RIP Poly Styrene
Wed, 04/27/2011 - 11:09am
Dang... she was just 53 years old... X-Ray Spex one of the greatest punk rock bands of all, and she was such an awesome and original singer. I love all of those songs! They really only had one album and a few singles, all great, go out and get yourself the complete compilation CD immediately! Or I guess just download it now that Poly's gone.
http://www.newser.com/article/d9mrcg3o0/poly-styrene-singer-with-punk-ba...
Thu, 04/28/2011 - 1:00am
#2
original
Dunno, I never really equated the two.
I don't feel qualified to say one way or the other really.
but
Though Mr. Rotten may have been challenging a certain cultural status quo, he was still at least partially being the lad he was supposed to be, in-line with gender and race expectations.
Poly wasn't..
I've been listening to Kleenex/Liliput lately, which inspired me to look for Slits and Bush Tetras, but I don't have much..
Thu, 04/28/2011 - 10:23am
#3
Bush Tetras
The Bush Tetras CD "Boom In the Night" is a very good album. I could lend it to you if you want. You also might want to check out The Raincoats as well.
Thu, 04/28/2011 - 1:56am
#4
I have to say I find the
I have to say I find the Slits highly overrated, I mostly don't quite get what's supposedly great about them. But I love the X-Ray Spex very much.
If you're seeking more female punk/post-punk, I'd highly recommend the Crass album Penis Envy.
Thu, 04/28/2011 - 8:05am
#5
p
Johnny Rotten--a quiet, bright teenager who was very close to his mom and who had a physically painful childhood, at least in part.
An original. When he came along doing his thing it inspired a lot of other people. (Joe Strummer, Billy Idol, etc.)
Out of all those people, and out of all the singers in the 70's English Punk scene, Poly was one of the best.
PS I don't know anything about what she did after the 70's.
Thu, 04/28/2011 - 10:28am
#6
Later Stuff...
Fri, 04/29/2011 - 2:28am
#7
Poly
She was such a great inspiration to us just when punk or whatever was figuring out the gender thing. Up until then the "new" music was still mainly boy stuff. I think she was totally original. Day Glow and Oh Bondage are still wonderful. Oh Bondage had almost as big an effect on us as Anarchy--a huge roaring head shattering blast with that girl screaming and that saxophone doing whatever it is that saxophone does. The rest of her catalog is a little hit or miss for me. Peggy is a bigger fan than I am--she loves Woolworths and Artificial, among others.
She preceded the Rough Trade bands like Slits and Scritti and Kleenex and Delta Five and Raincoats, but Im not sure they would have been possible without her throwing that door open. And her "Some people say little girls should be seen and not heard ... But I think--" attitude was a precursor of riot girrls.
Oh and by the way all those RT bands were wonderful. The Raincoats were the first antifolk band, I think.
But we will never forget Poly.
Fri, 04/29/2011 - 4:18pm
#8
well, we just had an " oh
well, we just had an " oh bondage up yours" dance party at Mary's a few months ago, and it was so great ( about 10 woman varying in age and one 7 year old boy).
Okay, well when I said "original" I guess she really sounded most like Johnny Rotten, but still added a new dimension to that approach, especially by being a young woman of unusual looks... gotta love the braces! And the songs are all so good. Here's a good video from '78 -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ue5jyj_nosc&feature=related