Comments on: pronounced eeee-sah

pronounced eeee-sah

starkeffect — Mon, 26 Jun 2006 22:00:29 -0800

Following in the tradition of Prince, Cat Stevens and Terence Trent D'Arby, Canadian chanteuse Jane Siberry has changed her name.

By: puke & cry

puke & cry — Mon, 26 Jun 2006 22:09:37 -0800

whoop-de-shit

By: burhan

burhan — Mon, 26 Jun 2006 22:10:31 -0800

My first name is that with a name such as Issa that she had become Muslim but there's nothing to corroborate that - perhaps a coincidence that she's chosen the arabic for Jesus? Change is good - perhaps there's a personal reason that requires that she shed all pretenses of her former life?

By: ChasFile

ChasFile — Mon, 26 Jun 2006 22:12:31 -0800

How nice for her. I would post a snarky comment along the lines of "who gives a shit," but instead I will simply post a link to the worst press release of all time. Attn: pretentious singer/songwriters. When you decide your career is in need of the kind of boost only a name-changing publicity stunt can provide, putting out a three word press release is not the best way to maximize media exposure of said non-event.

By: gurple

gurple — Mon, 26 Jun 2006 22:23:00 -0800

No, really, guys, I think you should call me 'Sting'. Yeah, I think it's kind of badass. You know, like a wasp or something, those little things can really hurt if they get you on your foot. Guys...?

By: puke & cry

puke & cry — Mon, 26 Jun 2006 22:25:41 -0800

Sorry, taken.

By: fleetmouse

fleetmouse — Mon, 26 Jun 2006 22:33:23 -0800

The name Issa is also taken.

By: fandango_matt

fandango_matt — Mon, 26 Jun 2006 22:35:25 -0800

Also.

By: starkeffect

starkeffect — Mon, 26 Jun 2006 22:44:09 -0800

I found out about this because I'm signed up on Siberry's email notification list. The title read "My new name is..." and the text was, in total: Issa (eee-sah) love, Jane Which makes me wonder... if her new name is Issa, why wouldn't she sign the email "love, Issa"?. Oh well. I like her music anyway.

By: pyramid termite

pyramid termite — Mon, 26 Jun 2006 22:52:56 -0800

is she someone worth hearing? ... not being snarky, i've heard of her, but haven't gotten around to checking her out ...

By: Dreama

Dreama — Mon, 26 Jun 2006 23:03:07 -0800

She's worth hearing, yes, but I fear that Ms. Siberry, erm, Ms. Light, has just jumped the couch.

By: starkeffect

starkeffect — Mon, 26 Jun 2006 23:09:12 -0800

She's an acquired taste-- if you like Kate Bush's more idiosyncratic work then you'll probably enjoy Siberry. She's gone through several "phases" (twee electronic pop, jazz, "standards", and so forth), but I think her best album is When I Was a Boy. You can download all of her back catalogue from the Sheeba store, which offers all her music on a "sliding scale".

By: Ohdemah

Ohdemah — Mon, 26 Jun 2006 23:35:50 -0800

From Wikipedia: "On June 3, 2006, somewhere in northwestern Europe, Jane Siberry changed her name. She did not announce her new name publicly, but many fans speculated on what it could possibly be." Yep, I was drunk in Europe once too.

By: dirigibleman

dirigibleman — Mon, 26 Jun 2006 23:43:07 -0800

Following in the tradition of Prince, Cat Stevens and Terence Trent D'Arby, Canadian chanteuse Jane Siberry has become a fundamentalist?

By: blucevalo

blucevalo — Tue, 27 Jun 2006 00:01:36 -0800

Call me Issa-mael.

By: zarah

zarah — Tue, 27 Jun 2006 00:31:56 -0800

My parents had a female kitten named after Siberry's Mimi on the Beach. 6 months later the kitten dropped a giant set of balls, and they had to change his name to Tygrrr.

