XXL Posted September 10, 2015 Share Posted September 10, 2015 http://www.nme.com/news/grace-jones--2/88201 Grace Jones hits out at 'middle of the road' pop stars including Miley Cyrus, Rihanna and Beyoncé Iconic singer also mentions Kanye West, Lady Gaga, Katy Perry and FKA Twigs in new book Grace Jones has lamented the state of modern pop music in an extract from her new book I'll Never Write My Memoirs. The singer, actress and fashion icon will publish her autobiography on September 29. Before then, she has released an extract from it via Time Out. In the snippet, Jones states how trends "come along" and go and how she's been copied by modern stars who have no "long-term vision". Jones writes, "Trends come along and people say, 'Follow that trend'. There’s a lot of that around at the moment: 'Be like Sasha Fierce (Beyonce). Be like Miley Cyrus. Be like Rihanna. Be like Lady Gaga. Be like Rita Ora and Sia. Be like Madonna.' I cannot be like them – except to the extent that they are already being like me." "I have been so copied by those people who have made fortunes that people assume I am that rich. But I did things for the excitement, the dare, the fact that it was new, not for the money, and too many times I was the first, not the beneficiary." Jones adds, "The problem with... the Nicki Minajes and Mileys is that they reach their goal very quickly. There is no long-term vision, and they forget that once you get into that whirlpool then you have to fight the system that solidifies around you in order to keep being the outsider you claim you represent. There will always be a replacement coming along very soon – a newer version, a crazier version, a louder version. So if you haven’t got a long-term plan, then you are merely a passing phase, the latest trend, yesterday’s event." "They dress up as though they are challenging the status quo, but by now, wearing those clothes, pulling those faces, revealing those tattoos and breasts, singing to those fractured, spastic, melting beats – that is the status quo. You are not off the beaten track, pushing through the thorny undergrowth, finding treasure no one has come across before. You are in the middle of the road. You are really in Vegas wearing the sparkly full-length gown singing to people who are paying to see you but are not really paying attention. If that is what you want, fine, but it’s a road to nowhere." The singer later cites the likes of Kanye West, Katy Perry and FKA Twigs as her "pupils", offering the advice: "This is what I would say to my pupil: you have become only your fame, and left behind most of who you were. How are you going to deal with that? Will you lose that person forever? Have you become someone else, without really knowing it? Do you always have to stay in character for people to like you? Do you know that you are in character? "I would say fame is all well and good if you want to take it to another level. If you have some greater purpose. Me, I am just a singer, on one sort of stage or another, who likes to have an audience, but not all the time. Listen to my advice; I have some experience. In a way, it is me being a teacher, which is what I wanted to be. I still feel I could go into teaching. What is teaching but passing on your knowledge to those who are at the beginning? Some people are born with that gift. With me, the teaching side morphed into the performing side. It’s in there." I’ll Never Write My Memoirs spans Jones’ beginnings as a model, her emergence as an icon of disco, her work with Andy Warhol and appearances on the silver screen opposite Roger Moore and Arnold Schwarzenegger. Jones famously claimed she would "never write my memoirs" in the song 'Art Groupie' but has now said she needs to write the book or "someone else would". See the book's cover below. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elysium Posted September 10, 2015 Share Posted September 10, 2015 I think her comments about other 'current' pop stars is pretty accurate. Nothing derogatory about Madonna as even M herself would admit to being slightly influenced by Jones' bold imagery and creativity as they've collaborated with similar people especially during the 80s. Not really a fan of celebrity autobiographies although this one will be the exception that I buy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
realityisalways Posted September 10, 2015 Share Posted September 10, 2015 I love how NME conveniently cut out the part about GaGa "I remember when one of the singers on the list of those who came after me first said that she wanted to work with me. Everyone around me is going: ‘You have to do it, it will be so good for you, it will introduce you to a whole new audience, you will make a lot of money’. No! It will be good for her; she will draw from everything I have built and add it to her brand, and I will get nothing back except for a little temporary attention. No one could believe that I said no, but I am okay on my own. I am okay not worrying about a new audience. If the **** don’t feel right, don’t **** it.With this one, who I will call Doris, I thought she was trying on other people’s outfits: she’s a baby in a closet full of other people’s clothes, a little girl playing dress-up, putting on shoes that don’t fit. I could see what she wanted to be when I watched her doing something when she started