Let’s just admit right now that I am not Taylor Swift’s target demo. I will be 50 in 2 days. But my mija is. My mija loves Taylor Swift. She LOVES Taylor Swift, in much the way I loved Depeche Mode when I was 15. So I watched Eras today.
(I don’t actually have a daughter; she’s an adult friend whose mother is younger than me.)
Taylor, as everyone on Earth pretty much knows, did a huge tour & then made a tour film—much like Depeche Mode, who did a huge tour & then put out a tour film, D.A. Pennebaker’s Depeche Mode 101, in 1989, which is the year Taylor was born.
These films are similar in several ways: iconic songs, crying teenaged girls, fans singing every lyric like they wrote them, final stops in Los Angeles. Eras was shot in SoFi (which is huge; I staffed an event there a couple years ago). 101 was shot at the Rose Bowl.
Some more similarities. The acoustic sets remind me of Martin Gore traipsing shyly to the front of the stage to quietly croon “Somebody”. Taylor has a charming stage persona that seems to intimately wink & nod to every member of that huge audience, & David Gahan has a similar charisma. Teenaged girls, to my surprise, scream just as loudly when Taylor does a pelvic thrust as they did for Dave.
Eras did not make me love Taylor Swift (though she did make me cry), but I can see why people like her. She exudes golly gosh charm. She speaks to the whole audience in a tone one usually reserves for best friends. Her alto voice is relatable & her songs are catchy, referencing components of songs that got malcontents like me on dance floors when she was a toddler.
A dear & aspiring stoic friend of mine, who is surprisingly a Taylor Swift apologist, once said to me, “Her songs are well crafted, though her lyrics are nonsense.” I laughed & told him he was such a boy. He has NO feminine side. But what I also said was, “It’s possible she has borderline personality disorder, or that her writing persona does.” [I am not licensed to practice psychology or diagnose mental health conditions in the State of California DO NOT COME FOR ME]
And as I listen to the lyrics of songs like “Bad Blood”, “Blank Space”, “Mastermind”, “Antihero”, & “Karma”, I don’t feel disproven. The most remarkable thing about the SoFi show (besides the unzip & rip costume changes & dazzling special effects) was her cheerful face & the joyous smiles of her band while they played songs with the most unhinged messaging you might hear outside of Rammstein. There is a taut ribbon of undiluted rage in her lyrics, vacillating from broken abandonment (“Tolerate It”) to straight up self annihilating angst (“Antihero”).
I will say though, as a long time Curve & NIN fan, that it is handy to have an unhinged weirdo to sing your darker moods for you. You just shouldn’t live there. It could be a diagnosis, & there is treatment. It could also just be art.
OMG, is Taylor Swift this generation’s Trent Reznor??
Well, no. But there are—similarities. Depeche Mode never swore in a song; T Swizz & T Rezz did. You decide.
What else is different about Depeche Mode 101? Well, the band has 4 guys (at that time). They’re English & working class, mostly, & their songs are saturated with rainy landscapes & Martin’s elevated libido & religious curiosity. The film also has backstage footage & features a busload of fans as they follow the band around the country. It is as much an homage to fans as to the band.
Which I guess Eras is, too, as Tay Tay talks at them & thanks them constantly.
Eras is three & a half hours long, which is exhausting. 101 is not, clocking in at just under 2 perfect hours. Eras is visually dazzling; it is a Broadway production with wonderful dancers & sort of a plot. 101 is visually dazzling if you like pale Englishmen in leather trousers & tight white jeans, & many of us did at the time.
Taylor conversely has an impressive array of 1988 Vegas cocktail waitress & figure skater attire, mixed with Stevie Knicks inspired witchy girl swirly dresses & one truly outstanding ball gown.
If you’ve been avoiding Taylor like the plague, don’t. She is informing quite a bit of the culture you live in right now, so having at least a passing familiarity with her won’t kill you. Like Morrissey, she mixes catchy, happy tunes with absolute despair & spite. Like here:
And then if you want to see the moment we all started doing this hand motion for the next 30 years, click this:
But also this is my favourite favouritest song from 101 (& more melodic overall);
What do you think? Drop a comment! Am I a dope? Probably. I am kinda old.
If you enjoyed this, you may like my books. Or not.
Princess of Swords 