| Review of Witness to the Storm in the January 30th, 2011 issue of The Sunday Times of London!!! A Four Star Review!!! |
| Conor Oberst's Mixtape suggestions in February 2011 issue of NYLON Magazine. The song is from our second CD American Dreams |
| Denny is Mentioned in the Rolling Stone interview of Conor Oberst. He's featured in the vocal intro to the new Bright Eyes CD The People's Key January 20th, 2011 |
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| Our Song Halo has had airplay on Serius XMU Indy Satelight Radio |
Lady Gaga's 'Born This Way' Video: A Pop-Culture Cheat SheetFebruary 28 2011 | James Montgomery
By now, you've had a few hours to digest Lady Gaga's brand-new "Born This Way" video, a starry, swirly, some
would say gnarly clip that features plenty of astral afterbirth, a snarling man-zombie and exactly one shimmering
unicorn. So, yes, "BTW" is most definitely an eye-catching, high-concept thing — as Gaga told BBC's Radio 1,
it's meant to showcase "the birth of a new race," which doesn't make it all that different from all of her videos, if
you think about it. And, much like her earlier work, "BTW" is also loaded with blink-and-you'll-miss-it moments,
carefully constructed odes to fashion, film, fine art and, uh, West Texas weirdos. So, in the same way we broke
down her "Telephone" and "Alejandro" clips, we've decided to put "Born This Way" under the microscope,
watching (and rewatching) each frame to compile a pop-culture cheat sheet that's alphabetized and cross-
referenced for your convenience. Believe us, this took way longer than you could imagine, but it was worth it.
(Oh, and despite our best efforts, we're sure there's something we missed, which is why we need your help: Let
us know what you spot in the comments below!) And so, without further ado, here's our "Born This Way" pop-
culture cheat sheet": Alexander McQueen: The late fashion designer has always been an influence on Gaga
(she wore his famous "armadillo heels" in the "Bad Romance" video and one of his creations on the red carpet
of the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards), and in "Born This Way," her outfit at the beginning of the video — where
she's hovering above Earth, giving birth to a starchild (or something) — seems directly influenced by the natural
flourishes of McQueen's final collection, which featured feathers, mock scales and faux wings.
Denny Brewer: Deep-fried Texas musician/oddball who, along with his son, plays
in the band Refried Ice Cream. In recent weeks, Brewer has risen to fame thanks
to his recorded ramblings about alternate dimensions, phase-shifting, lizard
people and pomegranates that serve as the through-line to Bright Eyes' The
People's Key album. Much of what Gaga declares in her "Manifesto of Mother
Monster" is lifted from Brewer's playbook: a "mitosis of the future," a
"multiverse" and the constantly changing concepts of "temporal" and "eternal." H.
R. Giger: Swiss-born surrealist painter and sculptor, perhaps best known for designing the terrifying, sexualized
beasts in the "Alien" franchise. After Gaga gives birth to her "evil" spawn, he contorts his body in a way that,
when coupled with sinewy fabrics, appears to be a direct nod to Giger's chilling work. Janus: The two-faced
Roman god of gates, doorways, beginnings, endings and time. At the very beginning of "Born This Way,"
Gaga's Mother Monster features two faces, and, given the whole "rebirth" concept behind the video, that seems
less than coincidental. Madonna: By now, you're probably aware that, sonically, "Born This Way" sounds a lot
like Madonna's "Express Yourself." So, perhaps as a bit of a joke, Gaga closes "BTW" by mimicking Madge's
iconic gap between her two front teeth. Michael Jackson: As she tries to assure her spot in the upper echelons
of pop royalty, Gaga is obviously taking cues from the man who eternally sits on the throne: the late, great King
of Pop. At the end of "Born This Way," she pays direct homage to the man, strutting down a dark alleyway,
slightly glowing (à la his "Billie Jean" video). Earlier, she also wears a tuxedo, which could be a nod to the cover
of MJ's Off the Wall album. Oh, and there's a very definite "Captain EO" feel to the proceedings too.
