Which Liz Phair will show up this time?
 It’s annoying when people talk about rock musicians as brands, but in the case of Liz Phair, it’s hard not to. After earning the loyalty of her customer (indie fan) base in the 1990s, she completely changed her product (music) for her last album, and ended up getting pasted with outrage and scorn. (The self-titled album scored a 0.0 on Pitchfork’s scale from 0 to 10, and a New York Times writer called it “an embarrassing form of career suicide.”) So now that Phair has a new album due out in October, people are naturally wondering, which brand of Liz Phair will they get this time? In interviews, Phair refuses to apologize for her 2003 record (did anyone ever apologize for New Coke?) but does hint that the new songs, while not a return to the “old” Liz Phair, might be a little more worthwhile. “I wanted to just put a little more soul into what I was doing,” she says. On the other hand, even if the new album does turn out to be Coke Classic, some people seem to have moved on to Pepsi for good.
—Posted by Tim Nudd
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August 19, 2005 | Permalink
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Comments
Yeah, I was one of those guys that loved the foul mouthed, sex hungry Liz Phair of old, but, if I remember correctly, even back then she used to say she was playing at being badass.
This then begs the question: "Was the 2003 Liz Phair the real Liz Phair?" I would almost bet that this was the case.
However, even before that overly produced, photoshoped and designed album, her act was getting a little old, so I'm unsure she'll win anyone back with a new effort, but I guess we'll just have to wait and see.
Posted by: Patrick Bennett | Aug 22, 2005 11:15:36 AM
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