In the early 1990s, just before Britpop hit, Bernard Butler was the man in the UK as leader of the terrific glam rockers Suede. He looked like Bryan Ferry and sounded like Roxy Music meets Queen plus post-punk brutality. A winning combination. I saw em once (at the late lamented Supper Club -along with the Academy, two of the best rooms of the decade) and they were good not great.
And despite occasionally getting Suede back together for a show (though never in nyc for some reason), Bernard has become a record producer.
And a twitter, and here he is discussing Jay-Z and friends (taken off canoe.ca): "I'm decades behind music and all popular culture. I see Beyonce as a nonstop insincere PR trip… How does anybody fall for that bollocks?… She is standing in the security pit surrounded by 100 sycophants."
"Jay-Z on 'Later' had an amazing drummer, live guitar player, and on the Radio 1 (Hackney Weekend) thing it was him and Kanye like a pair of 40 year old A&R (record company) men who can't dance shouting 'London oh yeah', whilst an iPod played Otis Redding. I can do that at home."
It is really hard to deny, and I've been saying it since Jay-Z came out of retirement, the man isn't what he was despite huge success. His the Throne duo with Kanye West once the second most overated album of 2011 (take a bow, Adele) with exactly one killer track, the Wu Tang inspired, deeply felt "New Day". And a whole lotta N—-Zs in Paris,
As for Kanye? The man is losing the plot, two of the best hip hip albums of the decade 808s and Dark Fantasy… and now what? I dunno man I wonder how he is gonna pull off a new album.
As for Bernard, he is right on all counts. However, doubting Beyonce's sincerity is not the same as doubting her terrific last album 4.