photo: Paula Court
She may not launch into “Wild Women with Steak Knives” these days, but Diamanda Galas has not lost any attitude. Her set on Sunday, August 19th at the Highline Ballroom, a relatively new club on West 16th St. in Manhattan, was meant to feature her “Chansons Malheureuses and Amanedhes”, a song cycle that combines lyrics derived from French symbolist and surrealist poets with vocal traditions from Greek Rembetika and other near-East traditions of improvised lamentation. However, a late arriving piano and other technical snafus made sound-checking impossible so she reverted to the set she’d performed there the previous two Sundays, singing selections from her forthcoming disc on Mute, “Imitation of Life”.
Ms. Galas was not pleased.
After her first number, a harrowing rendition of Ronnie Earl’s “A Soul That’s Been Abused” laced with the hollers and groans that her fans know and love, she addressed the audience, apologizing for not being able to present the program she intended. She said she’d had notes printed and left them on the tables but the site personnel had them removed. At this point, a voice from near the bar shouted, “Bullshit!” Galas fiercely shot back, “Fuck you! I know who you are, motherfucker and I know what you did!” She proceeded to explain that the notes had advised the attendees that they were free to walk out at any time and demand their money back, given that the performance was not the one advertised. I didn’t notice that anyone took her up on this, but it was refreshing to hear someone on the fringes of pop fame refuse to put up with nonsense from the kind of venues that treat their musicians as hired help. Good for you, Ms. Galas.
Her set rotated between three basic areas: blues or jazz-based songs (O.V. Wright’s “8 Men and 4 Women”, “The Thrill Is Gone”, “You Don’t Know What Love Is”), chansons out of the torch tradition of Piaf and Juliette Greco (“Amours Perdue”, “Bonjour Tristesse”, “Heaven Have Mercy”) and, most impressively to this listener, several of those Greek lamentations.
I’ve been listening to Galas since her first recording, “The Litanies of Satan”, and have observed the arc her career has taken as she moved from larger scale, more overtly dramatic and experimental work (culminating, perhaps, in “Plague Mass” which I witnessed at St. John the Divine in 1991, a memorable evening to be sure) to song-oriented albums. On record, I’ve not always been convinced, often finding the song format too constraining although assuredly acknowledging that when she hits her mark she does so powerfully as on, for example, the EP “You Must Be Certain of the Devil”. (Especially “Let’s Not Chat About Despair”, the single strongest AIDS-related song I’ve heard). But there were also discs like “The Singer” which read as simply better or worse renditions of standards, lacking to these ears the force and passion of her earlier work.
I was therefore heartened that much of this evening’s performance was so enthralling, so emotionally piercing. Her voice, as she’s reached middle age, is huskier in the lower registers than it once was but has also assumed an air of cynical wisdom that more than compensates. If she doesn’t ululate into the stratosphere with the frequency she used to, she can still get there when required and remains quite capable of emitting a genuinely creepy witch’s cackle if necessary. Some amount of subtle delicacy has also emerged in recent years or maybe it’s just that I’ve only begun to discern it. When she sang “You Don’t Know What Love Is”, she allowed a number of high, pure tones to hover in the air, lingering and pulsing for several seconds, recalling similar strategies in late Feldman. In a later piece, she played a note on the piano that was only fractionally different from the clear tone she was singing, causing the sort of diffractive beats you hear in Alvin Lucier’s pieces for sine wave and acoustic instruments; a very beautiful, very subtle effect, all the more delightful when embedded in a relatively traditional structure where it gleamed like a hidden jewel.
With the exception of the final encore, I was most moved by the Greek pieces (her own “Keigome, Keigome” and most stirringly, “Uparxo” by the late Greek singer Stelios Kazantzidis), where Galas concentrated on glottal stops and low tones emanating from deep in the chest, imparting an anguished melodramatic effect that was anything but sentimental. On those songs particularly, I found myself wishing that I could hear her in a context well away from that of a rock club, maybe in the back room of an old Greek restaurant in Astoria. The passion of her delivery was too real, ultimately, to be comfortable on a clean stage replete with (unnecessary) smoke effects and computerized lighting.
The final encore was possibly my favorite of the standards Galas has covered, “Gloomy Sunday”. A magnificent, haunting piece written by Reszö Seres in 1933 and made semi-famous in the US by Billie Holiday, it was popularly known as “the Hungarian suicide song”. Urban legends have cited it as the source of numerous self-inflicted wounds and subsequent banishment from the airwaves. Record companies forced Holiday to use lyrics that had been translated so as to imply a more upbeat ending; Galas, unsurprisingly, abjures that, going with the original translation by Desmond Carter. She had recorded the work in 1992 on “The Singer” but, whether it’s the weight of years or otherwise, her rendition this evening achieved far greater probity. Here, sardonically interpolating the melody of “Lullaby and Goodnight”, she invested the song with a vast, dark, brooding power and unrelenting precision of focus that threatened to draw the shadowed walls of the room down upon the listener. Extremely impressive and enormously moving, the work shows Galas at her deepest and most bitterly incisive as well as her most open and troublingly human.
