The video of “Celebrity Skin”, by Courtney Love’s band Hole, features the group miming the song on stage, Courtney with a pink electric guitar, as women wearing purple ball gowns descend slowly from the ceiling. As they meander around the stage, the models begin to hoist up their skirts. There are many close-ups of Courtney, showing her vivid green eyes, and also of bassist Melissa Auf der Maur. I get the feeling the clip is taking a pop at Madonna’s video of “Material Girl”, itself a tribute to Marilyn Monroe. When Hole performed at The Big Day Out in Australia, Courtney went topless for almost the entirety of the song’s duration! She managed to retain her bra at Glastonbury, however, even though she still succeeded in losing her shirt!!
After much consideration, I’ve decided to make this my last post and would like to thank everyone who has taken the time to read my blog over the past two-and-a-half years as well as those who have also left numerous interesting comments. Thank you. And, to finish, making reference to Jewish moneylender Shylock in Shakespeare’s “Merchant of Venice” no less, here are the lyrics of the Hole song “Celebrity Skin”…
Oh, make me over
I’m all I want to be
A walking study
In demonology
Hey, so glad you could make it
Yeah, now you really made it
Hey, so glad you could make it now
Oh, look at my face
My name is might have been
My name is never was
My name’s forgotten
Hey, so glad you could make it
Yeah, now you really made it
Hey, there’s only us left now
When I wake up in my makeup
It’s too early for that dress
Wilted and faded somewhere in Hollywood
I’m glad I came here with your pound of flesh
No second billing ’cause you’re a star now
Oh, Cinderella, they aren’t sluts like you
Beautiful garbage, beautiful dresses
Can you stand up or will you just fall down?
You better watch out
Oh, what you wish for
It better be worth it
So much to die for
Hey, so glad you could make it
Yeah, now you really made it
Hey, there’s only us left now
When I wake up in my makeup
Have you ever felt so used up as this?
It’s all so sugarless, hooker/waitress
Model/actress, oh, just go nameless
Honeysuckle, she’s full of poison
She obliterated everything she kissed
Now she’s fading somewhere in Hollywood
I’m glad I came here with your pound of flesh
You want a part of me
Well, I’m not selling cheap
No, I’m not selling cheap
After much consideration, I’ve decided to make this my last post and would like to thank everyone who has taken the time to read my blog over the past two-and-a-half years as well as those who have also left numerous interesting comments. Thank you. And, to finish, making reference to Jewish moneylender Shylock in Shakespeare’s “Merchant of Venice” no less, here are the lyrics of the Hole song “Celebrity Skin”…
Oh, make me over
I’m all I want to be
A walking study
In demonology
Hey, so glad you could make it
Yeah, now you really made it
Hey, so glad you could make it now
Oh, look at my face
My name is might have been
My name is never was
My name’s forgotten
Hey, so glad you could make it
Yeah, now you really made it
Hey, there’s only us left now
When I wake up in my makeup
It’s too early for that dress
Wilted and faded somewhere in Hollywood
I’m glad I came here with your pound of flesh
No second billing ’cause you’re a star now
Oh, Cinderella, they aren’t sluts like you
Beautiful garbage, beautiful dresses
Can you stand up or will you just fall down?
You better watch out
Oh, what you wish for
It better be worth it
So much to die for
Hey, so glad you could make it
Yeah, now you really made it
Hey, there’s only us left now
When I wake up in my makeup
Have you ever felt so used up as this?
It’s all so sugarless, hooker/waitress
Model/actress, oh, just go nameless
Honeysuckle, she’s full of poison
She obliterated everything she kissed
Now she’s fading somewhere in Hollywood
I’m glad I came here with your pound of flesh
You want a part of me
Well, I’m not selling cheap
No, I’m not selling cheap
17 comments:
Last post? You can't do that!
May I ask why you've taken this decision? As much as I respect it, your posts will be missed.
Never say never (again)
Timewarden Will Return...
Ditto. I'll really miss checking into your blog - it's been a mainstay over the last few months and will leave a huge hole (unintentional pun) when it's gone. I hope you'll change your mind and gift us with the occasional post in the future. Whatver, I wish you the very best for the future.
I am so sorry that you won't be posting anymore. I will certainly miss reading them. I hope that you maybe just needed a time out like I did and will come back to it?!
