Dispatches 9
February 2001 WITH OR
WITHOUT YOU Bono as
Class Day speaker. The Roots and the Black-Eyed Peas coming
to Sanders Theatre. Musical life at Harvard's looking good.
Although I guess Bono won't actually sing, and I suppose
it's not standard practice to hold lighters up in the air
when someone speaks about debt relief... SHEA
STADIUM Another
new act to pay attention to: Shea Seger, a Quitman, Tex.
native whose breathy drawl is used to great effect in "Last
Time," her leadoff single. That song would fit into
adult-contemporary rock, except for the fact that the song
actually has soul. And damn, she's 20 years old. Don't you
hate it when people younger than you are more
successful? FALLING
IN LOVE (IS HARD ON THE KNEES) Spent part
of intersession in Disney World... let me just say that
there's nothing like hearing "Love in an Elevator" blasting
in your ears while you shoot through a roller coaster (the
"Aerosmith Rock and Roller Coaster," ha ha). That's the good
side of Aerosmith selling out: I like to idea of hearing a
song that alludes to oral sex in the middle of Disney World
(MGM studios, to be specific)... nice and subversive,
although I guess you could interpret it to refer merely to
kissing in an elevator. But then what should one make of
"Dude Looks Like a Lady," which is another song on the
ride? The
obvious bad side of Aerosmith selling out could be found
west of Orlando what was with that version of "Walk
This Way" that the band did at the Super Bowl halftime show
with 'NSync, Mary J. Blige and the ubiquitously underdressed
Britney Spears? Where's Run DMC when you need
them? (Non-music-related
question: what's up with the rising popularity of bears in
TV commercials?) DISSING So
Jennifer Lopez is now J-Lo. A useful naming convention, I
suppose, although probably not the best thing for her The
Cell costar Vincent D'Onofrio. A quick check on Pine
shows that no one owns the jlo@fas e-mail address. So you
can tell any friends who'll be incoming first-years next
year to request it. It don't cost a thing. (Cue drum roll,
silent audience.) And
finally, Gladiator!
