PrettyBaby

You mean no one really named their kid Flea? This calls everything concerning RHCP's authenticity into question from now on.

Yes, when you accused people of giving LDR a pass because they like her music, the conversation on this and other threads devolved to this level. I should not have responded in kind. I'm sorry for offending you. Rather than bore everyone with our little drama, I'll continue this conversation via PM if you don't mind. When I have time, and access to a mouse :/ I do want to go on record as agreeing with EE's primary concern that journalists should be treated with respect and basic human decency. I just don't think anyone has to agree to equate resembling someone's pet peeve with actually committing wrongdoing.

@@evilentity Didn't you say you're borderline INTJ/P? There's no way you're really this judgmental. Why do you insist on playing devil's advocate when it comes to Lana Del Rey? Cynicism, while the opposite of naive idealism, is no more objective; it's just biased in the opposite direction. There is nothing particularly truthful, or brave, in such an approach. Withholding judgment is not the same as defending. It is simply admitting "I don't know," putting a pin in it, and waiting for more information to pass judgment. Waiting forever if necessary; not everything needs to be decided. This is my approach to life in general, and my intent in discussing LDR or anyone else. I'm not saying I'm always successful at avoiding bias, but I do consistently try. If there's a source of bias in my assessment of LDR's choices, it's not from liking her music. It's from identifying intensely with the reactions she inspires in others. The things people say about her often echo criticisms directed at me in my own life, and I'm honestly baffled by many of them. In my case, being "highly sensitive" has less to do with injured feelings or low EI/EQ (though they do factor in), and more to do with a tendency to be overwhelmed sooner than others by certain forms of environmental stimuli. For me, processing social cues is an exhausting task. So when people like me ask to be treated a certain way, it sounds like we're saying we don't want to work as hard as others, when really we're saying we ARE working hard, to the point of fatigue and rapidly diminishing returns. Does this make any sense? (For anyone who's interested in learning how to work/live with the sensitive people they know, I highly recommend "The Highly Sensitive Person" by Elaine Aron.) But this isn't supposed to be about me I don't think this was a terrible job on the interviewer's part. I think he went too far in a few cases, like we all do sometimes, but saying he "triggered her red flags" is intended as a neutral description of what happened, not accusing him of wrongdoing. I'm glad he gave his account of how it went down. (But it is HIS account.) An interview is not a fixed, physical commodity. It is an interaction between people, colored by the personalities of each, and that is okay. I'm not trying to pronounce judgment on one party. I'm trying to leave open the possibility that even in a situation of conflict, NEITHER party is necessarily in "the wrong."

It is endlessly fascinating to me how a sensitive person can simply stand up for herself and refuse to play the diplomacy game, and get called a bitch for it. Apparently there is pressure in some form for Lana to do interviews. I say good for her for knowing to call it quits this time. (After, what, seven hours of interview time the day before?) Yes, indeed there is a place for treating different people differently, and treating more-sensitive people with greater sensitivity. It's called emotional intelligence, and anyone who works with people would do well to at least consider it in their approach. (I don't usually extoll the virtues of EI because I think it gets overemphasized these days compared to other forms of intelligence... But completely ignoring it is just as ridiculous.) Whether the established players like it or not, Lana is going to have to find her own approach to the game. If a journalist triggers her red flags, then she has the right to enforce her boundaries by ending the interview. (He even says she told him it wasn't about him. That's a conciliatory move. Artless? Maybe. Hissy fit? Hardly.)

So much hype, I have to try Rebel's playlist sometime this week. (With TVIB&W )

Why is there a copyright claim against this video?

Anyone manage to find a copy of "My Rulez" with Liz?

The Pass - Rush

I like the combination of Jims theory for Ultraviolence. It wasn't ringing true for me that it would simply be about Jimmy Gnecco. The casting of another MM for Shades of Cool has really got me thinking it's a Mike Mizrahi song. I'm getting Arthur Lynn vibes for Brooklyn Baby, and Guns and Roses too. (But maybe they're about Reeve Carney? Did he and Lana ever play a gig together? Do we know anything about their relationship aside from a few photos and a Gramma video?) I don't think the main UV tracks are about Barrie, just Black Beauty and Is This Happiness.

The cover really bothers me so I made this:

No one asks for my playlist updates, but I'll post them anyway

I think society plays a huge role. It seems that in the 90s we were deluged with "beautiful losers" in the form of slacker culture. But it's innately human to express confidence or humility in varying degrees, both of which can be good things. I guess it's the affectation of either one that can be particularly grating. And when a personality style becomes culturally sort of mandated, the outliers who don't fit the pattern understandably resist. I'm just tired of watching the pendulum swing. I wish we could find a way to not just co-exist, but appreciate each other's diverse styles of coping with the world.

"'...well, APPARENTLY, there's something to this.'"

I don't want to go back to the aggravations of the vinyl formal. I really, really don't. But GAH.

RIP

I think he killed her off metaphorically by leaving her. And he rues the day. And she knows it. (Well, at least that's the story.)

