― Michael F Gill (Michael F Gill), Friday, 11 March 2005 03:07 (nineteen years ago) link
― phil-two (phil-two), Friday, 11 March 2005 03:20 (nineteen years ago) link
Tricia Romano did a nice feature on them for SW as well: http://www.seattleweekly.com/features/0425/040623_music_kikiandherb.php
― Matos-Webster Dictionary (M Matos), Friday, 11 March 2005 03:24 (nineteen years ago) link
― Matos-Webster Dictionary (M Matos), Friday, 11 March 2005 03:57 (nineteen years ago) link
It wasn't till I saw a full show at Fez in New York in '99 that I 'got' them. Kiki launched into a traumatic story - apparently true - about an American couple who didn't feel their child was quite 'right', so their evangelical pastor suggested the child should literally be reborn. The wrapped the child inside a roll of carpet - 'Mummy, I can't breathe" - and pushed it through the long, airless tube, in the belief it would emerge a better person. The child died. Suffocated. "Ah well," said the pastor, "God obviously didn't want your child to live that way."
Kiki followed that up with This Woman's Work, or something, and I was wracked with sobs.
I've since seen them maybe five or six times, though I've never quite captured that same feeling. The best thing about them, for me, is Kiki's stories. Each new show brings a new instalment to her life story. We hear a little bit more about her kids, and get tantalising clues about just how her daughter Missy died.
But their recent shows seem to concentrate more on the songs - and the same bloody songs over and over. Fox in the snow, foxinthesnowfoxinthesnow....
I bought their first album, but - well - without the visuals, without the back-story, you're left with a drunken harridan butchering songs, accompanied by cocktail piano.
Whatever did happen to Missy, anyhow? That's what I want to know.
― davidsim (davidsim), Friday, 11 March 2005 04:08 (nineteen years ago) link
― davidsim (davidsim), Friday, 11 March 2005 04:22 (nineteen years ago) link
dude, that was totally the plot of an episode of CSI. except it was a psychiatrist, not a pastor, and she was suspected of having an affair with/molesting the kid before they figured out the circumstances of the death. or maybe that's just a common story/urban legend.
― Al (sitcom), Friday, 11 March 2005 05:36 (nineteen years ago) link
― phil-two (phil-two), Friday, 11 March 2005 05:47 (nineteen years ago) link
What little I've heard of Kiki and Herb was...okay. Maybe I had to be there.
― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 11 March 2005 05:49 (nineteen years ago) link
― tremendoid (tremendoid), Friday, 11 March 2005 05:49 (nineteen years ago) link
― tremendoid (tremendoid), Friday, 11 March 2005 05:51 (nineteen years ago) link
There was a show a while ago at which Coco appeared in a flashback, played by Kathleen Hanna. And I was present at a show where Monica Lewinsky was in the audience. Once Kiki spotted her, well, things got awfully entertaining.
― Douglas (Douglas), Friday, 11 March 2005 07:02 (nineteen years ago) link
― anthony easton (anthony), Friday, 11 March 2005 10:13 (nineteen years ago) link
― peaches boy, Friday, 11 March 2005 11:03 (nineteen years ago) link
Ditto. I was at the Carnegie Hall show, and since the album is only missing the sight of Kiki's flailing flapper jig -- and her lying passed out on the stage during Herb's British Sea Power cover -- it should be a fine reproduction of the experience.
― Dr Morbius (Dr Morbius), Friday, 11 March 2005 15:20 (nineteen years ago) link
― phil-two (phil-two), Friday, 11 March 2005 21:25 (nineteen years ago) link
― phil-two (phil-two), Friday, 11 March 2005 21:36 (nineteen years ago) link
― fanboy, Saturday, 12 March 2005 07:28 (nineteen years ago) link
― Michael F Gill (Michael F Gill), Thursday, 9 June 2005 20:28 (eighteen years ago) link
― Yakuza Ghost Six (nordicskilla), Thursday, 9 June 2005 20:34 (eighteen years ago) link
― Momus (Momus), Thursday, 9 June 2005 20:35 (eighteen years ago) link
---Yes. It is a little faggy. Their version of "I'm Not Waiting" beats S-K's, easy. Kinda makes the orig more fun to listen to.
