Monday, January 29, 2007
LUCKY NUMBER
As far as I know, there's only one pop star who, like me, had a bonkers Yugoslavian father and an English mother.
... whose first and surnames have the same number of letters and syllables as mine.
... and my dad almost moved to Detroit to *start a new life* instead of to the erm, West Midlands. She grew up in Detroit.
Spooky.
Is there enough information in there for potential stalkers to find me? Well, it should keep me on my toes, anyway ...
This is my favourite single of hers. Darkly East European, with plenty of eerie bird noises (she used to work on horror movie soundtracks y'know). Plus, there's an excellent raven in the video.
Oh, and she did backing vocals on Supernature by Cerrone. Which is also good.
What more can you want?
... whose first and surnames have the same number of letters and syllables as mine.
... and my dad almost moved to Detroit to *start a new life* instead of to the erm, West Midlands. She grew up in Detroit.
Spooky.
Is there enough information in there for potential stalkers to find me? Well, it should keep me on my toes, anyway ...
This is my favourite single of hers. Darkly East European, with plenty of eerie bird noises (she used to work on horror movie soundtracks y'know). Plus, there's an excellent raven in the video.
Oh, and she did backing vocals on Supernature by Cerrone. Which is also good.
What more can you want?
Comments:
I don't understand. Betty has 5 letters and Lena has 4.
Eee ooo aaa ooo! That was one of hers wasn't it?
Eee ooo aaa ooo! That was one of hers wasn't it?
oooh Supernature. That could stand being reworked for a modern age. It was one of my favourites (along with "I fell in love with a Starship Trooper" which, in retrospect, is ghastly) and is very topical today. Add some references to global warming and we've an anthem!
Excellent - I only knew My Lucky Number, so thanks for that. I like her 'crazy' eyes. Is it Lena making the bird noises, do you reckon?
*goes off to think about Betty's real name*
*goes off to think about Betty's real name*
Murph - don't you start stalking me as well, I've got enough problems!
I think the song you're referring to began "arri arri arri arri arri arri arri arr"
Llewtrah - the Hot Gossip song is pretty funny, actually - "a spacesuit is lying on control room floor". Where are the lyricists with the skills to write something like that nowadays? As for Supernature, well, those French, they can't produce any decent rock stars but they've always been great with dance music.
Annie - I'm pretty sure it's her providing the bird noises, that being one of her "specialities". I think her success was fairly shortlived because she didn't really fit in with any prevailing trends and was maybe seen as a bit of a novelty act.
Billy - it's not my real name any more though. I change it by deed poll every couple of years because I get bored with my identity. At the moment I'm Doreen Snetterton.
I think the song you're referring to began "arri arri arri arri arri arri arri arr"
Llewtrah - the Hot Gossip song is pretty funny, actually - "a spacesuit is lying on control room floor". Where are the lyricists with the skills to write something like that nowadays? As for Supernature, well, those French, they can't produce any decent rock stars but they've always been great with dance music.
Annie - I'm pretty sure it's her providing the bird noises, that being one of her "specialities". I think her success was fairly shortlived because she didn't really fit in with any prevailing trends and was maybe seen as a bit of a novelty act.
Billy - it's not my real name any more though. I change it by deed poll every couple of years because I get bored with my identity. At the moment I'm Doreen Snetterton.
Lena is one of my favourite 'mad stary-eyed female pop stars'. There was also that mad bint in Shakespeare's Sister. Maybe they should get together ...a mad stary-eyed supergroup.
Can't think of any other mad stary eyed women off hand, but what about Ron Mael on keyboards? The band that no-one in the audience would want to make eye contact with, not even groupies ...
Lene Lovich was very scary and made me hide behind the sofa.
Not as scary as Lena Zavaroni though, or Bonnie Langford.
Not as scary as Lena Zavaroni though, or Bonnie Langford.
Kaz - Hi Olive!
Nosferatu on bass - actually, the picture of him on my previous post keeps appearing and disappearing whenever I look at the blog. Honestly, the undead come and go, don't they?
Anyway ... what about my old mate Ben Turpin on drums? - http://img365.imageshack.us/img365/2183/turpin4pi.jpg
Garfer - most people say that about Dr Who. Child stars are more frightening though. At my school there was a rumour going around that Lena Zavaroni was a 35 year old dwarf.
Nosferatu on bass - actually, the picture of him on my previous post keeps appearing and disappearing whenever I look at the blog. Honestly, the undead come and go, don't they?
Anyway ... what about my old mate Ben Turpin on drums? - http://img365.imageshack.us/img365/2183/turpin4pi.jpg
Garfer - most people say that about Dr Who. Child stars are more frightening though. At my school there was a rumour going around that Lena Zavaroni was a 35 year old dwarf.
I LOVE Lene Lovich and I LOVE Supernature by Cerrone and had no idea she sang backing vocals on that track. I've got both Lovich and Cerrone a cracked old 7" singles - that's one for the next 'vinyl' podcast methinks. I loathe Sarah Brightman but I do quite like Starship Trooper - especially the line 'flashing lights in hyperspaaace'.
Rockmother - you know, I was sure that I read some interviews at the time that suggested Lene did backing vocals on Supernature. Just checked on Wikipedia, and actually she wrote the lyrics of the song, so I'm still unclear as to whether she did backing vocals. Ahem, memory loss due to old age, etc.
Oh, alright. The backing vocals were done by Hilda Baker.
*bangs head against wall*
Oh, alright. The backing vocals were done by Hilda Baker.
*bangs head against wall*
Alas, I've been banging my head against the wall a lot because the internet was daaahhn for over twenty four hours - AGAIN. Grr.
Don't know about mad and stary-eyed but do you remember Angletrax? She had those loopy plaits that stuck out from the side of her head. I saw them once, supporting Fischer Z. Things to Make and Do, that was them.
# posted by 
: 10:59 pm
: 10:59 pm
Yes very probably. I can't remember. I liked Fischer Z though but maybe that's who you meant.
# posted by : 1:19 pm
: 1:19 pm
Yeah, Lena is great! Saw her live in the late 70s and she was triffik! Interviewed a contempo Canadian disco-punk band recently who were rocking a Lena L vibe and who readily admitted she was a biiiig influence on them.
Kek - I think she was dismissed in the late 70's as a bit of a novelty act, and being on Stiff with all those pub rockers probably didn't help. Not that she really fitted in there, but she would've been an outsider anyway. If she's an influence on any current bands, then at least it makes a change from all those acts who namedrop and try to sound like Gang Of Four!
Yeah, I think you're right; Stiff didn't know how to market anything beyond Pub Rock (tho having said that I've got great affection for some of their releases, esp. Wreckless Eric)....strangely, Lena sounds very now, I reckon...
...and if I hear one more aging journo or teen thrash-pop band name-drop G04, then I swear I'll...I'll... (cont. page 94)
...and if I hear one more aging journo or teen thrash-pop band name-drop G04, then I swear I'll...I'll... (cont. page 94)
Gang Of Four were always a bit overrated anyway. Maybe having that choppy-choppy guitar sound is an easy way for a few younger bands to demonstrate that they've got late '70's influences.
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# posted by : 8:07 pm
: 8:07 pm
