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Lynn Hirschberg vs M.I.A.

post #1 of 57
5/28/10 at 4:50pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Lynn Hirschberg's Response to M.I.A. Tweet: 'Fairly Unethical' and 'Infuriating'


This morning, M.I.A. tweeted out writer Lynn Hirschberg's phone number in response to a piece in this weekend's Times Magazine. The tweet seemed to suggest that M.I.A. wasn't much of a fan of the piece.

What was Ms. Hirschberg's reaction?

"I find it kind of interesting that she would cast the spotlight on the story in any way, shape or form," said Ms. Hirschberg. "I can't say what she thinks of it. But it seems you would want it to go away."

What did she think of the tweet?

It's a fairly unethical thing to do, but I don't think it's surprising," she continued. "She's a provocateur, and provocateurs want to be provocative."

She also said that she found it "infuriating and not surprising."

Ms. Hirschberg said she wouldn't change her phone number.

"The messages have mostly been from people trying to hook up with M.I.A.," she said. "If she wants to get together with John at Bard next week, I have his number."

Some people have already drawn comparisons between the M.I.A piece and Ms. Hirschberg's famous Vanity Fair takedown of Courtney Love from 1992. Any thoughts on that?

"I don't think the pieces have anything to do with each other," she said. "I think M.I.A. is a completely different animal—she's closer to Madonna than to Courtney."

And wait! Breaking! M.I.A. has tweeted again. This time, she tweeted, "NEWS IS AN OPINION! UNEDITED VERSION OF THE INTERVIEW WILL BE ON neetrecordings THIS MEMORIAL WEEKEND!!!"

"I have no idea what she's talking about," said Ms. Hirschberg.

The piece is Ms. Hirschberg's last at The Times Magazine under her current contract. She's becoming an editor-at-large at W.
http://www.observer.com/2010/media/l...nd-infuriating

Quote:
The Ten Harshest Parts of Lynn Hirschberg’s M.I.A. Profile


Let us begin by saying we like M.I.A. and we're very much looking forward to her new album, /\/\/\Y/\, out next month. But that doesn't mean we didn't find Lynn Hirschberg's just-posted New York Times Magazine cover profile on M.I.A. — which is a fairly brutal takedown in which the singer comes off not unlike a whiny first-semester college kid — a pretty great read. In the piece, M.I.A. smack-talks Lady Gaga again, whom she's called out before for being style over substance. But is superficially branding oneself as a political radical really any less silly than wearing a shoe for a hat? Lynn Hirschberg does not seem to think so! After the jump, the ten most image-deflating moments.

1. On M.I.A.'s new home in third-world Beverly Hills:

[M.I.A.'s baby] Ikhyd was not, as she had repeatedly announced he would be, born at home in a pool of water ... “You gotta embrace the pain, embrace the struggle,” she proclaimed weeks before Ikhyd was born. “And my giving birth is nothing when I think about all the people in Sri Lanka that have to give birth in a concentration camp." As it happened, Maya, who is 34, gave birth in a private room in Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles ... Maya and [fiance Ben] Bronfman moved to Los Angeles from New York, buying a house in very white, very wealthy Brentwood, an isolated and bucolic section of the city with a minimal history of trauma and violent uprisings.
http://nymag.com/daily/entertainment/2010/05/mia.html
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post #2 of 57
5/28/10 at 4:55pm
IMHO, what MIA did is not A-OK
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post #3 of 57
5/28/10 at 4:57pm
I'm not sure what Maya's problem with Hirschberg is, but tweeting a number is really childish and Hirschberg has responded about as well as she could.
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post #4 of 57
5/28/10 at 5:49pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Evi View Post
I'm not sure what Maya's problem with Hirschberg is, but tweeting a number is really childish and Hirschberg has responded about as well as she could.
Not that it justifies tweeting Hirschberg's number, but it seems pretty obvious why M.I.A. might have some problems with the article. It's basically presenting her as a rich hypocrite cashing in on terrorism, poverty, etc.

