Typical Girls: Women in Punk/Post-Punk/Underground Music (Circa 1975-1980s)

[weasel walter <weaselw AT juno.com>]

fyi the whole "teenage jesus played 10 minute sets" shtick is at least a
partial myth - i have two complete shows by the band from 1977 and 1978
and they are both 20 minutes long. 

ww
 
On Mon, 23 Jun 2008 05:50:42 -0400 WWWhatsup <joly AT punkcast.com> writes:
>
http://www.villagevoice.com/music/0825,the-brief-return-of-teenage-jesus-
the-jerks,471295,22.html
> 
> 
> The Brief Return of Teenage Jesus & the Jerks
> Lydia Lunch deigns to viciously insult her adoring fans once again
> by Jason Gross
> June 17th, 2008 12:00 AM
> 
> At least half this band's name is totally accurate.
> 
> 
> 
> Teenage Jesus & the Jerks
> Knitting Factory
> June 13
> 
>   
> Thirty years ago, her metallic guitar strums, monotone
> yells, and pounding rhythms defined a scene that seized
> the outcast trappings, brief songs, and basic
> instrumentation of punk, twisting it into an extremist
> art-world deconstruction of the music. Convinced that
> her band had run its course, she killed off TJ after
> three years and lived the bohemian life, bouncing around
> the U.S. and Europe, tirelessly crafting numerous
> nefarious art projects. But where Lunch was anxious to
> be the dominatrix here in an S&M show, attacking with
> noise and words instead of whips, the crowds for these
> two sold-out shows played along somewhat passively, even
> after a barrage of Lunch's insults. You might chalk up
> that mostly rapt response to typical indie lethargy, but
> in this case we were also gawking at the elaborate,
> bizarre, nostalgic spectacle of it all (many folks in
> the crowd were born after TJ expired). Even as she
> effectively tore through the whole TJ catalog in 11
> songs, no one seemed pissed about a 20-minute set, which
> was actually double the length of their old shows.
> 
> As such, the Dadaesque humor of the music didn't
> connect. The sight of the relatively tiny Lunch
> sandwiched between the towering, stone-faced pair of
> former TJ bassist (now drummer) Jim Sclavunos and TJ fan
> Moore on bass was hilarious enough. But compare her 1978
> TJ performance on the recent Video Hysterie compilation
> to this one: On top of a modified proto-goth/death-metal
> sound, her voice now has several more layers of
> slapstick bile, though her crazed slide solos on "Red
> Alert," "Baby Doll," and "Orphans" could still make a
> dead man (Elmore James, say) cum. But if the music
> didn't quite convey the comedy and confrontation she
> intended, her abusive exchanges with the fans (who
> perversely enjoyed her taunts) got the point across. A
> few hecklers challenged her, but her skills as a
> lifelong provocateur didn't make it a fair fight: "You
> suck!" rejoined by "I do, but not for you!" was as edgy
> at it got. She even had harsh words for Moore and
> Sclavunos when they missed their cues. Usually, she
> answered the applauding audience with venom, ordering us
> to "Shut up" more than Little Richard does, replying to
> "It sounds fucking great!" with "Like I don't fucking
> know that!", and just throwing punches out of nowhere:
> "You'd love to fuck me, but you can't afford it," "You
> have no fucking clue," "Don't expect a fuckin' encore
> 'cause you're not getting one," and her concluding
> retort, "Thanks for nothing!" Whether she intended it or
> not, that too was part of the evening's entertainment.
> As she left, a so-called admirer yelled, "Fuck you,
> Lydia!", which went unanswered this time. It was the
> best compliment she could have hoped for.
> 
> 
> ---------------------------------------------------------------
>              WWWhatsup NYC
> http://pinstand.com - http://punkcast.com
> --------------------------------------------------------------- 
> 
> _______________________________________________
> TypicalGirls mailing list
> TypicalGirls AT lists.ibiblio.org
> http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/typicalgirls
> 
> 
 
____________________________________________________________
Smart Girls Secret Weapon
Read Unbiased Beauty Product Reviews, Get Helpful Tips, Tricks and Sam
http://thirdpartyoffers.juno.com/TGL2141/fc/JKFkuJi7U3xnKnohGQauDkzgMSZ5SI1u8LeatnrhW0lTNw0l3x8Ekx/