I’m not going to lie. I never liked Pizzicato Five. Several of my friends were quite into them at the time (my friend Sam used to play their single “Twiggy” incessantly, and it made me want to set him on fire), but I just never warmed to their kitschy-cutesy retro-shtick. Moreover, there was so much better music going on (in my opinion) during their mid-90’s heyday that I simply didn’t feel I needed to give them the time of day.
In any case, my good friend Erik recently shot me this clip of theirs from their New York-centric 1994 album Overdose, and it’s a weird trip back to the SoHo of 1994.
As I suggested above, 1994 was an amazing year for music. Sure, there were those obvious, roundly celebrated albums by artists like Jeff Buckley, Blur, Oasis, Massive Attack, Portishead, Weezer and Green Day, but 1994 also gave us what I’d consider pivotal releases from Flaming Pablum-favorites like Killing Joke, Cop Shoot Cop and The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion. I’m sure you have your own faves as well.
The weird thing is that I still kinda consider 1994 recent, which is ridiculous, as it’s now officially TWO GODDAMN DECADES AGO. Never is that more evident than in the video below. Even if – like me – you’re left cold and clammy by Pizzicato Five’s spindly brand of precious pop, this video for “On the Sunny Side of the Street” is well worth a viewing for the eye-popping depiction of a SoHo in transition … still endearingly pockmarked with posters, street art and its former patina of good ol’ rusty grime. Walk down these same streets today, and you’d barely recognize them.
Enjoy.
I agree with you, 1994 doesn't seem like the 'old days' but I guess it is. At the same time the past doesn't really age like it used to. Back in the mid-century trends used to change pretty quickly. The 60s seemed like ancient history by the end of the 70s for example. These days trends hang around for a while. Seeing someone in 2014 dressed like the singer in the video wouldn't take anybody by surprise or be considered 'retro'.
Does this mean culture doesn't really evolve and things are less interesting? I'd like to think so.
Posted by: URL Brennerr | January 17, 2014 at 11:57 AM
Soho has changed more than fashion. The gaugosian gallery at the end is certainly missed.
Posted by: Paul | January 28, 2014 at 02:44 PM