Stirring Things Up With Peaches
Whether it's music videos, Howard Stern's radio show, or the amateur soft core porn of "Girls Gone Wild," pop culture's fascination with chicks making out never seems to end.
It's a fairly common male fantasy — as long as the guy gets to eventually jump in and make it a ménage a trois.
Provocative Canadian rocker Peaches' song "Two Guys (For Every Girl)" flips that fantasy on its head.
"I thought I would put it out there as a post-feminist option," Peaches told Judy Faber of The Showbuzz in an interview from her home in Berlin. "In the way that a more traditional feminist would say 'those songs shouldn't be played anymore,' my take on it is 'well if those are played let's say it also our way.'"
The song's explicit lyrics are sung from the point of view of a woman who wants to watch a little guy on guy action of her own.
"I think that's the best way for people to laugh at it, look at it and wonder why it is only that way," she said. "It's fun and I hope people get it and want to sing along."
"Two Guys (For Every Girl)" is from Peaches' third album, "Impeach My Bush," released in July of this year.
The 39-year-old musician, who was born Merrill Beth Nisker in Toronto, Canada, was once described by Paper as "dirtier than most gansta rappers."
Yet, over the phone she comes across as sweet as her nickname. Her parents, she said, "are proud of me, they're happy with my success."
Peaches has just completed her North American tour and is on her way to Australia for the Big Day Out mega-concert series featuring Tool, Jet, The Killers, My Chemical Romance and many others.
In the past, Peaches performed on stage with electronic keyboards, but for the first time she's touring with an all-female live band dubbed "The Herms" who can play anything from "a Kraftwerk configuration to Kiss."
Her performances are high energy and in-your-face.
"I'm a good entertainer and I enjoy the attention so I don't hold back," she said. "I like to be quite interactive with the audience and have them react, that's what I feel is important to having a live show."
Sometimes, the 5'4" singer will jump into the crowd and body surf, but she says it really isn't that scary. "You think it would be, but people catch you," she said. "I've only been dropped once."
Her music has appeared on the soundtracks of several movies including "Jackass II," "Mean Girls," and "Lost In Translation" as well as Showtime's "The L Word."
She's toured with Björk ("way more punk than I'll ever be"), Nine Inch Nails and Marilyn Manson. She's also collaborated with other artists including Karen O from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Pink and Iggy Pop.
Photos: Peaches' Sweet Success
Pink had the right approach, but apparently Britney Spears did not.
"Pink emailed me and we discussed it and she had a specific thing that she wanted to do which was rap on a certain song," Peaches said. "She gave me the song right away and I figured out a rap and we met and we did it and it was really cool. With Britney there was just other people calling me and there was no Britney in sight and I just didn't feel there was any connection."
The door isn't closed to Spears completely.
"Maybe I would (work with her). Right now, I don't have that same attitude," she said. "I was also making my own album and it wasn't a good moment. I think now I probably maybe would, if I could work with her. If I had that connection with the person."
Peaches next collaboration might be with a rapper. She likes rap music, even though "the hip hop that I love is more the misogynist than the hardcore, because it reminds me of the same thing that rock did. I think hip hop is in its hair metal phase ... it's all about girls and power."
If Peaches records hip hop, she'll definitely have her own take on "girls and power."
"I think that when I turn it around, I'm trying to get people to look at that in a way. From my gut I really love that music, but then I'm like 'what am I singing along with? I better change those lyrics!'"
By Judy Faber