Posted by Brian Olewnick on August 21, 2007 10:19 AMNice review. Ms. Galas is a force to be reckoned with.
Posted by: walto at August 21, 2007 3:49 PMgreat piece.
great artist.
Funny, I've never managed to get into Galas. Convince me, someone.
Posted by: Dan Warburton at August 21, 2007 9:53 PMConvince you, Dan? Simple: Get into Greek! Ancient (preferably) or modern (if you must!). Either way, it has to do with the core of existence.
Posted by: Graham L. Rogers at August 22, 2007 5:27 AMHmmm... as someone who's also never expended the effort to get Galas, I thought Brian's piece did a pretty persuasive job.
Word on the Greek! Rembetica curls my toes on a consistent basis, esp. the Rounder comps of the classic stuff.
Posted by: derek at August 22, 2007 6:14 AMGraham, I had my curiosity aroused about Kazantzidis from the piece she performed. Are you aware of anything of his and, if so, any recs?
Dan, I can certainly see people having trouble getting into her work and I've been off and on myself over the years. I think some of it hinges on whether or not you buy into her commitment or look on her music as, in some sense, campy. I can understand how some may end in the latter, erm, camp but I've always detected a strong undercurrent of seriousness in her work and, as I mentioned above, I think perhaps it comes through in live performance more so than in recordings where you can distance yourself if you feel like it.
Obviously, the area she operates in isn't one of my preferred genres in general, but what she does, she does quite convincingly.
If it's available anywhere, try to check out her early, self-titled recording on Metalanguage; that may be a good start.
Posted by: Brian Olewnick at August 22, 2007 6:24 AMIt is her persona that might appear campy to outsiders,
but not her work. She lived for years with drag
queens,and in this way has almost a larger than
life persona for a woman, an almost carnival
persona.
Here is the paradox: in Greece she is famous
for her amanethes singing.
As a matter of fact, you might alert the Greek Herald of this piece!!!!!!! They will be impressed
that an American made such astute observations
about the Greek work.
Brian: There's a wealth of Kazantzidis' recordings available here, but I'm pretty confident they're not known outside the country. They're all local issues, in small quantities, on small local labels and of course in the native language. So where do I begin? Or end?!
Derek: The old (i.e. genuine) rembetika is indeed some toe-curling music!
Posted by: Graham L. Rogers at August 22, 2007 12:56 PMBrian wrote:
"Greek Rembetika and other near-East traditions of improvised lamentation"
mmm, what is "Greek Rembetika" compared to plain "Rembetika"?
I know the Greek try and claim Rembetika as 100% Greek, but it is very much a mix between Greek, Turkish(!), Jewish, Persian etc and last but not least the Romani (Gypsies). But okay, after they moved from Smyrna, they played a lot in Greece, but also in New York, so that doesn't make it American music, does it?
Graham wrote:
"Derek: The old (i.e. genuine) rembetika is indeed some toe-curling music!"
I really don't see why the old is more genuine then the new. Sorry, that is so nostalgic to think everything old is better....
Cor
Aww, Graham's always like that, Cor.. all that SUNSHINE has got to him (he writes, in the middle of yet another torrential downpour in Paris)
Posted by: Dan Warburton at August 23, 2007 9:07 AMWhat is “plain” rembetica? Is there a chocolate chip or butterscotch variety to also choose from? And don’t forget the Armenians! They warrant more than an “etc.”
I’m not versed in the newer stuff, but I can vouch for the all-around quality of the Rounder comps below:
My Only Consolation: Classic Pierotic Rembetica 1932-1946
Moumourika: Songs of the Greek Underworld 1930-1955
Rembetica: Historic Urban Folk Songs from Greece
Markos Vamvakaris – Bouzouki Pioneer: 1932-1940
Vassilis Tsitsanis – 1936-1946
Women of Rembetica
Roza Eskenazi – 1933-1936
August showers here too, Dan. What a drag.
Posted by: derek at August 23, 2007 9:57 AMCor / Dan:
The difference between old rembetika and new rembetika is the difference between Robert Johnson and Robert Cray.
Posted by: Graham L. Rogers at August 23, 2007 12:30 PMGreat to hear Galas is still pumping out the hollering hits.
Personal favourite Galas moments:
- 92 solo piano performance. Galas is doing blues standards. Seated on the floor of The Opera House, all I could think about was whether she was carrying a loaded gun that she always talked about [in self defense].
- 94 FIMAV performance of Plague Mass. Higher than a kit [and a little confused]. Couldn't figure out why she was covered in fake blood, until I remembered what Plague Mass was all about. Gut wrenching, ulcer-forming performance, one I'll likely never forget.
- 95 with John Paul Jones, Sporting Life tour. Club is mostly filled with Zep fans. Guy next to me keeps screaming at the top of his lungs, "Get off the stage you fuckin' frog!"
Picked up the 4-disc set of Rembetika on JSP. Fantastic stuff!
Posted by: Brian Olewnick at August 27, 2007 4:19 PMWhen she was studying, she used to work with Bertram Turetzky, the New Music virtuoso double bassist. He really thought a lot of her piano playing and singing.
