I Love David Johansen Like David Johansen Loves Janis Joplin
"I love Janis Joplin like a queer loves Judy Garland." When I saw the reunited Dolls play last October, they covered "Piece of My Heart." And the devotion was palpable. I dig the analogy, it's so vivid. It captures so perfectly how much I love that queen.
I was studying earlier tonight at what passes for the local dive bar in this affluent town. Advantages to studying at a bar: the vibe is just much more relaxed, because everyone is there to have fun; the people are much better looking; the music is so loud that it drives out all the distracting thoughts, and you can concentrate much better - provided that you are like me, and have no problem drowning out background noise. I remember reading a Dave Mustaine interview once, where he said something like you tend to like the kind of music that harmonizes best with your body's natural rhythm. The people who like metal are often really tense, and they feel most at home with sounds that are fast and brutal and intense. As much as this statement smacks of that hokey kind of music theory that the Greeks seemed to love, I've gotta say that I agree with him here. I'm always most relaxed in loud, pounding environments. And no one (who reads this blog), I think, would contest my being a tense person.
Anyways, one of the loud songs that came out on the jukebox tonight was "Piece of My Heart." I loved it for Johansen's sake! Funny how experiences take on a different timbre when you receive them through someone else, and when you regard them through the lens of love.
But to reminisce again about the Dolls show: by far my favorite moment was when they covered a different song, one by Memphis Minnie called "In My Girlish Days." Take a minute to picture that. It was fabulous!
I was studying earlier tonight at what passes for the local dive bar in this affluent town. Advantages to studying at a bar: the vibe is just much more relaxed, because everyone is there to have fun; the people are much better looking; the music is so loud that it drives out all the distracting thoughts, and you can concentrate much better - provided that you are like me, and have no problem drowning out background noise. I remember reading a Dave Mustaine interview once, where he said something like you tend to like the kind of music that harmonizes best with your body's natural rhythm. The people who like metal are often really tense, and they feel most at home with sounds that are fast and brutal and intense. As much as this statement smacks of that hokey kind of music theory that the Greeks seemed to love, I've gotta say that I agree with him here. I'm always most relaxed in loud, pounding environments. And no one (who reads this blog), I think, would contest my being a tense person.
Anyways, one of the loud songs that came out on the jukebox tonight was "Piece of My Heart." I loved it for Johansen's sake! Funny how experiences take on a different timbre when you receive them through someone else, and when you regard them through the lens of love.
But to reminisce again about the Dolls show: by far my favorite moment was when they covered a different song, one by Memphis Minnie called "In My Girlish Days." Take a minute to picture that. It was fabulous!
posted by Rex at 2:02 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home