This should appear to anyone who follows pop culture as a pretty dumb point to make. It's not like Springsteen was on welfare when he was recording Nebraska. M.I.A. is making good, interesting music that may use all of this revolution imagery as exciting topical matter, but it's not a one-way street - some of her fans will become informed about it.

She's not much like Madonna or Courtney Love, and it shows a lack of creativity to try to pin her based on existing female role models only. If anything, the call-to-arms stuff shows her to have a lot more in common with The Clash, who were similarly criticized for simplifying and romanticizing their politics, but still managed to put out a couple of the best rock albums of all time.
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post #5 of 57
5/28/10 at 5:58pm
The birth thing is the fucking stupidest callout of perceived "hypocrisy". Was she supposed to go to a tent in Sri Lanka to have the baby or something?
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post #6 of 57
5/28/10 at 6:04pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by DaveB View Post
She's not much like Madonna or Courtney Love, and it shows a lack of creativity to try to pin her based on existing female role models only. If anything, the call-to-arms stuff shows her to have a lot more in common with The Clash, who were similarly criticized for simplifying and romanticizing their politics, but still managed to put out a couple of the best rock albums of all time.
I read the article yesterday, it's an interesting read but I completely agree with you on this. Great point about The Clash.

And this part about Madonna infuriated me:

Quote:
Maya evoked Madonna. While Madonna has always been more interested in writing melodious, catchy pop songs and less interested in niche hipster credibility than Maya, they share a gift for grand self-invention.
What alternate-reality Madonna is she talking about here?
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post #7 of 57
5/28/10 at 6:06pm
I think the birth thing was in response to the way she had her baby versus the way she'd told the media she'd have her baby.

I don't know, characterizing her as someone who talks 3rd world politics while she munches on gourmet food is a silly callout of hypocrisy, but a couple of those statements - the Nike one in particular - definitely make her sound like she's more preoccupied with image than content. It's a feeling I've been getting from her for a while.
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post #8 of 57
5/28/10 at 6:17pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Evi View Post
I think the birth thing was in response to the way she had her baby versus the way she'd told the media she'd have her baby.

I don't know, characterizing her as someone who talks 3rd world politics while she munches on gourmet food is a silly callout of hypocrisy, but a couple of those statements - the Nike one in particular - definitely make her sound like she's more preoccupied with image than content. It's a feeling I've been getting from her for a while.
I think that's part and parcel of being an artist working in a popular medium, though. Image is content, in a lot of ways. I mean, I have a lot of personal respect for artists who stick to their principles in all areas of their lives (the Ani DiFrancos and the Fugazis - although both are probably guilty of overstating their fervor in song from time to time), but I can't say that M.I.A.'s emphasis on rhetoric over substance rubs me the wrong way any more than Public Enemy's or the Clash's does.
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post #9 of 57
5/29/10 at 9:21am
Fair enough, and I certainly wouldn't expect M.I.A to be on the front lines or even understand all the intricacies, but by the sounds of it, Hirchberg is calling M.I.A's act just a put-on to stand out and sell more albums. While that may have its various advantages, it still leaves calling her a hypocrite fair game in my eyes.
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post #10 of 57
5/29/10 at 12:37pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Evi View Post
Fair enough, and I certainly wouldn't expect M.I.A to be on the front lines or even understand all the intricacies, but by the sounds of it, Hirchberg is calling M.I.A's act just a put-on to stand out and sell more albums. While that may have its various advantages, it still leaves calling her a hypocrite fair game in my eyes.
I'm pretty sure M.I.A. would be much bigger if she sang/rapped about partying, getting high and living in luxury. After all, Paper Plane is her biggest hit.

She may be naive about her politics, but she seems sincere about it.
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post #11 of 57
5/29/10 at 1:31pm
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Originally Posted by The Alexor View Post
I'm pretty sure M.I.A. would be much bigger if she sang/rapped about partying, getting high and living in luxury. After all, Paper Plane is her biggest hit.
.
This is true. I wake up to Paper Planes most mornings.
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post #12 of 57
5/29/10 at 2:04pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by The Alexor View Post
I'm pretty sure M.I.A. would be much bigger if she sang/rapped about partying, getting high and living in luxury. After all, Paper Plane is her biggest hit.

