MIA

idk man, if you had an northern irish singer saying 'give war a chance' i doubt they'd get a free ride.

When Toby Keith releases a song about pummeling N. Korea I just want to see the same "lol pop stars be talkin' politics so what" defense.

I used to work a shit job at a "high-end" burger place. Occasional free truffle fries were definitely the highlight.

"lol pop stars be talkin' politics so what" defense.

this is not really what anyone is arguing...? Toby Keith and MIA political statements are probably both equally insightful - that is to say, they aren't really very insightful or nuanced at all - and whether or not a listener agrees with those politics is totally beside the point. What IS beside the point is pointing and lol'ing at Toby for the lack of depth in his political observations. Because pop songs are not a medium that facilitates nuanced and thoughtful political discourse.

IS ALSO

blah

like taking issue with Keith's stated position/lyrics in a given song okay fine, that's part of critical response to the work and all well and good - criticizing that position as being hypocritical or dishonest or overly simplified or something he shouldn't even be discussing at all, that's suspect.

I see what you're saying.

so far she's failed to get to the nuance in three formats- twitter, popsong, and short feature. if she's gonna lay it on us, she probly needs something between long format and treatise.

I disagree with you; she's got it in "popsong" but whatev.

I think the whole "OMG MIA's RICH" thread in the NYT article is valuable because she is advocating war and as we all know the biggest advocates of war are the rich, the people that don't have to fight, who can afford to live across the world in a gated community. I think in this context it's a good point to bring up. In an American politics context it puts her in the same class of rich congressmen who pressed going into Iraq knowing neither they nor their family would ever have to fight.

really? I think she does a good job of incorporating the intense emotions and polarized positions and contradictions of her politics into her songs, but nuance...? eh I'm not really seein it. her stuff is not really jampacked with details and measured analysis, afaict

xp

incorporating the intense emotions and polarized positions and contradictions of her politics into her songs = nuance

he people that don't have to fight, who can afford to live across the world in a gated community.

this may characterize her NOW, but it certainly doesn't characterize her pre-stardom life - not really a fair comparison imho

like, her family DID have to fight (and flee). Compared to Dick Cheney's family, not one of whom ever served in the military.

When Toby Keith releases a song about pummeling N. Korea I just want to see the same "lol pop stars be talkin' politics so what" defense.

yeah cause people around here were completely up in arms about "Beer for My Horses" and "Have You Forgotten," right

incorporating the intense emotions and polarized positions and contradictions of her politics into her songs = nuance

I guess... But that's a different kind of nuance from what people in this thread (and Hirschberg) seem to expect of her (like, clearly delineating what her father's role was with respect to the Tamil Tigers)

well, no, Dick Cheney fled the wilds of Wyoming for the air-conditioned nightmare of the Ford White House.

xpost.

incorporating the intense emotions and polarized positions and contradictions of her politics into her songs = complexity.

articulating the "mechanics" of the interplay of the above = nuance

intense discussion of french fries and truffles before happy hour = hungry.

staying on topic, would like to co-sign the recommendation for Cooks Illustrated oven fries

was lookin at that recipe looks good. is there an optimal potato type for that? i dont know much about potatoes :(

fingerling I would think

i usually use russet potatoes i think

title should have been

/\ D /\/\ /\ Y /\

also: this thread

the cover is so awesome, the way her web junk + self portrait think has come up to date the /\/\ /\ y /\ button is pretty great

ADMAYA?

You know what would be fun? If everyone here stated their opinion on the (now concluded?) Sri Lankan civil war. Pro Tamil or pro Sri Lankan government. Just for kicks/info.

x-post Just good ol' Idaho potatoes, not fingerling. Delicious. And Moodles, if you want to hit Hot Doug's for duck fat fries, you have to hit it on the weekend, which means waiting in line for an hour. Fast line, and great food, and Doug is awesome, but their regular fries are awesome any ol' day.

I think dozens upon dozens of countries have experienced some major point of violent political upheaval, if not outright civil war. But in the end, someone always has to win, and they're only "the good guys" if you're on the winning side. And not always that. But intentionally targeting civilians is never excusable.

To be honest, it's not MIA's wealth or fame that bugs me or anything when she blabbers. It's that someone so aware of the world and its problems can be so blatantly not self-aware, esp. as pertains to violence/terrorism. She can not care and be all punk rock about it, but then, like, do something punk rock. Do something radical. Do something that's not just about publicity or personal gain. It's just annoying, because the implication is that she herself is somehow above the argument even while she wallows right smack dab in the middle of it. Or, as I suggested above, maybe she's even more cynical than I thought.

Madonna was smart to pretend the world was never about anything other than herself. But clearly MIA is still searching for her place/identity, and right now that identity is recent college grad, arrogant but oddly insecure, who doesn't have the balls to put her money where her mouth is. Because money/fame = security/"independence", and the world is a scary place without those things.

opened the times magazine today ready for a inflammatory read but IMO the article was repetitious and ultimately boring - couldn't finish it.

though I wondered if there was an element of parody at work, you know, sending up all those fatuous r0lling $tone profiles:"there's a civil war raging outside while Maya thoughtfully plucks a truffled fry from the steaming platter..."

Thought it nailed her, or at least my idea of her, perfectly. The key bit is her bullying the fashion designers into agreeing with her - I've met hundreds of entitled middle-class ladies like that, I find them impossible to deal with.

Anyone point out that the "UNEDITED INTERVIEW!!!111!!1!" is now up?
http://neetrecordings.com/blog/home
By which she meant two recordings from the interview. Not sure the significance of the second, but the first, hilarious, is DIRECTLY CONCERNED WITH THE TRUFFLE KERFUFFLE.

oh and lol just noticed the headline:
HERE'S THE TRUFF

can I get a fact check please: did the CIA really develop facebook and google?

http://tinyurl.com/2d97m3x

I believe they're also behind CONTROVERSIAL MODERATOR EDIT

they're dumb enough to be.

guys

TRUFFLE KERFUFFLE

get whatever you want cause the New York Times is paying

oh
my
fucking
god

at this terrible song

lol that 'unedited interview' is like 2010 spinal tap, right down to the british accent

smh so hard

hey hey baby girl you and me need to eat french fries

Isn't the MIA song just her over Various Production's "Hater"?

Heh yeah.

truffled fries sound disgusting

I’m tired of pop stars who say, ‘Give peace a chance.’ I’d rather say, ‘Give war a chance.’ The whole point of going to the Grammys was to say, ‘Hey, 50,000 people are gonna die next month, and here’s your opportunity to help.’ And no one did.”

RIGHT ON.

if we're gonna call her out for being a hypocrite, what about all the MC's who reference "the struggle" and their Maybach in the same couplet? I'm trying to figure out why MIA is worthy of being called out and not everyone else who was on stage with her at the Grammy's that night. I really hope it's not her status as woman :/

allow me to connect points 'a' and 'b' for you -- the idea behind those songs is that the maybach was earned through the struggle/hard work/hustling. i know "Juicy"'s subtext is supersubtle but

no, deej, actually, its her status as a woman