Exene Cervenka/Lydia Lunch
Rude Hieroglyphics (Rykodisc)
by Ryk McIntyre
Sometime long, long ago (the ’80s, I think….) there was published a book of poetry by Lydia Lunch and Exene Cervenka called Adulterers Anonymous which sported the neat innovation of printing the respective poet’s works in different typefaces so that even in collaborative pieces, you knew whose line was whose. And young, sincere poet that I was at the time, I merrily underlined all the lines I really liked.
They were all Exene’s, each one. Not that I think Lydia has no talent. God knows I remember even farther back to her NYC bands 8-Eyed Spy and Teenage Jesus and the Jerks, it’s just that a lot of her subsequent offerings seem sort of whiny, whiny, blah. Like, on this CD, almost every time she opens her mouth.
The problem with this offering is that you don’t really know what’s going on most of the time. Was that a poem? Or just continuity patter between pieces? Has the next piece started? Is it over? You get the idea.
This one-liner/fragment approach broaches all the right subjects: Women’s rights (good), government (bad), modern society (sucks), and the poets themselves (they bad, they bad…). Once in a while it does click, especially on the women’s point-of-view tirade concerning a certain celebrity trial of last year where they twist up a blistering attack that spares nothing, no attack. Pity the rest of the CD doesn’t leave much of a lasting impression.