She Wants Revenge - story from the official site

She Wants Revenge
Adapted from a March 16 2005 article for Sheffield Rock Times
by Johann Wellesley Daughters

Gossip is whispered, cigarettes are smoked, arms are crossed and uncrossed, and now after so much waiting, we remember why as a solitary figure steps onto the darkened stage and makes his way toward a wall of machines and takes a seat. The crowd erupts, then slowly the cheering fades in the distance as an anticipation that could only be described as electric takes hold.

A beat begins - minimal, sparse. A single white beam appears and backlights the man as if right on cue. He wrestles the controls of the machine sitting atop his lap while twisting the knobs of another, and suddenly a bass note pulses and throbs.

Just as we begin to lose ourselves in the hypnotic drone, another figure emerges from the side of the stage; black-clad and hooded he walks swiftly to his amp, flips a switch, removes his guitar from the stand, slings it over his shoulder, and walks center stage.
The two men exchange a glance, and with that, the singer spits out his cigarette and kicks on a foot switch, drowning himself in white light as he stares down the microphone and begins to attack the guitar like his life depends on it.

What could either be hours or minutes later, the kraut-rock intro turns to verse and the crowd begins to sing along: "Sick of trying to find a way inside, sick and tired of all the after." And just about this time a peculiar thing starts to happen, almost viral as it begins to take over the onlookers one by one. People begin to move. These movements take shape, and soon, people are dancing. In fact, the whole crowd is dancing.

And suddenly we are saved. Saved from the legions of samey-sameson throwback bands, saved from another night of being too hip to dance, and saved from ourselves.

She Wants Revenge has come to save us all.

"We just wanted to make a record that would make girls dance and cry." Justin sips his coffee, sits back in his chair and smiles.

Adam 12 chimes in, "Or both."

Justin gestures wildly, clarifying, "Not in some manipulative or malicious way, it's just that it's like the highest honor. What could be better than having someone want to cry, fuck, or get up and dance to your music?"

Adam adds, "We're both fans of music and we made the album we wanted to hear. Everything you get on record and live is very, very honest. And artistic output that is truthful can only elicit truthful responses... people know, the kids know when they're being lied to, when something feels manufactured as opposed to being made. We are those kids."

Justin, who until now has been meticulously applying a She Wants Revenge Sticker to the table at which we're sitting, suddenly speaks up. "Yeah, and there's a hundred bands doing mediocre period/ genre music, but none of it makes me feel like I did when I was a kid [sitting] in my room listening to The Queen is Dead or Purple Rain on the record player. It's easy to capture the style of the music, but writing songs that speak to people is a very different thing."

Adam sips from his Pellegrino and talks in careful measured tones. It's as if he's the wise one, or at least the one less likely to pull a knife out mid-interview. "It's very hip now to be into new-wave and post-punk and to know what contemporary bands are influenced by Gang of Four, but Justin and I were listening to all that shit IN the 80's! And besides, when we were growing up people called us fags for listening to Madonna, Prince and The [Physchedelic] Furs... but now everybody's fronting like they always loved that shit - and I don't mean guilty pleasure, I mean play list in your iPod..."

Justin laughs. Then, obviously wound up, jumps in: "We can play 'spot the fakes' if you want, we can call them all out by name. Serious."

And they ARE serious. Still, I elect not to take the bait.Usually grand pronouncements from new bands are just so much hype coupled with false bravado and the kind of raging testosterone that makes for good record sales and "YOU HEARD IT FIRST" sound bites... but with these two I sense something far more sinister, and statements like these that belie the two's hip-hop roots. More than the clothes (which are more uniform black and vaguely militaristic than b-boy) and more than the beats (which, though they speak of post hip-hop, probably owe more to Manchester than the South Bronx), it's the ATTITUDE that truly reveals the band's best kept secret and what may very well be their secret weapon: they are two b-boys from the Valley who came together to make hip-hop and somehow ended up making the best 80's album we've never heard before. Finally there is a record that makes you want to dance till the lights come on THEN go home, read the lyrics, and fuck your partner. Instead of making nostalgia rock, these two valley boys have unwittingly crafted a masterpiece of a record that will be looked at for years to come as nothing short of inventive, groundbreaking, pop-perfect dance darkness that will have future generations harkening back to their salad days of clubbing, make-outs, break-ups, and long nights.