― A Viking of Some Note (Andrew Thames), Friday, 10 June 2005 02:55 (eighteen years ago) link
They fake it so real they are beyond fake, a performance of utter heartbreak and, if not redemption through, at least the simple comfort of, enduring love so utterly convincing that whether or not it's ironic is completely beside the point. That only makes it more genuinely moving.
Love the live set, but can't imagine what it would be like to only hear it without having the experience of their show to map it to.
Note: If you've been on the ILX po-pomo thread, they may offer a sufficient answer.
― rogermexico (rogermexico), Friday, 10 June 2005 03:43 (eighteen years ago) link
― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Friday, 10 June 2005 05:04 (eighteen years ago) link
― rogermexico (rogermexico), Friday, 10 June 2005 05:35 (eighteen years ago) link
here's exit music (for a film): http://s26.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=1HBNSXBC9ZLUN11PSZGI8O35KT
― drystereo (drystereo), Friday, 10 June 2005 08:28 (eighteen years ago) link
OMG OMG OMG New Year's Eve show in SF 12/31!!11!!1!
(I'm sorely tempted by the SF show, even if I'll be the only straight guy in the room.)
― rogermexico (rogermexico), Tuesday, 6 December 2005 23:31 (eighteen years ago) link
― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 6 December 2005 23:51 (eighteen years ago) link
― Vinegar and Artichoke Hearts (Bimble...), Tuesday, 6 December 2005 23:56 (eighteen years ago) link
― Forksclovetofu (Forksclovetofu), Wednesday, 7 December 2005 06:41 (eighteen years ago) link
― mies van der rohffle (Jody Beth Rosen), Wednesday, 7 December 2005 06:43 (eighteen years ago) link
― Forksclovetofu (Forksclovetofu), Wednesday, 7 December 2005 06:44 (eighteen years ago) link
― mies van der rohffle (Jody Beth Rosen), Wednesday, 7 December 2005 06:44 (eighteen years ago) link
― mies van der rohffle (Jody Beth Rosen), Wednesday, 7 December 2005 06:45 (eighteen years ago) link
I still treasure the story about how Kiki tried to be Noel Gallagher's groupie.. fucking best story told at a concert ever.
― dali madison's nut (donut), Wednesday, 7 December 2005 07:45 (eighteen years ago) link
― Drew Daniel (Drew Daniel), Wednesday, 7 December 2005 08:20 (eighteen years ago) link
― gypsy mothra (gypsy mothra), Wednesday, 7 December 2005 08:24 (eighteen years ago) link
I played the live album's "Institutionalized" for a friend of mine who'd never heard them before, and didn't tip her off... and of course the setup is such that it just sounds like Kiki babbling about her familial relations at first, and then something about the general outline of what she's saying seems vaguely familiar, and before you know it, wham: "PUT ME IN AN INSTITUTION!" "INSTITUTIONALIZED!" My friend didn't stop laughing for about three minutes.
― Douglas (Douglas), Wednesday, 7 December 2005 09:11 (eighteen years ago) link
― jaymc (jaymc), Wednesday, 7 December 2005 09:39 (eighteen years ago) link
― j blount (papa la bas), Wednesday, 7 December 2005 10:07 (eighteen years ago) link
― jaymc (jaymc), Wednesday, 7 December 2005 10:12 (eighteen years ago) link
In contrast to gyps, I have the album but haven't even played the whole thing (maybe cuz I was at the show).
