Grace Jones Criticizes Current Pop Stars in New Bio Excerpt

[Shaka Zulu]

'70's pop star Grace Jones has some harsh words for the pop star ladies of today:

I come from the underground. I am never comfortable in the middle of the stream, flowing in the same direction as everyone else. I think people assume that’s where I want to be, famous for being famous, because as part of what I do there is a high level of showing off. But my instinct is always to resist the pull of the obvious. It’s not easy.
Trends come along and people say, ‘Follow that trend’. There’s a lot of that around at the moment: ‘Be like Sasha Fierce. Be like Miley Cyrus. Be like Rihanna. Be like Lady Gaga. Be like Rita Ora and Sia. Be like Madonna.’ I cannot be like them – except to the extent that they are already being like me.

I have been so copied by those people who have made fortunes that people assume I am that rich. But I did things for the excitement, the dare, the fact that it was new, not for the money, and too many times I was the first, not the beneficiary.

Rihanna… she does the body-painting thing I did with Keith Haring, but where he painted directly on my body, she wears a painted bodysuit. That’s the difference. Mine is on skin; she puts a barrier between the paint and her skin. I don’t even know if she knows that what she’s doing comes from me, but I bet you the people styling her know. They know the history.

The problem with the Dorises* and the Nicki Minajes and Mileys is that they reach their goal very quickly. There is no long-term vision, and they forget that once you get into that whirlpool then you have to fight the system that solidifies around you in order to keep being the outsider you claim you represent. There will always be a replacement coming along very soon – a newer version, a crazier version, a louder version. So if you haven’t got a long-term plan, then you are merely a passing phase, the latest trend, yesterday’s event.
They dress up as though they are challenging the status quo, but by now, wearing those clothes, pulling those faces, revealing those tattoos and breasts, singing to those fractured, spastic, melting beats – that is the status quo. You are not off the beaten track, pushing through the thorny undergrowth, finding treasure no one has come across before. You are in the middle of the road. You are really in Vegas wearing the sparkly full-length gown singing to people who are paying to see you but are not really paying attention. If that is what you want, fine, but it’s a road to nowhere.

Grace Jones Criticizes Current Pop Stars in New Bio Excerpt

What do I think about all of this? The lady's got a point, but unless some serious and sustained trust-busting is done to the media conglomerates in the USA as well as Canada (in particular the ones that own radio) and this law is repealed in the USA in particular, nothing will change (and no, a revival of this event isn't going to happen either, as radio is more tightly controlled than back in 1978.) I will say that while I don't hate most of them, I don't like them, either (all that I really care for whose like these ladies dissed by Jones is St. Vincent, Janelle Monáe, Duffy, Adele, and Joss Stone.) I wish that the pop explosion would die a bit and let rock (and neo-soul) come back somewhat, but with the racial demographics of music listeners having changed, I doubt that that's possible.

So, I open the floor; what do others think of what Ms. Jones has said?

*('Doris' is most likely Britney Spears or Beyonce.)

 

[martok2112]

I think Grace Jones was (and still is) far more the real deal than all these pissy pants, so-called musicians, pop-stars, and divas that permeate the radio (and other forms of mass media) today.

Gimme a bass, two guitars, drums, a keyboard, and a vocalist who can actually sing (in addition to other members of his/her band) over this digital pitch corrected, auto-tuned, factory pressed, thug originated bullshit anyday.

 

[Amaris]

All I can say to that is I think Grace Jones is still incredible.

 

[CorporalCaptain]

I've only owned two Grace Jones albums, Slave to the Rhythm and Inside Story, but they're both great. However, I've never owned any Madonna, Miley Cyrus, or Lady Gaga albums at all, so that probably means something.

 

[Amaris]

I've only owned two Grace Jones albums, Slave to the Rhythm and Inside Story, but they're both great. However, I've never owned any Madonna, Miley Cyrus, or Lady Gaga albums at all, so that probably means something.

I own a Lady Gaga album, no Madonna, no Miley. I don't own a Grace Jones album, but that's only because they're often expensive imports, and I don't have that kind of money.

 

[martok2112]

I liked Grace Jones in Conan the Destroyer.
She also did a guest vocal on Arcadia's (offshoot of Duran Duran) "So Red the Rose" album....song: "Election Day".

 

[Shaka Zulu]

I've only owned two Grace Jones albums, Slave to the Rhythm and Inside Story, but they're both great. However, I've never owned any Madonna, Miley Cyrus, or Lady Gaga albums at all, so that probably means something.

I like Madonna, Grace Jones, and as mentioned by me before, St. Vincent, Janelle Monáe, Duffy, Adele, Joss Stone, and that's it, really; I only tolerate the other two and their contemporaries (although I must admit to liking Meghan Trainor's song a lot.)

I think Grace Jones was (and still is) far more the real deal than all these pissy pants, so-called musicians, pop-stars, and divas that permeate the radio (and other forms of mass media) today.

Gimme a bass, two guitars, drums, a keyboard, and a vocalist who can actually sing (in addition to other members of his/her band) over this digital pitch corrected, auto-tuned, factory pressed, thug originated bullshit anyday.

If you're looking for that, here's some good places to start:

Exclaim!

Pitchfork

Triple J

Indie 88

The Village Voice

L.A. Weekly


NOW Magazine


New Musical Express, or NME for short

Spotifiy

 

[martok2112]

Thanks for that list, Shaka Zulu.

I do have to say, of all the new crop currently out there, Adele seems to be the real deal. She has a powerful, and somewhat mesmerizing voice. Loved her singing the theme to Skyfall.