By: pracowity

pracowity — Tue, 27 Jun 2006 00:44:36 -0800

Or you may call her "The Artist Formerly Not Very Well Known as Jane Siberry."

By: Flashman

Flashman — Tue, 27 Jun 2006 00:51:22 -0800

That name reminds me of my dog

By: Radio7

Radio7 — Tue, 27 Jun 2006 01:00:56 -0800

Oy.

By: stavrosthewonderchicken

stavrosthewonderchicken — Tue, 27 Jun 2006 02:36:23 -0800

Vey?

By: outlier

outlier — Tue, 27 Jun 2006 03:53:10 -0800

Cool. Thanks starkeffect for posting this - I used to listen to Siberry a lot in the early 90s but had lost track of what she was doing. (Why didn't I just go to her website or look her up in Wikipedia? Uh ...) Kate Bush is a good comparison, but Siberry tends more to the "aggressively quirky" end.

By: ZenMasterThis

ZenMasterThis — Tue, 27 Jun 2006 04:35:18 -0800

That name reminds me of my dog Dammit, Flashman you beat me to it.

By: Slithy_Tove

Slithy_Tove — Tue, 27 Jun 2006 04:46:36 -0800

Because those Canadian names are so foreign-sounding and hard to pronounce.

By: Flashman

Flashman — Tue, 27 Jun 2006 05:13:47 -0800

Zenmaster, there are some advantages to living in the Greenwich Mean Time - one being that you get to use up all the good quips before the other MeFites have rolled out of bed.

By: poppo

poppo — Tue, 27 Jun 2006 05:45:09 -0800

"standards" when an artist records a "standards" album it is the equivalent of when a sitcom adds a cute new kid...its death knell

By: Songdog

Songdog — Tue, 27 Jun 2006 06:07:26 -0800

starkeffect writes "You can download all of her back catalogue from the Sheeba store, which offers all her music on a 'sliding scale'." I hope this catches on.

By: jonmc

jonmc — Tue, 27 Jun 2006 06:26:20 -0800

Issa Not A Big Deal.

By: yerfatma

yerfatma — Tue, 27 Jun 2006 06:36:36 -0800

Someone needs to take a hardline on this.

By: Biblio

Biblio — Tue, 27 Jun 2006 07:24:28 -0800

Oh no, she's a table... I loved, loved, loved Sib (as she used to call herself) in my teens and 20s. Bound by the Beauty is an incredible album. I just could never get into Maria, however, and sort of lost interest in her new stuff. This news is nothing compared to discovering that another of my favorite Canadian singers, Meryn Cadell, is now a man. *eyes Barenaked Ladies nervously*

By: xod

xod — Tue, 27 Jun 2006 07:30:55 -0800

Siberry sold everything she owned recently.

By: jscalzi

jscalzi — Tue, 27 Jun 2006 09:07:04 -0800

What would be really funny is if after all this, she started releasing radio-friendly power pop ballads. For this fellow upstream asking "who is Jane Siberry": Find a copy of When I was a Boy. In my opinion her best (and also most accessible) album.

By: bitter-girl.com

bitter-girl.com — Tue, 27 Jun 2006 09:09:16 -0800

My friend scored me a test-weave bit of tartan from the Isle of Skye (and some other stuff) at her garage sale, it's awesome! Those of you who haven't had the pleasure yet should really check her out, live if at all possible -- she's one of the best live performers I've ever seen. The recordings don't really do her justice.

By: kirkaracha

kirkaracha — Tue, 27 Jun 2006 09:12:12 -0800

Meesa Issa.

By: stinkycheese

stinkycheese — Tue, 27 Jun 2006 09:23:20 -0800

Biblio: This news is nothing compared to discovering that another of my favorite Canadian singers, Meryn Cadell, is now a man. Excuse me?

