Lana Del Rey

[CookieMueller]

I really enjoy that song, but I gotta agree...that was horrid.

 

[Mik]

I was reading a Vulture article about how bad it was. The second comment down struck me as a dickish comment. Then I read it closer.

BYRONTHEBULB
Irrelevant and derivative sketch comedy program showcasing irrelevant and derivate musical act. Case closed.

HA.

 

[Incandenza]

It wasn't good, but you just can't expect someone with so little background in musical performance to light up the stage right from the start. Just another example of the Internet fostering the impression that anyone who doesn't come out the womb perfectly formed is therefore without worth.

 

[Czech]

It wasn't good, but you just can't expect someone with so little background in musical performance to light up the stage right from the start. Just another example of the Internet fostering the impression that anyone who doesn't come out the womb perfectly formed is therefore without worth.

Correct, but then what was she doing headlining a television institution, anyway? There's a distinction between the vanguard and amateur hour. This whole thing is just so weird. Is this the logical conclusion of "indie" critical mass? Creating a blogosphere superstar before making sure she can perform? And here I had thought Vampire Weekend, with its aggregation of Wes Anderson filmmaking and Teach For America cred, was when it was time to tear it all down and rebuild.

Epiphany: we are witnessing the more fuckable Black Kids

 

[Incandenza]

If it's any consolation to Lana Del Rey, I'm sure Ernest Hemingway gave some disastrous public readings early in his writing career.

 

[Byron The Bulb]

Haha. The performance was obviously terrible, but the songs are still good, so whatever. Some music just wasn't meant to be performed live.

 

[Incandenza]

I still enjoy the songs as well! That's what people will remember more than a single TV performance. My original post was more a moaning about the influence various idiotic blogs and the even more idiotic people who comment on them have on current popular culture than it was about Del Rey specifically.

 

[Jingus]

Also, there are a shitload of different variables which can result in any live performer having a bad night. Maybe she spent the entire night trying to cork up a truly epic case of diarrhea. That's just one really gross (but completely plausible) example, there's all kinds of things which can fuck you up when you're on stage in the moment. The few clips I've seen elsewhere of her performing live sounded a lot better than she did on SNL.

 

[Precious Roy]

It wasn't good, but you just can't expect someone with so little background in musical performance to light up the stage right from the start. Just another example of the Internet fostering the impression that anyone who doesn't come out the womb perfectly formed is therefore without worth.

Correct, but then what was she doing headlining a television institution, anyway? There's a distinction between the vanguard and amateur hour. This whole thing is just so weird. Is this the logical conclusion of "indie" critical mass? Creating a blogosphere superstar before making sure she can perform? And here I had thought Vampire Weekend, with its aggregation of Wes Anderson filmmaking and Teach For America cred, was when it was time to tear it all down and rebuild.

Epiphany: we are witnessing the more fuckable Black Kids

Um, look at the people who get to host SNL. The show has been whoring itself out to the flavour of the month for decades

 

[Byron The Bulb]

Also, there are a shitload of different variables which can result in any live performer having a bad night. Maybe she spent the entire night trying to cork up a truly epic case of diarrhea. That's just one really gross (but completely plausible) example, there's all kinds of things which can fuck you up when you're on stage in the moment. The few clips I've seen elsewhere of her performing live sounded a lot better than she did on SNL.

I'd be willing to bet that she was doped to the gills on Xanax or something.

 

[Agent of Oblivion]

Czech said Fuckable Black Kids. THAT'S a board name

 

[Big Beard Booty Daddy]

Daniel Radcliffe and Brian Williams have chimed in with their opinions. Taken from Zap2It.com

Radcliffe, who was the host of the "SNL" episode, came to Del Rey's defense while at the BAFTA nominations. According to TMZ, Radcliffe says, "People are making it about things other than the performance. If you read what people are saying about her online, it's all about her past and her family and stuff that's nobody else's business...I don't think it warranted anywhere near that reaction."

Williams, anchor of the "NBC Nightly News" had a much different reaction. In a letter to Gawker, the newsman trashes Del Rey's singing.

"Lana Del Rey had one of the worst outings in SNL history last night -- booked on the strength of her TWO SONG web EP," Williams writes. "The least-experienced musical guest in the show's history, for starters."

 

[Jingus]

What is her experience, exactly? With most professional singers and musicians, you just kinda assume that the have some background in this sort of thing. Doing choir or musical theater back in school, maybe some dinner theater or forgettable kids' shows, perhaps a garage band or two. What makes Del Ray less experienced than every other random insta-star which the record labels have fabricated, pushed, and sold over the years?

 

[Big Beard Booty Daddy]

The only thing I see about her past is from her Wiki page:

Grant was born in New York City, New York and grew up in Lake Placid, New York.[4][5] When she was 15, she left Lake Placid to go to Kent School, a boarding school in Connecticut.[6] She is the daughter of domain investor and millionaire Rob Grant.[7][8][9] Del Rey first released a three-track EP titled Kill Kill in October 2008.[10][11] She later released a full-length studio abum titled "Lana Del Rey" in January 2010.[12] It was the singer's first professionally produced album, released under Lizzy Grant on an independent label with producer David Kahne.[13] Del Rey stated that "David asked to work with me only a day after he got my demo. He is known as a producer with a lot of integrity and who had an interest in making music that wasn't just pop."[14] Her father, Robert Grant, helped with the marketing of the album,[15] which was available for purchase on iTunes for two months before being withdrawn by her manager Ben Mawson in order to avoid confusing future consumers of music sold under Del Rey's real name. [16] According to Del Rey, the name was chosen by her management team to better reflect her music style.[17]

 

[Precious Roy]

future consumers of music

 

[Czech]

that album totally ripped off Boards of Canada

 

[KOAB]

Lana Del Rey (Lizzy Grant)

I still prefer this over her new Persona​

 

[HSJ]

What is her experience, exactly? With most professional singers and musicians, you just kinda assume that the have some background in this sort of thing. Doing choir or musical theater back in school, maybe some dinner theater or forgettable kids' shows, perhaps a garage band or two. What makes Del Ray less experienced than every other random insta-star which the record labels have fabricated, pushed, and sold over the years?