― Dr Morbius (Dr Morbius), Wednesday, 7 December 2005 14:41 (eighteen years ago) link
― ng-unit, Wednesday, 7 December 2005 15:17 (eighteen years ago) link
― Eazy (Eazy), Wednesday, 7 December 2005 15:20 (eighteen years ago) link
― Eazy (Eazy), Wednesday, 7 December 2005 15:24 (eighteen years ago) link
They probably do do best in an intimate venue, though, where there's a real threat that Kiki might fuck with you.
― rogermexico (rogermexico), Wednesday, 7 December 2005 19:14 (eighteen years ago) link
― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 7 December 2005 19:18 (eighteen years ago) link
― jaymc (jaymc), Wednesday, 7 December 2005 19:34 (eighteen years ago) link
* Oh it was very very very great.
* THE CATTINESS from Kiki but I could go on. In great voice, Herb mighty fine, drinks and cigarettes, yay! Douglas very OTM upthread on the basics of the appeal and how it works out. The song about houses burning down at Christmas is my new favorite holiday number, whoever it's by.
* Quite a mellow date-heavy gay crowd -- uh duh, I realize. Much smooching in the row in front of us, plus the semi-Freddie Mercury-looking soccer fanatic I was chatting with during the break
* They indeed did their Mountain Goats cover "No Children." so brilliant. And "This Year" was playing during the mid-set break. AND an amazing version of Dan Fogelberg's "Same Old Lang Syne" which was done so relatively seriously that some characters in the crowd couldn't take it and were breaking down in laughter towards the end of it. "Crucify" by Tori Amos and "This Woman's Work" also get airings.
* Medleys of choice (all of which confirm that they and the Squirrels are not that far removed):
"Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer"/"Smells Like Teen Spirit"/"Suicide is Painless"/"Miss World"
"The Little Drummer Boy"/"Boys Don't Cry" (sung by Herb)
"Take Your Mama"/"When the Levee Breaks"/"When the Saints Come Marching In"/"The House of the Rising Sun"
and my jaw-dropping favorite:
"Forever Young" by Alphaville immediately into "If You Were Born Today" by Low, both delivered with a minimum of screaming histrionics (but not completely lacking in them, of course) and sounding desperately epically beautiful as a result
* Encore: so dali, Matos and I all hear this song with, it turns out, these lyrics:
They say it fades if you let it, love was made to forget it. I carved your name across my eyelids, you pray for rain I pray for blindness.
If you still want me, please forgive me, the crown of love has fallen from me. If you still want me, please forgive me, because the spark is not within me.
I snuffed it out before my mom walked in my bedroom.
The only thing that you keep changin’ is your name, my love keeps growin’ still the same, just like a cancer, and you won’t give me a straight answer!
If you still want me, please forgive me, the crown of love has fallen from me. If you still want me please forgive me because your hands are not upon me.
I shrugged them off before my mom walked in my bedroom.
The pains of love, and they keep growin’, in my heart there’s flowers growin’ on the grave of our old love, since you gave me a straight answer.
If you still want me, please forgive me, the crown of love is not upon me If you still want me, please forgive me, cause this crown is not within me. it’s not within me, it’s not within me.
You gotta be the one, you gotta be the way, your name is the only word that I can say
You gotta be the one, you gotta be the way, your name is the only word, the only word that I can say!
None of us immediately recognize it, the performance is absolutely excellent but the sheer awful awkwardness of some of the lyrics provokes laughter and we were thinking it was intentionally bad. Me to myself -- "Sounds like a My Chemical Romance lyric, has the dumb teenage angst down but the performance of the song makes it a lot better."
Afterwards in lobby with dali and Matos: "So I'm guessing what that song might be, maybe a My Chemical Romance song."
*various theories abound, a couple of Matos's friends join us*
Friend says something to Matos.
Matos: "It's an Arcade Fire song?"
Me: "THE ARCADE FIRE?!?"
The rest of the evening is partially spent in abuse from me in particular about how incredibly fucking lame the Arcade Fire is. But yes, Kiki and Herb made them sound good. Figures.