"Metropolis": A 1927 expressionist film directed by the iconic Fritz Lang, which tells the tale of a dystopian, not-
too-distant future in which society is divided into two classes. The opening scenes of "BTW" definitely recall the
film, especially the famous scene in which the heroine Maria is cloned by the villainous scientist Rotwang. "Sin
City": Gritty, black-and-white comic series from Frank Miller. Not only does the machine-gun-clutching Gaga
remind us of every gun moll in the series, but at the end of the video, when she dances in stark white gloves
with tassels, it seems like a direct homage to one of Sin City's most famous denizens: cowgirl stripper Nancy
Callahan. "Superman": Massive 1978 film directed by Richard Donner that tells the origin of one of DC Comics'
most iconic characters. In Donner's version, the Man of Steel's home planet of Krypton is made almost entirely
of shards of crystals, which also seems to have influenced the production design of "Born This Way."
Surrealism: Populist art movement begun in the 1920s, famous for its use of nonsequiturs and juxtapositions.
Famed surrealist painters include Francis Bacon and Salvador Dal÷, both of whom were name-checked by
Gaga herself as being influences on the "Born This Way" clip. "Vertigo": Masterful 1958 psychological thriller
from Alfred Hitchcock. For reasons not really clear, it's equally masterful main theme, courtesy of Bernard
Herrmann, is played over the opening scenes of "Born This Way." Zombie Boy: Also known as Rick Genest, a
model who made the rather, uh, unique decision to cover his entire face (and most of his body) in one large
skeleton tattoo, which makes him look very much like, well, a zombie. In recent months, Genest has become a
favorite of both Gaga and her stylist, Nicola Formichetti, appearing in a promo clip for the Born This Way album
that premiered last month, and, of course, in the "Born This Way" video too. What did we miss? Share the pop-
culture inspirations you spotted in the comments below!
By now, you've had a few hours to digest Lady Gaga's brand-new "Born This Way" video, a starry, swirly, some
would say gnarly clip that features plenty of astral afterbirth, a snarling man-zombie and exactly one shimmering
unicorn. So, yes, "BTW" is most definitely an eye-catching, high-concept thing — as Gaga told BBC's Radio 1,
it's meant to showcase "the birth of a new race," which doesn't make it all that different from all of her videos, if
you think about it. And, much like her earlier work, "BTW" is also loaded with blink-and-you'll-miss-it moments,
carefully constructed odes to fashion, film, fine art and, uh, West Texas weirdos. So, in the same way we broke
down her "Telephone" and "Alejandro" clips, we've decided to put "Born This Way" under the microscope,
watching (and rewatching) each frame to compile a pop-culture cheat sheet that's alphabetized and cross-
referenced for your convenience. Believe us, this took way longer than you could imagine, but it was worth it.
(Oh, and despite our best efforts, we're sure there's something we missed, which is why we need your help: Let
us know what you spot in the comments below!) And so, without further ado, here's our "Born This Way" pop-
culture cheat sheet": Alexander McQueen: The late fashion designer has always been an influence on Gaga
(she wore his famous "armadillo heels" in the "Bad Romance" video and one of his creations on the red carpet
of the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards), and in "Born This Way," her outfit at the beginning of the video — where
she's hovering above Earth, giving birth to a starchild (or something) — seems directly influenced by the natural
flourishes of McQueen's final collection, which featured feathers, mock scales and faux wings.
Denny Brewer: Deep-fried Texas musician/oddball who, along with his son, plays
in the band Refried Ice Cream. In recent weeks, Brewer has risen to fame thanks
to his recorded ramblings about alternate dimensions, phase-shifting, lizard
people and pomegranates that serve as the through-line to Bright Eyes' The
People's Key album. Much of what Gaga declares in her "Manifesto of Mother
Monster" is lifted from Brewer's playbook: a "mitosis of the future," a
"multiverse" and the constantly changing concepts of "temporal" and "eternal." H.
