For those about to rock, head to the Met — the Metropolitan Museum of Art is unveiling the first ever exhibition dedicated to rock instruments with Play It Loud: Instruments of Rock & Roll. Organized in partnership with the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, the immersive exhibition features over 130 instruments and other artifacts (like costumes and psychedelic posters, oh my) that belonged to some of the great rock legends of our time, including (but definitely not limited to) Keith Richards, Chuck Berry, Joan Jett, Prince, Eric Clapton, St. Vincent, Jimi Hendrix, Patti Smith, Bruce Springsteen, and Lady Gaga. (Whew.)
“Play It Loud celebrates a formative chapter in 20th-century art and culture, and the extraordinary objects featured in this presentation convey the innovation, experimentation, passion, and rebellion at the heart of rock and roll,” director of the museum Max Hollein said in a statement. “The exhibition allows us to appreciate the artistry of the instruments as well as their powerful role in the creation and expression of rock’s legendary sound and identity.”
With such an expansive range of musical heirlooms, the exhibition does a terrific job of chronicling the history of rock and roll in an intimate manner. And the fact that it’s hosted at the Met speaks to the lasting influence credibility of the genre that continues to challenge the status quo and fight The Man. So rock on.
St. Vincent MASSEDUCTION edition electric guitar, Ernie Ball Music Man, 2017. St. Vincent designed this instrument to suit her ergonomic, stylistic, and sonic needs, and used it on her 2017 MASSEDUCTION Tour. Courtesy of St. Vincent.
Poster by Bonnie MacLean promoting The Yardbirds’ and the Doors’ concerts at the Fillmore Series, San Francisco, CA, Tuesday, July 25 to Sunday, July 30, 1967. Collection of David Swartz Courtesy The Metropolitan Museum of Art
With Super Bowl LIII getting closer, the announcement of Maroon 5 as the halftime performer has stirred a mixed reaction from the internet. Especially after Dave Grohl, former Nirvana drummer and current Foo Fighters frontman, told to KROQ in LA that he was recently approached by the organizers about performing during the coveted slot. He also confessed that this is far from the first time that the organizers have asked. “We’re like, ‘Oh my god, I think we’re gonna do the Super Bowl!’ And then it’ll be Madonna or Katy Perry or someone like that,” Grohl said with a laugh.
With only four months remaining until the next halftime show, we’ve rounded up the best shows over the years.
5. Diana Ross, 1996 – Super Bowl XXX
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RCEY7kXDvCQ
It’s difficult to imagine that a single performer can successfully pull off a show of this calibre – unless you’re Diana Ross. With a different outfit for every song, a gold cape covering the entire stage, an entrance in an illuminated platform and a legendary exit in an actual helicopter, the diva’s halftime show left little to the imagination in 1996. Needless to say, the production and vocal delivery definitely set the bar for 21st Century prima donnas at Super Bowl halftimes. They call her the boss for a reason!
4. U2, 2002 – Super Bowl XXXVI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pH5tHgXS-2M
Taking place only a few months after 9/11, U2 took the halftime stage by playing “Beautiful Day,” “MLK,” and “Where the Streets Have No Name,” modifying some of the lyrics to emphasize a sense of community and support, while a list of names of 9/11 victims were projected behind the band as they played. During the last song, frontman Bono turned his jacket inside out, revealing an American flag – a truly powerful and tear-jerking performance that has not been forgotten.
3. Beyonce, 2013 – Super Bowl XLVII
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=suIg9kTGBVI
Although nothing less was expected of the Queen, the show was complete with an acapella rendition of “Love on Top,” a flawless delivery of “Crazy in Love,” and “Single Ladies,” accompanied by former Destiny’s Child members Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams. It’s not surprising that she returned to perform at the halftime show only three years later alongside Bruno Mars and Coldplay, with an equally impeccable performance and tribute to the Black Lives Matter movement.
2. Michael Jackson, 1993 – Super Bowl XXVII
One of the most watched events in American television history, the inaugural halftime show played a pivotal role in the future selection of top artists to grace the stage. In addition to “Billie Jean” and “Black or White,” the king of pop sang “We Are The World” accompanied by a 3,500 children’s choir, seamlessly transitioning into “Heal The World.” An immaculate and trailblazing performance from the King of Pop.
1. Prince, 2007 – Super Bowl XLI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7NN3gsSf-Ys
Prince’s halftime show, opening with his rendition of Queen’s “We Will Rock You” remains the greatest halftime show to date. Complete with a cover of the Foo Fighters’ “Best of You,” Bob Dylan’s “All Along the Watchtower,” and ending with his signature song “Purple Rain” during a downpour, the Artist was in true form during his 2007 set on television’s biggest stage.
