Today I introduced my wife to the incredible banshee that is Poly Sterene and X-ray Spex, and to say the least, she wasn’t impressed!
I am shocked and appalled by this. I’ve been a fan of Spex ever since I heard “Germfree Adolescents” and “Oh, Bondage-Up Yours!” when I was thirteen. Missus QueerGeekGirl dismisses it as “racket”.
I cannot bear the shame! Tell me there are other Spex fans here on the SDMB!
I like them, but you have to admit they’d be something of an acquired taste.
I tried that approach with her ruadh–likening their music to fine brandy and cigarettes, something that it takes time to appreciate, but you are all the more sophisticated and wordly once you achieve said appreciation.
I got a blank stare for a moment, then a snort. Somehow I think she didn’t buy it.
Sigh.
Poly was good- eh, when I saw her she was completely bald.
Into Buddhism nowadays, I believe.
Is it Buddhism now? She was a Hare Krishna for awhile, I think.
I’ve never posted to one of these “appreciation” threads, so I don’t know quite what to say, but I appreciate X-Ray Spex! It’s a shame they only released one “real” album. For me, it defines punk at least as well as Never Mind the Bollocks Here’s the Sex Pistols, and it’s a lot better musically. Poly Styrene has one of the best voices in rock. I actually have the X-Ray Spex double-disc anthology, and I’ve still never listened to the second disc, a live show (even though I’ve had it for months). I started to list my favorites, but I decided to scrap it when I got to nine songs. Every song is amazing.
I haven’t heard Conscious Consumer, but I doubt it can touch Germfree Adolescents.
Ya got another fan here. Unfortunately for Missus Queergeekgirl, sometimes great music can only be appreciated at a certain time or place in your life. I have tried to get some of my friends into old school punk, and often it is a failure (ever tried to get a 30+ year old to listen to Black Flag for the first time?.. it doesn’t work). If you don’t hear it when you are drunk, seventeen and at some crazy house party (or gig), you miss out on the context.
Absolutely! Poly is right up there with Sid and Joey and Joe, in my opinion. And I just realized I spelled Styrene wrong in the OP.
For shame! :smack:
For some reason, I never tire of her voice–even though I know it’s an aquired taste. “Germfree Adolescents” never fails to make me just melt into a puddle of worshipfulness. Er, or whatever the “ness” version of worship is.
Do you think, really? That’s a good point. I can remember sitting in my room, being an angst-filled teen, and hearing the music of Spex for the first time blew my mind. I think it may have been the first time I realized music could be as discordant as I felt. I had the same feeling the first time I heard Black Sabbath.
Yeah, I like 'em too!..(gets up from keyboard to pogo to ‘Day the world turned day-glo’)
nostalgia’s good but I think I’ll stick to my psy-trance 