The same type of theatrical glamour that disco produced is making a comeback in pop music today. Are you relieved? “There was a bit of a lull—especially at the end of the ’90s—for glam. At the time, if you wanted to be taken seriously you had to dress in all black and be a bit poo-faced and look like a serious musician. That’s changed quite a lot. There are a few pop bands that are, at the moment, quite dramatic and stylized, which is a good thing. Bands such as Scissor Sisters and Franz Ferdinand are intelligent. Andre 3000 reminds me of what Prince might be doing if he were [current].”
So much of the music and fashion from the ’70s seem to be a big influence for you. Why are you so connected to that era? “I suppose the ambiguity of it all. I just thought there was something sinister and yet playful about what [glam rocker] Marc Bolan did. His sound and expression was so sexy. The ’80s I don’t feel good about at all. I think they were really boring—politically, socially and culturally. That was not my era.”
Is there such a thing as good or bad taste in pop? “You should have a good sense of yourself and what is boring or what isn’t. Does bad taste inform good taste? Yeah. They both work together. Bad taste is having an overblown sense of yourself or the world. It’s unimaginative to just put a bunch of designer clothes on and think that’s special.”
—Elio Iannacci
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