Karen
x
Sorry to see that this will be your last post - hopefulyl you'll be back for the Dr Who season after next, when someone better takes over?
Thank you everyone for all your good wishes.
There are several reasons for making this my last post, Paul, the main one being I spend far too long in front of a computer! I started a blog out of enthusiasm for "Doctor Who". I'm no longer as enthusiastic as I once was!! But, Sean came back to Bond twice so you never know!!!
I have wondered, Steve, if I'll miss writing regular posts, reading others' posts, commenting on them, replying to comments on mine, looking for pictures, thinking of new ways to essentially say the same thing about RTD...
I also wondered, Karen, if, like you a while ago, a break is all that's needed. I missed your posts and comments during the six months you were away from blogger and was curious as to whether or not you missed the activity.
I have thought about returning to blogging once RTD/Tate have departed, Stuart, and then I think how that season is 18 months away! And, will "Doctor Who" alter that radically under a new Producer with everything set up to continue running as it is now?
To be honest I didn't miss my blog at first. I missed the people more like yourself and Lili. Every now and then I would read posts on the blogs I regularly visit and eventually I did begin to miss it. It was more the community though than anything else. Also I meant to spend that time out doing more constructive things which never really happened.
I shall continue to read everyone's blogs, too, Karen. I always preferred doing that and leaving comments to writing my own posts anyway! I know what I think, I'm interested in other people's opinions. And, the personalities behind the writing are always as interesting as the subjects under discussion.
Oh no!! I have only just read this properly and taken it in. As I normally do, I popped over to your blog and thought this was just one of your regular music posts without reading it properly. Little did I realise!
Well like the others say, I respect your decision Tim, but will really miss you a lot! Don't go!! I know what you mean about spending too much time in front of a PC. For myself I love writing and being online and a blog is an excellent forum for presenting one's ideas, tastes, likes, dis-likes etc. But I understand that it can take over your life.
I am by now fully aware of your feelings on the new Dr Who so if you're not enjoying it it makes sense to stop writing about it. Although you have written many other eloquent and interesting posts on other related subjects! It's a shame that it's mainly DW that's lead to your decision to stop blogging, as there of course plenty of other topics on which you could wax lyrical very well I'm sure!
An obvious thing to say, I know. But at the end of the day it's your choice and you've got to do what makes you happy.
Perhaps like Karen says you just need a break....who knows? (Or does he?!)
One thing I will really miss is all our debate on new and old DW - you have been a real blogging pal in this respect and I've really enjoyed all our exhanges in the past! It's really good to talk with someone else who has "the knowledge"! But I see you've just said that you'll continue to read other people's blogs and leave comments...so that's good! I expect some responses on my blog in the not too distant then!
Wishing you all the very best for the future and hope to hear from you soon.
Big cosmic hugs,
Simon
Well, Old Cheeser, feel free to have those debates with me if you like :-) Tim and I feel mostly the same way about New Who - and I need someone to debate with in a friendly way!
( Tim's still commenting on my blog - thanks Tim - so it continues to rage on! :-) )
My Doctor Who blog is
www.drwhotarget.wordpress.com
My regular blog is
www.goldfishparacetamol.wordpress.com
Best,
Paul
Many thanks for all your kind words, Simon. Much appreciated!
I enjoy writing, too, and don't find it difficult to get my initial thoughts down. I am a bit of a perfectionist, though, and find it fairly time-consuming to make my ideas as accurate and as interesting to read as possible. The graft comes with rewrites and, even then, sometimes I'm still not satisfied with my own work.
This is, predominantly, a "Doctor Who" blog and posts on the subject always seemed to include criticism of RTD which I felt was becoming repetitive. So, time to give it a rest! I can write on other things, as you say, but "Who" is my central interest and what seems to have brought most of us together.
I miss blogging already. All the interaction... And, several "Who"-related stories have arisen in the last six days which I would've wanted to cover! Today (20 Aug) is Sylvester McCoy's 64th birthday and, also, there are the casting rumours surrounding Peter Davison's return and a certain Joan Collins appearing as the Rani!!
Russell is certainly dangling lots of carrots, to try and encourage dissenters to watch, including the fifth Doctor, Davros, the Rani and the Ood but, if the writing isn't in place, it all means nothing! I think you and Paul should continue to hotly-debate the good Doc's adventures, should you both choose to do so, and I look forward to reading what everyone has to say...
