‘You can dance amongst the trees,’ Farrell says of Lolla 2012, set for August 3-5 in Chicago. By James Montgomery Avicii Photo: Getty Images For years, Perry Farrell has championed electronic music at Lollapalooza, whether it was booking Nine Inch Nails at the very first Lolla, Orbital and Prodigy on the ill-fated ’97 trek, or any number of DJs he’s nabbed to appear on his Perry’s Stage when the fest returned to Chicago (to say nothing of his short-lived ENIT fest, which basically was one giant electro party … 15 years too early). But this year, in a move that reflects the burgeoning appeal of EDM here in the states, electronic acts finally make the leap to the main stage, as both Justice and Avicii have been booked alongside headliners the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Jack White, Black Sabbath and the Black Keys. And, of course, Perry’s Stage will be back, too … only this year, it’s understandably bigger than ever before. “Well, dance music is a passion of Lollapalooza,” Farrell told MTV News. “We have a stage called Perry’s that became a tent, and I told them ‘Don’t put a tent on that thing, it’s going to burst at the seams’ … and sure enough it has. We don’t have a Perry’s tent anymore; Perry’s area, however, is in the wide open, under the stars and the moon and you can dance amongst the trees.” And in a lot of ways, that seems to reflect Farrell’s purest desire for Lollapalooza. Ever since it began, he’s envisioned it as a sort of free-flowing, communal Utopia, with minds being expanded and consciences lifted to the strains of electronic music. And it’s just one of the things he’s most proud of with Lolla ’12, which reflects the fest’s expansion to South America and its growing presence on the international stage. Of course, none of that would mean anything if he didn’t succeed in putting together a world-class festival, and this year, he feels he’s definitely accomplished that. “When I go to speak to [festival] producers around the world, I say to them ‘Our ambition is to bring international lifestyle and music to your country; are you in, or are you out?’ And no one has said no, so far,” he explained. “But I end up finding out that, as we go in there, thinking that we know everything, we find these beautiful discoveries. For example, in Brazil, we find O Rappa, which is a group that are as badass as NWA. We find in Chile, a group like Los Jaivas, who are as deep and soulful as Black Sabbath [both bands are on the Lolla ’12 bill]. So we all are teaching each other and learning from each other … and I feel like the world is becoming one big musical family.”
For ‘Twilight’ Tuesday, we chat with experts about why young readers relate to the YA heroines. By Kara Warner Jennifer Lawrence in “The Hunger Games” Photo: Lionsgate No matter how you feel about “The Twilight Saga” as a film franchise, Stephenie Meyer ‘s vampire romance inspired millions of young readers to pick up a book and read. Anything that gets young people to lose themselves in the written word — whether it’s “Twilight,” “The Hunger Games” or “Game of Thrones” — is a positive step. This week’s “Twilight” Tuesday is all about understanding what it is exactly about the characters in these books, particularly the very popular YA genre, that gets us obsessed and day-dreamy about them. Why do we love Bella and Katniss? What does that say about young readers today and the future of the genre? I took my questions to a few very informed experts. “The thing with the Bella phenomenon, she was kinda like an empty vessel, and I feel like part of the appeal there was just a really blank slate on which people could project their own identities,” said Lauren Oliver, best-selling author of “Delirium” and “Pandemonium.” “It was fantasy. It allowed you to float up through it. “In terms of heroines now, I think what’s really interesting about them is that, many of them, for example ‘The Hunger Games,’ certainly in my books, the characters don’t necessarily start out being so fierce and badass, which I think to some extent would be not even off-putting, but alienating,” she continued. “Because I’m not sure that people feel that way. I do think what’s significant is that these characters are portrayed as being very much at the start, normal girls, but very moral normal girls who because of a set of very extraordinary circumstances are able to step into strength that they didn’t know they possessed. I think that really resonates with people because everybody I assume would like to feel that, if given the chance, they could be someone special.” Dr. Jenn Berman, host and therapist on VH1’s “Couples Therapy” said the love for both types of heroines hearkens back to classic literary characters we’ve loved for centuries. “Both characters are appealing on a very archetypal level. One is very much a damsel in distress, this sort of empty, insecure vessel, which I think is very identifiable for young women,” she explained. “The other is sort of this superhero, strong, independent woman who doesn’t need anybody, which I think is also something that is very inspirational for women. In each one of us we have both of those entities, and as a result, people are drawn to these characters.” Kristin Rens, senior editor at HarperCollins, pointed out that while Bella and Katniss are pretty different, they also share a few qualities to which