While men’s jewelry remains a niche space in general, it’s nice to see the return of a flashy accessory: the dangly earring. The jewelry has enjoyed popularity time and time again as a notable look from seminal artists whose style is synonymous with their work. Prince constantly embraced the jewelry, frequently sporting dramatic gold hoops and upper ear cuffs. David Bowie opted for more elaborate pieces to match his otherworldly stage persona. And I can only assume the large number of cross earrings I’ve seen can be attributed to the late and great George Michael who popularized the look during his Faith days in the ’80s.
A number of dangly earrings have been included in recent menswear shows. Linder, Willy Chavarria, and Feng Chen Wang all incorporated the pieces into their Spring 2019 collections, signaling the welcome return of the trend — Willy Chavarria featured models wearing full sets while Linder and Feng Chen Wang accessorized with single statement pieces. It’s always nice to see a little bit of glitz added to a casual look, so go forth and experiment with a dangly earring that works for you. It would make George proud.
The most shocking thing about Prince’s 1991 VMA performance wasn’t the gyrating half-naked dancers or the sexually explicit lyrics of his single “Gett Off.” Two minutes into the six minute long performance, Prince turned around, and every household tuned to MTV got a view of Prince’s ass. His skin tight yellow jumpsuit stopped short just above his waist, covering Prince’s assets in nothing but nude-colored lace. It remains one of his most remembered and cheekiest ensembles. The journey from the scantily clad street-punk, immortalized on the record sleeve of Dirty Mind, to the violet-hued regalia of the King-cum-Rockstar of Purple Rain, to the gender-ambiguous sexual preacher of the early 90s tracked Prince’s evolution from prodigious funkmaster to innovative pop alchemist.
“Style is an accurate account of what’s inside every heart,” Prince sang on his 1996 album Emancipation. Like Little Richard and James Brown before him, Prince’s creativity extended to his wardrobe, but his style truly had no precedent: his fearless embrace of femininity revealed an artist unafraid to make his body a temple to the androgynous. In his world, clothing was the outer expression of the heart, mind and soul— places where sexuality and spirituality fused together. And although he’s most remembered for the Renaissance-punk looks of his tour de force Purple Rain, Prince continued to push the limits of “men’s” wear throughout the 80s, as he transformed his unique blend of R&B into a mingling of funk, jazz, and psychedelia. Prince’s clothes said a lot about the man behind the music, and the looks from his albums Parade, Sign o’ The Times, and Lovesexy, and the ones seen in the accompanying music videos, show us an artist constantly pushing the boundaries of gender, genre and style.
The soundtrack to the forgotten star-vehicle Under The Cherry Moon, 1986’s Parade is Prince’s final record with his former band The Revolution and the first to find him becoming truly experimental in form and ambition. Shedding the Baroque looks of Purple Rain and Around the World In A Day, Prince strutted out in tightly fitted lycra pants and crop tops, adorned with large buttons, making his lean torso the center of attention. His color palette incorporated new shades of bold primary colors other than purple, such as indigo, lemon and tangerine. Crop tops were contrasted with an original twist on a classic suit design: a tightly hemmed waist, broad shouldered blazers and swathes of bright colors. Paisley, polka dots and metal studs make appearances on his jackets, vests and blouses, although solid colors are Prince’s primary way to accentuate his petite frame.
In response to criticism that he’d abandoned his black audiences, Prince crafted the expansive Sign O’ The Times, an “urban” funk record stacked side to side with sensual slow jams and political-spiritual sermons. Prince channeled Jimi Hendrix and the aesthetics of the late ‘60s for this era: shaggy fur coats, denim jackets with ironed-on peace sign patches, and fringe-lined bell bottoms. High-necked blouses with pussycat bows were paired with leather jackets, mod-esque suits and an array of chunky, gaudy necklaces. The pussy bow, though originally a staple of 60s runway looks from Saint Laurent and Chanel, had become closely associated with conservative prime minister Margaret Thatcher during the 80s. One has to imagine the First Lady was paying homage to the Iron Lady and not to Prince when she donned one earlier this year, although there’s no contest as to who wore it with more flair.
A fusion of the looks from his previous eras, Lovesexy is Prince at his most flamboyant, with tongue planted firmly in cheek. Waistlines got higher, jumpsuits got tighter, and jackets got larger. Most of Prince’s clothing was custom made, and the accompanying tour was a showcase for his constant creative impulse. He had costume designer Helen Hiatt emblazon his clothes with various letters and phrases. The album itself was an exercise in impulsive indulgence in which Prince funkily expressed a non interest in the confines of the gender binary. He was naked and posed like one of Botticelli’s angels on the cover, and Prince extended this ambiguity towards the era’s flashy suits and suggestively tailored rompers. Polka dots became the prominent motif of these looks, appearing on just about every article of clothing. Between his clothes, pillowy long hair and copious use of mascara and blush, Prince was embodying his own gospel as sung on the album: “It’s time for new education/former rules don’t apply.”
