[Photo by dsrphoto.com]
Name: Holly Rose
Location: Pittsburgh-born go-go dancer librarianing in Los Angeles
Relationship to music: Listener and creator
Industry: Rock and Roll Librarian/Archivist
Although the last post may make it seem like Teresa, my previous contributor, is a very shy and private person, she is really the reason I have met some amazing people in Los Angeles. My next contributor, Babraham Lincoln, I mean Holly, is one of them. She and I could spend all day talking about music, but I am more prone to let her very eloquent words speak for themselves.
5songpjct: Can you tell me a little bit about your profile photo?
Holly: My defunct (ha ha) funxploitation band, Aw Yeah, reunited for a special Halloween party in 2016. The theme of the party was the Hall-o-ween Of Presidents. We always wore costumes in our band anyway, so in keeping with the theme, we tried to be presidential. I was tossing around a few ideas, like, maybe dress like the sexy go-go dancer I used to be, but wear a Ronald Reagan mask or something–play into the trope of my character in the band, but not completely lose my sense of feminism. Thankfully, the lead singer’s brilliant wife said I should be Babe-raham Lincoln. It was the perfect solution.
5songpjct: What was you role in the band?
Holly: (Laughing)… we were a bunch a punks and weirds who loved funk music. We were all musicians so we tried to make it all come together. We all met on the set of a mockumentary about a performance artist…and culture jammer.We were smart asses and enjoyed comedy. Everyone in the band had a persona and a name. Everyone except me wore wigs and sunglasses when they performed. I thought there was some grand design to that until they finally admitted to me that they were so terrified of talking to the public and thought I wasn’t. So I sort of became the, I wasn’t the lead singer, but a singer and public access point for the band. I did do a lot of dancing in platform go-go boots.
5songpjct: Did you do all of the interviews and talking on behalf of the band?
Holly: Yeah kind of. I would go out and socialize with the crowd after our shows. The lead singer, when he was in performance mode, had no problem interacting with the audience. But I sort of stayed in character after the show was over. I did more facetime with our fanbase.
5songpjct: What was your name?
Holly: Miss KittyKatt. With two ts.
5songpjct: Did you play any instruments?
Holly: I didn’t play any instruments in this band. I did in a band I was in in high school. I played clarinet. That band had been described as the Talking Heads on valium. We were art rock, jazz, something, not sure how to describe it, but we played a lot of gigs and I was in high school so that was an awesome experience.
5songpjct: So it seems like you had more than just an interest in music at an early age.
Holly: Music has always been an environmental factor in my life – just like waking up, seeing what the light looks like, feeling the air quality–I wake up either with a song in my head or a type of music in my mood that will guide me throughout the day. My mind is an encyclopedia of lyrics, and most of my personal idols are musicians. I’ve performed with several bands, starting in high school. So it is very difficult to choose five songs as a marker for myself, especially since I also love making lists (and did I mention that I’m an audio archivist and music librarian?). I grew up in a household where records were played constantly. I know certain album covers as well as I know beloved family photos. All the best rock from the 1960s and 1970s, blues, jazz, and experimental early synthesizer music were all part of our daily life. But many of these artists, although they made me who I am today, made songs and lyrics that jived with who I already was. So I’m going to call out five songs that actually changed me or my perspective on what music could be or what life could be. I feel horribly guilty for all the amazing artists I admire and love who didn’t make it to this list, especially Loretta Lynn, Prince, Nick Cave, and Bowie, without whom I cannot fathom this life.
Assignment for Sunday, March 25, 2018
This is the first assignment where you should think about the songs in chronological order as directed by the contributor. These songs are now up on the Spotify playlist for this blog as songs 55-59 and playable by clicking on the song title. (btw, not all of these songs are found on YouTube) Give them a listen and then we will let you know why they were chosen.
[1] The Beatles. “Why Don’t We Do It In the Road?” The Beatles (aka The White Album,) Apple Records, 1968
[2] The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band. “Hello Mabel.” The Doughnut in Granny’s Greenhouse, Liberty, 1968.
[3] Phillip Glass. “Koyaanisqatsi.” Koyaanisqatsi soundtrack, 1983
[4] Peter Gabriel with Laurie Anderson. “This is the Picture (Excellent Birds).” So, Virgin/Geffen, 1986.
[5] Fugazi. “Suggestion.” 13 Songs, Dischord Records, 1989. [I chose to link the song with lyrics because that will come into play later]
NEXT UP...remember when there was innuendo instead of coming right out and saying things
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