Showing posts with label Hedwig & The Angry Inch. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hedwig & The Angry Inch. Show all posts

Wednesday, October 26, 2022

Hedwig & The Angry Inch - Midnight Radio


 #Hedwig & The Angry Inch #John Cameron Mitchell #Stephen Trask #rock musical #movie soundtrack #hard rock #punk rock #glam rock #1970s retro

This song, to me, is about the fleeting thrills and glory of "ecstatic events" in one's life, be it becoming a rock star, playing a new record for the first time, winning a contest, or findng a perfect lover. "Midnight Radio” is a classic Rock & Roll Anthem for those of us that are, as Hedwig so eloquently states, "the misfits and the losers.” The pace and tempo of this song are as important to the meaning as the lyrics. "Midnight Radio" starts out slow and brooding, like that uneasy moment of anticipation before stepping out onto a stage, or that hesitant second before piercing the cellophane on a new LP (does anyone other than me even buy vinyl anymore?). Then the pace picks up a bit at the first chorus, and a hint of the "anthem" nature of this song starts to become apparent in the climbing scales and soaring sustains. Then the "Here's to" verse, really belts it out in true anthem spirit, ending with Hedwig practically growling out the word "tonight". And the "Yea, you know" harmony line is one of those rare musical moments that sends shivers down my back every time I hear it. This build to the climax of this song is, of course, representative of that glorious moment when those ecstatic events in one's life are peaking - the house lights come up to a roaring crowd, that first passionate kiss, the moment when the needle first drops in the groove of a new record and those first notes come from the speakers. And of course the finale "Lift up your hands,” repeating over and over again, is the trailing end of those ecstatic events, when the adrenaline rush is starting to taper off. The song gets louder, and then, although it still tingles with energy and power, it slowly fades out. Just like "real life.”  From: https://songmeanings.com/songs/view/68464/


Saturday, July 9, 2022

Hedwig & The Angry Inch - Origin of Love


 #Hedwig & The Angry Inch #John Cameron Mitchell #Stephen Trask #rock musical #movie soundtrack #hard rock #punk rock #glam rock #1970s retro

Hedwig and the Angry Inch is a rock musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Trask and a book by John Cameron Mitchell. The musical follows Hedwig Robinson, a genderqueer East German singer of a fictional rock and roll band. The story draws on Mitchell's life as the child of a U.S. Army major general who once commanded the U.S. sector of occupied West Berlin. The character of Hedwig was inspired by a German divorced U.S. Army wife who was Mitchell's family babysitter and moonlighted as a prostitute at her trailer park home in Junction City, Kansas. The music is steeped in the androgynous 1970s glam rock style of David Bowie (who co-produced the Los Angeles production of the show), as well as the work of John Lennon and early punk performers Lou Reed and Iggy Pop.  From: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hedwig_and_the_Angry_Inch_(musical)

Hedwig and the Angry Inch is a 2001 American musical comedy-drama film written for the screen and directed by John Cameron Mitchell. Based on Mitchell's and Stephen Trask's 1998 stage musical Hedwig and the Angry Inch, it accompanies Hedwig Robinson, a gay East German rock singer. Hedwig subsequently develops a relationship with a younger man, Tommy, becoming his mentor and musical collaborator, only to have Tommy steal her music and become a rock star. The film follows Hedwig and her backing band, the Angry Inch, as they shadow Tommy's tour, while exploring Hedwig's past and her forced gender identity. Mitchell reprises his role as Hedwig from the original production.  From: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hedwig_and_the_Angry_Inch_(film)