TAYLOR SWIFT'S THE LIFE OF A SHOWGIRL

ACTUALLY ROMANTIC: The self-proclaimed Anti-Hero has remained on top of the industry for the better part of the twenty-first century by remaining one step ahead of the curve. Editor / Publisher Michael McDowell takes an academic look at The Life Of A Showgirl, the all new Republic label album by composer, vocalist and Pennsylvania native TAYLOR SWIFT below (Click on above image to enlarge).

ROOTING FOR THE ANTI-HERO:

A CLOSER LOOK AT

TAYLOR SWIFT'S

THE LIFE OF A SHOWGIRL ALBUM

By Michael McDowell

"A Hard Day's Night? Never heard of it!"

The above reaction comprised more than ninety percent of the responses to a question posed by Blitz Magazine - The Rock And Roll Magazine For Thinking People in a recent informal survey directed towards the presumed intended target demographic of this album. The multi-part question cited several of the 1964 motion picture's signature lines, with the survey participants then polled on their level of familiarty with that dialogue, the film's cast and the film itself.

True to form, that response brought more than a few self-aggrandized reactions from the participants in a concurrent Blitz inquiry. The focus group in this case was a cadre of seasoned musicologists and record collectors. Perhaps not so surprisingly, more than ninety percent of the respondents (pretty much all of whom regarded the likes of A Hard Day's Night as an indispensible component of their own mission statements) summarily dismissed the album with this generic assessment: 

"I don't listen to new music".

To be certain, that dichotomy speaks to a larger issue than just a cultural impasse. While the general lack of familiarity among one group of the impact of a landmark cinematic moment on an entire generation suggests the need for that group to have done a better job of paying it forward, it is also within reason to assert that the generation doing the paying may have had greater success in that respect had they not approached their charges with an out of hand dismissal of that group's own spheres of interest. 

Meanwhile, as the rank and file continues to debate the peripheral issues, the artist gets the job done. 

Since making her recording debut in 2006, composer, vocalist and West Reading, Pennsylvania native Taylor Alison Swift has never bowed the knee to the demands or expectations of the lowest common denominator. Blessed with a gift for a unique turn of phrase, Swift composes with the candor and savvy of the most seasoned veterans. That attribute is arguably a key factor behind her ability to sustain her extraordinary momentum at the highest levels. 

The Life Of A Showgirl is a marked departure from Swift's two most recent releases  (Midnights and The Tortured Poets Department) in terms of general atmosphere. While those two earlier outings both espoused an overall moodiness that was in part borne of the various impasses and unrelealized visions articulated therein, The Life Of A Showgirl maintains a relatively more upbeat outlook. That change in perspective is reflected impeccably via judiciously constructed verse, chorus and bridge templates that underscore each piece accordingly. 

To wit, the Shakespearean opening track, The Fate Of Ophelia augments its minor key variations on Colbie Caillat's Falling For You with a matter of fact proclamation of, "If you'd never come for me, I might have drowned in the melancholy". Swift takes that candor to the next level in Actually Romantic, in which she confronts  unresolved issues with a decisive, "Like a toy chihuahua barking at me from a tiny purse, that's how much it hurts". 

In turn, the relatively pensive Eldest Daughter offers a more vulnerable tidbit of introspection than suggested in her previous two releases: "I have been afflicted by a terminal uniqueness, I've been dying just from trying to seem cool". Swift brings that wisdom borne of experience full circle in the closing title track, in which she is accompanied by Sabrina Carpenter (whose utterly stupendous, tongue in cheek Manchild single is likewise a fitting testimony to lessons well learned).

That said, one caveat herein remains a potential point of concern between the two aforementioned demographics. As was the case with Midnights and The Tortured Poets Department, The Life Of A Showgirl finds its lyrical content interspersed with copious amounts of what Ephesians 4:29 referred to as "corrupt communication". That assessment will no doubt resonate to a degree among those with first hand experience of the rank and file reaction upon the release of the likes of the Kingsmen's Louie Louie and the MC5's Kick Out The Jams. 

However, among the aforementioned target demographic, such vernacular has long been in widespread, general use and is not regarded in that manner. As such, it remains an issue that is up to the discretion of the individual listener. 

On the plus side, Swift has overlooked no detail in maximizing the impact of this project. Just as the sports card industry has long benefitted from the pursuit by its hardcore audience of the so-called chase card, The Life Of A Showgirl was released in a wide variety of high demand limited editions, including the So Glamorous Cabaret Version, the Life Is A Song Acoustic Version, the Dressing Room Rehearsal Version and the Alone In My Tower Acoustic Version. 

"I can't tell you how proud I am to share this with you", Swift said.

"An album that feels so right. If you thought the big show was wild, perhaps you should come and take a look behind the curtain".

And once again, the self-proclaimed Anti-Hero has built upon her End Game by turning The Albatross into more fuel for her already formidable Reputation.