Speaking of make-outs, a piece on S.W.R. wouldn't be complete without mentioning the pronoun of the group: the "she" in She Wants Revenge. "She" from the notorious "girl-list" in the album's liner notes, to the famous girlfriends, the public break-ups, and of course... the lyrics. Adam fields this one first.

“I knew we couldn't escape this one. [Beat] Look, passionate people are attracted to passionate people, artistic people are attracted to artistic people, no matter what the medium... The ones that are amazing at what they do usually become "famous" on some level and tend to hang in small circles... We DJ and hang out in these circles, so it's inevitable we would connect with some of them...."

Question: But do you ever date anyone that's NOT famous?

Justin: "That's a stupid question."
Adam: "Of course."
Justin: "He's lying."
They laugh.

Question: So, is there a specific girl that the songs are about, because the album seems to more or less follow a thread - boy meets girl, boy gets girl, boy obsesses over girl, boy leaves girl, boy regrets leaving girl, boy obsesses over girl....

"That's one interpretation - albeit the wrong one - but that's ok. I won't address the lyrics except to say that they are all about love. They are torch songs, standards really, ballads of lust and want - songs of love, obsession and sex. Basically everything I write is based around male-female interpersonal dynamics and the minutia that entails. To me it's in the details. How did she smell? The bat of an eyelash, the uncomfortable pauses. That's what I care about, love in all its forms."

Question: And the list of girl's names?

Adam: "We wanted to honor every girl we've ever had a crush on or had some sort of love affair with, either real or imagined. It's a crush list. And each one of them is special and holds a place in our hearts to this day. It is a thank you note of sorts."

Justin: "A love letter."

Question: Are you at all worried what success could do to you, both musically and personally? I mean, in this day and age indie-cred is almost as important to kids as the music, so keeping that in mind, are you afraid of what could happen if your music "blows up"? Because let's face it, you guys have like 4 or 5 singles on your album. There's a lot of "hits" on there.

Justin laughs. "We're going to be huge. Seriously. And it's not by accident, we want to be successful, it's not a bad thing, and I'd be lying if I told you we didn't want that. The fact is, we want to reach as many people as possible with our music, and if that means selling millions of records in order to do so, then I call upon the words of Happy Harry Hard-On and I say "so be it."

Adam adds, "Look, the bands we grew up wanting to be were not 'INDIE' bands. Depeche Mode was on Mute, but they were fucking HUGE! We want to be huge too, but that doesn't mean that we're not willing to do it fan by fan, sweating our ass off in a van for the next few years to do so. People need to get back to the time when ROCK STAR wasn't a dirty word. That's an unfortunate outgrowth of the post-Nirvana phenomena, the demonizing of the rock star. You can be a rock star in the best sense of the word and still be real, authentic and accessible to the people who got you there.

"Sensing that we will never get off this topic, I turn back to the music, but before I can get out another question, the two have stood up, gathered their things and are about to leave when Justin lights a cigarette and says... "Our music is a modern extension of a time in the late 70's and early 80's when music was colliding in ways it never had before. We're talking about New Order hearing what Arthur Baker and Bambatta were doing in New York and what was going on with Chicago house, then taking that back to the UK and incorporating that into their dark Northern view of punk rock. Then there's the birth of early hip-hop in NYC coinciding with the club music coming out of Danceteria, Nels, The Palladium, The Latin Quarter, and The Mudd Club. You had Madonna, Basquiat, Blondie, John Lurie, the New York City Breakers and the Rock Steady Crew... Liquid Liquid, James Black and ESG all in the same time and place - it's unheralded. There's been no other time in the culture of art and music where you could you be dancing to a Nile Rogers disco classic at Studio 54, then hop in a cab and ten minutes later be watching The Voidoids at Max's Kansas City with Warhol, Bowie and Schnabel in attendance. This is what we are doing today - only there are no flashing cameras or Legs Mc Neils following us around documenting the shit we're doing....

"Not yet maybe, not yet.

PBF PLUS says GOODBYE

Vanessa´s and My picture

Venting on Beta Blogs

Blogging Beta style sucks too bad. I had set aside a blogspot for some reason I can't recall, but now, this site is currently in use. I've decided to start up a blog about my vacation. I've been posting on everything that relates to my going-back-home trip. I could not help trying out the Blogger Beta thingy.

