Amazing Grace: Decadence, Deviance, Disco

Abstract

What follows is an attempt to reconstruct a time and space that probably never existed, and that I cannot claim to have lived through in any case.Equal parts homage and hagiography, it concerns a certain type of displaced nostalgia, one that, like the diva in question, tends to rear its head in unexpected places.It is an experiment in fantasy and a fantasy of experimentation.It is about Grace Jones. Futures New and OldLooking back on the strange career of this singer, actress, model, and decadent, I am repeatedly drawn to two particular moments.The first is Jones's live cover of the Édith Piaf standard "La vie en rose" as captured in her "contemporary musical" A One Man Show (dir.Jean-Paul Goude, UK, 1982).Perched on a fake staircase, Jones stands immobile throughout the performance, legs askew in epic stilettos.Her flat-top haircut is razor sharp.One gloved hand holds a microphone, the other mimes playing an accordion.Neck crooked, eyes blazing, Jones glares at the audience, expelling the lyrics like a Amazing Grace: Decadence, Deviance, Disco

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