{"product_id":"i-am-a-bird-now","title":"I Am A Bird Now","description":"\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cspan face=\"arial,helvetica,sans-serif\" size=\"4\" style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eAntony and the Johnsons\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eI Am A Bird Now\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eon Vinyl LP! \u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cspan face=\"arial,helvetica,sans-serif\" size=\"2\" style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThere is a myth that great artists operate in seclusion. One need look no further than to the ten songs of\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eAntony and the Johnsons'\u003c\/strong\u003e 2005 album,\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cem data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eI Am A Bird Now\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e, to realize this is an utter fallacy. To be sure, with his androgynous features, the singularly named\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eAntony\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eis an original. Have you ever heard a voice like this, imbued with the transcendental emotion of the blues, yet deployed with an unadorned simplicity reminiscent of medieval music practice, and graced with a top note of childlike wonder? Or songs that blur distinctions of gender and identity, yet which still summon up such powerful feelings: longing, love, lust, loss? No. Because\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eAntony\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003eis one-of-a-kind. But he is certainly not alone.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cspan face=\"arial,helvetica,sans-serif\" size=\"2\" style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cem data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eI Am A Bird Now\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e, the second full-length from this extraordinary New York artist and his cohorts, features contributions from both\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eAntony\u003c\/strong\u003e's peers (\u003cstrong data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eRufus Wainwright, Devendra Banhardt\u003c\/strong\u003e) and heroes (\u003cstrong data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eLou Reed, Boy George\u003c\/strong\u003e). Their involvement reflects both their admiration for\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eAntony\u003c\/strong\u003e, and his unique place in the contemporary arts community. \"Everyone's presence on the record shows them at their most unique, making a special contribution that is specific to them,\" says\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eAntony\u003c\/strong\u003e. He arranged each one with painstaking precision, like a director creating an extended tableau on stage.\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan face=\"arial,helvetica,sans-serif\" size=\"2\" style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\"Bringing other people in makes me feel less lonely,\" adds\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eAntony\u003c\/strong\u003e. \"I was making the album intuitively, the way I felt it wanted to be made. A lot of these people helped inspire this record.\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cspan face=\"arial,helvetica,sans-serif\" size=\"2\" style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eAs a youngster in California,\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eAntony\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003ewas smitten by the beguiling image of\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eBoy George\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eon\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eCulture Club\u003c\/strong\u003e's 1982 debut album\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cem data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eKissing To Be Clever\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e. \"George was really the first reflection I saw of myself in the world,\" he explains. \"I saw him and thought, 'Okay, that's what we do when we're like this: We become singers.'\" Twenty two years later,\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eAntony\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003efound himself sitting at a piano, recording the haunting \"You Are My Sister\" with his icon. \"When he was in the studio, I just felt this big, long circle connecting in my spirit.\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cspan face=\"arial,helvetica,sans-serif\" size=\"2\" style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eAnother one of\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eAntony\u003c\/strong\u003e's champions,\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eLou Reed\u003c\/strong\u003e, introduces the soulful \"Fistful of Love,\" an intoxication concoction that mixes Muscle Shoals soul with an almost heroic sense of masochism. In 2003,\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eReed\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003easked\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eAntony\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eto reinterpret \"Perfect Day\" for his album\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cem data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThe Raven\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e. Subsequently, the former\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eVelvet Underground\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003efront man invited\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eAntony\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eto perform as part of the small ensemble on his American and European tours; he even gave\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eAntony\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003ea solo turn on the VU classic \"Candy Says,\" an homage to another one of\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eAntony\u003c\/strong\u003e's inspirations, Warhol superstar Candy Darling.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cspan face=\"arial,helvetica,sans-serif\" size=\"2\" style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eFitting, then, that the image adorning the cover of\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eI Am A Bird Now\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eis Peter Hujar's striking 1974 photograph \"Candy Darling on Her Deathbed.\" In Hujar's black and white images of underground figures like Darling and Divine,\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eAntony\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003efound another early touchstone. \"There's no sense of voyeurism in his portraits,\" explains the singer. \"They show an inside perspective. And that's something I'm interested in: being empathic, not voyeuristic.\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cspan face=\"arial,helvetica,sans-serif\" size=\"2\" style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eSome musicians hide behind personas, or the words of others, or fine-tuned video imagery.\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eAntony\u003c\/strong\u003e, as otherworldly as he may look and sound, is not afraid of letting audiences see his true self, however vulnerable. \"Opening myself up to the work, and to the world, is my passion,\" he concludes. \"That is the great risk, and the great boon, of doing this: There is that rare experience the performer gets to enjoy, which, in a way, is like having your spirit witnessed by people. And, sometimes, appreciated. Perhaps people will see it and relate, or identify themselves in it.\" And thus the community that has nurtured\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eAntony\u003c\/strong\u003e, up to and through the creation of\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cem data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eI Am A Bird Now\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e(and beyond), continues to flourish and grow.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cspan face=\"arial,helvetica,sans-serif\" size=\"2\" style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eAntony and the Johnsons\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eI Am A Bird Now\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eTrack Listing:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cspan face=\"arial,helvetica,sans-serif\" size=\"2\" style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e1. Hope There's Someone   \u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e2. My Lady Story   \u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e3. For Today I Am a Boy   \u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e4. Man Is the Baby   \u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e5. You Are My Sister   \u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e6. What Can I Do?   \u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e7. Fistful of Love   \u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e8. Spiralling   \u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e9. Free at Last   \u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e10. Bird Guhl   \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Antony and the Johnsons","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":67802064781626,"sku":"vmn1793032319975","price":9.94,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1005\/1233\/4138\/files\/i-am-a-bird-now_1.jpg?v=1793032327","url":"https:\/\/zerowasteoutfit.shop\/products\/i-am-a-bird-now","provider":"My Store","version":"1.0","type":"link"}