Music Review: A Date With John Waters - Page 2

Clarence "Frogman" Henry's "Ain't Got No Home" is, according to Waters, "the first tri-sexual song ever recorded," and he may be right. Demonstrating that music was kinky before the Fabulous Fifties, Mildred Bailey's "I'd Love to Take Orders From You" swings like there'll never be another war: "I know that rules were made for fools, that's one thing I have learned/But I'm goin' in for discipline wherever you're concerned."

Tina Turner's early tour-de-force of anger and jealousy "All I Can Do Is Cry" illuminates the dark side of weddings. Two of Waters's wacky repertory actors, Mink Stole and the late Edith Massey, contribute delightfully nutty takes on, respectively, a song called "Sometimes I Wish I Had a Gun" and the oldie "Big Girls Don't Cry." Syrupy selections from the likes of Dean Martin and Ray Charles are less surprising but still fit the theme, while John Prine and Iris Dement betray the sentiment underlying the shock and trash: "There won't be nothin' but big ol' hearts dancin' in our eyes," they sing in the simultaneously kinky and corny "In Spite of Ourselves."

Really now - who could possibly want to die for art with all this great music to listen to, and auteurs (and characters) like John Waters to give it extra context? (He personally delivers the liner notes in a video.)

Good fun.

Blogcritic Bill Sherman has also posted a review of the CD, and Gothamist has a good interview with Waters about it.

Article Author: Jon Sobel

Jon Sobel is Co-Executive Editor of Blogcritics. As a writer he contributes most often to the Culture section, where he often reviews NYC theater; he also writes a semi-regular review round-up of independent music releases. …

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