"Its hardly the “revolutionary point of view” that she is laying claim to, but it does sound all the more invigorating coming straight from the lips of the most famous woman in pop"
Has Madonna become the immaterial girl? Or will the Re-invention tour re-establish her as the foremost female icon on the planet? On the eve of her first ever Irish appearance at Slane, Peter Murphy takes a look at the strange twist the Queen of Pop’s career has taken – and how she is now fighting back, for all she’s worth.
Dabbling in the same muddied waters as Fight Club, but to much greater effect, David Ayers’ directorial debut (following his testosterone-drenched screenplays for Training Day and Dark Blue) takes us down, down, down into the most disturbing aspects of masculinity and American life.
The Dreamtime of American life has been mapped out with loving delicacy and accuracy by Randy Newman during his career. His circus of characters, his small-ads style absurdities, his prompt wit have created an alternative vista of the United States.
So, how was it for you? On reflection, 2003 was a good year but one that offered little in the way of genuine surprises. Not that we didn’t go looking for them. As always the hunt was on to find the next big thing, the one new act that would define 2003 in years to come.
It’s August. Dog days. Holiday time. Offices of state close down and decisionmakers cut and run. It’s a time when a good family man ought to be taking to the countryside, or the sun and sand. Buckets and spades.
Peter Murphy discusses the finer points of prophecy with US writer T.C. Boyle whose latest short story collection includes tales of plague, air rage and terrorism
Hunter S. Thompson gets the biopic treatment he deserves courtesy of Oscar-winning director Alex Gibny who wants to remind the world just how important a social commentator the Great Gonzo was.
PROFESSOR RICHARD LYNN of the University Of Ulster has produced a body of research designed to prove that ‘blacks’ are less intelligent than ‘whites’. A major influence on the authors of the controversial bible of the New Right The Bell Curve, Lynn now stands accused of “a truly venomous racism, combined with scandalous disregard for scientific objectivity.” Report: Eamonn McCann.
Welsh singer Jem Griffiths has become a firm favourite in the US purely on the strength of word-of-mouth. And if her debut album Finally Woken is anything to go by, audiences this side of the Atlantic are likely to follow suit very soon.
Bet you thought we’d gone all literary for a minute there. Not a chance! Europe is about to get a dose of The Cramps – so we decided to get the low-down on what to expect from the band’s prime-mover and trash philosopher extraordinaire Mr Lux Interior. Ear to the phone: Colm O’Hare.
A Tinsel Town director of the old school, Michael Mann goes back to his ‘80s roots in his new movie, Miami Vice. In a forthright interview he talks about working with Colin Farrell, why he insisted on shooting in Paraguay and explains he’s not as tough as Hollywood gossip would have you believe.
Coke is it. Coke is the real thing. It's not the choice of a new generation but the choice of countless generations past, present and future. Coca-Cola knows how to get American presidents elected and is even responsible for Santa Claus as we know him.
Here BILL GRAHAM delves into Mark Prendergast's unauthorised history of the company, For God, Country and Coca-Cola, and discovers over a century's worth of evidence that Coke is no ordinary soft drink.
Two girls, two countries, two very different perspectives: put them together and they make Saucy Monky – originators of some of the sexiest and most addictive guitar driven pop music we’ve heard in years.
Ahead of his public interview in Dublin with Hot Press, Wire creator David Simon talks about the genesis of the series and about his controversial new Iraq-set show.
In a rare interview, US alt culture icon Tom Waits talks to Dave Fanning about touring with Zappa, getting the nod of approval from Dylan, his fastidious approach to songwriting and why Bill Hicks remains America’s foremost political commentator
Whoever told Madonna that this song was actually any good must’ve been more concerned with their payroll than her actual music, for I fail to recall the last time I heard a record quite so utterly abysmal. Everything about it screams cock up: from the piss poor beats to the total lack of melody, from the humiliating “rap” to the cringeworthy lyrics. This song is exactly what it says on the tin: a forty-something woman with modest vocal talent attempting to be down with the kids. Tragic.
To be the honest, the history of Madonna remixes has been a chequered one. Even during her last golden period, every ‘Like A Prayer’ or William Orbit overhaul of ‘Justify My Love’ was followed by another dull as dishwater 4/4 dance mix of some other tune. Such trepidation, however, can be dismissed when approaching this impressive seven-track collection.
The presence of Madonna feels almost incidental, as Price deals in back-beats and a pounding glib electro-clash. What comes out the other end, sparkling yet full of post-modern grit, is a Madonna song for people who don’t like – or even are actively hostile towards – Madonna.
Loud’s been around the block a couple a times. He’s supped of the pleasure and pain of the music circuit/treadmill; he’s washed his dirty linen in public with perverted glee; in essence he’s managed, like Woody Allen, to transform his personal neuroses into a lucrative earner that’s as likely to bring a grimace as a smile.
Jewel is a pleasing if somewhat bland vocalist, but for an artist who cut her teeth on the professional-confessional circuit, she’s no great writer of lyrics.
Jim Sheridan’s wonderful In America forces us to think seriously about many things: family, children, immigration and the importance of making movies in Ireland.
The Decline Of The Country & Western Civilization serves as a heady reminder that, while Lambchop have been letting us cry on their shoulder over recent years, their history shows that they’re also more than capable of matching us beer for beer. And then some.
Hunter S. Thompson gets the biopic treatment he deserves courtesy of Oscar-winning director Alex Gibney who wants to remind the world how important the Great Gonzo was.
