*There was an era when Taylor Swift would have big, high-profile break-ups, and then she would dissect what had happened in precocious songs. Ms. Swift seemed thoughtful-beyond-her-years. She attracted lustrous admirers, including James Taylor and Neil Young.
The big break-up songs--especially "Dear John" and "All Too Well"--had details you might expect from a short story. The refrigerator light, the tee ball team, the photo album on the counter. (The songs were also remarkable for their exploration of ambivalence; Swift clearly loved the men she was writing about, despite their foibles. The shifting between distaste and fondness made for compelling writing.)
Like her friend, Lena Dunham, Ms. Swift seemed able to hover about herself, and to comment on her own foolish behavior with a sense of humor: "Wondering which version of you I'll get on the phone tonight...."
*It seemed--in her "Red" phase--Swift was trying to ape Joni Mitchell. She wrote a song about Mitchell, and it was rumored that she would play Mitchell in a movie. Mitchell, like Swift, made music from broken-heartedness, over and over. (I'm not saying Tay Tay is on Joni Mitchell's level.)
*The big, wise-beyond-one's-years break-up ballads seem to be over, at least for now. I'm not wild about the new single. I will say that Swift seems to borrow from another one of her friends, Ellen DeGeneres, who goes on and on about kindness, self-acceptance, and leaning in to one's own nerdiness. That's what we have here. You'll like it, if you like this sort of thing.
*There's more to say--surely!--but let me direct your attention (hard swerve) to Erin Lee Carr. Ms. Carr, daughter of the revered journalist David Carr, made a splash early on with "Thought Crimes," about the cannibal cop. She followed around a guy who had been imprisoned for publishing his day dreams about abductions and cannibalism. (Did he ever have any intention to act on the dreams? That's the mystery.) Erin Carr--with an obvious gift for finding juicy stories--also did work on a man who 3-D prints functioning hand guns, and on a woman who seemed to have killed her crazy mother.
*I admire Carr for having willed herself to write a warts-and-all memoir, "All That You Leave Behind," which describes David's drug problems while also exposing Erin herself as a struggling alcoholic. It's honest and thoughtful, and it makes you want to know Erin Lee Car. My book rec for the weekend.
*Finally, if you're looking for true-crime material to get excited about, know that Erin's next film project will be "I Love You, Now Die," about that insane woman who texted her insane boyfriend, encouraging him to commit suicide. When are words a crime? What could have motivated this woman? I was put on this Earth to watch a documentary posing these questions, and thank God there's Erin Lee Carr, looking in dark corners that some among us might want to avoid!
The big break-up songs--especially "Dear John" and "All Too Well"--had details you might expect from a short story. The refrigerator light, the tee ball team, the photo album on the counter. (The songs were also remarkable for their exploration of ambivalence; Swift clearly loved the men she was writing about, despite their foibles. The shifting between distaste and fondness made for compelling writing.)
Like her friend, Lena Dunham, Ms. Swift seemed able to hover about herself, and to comment on her own foolish behavior with a sense of humor: "Wondering which version of you I'll get on the phone tonight...."
*It seemed--in her "Red" phase--Swift was trying to ape Joni Mitchell. She wrote a song about Mitchell, and it was rumored that she would play Mitchell in a movie. Mitchell, like Swift, made music from broken-heartedness, over and over. (I'm not saying Tay Tay is on Joni Mitchell's level.)
*The big, wise-beyond-one's-years break-up ballads seem to be over, at least for now. I'm not wild about the new single. I will say that Swift seems to borrow from another one of her friends, Ellen DeGeneres, who goes on and on about kindness, self-acceptance, and leaning in to one's own nerdiness. That's what we have here. You'll like it, if you like this sort of thing.
*There's more to say--surely!--but let me direct your attention (hard swerve) to Erin Lee Carr. Ms. Carr, daughter of the revered journalist David Carr, made a splash early on with "Thought Crimes," about the cannibal cop. She followed around a guy who had been imprisoned for publishing his day dreams about abductions and cannibalism. (Did he ever have any intention to act on the dreams? That's the mystery.) Erin Carr--with an obvious gift for finding juicy stories--also did work on a man who 3-D prints functioning hand guns, and on a woman who seemed to have killed her crazy mother.
*I admire Carr for having willed herself to write a warts-and-all memoir, "All That You Leave Behind," which describes David's drug problems while also exposing Erin herself as a struggling alcoholic. It's honest and thoughtful, and it makes you want to know Erin Lee Car. My book rec for the weekend.
*Finally, if you're looking for true-crime material to get excited about, know that Erin's next film project will be "I Love You, Now Die," about that insane woman who texted her insane boyfriend, encouraging him to commit suicide. When are words a crime? What could have motivated this woman? I was put on this Earth to watch a documentary posing these questions, and thank God there's Erin Lee Carr, looking in dark corners that some among us might want to avoid!
Comments
Post a Comment