Shut Up, Dude: This Week’s Best Comments

Dude was a class act. Old school professional who kept on through some hard times, but never lost his magic. I bought a Tony Bennett Greatest Hits CD because I loved "Rags to Riches" (thank you for the introduction Martin Scorsese).

Seeing him in the Amy Winehouse documentary sealed the deal... Amy was cracking under the pressure of her own demons while recording duets with him. But Tony was so patient and tender working with her, trying to get her to feel comfortable and confident enough to continue. Dude had zero ego, he was offering himself as a rock she could anchor herself to. A true professional.

Yeah, I remember this era well: When suddenly every female pop star started going "Hey, GAYS! Good for you! Love yourself!!" P!nk's "Raise Your Glass," Katy Perry's "Firework," those kinds of songs. It all peaked with "Same Love" (a song which pushes me closer to suicide) in 2013 and then thankfully died down.

My feelings about it, both then and now, are complicated, but mostly I found it condescending and annoying. It didn't help that most of the songs weren't very good or fun (I'm really not looking forward to talking about Gaga's next number one).

But for me, this one is by far the best of them. I'd give it an 8/10. Tom wasn't kidding that it goes off in gay clubs!

But mainly, It doesn't make me feel talked down to like some of those other songs. It's about partying with the people she's lifting up, being a part of them, and I appreciate that she wasn't totally direct and preachy about it. I like the dated 2010's references to hot pants and hipsters. And that chorus is unstoppable, especially in the last repeat with those computerized "YEAAAAAAAAAH-AAAAAAAAAHHH-AAAAAHHH"s in the background.

Give me a party song and let me decide if it's gonna be a gay anthem myself, I guess.

And Flying Up The Modern Rock Charts On Its Way To Peaking at No.6 was…“Jane Says” by Jane's Addiction – the “Stairway To Heaven” of the late 80s alt-rock scene – in which we learn everything we ever wanted to know, and probably a lot that we didn’t, about Jane Bainter, the Jane with an addiction – heroin, obviously, for a second there they may have been called Jane’s Heroin Experience - who inspired Jane’s Addiction. Both their name and a lot of their music; including, most obviously of course, this song.

Jane has a boyfriend called Sergio, who treats her like a ragdoll, and who – Perry doesn't specify, but I’m guessing - has his eye on her television because he wants to steal it for drugs.

Jane wears a wig. According to an interview in the “Los Angeles Times” she was living a double-life working for a management consulting company by day, and inspiring Jane’s Addiction songs by night, so you can understand why she might need to go incognito sometimes.

Perry Farrell seems to think that Jane’s life is a mess. He’s not judgmental about it or anything – I mean he’s Perry Farrell – but when Perry Farrell is giving off vibes that maybe you need to sort yourself out, you’ve probably got a problem.

Hopefully Jane is also a fan of steel drums, because the steel drums on this thing totally pop! Imagine for a moment that steel drums had played a more important role in alternative rock. Imagine a steel drum grunge band! Imagine moshing to the sound of steel drums! Wouldn't that have been great?

So, here we have two videos. One probably won’t show up because it’s the “Nothing’s Shocking” album cover of naked female Siamese-twins with their heads on fire. But it’s the proper version so…

https://youtube.com/watch?v=NLYRTm-zzeE

And here’s a live version from when it was rereleased in 1997, when it appears that Flea was in the band for about five seconds.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=i7Q_8q3XXrQ

“Jane Says” is a 10!

And in case you ever wondered. Yes, Jane finally did go to Spain. Good for her!

Female artists of her time were pretty generally treated like shit, but she was treated especially awful. I just saw the clip of her attempting to perform with Van Morrison where he's being a fucking child. Didn't Frank Sinatra threaten to hit her after the pope stuff? And she got booed mercilessly at the Bob Dylan tribute concert around that time. Not to mention that she was EXTREMELY correct about the Catholic Church. Ah, man. I feel terrible for her having to go through all of that and then some. She was just an amazingly talented artist. RIP.

With the current state of fan culture I think what she is doing is absolutely necessary. Many fans seem to have such a warped perspective idea of artistry that is absolutely nauseating. It’s the ultimate commodification of art that places fans at the top for being the ultimate consumers. Art and its transformative powers are entirely lost in this world view.

Ar dheis dé go raibh a anam

She was a true artist, a truth seeker and a prophet, in addition to one of the most purely gifted writers and performers my country ever produced. The Ireland I call home is a better place today because of her. I dearly hope she's at peace. Her self-penned song "Black Boys on Mopeds" is one of the most searing, beautiful and enduring songs ever written about racist police brutality.

"England's not the mythical land of Madam George and roses, it's the home of police who kill black boys on mopeds".

https://youtube.com/watch?v=n14lwdpYkAA

So it goes.

If a musical group that isn’t Big Thief — that is, A Band — loses its rhythm section, is it even newsworthy?

He’s really been playing DeLonge game on this alien thing and it’s finally paid off

It can never be overstated just how right Sinead was that night on Saturday Night Live in 1992, and how naive the world was in that moment.

The radical we needed at the right time but didn't deserve. She did not deserve the punchline status she was given for speaking truth to power, and it has been devastating to follow her recent years of turmoil and tragedy. I hope she found peace; one of the great voices of her time.

Thank all you gummers for your genuine class and heartfelt eulogies and not decending to petty arguing, etc. On a personal note, I am a survivor of priest sex abuse so, yeah, she is kind of a patron saint to me. But this isn't the time or place for that discussion. It's her music that will endure. Also our SO LPs ranked best to worst. Oh yes. There will be a list.