I wasn't expecting much from it, nevertheless this new version offers a do-it-yourself editing step which may be pretty handy for those who aren't keen in HTML codes - in other words: people like me.

At first, I thought "Wow! How great!" But later on, I figured out its limitations toward placing images and playing with its layout. Beta Bloggers are actually more complicated because it keeps not allowing users be creative and unique as it claims to. It's straight-forward to narrow-minded bloggers. I've been using it for a short time only but it has already made me tired.

Well! I don't wanna be sounding a show-off -- "Hell no!" I'm not an expert at building websites at all. I DO NOT understand a bit about HTMLing. I simply believe that the older blogger system is more open to changes, besides that, it is a lot easier to learn how to make those changes. Nah! I regret moving to Beta and that's final!

W-e a-r-e f-a-m-i-l-y

Christmas Craftskids

There are certain times that I must be creating new things especially for holidays. By new things I mean creative crafty work such as drawings, paintings, taking photos, or even making jewelry on my own. This has been one of those moments. The best thing is that I wasn't alone this time. I was very lucky that I had Vanessa, Tibby, and Felipe's help on this latest project: setting up a Christmas tree made out of recyclable materials. The result couldn't be any better.

I can't actually say that I care for Christmas celebration but I definitely look forward to having vacation soon. It's been a year that I don't take a break to really rest. It's been a year that I don't know what sleeping in is. It's been four years that I don't visit my parents. Vacation will soon be true and I'll finally get to see them.

I wanna veg, for sure!!! I also intend to ask mom to cook whatever I want. I wanna overeat, overdrink, oversleep and I won't regret a bit. I will sleep on the couch at 3:30 p.m. I will be out dancing at 3:30 a.m. I will be ON VACATION MOOD. I won't answer either the phone or the door because no one will know me at the place where I am going to. I'll get up and the breakfast will be already fixed on a nice fruity table. I will watch so many movies that'll I get tired of them and then I will look for books and again I will read so many of those that I'll get pretty tired until the only thing left to do is watch movies again.

There is one thing that scares me about these vacation plans though which is the hot summer weather. I know, I know, I know... I can get some easy refreshment at a swimming pool. Yeah, right!!! I am not so sure whether I'll be at the pool having a cold beer while getting tanned. I don't wanna get tanned. I don't wanna swim either. And the beer? LOL... I'll give that a try. Honestly, I just wanna RELAX.

I'll certainly be doing NOTHING in a serious matter. Yay!!!

W-O-R-D II

Words
Words that I like
Words that I hate
Words are my tools
Verses are my instruments
Poems are my sentiments
Expressed in verses and words
There are good words
There are useless verses;
Bad combination of good words
Some words are funny
Some are odd
Some are awkward
Some are not
Enjoy writing, saying, and
Making good use of them
They empower texts
They add to the context
Whatever may seem complex
Or just for a mere index
Take any word for instance
Any word, really!
Break it apart
Yeah! The word “fart”
Mess with it – you get “RAFT”
Add an extra “D” from “diarrhea”
Did you get what it is?
What is this all about…?
From fart to a soft breeze from the south
Words – Word Them All Out!!!