She may be naive about her politics, but she seems sincere about it.
Can't comment on whether she's completely sincere about her politics, but Paper Planes has a lot of political undertones.
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post #13 of 57
5/29/10 at 2:10pm
Hirschberg is a monster.
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post #14 of 57
5/29/10 at 2:42pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Evi View Post
Can't comment on whether she's completely sincere about her politics, but Paper Planes has a lot of political undertones.
Given that she was a political refuge from Sri Lanka and her father was a key figure within the Tamil Tigers I'd suggest that emotionally her politics are honest.
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post #15 of 57
5/29/10 at 2:45pm
Unless she's being misquoted or something, in the article M.I.A tells Hirschberg that the stuff about her dad being a Tiger is a lie.
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post #16 of 57
5/29/10 at 2:47pm
Her CD liner notes LIED TO ME! That is disappointing, I'm guessing that was an attempt at agitation with the UK Press when they were at the height of their anti-immigration stuff.
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post #17 of 57
5/29/10 at 2:57pm
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Originally Posted by Spike Marshall View Post
Her CD liner notes LIED TO ME! That is disappointing, I'm guessing that was an attempt at agitation with the UK Press when they were at the height of their anti-immigration stuff.
Her dad was with an earlier, less violent political group that splintered into the Tigers. He was and is involved in politics, just not the sexy, revolutionary kind. He and Maya apparently did not have a close relationship growing up, so his exact politics may not be directly reflected in her music.
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post #18 of 57
5/30/10 at 8:36pm
This article didn't tell me anything new about MIA exactly (attention seeker, provocateur, et cetera), but it was an entertaining read. She seems deluded in the same way that 90% of art students are. And the people who like her will obviously get caught up in that delusion because there's some element of romance there, but it's really just vacuous bullshit.
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post #19 of 57
5/30/10 at 9:09pm
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Originally Posted by Jake View Post
The birth thing is the fucking stupidest callout of perceived "hypocrisy". Was she supposed to go to a tent in Sri Lanka to have the baby or something?
Why not? It would have been good for her image.
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post #20 of 57
5/30/10 at 9:54pm
I'm really happy to say I have literally no idea who either of these people are.
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post #21 of 57
5/30/10 at 9:56pm
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Originally Posted by The Rain Dog View Post
I'm really happy to say I have literally no idea who either of these people are.
Really?

Because M.I.A. has made two really interesting albums and has some great songs to her name. I thought you'd be into her, to be honest.
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post #22 of 57
5/30/10 at 9:56pm
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Originally Posted by The Rain Dog View Post
I'm really happy to say I have literally no idea who either of these people are.
Whatever her personal shortcomings M.I.A.'s music is pretty good.
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post #23 of 57
5/30/10 at 10:00pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by DaveB View Post
I think that's part and parcel of being an artist working in a popular medium, though. Image is content, in a lot of ways. I mean, I have a lot of personal respect for artists who stick to their principles in all areas of their lives (the Ani DiFrancos and the Fugazis - although both are probably guilty of overstating their fervor in song from time to time), but I can't say that M.I.A.'s emphasis on rhetoric over substance rubs me the wrong way any more than Public Enemy's or the Clash's does.
I find this logic a little faulty because The Clash have a different image in my head. They lost money on album sales, they charged low prices at their gigs.
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post #24 of 57
5/31/10 at 4:31pm
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Originally Posted by Alex Hill View Post
I find this logic a little faulty because The Clash have a different image in my head. They lost money on album sales, they charged low prices at their gigs.
I wasn't arguing that the Clash didn't care about their fans, just that they profited from a fetishization of rebellion and militancy. And it's really no secret at this point that Joe Strummer, despite the working class image and genuine love for the fans, had some fairly expensive tastes not exactly befitting a leftist revolutionary.

