It’s been four years since Stephen Merritt and Claudia Gonson rolled into town to play to Austin’s queerest, and how we’ve been hungering!
I remember when I was an undergraduate only the coolest of queers knew who The Magnetic Fields were. I was woefully behind the times, but once I got caught up I never looked back. We built our lives around Stephen Merritt’s lyrics. They are at once tragic and laugh-out-loud hilarious. And then you feel bad for thinking something so sincere could be so funny… This is from the song “Absolutely Cuckoo”:
Know now that I’m on the make/
And if you make a mistake/
My heart wil certainly break/
I’ll have to jump in a lake/
And all my friends will blame you/
There’s no telling what they’ll do/
It’s only fair to tell you/
I’m absolutely cuckoo
69 Love Songs is still my default gift for new acquaintances… and honestly, if you don’t have 69 Love Songs, you’re lame. There, I said it. So get it, lamers.
The Magnetic Fields playing tonight at the Paramount. Doors open at 7:00 and show begins at 8:00. You’ve got two hours.
This article appears in October 10 • 2008.