E. Lynn Harris died on Thursday, July 23, 2009 at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, CA of undisclosed causes. Openly gay himself, Harris's novels about the experiences of gay black men (often living in the closet or "on the down-low"), beginning with the self-published 1994 novel Invisible Life, became surprising popular and influential on black literature and mass-market literature in general.
Though Harris's writing wasn't considered prestigious or "literary" by critics or peers, it was a remarkable accomplishment to write about the black gay community, which continues to be a taboo subject, and have the audacity to be successful at it. Harris self-published "Invisible Life" in 1991 and sold it out of the trunk of his car, punk rock style. According to the New York Times, Harris attempted to persuade booksellers to sell his book in their stores, and was given the advice to get a New York agent, which led him to an agent who was able to sell the book to Anchor Books, an imprint of Doubleday Books.
He subsequently went on to publish over twelve more books, ending with the novel Basketball Jones in 2009. I remember being in a Barnes and Noble when E. Lynn Harris was scheduled to read from one of his books and answer questions from what looked like a largely black and female clientele. There was an amazing excitement in the air over this man and his somewhat soapy but all-ballsy tales of deception and sexual intrigue. The literary world and the world at large have lost an original. R.I.P., E. Lynn Harris.
If you are interested in learning more about Harris's work, check out his website or an audio interview with Radiah Hubbert on her show "On The Line" featured on www.urban-reviews.com.
Man, I have totally been avoiding this post like a muthafunka since I heard the news yesterday afternoon. I'm so mad at the world that I can't get in to see his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and discarded disrespectful signs calling people who visit the other MJ star "morons" because it's the wrong star, as if this guy doesn't understand why they're leaving memorials there (same name, guys). This thing is crazy.
Michael Jackson's story is so prolific and filled with incredible innovation and artistry, as well as stomach-wrenching lows, that it's almost too much to cover in a blog post, and anyway, we all know the story at this point:
Gary, Indiana. Poppa Joe Jackson and his brood. The Jackson 5. Michael goes solo. Michael goes solo in a BIG way with the 1982 Thriller album. Awesome John Landis-directed video. Motown 25 and the moonwalk. Hair-raising Pepsi commercial. Paul McCartney and the Beatles catalogue. "We Are The World." Bubbles. Neverland Ranch. Bad. Awesome Martin Scorsese-directed video. "Black or White" with Macauley, and Michael smashing up a perfectly good car. Superbowl XXVII. Lisa Marie Presley. Child molestation allegations. HIStory. Deborah Rowe. Prince Michael I. Paris Michael Katherine Jackson. Prince Michael II (Blanket). More child sexual abuse allegations. The trial. Mounting debt. Neverland Ranch auction. 50 sold-out "comeback" concerts in London, England. Jackson suffers cardiac arrest and dies at age 50 in Los Angeles, California on June 25, 2009.
Since Damn The Man is focused on 90's pop culture, I'd like to zoom in on Michael Jackson's 90's output, which, while not as momentous and earthshaking as his 70's and 80's work, is of just as high quality. I love not only his work, but work by other 90's artists inspired by Michael Jackson's awesome ebullience and generosity in his music and stage performance. I miss the guy like crazy, and it probably goes without saying you miss him too.
First video up is his single "Remember The Time" from his 1991 album Dangerous:
MJ performs with Slash (former guitarist of rock juggernauts Guns 'N'Roses) on his hit single "Black or White," also off of the Dangerous album:
Here is the full official (though not original uncut) music video for "Black and White," including the controversial second half. This video debuted in its entirety on FOX and MTV on November 14, 1991, and the latter "panther" half of the video was so divisive that it was subsequently deleted so that it was able to air on MTV regularly. This version here also lacks the "violent" smashing of car windows by Jackson that caused much of the controversy.
"In The Closet" is a song from the 1991 Dangerous album co-written by the R&B singer/musician/producer Teddy Riley (Guy, Blackstreet), and it's underrated and great, in my opinion. It was originally conceived as a duet between Jackson and Madonna, but their collaboration on the song came to an end due to creative differences. The beautiful video features 90's supermodel Naomi Campbell and was directed by incredible fashion photographer Herb Ritts, who made both Campbell and Jackson look like glowing gods of the Mexican ghost town, if I do say so myself:
Michael Jackson's 1995 single "Scream" from the double album HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I is a collaboration with his sister Janet Jackson, and is notable for its very 90's, very expensive video directed by visionary and Satellite Films director Mark Romanek, at that point sought-after in the music video world for his dark, intense videos such as Nine Inch Nails' "Closer" and Lenny Kravitz's "Are You Gonna Go My Way."
