정체불명의 5인조가 등장했다. 이들의 등장에는 많은 수식어가 따라 붙는다. 비지스, 엘튼 존, 빌리지 피플, 데이빗 보위까지. ‘가위 자매’라는 엉뚱한 밴드명과 함께 어디로 튈 지 모르는 고무공처럼, 씨저 시스터스의 출현은 유쾌하기 짝이 없다. 신선하기까지 하다.
갓 데뷔한 신인들이 이름을 알리는 데 가장 주효한 방법 중 하나는 누구나 아는 명곡 중 명곡을 리메이크하는 것이다. 감탄사가 나올 정도로 멋들어진 리메이크라면 금상첨화겠지만, 그렇지 않더라도 그리 문제될 것은 없다. 시선을 끌었다면 일단 성공적인 시작이다. 씨저 시스터스는 핑크 플로이드의 ‘COMFORTABLY NUMB’을 무기로 삼았다. 착실하게 실력을 쌓다 레이블에 발탁되는 것이 정도正道라면, 이들의 시작은 분명 정도가 아닐 수 있다. 하지만, 이들의 특이한 면모를 이리저리 살펴보다 보면, 이보다 더 씨저 시스터스다운 시작은 없다고 느낄 것이다. 보컬이자 밴드의 얼굴마담인 제이크 시어스JAKE SHEARS는 얼핏 보면 제인스 어딕션의 패리 파렐이나 자미로꽈이, 멀게는 데이빗 보위를 연상시킨다. 과장된 제스처를 즐기는 것으로 보면 패리 파렐 쪽이 더욱 가깝다. 단단하게 조여진 깔깔한 목소리를 듣다보면 펑크왕자 프린스와 팝 대왕 엘튼 존이 동시에 떠오르기도 한다. 예사롭지 않은 춤사위와 간지러운 팔세토 보컬, 댄스리듬 사이를 비집고 나온 전자음을 듣다보면 영락없는 자미로꽈이다.
씨저 시스터스는 이름부터 이상!하다. 가위손 에드워드가 떠오를 수도 있지만, 그 정도면 애교로 봐줄 만하다. 현지에서는 좀더 불경스러운 이미지를 떠올린다. 그도 그럴것이 ‘씨저 시스터’는 레즈비언 행위를 칭하는 용어다. 동성애와는 무관하다는 해명 아닌 해명이 이어졌다. 새침한 듯, 교태 넘치는, 키치적인 멤버들의 모양새는 독특한 냄새를 풍기고 있기는 하다. 분명 모범생과는 거리가 멀지만, 그렇다고 이들의 취향이 뒤틀렸다 단정할 순 없다. 삐딱하긴 하지만, 유쾌한 반항이다.
씨저 시스터스는 보컬인 제이크 시어스JAKE SHEARS, 베이스와 기타, 키보드 등 다양한 악기를 다루는 재능꾼 베이비대디BABYDADDY, 드럼에 패디 붐PADDY BOOM, 보컬과 퍼커션을 담당한 애나 매트로닉ANA MATRONIC, 기타와 베이스를 맡은 델 마퀴스DEL MARQUIS. 5인조다. 이들의 탄생은 5년 전으로 거슬러 올라간다. 당시 19살이었던 제이크 시어스는 베이비대디BABYDADDY라는 이름의 멀티연주자를 소개받았다. 두 사람 모두, 짜임새있는 곡을 만들어 내고자 하는 열정을 가지고 있었다. 그리고 무엇보다도 ‘별난 유머’에 대한 애착이 대단했다. 대학에 진학한 제이크는 소설창작을 전공하면서 작곡을 병행했다. 곡을 통해 하나의 연재물을 이어가는 그의 작업 방식은 이때부터 시작되었다. 세 번째 멤버를 만난 것은 한 핼로윈 파티에서였다. 애나 매트로닉은 행위예술가로 캬바레 쇼를 주최하고 있었다. 첫 번째 공연은 2001년 말, 애나의 클럽에서 이루어졌다. 이 때는 기타리스트 델과 드러머 패디가 이미 가세한 상태로, 현재의 모습으로 선보인 첫 번째 무대였다.