Paul - thanks! I will pop over to your blog in a bit and take a look. It would be good to make the acquaintance of a new blogging pal, especially a fellow Who fan.
Tim - you're most welcome - glad I heard back from you, thought that I might not and you'd have permanently disappeared into the time vortex!
You make me laugh when you talk about being a perfectionist in your writing and finding it time-consuming, drafting and re-drafting - I'm exactly the same! (Remember my marathon review of the "New Beginnings" DVD boxset that took me forever to write?! A real labour of love...)
Here's hoping that one day you'll feel differently about the new Who and that will give you the spur to continue with the writing.
Aaah, you see. There ARE some things that you miss! I was planning to report on some of those rumours so perhaps I can make up for your absence! Really not sure about Joan C as the Rani...as much as I love her as Alexis in "Dynasty" this is just too showbiz...and also isn't she very old??! I do agree with you, at the end of the day, it's down to the decency of the scripts, not how many famous guest stars they can cram into a season. As we've all mentioned before, the return of Catherine Tate doesn't bode well so I pray this isn't the start of a downward trend...
Yes I'm sure I'll have lots to say about DW (so what's new!) so watch this space!
Take care
Simon
I tried disappearing down the proverbial time vortex, Simon, but my TARDIS is malfunctioning! Damn, I've given it away... The Doctor isn't the "Last of the Time Lords" after all!!
Yep, I remember your extended review of the Master trilogy, one of many marvellous marathons as I recall...
As for Joan... As I've just said over on your blog, she's now 74 but not a stranger to SF having appeared in terrific episodes of both "Space: 1999" and the original "Star Trek". However, you can see where they're going with this. By the end of her episode, she'll have regenerated into a younger model who beats up her husband 'cos that Raving Transcendental Dunderhead, who writes these things, can't think of anything better for her to do!
Its funny reading about how you two are perfectionist in what you write.
I used to be and, on occasion, I still am. But I'm finding it quite fun (at the moment at least) simply saying what I feel at the time.
Occasionally I look back and think "Did I really write that?" but it reflects my thoughts at the time rather than a several-times-revised opinion - which is what I was doing.
Each to their own of course, and I may well go back to doing just that. However, while RTD is in charge, I'm almost having too much fun looking at the latest fiasco and being able to say "What the f-!", knowing there are like minded fans out there thinking exactly the same :-)
I've actually become freer in the way I write, during the time I've been on blogger, and have had the same experience you describe, Paul, finding it hard to recall what motivated certain posts!
I don't really revise the substance of what I write, more a case of tidying the structure and avoiding accidental word repetition which I feel reads badly.
RTD is almost amateurish in the mistakes he's made and I can't, for the life of me, understand why he is so revered! I suppose it's simply that he gets the job done, even if it's botched!!
It's a little amusing that not one of the comments on this post has been about the clip itself despite my attempt to slip away with the minimum of fuss, just as the second Doctor would have done!!!
Hi TimeWarden,
Apologies for not commenting on your post! As a Hole fan it was a real pleasure to see Celebrity Skin again. Though I still rate Live Through This as their best album ever, their follow up had enough goodies to make me glad I'd bought it - Celebrity Skin being one of them.
I guess everyone's dismay at your proclamation of "no more blogging" totally sidetracked people! I think that's a huge compliment in a way! Hope things are going well for you - and thanks for stopping by the ol'd blog t'other day!
What I find amusing is that Tim clearly intended this to be his last post but everyone has carried on commenting!! It's no good, Tim, you can't get away!! Perhaps this post will have amassed 50 comments in a few days...!
As you say, hardly any of the comments have been about the "Hole" clip - but that's because your departure has been a FAR more important event, Tim. Steve is right! Well, it's the end, but the moment has been prepared for...
Hi Steve. You're right about Hole. "Live Through This" is their best album whereas "Celebrity Skin" is more mainstream, perhaps due to pressure from the record company to make a more market-friendly product! "Celebrity Skin" is nowhere near as angry and more inclined towards power pop, though just as valid in a different way.
I have to say, Simon, it doesn't feel as if I've actually stopped blogging yet! The only thing I haven't done as usual is put up a new post!! It's probably just a question of taking a huge deep breath before ploughing back in but what is making me wary is the time I know it takes me before being moderately satisfied with my own work!!!
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