Irresponsibly Positive Portrayals of Mick Jagger
By WILLIAM R. DINGEE, CRIMSON STAFF WRITER
Published: Sunday, April 29, 2012


CHYI-DEAN SHU

Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger is many things: cultural icon, brilliant songwriter, archetypal hard-living rock star. His voice and his personality, both onstage and off, helped to bring the sex and grit of American rhythm and blues to a wider audience, something that neither Elvis nor the Beatles could ever quite accomplish. Even his stage antics have been credited with redefining the very definition of masculinity in our culture.

However, there are some things that Jagger most certainly is not, notable among them graceful or good-looking. As cultural watchdogs, we at FM feel compelled to highlight the disturbing proliferation of pop cultural portents that seem to suggest that posterity is in great peril of forgetting Jagger’s particular quirks. Are we failing to hold our recording artists to even the most basic standards of truth, integrity, and realistic representation of how funny-looking Mick Jagger is?

FM first noticed this disturbing trend when Ke$ha sang “and now the dudes are lining up ’cause they hear we got swagger/But we kick them to the curb unless they look like Mick Jagger” in her 2009 single “TiK ToK.” While surely a more expedient rhyme for swagger than “dagger,” Ke$ha’s invocation of the aging Stone has given thousands of impressionable young men and women the false idea that Mr. Jagger may now be, or might at some point have been, physically attractive. Jagger is a sex symbol­—but because of who he is, not how he looks. Even before 50 years of sex, drugs, and rock and roll had ravaged his face and body, he looked like a square-jawed, long-haired, big-lipped bullfrog whose eyes might leap out of his face in the event of an even moderately forceful sneeze.

Things only took a turn for the worse with 2011’s “Moves Like Jagger” by Maroon 5. Adam Levine sings “take me by the tongue and I’ll know you”—presumably in the biblical sense­—“kiss me ’til you’re drunk and I’ll show you/All the moves like Jagger/I’ve got the moves like Jagger/I’ve got the moooOOOooOOooOOooOOves like Jagger.” The implication here is two-fold; the song appears to be endorsing both Mick’s dance moves and his sexual prowess. While we cannot speak directly to the latter, anyone who has seen the video of 1981’s “Start Me Up” knows that it’s often difficult to discern if Jagger is dancing or attempting to dislodge a particularly stubborn wedgie. Seriously, Google it.

How did we get here? Things haven’t always been this way. When Andy Warhol did a series of portraits of Jagger in 1975, he knew how to represent him properly, and the result was pretty weird-looking. But we should have seen this coming: In 2003 Jagger was honored with knighthood by the Prince of Wales. Sir Mick Jagger? Please.

Mick Jagger is one of the most influential figures in the history of recorded music; he is also one fugly mother-lover, and he dances like a flightless, vaguely epileptic bird. We won’t hear a word otherwise, not from you, not from Adam Levine—nice as his falsetto is—and certainly not from a woman with a dollar sign in her name.

[www.thecrimson.com]

That is excellent, Edith.

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WeLoveToPlayTheBlues
That is excellent, Edith.

Yeah, just wish I could claim it for myself.

I suppose the ladies here are going to hate me now.

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Edith Grove

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WeLoveToPlayTheBlues
That is excellent, Edith.

Yeah, just wish I could claim it for myself.

I suppose the ladies here are going to hate me now.

Who cares! There's a lot of truth to it, what Mick is, but especially the "moooOOOooOOooOOooOOves" bit, which truly reveals how awful that "song" really is.

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WeLoveToPlayTheBlues

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Edith Grove

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WeLoveToPlayTheBlues
That is excellent, Edith.

Yeah, just wish I could claim it for myself.

I suppose the ladies here are going to hate me now.

Who cares! There's a lot of truth to it, what Mick is, but especially the "moooOOOooOOooOOooOOves" bit, which truly reveals how awful that "song" really is.

Mick is definitely quirky-looking - but what this smart-ass is missing is that its that quirkiness in his looks and mooooves that makes him a Rock Star. Its also how he carries himself: the swagger, the lazy, effortless cool....
Plus, he has the greatest smile and pout. That unusual face and body have an amazing expressiveness can be sensual, feminine, masculine, sarcastic, serious etc...that what artists capture when they paint him.
Its not conventionally 'attractive', but as my gay cousin said, 'he got a certain prettiness about him'.
His look defined what a rock star was in the 60s, 70s.....in a way a Bruce Springsteen, or someone with a more conventional look did not.
Because of Jagger, rock stars could be sensual, feminine and yet butch at the same time.
So while the piece is funny, he's missing it and Kesha and Adam Levine got. He's a Rock Star, not a model or even actor.
Maybe not conventional, but there are pictures where Jagger is downright beautiful in an exotic way.

And it ain't a 'ladies' thing either.



