» Antony & The Johnsons

this new york, usa-based chamber cabaret outfit is led by the striking, androgynous figure of singularly named performance artist antony (b. antony hegarty, chichester, west sussex, england). his unusual background saw him relocating from his native england at the age of 10 to be raised in california, usa. he moved to new york in 1990 to attend the experimental theatre wing at nyu, and before long had become heavily involved in the city's punk drag scene. paying homage to fabled performance artists leigh bowery and klaus nomi, antony began performing late night cabaret sets with the blacklips collective at the city's pyramid club. in 1995 he assembled a backing group, the self-styled antony and the johnsons, and began to focus on the musical side of his performances. the group built up a cult following at hip new york clubs such as the kitchen and knitting factory, but their debut blue angel remained unreleased until current 93 leader david tibet signed antony and the johnsons to his durtro label. the cast list of musicians on the album, released under the title antony and the johnsons in 1998, included transsexual artist baby dee (harp), francois gehin (bass), todd cohen (drums), charles neilson (guitar), and a number of string and woodwind players.

this collection of modern torch songs highlighted antony's soulful, multi-octave vocals and the johnsons' graceful chamber pop arrangements, reaching a peak on "cripple and the starfish" and "divine", the latter a tribute to the late transvestite movie star.further recordings by antony and the johnsons emerged in the early years of the new millennium, including "i fell in love with a dead boy" and a shared ep with current 93, recorded live at saint olave's church in london, england. by now the line-up of the johnsons featured todd cohen, jeff langston (bass), jason hart (piano), julia kent (cello), joan wasser (violin), and maxim moston (violin). in 2003, antony made a guest appearance on lou reed's the raven and subsequently toured with the maverick rock legend, performing a riveting version of "candy says" in the middle of reed's set (later documented on animal serenade). the following year antony and the johnsons signed a new recording contract with the indiana-based label secretly canadian, completing work on their second album i am a bird now by the end of 2004. anthony has also filmed cameo roles in the movies animal factory and wilde side.

I am a Bird Now
February 1, 2005

US LP/CD Secretly Canadian

1. Hope There's Someone
2. My Lady Story
3. For Today I am a Buoy
4. Man is the Baby
5. You Are My Sister
6. What Can I Do?
7. Fistful of Love
8. Spiralling
9. Free At Last
10. Bird Girl

Guest vocalists:
Devenra Banhart (8)
Boy George (5)
Lou Reed (7)
Rufus Wainright (6)
Julia Yasuda (9)

Resentie / Persbericht

It’s not often that an album released in January gets called one of the best of the year in near-unison, but the second full length by Antony and the Johnsons is so startlingly beautiful that it simply has to be. Like his friend and compatriot Devendra Banhart, Antony is a super-talented singer-songwriter with a flair for dramatic artsong. But the cherubic Antony is so original he must get mistaken for an alien quite often; he sings like a bluesy opera singer and switches timbre from masculine to feminine in the space of a breath. The only vocal comparison that comes close is Nina Simone. Antony’s honest lyrics deal with deep wounds and troubled desires with matter of fact poetry and subtle humor, as in a short story by JT LeRoy. Aided and abetted by a versatile band that’s often closer to chamber orchestra than rock act, Antony delivers a visionary album with I Am A Bird Now. Oh yeah: Rufus Wainwright, Devendra, Lou Reed and Boy George all appear on here, too.

Singer-songwriter/pianist Antony is one of those rare artists who, while not unprecedented, still emerges as singular. His is an an arresting vibrato and his presence is gender-anxious and confrontational in its vulnerability. His fey yet firm poise is quivering, tension fraught, but never engulfingly overwrought. Menored by Lou Reed, Boy George, Rufus Wainright and Devendra Barnhart, Antony presents a unique spectoral sound of faded, frayed glamour. This his second album I am a Bird Now is a polished gilded productions including a bluesy purr worthy of Nina Simone in "My Lady Story" and "Fistful of Love," with its Muscle Shoals horn blurts-meet-Weimar cabaret swoons via The Velvet Underground's shuffle. As a whole, I Am a Bird Now exhibits a downy affinity for androgynous eccentricity. Rough Trade. 2005. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.