Todd Rundgren karaoke - Slut

Описание: https://altrockchick.com/tag/slut/

“Slut”: As a certified expert on sluttery, I am forced to take umbrage once again at those anti-sex feminists who claim the song is misogynistic in the extreme.

There are many pejorative definitions of the word “slut.” The stiffs at Cambridge define a slut as “a woman who has sexual relationships with a lot of men without any emotional involvement.” Bullshit. Their competitors at Oxford argue that “a slut is a woman who has many casual sexual partners.” True, but it still misses the mark. Dictionary.com weighs in with “a person, especially a woman, who is sexually promiscuous.” Close, but no cigar.

The most accurate and empathetic definition comes from one of my favorite reads, The Ethical Slut: “a person of any gender who has the courage to lead life according to the radical proposition that sex is nice and pleasure is good for you.” I am proud to be an ethical slut!

I think the guy in the song is also an ethical slut in search of an ethical slut. He’s not the smooth talker who can seduce through suggestive language and he’s certainly not practiced in dating etiquette (“See that girl, watch her dance/If I knew her name I wouldn’t have to sit on my hands/If my mouth don’t work I get some help”). It’s also very clear that any move he makes will be welcomed by his partner in sluttery (“And she don’t mind if I don’t keep my hands to myself”). Much to his credit, he doesn’t care about superficial flaws or conventional notions of beauty (“She’s got saggy thighs and baggy eyes”)—all he cares about is sexual satisfaction (“But she loves me in a way I can still recognize”). The fact that she loves him indicates a voluntary relationship between two highly ethical sluts who just want to skip the niceties and get down to fucking business. When he concludes “She may be a slut but she looks good to me,” it sounds like he’s defending the woman after one of his male buddies dissed her (“Whatcha doin’ messin’ around with that slut?”).

The music (recorded in L.A.) is heavy on the horns and suitably sleazy. Todd plays the role of guy-in-constant-heat with unbridled sexual passion, and I can easily imagine the background singers shaking tits and ass in absolute ecstasy. Kudos to Rick Vito for an absolutely filthy guitar solo. “Slut” is fun, sassy, sexy and a great way to end an album that broke pretty much all the rules.

I wouldn’t go so far as to say that “Slut” and “Hello, It’s Me” saved side four, but when the needle has lifted and I leave the music room to tend to other issues, I usually find myself singing, “S! L! U! T! She may be a slut but she looks good to me!”

Though Something/Anything? is far from perfect, it remains a remarkable achievement. In the larger scheme of things the imperfections are relatively minor and actually turn out to be something of a plus because they’re typically human mistakes made in the context of an honest effort. His choice to go one-man-band on the first three sides combined with the album’s diverse and often daring music wowed the listening audience and the flaws made him feel more accessible than your typical rock/pop star.

Even with the financial security provided by his production work, Something/Anything? was a risky career move that took a lot of courage. At this point, Todd Rundgren was hardly a household name; his only Top 20 hit was attributed to the band Runt. Though the follow-up album “Runt. The Ballad of Todd Rundgren” incorporated his name, it failed to crack the Top 200. Given that track record, the “smart move” would have been to bow to common wisdom and leave the experimentation for a date far in the future, after he was well-established. Had the album bombed it certainly would have damaged his reputation as a performer and might have lowered the demand for his production expertise.

We can all thank our lucky stars that the kid got heavy and cerebral, creating a unique collection of music that keeps you on the edge of your seat wondering, “What’s this crazy dude going to come up with next?” You may not care for what comes next, but there’s no way in hell you’re going to change the dial and tune into another station.

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