씨저 시스터스의 셀프 타이틀 데뷔작은 무척 유쾌하고 신선하다. 근래 등장하는 많은 밴드들과 마찬가지로, 과거의 유산에 많은 빚을 지고 있지만트랙이 넘어갈 때마다 등장하는 선배들의 이름을 열거해보라, 탁월한 짜집기로 새로운 생명을 불어넣었다. 벡의 세련된 감각과 반대노선을 걷고 있다는 것이 차이라면 차이다. 첫 트랙인 ‘LAURA’는 와와거리는 기타와 발구르는 소리를 연상시키는 둔탁음. 여기에 색소폰의 글래머러스한 연주, 낮게 깔리며 중얼거리는 하모니가 절묘하다. 듣는 순간 이들에게 빠져들 자신을 발견하게 될 것이다. 앨범의 첫 싱글이자 ‘TAKE YOUR MAMA’는 상상 속 이미지를 쏟아내는 개성있는 뮤직 비디오와 함께 오래오래 귀에 박혀 떠나지 않는다. 앨범에서 가장 관심을 끈 것은 화제만발의 리메이크. 감히 핑크 플로이드의‘COMFORTABLY NUMB’를 디스코 찬가로 탈바꿈시키다니. 그들의 대담함이 상상을 초월한다. 여기에 프랭키 고우스 투 헐리우드FRANKIE GOES TO HOLLYWOOD의 ‘RELAX’를 슬그머니 집어넣어 비틀어 놓았다. 피트 통PETE TONG이 진행하는 에센셜 셀렉션ESSENTIAL SELECTION; 영국 라디오 원의 프로그램은 ‘필청의 신곡ESSENTIAL NEW TUNE’으로 선정하며 찬사를 보냈다. 피아노 연주로 시작되는‘MARY’는 엘튼 존이 참여했다 해도 믿을 정도다. 잔잔하지만 풍부하고 힘있는 멜로디는, 과연 같은 뿌리에서 나왔는지 의심스러울 정도다. ‘FILTHY/GORGEOUS’가 튀어나오면, 스타워즈를 방불케 할 정도로 난무하는 ‘뿅뿅’사운드에 정신을 빼앗길 지 모르니 조심하는 것이 좋겠다. ‘MUSIC IS THE VICTIM’은 경쾌한 리듬과 와와 기타, 해먼드 올갠의 촌스러운 사운드와 피아노가 어우러지는 곡. 은근슬쩍 맞아떨어지는 각운이 묘한 카타르시스를 선사한다.
천방지축 말괄량이처럼 자유분방한 기타 리프를 비롯해, 각종 타악기가 만들어내는 펑키한 리듬, 엘튼 존 풍의 피아노, 비지스에게 물려받은 디스코 풍 하모니와 데이빗 보위의 글래머러스한 감각, 그리고 빌리지 피플의 후계자라 해도 손색없을 독특한 패션센스 등 씨저 시스터스를 완성하는 요소는 다양하기 그지없다. 여기에 빼놓을 수 없는 중요한 것이 있다. 바로 이 모든 것을 하나로 엮어내는 재치와 유머감각이다. 핑크 플로이드의 명곡마저 가벼운 댄스곡으로 만들어버릴 정도로 각별하고 대담한 감각이다. 과연 원작자가 결과를 알고도 리메이크를 허락했을 지... 하지만, 여기서 이들을 모두 파악했다고 판단한다면 그것은 오산이다. 때로는 정신없는 파티를 즐기지만, 한편으로는 화려함을 뒤로 한 채 짐짓 진지함을 내보이는 것이 씨저 시스터스다. 카멜레온같은 음악에 버금가는 것은 제이크가 선보이는 다채로운 보컬이다. 거만하고 제멋대로인 음색부터, 하늘 높은 줄 모르는 팔세토의 가녀림, 바이브레이션이 가미된 감미로움 등 그가 선보이는 오색의 목소리는 씨저 시스터스의 매력 중 하나다.