"Scream" was and still remains one of the most expensive videos in music video history, with a budget of approximately $7 million. Here is an interview that Entertainment Weekly conducted with Mark Romanek about his memories of making this amazing video and working with Michael.
Please enjoy the video:
Here are a couple of special 90's treats associated with MJ that I just love. First up is the 1993 number-one hit single "Right Here/Human Nature" by R&B group SWV. It stayed at the top position on the Billboard R&B chart for ten weeks, making it the longest run at number one of any R&B single in 1993. It samples Michael Jackson's 1983 single "Human Nature" from his blockbuster album, Thriller, which was co-written by Steve Porcaro of popular 80's band, Toto (I love the song "Africa" with a passion).
SWV is one of my favorite R&B groups from the 90's and I absolutely adore this song, both versions. The video for the SWV track is lovely as well, featuring the band looking quite pretty with their own hair (no lace fronts) and riding pants with white shirts. This song in all forms is a breath of fresh air, which is why I'm including a clip of MJ busting it on his 1987 Bad tour after the SWV clip:
The second thing I wanted to throw at you is one of my very favorite movie scenes ever, which came to my mind when thinking about the joy that MJ's music brought to so many different people. The wonderful 2006 film "Clerks 2," directed by Kevin Smith as a kind of sequel to his cult hit 1994 film "Clerks," contains a lovely scene in which his main character Dante finally realizes that he has fallen in love with his boss/friend Becky to the tune of The Jackson Five's 1970 number-one hit single, "ABC." It is as simple and heartwarming as that sounds:
I could go on and on, but the only thing left to say is Michael, we miss you.
R.I.P. OCTAVIA ST. LAURENT, BIRTHDATE UNKNOWN - 2009
When I got tipped off about Octavia's death through the Peace Bisquit email newsletter, I have to say I was very saddened. Transgendered entertainer Octavia Saint Laurent died of cancer on May 17th. She was a featured performer in the wonderful 1990 Jennie Livingston-directed documentary "Paris is Burning," which was focused on the underground LGBT "ballroom" community in NYC, consisting of drag queens/performers grouped into "houses" (such as the House of Mizrahi, of which Octavia was a part, and eventually added "Mizrahi" to her name to acknowledge her membership) and competition through dance/posing, specifically "voguing," popularized in the mainstream through the 1990 Madonna single/video "Vogue."
Octavia Saint Laurent was also featured in a 2006 documentary covering the same topic called "How Do I Look," directed by Wolfgang Busch. It picks up where "Paris Is Burning" left off, using footage collected from 1990-onward to create a comprehensive portrait of the ball community since the success of "Paris Is Burning" and "Vogue."
Every time someone from the spectacular film "Paris Is Burning" passes away, the world gets a little smaller and grayer. If you have yet to see it, Netflix it right away. If you're on the lazy side, no fear, a "Movies You Might Have Missed" feature post will be coming soon just for you. I wish I had more information on Octavia Saint Laurent for you, but here is a short article at My Comrade.com and a video clip of Octavia Saint Laurent from "Paris Is Burning." Octavia, you will be missed:
This whole business with Jay just makes me very sad. For those who don't know, Illinois native Jay Bennett was a musician who was a member of the alt-country band Wilco from 1994 until he was fired from the band in 2001, a tumultuous affair partly chronicled in the 2002 Sam Jones-directed documentary about Wilco, "I Am Trying To Break Your Heart." He died in his sleep on Sunday, May 24, 2009. The cause of death at this time is undetermined. A Champaign County, IL coroner's report is forthcoming after further testing.
Bennett subsequently went on to a lower-profile solo career, eventually recording five solo albums, including 2002's "The Palace at 4am" with Champaign, IL musician Edward Burch and 2008's "Whatever Happened I Apologize." He was finishing the album "Kicking At The Perfumed Air" at the time of his death. He also produced Blues Traveler's 2005 record "¡Bastardos!" and was a successful studio musician, playing on albums of musicians like Sheryl Crow.
Bennett contributed his talent as a multi-instrumentalist and producer to Wilco's during and including the live tours and records including "A.M." (1995; only live show) , "Being There" (1996), "Mermaid Avenue" (1998), "Summerteeth" (1999), and "Mermaid Avenue Vol. II" (2002), culminating in his contentious recording work on 2002's much-beleaguered rock masterpiece "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot," which resulted in producer Jim O'Rourke remixing the title song "I Am Trying to Break Your Heart," eventually taking over mixing of the entire album, and precipitated Bennett's unceremonious departure from the band.