out that was starker and purer. Deep down, she doesn’t want to do all the dressing-up nonsense; she loses herself inside all the play-acting."More at: http://www.timeout.com/london/music/grace-jones-autobiography-extract-rihanna-miley-gaga-kanye It's obviously GaGa, since she said this in 2010: Pop music’s original diva of the night recently took on Lady Gaga in an interview with the Guardian newspaper. Asked how she felt about Gaga, Jones responded: “I really don’t think of her at all. I go about my business.”And what of accusations that Gaga had taken her style? “Well, you know, I’ve seen some things she’s worn that I’ve worn, and that does kind of piss me off.” Has Gaga asked her to collaborate? “Yes, she did, but I said no,” Jones responded. “’Id just prefer to work with someone who is more original and someone who is not copying me, actually.” http://thatgrapejuice.net/2010/04/grace-jones-talks-lady-gaga-collboartion-prefer-work-somone-copying/ Doris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roland Barthes Posted September 10, 2015 Share Posted September 10, 2015 Grace Jones speaks as if her career has been constant. From 1985 to 2009 it was a huge big mess because she could not commit to work and was a full blown coke head. My sister went to her apt. in the early 90's because she's friend with Paulo and there was a table nearby the sofa with a pyramid of coke on it. I met her once, she screamed at a friend of Paulo and my sister asking him if he was gay in french but with a heavy english accent from this day till today it's still a code between my sister and i when we wonder if somedy is gay. My sister told me that she heard her say Madonna was her friend many times while she was with Paulo (becaus eof course i asked). She had this album that was supposed to be released in the mid 90's she made everyone listen to but it never got released. Last night i saw a french movie with her, it was hilariously bad (see her thread for the link) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VogueMusic Posted September 10, 2015 Share Posted September 10, 2015 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephen Posted September 10, 2015 Share Posted September 10, 2015 I got a cocaine high reading her comments Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 10, 2015 Share Posted September 10, 2015 I can't even name 1 Grace Jones song . Like, obviously I know she's famous but I wouldn't have guessed she was that influential to everyone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Rachelle of London Posted September 10, 2015 Share Posted September 10, 2015 She's not really lying though! These basic tarts copy her left right and centre Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnpaul911 Posted September 10, 2015 Share Posted September 10, 2015 I loved the article. On point about artists these days Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XXL Posted September 10, 2015 Author Share Posted September 10, 2015 She's not really lying though! These basic tarts copy her left right and centre True but in pointing that out she's foolishly (and a bit transparently I might add) lumping Madonna with them when it's THEM latching onto whatever Madonna 's done before. She goes out of her way to repeat that she came from the underground. Where does she actually think Madonna came from? She knows the answer to that only too well Love her but these comments are a bit idiotic and attention-seeking in nature. Other than the obvious part about "you've got to find your style otherwise someone louder, bolder, bigger will come along the way to take your place" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5iVe Elements Posted September 10, 2015 Share Posted September 10, 2015 she comes across as bitter to me. Being a pop star also means having an image and maintaining it. She's just judging those girls based on their appearances. Did she even bother looking at the songs by those artists? Are those popstars only about clothes and looks? With Gaga she's spot on. But I disagree with some Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phineaspoe Posted September 10, 2015 Share Posted September 10, 2015 I think she is pretty spot on, particularly in terms of how many pop tarts have no vision or long term plans for anything they do. But that has been true all along in popular music. Only the visionaries survive and persist. This is also why lumping Madonna with the other ones is a gross mistake. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StrikeItUp Posted September 10, 2015 Share Posted September 10, 2015 http://www.nme.com/news/grace-jones--2/88201 Be like Rita Ora Who the hell ever says that? Interesting to note that Grace doesn't actually slam Madonna at all. If you read the full Time Out execerpt from the book she feels Madonna (along with Annie Lennox, funny enough) are her pupils that derived from her. Which is as close to shade as it gets (is it even really?). Oh, and Doris is totally Gaga! Looking forward to this book. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Platinum Gold Posted September 10, 2015 Share Posted September 10, 2015 I don't know her Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nick00 Posted September 10, 2015 Share Posted September 10, 2015 Respect her and she's highly original and influential! Let her rip apart the basic mamas (not M) because she was the s**t!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RebelHeart2015 Posted September 10, 2015 Share Posted September 10, 2015 she should have hired a ghost writer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tuckeye Posted September 10, 2015 Share Posted September 10, 2015 madonna was not trying to be like grace, coke does make one delusional, but grace seems to think SHE IS THE ONLY STAR EVER, lol and doris is gags, lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
