SOUNDTRACK: LAIBACH-Sympathy for the Devil (1988).
After recording Let It Be, Laibach decided to tackle another sacred cow–the Rolling Stones’ “Sympathy for the Devil.” “Sympathy” is my favorite Rolling Stones’ songs and even so, I love this incredibly different version of that song.
The Laibach version does everything that they did to Let It Be–changing tempo, deep spoken vocals, marching beat and chanting and they do it eight times.
This is an album/EP (it’s 50 minutes long) and it features several (quite different) versions of the song as well as some recordings by Laibach side projects Dreihunderttausend Verschiedene Krawalle and Germania.
I’ve broken the track listing down by artist, although on the disc, they are interspersed a bit more which adds to the variety.
Laibach: “Sympathy for the Devil” – Done in a big bombastic style–with deep spoken words. I love the way the horns (after the second or third verse) bring in this cool militaristic/triumphant feel.
Laibach: “Sympathy for the Devil (Time for a Change)” – This version isn’t that different. The music is minimal–the keyboards are stripped away, although the triumphant horns seem louder and the hoo hoos seems to be more present in the mix. There’s some wild orchestration in the middle and some very cool tubular bells at the end as well as an instrumental denouement. I think I prefer this version.
Laibach: “Sympathy for the Devil (Dem Teufel zugeneigt)” – Features some quotes from Kennedy and is spoken in German (with sitar (!) accompaniment). The remaining verses are done in the original deep voice.
300.000 V.K.: “Sympathy for the Devil (Anastasia)” or “Anastasia” – Sirens open this song as pianos lull us into a sense of peace before the chaos of sampled music and loud beats takes over. Even though it has really nothing to do with “Sympathy” the “oh ohs” from the Laibach version are also sampled.
300.000 V.K.: “Sympathy for the Devil (Soul to Waste)” – Vocals slowed down even more, sounding deeper than Laibach (in fact he kind of sounds like Andre the Giant). I’m not even sure what he’s saying in the beginning (the “Sympathy” lyrics do kick in properly at some point). It does have the same feel as the Laibach version but faster and even more dancey. The female backing hoo hoos are a nice lightening touch. There’s also a rocking guitar solo.
300.000 V.K.: “Sympathy for the Devil (Soul to Waste – instrumental)” –Just an instrumental dance version of the above, probably the least interesting on the disc. Twice as long as the non instrumental version.
Germania: “Sympathy for the Devil (Who Killed the Kennedys)” – This song opens with an interviewer asking if someone has a theory about who killed Kennedy. The answer is a sullen no. This interviewer pops up throughout the song repeating the questions and then asking about mixing drugs. There are all kinds of samples buried in the mix (I hear “All You Need is Love”). The lyrics are whispered by a female vocalist while the original Jagger vocals are played quietly behind her. The deep male voice comes in too. The music is kind of a discoey dance version of the Laibach bombast.
Germania: “Sympathy for the Devil (Who Killed the Kennedys – instrumental)” – Only has a little of the spoken word business–it is basically just a dance remix.
So even though these versions are all basically variations on a theme (and yes 50 minute scan get a little maddening), the variety is pretty impressive (especially since they reuse many of the parts in the different versions). No one is going to love this version more than the original, but all these years later, I still think it’s pretty cool.
To see the original Laibach version in all its glory, check out this video which I’ve not seen before:
[READ: January 17, 2015] Blue is the Warmest Color
I was intrigued enough by Maroh’s Skandalon, that I wanted to check out her earlier book, Blue is the Warmest Color. I had no idea that it was a really big deal or that it has been made into a movie.
This book, which was translated by Ivanka Hahnenberger, is about a woman who is sure of her sexuality until she meets a woman who changes her mind.
The book is incredibly moving and touching, and it is told in a way that gives you the (sad) end right up front, although the end is not exactly what you think it is. It’s incredibly well done.
As the book opens up, we see that a woman is riding a bus to go to her lover’s house. There are superimposed words from her lover’s diary which says that when the woman on the bus (Emma) reads these words, the writer will be dead. As the first sequence ends, we read: “I love you Emma, you are my life. Signed Clementine.” Emma has gone to Clementine’s parents house (where Clementine was living) to retrieve the diary. Her parents are not happy with Emma. And they seem to blame her for Clem’s death.
The book is kind of a visualization of Clementine’s diary from when she received it on her 15th birthday until her final entry.
The first “blue” person we meet in this diary is a boy with long hair and a blue shirt–he was a senior who was definitely checking out Clementine (who is now a sophomore.) His name is Thomas and he says he knows her name is Clementine. Squee!
But when Clementine is walking home, she sees a girl (who turns out to be Emma) with blue hair. They stare at each other (even though Emma is with another woman). And that night she has a dream about the woman with blue hair… (more than one, in fact).
Adding to her confusion is one of the girls in her class who tells her she’s super cute and then gives her a kiss. Clem thinks about that all day and night, but when she sees the girl tomorrow, the girl tells her that it wasn’t anything serious. And even worse, she gets mad and calls Clem a lesbian in front of everyone.
The only friend she seems to have left is Valentin, a boy who has designs on other boys. They become closer as her other friends drift away. And one night he takes her to a gay bar. And the girl with blue hair is there too. They introduce each other and talk for a few minutes until Emma’s (butch) girlfriend Sabine comes over and is clearly jealous.
The next day Emma is waiting for Clem after school but all of her classmates silently make fun of Emma saying she is recruiting for gay pride. When Clem walks off with her, well she is branded a lesbian by everyone in the school. Later when her parents are watching the gay pride march, their distaste for lesbians is more than apparent. But Clem can’t stay away from Emma–despite her parents and Emma’s girlfriend.
But Clem is torn between lust and shame. Until things finally seem to settle down. But just when things finally seem settled, the rug is pulled out from under Clem again
Things go from bad to good to terrible to…pretty good. There’s too many details to put in and too many details that would spoil everything that happens. Suffice it to say that a romantic moment is going to be fraught with trouble from the get go.
The story was really beautiful and, since we know how it ends right from the start, even though we are prepared for the end, it was somehow more powerful, and quite different from how I imagined it would end.
As with Skandalon, her art is really beautiful. She uses what I assume are watercolors to create a largely colorless landscape–except for that all important splash of blue.
I Just Read About That... 
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