 |
Boston Globe
November 97 |
‘Apple’s Act Ripens, But Is Still Giddy’ (November 9 or 10, ’97)
By Paul Robicheau
"He’s going to think I’m a dork, but I don’t care," Fiona Apple piped
at the Orpheum Saturday, continuing to babble about the ex-boyfriend who
inspired many of her songs, yet has become a fan and friend. "Oh!"
Apple interrupted herself and recounted the first time her ex heard
"Sleep To Dream" - when he was fooling around with another girl on his
dorm bed.
Finally, the 20-year-old singer turned to her piano and introduced
"Slow Like Honey" as his favorite song. "It’s about sticking with who
you are, and you guys helped me to that," she said as girls screamed in
the sold-out crowd.
Then, from the chirping voice of an excited teenager, Apple transformed
into the husky singing voice of a chanteuse twice her age, cushioned by
her band’s moody vibes and keyboard strings.
Such was Saturday night’s dichotomy in the development of Fiona Apple.
Musically, she’s never sounded more mature in conveying the emotions
tapped on her now-platinum 1996 debut "Tidal." But visually and
verbally, she’s never acted so young, opening up as the awkward coed who
giddily stubbling through Pop Star 101.
In her hyper between-song chats (dotted with a few cusswords, likely to
the chagrin of WBCN, which was broadcasting), Apple thanked local fans
for gifts - including the scarf tied around her waist and clover-leaf
pendant strung through her exposed belly-ring. And when she playfully
wiggled at center stage to a belly dancer melody from guitarist Michael
Lockwood during "Criminal," the singer stretched her arms as high and
wide as her blue eyes and smiled. To fans in the house who knew what it
was like to be "a bad, bad girl," it implied a shared bond of
liberation.
Apple performed all 10 songs from "Tidal," from the early "Sullen Girl"
(recalling a childhood rape with the accented line "He washed me ashore
and he took myyyy pearl") to a coyly exuberant "Sleep To Dream" and solo
piano closer "Never Is A Promise." On the last tune, her falsetto curls
reminded of Tori Amos, but Apple wasn’t as calculating or dramatic in
technique. She mainly sounded true to herself, even in mellowed
adaptations of Jimmy Cliff’s "Limbo," Bill Weather’s "Use Me," and Jimi
Hendrix’s "Angel." Awkwardness aside, this angel will fly.
‘Crab Apple’ (Late November ’97)
Can Fiona Apple just shut up and sing? Isn’t it enough to have made a
critically and commercially successful debut CD, "Tidal," and have
videos in heavy rotation? A few months ago, she launched into a rambling
rant at the MTV Video Music Awards warning young people not to be swayed
by televised images of cool and to "Go with yourself." Then last week,
the waifish singer-songwriter was scolding the folks at Butterball for
their turkey recipe hotline, and for having the gall to encourage people
to eat turkey on Thanksgiving. Oh honey, hush! Does anyone really need
life lessons from a 20-year-old who still lives with her parents,
doesn’t have a driver’s license, and wears flip-flops to awards shows?
Anyway, there’s more smoke from the Fiona fires in the December issue of
‘George,’ in which she is asked what she would do if she were
president. Name of her party? "Individualist." Her role model? "No
one." How would she raise campaign funds? "Pimp the Spice Girls." The
greatest problem facing the nation? "Stupid people." ‘Nuff said on that.
‘Apple, Wallflowers plug in for KISS’ (Mid-December ’97)
Lansdowne Street has never looked like this. Up to eight giant tour
buses were parked on the left and right sides of the street on
Wednesday. You’d have thought that Woodstock III was about to begin.
In truth, there was a KISS Christmas party at Avalon and a WAAF
Christmas party at Mama Kin, with enough combined acts to literally fill
a good-sized festival.
The major event was the Acoustic KISSmas at the sold-out Avalon, where
1,500 fans brought gifts for the Toys for Tots campaign and caught a
six-hour show with the biggest stars KISS has mustered outside of its
annual KISS party at Great Woods.
Heading the bill: Fiona Apple, the Wallflowers, Michael Bolton,
Meredith Brooks, Hanson, and Chumbawumba - hitmakers all. They provided
a musical feast, though it was soon apartent that this was an Electric
KISSmas, since all of these acts chose at the last minute to plug in.
The extra instruments and sound equipment shuttled between sets (up to
an hour between Apple and Hanson), but also gave the crowd a better
taste of each act’s music.
Radio-sponsored Christmas parties have been the rage for a few years -
and many of Wednesday’s acts had just come from playing a Christmas show
at Madison Square Garden (joined by Aerosmith and Sarah McLachlan) for
KISS’s New York sister station Z100. And many last week played the KROQ
Christmas show in Los Angeles.
Apple opened at Avalon, showing far more poise and dramatic flair than
the only other time I caught her, opening for Chris Isaak at the Orpheum
last year. She had only eight concerts under her belt at that time
(she’s still just 20 years old), but her confidence has blossomed since
playing 100 more shows this year. Sitting at a piano at center stage,
she played for 30 minutes and sang a smoky "Sleep To Dream," followed by
her megahit "Criminal" ("I’ve been a bad, bad girl/I’ve been careless
with a delicate man") and a Charles Brown holiday song, "Please Come
Home For Christmas."
‘1997’s Heroes And Villains: Recapping The Year With The It’s Only Rock
‘N’ Roll Awards’ (January 1)
*Video Vixen Award: Fiona Apple*
Hurt me, hurt me, begs the brain cell-deprived Ms. Apple in video. In
concert, the wide-eyed waif wanders and babbles, every bit the pretty
little girl lost. Somebody, save her from herself.
‘Apple Advisory’ (January sometime)
Fiona Apple, voted best female performer in the January 22 ‘Rolling
Stone’ Reader’s Poll results, comes clean about her own depression and
eating disorder in a long, good cover story by Chris Heath. She’s been
on anti-depressants for years, she says: "What would happen to me is the
most exhausting thing. I wanted to die before. I truly did want to die
before."
Not that the 20-year-old Apple, who has talked about her rape at age 12,
would keep much from the press, since frankness is inextricably bound up
with her creative drive. She’s nothing if not a loose cannon.
For some reason, the "Sullen Girl" has been taken to task endlessly in
the media for her spontaneous comments at last year’s MTV Video Awards,
when she told the audience, "You shouldn’t model your life about what
you think we think is cool and what we’re wearing and what we’re saying
and everything. Go with yourself." To me, reminding young TV viewers to
develop minds of their own makes a lot of good sense. Doesn’t her
big-mouthed impulse cut close to the teenage heart of rock ‘n’ roll?
Like Sinead O’Connor, Apple has been criticized for making even the
smallest of counter-cultural gestures.
Grammy Nominees (Late January)
BEST FEMALE ROCK PERFORMANCE: A wild category with Fiona Apple
("Criminal"), Meredith Brooks ("Bitch"), Ani DiFranco ("Shy"), Abra
Moore ("Four Leaf Clover"), and Patti Smith ("1959"). Brooks’s song had
the most press, but Apple’s had the most originality and will win.
back
email me