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I suppose it could be argued that what the poster above is uncomfortable with and clumsily calls Antony's "schtick", might be the whole doomed Warhol superstar/Candy Darling crossed with Berlin cabaret stuff - that Antony heavily appropriates. An image that might draw heavily on the artist's particular sexuality and gender, but is perhaps not entirely synonomous with it? As in, it's possible to really hate Warhol posturing and cod-1920s Berlin theatrics without that dislike necessarily being connected to its perceived queerness.
I tend to think of Antony's music as an evocation of a particular setting and its mythology, much like when Scott Walker does the Jacques Brel covers, or even people like Nick Cave or Tom Waits, who conjure a sense of time, place and persona that might not be the autobiographical reality of their lives. I think Antony's music paints a picture of a certain world and its inhabitants, and I think this is why the whole "all my song titles are double intendres about being transsexual!" criticism doesn't really stand up, at least not how I see it. I think it's a bit more complex than "I am a transexuaal and here are some songs about it", and Antony's persona is specifically an exploration of a mythic world of doomed transexual Berlin cabaret singers and related matters. I like it. But I can see how other people might find it a bit irritating, like how a lot of people probably find Nick Cave's old testament preacher pose a bit irritating, or countless other artists who write in a similar way.
I would say that gender might play a similar role and provide a similar inspiration in Antony's music to the role that religion plays in Nick Cave's music. To assert that his music is all about being a transexual is maybe as limited a view as stating that Nick Cave's music is all about religion. It's just not as clear cut as that. There is an element of storytelling and narrative going on.
Anyway, what's his other record like? Is it just a re-release of his first one or is there a third album? I got 'I am a bird now' ages ago before I knew anything about him and I really liked it. Went to see him play earlier in the year, which was pretty good. Haven't listened to it in awhile though, not sure whether that's because its initial appeal has worn off over time, or if it's just cos I played it loads when I first got it. Time will tell, I guess. |
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