The Pipettes - So Far, Yet So Close

There just isn't any justice in the world, it sometimes seems. As if it weren't tragic enough that America has to continue shelling out money to witness the horror that is that Fergie creature, the Pipettes are coming to San Francisco and will be playing at Amoeba Records. But JunkThief has a previous engagement that evening that can't be cancelled. The horror!

"Who are the Pipettes?" I fear a couple of readers are asking? Imagine Banarama meets Phil Spector meets Russ Meyer meets the Bangles with a few twists along the route.

As if it weren't enough of a tragedy that it's almost impossible to find their stuff in U.S. music stores or iTunes, you can shell out $30 -40 to buy their stuff as imports online. We can hope this U.S. and San Francisco swing means they will gain some visibility in the backwater of the world that is Estados Unidos.

In the meantime, there is an MP3 over on Obscure Sound of their effervescent "Pull Shapes," that has the brilliant video paying homage to the Malibu party scene from Beyond the Valley of the Dolls in which the Carrie Nations introduce "Sweet Talking Candy Man." It's intriguing to see the frame by frame recreation of the original. All three of the Pipettes are really dear looking, but JunkThief is particularly sweet on the nerdy looking one with glasses.

It's tragic that the chance to see them live must be missed, but at least there is some solace in listening to their tunes that can make us forget that in just a few hours we all have to face Monday morning.

UPDATE: My "nerdy girl in glasses" is named Riot Becki. I refuse to accept the dismissals of these girls as being just latter day version of the Spice Girls. This live version of "Pull Shapes" during the holiday season is pretty fun too. In the meantime it's back to reading Proust and working on that article for work about the impact of the World Bank, IMF and multi-lateral aid on structural readjustment and further marginalization of indigenous NGOs in Sub-Saharan Francophone Africa. Wonder how Riot Becki feels about the IMF?