I just don't think it matters, since all of this contradictory stuff resulted in some of the best rock music ever.
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post #25 of 57
5/31/10 at 6:54pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by DaveB View Post
I wasn't arguing that the Clash didn't care about their fans, just that they profited from a fetishization of rebellion and militancy. And it's really no secret at this point that Joe Strummer, despite the working class image and genuine love for the fans, had some fairly expensive tastes not exactly befitting a leftist revolutionary.

I just don't think it matters, since all of this contradictory stuff resulted in some of the best rock music ever.
So, basically, the ends justify the means. Fair point, but I'm still pretty cynical about MIA's schtick. The Clash simply worked their arses off in a studio while experimenting with different influences, whereas MIA is mostly riding on the coat tails of other artists to produce 'interesting' music. It's not like she's even using the spirit of hip hop sampling either, really. MIA's message comes across as moronic. Public Enemy got their point across at least, whatever you want to say about them.
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post #26 of 57
6/1/10 at 4:56pm
Thread Starter 
http://mixtapemaestro.net/2010/05/m-...er-haters.html
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post #27 of 57
6/1/10 at 6:04pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Alex Hill View Post
So, basically, the ends justify the means. Fair point, but I'm still pretty cynical about MIA's schtick. The Clash simply worked their arses off in a studio while experimenting with different influences, whereas MIA is mostly riding on the coat tails of other artists to produce 'interesting' music. It's not like she's even using the spirit of hip hop sampling either, really. MIA's message comes across as moronic. Public Enemy got their point across at least, whatever you want to say about them.
It seems like you're veering into a taste-based argument here that doesn't have much to do with the issue at hand. Did the Clash make good music? I think we agree that they did. Does M.I.A. make good music? It seems we don't agree.

But it doesn't mean a thing if the Clash "worked their arses off" and M.I.A. didn't - if difficulty were a good criterion for determining end-product quality, we wouldn't be listening to The Clash at all, but classical and prog.

"The spirit of hip hop sampling" is a similarly nonsensical criterion. You're slamming her for riding coattails and then holding it against her that she doesn't adhere to tradition.

This is all derail, anyway. The point is that most rock performers play with image; it shouldn't come as a surprise that the people behind the images aren't entirely consistent with those images. This is especially true when those images are reliant on political standpoints at odds with the lifestyles and machinery that makes the music possible to make and distribute in the first place.
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post #28 of 57
6/1/10 at 7:40pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by DaveB View Post
I wasn't arguing that the Clash didn't care about their fans, just that they profited from a fetishization of rebellion and militancy. And it's really no secret at this point that Joe Strummer, despite the working class image and genuine love for the fans, had some fairly expensive tastes not exactly befitting a leftist revolutionary.

I just don't think it matters, since all of this contradictory stuff resulted in some of the best rock music ever.
Not to mention he came from a fairly affluent background (son of a diplomat) and started out as a hippie, not a punk. So it's not as if his image was 100% truthful, and anyone who thinks otherwise is misleading themselves. But he's still the godfather of punk as far as I'm concerned. People get way too caught up in the idea of image. You realize this shit's being sold to you, right? When you buy a Clash album, you're not purchasing political points of view. It's the same with MIA.

Oh, and I'm not sure anyone has mentioned it, but MIA posted a whole bunch of videos showing that she was misquoted. Hirschberg is the one who ordered those french fries for her, so it's shitty that she frames her insider/outsider status on something so preposterously set-up. And it's a rather dumb way to make a point about hypocrisy anyway, if you ask me.
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post #29 of 57
6/1/10 at 7:43pm
MIA makes good music, which is all that I'm concerned with. The only reason I know her songs have political overtones is because blogs always feel the need to point it out. I can't understand a goddamned word in most of it. She could have an agenda attacking seatbelt laws for all I know, that doesn't make Boys any more or less a kick-ass song.
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post #30 of 57
6/1/10 at 7:46pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Patrick Ripoll View Post
MIA makes good music, which is all that I'm concerned with. The only reason I know her songs have political overtones is because blogs always feel the need to point it out. I can't understand a goddamned word in most of it. She could have an agenda attacking seatbelt laws for all I know, that doesn't make Boys any more or less a kick-ass song.
This depresses me on so many levels.
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post #31 of 57
6/1/10 at 7:48pm
My poor sense of hearing depresses you? Or the fact that I like dance music that is good to dance to first and foremost, and political agitprop a distant second? Or the fact that MIA doesn't in fact have a song about seatbelt safety?
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post #32 of 57
6/1/10 at 7:50pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Patrick Ripoll View Post
MIA makes good music, which is all that I'm concerned with. The only reason I know her songs have political overtones is because blogs always feel the need to point it out. I can't understand a goddamned word in most of it. She could have an agenda attacking seatbelt laws for all I know, that doesn't make Boys any more or less a kick-ass song.
Same here.