Laura Can't you give me some time I got to give myself one more chance To be the man that I know I am To be the man that I know I am Won't you just tell Cincinnati I'm gonna need your love Don't you give me your love Don't you give me your Ch'mon Ch'mon Where is your love Don't you give me your love Don't you give me your Ch'mon Ch'mon Where is your love Don't you give me your love Don't you give me your
Freida Can't you spare me a dime I got to give myself one more chance To ring the bandthat I know I'm in To ring the bandthat I know I'm in Won't you just tell Baby Daddy I'm gonna need his love Why don't you give me he love Why don't you give me he Ch'mon Ch'mon Where is your love Don't you give me your love Don't you give me your Ch'mon Ch'mon Where is your love Don't you give me your love Don't you give me your This'll be the last time I ever do your hair One face among the many I never thought you cared Seen enough stuff Thought Igot rough Now I know it aint so I gottalive my own This'll be the last time I ever do your hair One face among the many I never thought you cared Seen enough stuff Thought Igot rough Now I know it aint so I gottalive my own
When you grow up Livin' like a good boy oughta And your mama Takes a shine to her best son Something different All the girls they seem to like you Cause you're handsome Like to talk and a whole lot of fun But now your girl's gone a missin' And your house has got an empty bed The folks'll wonder 'bout the wedding They won't listen to a word you said Gonna take your mama out all night Yeah we'll show her what it's all about We'll get her jacked up on some cheap champagneWe'll let the good times all roll outAnd if the music ain't good, well it's just too badWe're gonna sing along no matter what Because the dancers don't mind at the New OrleansIf you tip 'em and they make a cut Do it Take your mama out all night So she'll have no doubt That we're doing oh the best we can We're gonna do it Take your mama out all night You can stay up late 'cause baby you're a full grown man It's a struggle Livin' like a good boy oughta In the summer Watchin' all the girls pass by When your mama Heard the way that you'd been talking I tried to tell you That all she'd wanna do is cry Now we end up takin' the long way home Lookin' overdressed wearin' buckets of stale cologneIt's so hard to see streets on a country road When your glasses in the garbage And your Continental's just been towed Gonna take your mama out all night Yeah we'll show her what it's all about We'll get her jacked up on some cheap champagneWe'll let the good times all roll outAnd if the music ain't good, well it's just too badWe're gonna sing along no matter what Because the dancers don't mind at the New OrleansIf you tip 'em and they make a cut Do it Take your mama out all night So she'll have no doubt That we're doing oh the best we can We're gonna do it Take your mama out all night You can stay up late 'cause baby you're a full grown man
Hello hello Hello hello Is any bodyin there Just not if you can here me Is any body home Come on now I hear you're feeling down well i can ease your pain and get you on your feet again relax I need some information first relax just don't face the facts can you show me where it hurts
There is no pain you were receding a distant ship locked on the horizon you're only coming through in waves your lips move i can't hearwatcha saying when i was a child i caught afever my hands looked like two balloons once again can't explain you will not understand this is how i am Have Have Have be come come fortably numb
Ok ok It's just a little pin prick there'll be no more Hi but you may feel a little sick can you stand up now I do believe working gotta keep it going through the show c'mon it's time to go gotta keep it going through the show c'mon it's time to go gotta keep it going through the show c'mon it's time to go gotta keep it going through the show c'mon it's time to go There is no pain you were receding a distant ship locked on the horizon you're only coming through in waves your lips move but i can't hearwatcha saying when i was a child i caught fieeting glimpse out of the corner of my eye I turned to lookbut it was gone I cannot put my finger on it oh thechild has grown dream is gone Have Have Have be come come fortably numb Have Have Have be come come fortably numb
uh huh uh huh uh huh uh huh uh huh uh huh uh huh Have Have Have be come come fortably numb
I love the tone that's in your laugh Gasping for an extra breath Waiting for the time to pass I believe in days ahead Don't spend another night alone Cross and wishing you were dead.
Mary, you shouldn't let 'em make you mad You hold the best you can And Mary, after all the pain is gone I'm always gonna live to be your man.
