Adanowsky, El Idolo

By Julie Finley

There is a recurring phenomenon when the offspring of a talented parent tries to come out with something creative and it just sucks. For example . . . anything that Sean Lennon has ever done, and that sums it up! So I never have high hopes from anyone that comes from a top notch pedigree, and the fact they were born into “connections,” is really irritating!

Then we have Adanowsky (a.k.a. Adan Jodorowsky). Adanowsky is the son of the muy talentoso filmmaker, Alejandro Jodorowsky. Adanowsky grew up around many connections. James Brown taught him to dance. (And I don’t mean by watching film footage . . . James Brown actually taught him some moves!) George Harrison gave him his first guitar lessons. Oh, and he’s starred in some of his dad’s films (and won an award for his labors, too). So like I said, well connected! However, in this case all of those connections absorbed quite well into his brain, and molded him into one talented pup! He isn’t lackluster in any way, shape, or form.

My introduction to Adanowsky was the video for “Estoy Mal” (which translates to “I am Bad”), and I was immediately slapped upside the head by it. It was just . . . awesome! I like foreign language in music, but I rarely like it in Spanish. This was an exception. He talks out most of the lyrics, and what can I say . . . it’s sexy! The music has a very dark and distant piano leading us through his story of why he is “bad” in the first place. It doesn’t sound like a “new” song . . . it sounds like a classic. It’s very reminiscent of the Italian maestro Vinicio Capossela in a lot of ways . . . dark and smoky.

Then the video itself is just hilarious. When I first viewed it, I was really shocked by how much he looks like an ex-boyfriend of mine . . . it was one of those double-take moments, the only difference would be that my ex is actually thinner (believe it or not, since Adanowsky is quite svelte). I liked the black humor . . . shit, I liked everything about it! I had to get the album.

And guess what? The rest of the album is fantastic! This wasn’t just a “one good song” deal . . . the whole album is solid, from beginning to end. He’s multilingual: there are songs in French as well as Spanish. I would not bullshit you about this either; this is some good shit. He’s got a good band, good voice, good looks, he’s the whole shebang. I can easily say this would appeal to fans of Nick Cave, Serge Gainsbourg, Diamanda Galas, Kinky, Zóe, Adrienne Pauly, possibly Tom Waits, as well as the aforementioned Vinicio Capossela. It’s not lacking in any way. However, everyone should form his or her own opinion, so you should check him out. (He has an official site, but it looks like it hasn’t been updated in a few years, so the MySpace page is more current.)

You can also check out his self-directed and equally hilarious video for “El Idolo” (starring his dad as the bartender in the beginning).

Adanowsky will be playing in Spain and Mexico throughout June. Check his MySpace page for more details.