Parker, are those videos on M.I.A.'s website?
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post #33 of 57
6/1/10 at 7:54pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Patrick Ripoll View Post
My poor sense of hearing depresses you? Or the fact that I like dance music that is good to dance to first and foremost, and political agitprop a distant second? Or the fact that MIA doesn't in fact have a song about seatbelt safety?
I heard a really cool song the other day. I thought it mighta had some lyrics about sodomizing babies in the chorus, but it had a good beat, so who cares? Only online writer people care sodomizing babies. All I wanna do is dance, dance, dance!
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post #34 of 57
6/1/10 at 7:57pm
You're right. I heard that song the other night, and I went home and fucked my 3 year old brother in the ass. I had a similar problem back in the 70's when I would hustle everywhere. That's before they set the disco on fire, of course, but I don't approve of songs about arson. That's just socially irresponsible.
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post #35 of 57
6/1/10 at 7:58pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Patrick Ripoll View Post
You're right. I heard that song the other night, and I went home and fucked my 3 year old brother in the ass. I had a similar problem back in the 70's when I would hustle everywhere. That's before they set the disco on fire, of course, but I don't approve of songs about arson. That's just socially irresponsible.
Arrrrgh. My point is, you don't watch movies and not think about them, so why listen to music and not think about it?

ETA: Also, what qualifies you to say that the music is "good" if you don't know what the fuck it's about?
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post #36 of 57
6/1/10 at 8:03pm
Because DVDs have subtitles and MIA's silly voice does not. She wants to release a folk album where she slows the fuck down, I'll listen to the lyrics. She wants to scream things over a hyperactive and noisy beat, I'm going to assume that education is not her top priority.

But I did just go and look up some lyrics. I feel much better now, knowing she was saying "How many dutty wine swing away?/How many shots without a chase?" That really improves my listening experience.
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post #37 of 57
6/1/10 at 8:04pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Parker View Post
ETA: Also, what qualifies you to say that the music is "good" if you don't know what the fuck it's about?
Because I like the melody, production, overall sound, and beat? Or am I NOT QUALIFIED TO JUDGE DANCE MUSIC BECAUSE I DON'T KNOW IT'S ABOUT CONFLICT DIAMONDS?

EDIT: That got a little out of control. I apologize.
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post #38 of 57
6/1/10 at 8:09pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Patrick Ripoll View Post
Because I like the melody, production, overall sound, and beat? Or am I NOT QUALIFIED TO JUDGE DANCE MUSIC BECAUSE I DON'T KNOW IT'S ABOUT CONFLICT DIAMONDS?

EDIT: That got a little out of control. I apologize.
It's cool, I just disagree with you. If it was dance music without lyrics, I'd understand. But it's not, and that's intentional. And I really don't think it's that hard to understand, personally. But you are hard of hearing, so that's cool.

My example was bad, but what I'm really talking about is with music like this, it could swing the other way. What if you weren't paying attention to the lyrics and it was pro-tea party activist bullshit? Would you still enjoy it for the music, beats and production, or would you feel disconnected from it on an intellectual level?

