Like Jon and Kelly, I find I don't have the neccessary bloodlust to
eradicate bands I don't much like.
Rock critics are another matter.
Can we eradicate Greil Marcus?
Please, please, PLEASE?
Pretty please?
Aw to hell with begging. E-fucking-radicate the dude.
I'm tempted to eradicate Lester Bangs as well; not so much for what he
wrote, but for what he wrought -- for all the gazillions of Bangs wannabes
who've cluttered up the landscape since. I'll settle for hermetically
sealing him off.
In other news, sometimes on this list I feel like I've wandered into an
alternate universe, where everything is the same as this one, except for
one little weird change. Reading the recent comparison between women's
makeup and production was one of those times. Nevermind the actual
*argument* -- it's the assumptions about women's makeup that caught my
maybellined eye.
Most effective if it's not noticeable? Tasteful if it's done right? What is
this, a junior-high school grooming guide?
Clue: in today's modern world, many women who use makeup feel it's not
effective unless it's noticeable. Many young women, in fact, use make-up in
an --you'll excuse the phrase -- in-your-face way. "Effective," yes.
"Tasteful" isn't the point. But older women, too, use lots of mascara,
eyeshadow, and above all, lipstick, for it to be noticed, by god. Not to
mention fingernails! Comparing makeup to production values -- well, all I
can say is that on any given day I see a lot of women with faces that look
like a Phil Spector production. A wall-of-face kinda deal. (Of course, this
is at an office building in the big city, not a Mennonite gathering, so
YMMV.)
Next I'll be hearing that the hemlines of women's skirts should fall at the
middle of the knee. Hairstyles should be attractive but not outlandish.
Heels should never be higher than an inch and a half. Wear colors that are
feminine and not too brash. Talk about things he likes. Sheesh.
And while I'm at it, the snide remarks about Shania Twain's dress got on my
nerves. It's one thing to criticize her music; another to apply a double
standard to her stage clothes. What double standard? Imagine the same exact
dress on Tina Turner. That double standard. Plus, the catty comments about
the Dixie Chicks' sartorial shortcomings are pretty rich coming from a
group that accepts hats made out of sweatpant legs. g
I'm done now.
--Cheryl Cline
Oh, but P.S.: Did someone mention the new Rosie Flores album and give it a
less-than enthusiastic review? WRONG!
