His name is Greg Gillis, most know him as the mash-up master, Girl Talk. With only a PC and a few dozen rolls of toilet paper, the man is able to transform himself from scrawny, shaggy haired stoner, into a rockstar, adored by thousands of American Apparel-clad hipsters. With these modest tools he leads his fans on a musical journey spanning from 1960′s Motown era to the booty bumping club jams of today. On Monday night at the House of Blues in Boston, I went along for the ride.
I think its important to clarify that this was not my first time aboard the Girl Talk Express. My love dates back to around 2006 when one night a friend and I stumbled onto his album “Night Ripper” via a torrent site. We listened all night, awed and amused by his seamless fusing of classic songs from our parent’s era with grimy, gangsta rap choruses. The absurdity of hearing James Taylor melded with the chorus of 50 cent’s “In Da Club” was not lost on us. We dug it. For weeks, Girl Talk was the soundtrack at all of our parties. We would dance with wild abandon as we tried to decipher all the different songs sampled in each track.
However, the fun of listening to a Girl Talk album in your dorm room with a few of your friends cannot compare to witnessing the spectacle of a live Girl Talk concert. A Girl Talk show can only be described as a dance party of epic proportions. Imagine hundreds of sweaty, neon and spandex clad young people gyrating to The Fray layered over a Wu-Tang beat, all while being covered in streams of toilet paper and confetti cascading from the ceiling. At the center of all of this is a shirtless and equally sweaty Greg Gillis, commanding the crowd with his PC covered in protective saran wrap. The image may seem ridiculous, but the experience is epic enough to inspire my friends and me to see him three times, even road tripping as far as Vermont to take part in the synthesized dance party.
So what is it about this man that inspires us too-cool-for-school young people to drop our inhibitions, let go and let loose to Journey?
It’s all about the shared experience.
We’re a mixed, mashed up generation segmented into different subcultures: hipster, hood, bro, gamer, the list goes on, however Greg Gillis has figured out a way to unite our generation into a community using music. Through his “mash-ups” Gillis is able to unite hip hop heads pumped to hear their favorite Young Jeezy track with super-scenesters geeking out over the use of an underground Pixies b-side, all while tying everything together with your Dad’s favorite Fleetwood Mac song.
Gillis recognizes our generations’ desire for unity and instead of gathering us in a circle and singing kumbaya, he throws a party; forcing us to leave pretension at the door, put our hands in the air, let go and get down.
Written by Simone Tetteh. http://twitter.com/simonetetteh
Image: Yodel Anecdotal
love Girl Talk
I attended that Boston concert as well and it was exactly as you described! Girl Talk is infectious, and when I was there I finally understood how much of an idol Greg Gillis is to our generation. I see a couple similarities between him and the electronic group Daft Punk because of the powerful beats they both create, but I think Gillis paved the way for a new genre of dance music. There have been a few copycats out there that try to be Girl Talk and I’m sure there will be more, but Gillis was the first, and in my opinion is the best. It’s true like you said, until you have seen a live performance you won’t get the full experience.