Prince’s mainstream success hit a snag after the less-than-stellar sales of Lovesexy, and he wouldn’t return to the pop charts until Diamonds & Pearls three years later. But, by the time he’d appeared on stage at the 1991 VMAs, Prince had challenged the structures of fashion in pop with a kind of forward-looking vision matched only, perhaps, by David Bowie. Over the course of the 90s, even as his music became increasingly less pop and his image decreasingly palatable, his status as a style icon had been firmly cemented. The kind of gender-defying aesthetics we take for granted in contemporary pop, from Young Thug’s dresses to Harry Styles’s glam-rock jumpsuits, were all made possible by Prince’s revolutionary norm-defying style. Prince asked us to look inside our heart, and dress the part. As far as men’s style in pop goes, his rules are the ones to break.
Be sure to check out the limited-edition Prince merch, available online now until December 3rd.
For some, it might come as a shock that earlier this year pop musician Jesse McCartney celebrated a decade in show business. Achieving his first break at the of age 12 in the short-lived tween boy band, Dream Street, the star capitalized on his all-American good looks and undeniable charisma. But it only took a short while for the precocious entertainer to leave the group, setting out to carve a credible career solo. Readers from a certain decade of growing-pains should readily recall the memorable 2004 smash “Beautiful Soul,” the consummate pop record in which the pre-pubescent teen crooned his way into the hearts of hormonal teens across America. Four years later, 2008 welcomed even more success for McCartney with the release of his solid hit, “Leavin’,” as well as co-writing the international best selling song of the year, “Bleeding Love” with uber-producer Ryan Tedder for British songstress Leona Lewis. Today McCartney describes his career trajectory so far as “a slow climb, almost like painting a picture instead of throwing the paint at the wall all at once.”
After a short musical hibernation, McCartney released “In Technicolor” this summer, a retro-inspired album in a bid to cement his transformation from teen idol to legitimate adult star. During the self-imposed hiatus, he took on acting projects, including a role on Lifetime’s “Army Wives,” meanwhile quietly orchestrating a blueprint for his musical comeback, and turning to the ’60s, ’70s, and ’80s for “research that I had to do to make this kind of record,” says McCartney. Citing the musical oeuvres of legends such as Prince, Michael Jackson, and Earth Wind & Fire as influences, the artist set out to create a project “that people could listen to for years.” The self-assured 27-year-old points out that the maturation process “was just an evolution, but for people who haven’t seen or heard from me in several years, to them it’s probably like a reinvention.”
“Superbad,” the lead single off the record is already sonically more refined, showcasing mature—and even sexual lyrical content. The accompanying music video reflects a decidedly fashion-forward direction inspired by cinematic cultural references. A homage to stylish 1960s gangster films, with McCartney convincingly playing the role of a charming playboy cavorting with a “Sharon Stone-esque” beauty, the video presents a never-before-seen side of the entertainer. “With a song like ‘Superbad,’ it would have been very easy to get gimmicky,” says McCartney. “I didn’t want it to be something people watched and chuckled at…I wanted it to be sexy.”
In a day and age where credibility is sought out by engaging in club brawls and parading around with one’s derrière fully exposed, McCartney has gracefully avoided the pitfalls of celebrity. Steering clear of public fiascos and melt-downs, he surrounds himself with a team willing to put their foot down if need be. “I’m the face of this operation. It’s my name on the masthead but it couldn’t be possible without an amazing team behind me,” says McCartney. “Having people in my life that say no.” He hopes the future will bring more musical and acting ventures such as his most recent stint on the ABC family hit comedy, “Young & Hungry.” With his feet set firmly in the ground, anything is possible for McCartney, who seems to be hitting his stride into adulthood.
Before mega-movie-musicals likeChicagoand Les Miserables set out to marry stage and the big screen, it was the rock and roll drama, Purple Rain that started it all. The semi-autobiographical film—which celebrates its 30th anniversary this month—stars the multi-platinum recording artist Prince as The Kid, an aspiring musician in Minneapolis who struggles with a violent family life and an up and down romance with then-newcomer Apollonia Kotero. When the movie premiered on July 27, 1984, it grossed $70 million dollars in the US (ten times what it cost to make), and despite its jam-packed amount of feathered hair, heavy eye-makeup, and pirate shirt-inspired wardrobe, the film continues to strike a chord with fans to this day through its soundtrack. This is most evident in Prince’s live performances of classics like, “When Doves Cry,” “Lets Go Crazy,” and the intensely alluring, title track. Although the movies plot seems a little random at times—in that cheesy ’80s way that we all love to hate—Purple Rain will always hold its place as the quintessential rock-music-movie of its time, causing generations, both old and new, to continue to press play.