DEBBIE GIBSON PREMIERS AUTOBIOGRAPHY

LEGENDARY  Blitz Magazine - The Rock And Roll Magazine For Thinking People Editor / Publisher Michael McDowell and DEBBIE GIBSON welcome the faithful to Pickering, Ontario on 25 July for Gibson's sold out show at The Arena. Blitz Magazine celebrates the September release of Gibson's autobiography, Eternally Electric: The Message In My Music (Gallery Books) below.. Photo by Eddie Bennett (Click on above image to enlarge).

ETERNALLY ELECTRIC:

DEBBIE GIBSON

THINKS WITH HER HEART

IN NEW AUTOBIOGRAPHY

By Michael McDowell

"If you think my goals could be so trivial and small, then I don't think you know me at all".

That line from the Monkees' 1966 recording of I Don't Think You Know Me was a prototype of the challenges in which the beloved band found itself at the time. Their determination to realize their formidable creative vision in the face of limited expectations from both their record label and the mainstream media led to a well publicized "palace revolt" on their part.

At first, the mainstream assertion that the Monkees' bid for creative autonomy was at best premature gained momentum. As a result, the band initially lost a sizeable share of their core audience; albeit primarily from among the less devoted rank and file contingent. 

However, the faithful stayed the course and the Monkees' ultimately prevailed. They went on to amass one of the most impressive and influential legacies in music history, which finally concluded in 2021 with the passing of lead guitarist Michael Nesmith.

In some respects, the meteroric rise to center stage in the late 1980s for composer, vocalist, multi-instrumentalist, producer and Brooklyn, New York native Deborah Ann "Debbie" Gibson is not without parallel to the Monkees' saga. Extraordinarily gifted musically and blessed with a home recording studio during her mid-teens, Gibson and her "momager" mother, the late Diane Gibson made the rounds of the various major labels, armed only with unwavering resolve and a paper sack full of home demo cassettes. Atlantic Records' founder Ahmet Ertegun took notice, signing Gibson to a one off single deal in 1986.

As was the case with the Monkees, both label and mainstream media initially professed limited expectations. But Gibson responded with a "palace revolt" of her own. As a result, she found herself by decade's end with a series of smash singles and a pair of multi-platinum albums that overflowed with first rate original material.

To be certain, such accolades invariably come with a price. By the early 1990s, the limited attention spans of the rank and file had moved on to other artists and genres. However, Gibson had by that time nurtured a hardcore audience known as Debheads, who grew in number and remained fiercely loyal. Duly inspired, Gibson sustained her momentum as an independent recording artist and pursued various acting roles on Broadway and in film. 

It was a journey that required unwavering resolution on her part, ultimately earning her the nickname, "Queen of Relentless Optimism" from Blitz Magazine - The Rock And Roll Magazine For Thinking People. Nonetheless, it was a journey that came with a myriad of personal and health challenges that would test the mettle of the most resolute. 

This extraordinary adventure is chronicled in detail in Gallery Books' Eternally Electric: The Message In My Music. Therein, Gibson matter of factly sets the record straight on the issue of reality versus public perception.

Not surprisingly, Gibson is at her most cerebral when sharing the intrinsic details of the creative process behind her art. The chapters devoted to that subject find her weighing in on a Jan Berry / Brian Wilson level of technical savvy. That lofty assessment is borne out in abundance in the various mixes of her sublime 1989 signature single, We Could Be Together.

In turn, Gibson chronicles her major challenges (including anxiety and Lyme disease) and her subsequent triumphs over them. She did so with a determination that she summarized in the Stuck chapter as a "trial and error" process. 

Gibson is also lavish with praise (and rightfully so) for her current dream team, which includes choreographers Buddy Casimano, Eddie Bennett and Keeth "Stepp" Stewart, bassist Kirk Powers, saxophonist Adam Tese, guitarist Ariel Bellvalaire, backing vocalist Ronda Grinds, co-visionary / arranger Sean Thomas and long time manager Heather Moore. Yet most discerningly, Gibson defers to each of them to tell their own tale in due course. That option could play out quite well for Casimano in light of his extraordinary comeback from a heart attack in May 2025. 

Blitz Magazine - The Rock And Roll Magazine For Thinking People has covered Gibson extensively in recent years. During her July 2025 tour stop in Pickering, Ontario, she confessed to Blitz that the blessings and shortcomings of the process continue to vie for her attention.

"We're just so busy", she said.

"I don't even know if I'll have time for breakfast in the morning!"

Ultimately, in keeping with the relentless optimism component of her mission statement, it is the blessings that continue to emerge triumphant. 

"This is like my highwire act", Gibson told Blitz Magazine after a sold out performance in Wabash, Indiana in October 2024. 

"I'm so honored".

Honor, tempered with gratitude and a matter of fact approach to it all continue to serve her well.

"I really work hard to be the best I can be at what I do", Gibson told Blitz Magazine in June 2022. 

"Not just for me as an artist, but for all of you, who also mean so much to me".

Those attributes can be found in abundance in Eternally Electric: The Message In My Music, which rightfully takes its place as an instant classic among autobiographies. To paraphrase an earlier Gibson triumph, that is what happens when you Think With Your Heart.