The Starlite Desperation - posterage.

I made the sketches for this poster for that art show at Circus of Books on Santa Monica (West Hollywood, CA) that I'm in - along with a WHOLE BUNCH of great folks like Ernest E. Gibson III & Taylor Jacobsen. This show runs until March something (early March...) Go stop by and let me know what you think if you're in the 'hood.

Thanks to my good friend/artiste/curator/horrible speller extroirdinaire John Knuth for recommending me for the show.

It is not band approved, but my flatmate Jeff who is el drummer boy for the band has seen it. He didn't say he liked it or anything but he gave me a nod.

They're playing The Smell in downtown L.A. this Saturday and The Viper Room on Monday, so you can ask them what they thought of it there.

[m4a] The Starlite Desperation - We Don't Do Time [/m4a]

More Than Words

Extreme's original:


Frankie J's cover:


Do you remember that scene in the movie Clueless where Alicia Silverstone stands up in debate class? The following is meant to be read like her character is reading this:)

...How in the world did no one send this to me until today? Until right now? This Frankie J video was uploaded last Valentines Day. WTF. Just thinking about some kid being mislead into thinking that Frankie J wrote this sugar-sweet song kind of makes me want to barf and throw punches at the same time. This is so typical. Some polished suit dude stealing prose and poetry (well you know what I mean) from some sensitive heshers and calling it his own. Hoo!

The song is far more convincing coming from Nuno and Gary, especially given their prior "hard-edge"*. Watching your "tough dudes"* break it down all softie like and risk their "masculinity"* to give a little romance to their lady friends... that's so much more meaningful.

I mean, what does Frankie J have to lose? We already knew he was a mangina at first glance. PLUS - hello (!) ... Frankie J not only rips the original video off (the song wasn't enough holmes?!) but adds images that doesn't even make sense: Model lady friend is at a photo shoot, then she's done with the photo shoot. (HOW DOES THAT PROPEL HIM INTO SINGING "MORE THAN WORDS"? What?! He can't hang tight while his model girlfriend does HER JOB? Freakshow! Talk about co-dependence.)

The simplicity of Extreme's version of two dudes in black and white gives us the impression of a real rift between the dudes and their ladies. The women being absent shows that there is a real miscommunication here, and the dudes are working to try and make it through to their women. Extreme's video pummels poetry compared to Frankie J's dummy version.

End rant.

*slight tounge-in-cheeky