Edited 5 time(s). Last edit at 2012-04-29 19:19 by stupidguy2.

Mick in his prime was incredibly beautiful.

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Bliss
Mick in his prime was incredibly beautiful.

Yes. Those photos of him by Tarle are exquisite.
Its that strange/beautiful quality that makes him impossible to mimic.

Conventionally good-looking people are ten a penny. Mick, thank goodness, is not just (or even) a pretty face! And no, he can't dance in any conventional sense, and his voice isn't so wonderful, and... But my goodness, he uses what he has to extraordinary effect. The secret, I think, is his commitment to what he does.

It's the miracle of the Stones: if you were putting together a band, you would choose a bunch with better looks and greater and more compatible individual talents as singers, dancers and musicians - and you'd have some instantly forgettable boyband. But this particular group of less than perfect performers, working together, sparking off each other, covering each other's weaknesses, together make something unforgettable.

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Bliss
Mick in his prime was incredibly beautiful.

That's true.

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stupidguy2

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Bliss
Mick in his prime was incredibly beautiful.

Yes. Those photos of him by Tarle are exquisite.
Its that strange/beautiful quality that makes him impossible to mimic.

Yes. I agree with both of you 100%, and feel sorry for anyone who cannot see how beautiful he is.



Drew

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Edith Grove

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WeLoveToPlayTheBlues
That is excellent, Edith.

Yeah, just wish I could claim it for myself.

I suppose the ladies here are going to hate me now.

Yes, I hate you now, EG!

I think stupidguy is closer to right. It's funny how people either think Mick is ugly or very attractive.
He's kind of a Rorschach test for something, maybe perceptions or definitions of what we like in
a person.

~"Love is Strong"~



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2012-04-30 01:20 by angee.

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Bliss
Mick in his prime was incredibly beautiful.

Cannot argue with Bliss.

The article is written by a Harvard student looking for his piece to go viral.
They're trained to make bold hyperbolic statements like this to incite strong
reaction, and grab attention of high-profile publications that will hire them
come graduation.

quote: "However, there are some things that Jagger most certainly is not, notable among them graceful or good-looking."

Really....? That's just silly. And for context, a simple Googling of the
author's name calls up this + account, and the visage of the author himself.
Beauty clearly is in the eye of the beholder.




Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2012-04-30 10:39 by swiss.

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swiss

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Bliss
Mick in his prime was incredibly beautiful.

Cannot argue with Bliss.

The article is written by a Harvard student looking for his piece to go viral.
They're trained to make bold hyperbolic statements like this to incite strong
reaction, and grab attention of high-profile publications that will hire them
come graduation.

quote: "However, there are some things that Jagger most certainly is not, notable among them graceful or good-looking."

Really....? That's just silly. And for context, a simple Googling of the
author's name calls up this + account, and the visage of the author himself.
Beauty clearly is in the eye of the beholder.

><

Sigh, what a sad state of affairs. A dude wrting about Jagger's looks, and calling him ugly? Really? I suppose this is notable only because it is one of the stupidest articles ever written(and published) about a person by anyone. Lets hope the high-profile publications which this imbecile is trying to attract, do see this puerile article, chastise him for this BS, and never offer this idiot a job.

Jagger bashing vs Jagger praising - guess what's the more humble thing to do for musical peers and scholars?

Its not even about bashing. This kid is a kid, so that makes sense. Its like that article a few months ago where someone was wondering why people were writing songs about Mick Jagger. Couldn't understand what Kesha and others saw.....just that 'swagger' must have rhymed with Jagger etc....
Shows their level of rock and roll historical perspective.
Its like a kid wondering why Dylan is all that because 'he can't even sing'.
I swear, this new generation of writers worries me - they have so little reference points.

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stupidguy2
I swear, this new generation of writers worries me - they have so little reference points.

Like, dude, whaddya mean ?

Jagger is an amazing, sexy, sensual, outrageously fantastic man.

I do worry about this new generation but I guess our parents probably felt the same way about us. Hopefully, this trend of music-idiocy will end soon. Who are the Stones, Beatles, The Who, Jimi Hendrix, Dylan, Neil Young, The Dead, etc. for this generation?? It makes me wonder...

Maybe our guitar heros will never be appreciated again. I hope I'm wrong.

Thank you Green Lady.

They've been calling Mick ugly since at least 1964, people.

I wonder at what point (his 50th lover, 100th lover, 1000th lover?) he realized that being called ugly is a core element of his sex appeal.

Who cares what a GUY thinks Jagger looks like? It's like a woman commenting on another woman's looks. Who cares? Obviously Mick has managed to attract a long line of fine, fine females. And I saw him dance on the stage at Cleveland in '78 and he was amazing. There seems to be a lack of a lot of footage that caught him dancing on stage from '69 to '78. No, he's not conventional looking. Neither is Bowie. But women love them.

