Chrissie Hynde was in the news recently, protesting a KFC in Paris by smearing red paint on the restaurant's windows, symbolizing the blood of the chickens served there. It was part of a PETA stunt, of course.
If this were some anonymous citizen out making a fool of herself, I wouldn't even care about the protest, and just chalk it up to one more nitwit out wasting her time campaigning for animals while humans suffer unspeakable horrors around the globe. But this is THE Chrissie Hynde, frontwoman of the Pretenders, makers of some of the most accessible and brilliant pop music in the 80's. That's the rarest of talents, the ability to make music that's inventive, intelligent, and at the same time massively popular. Those attributes don't coincide very often. I use the word genius judiciously, and she deserves the label.
So how can she be so dumb when it comes to subjects other than music?
Every time I see some artist in public making a fool out of herself I think of Billy Bragg. Billy is an English singer and songwriter who has written some of the most memorable lyrics and melodies I've ever heard. He seems to eschew popularity, and throws away pop hooks that other artists would turn into millions of dollars. He enjoyed (?) some success in the mid eighties with a couple of college radio singles, but never broke into mainstream radio.
From his most popular tune 'Greetings To The New Brunette,'
The people from your church agree
it's not much of a career
trying the handles of parked cars
whoops, there goes another year
whoops, there goes another pint of beer
He has some catchy political slogans, too.
If no one seems to understand
Start your own revolution
And cut out the middleman
...from 'Waiting For The Great Leap Forward.'
All good. Except that Billy is a confirmed, outspoken Socialist. Yes, the failed ideology that's killed millions around the planet. See for yourself on his website.
But I still buy every new record he makes, and I'll go see his show every time he's in town.
Two of my faves as well.
Musicians do tend to be dummies quite often though, don't they? So how can they be such good lyricists, and readers of mood? They just have emotional intelligence?
When is billy coming to town? i've never seen him. and i haven't heard an album since--i can't even remember the name of it, but it's sort of the daddy record, i guess. my favorite on it is the space race is over (is that the name of it?) breaks my heart every time. socialism of the heart is also brilliant. and that's when i thought maybe he was letting go of the socialism: just a socialist heart was enough. sure seemed like a good way out for older confirmed socialists looking for a graceful exit.
Posted by: Dave Cullen at July 22, 2003 09:58 PM The Space Race is Over was on his '96 album 'William Bloke.' Yes, a lovely song. That tour was the last time he came to Denver - doesn't seem that long ago. Only about a hundred people were at the show. They actually set out folding chairs for everyone at the Ogden Theater.
When Billy mentioned a labor strike taking place in Detroit at the time someone in the audience had the temerity to boo. Billy stopped the show and said, good naturedly, "It takes a lot of guts to boo a union at a Billy Bragg show."
Haven't seen Billy Bragg here in CO since he came to the Fox in Boulder and played an entire set of Woody Guthrie tunes (or somesuch). It was right around that time that I lost interest (but his stuff with Wilco is decent). He was one of my faves for about a decade, though, the brilliant songwriter/socialist bastard. Hey, one doesn't have to derive one's politics from pop music -- I listen to Rage Against the Machine all the time and have never once felt that Mumia needed freeing.
Posted by: B.P. at July 24, 2003 11:29 AMHey, just a heads up concerning another great (imho of course) artist making his way to Colorado: Joe Jackson. He'll be here August 19. See http://www.joejackson.com/tourdates.htm for details.
Posted by: CJ at July 30, 2003 12:51 PMYa twee bastard!
Er, wait, I actually like Billy. Talented as hell.
Posted by: zombyboy at May 3, 2004 09:08 PM