It wont have all the usual categories, because I can't be bothered to write them, but I'm just going to tell you all why I absolutely adore the wonderful and talented and perfect, Ms Shirley Ann Manson. More importantly, I'm going to make you realise why you should as well. At least, that's the goal.
If you don't know, then Shirley Manson is a singer, probably best known as the lead vocalist for the rock group Garbage. Before Garbage, Shirley was in the band Goodbye Mr. Mackenzie, and their side project Angelfish (I truly adore Angelfish). She also made her acting debut as a T100-1 in the show Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles which, unfortunately (and stupidly) was cancelled in April of this year.
Shirley is quite frankly, one of my favourite people in the universe, and I honestly think that if I ever met her, I would literally be speechless.
I'm listening to Garbage as I write this, and every time I hear anything by this band, it's like a new reminder as to why their music means so much to me. It's so clear how much these four care about the quality of music they produce. They want to enjoy it and be proud of it, and they want their fans to enjoy it.
My favourite thing about the band, and about Shirley herself, is that nothing is done for the media. Nothing is done to please other people. If you don't like Garbage's music, they're not going to lose any sleep about it. If you don't like Shirley, she knows that there are plenty of people who do.
One thing that really drew me to Garbage is the heart. The lyrics quite clearly come from somewhere deep. These are feelings, emotions and memories that can finally be shared through the medium of music. These are the kind of truths that people just don't share. These are things that people wish they could say, and Garbage have basically just thought "well, we want to say it, so fuck it, let's say it".
After a while, you start to realise that when you hear this emotion and this "wow" factor, the heart is not metaphorial. These lyrics come from the actual, beating, pumping heart of Shirley Manson. These emotions are hers, the painful memories and the emotional (and physical) scars are all hers. This, is why I truly admire her.
I realise that it sounds like Shirley Manson is the most depressing person on the planet, but she's not. This is the balance that makes her so brilliant. She's an incredibly free person, who likes to write songs about sex and has been known to wear clothing showing cartoon pictures of men masturbating.
To top it all off, she loves the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, is friends with Gwen Stefani, Debbie Harry and Chrissie Hynde, has appeared on Chelsea Lately, where she made fun of the Jonas Brothers, her voice has the ability to make me cry, she is completely honest about herself, and refuses to hold back her feelings, which she often shares in blogs on her Facebook page, and she is absolutely drop dead gorgeous. Oh, and her dog's name is a Harry Potter reference! Like there wasn't enough reasons to love her!
Rumour has it that Garbage are working on new material, and if they are, it will honestly be the highlight of my life so far. Fans will know that Shirley's record label decided not to release her solo album on account of it being 'too noir'. The demo that she posted on Facebook, quite simply makes me want more! She's done a few small collaborations over the past few years, including providing the 'sultry vocals' on Queens of the Stone Age song, "You Got A Killer Scene There, Man". She also appeared with No Doubt on their recent tour, coming on stage to sing their cover of Adam & The Ant's "Stand and Deliver".
I hope you actually watched that, because I promise you that when I found it, it made a brilliant day even better.
Right, I'm rambling now, so I'll stop, but basically, Shirley is an incredible vocalist, and is just generally an incredible person. I really hope to see more of her, musically, soon! The 98 Garbage, and 2 solo songs that I have, just don't seem to be enough for me anymore.
Recommended Garbage songs: Can't Cry These Tears (has a really incredible 50s/60s feel to it), Vow, Betcha, Sex Is Not The Enemy, All The Good In This Life, Get Busy With The Fizzy and Thirteen (a cover, but beautiful).
Until next week, I'll leave you with that. Oh, and her demo In The Snow can be found on YouTube, or on her official Facebook page. I love it, it's worth a listen just for that.
Right, I'm rambling now, so I'll stop, but basically, Shirley is an incredible vocalist, and is just generally an incredible person. I really hope to see more of her, musically, soon! The 98 Garbage, and 2 solo songs that I have, just don't seem to be enough for me anymore.
Recommended Garbage songs: Can't Cry These Tears (has a really incredible 50s/60s feel to it), Vow, Betcha, Sex Is Not The Enemy, All The Good In This Life, Get Busy With The Fizzy and Thirteen (a cover, but beautiful).
Until next week, I'll leave you with that. Oh, and her demo In The Snow can be found on YouTube, or on her official Facebook page. I love it, it's worth a listen just for that.
No comments:
Post a Comment