by Laila Chris

~*~*~Music again~*~*~

Self-portrait and Poetry Tuesday

by dHi

i will divide my life into two colors for the actual
efforts located deep inside the lowest part walls
built three moonlights from the floor everything but
fame climbing out limiting a mystery admiring the
worlds work rumbling tumbling the wind was blowing
splitting my hair yesterday panicking killing two i
haven't found a voice to fill in the quiet in gestures
thinking i was only seven days wasted this time i must
have felt something in the morning i miss you he said
two bottles buried in bed something even less sincere
my hands were open your eyes wider shining light a
little after dawn it was too late to make a break the
moon was laughing at the sight of every single
observation a pile of ashes glorious dejection will be
more than half of you dry pavement a last habitat
violent downpour unbelievably true a flying word
softly now the light along the banks tells me here and
there happiness stir the day is done a love for any
lady love leads my feet dance no more let a running
river be fossilized ego falters in the find i am awed
to learn among the rocks id gladly take a course on
blanks foretaste the consequence of devising ways in
human minds to be celebrating an ancient spell
religions casting against responsibility for life on
earth what will the heart and consciousness bring a
truth unchallenged salivating to mock our shock love
so abstract to defy the mind to find multiplied sweet
relief beyond the call blossoms bursting the bands of
light reminding me of how soon you will forget that we
had never met catastrophic clippings hidden moments
burning fields the minute from the movement going on
claims of reason go under the trees shaking faking as
if the wind was moved by me as i drift into a dream
cascading falls flooding across the earth bright as
the warmth swimming through my skin so subtle so
delicate with the power to ignite its been eighteen
cycles around the generations past asleep beneath the
grass passed away when your beauty is nothing i have
never forgotten we will have just left the secret life
saints sinners madmen gurus dreamers weavers are you
sure you want to come in here sometimes days or even
weeks will reappear playing patience sits alone people
trounce up city streets spewing your diaphanous seeds
risky exuberance absorbed nowhere but here rebuilt
midwinter rosy cheeked the street is the same that you
travelled on last night an explosion of lights gasps
flashes crowds rockets are soaring like unicorn manes
would make it all worthwhile as the temptress' heels
clock over the ground bodies will shine evocative sea
sweat and its secret here is a star here is a luna
moth these words my nocturnal emissions written in
invisible ink unseen here but appearing there the
constants the sun will shine over houses that were
bombed in the night

Been through some music mood this week...

Meming me again...

"I'm tagging you, so you won't have to think today. Here are the rules:

You.
Can.
Only.
Type.
One.
Word.

No.
Explanations."

These are Zilla's words on this latest meme. Actually, she wasn't tagging me on this but I felt like filling this in anyway.

1. Yourself: procrastinator
2. Your boyfriend/girlfriend (spouse): impulsive
3. Your hair: moody
4. Your mother: struggler
5. Your father: witty
6. Your favorite item: pens
7. Your dream last night: obscure
8. Your favorite drink: wine
9. Your dream car: jeep
10. The room you are in: study
11. Your ex: troublesome
12. Your fear: accident
13. What you want to be in 10 years? mother
14. Who you hung out with last night? computer
15. What you're not? strong
16. Muffins: mushy
17. One of your wish list items: laptop
18. Time: short
19. The last thing you did: farted
20. What you are wearing: dress
21. Your favorite weather: winter
22. Your favorite book: nonfictional
23. The last thing you ate: barbecue
24. Your life: overwhelmed
25. Your mood: swings
26. Your best friend: trusty
27. What are you thinking about right now? blogging
28. Your car: adidas
29. What are you doing at the moment? nichts
30. Your summer: sucks
31. Your relationship status: married
32. What is on your TV? something
33. What is the weather like? rainy
34. When is the last time you laughed? dunno

Halloween Mood (still) Self-Portrait Tuesday

Mr. Power Broker, If You Didn't
by Frank Sloar

be honest!
nobody's recording this
tell the truth
you feel that pervasive, grinding doom I talk about,
don't you?

if you didn't,
the explosion of Christian slogans on t-shirts would peter out,
the giant suburban churches would shrink into something human
if you didn't,
you wouldn't run up the national debt with such impunity

if you didn't feel the ugliest of grim reapers enveloping your vacation home; I'd sense sincerity when you tell me how good you're doing, when you bark
at me and sneer at me as I ring up and load up your bags of lawn fertilizer

I've missed Me Me's... I've missed many other things too.

A ME ME... Again??? Yeah! I am not proud of it but this is what exactly talked me into it. Well, I had to write something on this spot. Sorry for not having done it for all this long. I'd been lacking ideas. I'd been lacking time to do it mostly. So, I stole this Me Me from Lori who had got it from Rain and here I am writing all this BS for myself again. Hope I got this thing right. Hope you guys like it. I love My Blogspot and that is what matters in the end!!! Here it is:

1. Explain what ended your last relationship. You got an hour our two?
It was not a relationship per se. I hope this explains it.

2. When was the last time you shaved?
My mustache has never been shaved. My legs? They were shaved last holiday which was last Wednesday, November 15th, when we celebrated Brazilian republic.

3. What were you doing this morning at 8 a.m.?
I was getting ready for my morning ESL class. It starts at 8:30 every Saturday.