I also kinda like Pharell Williams and Bruno Mars....but only to a degree. My favorite things that Williams has done was some songs for the Despicable Me/Despicable Me 2 soundtracks, and his work with Daft Punk on "Get Lucky" off their Random Access Memories CD. And Bruno Mars has got a damn powerful voice. "Locked Out of Heaven" is a pretty cool song. And the Lazy Song is pretty amusing.

 

[eyeresist]

I own a Lady Gaga album, no Madonna, no Miley. I don't own a Grace Jones album, but that's only because they're often expensive imports, and I don't have that kind of money.

Madonna had some great songs. OTOH, after reading all the hype about Gaga, I was appalled upon finally hearing her music by how bland and forgettable it was. Generic pop.

I haven't bought a record of contemporary music for years. Digging out the good stuff is just too much work. Apart from collecting a few bands I missed out on in previous years, I mostly listen to classical now.

 

[Shaka Zulu]

^That's why you should check out the list I provided Martok with.

 

[eyeresist]

^ It's still a huge amount of dross to sort through.

 

[RJDiogenes]

Indeed it is. I've tried listening to contemporary music stations (on the air and on Pandora) and it's really a chore. Every once in a while, you come across a gem, like that Phil Phillips song, but, man, it's a painful process.

The only contemporary artist that consistently impresses me is Pink. She's genuine. The others are just mass-produced product.

More power to Grace Jones for shaking her fist at the establishment.

 

[Locutus of Bored]

No way. An aging pop star and a magazine decide to get the "Kids these days!" crowd to stop yelling at clouds for five minutes by appealing to nostalgia and going after the low-hanging fruit of them not understanding or enjoying modern pop stars and music (just like every prior generation) so that she can publicize her new book and the magazine can get some clickbait headlines? What an amazing development! It must be a day ending in "Y."

Bully for you, Grace Jones. Shake your fist at "THE ESTABLISHMENT" by saying one of the most establishment things that is humanly possible to say. Maybe come out with another interview about how Hollywood movies are all the same now, and lack the creativity and subtlety of a Conan the Destroyer or a A View to a Kill.

Guess what. Current pop stars aren't trying to appeal to you, just as the pop stars you liked growing up weren't trying to appeal to your parents and grandparents. If you can break the mold and like something outside of your demographic, that's great. More power to you for your open-mindedness and willingness to try new things. But it baffles me that people continually expect modern music to always remain in touch with their preferences indefinitely, even after having experienced the same thing with their parents and grandparents grumbling about not getting their music.

Musical tastes evolve, and just because it evolves in a way that no longer appeals to you doesn't make it of an objectively lesser quality.

 

[{ Emilia }]

Indeed it is. I've tried listening to contemporary music stations (on the air and on Pandora) and it's really a chore.

Maybe you don't realize this but that's the way it's always been . A few gems in a sea of turds. Confirmation bias means you only remember the gems from previous decades, and not the turds.
You might also not be the target demographic anymore.

 

[Shaka Zulu]

No way. An aging pop star and a magazine decide to get the "Kids these days!" crowd to stop yelling at clouds for five minutes by appealing to nostalgia and going after the low-hanging fruit of them not understanding or enjoying modern pop stars and music (just like every prior generation) so that she can publicize her new book and the magazine can get some click-bait headlines? What an amazing development! It must be a day ending in "Y."

Bully for you, Grace Jones. Shake your fist at "THE ESTABLISHMENT" by saying one of the most establishment things that is humanly possible to say. Maybe come out with another interview about how Hollywood movies are all the same now, and lack the creativity and subtlety of a Conan the Destroyer or a A View to a Kill.

Guess what. Current pop stars aren't trying to appeal to you, just as the pop stars you liked growing up weren't trying to appeal to your parents and grandparents. If you can break the mold and like something outside of your demographic, that's great. More power to you for your open-mindedness and willingness to try new things. But it baffles me that people continually expect modern music to always remain in touch with their preferences indefinitely, even after having experienced the same thing with their parents and grandparents grumbling about not getting their music.

Musical tastes evolve, and just because it evolves in a way that no longer appeals to you doesn't make it of an objectively lesser quality.

As much as I want the pop deluge to end, you're right on this one.

 

[JoeZhang]

Anyone who thinks that 'mass production' of music is something recently...

 

[Nerys Myk]

As much as I want the pop deluge to end, you're right on this one.

"Pop deluge"? Isn't that somewhat redundant? It's called pop (ular) music for a reason.

 

[eyeresist]

I haven't bought a record of contemporary music for years.

Well, I did just buy the new Slayer album...

 

[Shaka Zulu]

As much as I want the pop deluge to end, you're right on this one.

"Pop deluge"? Isn't that somewhat redundant? It's called pop (ular) music for a reason.

I call it a deluge because there seems to be a lot of it, and not much of anything else (no standard rock & roll, no heavy metal, no country rock, and no electronica) becoming a hit or even getting any radio airplay (in recent years, rock has been forced 'underground' [so to speak] and people are surprised when a rock band becomes big or wins an award, as had happend with this band in 2011.

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[Nerys Myk]

As much as I want the pop deluge to end, you're right on this one.

"Pop deluge"? Isn't that somewhat redundant? It's called pop (ular) music for a reason.

I call it a deluge because there seems to be a lot of it, and not much of anything else (no standard rock & roll, no heavy metal, no country rock, and no electronica) becoming a hit or even getting any radio airplay (in recent years, rock has been forced 'underground' [so to speak] and people are surprised when a rock band becomes big or wins an award, as had happend with this band in 2011.

https://vimeo.com/19981998

There's always a lot of it. That's why its "pop". The line between pop and rock has always been blurry. The Beatles, arguably the greatest rock band in history, was also a successful pop act. Sure the harder stuff falls out of the pop category and the lighter pop won't be confused for rock, but there is a lot of middle ground.

Yeh, some genres just don't sell anymore. That's the way it goes.