Bottom line, I feel like a musical artist like MIA deserves to be listened to. Even if you have to read along to the lyrics. (And Boyz isn't exactly the best example).
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post #39 of 57
6/1/10 at 8:12pm
I don't need to agree with music to enjoy it, personally. Are you able to enjoy music with esoteric lyrics you don't understand, or does that intellectual level need to be there for you? I don't approve of raping slave girls, but I still think "Brown Sugar" is a great song.
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post #40 of 57
6/1/10 at 8:51pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Patrick Ripoll View Post
I don't need to agree with music to enjoy it, personally. Are you able to enjoy music with esoteric lyrics you don't understand, or does that intellectual level need to be there for you? I don't approve of raping slave girls, but I still think "Brown Sugar" is a great song.
I guess agreeing with the song isn't really the point, then. It's just listening to it. I think that's important.

I don't think "Black Sugar" is about raping a slave girl. I think there are lyrics that reference that, sure, but I don't think that's what it's about. Like most classic Stone tunes, the song is more about an attitude than whatever the lyrics mean. And yes, you could say MIA is doing the same thing, and in some songs I wouldn't disagree with you. But the fact is you know what Brown Sugar is about, despite the fact that it's about anal sex, heroin and general debauchery.

And no, I'm fine with esoteric lyrics just like I'm fine with surreal movies. But there has to be other things to consider, including why the choice was made to make the film surreal. If things are done for the sake of being weird, then yes, that bothers me.

You listen to hip-hop, right? You might not agree with everything in the lyrics, but they're often one for the effect. But you still take note of the lyrics. I just don't know why you wouldn't give MIA the same courtesy.
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post #41 of 57
6/2/10 at 8:50am
Quote:
Originally Posted by DaveB View Post
It seems like you're veering into a taste-based argument here that doesn't have much to do with the issue at hand. Did the Clash make good music? I think we agree that they did. Does M.I.A. make good music? It seems we don't agree.

But it doesn't mean a thing if the Clash "worked their arses off" and M.I.A. didn't - if difficulty were a good criterion for determining end-product quality, we wouldn't be listening to The Clash at all, but classical and prog.

"The spirit of hip hop sampling" is a similarly nonsensical criterion. You're slamming her for riding coattails and then holding it against her that she doesn't adhere to tradition.

This is all derail, anyway. The point is that most rock performers play with image; it shouldn't come as a surprise that the people behind the images aren't entirely consistent with those images. This is especially true when those images are reliant on political standpoints at odds with the lifestyles and machinery that makes the music possible to make and distribute in the first place.
I think there are two different but acceptable logics to the argument here. The point you're making isn't new to me, yet I still find relevance in the article to support my arguments of why I don't like MIA. You don't, and you cite similar examples to support why it shouldn't matter, but I still don't follow your logic entirely. And I think that's where we both veer off into the realm of subjectivity.

Saying that my preferential view of The Clash is illogical because hard work does not determine quality is entirely subjective.
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post #42 of 57
6/2/10 at 9:21am
Second hand but completely reliable examples have taught me that stories pointing out how 'political' artists talk the talk but fail to walk the walk are as redundant as pointing out that the weather is warmer during the summer. The exceptions are so few as to be practically insignificant. If fame and money weren't as absolutely seductive and corrupting as they are there would be far less wrong things in the word for them to concern themselves with.
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post #43 of 57
6/2/10 at 10:56am
M.I.A. is great with or without the lyrics.

And yeah, The Clash are basically my favourite band ever, but they're also pretty much Exhibit A for style over substance as far as politics are concerned. They're all about the whole let's wear cowboys hats, carry guns and speak spanish thing - big Romantic Myths that seldom make for good politics. Great music, though.

Quote:
Originally Posted by DaveB View Post
Her dad was with an earlier, less violent political group that splintered into the Tigers. He was and is involved in politics, just not the sexy, revolutionary kind. He and Maya apparently did not have a close relationship growing up, so his exact politics may not be directly reflected in her music.
Do you have a source for this? Truth be told one of the aspects I've always found most troubling about M.I.A. was her support of the Tamil Tigers, who (despite the Sri Lanka govt's well documented crookedness) have become pretty much indefensible as far as I can tell.
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post #44 of 57
6/2/10 at 11:15am
Seriously though Parker, you're telling me you can listen to Bird Flu or Hussel or pretty much any non-Paper Planes song on Kala and understand the lyrics perfectly without looking them up? I can't.

