Rainbows
Suck – Madeleine Swann
“Oooooh,
Fashion! We are the goon squad and we're coming to town. Beep-beep!”
So sang David Bowie on Scary Monsters in 1980. I don't know whether
Madeleine listened to this whilst writing her novella, Rainbows Suck,
but I'd like to imagine so.
Tilli,
a poor and almost destitute artist, is picked by an overlord group of
sentient rainbows from outerspace to become a living piece of art. As
she struggles to gain recognition as an art exhibit (exhibits which
fail to be noticed are eradicated) she chooses to perform
increasingly degrading sexual acts. She then catches the eye of
Felicite, an already established work of art, and the two form a
relationship.
This
is British bizarro, my tentacled reader, we are in London, fashion
and culture capital. But it's London as never seen before. There are
familiar sign posts, museums, and dingy apartments, and journalists.
But, there's weird here too, ubermensch rainbows for one.
So,
what the hell is this book about? On the surface it seems like
nothing what-so-ever. Evil rainbows and living art? But let's dig a
little below the surface, shall we? Well to me, weirdly tentacled
reader, this novella is about culture, and fashion, and celebrities
and swings in the zeitgeist. That makes it a massively ambitious
piece, and it's worth your time examining it.
We
all now live in this celebrity culture. Madeleine starts there and,
as all the best bizarro does, subverts it. She takes it too extremes.
And then, tentacled reader, she starts to ask the questions. How far
will celebrities go to keep that status? How far can art go? Is it
even art any more? Remember, the art only lives whilst it's being
observed and fawned over, if no one pays attention then it is killed.
Isn't that a lot like our current celebrity culture? Kayne West only
survives if you pay him attention.
“Listen
to me – don't listen to me. Talk to me – don't talk to me.
Beep-beep” sings David Bowie, prophetic in my view.
So,
there's a brand new dance, tentacled reader, and Madeleine is playing
the tune. Does everything work in this novella? No. Some of the
imagery is a bit confused and sometimes we lose a bit of focus and
pacing. But that doesn't mean there isn't a whole load of stuff to
enjoy in here.
I
thoroughly enjoyed it Madeleine, Beep-beep!
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