It occurs to me that I haven't posted anything here for a while, as I tend to abandon posts halfway through if they're not eloquent enough. So in leiu of words here is an amazing image that I have loved for a while - Hokusai's 'The Dream of the Fisherman's Wife.'
Her head flung back in dreamy bliss, her hips upthrust to the awaiting mouth, her body cradled by many arms, her lips met by the kiss of the octopus...there is something incredibly captivating about this piece, and I'm fascinated by the eroticism of this unnatural coupling.
The person who first introduced me to Rykarda Parasol's work described her as 'the bastard child of Nick Cave and Polly Harvey, raised by Tom Waits after they mysteriously perished in a freak carnival accident'. Actually, that's not far off the mark, although I'd imagine she probably gets tired of endless comparisons to the above. Songs like 'Drinking Song and 'One for Joy' have something of the Brecht/Weill about them; others are somehow reminiscent of Friedrich Hollaender's cabaret classics penned for the likes of Marlene Dietrich and Dorothy Lamour. Her beautifully evocative lyrics and smoky richness of her voice put me in mind of Lydia Lunch's 'Shotgun Wedding' era, echoes of gospel, small town horror and Southern guilt.
Anyway, I couldn't find a video for the track I can't stop listening to at the moment ('Arrival, a Rival'...'Lonesome Place' is also utterly captivating)) but I think this showcases her style pretty well, and also has an ice-skating grim reaper in it.
I want to show you something beautiful. But then again I also want to show you things that are gaudy, things that are sleazy, things that are disturbing and freakish and nasty and nonsensical and absurd and lovely. These little snapshots of my life.
So put on a happy face. Let's make this pleasant... (That's me lying down)