4. What were you doing 15 minutes ago?
I was pouring me more cold two-day old wine, fresh from the fridge.

5. Are you any good at math?
If I were any good at math, I would not have to figure out my students' GPA's holding three calculators.

6. Your prom night?
What about that? I had no prom night.

7. Do you have any famous ancestors?
Famous? My grandma used to be an exorcist back in her oooooold days. I guess that made her famous in her neighborhood.

8. Have you had to take a loan out for school?
I've already needed it but I ended up working my ass off in order to skip that option.

9. Do you know the words to the song on your Myspace profile?
I haven't owned a MySpace page for months. However, when I had one, I used to change songs so often that it'd have been impossible to know the words.

10. Last thing received in the mail?
Bills, just like Lori.

11. How many different beverages have you had today?
I am having sour wine, as I had already mentioned on this post previously. I've had coffee and a banana and apple smoothie that Roberto has blended for me. Hey, now I noticed that I haven't had a drop of water yet.

12. Do you ever leave messages on people's answering machine?
I sure do and I despise those who don't leave messages when they call.

13. Whom did you lose your CONCERT virginity to?
Don't take me wrong, but I've lost it with my former gym instructor. This is sounding funny but I'll explain: he had gotten a divorce and, maybe for this reason, he decided to invite his most regular gym goers to a Rita Lee's concert. I was just 15 and the event was going to be out of town. For all those reasons I thought mom was not gonna allow me to. And amazingly she did. She thought: "Who cares? He's just a young just-divorced who wants to impress others with young gals in his car." She was right. He was pretty kind. He drove me and the other girls to the concert pretty much neatly. Nobody had alcoholic beverages during the concert and no other illegal substances (relief!) and he dropped me off to my grandma's place - where the concert was being held - safe and sound. Mothers know best. It was a super duper night, I must say.

14. Do you draw your name in the sand when you go to the beach?
Of course not. Every time I get to a beach, the first thing I do is spot for a seafood place and I simply veg there. I DO NOT care for either seawater or sand.

15. What was the most painful dental procedure you had?
My dental procedures are always painless. I don't wanna brag about Brazilian dentistry but I can for sure say that we've got one of the best on this planet. hehehe!!!

16. What is out your back door?
Bags of garbage. I know I am a trashy individual. There is also a barbecue grill, an old bathroom which was built for employees (Brazilian culture has invented weird stuff) and a laundry facility. There's also a set of stairs that leads me to the underground garage. It doesn't seem that way but I do live in an enormous place.

17. Any plans for Friday night?
Friday's gone. I've had plans for tonight (Saturday) but I blew it. I wish to go out to dine, if Roberto accepts my date invitation.

18. Do you like what the ocean does to your hair?
Hehehehe... I certainly don't.

19. Have you ever received one of those big tins of 3 different popcorn?
What the hell is that??? Down here, in Brazil, we eat fresh-made popcorn, straight from the microwave oven... hehehehehe

20. Have you ever been to a planetarium?
Nope, unfortunately.

21. Do you re-use towels after you shower?
I use and re-use them till they're not hardened.

22. Some things you are excited about?
Lately, I've been crazy about computer games. I've been having a blast with that "Mysterious Case Profiles - Prime Suspects."

23. What is your favorite flavor of JELLO?
I like the strawberry one.

24. Describe your keychain(s).
I hold more keychains than keys can be hold. One has the letter "L" shape with Mickey Mouse figure sculpted on that I got at Disney World. The other is a tiny little glass jar that stores colored sand from Fortaleza beaches (a gift from Felipe). The other reads CHRISTINA with an apple on it which I got in NYC and the last one is plastic made that a clerk gave me from a local coin laundry - it has a gooey substance in it.

25. Where do you keep your change?
I keep'em in my wallet. It's got a special place for them.

26. What kind of winter coat do you own?
I own a red vinyl one. It looks like leather made but it's not. It's pretty old and It DOES not fit me anymore. I simply freeze when it's winter down here.

27. What was the weather like on your graduation day?I had two graduation days. In Brazil, back in February 1997, the evening was pleasant just like any other Brazlian summer day. In the US (my second graduation day), it was in May 2002... and there the evening was pleasant too. I studied in Florida so I could not complain about the weather.