Someone asking for my help?!? You have no idea how excited this makes me. (Or maybe you do. Hee.) "The Revenge of Lana Del Rey" could work as a title, maybe, if you put something like "She's Not Me" at the end of it... but yeah, I'm not feeling it either. It reminds me a lot of my "Hollywood Playaz" playlist: ...so I think something from that shoot (Wonderland Magazine 2011 by AJ Numan) would work; I don't know how you feel about the one with the red leather dress, but maybe if you call it something like "Playing Dangerous"? Though you also have songs on there that fit with 2010 Nicole Nodland pics of the Lizzy/Lana transition... ...so yeah, I'm feeling "Hollywood Playaz," "Playing Dangerous," or even "Beautiful Player" for this one. "St. Tropez" reminds me of my "Lost in N.Y.C." playlist with some "Neon Gold" thrown in, but yours is heavier on the Lizzy era I think. (Not surfer girl Lizzy, but trailer-park-gone-ghetto Lizzy) "Party Girl" says it all. (I don't think you need PG on the playlist to use it as a title.) So a Chuck Grant photo 2008-9, like when she's wearing the black cat mask, or the blonde wig and navy polka-dot bra, would be perfect I think. I take it you don't like Daddy Issues? I love it, ha, but beyond that, I think it would stick out like a sore thumb on "Champagne Sighs" more than any other playlist I could envision. I think it would go perfectly at the end of your "St. Tropez" playlist. Hope some of this helps! Keep tweaking it till you love it

***** & a rainbow... 1. Cruel World 2. Flipside (I'm addicted to the guitar in this one) 3. Florida Kilos ***** 4. West Coast 5. Old Money 6. Brooklyn Baby (it's growing on me; I could see it climbing as high as #4 for me) 7. Black Beauty 8. Shades of Cool 9. FMWUTTT (the melody is what keeps me from writing this one off... simply gorgeous) 10. Guns and Roses (also a grower; I wanted more bass but hey, this is 2014) **** 11. Ultraviolence (can't quite give it 5 stars yet, but it's hovering at 4.5...) 12. Pretty When You Cry 13. Is This Happiness *** 14. The Other Woman 15. Sad Girl (I know it's not exactly the same content as PWYC, but it FEELS too same-y to me) * 16. Money Power Glory (the guitar solo on this one is the only moment on the album that is truly unlistenable)

I see.

So did they do nothing wrong, or was she victimized to a point? While it may be true these journalists did nothing illegal, that's actually a fairly low standard for evaluating the ethics of their behavior. EE, I'm sure you know more than I do whether the writer did anything unusual... but when you say, "in fact, he'd almost be negligent as a music journalist if he decided not to lead with that quote" you seem to protest more than a bit too much. Again, did the journalists at the Guardian do "absolutely nothing wrong or unusual," or is there in fact an "extent [to which] she was actually victimized"? I think it's important for us to see legal and professional codes as a floor, below which we must not sink, but it's also important for us to be objective enough to take a step back from time to time and decide whether we should do even better. Do you agree with that much, EE? I mean, what do you think? Is there room for discussion about whether journalists in general, and the Guardian journalists in particular, have done this enough? There's definitely room for discussion about what Lana may have contributed to the problem, and I think you and FSP make some excellent points. Additionally, in calling Ariel out she wrongly suggested he was the writer (but are we expected to believe that he was completely uninvolved?) and made, imo, overly specific charges. I mean maybe the contact person and/or the interviewer were hiding sinister motives, but that's rather speculative. I wish that she had handled it differently by focusing on the end result, the actual article written by Tim Jonze and published by the staff of the Guardian, and what it was about the article that made her feel wronged. But that doesn't mean she was in the wrong to call them out at all. That's how communication works, or should work: if one party misunderstands, or distorts the communication through wrong emphasis, then the other party may attempt to set the record straight. The problem is, I think she tried to set it straight by presenting a fuller picture of the situation, when I think what was needed was clarification. Communication is a tricky business, and personality styles indeed play a part in how we handle it, as well as education (including which models we adopt) and professional training (or, admittedly, lack thereof ) But I think we can all do better if we try.

I think this comment bothers me more: When scaring people away from talking about reality doesn't protect us; it just leaves us more ignorant and vulnerable. Lana Del Rey's songs are usually *in the moment* ...that is, from the perspective of the narrator as she is experiencing/perceiving. "Ultraviolence" presents the awe that the younger narrator felt when she was in the presence of the man who offered to guide her. Yet it's also past-tense, and I believe the minor tones of the music (not sure how well I'm explaining this) hint at the regret the narrator feels reflecting back on it now. I hardly come away from this song with the message "brainwashing is romantic and awesome, I should totally go out and find my own guru!" In fact, there's something strangely therapeutic about hearing from another woman who's been through a controlling experience and come out the other side with mixed feelings about it. Even if her final assessment of her situation differs from mine about my own experiences. If that makes any sense. Some people want to believe they're too smart/moral/whatever to fall for the long con. But I believe that when we think we're immune, that can be when we're the most vulnerable.

I've never seen it either, aside from this cover. I can't remember who made the cover either.

She has every right to be pissed at Alexis Petridis, Tim Jonze, whoever wrote the headline, and anyone else involved in taking a legitimate interview and spinning it to sensationalist effect. Jonze should just say "I didn't mean the question to be leading; I was uncomfortable asking it" and leave it at that. But that wouldn't be "interesting" enough. Instead he has to resort to disingenuous excuses like well, um, she didn't specifically SAY we took her words "out of context" specifically... Really, Tim Jonze?