Joy Division: Ian Curtis Haunts Me

Photo Courtesy of NME

This is my tribute to Ian Curtis on the eve of the anniversary of his death:

18-5-80

I have always been drawn to the emotional potency of music-all forms and genres.  Music is a powerful, mood-altering drug for me.  Recently, I watched the documentary on Joy Division and was mesmerized by the lead singer Ian Curtis. He was a well-read and gifted songwriter as well as the band’s enigmatic lead vocalist.  If you are unfamiliar with Joy Division, they were a critically-lauded post-punk band that later ‘evolved’ into New Order.  The catalyst for their evolution into New Order was Ian Curtis’ suicide the day before Joy Division was to start its first American tour and release its second album, ‘Closer’.

As the child of an artist who took her own life, I am drawn to Ian’s uniquely vulnerable and evocative style.  I have to admit that it’s painful to watch him because, at times, his psychological pain is so palpable it makes me wince.  Here is a good illustration of what I mean:

The song is ‘She’s Lost Control’ and is reportedly about a person he was helping at his place of work who died abruptly.  Some attribute his style of movement to his epilepsy, but I see it as an outlet to expend the energy surrounding his anger and hurt-maybe it’s a combination of the two.  Anyway, this is growing oppressive, but sometimes it is cathartic to explore the ‘dark side’.

My favorite track from Joy Division is ‘Disorder’.

If you listened to that track, then you should have no doubt that Ian Curtis haunts me.

This video has slicker production and is neatly packaged for the masses (they didn’t let him dance), but it’s still rock-solid work.

If you enjoy psychedelic art, visit my birth mother’s artist page:

http://www.facebook.com/EdnaMarieODowd

http://blog.billkopp.com/?p=765

McQueen’s ‘Savage Beauty’ at the Met

Courtesy of Alexander McQueen

If you have been following my blog in the past month, you would probably notice that I am going through my Alexander McQueen phase (Albeit a little too late since he passed in 2010).  So last week I went to see his highly-publicized exhibition at the Met:  Savage Beauty.

I have always loved fashion but I have never appreciated Haute Couture, mainly because it felt so inaccessible and unnecessarily extravagant.  I never viewed it as an art-form-until I saw the exhibition.  It was dark, it had drama, it was angry, it was political and it made me think. Every piece told a story that made an emotionally resonant, impactful statement.  I believe some of the items transcended into art. Yes, it doesn’t hurt that people like Lady Gaga and Madonna were his billboards and gave him more exposure in his last years, but you could see his wicked humor, intelligence and amazing talent in each collection.  The ability  to translate emotion into a garment or collection is, to me, the sign of a true artist.

You can preview the ‘Savage Beauty’ exhibition at the link below:

http://blog.metmuseum.org/alexandermcqueen/

Is J. Lo Back?

I posed this question on Facebook:  Is J. Lo back?  As one of three high-profile judges on America’s most-watched television programs, she certainly isn’t hurting for exposure.  But remember last time she was at her peak?  The dreaded ‘Bennifer’ combo-platter was a nausea-inducing media spectacle that America quickly dispatched into the nether region of near-obscurity.  Now, with a Top-10 single on the charts (thanks in part to American Idol) and two high profile endorsements from Venus and Loreal,  she seems once more unstoppable.

Image courtesy of Latina Magazine

I have always considered her a world-class beauty and her sense of style has hit some high notes throughout the years.  Now she is America’s favorite judge.  The big question is, what happens when she hits the tipping point of overexposure this time around?  It wasn’t too long ago that her ‘badonkadonk‘ was on the floor rather than her ‘Louboutins‘.  If and when she hits it again,  I wish her a soft landing.  For now?  Enjoy the spotlight, Mrs. Anthony!   Oh yeah, and then there’s this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nzr7BZGHTTI&feature=related