Got sort of re-turned on to Jill Sobule today, caught her on an NPR program doing a little promtion and interview for her current tour with Julia Sweeney, "The Jill And Julia Show."
I have to say...I'm really impressed and seriously recommend this woman's work.
Some of you might remember Jill from back in the early 90's when she had a one-hit pop thing with the MTV track "I Kissed A Girl."
Which was a pretty funny and cute little tune - and of course, OMGLESBIANS, right. Didn't sell any records, but 95 million men between 15 and 30 bought the video...
Anyway, it turns out that she's actually a very funny, talented, and entertaining performer and songwriter. Most of the tracks I heard on the NPR show - and most of what I've tracked down since - have really been sort of just little dittys from a musical standpoint, but her lyrics are really awesome, just overflowing with the kind of kill-your-tv question-your-heroes reject-the-carrot-chase mentality that made the great punk, rock, and protest songs so powerful.
One of the tracks she did on the show was called Nothing To Prove
and just had me grinning and going "yeah" the whole time. The link back there will take you to an Amazon page where you can preview (and/or download) the track, but just look at these lyrics:
And in walks in this sullen girl who looks like she's nineteen, or wants to be
With her biker boots and her hair dyed black
Did that look so many years ago
She looks at me like I'm some square
Or I'm like her mother
Well, f**k you, kid; I got nothing to prove
Nothing to prove
Nothing to prove
Once I was as miserable as you
Nothing to prove
Nothing to prove
I got nothing to prove
She just takes these vicious swipes at the shallowness and mediocrity in the world...and in this cute little hippy singer-songwriter girl voice, you almost miss the lyrics because it's so acoustic-guitar-chick, with nice catchy little hummable hooks that'll get nicely stuck in your head, and then it dawns on you that you've just had your most fundamental beliefs questioned by some angry Lisa Loeb taking a soft fluffy chainsaw to your face.
Even if you're not into the acoustic-guitar-chick thing, she's well worth checking out. "Nothing to Prove" appears on the album California Years
, which features production by Don Was, a list of guest musicians that reads like a Who's Who of rock history, and was entirely funded by donations from her fans.
This lady deserves your money and your time. Given the current state of what passes for "rock and roll," - and especially given the current statelessness of the attitude that made it what it was for so long - it makes me feel good to be able to so heartily endorse an artist.
I've embedded a TED clip from the "Jill and Julia Show" below for your pleasure as well. All the links above go to Amazon, where you can take a look/listen at the stuff I've linked (and buy it!), or just check out her Artist's Store at Amazon.Com
Edit: Duh. I guess actually embedding the video would help...