I don't need to look up the lyrics to the hip-hop I listen to. I'm paying her the same courtesy I'd pay anyone. If you are unintelligible, I'm going to ignore what you're saying. One of my favorite albums is a compilation of early 70's African funk-rock from the Hallelujah Chicken Run Band, but I don't feel the need to translate everything they're saying.

And even after looking up MIA's lyrics, I don't see anything particularly special about them. Again, I'm a big fan of her first two albums, but the importance of her politics has been extremely overblown.

Jesse Thorn once called her "The World's Shittiest Missy Elliot". I would probably say she's the world's second best Missy Elliot, but their music (and the importance of the lyrics contained therein) is definitely comparable.
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post #45 of 57
6/2/10 at 12:38pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by The Rain Dog View Post
I'm really happy to say I have literally no idea who either of these people are.
I thought this thread title said "Lynn Hirschberg is M.I.A." and I was like, "Who is that and why is she missing?"

Sorry. You may continue your debate.
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post #46 of 57
6/2/10 at 1:47pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Patrick Ripoll View Post
Seriously though Parker, you're telling me you can listen to Bird Flu or Hussel or pretty much any non-Paper Planes song on Kala and understand the lyrics perfectly without looking them up? I can't.


And even after looking up MIA's lyrics, I don't see anything particularly special about them. Again, I'm a big fan of her first two albums, but the importance of her politics has been extremely overblown.

The first line of Bamboo Banga is a reference to The Modern Lovers, which I thought was not only a neat shout-out but a nice cultural shift from their early 70's punk-anthem RoadRunner to a more global shift. It's not the political points she makes in her song (which are few and far between) but the global considerations that she forces into party anthems. That's what's interesting about her.

We live in a globalized world. It's much more interesting (to me) to consider the pride of a drug dealer in Africa and Asia while wanting to dance and getting a 70's punk reference. Because that's our world. It's all mixed up.
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post #47 of 57
6/2/10 at 2:43pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by DanielRoffle View Post
Do you have a source for this? Truth be told one of the aspects I've always found most troubling about M.I.A. was her support of the Tamil Tigers, who (despite the Sri Lanka govt's well documented crookedness) have become pretty much indefensible as far as I can tell.
Here's some info on M.I.A.'s relationship with her dad, and his political affiliations. He left EROS in 1976, the same year that the Tigers started. Here's what he's up to now.

So it sounds like he was associates with a prominent Tiger, but was never one, himself. From the last quote, it would appear he's pretty critical of the Tigers nowadays.
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post #48 of 57
6/2/10 at 3:37pm
Thanks for that info DaveB!

As a non native english speaker I find M.I.A. about as difficult to understand as, say, Li'l Wayne. Which is to say, both have unusual voices and both couch their language deeply in their region's slang and local inflections. So I get why people would have some trouble making out all the lyrics but "unintelligible" is a bit much.

M.I.A.'s lyrics aren't very interesting when written down; very few lyrics are (it's like reading scripts.) But there are lines of hers that have stayed with me - "I salt & pepper my mangoes" (apparently something they do in Sri Lanka!) is the one that always springs to mind. I think the Missy Elliot comparsion is fair for Arular; much less so for Kala, which is a much darker album than anything Missy's ever done (and I'm not just talking about lyrics here - that opressive bassline in "The Turn" with M.I.A. yelping Pixies over it, yikes!)
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post #49 of 57
6/2/10 at 4:40pm
Thread Starter 
I haven't heard the clips from the NYT interview that M.I.A. posted on her blog, but I read that there's a pretty obvious cut in the audio of the "french fries" clip.
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post #50 of 57
6/2/10 at 5:41pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Alex Hill View Post
Saying that my preferential view of The Clash is illogical because hard work does not determine quality is entirely subjective.
Hard work and quality are not the same thing at all. Def Leppard worked pretty damn hard on "Hysteria", doesn't make it a good album. Springsteen knocked out "Nebraska" pretty damn quick, doesn't make it a bad album.
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