loomer Posted September 10, 2015 Share Posted September 10, 2015 A Grace autobiography Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonski43 Posted September 10, 2015 Share Posted September 10, 2015 Grace Jones speaks as if her career has been constant. From 1985 to 2009 it was a huge big mess because she could not commit to work and was a full blown coke head. My sister went to her apt. in the early 90's because she's friend with Paulo and there was a table nearby the sofa with a pyramid of coke on it. I met her once, she screamed at a friend of Paulo and my sister asking him if he was gay in french but with a heavy english accent from this day till today it's still a code between my sister and i when we wonder if somedy is gay. My sister told me that she heard her say Madonna was her friend many times while she was with Paulo (becaus eof course i asked). She had this album that was supposed to be released in the mid 90's she made everyone listen to but it never got released. Last night i saw a french movie with her, it was hilariously bad (see her thread for the link) There were two albums I'm aware of - Black Marilyn and Force of Nature, the latter was supposed to feature Hurricane which got released as a white label. Grace was always pretty underground and never had massive hits so probably couldn't get a deal! I imagine she started to respect Madonna later in the eighties when she could see she was a genuine talent rather than just a club wannabee which she may have seemed in 85. I can't even name 1 Grace Jones song . Like, obviously I know she's famous but I wouldn't have guessed she was that influential to everyone. She was one of the stars of Studio 54 and a huge presence on the disco and club scene of the late seventies, early eighties. Pull Up To The Bumper and Slave To The Rhythm are two of the greatest eighties tracks ever!!!!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Rachelle of London Posted September 10, 2015 Share Posted September 10, 2015 Who the hell ever says that? Interesting to note that Grace doesn't actually slam Madonna at all. If you read the full Time Out execerpt from the book she feels Madonna (along with Annie Lennox, funny enough) are her pupils that derived from her. Which is as close to shade as it gets (is it even really?). Oh, and Doris is totally Gaga! Looking forward to this book. Thank you. Yet again people jumping to conclusions thinking she's "dissing Madonna" yet she praises her in the book. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roland Barthes Posted September 10, 2015 Share Posted September 10, 2015 If you watch old Grace Jones shows before Goude reinvention, you'll see a lot of Madonna : the wedding dress (Debbie Harry did it too at CBGB's and it was a suggestion to Madonna made by Maripol who was/is friend with both Debbie and Grace) etc...Also They hang out with the same people : Maripol and Keith Haring. Warner wanted Goude to direct the video for Material girl but she thought the association between his work and Jones was too strong and she fought a lot to have her idea of remaking Diamonds are a girl's best friend getting approval. What really doomed Grace Jones is a lack of work ethic and cocaine. If you read a Madonna bio in your life you'd know Michael Roseblatt her first PR and the one who actually had her signed to Sire and who managed her before Like a virgin (he hired Reggie Lucas, said no to the Edo Bertoglio photoshoot and hired Gary Heery) "sold' her to clubs as somebody "people who like Grace Jones might like too". Madonna's mega success around 1985 took everyone by surprise because they liked her but thought she was just a fad and by 1987 she became the template for female pop artists, so hearing everybody telling you" it should be you" and "You should do what she does" for people who came before her and whose careers where suddenly at a standstill must have been terrible. There's a Rolling Stone interview with Madonna from 1986 (i think it's the New Madonna one with Matthew Rolston pics) where the journalist joins Madonna, Sean and Chrissie Hynde at a restaurant and Chrissie Hynde (who was a friend of Sean and was Madonna's major influence during her Emmy years) was petty and condescending with Madonna. The thing is Grace before Goude took a lot from Marlene Dietrich and if i remember well she was promoted as the black Marlene Dietrich because of her voice and that captain costume....but it's really Goude and Chris Blackwell (Island records boss) that made her iconic. The disco records are (to me) painful to listen to. I remember a documentary about disco music where Tom Moulton the producer of her disco records dissed them (and her as a pain in the ass who cannot sing). As for her views on the new girls i think it's painful and sad to say that because it makes her sound bitter like Chrissie Hynde and Debbie Harry. Yes they are sexual and i truly think it's genuine when it comes from Rihanna or Miley because just like Madonna they are sexual not sexy and they are not trying to be, it's just who they are unlike Gaga who wants to be that girl she's not. As for "Doris" it makes me think of Janet, as many letters in the name...when Janet started until the Janet album she was not sexy nor sexual at all, she was always covered from head to toe and suddenly when she signed to Virgin she became Madonna but went further than her since she did not let go of the sex thing and tried to explore something else (Janet never talks about religion or spirituality) she went deep into the subject till it became ALL she had to say (from all for you to today). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeakMaker Posted September 10, 2015 Share Posted September 10, 2015 She sounds very bitter to me. She might have a solid opinion but it's so easy to diss peeps and say they should do something different but if you are willing to pinpoint the problem then give us a solution, Grace! What would you like these new pop girls to do? I don't think it was fair on Miley Cyrus and of course Madonna. Madonna can do pretty much what she wants as she still has a very successful career and she's almost 60! Regardless of how she operates you can't falter her creative process because no one in the history of music achieved what she did so still being out there and doing something is incredible for all that matters. Miley has just released her new album and I have to say I'm impressed on now she risked it all by putting out a very anti-pop album. Her style and image might have become somewhat tiresome but musically I think she's a step ahead.. I can see where Grace Jones comes from when she talks about Gaga but even then I believe Gaga's still trying to come up with something different and artistic with the whole jazz thing. Maybe Grace misses being a pop star and she's just having a go at all these people so the press will pick on that and mentions her name again. Besides, she might have influced many women with her style and looks but music wise I don't even know a song of hers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryan Posted September 10, 2015 Share Posted September 10, 2015 She ain't bitter. She's speaking the truth. It's her prerogative to publish her own opinions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larkspur Posted September 11, 2015 Share Posted September 11, 2015 Did she just describe the Queen Of Pop as a "trend" that just came along? How can you take this woman seriously? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tuckeye Posted September 11, 2015 Share Posted September 11, 2015 Did she just describe the Queen Of Pop as a "trend" that just came along? How can you take this woman seriously? this and at least Doris is gags, lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thegoldencalf Posted September 11, 2015 Share Posted September 11, 2015 If you watch old Grace Jones shows before Goude reinvention, you'll see a lot of Madonna : the wedding dress (Debbie Harry did it too at CBGB's and it was a suggestion to Madonna made by Maripol who was/is friend with both Debbie and Grace) etc...Also They hang out with the same people : Maripol and Keith Haring. Warner wanted Goude to direct the video for Material girl but she thought the association between his work and Jones was too strong and she fought a lot to have her idea of remaking Diamonds are a girl's best friend getting approval. What really doomed Grace Jones is a lack of work ethic and cocaine. If you read a Madonna bio in your life you'd know Michael Roseblatt her first PR and the one who actually had her signed to Sire and who managed her before Like a virgin (he hired Reggie Lucas, said no to the Edo Bertoglio photoshoot and hired Gary Heery) "sold' her to clubs as somebody "people who like Grace Jones might like too". Madonna's mega success around 1985 took everyone by surprise because they liked her but thought she was just a fad and by 1987 she became the template for female pop artists, so hearing everybody telling you" it should be you" and "You should do what she does" for people who came before her and whose careers where suddenly at a standstill must have been terrible. There's a Rolling Stone interview with Madonna from 1986 (i think it's the New Madonna one with Matthew Rolston pics) where the journalist joins Madonna, Sean and Chrissie Hynde at a restaurant and Chrissie Hynde (who was a friend of Sean and was Madonna's major influence during her Emmy years) was petty and condescending with Madonna. The thing is Grace before Goude took a lot from Marlene Dietrich and if i remember well she was promoted as the black Marlene Dietrich because of her voice and that captain costume....but it's really Goude and Chris Blackwell (Island records boss) that made her iconic. The disco records are (to me) painful to listen to. I remember a documentary about disco music where Tom Moulton the producer of her disco records dissed them (and her as a pain in the ass who cannot sing). As for her views on the new girls i think it's painful and sad to say that because it makes her sound bitter like Chrissie Hynde and Debbie Harry. Yes they are sexual and i truly