Ci sono due cose che mi sono sempre piaciute di Kurt Cobain, innanzitutto che è nato il mio stesso giorno e questo mi permette di vantarmi e non poco, anche se in maniera poco gratificata con le ragazze, poi che era un gran rock conoscenti. Tra le sue scoperte vi sono i Meat Puppets, i Pixies che diciamoci la verità prima che Cobain dichiarasse di amarli se li cacavano in pochini e poi i Vaselines.
I Vaselines era un gruppetto di due ragazzini scozzesi al secolo Frances McKee e Eugene Kelly, fondato nel 1986 che avevano giusto prodotto qualche EP e un LP. In tutto giusto una manciata di canzoni. Cobain cercò di rilanciarli, tanto da invitarli ad aprire il concerto dei Nirvana ad Edimburgo. Tentò di fare quello che fece Bukowski con John Fante. Pur avendo cotanto angelo custode i Vaselines non riuscirono a decollare nei cieli aurei del rock'n'roll. Sono sempre rimasti un cosidetto "culto" per pochi appassionati e feticisti dell'indie pop o come credo sia più esatto descrivere twee pop.
"The Way of the Vaselines" è una ben riuscita summa della loro produzione, una produzione distorta, dove sembra che la melodia si incastoni alla perfezione con un brusio ininterrotto dell'anima. Probabilmente sarebbe stato un disco amatissimo da un giovane Torless o da un giovane Holden. Diciamolo pure è un disco per eterni ragazzini anche un pò nerd. La produzione pur essendo un pò raffazzonata e la scrittura pur essendo un pò acerba riesce sempre e comunque ad entrare in contatto con il nostro fanciullino. Questo probabilmente colpì Cobain al punto che fece diverse cover dei nostri amati Vaselines. Le influenze sono chiarissime e vanno dai Jesus and Mary Chain ad un certo elettro pop cazzone sotto lo sfondo di una tipica new wave d'estrazione albionica. Ad un primo ascolto posso capire che i due scozzesi possano sembrare una sorta di Moldy Peaches ante-litteram ma ad un ascolto più profondo si può notare come la loro influenza vada oltre i momenti più melodici dei Nirvana e possa arrivare a quelli che secondo me sono i momenti migliori dei Belle & Sebastian.
Ma cosa c'è nel profondo intimo di questo disco, credo che le descrizioni migliori aldilà dei nomi e delle etichette possa trovarsi nei fumosi pomeriggi scozzesi, nelle camerette con la carta da parati a pattern gialli e verdi, nella flebile voce della nonna che nonostante siamo già cresciuti si ostina a darci i biscotti al burro fatti da lei con le sue mani, una volta leggere e affusolate, ora solo grinzose e invecchiate. Quei pomeriggi persi a leggere consolanti romanzi di formazione o a fumare sigarette senza mai giungerne alla fine. Buttate a metà. Queste atmosfere si ritrovano in canzoni come "Molly's Lips", "Jesus Wants me for a Sunbeam", "No Hope". Poi si esce come sospesi per andare a cercare qualche libro usato o a chiamare alla cabina una ragazza che ci piace. Alla cabina perchè i soldi al cellulare sono finiti. Poi si ritorna a casa è l'ora di cena si inizia bevendo qualche birra per poi finire a berne anche 5-6. Si ritorna al disco e abbiamo voglia di ballare nella nostra cameretta. Giusto saltellare ed ecco che in nostro soccorso arriva "The day I was Horse", "Dum-Dum" e il capolavoro "Son of a Gun". E vi assicuro che la loro versione si un milione di anni luce migliore di quella dei Nirvana presente in "Incesticide".
E la ragazza che amiamo anche se non è lì vicino a voi lo è lo stesso ce lo dicono i Vaselines: "sunshine is in my bedroom when you play". La mattina ci risvegliamo con la bocca arsa, dobbiamo andare al lavoro o a studiare e quei suoni ci accompagnano e non sappiamo più di che colore è la malinconia o che forma ha la gioia tutto grazie a queste canzoni si è ormai mischiato ed anche gli alberi del viale vicino casa sembrano abbassarsi per poter bere l'acqua che il cielo e la rugiada hanno buttato ai loro piedi non dalle radici ma con la loro bocca.