By: stinkycheese

stinkycheese — Tue, 27 Jun 2006 09:32:14 -0800

It's true. Wow, Meryn Cadell. That's my mind-blower for today, thanks.

By: languagehat

languagehat — Tue, 27 Jun 2006 10:24:48 -0800

Or you may call her "The Artist Formerly Not Very Well Known as Jane Siberry." Heh. Is this something I would have to be under 50 to know/care about?

By: Joeforking

Joeforking — Tue, 27 Jun 2006 11:00:42 -0800

Gissalight.

By: geneablogy

geneablogy — Tue, 27 Jun 2006 11:13:18 -0800

She'd probably be famous now if she wasn't such a good waitress....

By: spacelux

spacelux — Tue, 27 Jun 2006 11:52:23 -0800

Interesting news about Maryn Cadell and he didn't even change his name! Made me dig up "The Sweater" (mp3) and giggle about acrylic.

By: QIbHom

QIbHom — Tue, 27 Jun 2006 14:40:01 -0800

The determine your own price thing is way cool. They even let you decide to pay later, after you've had a chance to listen a bit. Very nice. Meh on the name change, but, thanks, starkeffect, for reminding me of someone I used to enjoy quite a bit, and am looking forward to hearing again.

By: Falconetti

Falconetti — Tue, 27 Jun 2006 15:47:02 -0800

I hate shit like this. I hope she dies.

By: Meatbomb

Meatbomb — Tue, 27 Jun 2006 16:08:45 -0800

It's the way things have to be - ee - ee - ee -ee.

By: milovoo

milovoo — Tue, 27 Jun 2006 16:42:06 -0800

Weird. I love Jane and have for many many years. I appreciate her eccentricities, including this rather strange development. I really hope this doesn't mean that she'll be even harder to keep track of than before. Her concerts are amazing, by the way, she is one of those very few performers who knows how to play to the whole room (plus what bitter-girl said). Thanks for posting it starkeffect!

By: digaman

digaman — Tue, 27 Jun 2006 18:42:08 -0800

I hate name-changers, but Issa/Siberry is a brilliant musician. The snark here -- mostly from people who haven't heard a note of hers, I wager -- does not do her justice. She's a marvelous, challenging, insightful songwriter and performer who kicks ass (in a mellow way) onstage. I wish her luck.

By: ZachsMind

ZachsMind — Tue, 27 Jun 2006 18:58:42 -0800

I would say "changing your name doesn't change who you are." However, it kinda does. A rose by any other name might smell as sweet, but a Siberry by any other name is still lovably kooky.

By: five fresh fish

five fresh fish — Tue, 27 Jun 2006 19:45:12 -0800

I think Jane's best album is her first album. Marco Polo, Treeline, etc. Wonderful lyricism. When I was a Boy is good, yes, but has horrible production quality. It is farging unlistenable on a high-end stereo/headphones. Come to think of it, most of her work has horrible production quality. Shitloads of intrusive sounds, bad splices, background rumbles, etc. She's quite the songwriter and not at all a recording engineer.

By: dobbs

dobbs — Tue, 27 Jun 2006 20:41:40 -0800

I still laugh when I think of how when Prince changed his name to a glyph, Bob Wiseman put out a press release that he was changing his name to Prince.

By: divrsional

divrsional — Tue, 27 Jun 2006 21:44:44 -0800

fff: one person's horrible is another's awe.

By: five fresh fish

five fresh fish — Tue, 27 Jun 2006 22:21:39 -0800

Please, explain. The problems heard on WIWAB and several other of her recordings are the music equivalent of seeing the microphone boom jutting into the top of the picture in a movie. They aren't awesome, they aren't innovative, they aren't good recording practice. I expect cheesy-ass demo tapes to contain crap recordings. I expect a professional musician to use high production values on her work. I do not purchase Siberry's music because I want to listen to her upstairs neighbour walk across the ceiling, or a bloody semi-trailer riding its jake-brakes down the hill across from the farm.