think it's genuine when it comes from Rihanna or Miley because just like Madonna they are sexual not sexy and they are not trying to be, it's just who they are unlike Gaga who wants to be that girl she's not. As for "Doris" it makes me think of Janet, as many letters in the name...when Janet started until the Janet album she was not sexy nor sexual at all, she was always covered from head to toe and suddenly when she signed to Virgin she became Madonna but went further than her since she did not let go of the sex thing and tried to explore something else (Janet never talks about religion or spirituality) she went deep into the subject till it became ALL she had to say (from all for you to today). Very interesting reading! I didn't know the anecdote about the MG video.... I'd love to see it directed by Goude Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VogueMusic Posted September 11, 2015 Share Posted September 11, 2015 Truth...and pretentiousness. Hmmmm.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Rachelle of London Posted September 11, 2015 Share Posted September 11, 2015 She ain't bitter. She's speaking the truth. It's perogatove to publish her opinions. Exactly. It's her book. It's not like she went for an interview and just started spewing hatred for Miley and Gaga. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roland Barthes Posted September 11, 2015 Share Posted September 11, 2015 thing is the story of her family is WAY much more interesting than this (William's blood) and i truly think this excerpt has been given to the press to spark interest in the book but Grace is about so much much much more than that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonski43 Posted September 11, 2015 Share Posted September 11, 2015 If you watch old Grace Jones shows before Goude reinvention, you'll see a lot of Madonna : the wedding dress (Debbie Harry did it too at CBGB's and it was a suggestion to Madonna made by Maripol who was/is friend with both Debbie and Grace) etc...Also They hang out with the same people : Maripol and Keith Haring. Warner wanted Goude to direct the video for Material girl but she thought the association between his work and Jones was too strong and she fought a lot to have her idea of remaking Diamonds are a girl's best friend getting approval. What really doomed Grace Jones is a lack of work ethic and cocaine. If you read a Madonna bio in your life you'd know Michael Roseblatt her first PR and the one who actually had her signed to Sire and who managed her before Like a virgin (he hired Reggie Lucas, said no to the Edo Bertoglio photoshoot and hired Gary Heery) "sold' her to clubs as somebody "people who like Grace Jones might like too". Madonna's mega success around 1985 took everyone by surprise because they liked her but thought she was just a fad and by 1987 she became the template for female pop artists, so hearing everybody telling you" it should be you" and "You should do what she does" for people who came before her and whose careers where suddenly at a standstill must have been terrible. There's a Rolling Stone interview with Madonna from 1986 (i think it's the New Madonna one with Matthew Rolston pics) where the journalist joins Madonna, Sean and Chrissie Hynde at a restaurant and Chrissie Hynde (who was a friend of Sean and was Madonna's major influence during her Emmy years) was petty and condescending with Madonna. The thing is Grace before Goude took a lot from Marlene Dietrich and if i remember well she was promoted as the black Marlene Dietrich because of her voice and that captain costume....but it's really Goude and Chris Blackwell (Island records boss) that made her iconic. The disco records are (to me) painful to listen to. I remember a documentary about disco music where Tom Moulton the producer of her disco records dissed them (and her as a pain in the ass who cannot sing). As for her views on the new girls i think it's painful and sad to say that because it makes her sound bitter like Chrissie Hynde and Debbie Harry. Yes they are sexual and i truly think it's genuine when it comes from Rihanna or Miley because just like Madonna they are sexual not sexy and they are not trying to be, it's just who they are unlike Gaga who wants to be that girl she's not. As for "Doris" it makes me think of Janet, as many letters in the name...when Janet started until the Janet album she was not sexy nor sexual at all, she was always covered from head to toe and suddenly when she signed to Virgin she became Madonna but went further than her since she did not let go of the sex thing and tried to explore something else (Janet never talks about religion or spirituality) she went deep into the subject till it became ALL she had to say (from all for you to today). Yes, that was hilarious! I'm slowly getting into the disco records. On Your Knees and That's The Trouble are good and I'm liking Repentance now. I think we all look at the current crop of female pop stars with dismay but the again, the whole generation seems very lost at the moment in terms of creativity. Everything is poor copy of what went before from fashion to pop music. It's a very uninspiring time as it's all about the 'brand' and the 'business' side of things now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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