I've had it easy now you see When I'm down you're always there Standing by to comfort me Someday we'll go round the world I'll make the journey so sublime I know you're not a travelin' girl.
Mary, you shouldn't let 'em make you mad You hold the best you can And Mary, after all the pain is gone I'm always gonna live to be your man.
Cause I'd give everything I have Forget all the things that bring me joy If you could have one day Pure and simple happiness Until that moment comes I'll be here where I've always been I'm gonna be your friend Until the day I die.
Mary, you shouldn't let 'em make you mad You hold the best you can And Mary, after all the pain is gone I'm always gonna live to be your man.
She's quiet when shes down Strangers from other towns Nowhere to be found On this side of the scene
Would you like a cigarette, Or my hand upon your shoulder? I think we might have met Would you like me to come over?
There's lovers in the backseat Jealous glances now I'm looking for another song On the radio I'll take you to a side street In the shadows you can touch one another now And I'll just watch the show
She's happy when she's proud Attention well deserved Exuberant and loud A disguise can he know? How much she needs him now There's static on the sidelines Can you read my thoughts? Maybe its the right time
There's lovers in the backseat Jealous glances now I'm looking for another song On the radio I'll take you to a side street In the shadows you can touch one another now And I'll just watch the show
Creamsicle sky while the sun sets up in the west Where are the queers on the piers, heard they gave it their best Now they got jobs at a local fast food chain Flippin' tricks for the burger, since Lady M jacked their fame Flippin' tricks for the burger, since Lady M jacked their fame
Cause you can't see tits on the radio I'll give you five fingers for a one man show Fasten those pants for the lap dance Take a shot now this may be your last chance
There ain't no tits on the radio (Oh no) There ain't no tits on the radio (Oh no) There ain't no tits on the radio (Oh no) There ain't no tits on the radio (No no)
Dark room Danny can't see with the lights turned out Black haired tranny counts sheep with her bed turned down But the bed's in Jersey and the sheep's on a farm Dark room Danny hears police alarm Dark room Danny can't see with the lights turned out Dark room Danny can't see with the lights turned out
Cause you can't see tits on the radio I'll give you five fingers for a one man show Fasten those pants for the lap dance Take a shot now this may be your last chance
There ain't no tits on the radio (Oh no) There ain't no tits on the radio (Oh no) There ain't no tits on the radio (Oh no) There ain't no tits on the radio (No no)
When you're walkin' down the street And a man tries to get your business And the people that you meet Want to open you up like Christmas You gotta wrap your fuzzy with a big red bow Ain't no sum bitch gonna treat me like a ho I'm a classy honey kissy huggy lovey dovey ghetto princess
Cuz you're filthy (filthy) Oooh, and gorgeous (gorgeous) Cuz you're filthy (filthy) Oooh, and gorgeous (gorgeous) You're disgusting Oooh, and you're nasty And you can grab me Oooh cuz you're nasty
When you're runnin' from a trick And you trip on a hit of acid You gotta work for the man But your biggest moneymakers' flaccid You gotta keep your shit together With your feet on the ground There ain't no one gonna listen If you haven't made a sound You're an acid junkie college flunky dirty puppy daddy bastard
Cuz you're filthy (filthy) Oooh, and gorgeous (gorgeous) Cuz you're filthy (filthy) Oooh, and gorgeous (gorgeous) You're disgusting Oooh, and you're nasty And you can grab me Oooh cuz you're nasty
Cuz you're filthy (filthy) Oooh, and gorgeous (gorgeous) Cuz you're filthy (filthy) Oooh, and gorgeous (gorgeous) You're disgusting And you're nasty You can grab me Oooh cuz you're nasty
Cuz you're filthy (filthy) Oooh, and gorgeous (gorgeous) Cuz you're filthy (filthy) Oooh, and gorgeous (gorgeous) You're disgusting Oooh, and you're nasty And you can grab me Oooh cuz you're nasty
I left my heart in San Fransisco I'ts at some motherfucking disco The people there where dancin' on it And that's including Ms. Matronic
Hell if music is the victim then so am I Of lovin' and a cheatin' the snake gon' bite I beg and I scream and I cuss and I cry If music is the victim then som am I
Of your bad fun Money's all gone but you need some Lover's on the phone but the got none Daddy ain't home from the dog run And you're riding through the city with a shotgun