Unfortunately, this embarrassing fall was documented in the film "I Am Trying To Break Your Heart," which, IMHO, kind of depicts Jay in a less-than-favorable light. Apparently, he agreed, because Bennett filed a breach-of-contract lawsuit against Wilco frontman and founder Jeff Tweedy on May 4, 2009, for $50,000 in recompense for unpaid royalties accrued during his time in Wilco and his negative portrayal and unauthorized use of his image in the film.
Even worse was that Bennett was having trouble as of late with a hip injury incurred while he was a member of the band Titanic Love Affair in the 90's. He was preparing to go into hip replacement surgery, but found his insurance would not cover the procedure. He struggled with gathering the funds required to pay for the surgery "out of pocket".
Jay Bennett seemed to catch a raw deal in the end, especially when it comes to the impression the general public got of him as a musician and band member from "I Am Trying To Break Your Heart." Jay seemed like an enthusiastic and committed artist who only cared about progressing the music to the best place he could guide it. "Summerteeth" and "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot" are two amazing records that are touched by his care and contribution, and that's awesome. The fact that he lived the last portion of his life in frustrating emotional and physical pain is depressing. You will be missed, Jay. Thanks for bringing music into the world.
Here are some clips of Jay Bennett playing with Wilco, including some portions of the doc "I Am Trying To Break Your Heart". For more info on Jay Bennett's contributions to the "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot" record, I highly recommend you click here. For an interview conducted by Glorious Noise with Jay Bennett about "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot" and his leaving Wilco, you know what to do. Fascinating stuff.
I was very bummed to find out after coming back from Palm Springs that the English author J.G. Ballard died in London on April 19 of prostate cancer. Ballard was not only the author of the 1984 book Empire of the Sun, based on his own experiences of a WWII internment camp under the Japanese in China, which was adapted into the 1987 Steven Spielberg film starring Christian Bale, but he was also a hardcore sci-fi visionary, whose disturbing take on things is often summed up in the mainstream by his 1973 novel, Crash. For a lovely article on just how out-there Ballard's visions could get, and how he could really piss people off, check out Salon.
Crash, a story of car crash sexual fetishism, on which The Normal's 1978 song "Warm Leatherette" was based, was also adapted into a 1996 film by David Cronenberg that still upsets and perplexes folks to this day. I love the twisted originality of this story and another uniquely artistic voice bites the dust.
I'm putting up this 2006 live cover of "Warm Leatherette" by Nine Inch Nails featuring Peter Murphy of Bauhaus in tribute to the one and only Ballard. R.I.P.
R.I.P. LUX INTERIOR (ERICK LEE PURKHISER) 1946-2009
Seminal punk rock frontman Lux Interior (born Erick Lee Purkhiser in Ohio) died yesterday of a pre-existing heart condition in Glendale, CA at Glendale Memorial Hospital. He is survived by his fabulous wife and fellow Cramps bandmate, Kristy Wallace, a.k.a. Poison Ivy.
The Cramps emerged from the classic mid-70's New York City punk scene consisting of clubs like CBGB's and Max's Kansas City playing what they called "psychobilly;" a freakish mesh of 50's sci-fi B-movie aesthetic, high camp, and rockabilly supercharged by punk rock speediness. Many bands that I would come to love in the 90's like Reverend Horton Heat, Southern Culture on the Skids, The Amazing Royal Crowns, and even White Zombie seemed to be directly influenced by The Cramps. Kurt Loder kind of summed it up nicely in a 1984 review of a Cramps comp record:
“This is rock & roll the way it never really was on the radio, but the way you always dreamed it could be — drooling horrorama lyrics, great cheesoid guitar riffs, post-lobotomy drum-bashing and a singer for whom inhibition is the dirtiest ten-letter word of all. Slurp it up, sleaze fans.”
Damn right. Speaking of post-lobotomy, The Cramps even played a free show at the California State Mental Hospital in 1978, which amuses me to no end.
My first memory of The Cramps was actually due to Mike Judge's controversial 90's MTV show "Beavis and Butthead." There were many arguments over whether this show was rotting my fragile brain, but I was tuning in mainly because they played a lot of videos that MTV would not deign to play in the daylight hours. The Cramps video they showed was, I believe, "Bikini Girls With Machine Guns" from their 1990 album, "Stay Sick!," which says a lot about The Cramps right there. I was lucky enough to see The Cramps while I was in college in New England several years later. I was fascinated with Lux, from his hilariously creative name to his overall dark gothiness, which included an ability to perform in ridiculously high, shiny patent leather stripper heels. He was androgynous and I liked it. There will never be another.
Please enjoy the fierceness that is Lux Interior and the Cramps:
The Cramps - "Bikini Girls With Machine Guns" from their 1990 album, "Stay Sick!"
The Cramps - "Naked Girl Falling Down The Stairs" from their 1994 album, "Flame Job"
