Closing
the Bowie fortnight, we time jump some 20 years to meet Placebo, a group formed
in 1994 by bisexual Brian Molko and gay Stefan Olsdal.
The
group's first hit, a Top 5 in the UK and one of the songs that defined the
British 90s, is called Nancy Boy. The lyrics go: "Alcoholic kind of mood, lose my clothes, lose my lube. Cruising
for a piece of fun, looking out for number one. Different partner every night,
so narcotic outta sight, what a gas, what a beautiful ass."
Their 2nd album was
"Without You I'm Nothing". David Bowie, who appreciated the group,
offered his services and ended up sharing vocals on the album's self-titled
track.
Placebo are still active and
their work is always well received. They have been cited as an influence
on bands such as My Chemical Romance, Panic! At The Disco and AFI.
We have now concluded the
first thematic unity in music. Before going on to the second, an
"interlude", involving either gay themed films or TV series will
appear, so that we bring a little variety to the procedings. If you like it, this
can become a permanent fixture, appearing after each thematic unity.
I've heard of Placebo but never paid attention because of the punkish, metal leanings I'm not a huge fan of. Listening to some of their music has changed my opinion. Their version of Running Up That Hill is interesting and menacing as is Without You I'm Nothing. Does this stuff remind you of The Smiths? Anyway, thanks for introducing me to Placebo yianang, I'll certainly delve deeper into their catalog.
ReplyDeleteHey RM! There are certainly echoes of The Smiths in Placebo's music. I like their Kate Bush cover too. They have also covered Bigmouth Strikes Again by The Smiths, which makes your hypothesis even stronger. If you seek out a CD of theirs called Sleeping With Ghosts - Special edition, there you'll find a bonus disc which contains only covers (the above two and some other good ones).
ReplyDeleteMahalo yianang! Will look for that.
DeleteAlways at your disposal, RM!
ReplyDelete