I left my bag in Pasadena Where all them girls was doin' Tina Them bitches sure where crunked up on it I said I'd rather smoke som chronic
Hell if music is the victim then so am I Of lovin' and a cheatin' the snake gon' bite I beg and I scream and I cuss and I cry If music is the victim then som am I
Of your bad fun Money's all gone but you need some Lover's on the phone but the got none Daddy ain't home from the dog run And you're riding through the city with a shotgun
I left my man in Houston Texas Just before he finished breakfast He said; oh baby fry some more eggs But I was runnin' on my own two legs
Hell if Jesus had the power than so do I To rise up from the dead and take up to the sky I'm bustin' for the money so I get by If music is the victim then so am I
I know i'm into you I don't know what to do When we talk I feel like I died twice Boxers use it's fists Hockey players break their wrist You break my heart when you try to play nice
Like a detective without a case I magnify what you say and Test the implications It could be you or it could be through Before it even begins I'm a fish swimming without fins
Better luck next time Maybe we could have a go With another kind of love One that carries on Better luck next time Guess I've only one regret That I didn't get to know you better than I did
You tell me that you're mine Are you just being kind? Let's not stretch our imagination When you look in my eyes Always get them butterflies My knees get weak with anticipation
And if I might have a slip of the tongue Will the fun disappear? Is the binding coming undone? You keep me waiting within your grasp But I can't tell what you feel And I'm too afraid to ask you
Better luck next time Maybe we could have a go With another kind of love One that carries on Better luck next time Guess I've only one regret That I didn't get to know you better than I did
Better luck next time Maybe we could have a go With another kind of love One that carries on Better luck next time Guess I've only one regret That I didn't get to know you better than I did
Sailling through the tunnels In the morning by yourself There's a very special feeling True sensation all is well If you stand and reach your arms out wide Close your eyes and try to fly It's an underground illusion Tricking you from side to side
We knew all the answers And we shouted them like anthems Anxious and suspicious That God knew how much we cheated
It can't come quickly enough And now you've spent your life Waiting for this moment And when you finally saw it come It passed you by and left you so defeated
Skyscrapers rise between us Keeping me from finding you If the concrete architecture Dissapeared there'd be so few Of us left to navigate and Defend ourselves from the tide It's an underground illusion Tricking you from side to side
There's no indication of What we were meant to be Sucking up to strangers Throwing wishes to the sea
It can't come quickly enough And now you've spent your life Waiting for this moment And when you finally saw it come It passed you by and Left you so defeated
Once there was a man who had a little too much time on his hands. He never stopped to think that he was getting older. And when his night came to an end, he tried to grasp for his last friend and pretend that he could wish himself health on a 4-leaf clover.
He said: Is this the return to Oz? The grass is dead, the gold is brown and the sky has claws. There's a wind-up man walking round and round. What once was emerald city is now a crystal town.
3 'o' clock in the morning, You get a phone call from the Queen With a hundred of heads she says that they're all dead. She tried the last one on it couldn't speak fell off and now she just wanders the halls thinkin' nothing, thinkin' nothing at all...
She said: Is this the return to Oz? The grass is dead, the gold is brown and the sky has claws. There's a wind-up man walking round and round What once was emerald city is now a crystal town.
The wheelie's are pavement and the Skeksis at the rave meant to hide, deep inside their sunken faces and their wild rolling eyes, But their countless words reveal that they can no longer feel Love or sex appeal The patchwork girl has come to cinch the deal
To return to Oz, we fled the world with smiles and clenching jaws Please help me friend from coming down I've lost my place and now it can't be found
Is this the return to Oz? The grass is dead, the gold is brown and the sky has claws. There's a wind-up man walking round and round What once was emerald city is now a crystal town.
RELEASES
1993-10-25
Polydor (UK), Universal Music (602498660683) NON EU Version