What if Marc Bolan were straight?
So I kinda want to talk a bit about the Fratellis here. They're another up-and-coming band over in ye olde Britain who are possibly on the cusp of breaking America. Or maybe not. I don't watch mtv, so I don't really know. Though I do want to say I'm rather pleased with this recent wave of British pop that's being hailed as a new British invasion. I can't say I think they're all good, but each act has at least one song that I really like, and that's one better than most American pop.
Right. Fratellis. They have catchy, hooky, bopping songs that're great for dancing in your underwear. And may very well be meant that way, if you're a girl. This post was really inspired by it coming to my attention that the Fratellis fans tend to dislike Mika's music, it being "gay" and such. And of all the new UK bands, Fratellis fans being snooty about Mika's music just strikes me as incredibly silly. Because even though the Fratellis are indeed fun, they really are nothing more than that, making pretty damn generic pop-punk (if I can call it "punk" at all, whatever) that tries really really hard to be T. Rex mixed with the Clash or the Ramones or something. And their lead singer basically wants to be Marc Bolan. He does rather look like Marc circa '74 (couldn't swing the '72 look I guess), and he plays it up by wearing a top hat and attempting to mimic some of Marc's mannerisms as well. Basically, he would love to be just like Marc, with one little difference: he wants you to know that he's really, really--really!--hetero. Let's take the album cover:
Those pin-up girls? They're in all the videos, doing random little strip-teases behind the band. And I love me some retro pin up girls and all, but it really gets too much. I get it, girls with boobs, misogyny, plus bragadoccio lyrics: you're straight, even though you do the whole top hat and eyeliner thing. Though trying to be a hetero Marc Bolan is kind of missing the point, in my opinion--so much of his sexual appeal rested precisely on his willingness to camp it up, and his natural comfort with incorporating that which had been generally perceived as "feminine" into his look. So I suppose the band's own strange need to insistently re-confirm their heterosexuality would explain why their fans dislike Mika, but it's pretty ironic when one considers where the Fratellis' influences come from.
Plus, really, the pin ups are both offensive and yet quite funny. They're just so very "the lady doth protest too much." They can't really dance either, which makes it all the better.
Also, what think y'all of my new icon? I think I shall use it when I think someone's taking themselves too seriously.
Right. Fratellis. They have catchy, hooky, bopping songs that're great for dancing in your underwear. And may very well be meant that way, if you're a girl. This post was really inspired by it coming to my attention that the Fratellis fans tend to dislike Mika's music, it being "gay" and such. And of all the new UK bands, Fratellis fans being snooty about Mika's music just strikes me as incredibly silly. Because even though the Fratellis are indeed fun, they really are nothing more than that, making pretty damn generic pop-punk (if I can call it "punk" at all, whatever) that tries really really hard to be T. Rex mixed with the Clash or the Ramones or something. And their lead singer basically wants to be Marc Bolan. He does rather look like Marc circa '74 (couldn't swing the '72 look I guess), and he plays it up by wearing a top hat and attempting to mimic some of Marc's mannerisms as well. Basically, he would love to be just like Marc, with one little difference: he wants you to know that he's really, really--really!--hetero. Let's take the album cover:
Those pin-up girls? They're in all the videos, doing random little strip-teases behind the band. And I love me some retro pin up girls and all, but it really gets too much. I get it, girls with boobs, misogyny, plus bragadoccio lyrics: you're straight, even though you do the whole top hat and eyeliner thing. Though trying to be a hetero Marc Bolan is kind of missing the point, in my opinion--so much of his sexual appeal rested precisely on his willingness to camp it up, and his natural comfort with incorporating that which had been generally perceived as "feminine" into his look. So I suppose the band's own strange need to insistently re-confirm their heterosexuality would explain why their fans dislike Mika, but it's pretty ironic when one considers where the Fratellis' influences come from.
Click to viewPlus, really, the pin ups are both offensive and yet quite funny. They're just so very "the lady doth protest too much." They can't really dance either, which makes it all the better.
Also, what think y'all of my new icon? I think I shall use it when I think someone's taking themselves too seriously.