Capt. Al's 21st Century: Part VI -- What's a Nice Transgender Jewish Person Doing in a Place Like This?

[As attentive readers will recall, our old friend (and more important, Friend of PowerPop©) Allan Rosenberg, aka Capt. Al, has been toiling on a series about his fave recent artists for a while now. The first installment of these musical musings, about Feist, appeared here back in July. Now, as promised, here's episode le sixième! Take it away, you old sea doggie!!! -- S.S.]

Welcome to the “Best Rock&Roll Music of the 21st Century, Part VI”, by Captain Al!!!

There are musical artists that challenge my values. Not just musical but even my life values.

In the 1960’s it was the Velvet Underground. I came to LOVE their music but it came with a struggle as I had to reorient my head to get it around the new ideas and sounds.

In the 1970’s it was David Bowie. It was his music but even more the way he projected his sexuality. I came to very much enjoy his 1970’s output, at first grudgingly then to come to respect in the ways he presented himself to the world.

Also in the 1970’s Brian Eno challenged how I listened and viewed music. Whether his rock music or his ambient music he also rearranged my ears to sounds and what he felt constituted music/sounds.

In the 1980’s the New Romantics taught me no matter how popular a style of music could be it could be so wrong headed it could cause irreparable damage to the baseline of rock and roll. Okay, Duran Duran were fairly good (sometimes) but the rest rotted, stinking up an entire generation’s expectations of what rock should (could) sound like. :-) !

This leads me to today’s featured artist -- Ezra Furman.

First off let’s establish right from the beginning that Ezra Furman is a “Wild Child”! He does everything with his life and musical career full blown and “take no prisoners.”

He doesn’t back down. He creates great music and confronts his sexuality right out in public.

Through the years we've been able to see how he's moved through his life by his actions and the make up of his music.

Now, as far as I know/guess, Ezra is transitioning from a man to a woman. He/she has begun identifying as a woman. I have no idea where this is leading in their(heh) life nor do I care in any political or personal sense. They should be happy, and all I really care about is their music, which is wonderful and rocking!

So here's some examples.

This is some thought-provoking stuff, but her music is always challenging and wonderful. It can take real courage to present what you live and believe in to this world, in the 21st century, and especially now, at this perilous moment here in the US of A.

Give it a try!

--- Capt. Al

Holy kazoosis!

Those are some pretty out there wild-and-wacky avant-garde audio/video products, pardner! I gotta confess, I was previously unaware of this Furman critter, and having now watched/listened to those clips I'm not quite sure what I think about them (in both the nominative and gender senses of the word "them." Thank you.).

But good on you for hepping us to Furman! That was a great closer for the series.

Unless, of course, there are going to be more episodes forthcoming. In which case -- let's do lunch. 😎