Some Girl/Blake Baby/Stereogum fave Juliana Hatfield gave Alternative Nation some albums that helped with high school, and has been playing the pay-what-you-want download game long before Radiohead championed it. Last year she released Frank Smith’s album on her own Ye Olde Records, but now she’s busy wrapping up another solo album … and checking in with her old MTV haunting grounds, where reality TV rules. On MySpace, she’s written an inspired diatribe about LC, Heidi, Spencer, and the gang.
You know what would be radical? Subversive? Brave? If LC went a whole day and night of her life without makeup.
Judging by what I see all over the place — countrywide — young women seem to want to look like Heidi Montag. (By the way, I hate the fact that I know Heidi Montag’s name; that I know who she is; that she takes up any space at all in my consciousness. And the fact that I actually enjoy watching The Hills proves that television — and cable tv in particular — has ruined my brain.
The Hills is part of the reason television is ruining our country, she says.
Juliana’s discussion about her own shame and embarrassment over selling herself/wanting to seem cool/needing an audience is sort of fascinating, if not new territory for her. Read the whole thing here. Fans will enjoy her discussion of the minutiae of the song “You Are The Camera,” which she’s streaming for the occasion. As for Lauren and Heidi’s cushy “jobs”…
The companies who hired the girls (Teen Vogue and whatever that p.r. company is called) knew they would be getting tons of precious, lucrative exposure and publicity by being regular presences — characters — on the tv show, and so that is why they hired the Hills girls.
Well, actually, Juliana — Heidi doesn’t work at Bolthouse. That part’s totally fake. Also made up? This scene from Monday’s episode in which Whitney calls a designer to (lie and) say that she and Lauren “discovered” a stain on a dress Lauren stained herself. Listen to the fake audio that’s blatantly been inserted during post-production…
Juliana Hatfield’s new album How To Walk Away, produced by Ivy’s Andy Chase, is out 6/10 on Ye Olde. Guess we shouldn’t expect a low budg beachside video.
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Well said Juliana!
Every time I read something about The Hills I feel like a retard because I have no idea what anyone is talking about, I know it?s a ?reality? TV show on MTV and I know one of the girls just had some nude photos ?leaked? but that?s about it.
That’s about all you need to know. Also there’s a guy named Spencer and he’s a douchebag.
Yeah man, what a tool! Erm…my girlfriend made me watch it this summer…
She has a problem with LC, but yet she is/was BFFs with Evan Dando, who smoked more crack in the day than Gator Purify. *Yawn.* She’s probably hoping Tarantino puts one of her songs in his next film a la April March so people might remember her again. That or praying that the Lilith Fair makes its triumphant return. (I could certainly go for a Paula Cole revival!) What a non-story.
HAHAHAHAHAAHAHAAH ME LOVE ME HILLS
the problem started a decade or so before the hills, it’s just a plank the track of self-destruction whatever culture america had is on
Anyone else find it ironic she’s criticizing a girl from the Hills for wearing makeup everyday when she’s got about ten pounds of eyeliner on?
Not really. She explained herself more thoroughly in the blog, your just referencing a quote.
Not sure what more indifferent to….The Hills or Juliana Hatfield’s thoughgs on the Hills
God, I can’t type for shit.
I love television and I don’t agree that it can be blamed for the cultural degradation she’s talking about – helllo – INTERNET!!! That’s what’s changed most in modern culture, and the Hills is just an example of the values of our economy and society. Art mirrors life. TV can be great when writers and performers are. Not fair.
“Anyone else find it ironic she’s criticizing a girl from the Hills for wearing makeup everyday when she’s got about ten pounds of eyeliner on?”
Not really. She’s pointing out that being constantly made up and wearing free designer clothes is not, in fact, “reality” and shouldn’t be marketed as such. Wearing makeup for a photoshoot (as Hatfield is in that photo) is a different thing, and I’ve seen other photos of her without any eyeliner, so where’s the irony?
How unique and different of her to to attack at a reality show on MTV. I wish people would get over themselves and realize that some things are just for pure entertainment value.
I think her point was it’s greater effect on the young girls whose prefrontal cortexes aren’t even fully formed who dream of emulating the Hills lifestyle helps corrode society by keeping the focus off the true reality that to be those girls isn’t real. She’s attacking it’s sense of “Reality” not it’s entertainment value.
I think Juliana got over herself a long time ago, that’s why she’s not crammed up your ass in every tabloid, reality show, celebreality trend in our culture and thank god someone will say it. Aren’t you tired of it yet? How long will the Britney Dynasty reign? It’s been a decade! Let’s bring back flannel!
I’m with Matt. Never seen this show or know anything about it… so I guess I’m better than Juliana cos Heidi takes up no space in my brain! (I also live in a cave.)
hills? whatever.
“hey babe” is still a killer cd.
wait.. nude photos?
I still love her music… Juliana has about 7 stellar records… but goddamn she’s a bitter old pill these days. That blog is a mile long. Why waste so much energy on something you can’t control?