Entertainment For Lively Minds
Wierd For Sound
On the way back from Scotland last week, we were listening to the rather excellent 'Bad Vibes: Britpop & My Part In It's Downfall' audiobook, written and read by Luke Haines.
While I heartily recommend that book/audiobook, it was the mention of the name Momus that struck a chord.
I've heard him mentioned before, and heard his vocals on the opening track, "As You Turn To Go" on The 6ths "Hyacinths and Thistles" album - but never his own work.
The 6ths - As You Turn To Go
A quick search of You Tube late one night lead me to the following video - and this was one occasion when a little oddity (and creepiness) in music makes a real impression...
Momus - Precocious Young Miss Calloway
PS: The 6ths are a side project of Stephin Merritt - the mind behind The Magnetic Fields.
PPS: Momus is Nick Currie, cousin of Word favourite Justin Currie (of Del Amitri fame)
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On the corner of Soft Cell And The PSBs
I always thought he was the missing link between those two. Well worth investigating. At some point last year he was giving away his back catalogue in MP3 form on his website, a quick scan of his website finds that the albums produced for Creation are apparently still available free. Scan down the main website page for the link.
http://imomus.com/
Thank you for the link...
... and the 6 albums are downloaded.
...I'm a fan of his earlier funnier stuff...
His best album by a mile, in my opinion is The Tender Pervert. Lots of great songs mostly narratives like Love on Ice, The Homosexual, Bishonen and the Charm of Innocence. This, his third album is preferable to his later stuff where he seemed to get even pervier just for the sake of it. His vocals were also less distinct in subsequent albums which was something of a mistake for someone who writes such brilliant lyrics. On the few occasions I saw him live, he was a bit hit and miss including an unfortunate technology failure during his sequencer dependent Don't Stop the Night era. He was much better with just a guitar in some tiny pub in Brixton performing the Tender Pervert album.
His earlier albums, Circus Maximus and Poison Boyfriend also have some classic tracks. The former now has extra tracks on the CD featuring his takes on Jacques Brel's Ne Me Quitte Pas and Jackie (renamed Nicky) that are original and brilliant reinterpretations. As mentioned above, some of these albums are now available online for free with notes from the artist. He seems to be daring Sony (I think) to sue him. The poor man has had his problems in the courts having been sued by Michelin over his Hippopotomomus album cover and having lost a case over a song he wrote about a transexual who uses a time machine to have sex with themself. Foolishly he named the person and ended up making his Stars Forever album sponsored by fans to pay his legal bill. Amendments to the lyrics in his songs published in a book whose name I can't remember indicate he has also heard from the legal representatives of Torville and Dean. More info and links on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Momus_(artist)
I love Momus, but...
... he's often genuinely uncomfortable listening, the transgressive nature of almost all of his lyrics being pretty much the definition of "not for everyone". Agreed that "Tender Pervert" is his best, but "Don't Stop The Night" has a PSB vibe that arguably makes it a better entry level proposition... as a litmus test for the unwary, here's an example of a lyric that makes me squirm even as I admire it, from "The Little Red Songbook" album:
"Coming In A Girl's Mouth"
What is the cultural meaning of coming in a girl's mouth?
Do I wish to feed her or fill her mouth with filth?
Is it just to test whether she accepts my messiest mess
Or simply paint a funny milk moustache across her face?
Or is there in this thrilling ritual something messianic
Some sort of baptism by sperm?
Like my cock is John the Baptist saying
"One day someone greater than me shall come"
Or some Moses who leads an entire nation across her tongue
To liberation
That must be it, why else fill a girl's mouth saltily full
With a fluid the consistency of honey, tapioca and motor oil?
There's no answer to that
.. I've got 'Tender Pervert' on vinyl somewhere upstairs. Must dig it out and have a listen.
I must check these out...
...until now I was only aware of Momus for his remarkably prescient (1991)comment that "in the future everyone will be famous for fifteen people..." See here: http://imomus.com/index499.html