Informazioni generali

Non ci sono ancora dati nella Conoscenza comune per questo autore. Puoi aiutarci.

Utenti

Recensioni

Bridget Wilder #2: Spy to the Rescue (Bridget Wilder… di Jonathan Bernstein

Note: I accessed a digital review copy of this book through Edelweiss.

Segnalato

fernandie | Sep 15, 2022 |

Mad World: An Oral History of New Wave Artists and… di Lori Majewski

"Mad World: An Oral History of New Wave Artists and Songs That Defined the 1980s" is less a timeline of the era-making music and more of a picture book of remembrances by the artists.

It all starts in the late '70s, when disco and punk gave each other a very special hug, and New Wave was born. According to the authors, New Wave consisted of "American bands who wanted to be British, British bands who wanted to be German, and German bands who wanted to be robots."

Ridiculous production, ridiculous videos, ridiculous fashions, ridiculous hair - yes, on all counts. But also, ridiculously terrific songs that still play nonstop on soundtracks, on commercials and in your head.

They're (mostly) all here, from ABC to Yaz, but seemingly in no particular order. And they do leave out such New Wave stars as the B-52's, Culture Club, Missing Persons, the Go-Go's, Talk Talk, the Cars, Blondie, and other favorites.

You can also take issue with the songs chosen for each group. "Temptation" instead of "Don't Go" (Heaven 17)? "New Life" instead of "Just Can't Get Enough" (Depeche Mode)? But they're still good songs.

The best part may be the short lists of similar songs in each chapter - I'm looking forward to building a massive Spotify playlist soon.… (altro)

Segnalato

ralphz | 3 altre recensioni | Feb 26, 2022 |

Bridget Wilder, spy-in-training di (Journalist) Jonathan Bernstein

I'm starting to see a pattern in children's spy books. An unpopular kid is tapped to be a secret agent for reasons that don't make sense. There's usually sarcastic humor, which by the way, is a big selling point with kids today. And lastly, there's a lot of twists and turns and great attempts to elude the reader. Bingo. Bridget Wilder fits the pattern.

Bridget is adopted. She's the middle child. She's easily forgettable. The book opens with everyone forgetting her 13th birthday. She does, however, receive a mysterious package containing odd things like a phone that doesn't work, Tictacs, and a tube of lip balm. Turns out the phone works and the other items are spy gadgets. Her spy contact informs her that the package is from her famous spy dad and he wants her to join their spy network. After she passes the test mission, she's given a real mission to steal some files from a classmate's stepdad. To do so, she'll have to infiltrate the cool girl group and deal with all the backstabbing she's been missing out on by being unpopular.

Kids who like humor, mystery, and criminal activity will easily like this book.… (altro)

Segnalato

valorrmac | Sep 21, 2018 |

Mad World: An Oral History of New Wave Artists and… di Lori Majewski

I've always loved music, but coming of age in the early 1980s I especially loved new wave. I still remember hearing "Cars" by Gary Numan, and loving the sound of it. One evening, with it stuck in my head, I mentioned to my cousin (my best friend, really) that I really liked it, and was surprised by his 'are-you-kidding-me?-you-actually-like-that-stupid-song?' reaction. Later, when I heard "I Ran" by A Flock of Seagulls and "Pop Music" by M, I knew I'd found what resonated with me. But even though new wave was very popular in Salt Lake City (where I grew up), I always felt on the musical outskirts, and most of my friends preferred the rock and pop music. I still feel that way.

"In the U.K.... new wave was initially code adopted by journalists and disc jockeys eager to be perceived as cool but too nervous to actually use the word 'punk' with all its threatenting implications. In America, new wave was an umbrella the size of a circus tent. It covered synth pop, ska, goth, alternative rock, bubblegum, Eurodance, industrial, new romantic, blue-eyed U.K. soul, and electronic dance music. It was a Tower of Babel populated by American bands who wanted to be British, British bands who wanted to be German, and German bands who wanted to be robots. It was an insane asylum whose patients were predominantly ambiguous, untouchable males with sucked-in cheeks, 3-D makeup, and wedding-cake hair."

Seldom have I laughed so much while reading a book as this one. We didn't have MTV in my home, so I missed out on a lot of information about the bands I loved - and I was suprised at the HUGE EGOs many of the new wave "artists" had - Limahl of Kajagoogoo and especially Ian McCulloch of Echo & the Bunnymen - particularly considering their relatively modest popular success. Others really saw themselves as "artists" and eschewed the popularity that came (OMD), while others actively pursued it (Duran Duran and ABC). And there was no shortage of competition and jealousy among them:
Curt Smith, Tears for Fears: 'People say, ‘music’s not what it used to be,’ and I’m like, ‘Yeah, it is.’ Most of the stuff we listened to sucked. What you remember is the really good stuff. But there was a ton of crap in the 80s. For every one of us, there was a Flock of Seagulls.'
Mike Score, A Flock of Seagulls: 'The word that springs to mind is jealousy. Curt Smith may be living in a little fantasyland that Tears for Fears was something spectacular.'

This book features edited interviews with about 3 dozen new wave bands where they discuss an important song of theirs and their history (as well as a 'where-are-they-now' follow up). The only band I didn't know was The Normal, and the only other band I don't have any music from in my collection was Joy Division (I'm more of a New Order fan). Still, the book sent me scurrying to YouTube to listen to songs I wasn't familiar with - "Kings of the Wild Frontier" by Adam Ant and "Being Boiled" by Human League, among others - and digging out CDs I haven't listened to in years (New Order). Some chapters I found boring - ABC, Spandau Ballet, DEVO, Dexy's Midnight Runners, and even Howard Jones (whose music I LOVE) - and others were fascinating. Just a few of the highlights for me (sometimes paraphrased rather than quoted in full):

- Peter Hook of New Order: 'Musically, I love Adam and the Ants. They’re one of my favorite groups. But it was very difficult for me as a Northern male to relate to the dandy look. We would’ve been laughed out of Manchester had we even considered it. Bernard [Sumner] and I used to go out in London with all them lot… We looked like working-class yobs, and everyone else was dressed up as a pirate.'
- Kim Wilde: 'When it was a hit in America, they were like, 'Why East California'? Why not all the way over to the west? I was trying to come up with any excuse why my dad might have written 'to East California,' and if you ask, he'll say 'Cause it sounded better'... When I feel self-conscious about saying 'New York to East California,' I think of the Police singing 'De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da,' and I don't feel so bad.'
- Andy Rourke, The Smiths: 'Morrissey used to buy his-I was going to say 'shirts,' but they were actually blouses-from a clothing place for fat women in Manchester. These women's blouses that nobody wanted became Morrissey's trademark. He used to like tearing them up and throwing them into the crowd.'
- Midge Ure: 'People consume music in a very different way. It doesn't seem to be as all-important as it used to be for us. Kids have got computer games and a million other things to keep themselves entertained. We had music and our imaginations, and that was it.'
… (altro)