Elenco tracce testi samples e video
01 Son of a Gun (03:46)
Swing swing up and down,
Turn turn turn around,
Round round round and about and over again.
Gun gun son of a gun,
You are the only one, And no one else can take my place.
The sun shines in the bedroom when you play,
And the raining always starts when you go away.
02 Rory Rides Me Raw (02:28)
Galloping through the morning dew,
There is only one thing that I want to do to you,
And its true that I'm going to do it soon.
Rory rory ride rory
Rory rory ride rory
Rory ride me slowly,
Ride me raw raw raw.
Stride on your back rocking to ride,
I got the feeling we're gonna gallop alright,
And It's true that I'm gonna do it soon.
Galloping through the morning dew,
There's only one thing I that I want to do to you,
And it's true, that I'm gonna to do it soon.
It'll take three to satisfy me,
'Cause I'm more of a man than you'll ever be.
Rory, ride me slowly, ride me true, ride me true.
03 You Think You're a Man (05:43)
You think your a man but your only a boy,
You think your a man but your only a toy,
You think your a man but you just couldn't see,
You Weren't man enough to satisfy me.
Man boy.
04 Dying for It (02:22)
She said to me, would you like to be,
I got plenty of time, It's gonna take some time.
Ahhhh I'm hanging out.
I'm hanging out baby, I'm hanging out,
Ahhhh I'm hanging out.
I'm hanging out baby, I'm hanging out,
Ahhhh I'm hanging out,
Come on now, come along sing my song.
She said to me, we're gonna lie on the floor,
Cause we don't need to go and can choose some more.
I'm dying for something, oh what will it be,
I'm dying for you to do something to me.
05 Molly's Lips (01:44)
She said she'll take me anyway,
She'll take me everyway,
As long as she stays with me.
She said she'll take me everywhere,
She'll take me anywhere,
As long as I'm good and clean.
Kiss kiss Molly's lips
Kiss kiss Molly's lips
Kiss kiss Molly's lips
Kiss kiss Molly's lips
She said she'll take me everytime,
She'll take me anytime,
As long as she stays with me.
She said she'll take me everyday,
She'll take me anyday,
And it would be free..
06 Teenage Superstars (03:28)
I'm a teenage Jesus superstar without a mighty cross to bear,
And when mom complains about my hair,
I say hey mom I just don't care.
I'm in hell and the angels cry cause I'm trying to sell my soul,
And when mom complains about my clothes,
I say hey mom leave me alone.
Come on little girl, it's gonna be alright,
Come on little girl, it's gonna be alright,
I got one thing on my mind girl,
I got one thing on my mind and I don't care.
I'm a teenage Jesus superstar.
07 Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam (03:31)
Jesus don't want me for a sunbeam,
Cause sunbeams are not made like me,
And don't expect me to cry,
For all the reasons you had to die,
Don't ever ask your love of me.
Don't expect me to lie,
Don't expect me to cry,
Don't expect me to die for thee.
08 Sex Sux (Amen) (03:10)
I was born up an original sin,
Brought my two time in her slim virgin,
Father, Son and the Holy Ghost,
I'm the Sacred host, with the most.
I was born on Christmas day,
And all my people turned me away.
They said I'd be the one,
Borrow the life of the chosen son,
Doing the cross was not for me,
It's human life of chastity.
I was born on Christmas day,
And all my people turned me away.
Hey, hey, hey, hey.
I got one thing to say, SEX SUX AMEN!
09 Slushy (02:00)
Long brown hair, eyes were green.
Prettiest girl I've ever seen,
And you'll never miss what you never had.
Oh, you'll never miss what you never had.
Long brown hair, eyes were gray.
Tried and tried to stay away,
And you'll never miss what you never had.
Oh, you'll never miss what you never had.
I do, I do,
I really miss you,
And if I'd only ask your name again.