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memphiscats
Jagger is an amazing, sexy, sensual, outrageously fantastic man.

I do worry about this new generation but I guess our parents probably felt the same way about us. Hopefully, this trend of music-idiocy will end soon. Who are the Stones, Beatles, The Who, Jimi Hendrix, Dylan, Neil Young, The Dead, etc. for this generation?? It makes me wonder...

Maybe our guitar heros will never be appreciated again. I hope I'm wrong.

Scary isn't it? And I think its different from what our parents thought about us. Most of us, and I'm guessing, are old enough to have lived in the 60s, 70s - even if we were young. I remember being fascinated by older artists, older movies...history. We didn't have the benefit of easy access to information so we really had to search and learn. There are always going to be kids who want to learn about the past, but for the most part, kids today lack real perspective beyond their own experiences. Or maybe Im just an old fart, but there is something lacking in today's kids.

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stupidguy2

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memphiscats
Jagger is an amazing, sexy, sensual, outrageously fantastic man.

I do worry about this new generation but I guess our parents probably felt the same way about us. Hopefully, this trend of music-idiocy will end soon. Who are the Stones, Beatles, The Who, Jimi Hendrix, Dylan, Neil Young, The Dead, etc. for this generation?? It makes me wonder...

Maybe our guitar heros will never be appreciated again. I hope I'm wrong.

Scary isn't it? And I think its different from what our parents thought about us. Most of us, and I'm guessing, are old enough to have lived in the 60s, 70s - even if we were young. I remember being fascinated by older artists, older movies...history. We didn't have the benefit of easy access to information so we really had to search and learn. There are always going to be kids who want to learn about the past, but for the most part, kids today lack real perspective beyond their own experiences. Or maybe Im just an old fart, but there is something lacking in today's kids.

Consumerism is killing everything...I do hope the pendulum swings back the other way.

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stupidguy2

Quote
memphiscats
Jagger is an amazing, sexy, sensual, outrageously fantastic man.

I do worry about this new generation but I guess our parents probably felt the same way about us. Hopefully, this trend of music-idiocy will end soon. Who are the Stones, Beatles, The Who, Jimi Hendrix, Dylan, Neil Young, The Dead, etc. for this generation?? It makes me wonder...

Maybe our guitar heros will never be appreciated again. I hope I'm wrong.

Scary isn't it? And I think its different from what our parents thought about us. Most of us, and I'm guessing, are old enough to have lived in the 60s, 70s - even if we were young. I remember being fascinated by older artists, older movies...history. We didn't have the benefit of easy access to information so we really had to search and learn. There are always going to be kids who want to learn about the past, but for the most part, kids today lack real perspective beyond their own experiences. Or maybe Im just an old fart, but there is something lacking in today's kids.

The concept of this article clanked around in the back of my head today... and finally clanked out, thank goodness... and.... bottom line? ... how unfortunate for this child that his introduction to Mick Jagger was through a Ke$sha song and and Adam Levine song.... that really is kind of sad.

btw- Great points about.... I too as a kid looked up for music. I was too young to have anyone my age playing music (I never counted The Partrdiges as real) so of course I looked to older groups... and I loved what I found... and I never let go of it. And as I got older I never gave back the early groups I loved... and as I got older older, I NEVER NEVER gave back the early groups I loved (music is not like back when I forced to let go of my bell bottom jeans)... when it comes to music, one does not have to replce, it is not fashion... if a group was good enough for me way back when... then they (usually) can still tickle my fancy today... so as I add more music/new music.... I keep old music... and I keep on rocking 360 degrees.

add more music / keep old music / keep on dancing and youll never grow old





Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2012-05-01 07:10 by Max'sKansasCity.

A friend related a Navy SEAL memoir he read, in which the Navy SEAL said he and other SEALs entered a hotel lounge (or some such place) and saw sitting with a beautiful woman on each arm "a short ugly man. How could such a short ugly man get such beautiful women?" And then they realized it was Rod Stewart.

Now, I don't think they really thought he was short and ugly. But what he was was a somewhat effete rock star, and how dare he be scoring hotter women than these MACHO Navy SEALs! It was jealousy.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2012-05-01 08:06 by Title5Take1.

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Title5Take1
A friend related a Navy SEAL memoir he read, in which the Navy SEAL said he and other SEALs entered a hotel lounge (or some such place) and saw sitting with a beautiful woman on each arm "a short ugly man. How could such a short ugly man get such beautiful women?" And then they realized it was Rod Stewart.

Now, I don't think they really thought he was short and ugly. But what he was was a somewhat effete rock star, and how dare he be scoring hotter women than these MACHO Navy SEALs! It was jealousy.

