Late Night with Jimmy Fallon continues to hold its place as my favorite mainstream late night forum for music as last night's show featured Laurie Anderson. She performed “Another Day in America” from her 2010 album Homeland. Both the song and album mark comebacks, of sorts: for Anderson (her last album was released in 2001) and her basso profondo character Fenway Bergamot. Speaking with WNYC’s Soundcheck last September, Anderson compared the Bergamot voice to her use of the violin, “I use them to cry.” Way to bring the sadness to late night, Laurie!
In seriousness, no real moments of weirdness here. Living in a post-screwed, post-sexual, letssticktheprefix”post”infrontofanythingwedeempasse world, the sight of a woman in drag singing “audio drag” doesn’t feel shocking. However, Anderson’s command of drama is still palpable. Respek!
