Liner Notes: February - Velvet Goldmine/Brian Slade/Maxwell Demon/Baby's On Fire

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Taking Liner Notes on the road was surprisingly easy. Everything fit in my little supply bag and no embroidery was harmed during my trip to Tampa. Light is always an issue when I embroider in hotel rooms, so I may have to look into some portable light options for future travel.

Anyway, we're onto week two of the liner notes for Velvet Goldmine. This week's focus is on the main character (I guess) of the movie, Brian Slade/Maxwell Demon. I say that I guess he's the main character because the entire plot of the film is about him, but I'd argue Arthur Stuart is the actual protagonist of Velvet Goldmine. We'll talk about that in week four. 

Let's start with a song:

This is my absolute favorite song sequence in the film. There is so much plot happening: you've got a concert performance with Slade and his band the Venus in Furs, featuring Curt Wild (next week's subject). You have Shannon, the assistant, coming into a party/orgy and watching all the goings on with the affairs and the personalities. Arthur, our narrator, is also discovering his own sexuality and exploring feelings that eventually set him on a very specific path. There's selfishness and intrigue and passion and betrayal and lust...in song that's less than four minutes long. Y'all, it is a moment and it is perfect.

In a movie that's a nod to Bowie, Brian Slade is the natural stand-in for Bowie. Slade's pathway to stardom is similar to Bowie's, starting as more of a folk musician and then shifting into rock and glam rock. He has an onstage persona, Maxwell Demon (maybe a little Ziggy or Aladdin Sane). His rock lifestyle is excessive in only the way a 1970s glam rocker's life could be. There's Mandy Slade, his wife and early champion, who he destroys later in the film (played by the fantastic Toni Collette). Brian and Jack Fairy both take on Curt Wild in a nod to Bowie's interest in both Iggy Pop and Lou Reed. So there's a lot of Bowie here, but Bowie isn't the only inspiration for Slade. Mark Bolan from T-Rex also comes to mind a little bit, but not nearly as much as Bowie. There are also some visual references in the film to a lesser known glam rocker, Jobriah. I'm not super familiar with him, but was doing some research for this post and he and actor Jonathan Rhys Meyers could be twins. It's wild. 



This is a nod to Jobriah - the album artwork is almost the exact same as his album. The article I linked to is pretty good, although Slade didn't sing "Ballroom Blitz;" Sweet did.

Brian Slade is also my least favorite character in this movie and sadly, he gets the majority of the good songs. Despite not liking Brian Slade, it's hard not to enjoy Jonathan Rhys Meyers in the movie; he's legitimately the only actor I can think of who has the right cheekbones to play Brian Slade. I know that's a weird qualifier for a role, but Brian Slade has a certain look and JRM is that look. I remember seeing this movie in the theatre when it came out and thinking to myself, "look at his legs in those boots." Rhys Meyers is also a great villain, and Brian Slade is the villain of this movie. He's beautiful and mean like Diana Ross. 

Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Ewan McGregor both sang in the film. However, Thom Yorke from Radiohead, Shudder to Think, and Grant Lee Buffalo all lent their voices to the soundtrack to create Brian Slade/Maxwell Demon and the Venus in Furs (which is a reference to a Velvet Underground song of the same name and happens to be one of my favorite VU songs). Even the persona Maxwell Demon is a nod to a band Brian Eno was in when he was in school. There are so many references in this movie and soundtrack it's hard to capture them all. The fun thing is they don't really matter. If you're not a nerd about this stuff like I am, you can just enjoy the movie and the soundtrack for it campy wonderfulness. If you are a nerd like me, we can enjoy a cocktail and talk about the little references and our favorite parts of Angela Bowie's memoir. 

I tried to capture the glam-ness of Brian Slade in my journal entry this week. I'm using upholstery and drapery fabric for all four character pieces this month and I found some gold and a leopard-y pattern that reminded me of Slade. I also used more Rainbow Gallery thread in purple and turquoise, two colors I associate with Brian Slade throughout the film. It turned out better than I thought it would. The gold fabric is tricky since it likes to unravel when cut. I also thought the flame I drew looked a little like a coral reef, but it was more flame-like once I started stitching it. I think the zig-zag stitch helped with that. For a character I don't enjoy, I think I did a good job capturing a little bit of Brian Slade. 

Here's this week's entry:

February 8



February 9 - I did this part on my flight to Tampa.

February 10

February 11

February 12

February 13

February 15

Liner Notes - Velvet Goldmine Week Two

Songs referenced this week:
Next week: Curt Wild, Iggy Pop, Lou Reed, and your naked friend. If you want to get a jump on your musical homework, listen to this song. 

Other Small Joys
I had to travel for a work event so I spent most of the week in Tampa. It was nice to get a break from the cold and snow of northern Virginia, but I don't enjoy being away from Bea or the comfort of my home. Bea stayed with my parents and had a good week with them. The funniest thing that happened while she was with them was that my dad walked into the kitchen one morning to find her on top of the fridge. He didn't take a picture, but did text me in the middle of the day to let me know. I started laughing during the session I was in and had to leave the room so as not to be disruptive. Bea is a treat.

Playing with my dad.

Being sassy while watching the black birds.

Two unexpected things happened last week. I didn't realize the monks would be walking through my part of Alexandria last Sunday, so on my way to drop Bea off, I ended up stopping in traffic and caught their arrival into my part of town. It was really lovely to see so many people out to see them. They recently finished their journey and are on their way back to their home in Texas. Bea was also very impressed she got to see the monks...probably.


The other unexpected thing happened on Monday evening in Tampa. Travel takes a lot out of me these days so I didn't want to go too far for dinner, so I decided to go to the Outback across from the hotel I was staying at. Once I was seated, I glanced up at a mural/painting on the wall across from me and realized I know the artist. Back when I was in the Mardi Gras krewe, I started following an account called Lemme Paint Dat on Instagram. She liked one my purse pictures, and I've been following her art career ever since. Lindsey Jenneman, the person behind Lemme Paint Dat, is a great artist and a lot of fun on social media. She did a series of paintings for Outback restaurants and I finally saw one in person. It was super fun to see it and to share a little bit about it with my server. He thought it was cool that a real artist painted it. 



While I was eating dinner, I got some time to read Tori Amos's book Resistance. If you're a fan of her music, I can't recommend this book enough. It's about process and her evolution as an artist. I thought reading it at an Outback in Tampa was sort of funny and appropriate. 


Now that I'm back home, Bea has settled back into her routine of knocking over her laser toy and trying to climb walls. I also treated myself to a new succulent and some king cake for Galentine's Day. 




I also got some new buttons by an artist named Sarah Hedlund. One of my friends lives in Decorah, IA where Sarah is based and thought I might like her work. You can see her work over on Etsy. Money from the button sales are going to support legal aid for those impacted by ICE raids in Minnesota. Remember kids, Fuck Ice and Stay Salty.


Happy Valentine's Day if that's your thing. If you're looking for something else to celebrate today, might I interest you in an event from 1779? 


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