Inexperienced in the fact that she was booked on SNL a week before her first album was released.

 

[Jingus]

So why does she have like a dozen different professionally-recorded songs on Youtube, most of which sound like they're from after her hipster makeover? Once again, I admit my total ignorance of the music business, and am curious to be informed. How does someone become a much-discussed star with a bunch of songs and get booked on freakin' SNL if, like some seem to be suggesting, she's not even really a professional musician and had nearly zero experience in performing live? Seems like there's a disconnect there. And yeah, I know this is the same medium where someone like Bieber can somehow become a megastar approximately the first day his album is for sale, I just don't understand how it works.

 

[CookieMueller]

Because she has the most important thing in music: money. Whether it's coming from her father (as most are quick to point out) or from eager music execs who see something in her, make no mistake...she has plenty of money behind her. Talent, practice, production...all of that can be worked around, but without money you will not be a big star in this country.

And if you're unsure what "money" translates to, that's where the criticism comes hard and fast because payola is being suspected with her. It used to be paying radio stations to play a song (that definitely still goes on) but nowadays it's easier than ever because you can pay a website/blogger to say good things and/or promote the album in other ways.

In my opinion she represents an interesting mark in music because ten or fifteen years ago they would have spent this kind of money on flashy music videos, lavish production and a few intimate, controlled performances for the media. However, they seem to be banking more on using the hype machine to get people talking. And it worked because she was on SNL before she even had a debut album out. I'd be curious if that's ever happened before. I remember Jessie J being on SNL before she was big in America, but the album was already a huge hit overseas.

 

[HSJ]

How does someone become a much-discussed star with a bunch of songs and get booked on freakin' SNL if, like some seem to be suggesting, she's not even really a professional musician and had nearly zero experience in performing live?

Come on Scooby Doo, put it together.

 

[Precious Roy]

And if you're unsure what "money" translates to, that's where the criticism comes hard and fast because payola is being suspected with her. It used to be paying radio stations to play a song (that definitely still goes on) but nowadays it's easier than ever because you can pay a website/blogger to say good things and/or promote the album in other ways.

HOW MUCH DID THEY PAY YOU BYRON?! WHERE DID THAT NEW SWATCH COME FROM!?

 

[Kinetic]

As far as campaigns to hype into existence a total musical novice, nothing will ever top Elektra's campaign on behalf of Jobriath. And after probably the music industry's most significant full-blitz advertising campaign to date, the guy's only real claim to fame was dying of AIDS when that was still a relatively novel thing to do.

 

[Incandenza]

Was Jobriath the one Morrissey wanted to have open up for him on tour 10-15 years ago, completely unaware that he had died? Or am I thinking of someone else?

 

[CookieMueller]

I don't know if Morrissey wanted him to posthumously open for him, but I do know he comes onto the stage to Jobriath songs and plays every song he ever recorded into the theater before shows. He also released some Jobriath-themed merchandise a few years back, so it's possible.

FWIW, if you watch some clips of Jobriath (probably a lot on Youtube) you can see that he would have a bigger career nowadays. Some of the stuff I've seen of him has been lifted almost exactly by people like (SURPRISE!) Lady Gaga. I seem to remember him wearing a bubble outfit that bore a slight resemblance to the one she wore a few years ago.

 

[Smartly Pretty]

Ned Hepburn (of Boner Party fame, and of being my favorite person alive fame) has posted a pretty great review of Born to Die on Death and Taxes

http://www.deathandtaxesmag.com/176095/review-lana-del-rey-born-to-die/

It’s not a bad album. She’s the Nelly Furtado for people young enough to not remember Nelly Furtado. The backlash against Lana is unfounded because people expect her to be an “artist” because everyone takes themselves way too fucking seriously these days. What, do you think you’re too good for Chipotle? It’s a thing. You put it in your mouth and eat it, goddamit. It’s a perfectly good burrito/pop album. Not everything has to be organic. Lana Del Rey is not your Kurt Cobain nor your Fiona Apple. She’s not terrible.

 

[Incandenza]

"of Boner Party fame" doesn't sell me on anything and I don't even know what this Boner Party thing is!

 

[Edwin]

That notwithstanding, I was immediately sold by "Boner Party."

 

[Byron The Bulb]

The Damon Albarn remix of 'Born to Die' is pretty rad.

 

[BUTT]

I just listened to this album and I think it's pretty good, but having only heard "Video Games," "Blue Jeans," and "Born to Die" I was under the impression that she only sang from the viewpoint of a stoic and earnest lover, so I was surprised that on a few songs she adopts the persona of a sassy white bitch with tons of swag, and it comes off as extremely forced and annoying. There the Nelly Furtado comparison that Boner Party Ned made was accurate. Also, on "Radio," she pronounces "vitamin" with a short "i" sound so that it rhymes with cinnamon. Cmon man. And her flow on "National Anthem," which I can't find on Youtube fuck you UMG, well, listen to it and then listen to this:

Scatman John Song of Scatland (Clip)

and tell me if you don't hear any similarities.