Well put... that probably has the most to do why this an article was written. This kid has no idea who Mick is, but discovers that his two favorite artists have recently written songs about him... so he probably googled good ole Mick.... and saw him.... quickly came to a conclusion and wrote the article whithout doing any more research. Does it get more shallow than that?

How could a short ugly man get so many women....

Tell that ta Charlie Bukowski....he did more drillin' than a Sharp-Hughes Rock bit ...Huh Huh!!!



ROCKMAN

Max - I was the same - grabbed a lot of good stuff from the past and I've never let go. I was lucky that my parents were so into music. I grew up with Peggy Lee, Ella Fitzgerald, Sinatra, Tony Bennet. Plus having four older brothers got me into so many great sounds from the 50s and 60s.
What legacy do we leave for our children? My daughter seems to have an appreciation for older music. She loves the Beatles, Simon & Garfunkel, and a lot of the music I like. She does complain that she knows every song on Exile backwards and forwards - I keep telling her that's a GOOD THING!

Let's hope the pendulum does swing. Maybe we've just cherry-picked the best of what we've heard. Let's hope these upcoming kids have the smarts to do the same. There must be some good music out there - somewhere...

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memphiscats
Max - I was the same - grabbed a lot of good stuff from the past and I've never let go. I was lucky that my parents were so into music. I grew up with Peggy Lee, Ella Fitzgerald, Sinatra, Tony Bennet. Plus having four older brothers got me into so many great sounds from the 50s and 60s.
What legacy do we leave for our children? My daughter seems to have an appreciation for older music. She loves the Beatles, Simon & Garfunkel, and a lot of the music I like. She does complain that she knows every song on Exile backwards and forwards - I keep telling her that's a GOOD THING!

Let's hope the pendulum does swing. Maybe we've just cherry-picked the best of what we've heard. Let's hope these upcoming kids have the smarts to do the same. There must be some good music out there - somewhere...

Right on MC... the only problem these days is the thin pickings for NEW REAL music to add to the stack(although there is some good stuff out there, I provided one idea, imuho anyway), I blame the music industry execs for pimping crappy quick money acts pandering to 12-14 year olds and other crap.... versus taking proper care of the music, allowing real music groups time and a coupe of CDs to grow versus requiring mega hits/meagsales right out of the gate, thus they apply a formula to everything and we get broing drivel and groups that dont stick around.....and their sales plummet... and they just try blame downloading versus proper cultivating of artist... and I call BS!! It pisses me off, Id like to let em have it!!

Allow me to explain in Metaphor.

In this video
I would be the crazy cat....
The toddler would be "the music"...
and the babysitter is the music execs not taking proper care of, and ruining, music these days.

btw- although James is fine, if I had made this I would have picked another...





Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2012-05-01 19:13 by Max'sKansasCity.

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Max'sKansasCity

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memphiscats
Max - I was the same - grabbed a lot of good stuff from the past and I've never let go. I was lucky that my parents were so into music. I grew up with Peggy Lee, Ella Fitzgerald, Sinatra, Tony Bennet. Plus having four older brothers got me into so many great sounds from the 50s and 60s.
What legacy do we leave for our children? My daughter seems to have an appreciation for older music. She loves the Beatles, Simon & Garfunkel, and a lot of the music I like. She does complain that she knows every song on Exile backwards and forwards - I keep telling her that's a GOOD THING!

Let's hope the pendulum does swing. Maybe we've just cherry-picked the best of what we've heard. Let's hope these upcoming kids have the smarts to do the same. There must be some good music out there - somewhere...

Right on MC... the only problem these days is the thin pickings for NEW REAL music to add to the stack(although there is some good stuff out there, I provided one idea, imuho anyway), I blame the music industry execs for pimping crappy quick money acts pandering to 12-14 year olds and other crap.... versus taking proper care of the music, allowing real music groups time and a coupe of CDs to grow versus requiring mega hits/meagsales right out of the gate, thus they apply a formula to everything and we get broing drivel and groups that dont stick around.....and their sales plummet... and they just try blame downloading versus proper cultivating of artist... and I call BS!! It pisses me off, Id like to let em have it!!

Allow me to explain in Metaphor.

In this video
I would be the crazy cat....
The toddler would be "the music"...
and the babysitter is the music execs not taking proper care of, and ruining, music these days.

btw- although James is fine, if I had made this I would have picked another...

Wow, Max - what the hell was that shit playing?? Assault on the ears!! Still trying to figure out why someone was so afraid of the CATS
I'm a bit obtuse today - is your point: A) that we don't give time enough to hear the music? b) Cats are running amok? (c) Babysitters should be shot? d) James Taylor still rocks? (e)The record industry is run by a bunch of greedy-eejits?

Interesting you mention downloading - a lot of the threads and comments seem to go back to the WAY music is imparted these days. Wait - light is dawning - is that your message? Geez - I need more coffee!