R. Giger: Swiss-born surrealist painter and sculptor, perhaps best known for designing the terrifying, sexualized
beasts in the "Alien" franchise. After Gaga gives birth to her "evil" spawn, he contorts his body in a way that,
when coupled with sinewy fabrics, appears to be a direct nod to Giger's chilling work. Janus: The two-faced
Roman god of gates, doorways, beginnings, endings and time. At the very beginning of "Born This Way,"
Gaga's Mother Monster features two faces, and, given the whole "rebirth" concept behind the video, that seems
less than coincidental. Madonna: By now, you're probably aware that, sonically, "Born This Way" sounds a lot
like Madonna's "Express Yourself." So, perhaps as a bit of a joke, Gaga closes "BTW" by mimicking Madge's
iconic gap between her two front teeth. Michael Jackson: As she tries to assure her spot in the upper echelons
of pop royalty, Gaga is obviously taking cues from the man who eternally sits on the throne: the late, great King
of Pop. At the end of "Born This Way," she pays direct homage to the man, strutting down a dark alleyway,
slightly glowing (à la his "Billie Jean" video). Earlier, she also wears a tuxedo, which could be a nod to the cover
of MJ's Off the Wall album. Oh, and there's a very definite "Captain EO" feel to the proceedings too.
"Metropolis": A 1927 expressionist film directed by the iconic Fritz Lang, which tells the tale of a dystopian, not-
too-distant future in which society is divided into two classes. The opening scenes of "BTW" definitely recall the
film, especially the famous scene in which the heroine Maria is cloned by the villainous scientist Rotwang. "Sin
City": Gritty, black-and-white comic series from Frank Miller. Not only does the machine-gun-clutching Gaga
remind us of every gun moll in the series, but at the end of the video, when she dances in stark white gloves
with tassels, it seems like a direct homage to one of Sin City's most famous denizens: cowgirl stripper Nancy
Callahan. "Superman": Massive 1978 film directed by Richard Donner that tells the origin of one of DC Comics'
most iconic characters. In Donner's version, the Man of Steel's home planet of Krypton is made almost entirely
of shards of crystals, which also seems to have influenced the production design of "Born This Way."
Surrealism: Populist art movement begun in the 1920s, famous for its use of nonsequiturs and juxtapositions.
Famed surrealist painters include Francis Bacon and Salvador Dal÷, both of whom were name-checked by
Gaga herself as being influences on the "Born This Way" clip. "Vertigo": Masterful 1958 psychological thriller
from Alfred Hitchcock. For reasons not really clear, it's equally masterful main theme, courtesy of Bernard
Herrmann, is played over the opening scenes of "Born This Way." Zombie Boy: Also known as Rick Genest, a
model who made the rather, uh, unique decision to cover his entire face (and most of his body) in one large
skeleton tattoo, which makes him look very much like, well, a zombie. In recent months, Genest has become a
favorite of both Gaga and her stylist, Nicola Formichetti, appearing in a promo clip for the Born This Way album
that premiered last month, and, of course, in the "Born This Way" video too. What did we miss? Share the pop-
culture inspirations you spotted in the comments below!
Check out the New Rolling Stone
Magazine and read about Denny's
heavy introduction to the new Bright
Eyes Cd The People's Key. Janyary 201th,
2011 on page 22! Refried Ice Cream is also
mentioned in the February issue of Nylon
Magazine .
Magazine and read about Denny's
heavy introduction to the new Bright
Eyes Cd The People's Key. Janyary 201th,
2011 on page 22! Refried Ice Cream is also
mentioned in the February issue of Nylon
Magazine .
Lady Gaga Video on MTV-Mobile "Denny Brewer: Deep-fried Texas
musician/oddball who, along with his son, plays in the band Refried
Ice Cream. In recent weeks, Brewer has risen to fame thanks to his
recorded ramblings about alternate dimensions, phase-shifting,
lizard people and pomegranates that serve as the through-line to
Bright Eyes' The People's Key album. Much of what Gaga declares in
her "Manifesto of Mother Monster" is lifted from Brewer's playbook:
a "mitosis of the future," a "multiverse" and the constantly changing
concepts of "temporal" and "eternal."
musician/oddball who, along with his son, plays in the band Refried
Ice Cream. In recent weeks, Brewer has risen to fame thanks to his
recorded ramblings about alternate dimensions, phase-shifting,
lizard people and pomegranates that serve as the through-line to
Bright Eyes' The People's Key album. Much of what Gaga declares in
her "Manifesto of Mother Monster" is lifted from Brewer's playbook:
a "mitosis of the future," a "multiverse" and the constantly changing
concepts of "temporal" and "eternal."