Well, well, it is my blog day and “Electric Barbarella” is turning twenty-three years old! I will go out on the limb and say I am more enthusiastic than most Duran fans (and Daily Duranie writers) about the song and video. I found it to be a tongue-in-cheek celebration of the band’s hedonistic glory years. Did it come off as intended? Maybe not. The same might be said about Medazzaland, really. Of all the band’s albums, I think Medazzaland is the most overlooked in terms of artistic merit. The really delivered a complete album that pushed their electronic tendencies to the forefront without chasing trends and then layered it deep within a swirling haze of psychedelia.
There is little I can add to the community of Duranies about the single as every corner of the Duran world seems to have been explored. However, I was still excited to discover that one of the models in the video is the incredible Devon Aoki. Not only did she star as Miho in the film Sin City (a film I’ve actually seen and enjoyed – which is rare), she is featured in two videos by The Killers (“Bones” & “Just Another Girl”). So, while many of you may have known that, I learned something new this week!
(And Rhonda loves The Killers so I need to impress my boss to keep this internship!)
Raise a glass to latex and steel and turn on “Electric Barbarella” today!
I like Medazzaland as an album but in my view this is one of DD’s weakest singles. The things I mildly like about the video are:
– the Dr. Evil intro
– their clothes
– the freak party at 2/3 (minus the anorexic models).
Nevertheless nice to see it back, on its anniversary no less. Time flies…