Soundtrack Friday and Happy Halloween!!

How can one blog about great soundtracks without mentioning Labyrinth? Not only do we have David Bowie in junk squeezing spandex, but we also have talking blue caterpillars, Ludo, the bog of eternal stench and a young Jennifer Connelly pre-Rocketeer days. I love this movie and the soundtrack so much that some mornings I literally wake up with "Dance Magic Dance" stuck in my head.

I also use this movie as a tool to tell me how well I would get along with a person. Do you hate Labyrinth? Then I hate you. Moving on, I don't think I've ever seen Boogie Nights in its entirety from beginning to end, but I sure do love this soundtrack. From The Beach Boys to The Emotions, it creates a perfect mental image of the time periods referenced in the movie. And then there's this heartwarming clip featuring "Sister Christian" by Night Ranger. I'll never be able to hear that song again and not think of this scene. Ever.

And how about that Madonna lady? Before she was a baseball player stealing beast with roid rage she was busy being in horrible movies. I am not ashamed to say I like the movie Dick Tracy and I love the song "Sooner Or Later" from that soundtrack. Hey, I'm not even ashamed to say that I paid actual money to buy this soundtrack, not only on cassette tape way back in the day but on CD a few years ago.

Can't Hardly Wait came out the summer before my senior year in high school. This soundtrack is one of my favorites for pure nostalgic reasons. It pretty much mirrors my high school experience, unrequited love and parties. I forgive the fact that the horrendous Smash Mouth is on this soundtrack too. This clip featuring Guns N' Roses "Paradise City" makes up for it.

And how can I not mention a movie with a drag queen named Felicia in it? I fell in love with Priscilla Queen of the Desert and its soundtrack in high school and thus proved the fact that there is a tiny gay man inside of me just waiting to burst out. And I just can't watch Guy Pearce in any movie without picturing him in full on drag. This soundtrack is full cheese and I love it.

And finally, Singles. All I have to say about Singles is that Matt Dillon is hot and so is "Drown" by Smashing Pumpkins. I was lucky enough to see them, well part of the original band, perform it live last year. Here is the audio, no video available.

Androgyny and The Great Gender Bend

A philosophical question: What came first—the gender bending artist or their music? Does the music they create pull this persona from within, or is it the persona that pulls the music out?

In our modern culture, are we attracted to the lack of sexual characteristics or is it more the possibility of either?

Take for instance: Prince. Or, The Artists Formerly Known As Prince. Or, Prince Again. (Does anyone know what he actually goes by now?) Now, I wouldn't necessarily consider him androgynous, but he certainly knows how to blur the sexual lines, and he is certainly more sexual (in his early '90s days, as witnessed by the following video) than many of the more typically androgynous performers.

Seriously, ENJOY.



Alas, no ass. (Really, what the hell has happened to America? I haven't seen an onstage orgy on cable since, well, since 1991. A real cryin' shame.) Now that I'm thinking about it, he really looks like a woman in drag more than anything. (He sure does have a pretty face, mm hmm.)

Now, on the other hand, consider THE David Bowie. Andro? Yes. Sexual? Depends. (For me, the answer to that second question is an unequivocal "YES," but I'm aware that many do not share that sentiment.)

Let's taste, shall we?



I'm Afraid of Americans (featuring supersexy Trent Reznor)


With Bowie—and getting back to my original thought—it seems as though his portrayed gender identity comes paired with his music; that the persona brings certain things forward, and they exist hand-in-hand (evidenced by his Ziggy Stardust era, where he actually named the persona). Prince, on the other hand, seems to let his music come through and his true self express its nature. Yes, he is a showman, but there is also honesty in his self-portrayed sexual being. (Am I going way out on a limb here?)

Annie Lennox is more of the Prince variety of andro; she has something to say, says it in her music, and then cultivates the persona to bring power to her message. (Ok, this is all very confusing. I'm getting lost. And sorry for no Annie Lennox videos; they are all disabled. But if you want to see Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This), then go here.)

Thoughts on androgyny in music?