― Ned Raggett (donut), Sunday, 18 December 2005 08:00 (eighteen years ago) link
― Ned Raggett, Thursday, 10 May 2007 16:43 (sixteen years ago) link
― Dr Morbius, Thursday, 10 May 2007 16:57 (sixteen years ago) link
― Ned Raggett, Thursday, 10 May 2007 17:02 (sixteen years ago) link
― Matos W.K., Thursday, 10 May 2007 21:30 (sixteen years ago) link
― poortheatre, Thursday, 10 May 2007 23:00 (sixteen years ago) link
― Dr Morbius, Thursday, 17 May 2007 15:10 (sixteen years ago) link
― Ned Raggett, Thursday, 17 May 2007 15:15 (sixteen years ago) link
― Dr Morbius, Thursday, 17 May 2007 15:23 (sixteen years ago) link
― Catsupppppppppppppp dude 茄蕃, Thursday, 17 May 2007 17:46 (sixteen years ago) link
― Dr Morbius, Thursday, 17 May 2007 19:10 (sixteen years ago) link
― forksclovetofu, Thursday, 17 May 2007 21:44 (sixteen years ago) link
gr8 seeing you forks! Did you have anything to do with our ticket snafu getting cleared up? I wasn't sure.
I didn't recall how elaborate K&H's version of "I Was a Maoist Intellectual" is ... the Chelsea boys were baffled.
Also, it's important to know that ass cancer trumps leukemia.
― Dr Morbius, Tuesday, 29 May 2007 14:32 (sixteen years ago) link
Hey dude, glad you made it out! Yeah, a thoroughly awesome evening... but LONG!
― forksclovetofu, Tuesday, 29 May 2007 14:35 (sixteen years ago) link
but at least Ju8t1n was relatively s0b3r!
I think I saw them go 3 hours at least once at Fez.
― Dr Morbius, Tuesday, 29 May 2007 14:38 (sixteen years ago) link
Defeated for a Tony by a DUMMY!
That's too respectable for them anyway.
― Dr Morbius, Tuesday, 12 June 2007 15:12 (sixteen years ago) link
that shit was not right. I thought they were joking for a hot minute!
― Morley Timmons, Thursday, 14 June 2007 04:39 (sixteen years ago) link
That was that bullshit.
― forksclovetofu, Thursday, 14 June 2007 05:17 (sixteen years ago) link
Shoulda pull'd a wu-tang. kiki and herb is for the babies!
― rogermexico., Thursday, 14 June 2007 05:26 (sixteen years ago) link
Get ready London:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v284/mjh8888/Kiki%20and%20Herb/SBE2front.jpg
― Ned Raggett, Thursday, 13 September 2007 14:02 (sixteen years ago) link
thought this was a thread about peaches & herb for a second
― deej, Thursday, 13 September 2007 15:58 (sixteen years ago) link
Carnegie Hall again in December as well.
― Dr Morbius, Monday, 15 October 2007 17:40 (sixteen years ago) link
live DVD available Jan. 2:
http://www.playbill.com/news/article/113510.html
― Dr Morbius, Friday, 14 December 2007 16:10 (sixteen years ago) link
Funny thing was I saw Kiki introduce Borts Minorts at a show in SF this past Saturday. Kiki was great, Borts Minorts was not.
― Ned Raggett, Friday, 14 December 2007 16:14 (sixteen years ago) link
Variety review of Wed night @Carnegie Hall (I skipped):
http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117935649.html
"If there's a sniper in the audience, I ask only that you kill me now," pleaded Kiki. "Don't make me go through this whole show just to shoot me later."
wtf, identifying "If You Were Born Today" as a Jimmy Eat World song?
― Dr Morbius, Friday, 14 December 2007 16:22 (sixteen years ago) link
Boy, I would've loved to have seen that.