Her duos with Kowald on his "Duos" cds are convincing.
Brian wrote:
"Picked up the 4-disc set of Rembetika on JSP. Fantastic stuff!"
yes, that's a wonderfull collection, great choices they made
Posted by: Cornelis at August 28, 2007 7:28 AMHmm, I'm wondering how much of that set was ripped from the Rounder comps? JSP is one of those "gray market" outfits. Perfectly legal in Europe, but sometimes ethically dubious in their practices here in the States.
I like Robert Cray, though admittedly my affection originates almost totally in Strong Persuader, probably the best "pop blues" album of all time. The hooks on songs like "Smoking Gun" and "Right Next Door" are masterful.
Posted by: derek at August 28, 2007 7:44 AMI'm sorry to muddy the great comments thread with this question but does anyone know how I can get in touch with someone at Bagatellen? I can't seem to find a contact link anywhere. Thank you in advance and, again, I apologize for unrelated post.
Jason
her plague mass cd on mute is a totally over the top piece of gutwrenching apocalypse music. it is nuclear death no wave from the pits of hell. it's more extreme than any death metal. check it out warburton!
it's a guaranteed roomclearer. i love it. she is masterful in her intensity and expertise.
ww
Posted by: weasel walter at September 3, 2007 10:12 PMOK Weasel I'll dig it out my man..
Posted by: Dan Warburton at September 4, 2007 6:29 AMDirty Three have also done some rembetika, IASI?
Posted by: vfidjeraj at September 4, 2007 7:08 AMDoes anyone have a comment on Galas' gigs with Last Exit? From what I heard, she plays some, er, mean violin.
Posted by: Graham L. Rogers at September 4, 2007 12:18 PMHuh, never knew of this collaboration. There's a track, "Red Light", posted around apparently, from Moers in '86. Not the sort of thing I can blast at work, but will when I get home. Thanks for the pointer, Graham.
Posted by: Brian Olewnick at September 4, 2007 12:36 PMthere's a bootleg of the whole moers show. it's not that big of a deal. it sounds like diamanda singing with last exit. man, the amount of cocaine they all must have done is staggering to ponder.
ww
Posted by: weasel walter at September 5, 2007 2:27 AMThat's the one I had in mind - the only one I have - though I hear there might be more in circulation. Live in Moers 16 May 1986, just three months after Last Exit formed. Personally, I thought her violin playing pretty amazing on that gig. And of course her vocal contribution was well-attuned to the spirit of the band - but we knew that would be the case, didn't we?!
Posted by: Graham L. Rogers at September 5, 2007 6:32 AMthe violinist at moers was not diamanda - it was billy bang.
ww
Posted by: weasel walter at September 5, 2007 11:37 AMWW: Mmmm, that's a surprise. I'll go back to sources. Do you have any reliable evidence to support that? If so, I'd like to know what it is, if I may. Thanks. (I'm suspicious we might not be talking about the same Moers gig).
Posted by: Graham L. Rogers at September 5, 2007 11:48 AMthe gig we're talking about is may 16, 1986 and here's my logic:
1) diamanda galas does not know how to play the violin. (she is a very good piano player, however.)
2) it sounds like billy bang. billy bang was definitely at the 1986 moers festival - feel free to check the archived listings of the moers festival. billy was a friend of laswell and played in material during the early '80s . . . he actually plays several licks from "memory serves" during the improvisation. although bang is not listed as personnel on the moers archive pages it makes total sense to draw this conclusion. i'm assuming he was a last minute addition.
3) there are a bunch of overzealous laswell bootlegers online who list billy bang in the personnel. not that i really care about them as a source, but those kind of people tend to be rather anal about things and often they go straight to the horse's mouth to get their info.
ww
Posted by: weasel walter at September 10, 2007 12:24 PMHi
I flew from the Aleutian peninsula in Alaska to see this performance. It was nice to read your review. I cried at the encore. The seating was screwy for everyone in the club though, and requesting 10 dollar minimum to sit at the tables didn't mean anything with the service being as poor as it was. We didn't get our wine until the last song of her set. Did you get any decent photos?
Thanks for supporting Galas.
Wow, that some kind dedication!
As I mentioned in the write-up, I think Galas would have been much better served in far less "upscale" surroundings. Her recent music is very intimate, very rough and "dirty", and doesn't benefit imho from smoke effects, fancy lighting or being on a raised staged viewed from dining table below. I'd much prefer to see and hear her in a small, relatively bare room or even outside in a non-musical performance space. But when you're on the outer fringes of rock semi-stardom, I suppose you make your decisions and sometimes you end up dealing with places like this one for whom the artists' concerns are secondary at best, more likely tertiary.
No, I didn't take photos. I don't take photos actually, and definitely not during musical performances. I'm old-fashioned that way, preferring just to listen.
Thanks for the info, WW.
Posted by: Graham L. Rogers at September 12, 2007 1:08 AMJust seen Diamanda in London tonight. Most inspirational gig of hers in years. Loving it
Posted by: graeme at March 20, 2008 3:13 PMJust seen Diamanda in London tonight. Most inspirational gig of hers in years. Loving it
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