The Yes List—David Byrne and Fatboy Slim's Imelda Marcos Musical
The Daily Beast [Link]
16 April 2010

Each week, The Daily Beast scours the cultural landscape to choose three top picks.

Is Imelda the next Evita—musically speaking? Former Talking Heads frontman David Byrne and Fatboy Slim have collaborated on Here Lies Love a two-CD musical tribute to legendary Philippine first lady Imelda Marcos. Here Lies Love features 23 performers (21 of whom are female), including Tori Amos, Martha Wainwright, Natalie Merchant, Cyndi Lauper, and Filipino jazz singer Charmaine Clamor singing about the life and times of the world’s most famous shoe freak. In the introduction to the disco-influenced CD, Byrne writes, “The story I am interested in is about asking what drives a powerful person—what makes them tick? How do they make and then remake themselves? I thought to myself, wouldn’t it be great if—as this piece would be principally composed of clubby dance music—one could experience it in a club setting? Could one bring a ‘story’ and a kind of theater to the disco? Was that possible? If so, wouldn’t that be amazing!” A theatrical version of Here Lies Love is also being planned for New York’s Public Theater.

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