Scritti Politti (Green Gartside)

Posté par admin
mardi 07 mars 2006 [n° 1116]

Green Gartside’s project : Scritti Politti

“THE NAME OF Green Gartside‘s recording project means “political writing” in Italian street slang. But it may as well mean “unlikely career.”

Scritti Politti was formed by the Gramsci devotee and signed to postpunk indie Rough Trade more than 21 years ago. One fine day Gartside became enamored of Michael Jackson’s Off the Wall. He dumped his band and ran to New York to record with R&B; producer Arif Mardin, releasing Cupid and Psyche 85 and climbing the charts with the sparkling synth-pop hits “Wood Beez (Pray like Aretha Franklin)” and “Perfect Way.”

Brushed with hip-hop oil The terrific return of Scritti Politti. By Jeff Chang (interview with Green from the San Francisco Bay Guardian); source NOiSE

When Tinseltown Meets the Boogiedown: An Interview with Green Gartside of Scritti Politti by Gail Worley, Ink 19

Reappearance

Green Gartside
photo by Eddie Monsoon
The reappearance of Scritti Politti, one of the 80s’ most influential bands, still has the power to startle.

“At the end of the 80s, disillusioned by the relentless triviality involved in promoting his records on American TV, Gartside retreated from view to a cottage in his native Wales. One album, Anomie and Bonhomie 1, heavily influenced by American hip-hop and featuring rap luminaries including Mos Def appeared in 2000 to critical acclaim but only very modest commercial success.

His reappearance as a live performer is likely to cause rather more ripples.” (…)

Pop legend plays first gig for 26 years Lindesay Irvine January 9, 2006 The Guardian

Scritti Politti for beginners

I’ve never heard anything by Scritti Politti. Where should I start?

Cupid & Psyche ’85. Without question.

(…)

Like, I don’t get that picture on the back of Cupid & Psyche. What’s it supposed to mean?

My theory is that it symbolizes the bizarre juxtapositions in Scritti Politti’s music: Aretha Franklin and Jacques Derrida. Gaultier pants and Immanuel Kant’s. The fallout of love and the vagaries of science. The word “pharmacopoeia” and the word “girl”. In that context the raw meat, scarf and butterfly fit right in. I could be wrong, but I’ve yet to see someone come up with a better interpretation. The image is modeled after the artwork by Marcel Duchamp called “Genre Allegory (George Washington)” and was produced in 1943. The picture is from an art book “Marcel Duchamp” by Gloria Moure, published by Rizzoli New York. Green supposedly likes (liked?) Duchamp. In a 1988 article he mentioned Duchamp as his favorite painter who one day just gave art up to play chess. ”

Scritti Crush Connection Documents

Wood Beez

________________________


Cupid & Psyche 85
 Wood Beez VIRGIN RECORDS 657 : No. 10, March 1984
It is the group’s breakthrough hit in the UK, hitting #10. (AUS #16 in July 1984)

Wood Beez (Pray Like Aretha Franklin) – Scritti Politti bubblegum-machine.com

Wood Beez Wood Beez LP

Discography

Timeline

source : Scritti Crush Connection

Scritti Politti on Yahoo! Music


  1. Shades of Green : The nitty-gritty on Scritti Politti
     The Boston Phoenix February 10 – 17, 2000 [back]
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