28. Do you sleep with the door to your room open or closed?
I sleep with my bedroom door open since I expect Tibby to jump on my bed. Sometimes, when it is pretty warm, she prefers to wander around the house.

Curiosity fact: ... And this is a note for all those who took a peek at the photo above: that is not my Tibby cat. That was another female feline that I ran into the countryside. Why isn't she on that photo??? Well, Tibby's been perfect. She's just a bit overwhelmed getting ready for the trip she'll have with Roberto and I when vacation arrives. She's filled with her own issues. We've gotta respect that.

I simply love these blog things...

You Are Lightning

Beautiful yet dangerous People will stop and watch you when you appear Even though you're capable of random violence You are best known for: your power Your dominant state: performing

What Type of Weather Are You?

Sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet!!!

Oops! Soon... but when?

make your own conspirancy theory... this is mine:

What They Don't Want You to Know

In order to understand that The Sims players are Gods-wannabe you need to realize that everything is controlled by a bunch of specific weird humans made up of The Sims characters with help from all kids that play The Sims.

The conspiracy first started during the technology revolution in all places on earth. They have been responsible for many events throughout history, including the advent of internet.

Today, members of the conspiracy are everywhere. They can be identified by typing staring at the keyboard or using only two finger tips.

They want to cut the remaining fingers that are NOT used for typing off of folks that are well-trained in the typing procedure and imprison resisters in school libraries using cable cars.

In order to prepare for this, we all must try self-destruction. Since the media is controlled by Carrot Top we should get our information from Bill McNeal.


Curiosity fact: Get your own theory here.

brazilian molotov

Today's TEACHER'S DAY in Brazil, deservedly I celebrate it...

www.moorecomics.com

Hooray for Oxygen

Thank God my sinusitis is completely over! It took me way long to be back on track. And because of that stupid illness, I lacked oxygen in the brain. And the lack of oxygen in my brain had caused me to run out of subject to develop interesting-to-read posts. Anyhow, I am better. I swear I wasn't planning to start this entry mentioning the latests on my health situation. However, I've procrastinated much long to type a few credible words here. Credible or not, for today, I'll write whatever comes to mind. And the first thing I have got to register on this humble blogspot is...

Excuse me... actually the second thing I have to say (coz the first thing was about my sinusitis) is that I've been teaching composition skills in Portuguese language for the very first time. These lessons have been more like a hobby than real lectures to me. Well, don't take me wrong. The comp. lectures have been pretty deep and informative. I just can't see them as being a drivel working task because I know many people do. I'm enjoyin' the lessons a whole lot and I bet my student is too. "Student? Don't you mean students?" Nope, I don't. I've decided to cut down on only a single student. I teach one at a time. That is why it feels more like tutoring than lecturing. Hey, it is tutoring period.

I've got a couple of reasons not to teach writing skills to groups:

a) Not many people are open to writing practices so, finding o-n-e student only, and especially THE ONE for those classes is already a victory;

b) I've really not advertised this writing course yet. It is too early for that. I haven't got enough time for individual teaching and besides, I definitely should gather more experience in that field;

My mind keeps telling me it'll be easier this way. I do not want to fail. I won't accept disappointing my student in case he feels no improvement through these lessons. I am working on his creativity motor and exercising style fundamentals. So far, I could not help noticing how difficult it is to write pre-determined topics and this task becomes even worse knowing that your words will be judged and analysed inch-by-inch. In order to avoid any blockage towards writing, I even recommended him to start out a blog.

Blogging is different. Writing free entries on blogs is a piece of cake, especially when the blog owner is not a demanding writer. I am not fussy at all. I write freely and I don't care about impressing others. I use this tool (blogger blogs) to motivate myself to the writing practice. Putting words together on a spot where you may not be read at all turns this process lighter. Blogging has helped me create concerns about style, supporting details, and even about cohesion. My posts are read and a few times understood by some readers and that fulfills me enough. I have a blast when I get to be clear with written words. I wish to promote on my student the same care and capacity for it.

Curiosity fact: The third and last thing I have to say is that from now on, I'll sign all my writings using my last name only.

C.S.S.

Love Brazilian accent when people try to speak some "sorta" good street English!
It's way N-I-C-E!!!