From John Jeremiah Sullivan's "The Final Comeback of Axl Rose:"
"As it is, I'm left listening to 'Patience' again. I don't know how it
is where you are, but down south where I live, they still play it all
the time. And I whistle along and wait for that voice, toward the end,
when he goes, Ooooooo, I need you. OOOOOOO, I need you. And on the first Ooooooo,
he finds a note so tissue-shredding it conjures the image of someone
peeling his own scalp back, like the skin of a grape. I have to be
careful not to attempt to sing along with this part, because it makes
me, like, sort of throw up a little bit. And on the second OOOOOOO, you picture just a naked glowing green skull that hangs there vibrating gape-mouthed in a hyperbaric chamber.
Or whatever it is you picture."
Showing posts with label john jeremiah sullivan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label john jeremiah sullivan. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
The Five Best Dancers in Metal
I am by no means a dance expert, but I also don't see why dancing is considered wussy in some male circles. Norman Mailer can talk all he wants, but I'd bet against him in a fight with Rahm Emanuel.
The fact is, any dude who wants to put on a good show needs to do more than just sing or play his instrument, and that requires being confident enough with your masculinity to not care about what other people think. Here are five admirable guys who aren't afraid to leave their friends behind.
5. David Lee Roth
The only one on this list who clearly took dance lessons, David Lee Roth can't do anything but entertain you. Those high-kicks, splits, vaudeville steps and irrepressible ad-libs helped make him the greatest hard rock frontman in the world during his first stint with Van Halen.
4. Rob Zombie
Rob's sense of rhythm must have come from a different planet. Other than Jarvis Cocker, I've never seen another musician who seemed to know what the audience was seeing as well as what he was doing. Clearly a future director at work. Watch how even in the cramped space of the Letterman Show studio, Zombie knows how to let himself fly.
3. Iggy Pop
Yes, it's amazing that Keith Richards and Ozzy Osbourne are still alive, but the most remarkable might be Iggy, who not only survived but also still puts on a more violently energetic show than any number of mortals. Here he is schooling the stars of Trainspotting in a promotional video for "Lust for Life."
2. Axl Rose
In the wisest available piece on Axl Rose, John Jeremiah Sullivan dubs him "the only indispensable white male rock dancer of his generation, the only one worth imitating in mockery." He cites a tender moment from the "Patience" video as evidence, but it's the abrupt yet rhythmic spasms of Axl's now-infamous snake dance that made the world take notice.
1. Angus Young
Can you imagine matching the performance intensity of everyone else on this list...while playing a guitar? How about if you're playing the foundation of hard rock and the best blues-metal solos in history? Angus' duck walks and spins remind most folks of Chuck Berry, but a more accurate comparison would be Prince, the only other artist who can pack intrinsic showmanship and picking virtuosity into a 5' 2" frame.
The fact is, any dude who wants to put on a good show needs to do more than just sing or play his instrument, and that requires being confident enough with your masculinity to not care about what other people think. Here are five admirable guys who aren't afraid to leave their friends behind.
5. David Lee Roth
The only one on this list who clearly took dance lessons, David Lee Roth can't do anything but entertain you. Those high-kicks, splits, vaudeville steps and irrepressible ad-libs helped make him the greatest hard rock frontman in the world during his first stint with Van Halen.
4. Rob Zombie
Rob's sense of rhythm must have come from a different planet. Other than Jarvis Cocker, I've never seen another musician who seemed to know what the audience was seeing as well as what he was doing. Clearly a future director at work. Watch how even in the cramped space of the Letterman Show studio, Zombie knows how to let himself fly.
3. Iggy Pop
Yes, it's amazing that Keith Richards and Ozzy Osbourne are still alive, but the most remarkable might be Iggy, who not only survived but also still puts on a more violently energetic show than any number of mortals. Here he is schooling the stars of Trainspotting in a promotional video for "Lust for Life."
2. Axl Rose
In the wisest available piece on Axl Rose, John Jeremiah Sullivan dubs him "the only indispensable white male rock dancer of his generation, the only one worth imitating in mockery." He cites a tender moment from the "Patience" video as evidence, but it's the abrupt yet rhythmic spasms of Axl's now-infamous snake dance that made the world take notice.
1. Angus Young
Can you imagine matching the performance intensity of everyone else on this list...while playing a guitar? How about if you're playing the foundation of hard rock and the best blues-metal solos in history? Angus' duck walks and spins remind most folks of Chuck Berry, but a more accurate comparison would be Prince, the only other artist who can pack intrinsic showmanship and picking virtuosity into a 5' 2" frame.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