― forksclovetofu, Friday, 14 December 2007 22:38 (sixteen years ago) link
Alan Sparhawk somewhere goes NOOOOOO
― Ned Raggett, Friday, 14 December 2007 22:50 (sixteen years ago) link
I saw them at the Opera House in Sydney for so cheap (esp. considering the insane price of tickets for them in SF the last time around), but strangely the show was almost EXACTLY the same as the one I saw New Year's Eve two years ago.
― Alex in SF, Friday, 14 December 2007 23:30 (sixteen years ago) link
What little I've heard, I've liked. So where do I start if I want to hear more?
― Mordy, Wednesday, 7 October 2009 05:41 (fourteen years ago) link
profile in nymag - http://nymag.com/print/?/arts/popmusic/features/justin-bond-2011-5/
― just sayin, Tuesday, 10 May 2011 13:23 (twelve years ago) link
just downloaded dendrophile, hadn't heard anything about it. it seems good. different thing than k&h, but good songs and s/he sounds great.
― something of an astrological coup (tipsy mothra), Wednesday, 11 May 2011 02:09 (twelve years ago) link
Kiki'll be having some fun this weekend:
http://gawker.com/5875978/introducing-your-guest-golden-globes-tweeter-justin-vivian-bond
― Ned Raggett, Saturday, 14 January 2012 05:42 (twelve years ago) link
Justin is such a fucking rock star.I see Kenny perform at least once a month.
― this is funny u bitter dork (forksclovetofu), Saturday, 14 January 2012 13:45 (twelve years ago) link
going to see justin bond @ REDCAT tonight, first time ever! i'm excited
― Prince Rebus (donna rouge), Friday, 17 February 2012 19:12 (twelve years ago) link
Justin Vivian Bond begins a yearlong 'retro' at Joe's Pub!
http://www.villagevoice.com/music/mx-justin-vivian-bond-returns-to-joes-pub-with-tranniversary-triumph-7585114
forks, when yer feelin better maybe we could go see the Julie London thing.
― skateboards are the new combover (Dr Morbius), Thursday, 3 September 2015 04:23 (eight years ago) link
spring reunion in NYC
http://m.playbill.com/mobile/news/article/kiki-and-herb-announce-spring-reunion-at-the-public-363221
― skateboards are the new combover (Dr Morbius), Monday, 21 September 2015 11:51 (eight years ago) link
joe's pub is having a nightly lottery for the shows if yer desperate
― we can be heroes just for about 3.6 seconds (Dr Morbius), Friday, 8 April 2016 19:28 (eight years ago) link
gonna catch one of these, pretty hyped
― ulysses, Friday, 8 April 2016 20:10 (eight years ago) link
kenny lookin all moses
http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2016/04/25/kiki-and-herb-reunite
― we can be heroes just for about 3.6 seconds (Dr Morbius), Friday, 15 April 2016 16:43 (eight years ago) link
Kiki sez
"The neoliberals vs. the neofascists—I'm just happy that I've lived to see this spectacular bipolar moment."
― we can be heroes just for about 3.6 seconds (Dr Morbius), Sunday, 1 May 2016 23:24 (seven years ago) link
a 2016 show free online for a few weeks
https://publictheater.org/productions/season/fall-2020/kiki--herb-seeking-asylum/
― brooklyn suicide cult (Dr Morbius), Friday, 25 September 2020 01:17 (three years ago) link
Ah jeez, shoulda revived this thread earlier for their new tour! I think most of the shows have already most sold out on presale. (Got my SF tix just now, yay.)
― Ned Raggett, Thursday, 20 October 2022 17:49 (one year ago) link
It's back!
https://kikiandherbwilldieforyou.bandcamp.com/album/do-you-hear-what-we-hear
― Ned Raggett, Thursday, 10 November 2022 22:15 (one year ago) link
And they're back!
https://linktr.ee/kikiherb
(The tour last year was a damn treat.)
― Ned Raggett, Monday, 18 September 2023 18:01 (seven months ago) link