10 Monsterpussy (01:43)
Monsterpuss, monsterpuss,
Meow, my monsterpuss,
Monsterpuss, monsterpuss,
Meow, my monsterpuss,
I'm gonna skin it and wear it as a hat,
On my head, everyday when it's dead.
I'm gonna skin it and wear it as gloves,
On my hands, everyday when it's dead.
I'm gonna skin it and wear it as a scarf,
Around my neck, everyday when it's dead.
11 Bitch (02:42)
I'm a real bitch
I'm a twisted witch
I'll screw you around
When your feeling down
I wonder around with my nose in the air
I bug all these losers, but I don't care
They might think they're better than me
But I'm gonna make them history
I've been around I've done all I can
I'll mess you a bud, I'll even steal your man
I've tried too hard, been pushed too long
Gonna put all you man where you belong
13 Oliver Twisted (02:49)
Once I had a friend called Oliver Twisted,
Who used to think he was a brand and gifted,
Stupendisly handsome, Beautifully smart,
He had no heart.
On his own he was all alone,
He wanted more than he ever got.
Once I had a friend called Oliver Twisted,
Who took life so slow that he occasionally missed it,
Permanently senseless, never on his brain, he had no brain.
Once I had a friend called Oliver Twisted,
Who lived on the edge or so he insisted,
Inteligently careless, hated rock and roll, he had no soul.
14 The Day I Was a Horse (01:29)
They say the story, hope it don't bore ya,
About they day I was a horse,
He said I've been a mourning and a better be a comming,
And he changed into a horse.
Where'd he go?
I don't know.
Whats he on?
Something strong.
Whats it?
Doing shit.
I think I'm on a muther fuckin trip.
He walks his house with a big bad mouth,
And he swallowed all my friends,
So I let him in and rescued the gang,
And he started up again,
He got kinda thinking and he started up a shaking,
And fell on the bed,
Forgot his swings how everything had changed,
Thought this might never end.
15 Dum-Dum (01:57)
I'm a real dum-dum, I'm a son of a gun,
I was born to walk, but I wanted to walk,
I'm a real dum-dum, I even left my mom,
Cause I get on my knees, and I do what I please.
Dum-dum,
Dum-dum,
Dum-dum,
Dum,
Dum-dum,
Dum-dum
I'm a real dum-dum, but I don't mind,
I got a dum-dum girl, we're two of a kind,
I'm a real dum-dum, I'm gonna find the sun,
I'm gonna do what I want, everyday that I please,
I'm a real dum-dum, Just look at the fun,
I'm gonna get my pics already, satan, satan,
I'm a real dum-dum, hey, I don't care,
If you wanted to know I'm a don't carebear.
16 Hairy (01:48)
I don't want to look like you,
Greasy hair and ugly too,
I just want to live in peace,
To lie in bed and stay asleep.
I don't need your company,
I'm so hungry and I can't sleep,
I'm real tired to even whine,
So don't come up and offer man!
I can do without you,
I've come this far on my own,
I don't need any helping hand,
Cause I'm, I'm a man.
17 Lovecraft (05:37)
Kill your friends,
Light your feet,
Do what I want,
Lovecraft.
Kiss your mouth,
Burn your hair,
Do what I want,
Lovecraft.
Blow your man,
Do what I want,
Taste your lip,
Lovecraft.
Pic your time,
Do what I want,
Do what I want,
Lovecraft.
19 Let's Get Ugly (02:19)
Time and again,
I think to myself,
Oh, watch me,
One less gun shell,
You are,
You are,
You are, ugly
You are,
You are,
You are, ugly
Oh, watch me,
Thats her alone,
I've started to cry,
I've started to moan.
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Altre recensioni
Di tode
Un tempestivo Kurt Cobain si innamorò dei (pochi) pezzi sfornati, e decise che doveva per forza fare qualcosa per loro.
Da ascoltare davanti alla finestra durante un temporale autunnale per ricordarsi che, in fondo, nemmeno alle gocce di pioggia piace il loro lavoro.