a lot of teens relate. “Bella and Katniss are obviously very different characters. But one thing they have in common is their drive — the fact that they both very much know what they want, and they won’t stop until they reach their goals,” Rens said. “When you’re a teen, there are so many parts of life that are out of your hands, so there’s something very aspirational and appealing about characters like Bella and Katniss who are able to take control of their own lives, even when the odds are stacked against them.” Dr. Berman added that we all have a little damsel in distress in us, as well as a superhero; the trick is balancing them. “In order to become fully formed people, we have to find a way to both make friends with our damsel in distress and find a way to rescue her on our own,” she said. “As long as you understand why and what you need to do with that archetype, it’s OK, but to romanticize the damsel-in-distress archetype, you set yourself up for unhealthy relationships. What you do [to prevent that] is you say, ‘Wow, there is a part of me that would really like to be rescued, but I’m not going to give into that part of me. I’m going to rescue myself instead.’ ” The same goes for the superhero Katniss archetype, however, in that romanticizing that type of woman can also set you up for an unhealthy perspective. “Healthy relationships aren’t interdependent,” Berman said. “If you are an island, then you’re not having an emotionally intimate relationship, so the truth of a healthy relationship lies somewhere in between both of these archetypes.” How do you relate to Bella? Let us know in the comments below, or tweet me @karawarner! Check out everything we’ve got on “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2.” For young Hollywood news, fashion and “Twilight” updates around the clock, visit HollywoodCrush.MTV.com . Related Videos MTV Rough Cut: ‘The Hunger Games’ Related Photos The Hunger Games Twilight: Breaking Dawn
Jack White, Avicii and Justice are also slated to make mainstage appearances at Lolla, set for August 3-5 in Chicago. By James Montgomery Red Hot Chili Peppers Photo: Getty Images Over the course of 20 years, Lollapalooza has developed a reputation as perhaps the most multi-hued of festivals, thanks in no small part to Perry Farrell’s booking of acts that ranged from Ice Cube to Pearl Jam — and just about everyone in between — and his own, uh, uniquely psychedelic outlook on things. But for this year, he’s going to a rather basic color scheme: namely red, black and white. The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Jack White, Black Sabbath and the Black Keys top the bill for Lollapalooza 2012, set for August 3-5 in Chicago’s Grant Park. Joining them are a list of top-notch electronic artists (always a passion of Perry’s), including Avicii, Justice, Calvin Harris and Bassnectar. Lolla 2012 marks the only North American fest appearance for the reunited Sabbath, and it’ll also be the first time in six years that the Chili Peppers (who broke through at Lolla ’92) appear at the fest. White will make his first solo appearance, and the Keys? Well, after years of mid-card service, they finally make the leap to headliner status this year. Florence and the Machine, At the Drive-In, the Shins, Fun., Passion Pit, the Weeknd, Franz Ferdinand, Bloc Party and Sigur R
Reunited group also headlines this year’s fest, which kicks off Friday. By James Montgomery Soundgarden’s Kim Thayil Photo: MTV News With the 2010 edition of Lollapalooza kicking off Friday (August 6), MTV News decided to dive deep into our archives and dig up the greatest/ weirdest/ scariest/ downright rocking-est moments in the fest’s rather epic history. We’re calling it “Lollapalooza Lookback,” and we think it’s a pretty fitting tribute to the granddaddy of American music festivals. We’ve already tackled Pearl Jam’s 1992 afternoon set , Nine Inch Nails’ stage-trashing heroics from 1991 , Ice Cube’s “buck wild” goals in ’92 and Korn’s rather, uh, interesting take on Lolla ’97 . And to cap things off, we’re digging deep, for a chat with a band that’s darn-near synonymous with Lollapalooza: Soundgarden. 1992: Soundgarden Stand on the Verge of Greatness Aside from Perry Farrell’s various musical machinations (and, since it’s his fest, he can pretty much do whatever he wants), no band has played Lollapalooza as many times as Soundgarden. They’ve main-staged on three different tours, first in 1992 (when they were sandwiched between the Jesus and Mary Chain and Ice Cube), then again in 1996 (on the so-called “Rockapalooza” jaunt) and — now re-formed — they’ll close down 2010 Lolla on Sunday night. It sort of makes sense. After all, Soundgarden’s career has eerily shadowed Lolla’s rise and fall. They both broke big in the early/mid ’90s, both took extended hiatuses in ’97, and both staged remarkable resurrections in the 21st century (of course, Soundgarden waited until 2010 to do so). Along with, say, Pearl Jam or Jane’s Addiction, Soundgarden are a living bridge between Lolla’s scrappy past and its shiny future, which is why they’re the perfect headliners for this year’s fest. Of course, way back in 1992, they were just another band standing on the verge of greatness. They had just released their seminal Badmotorfinger album and were still two years away from unleashing Superunknown, which would make them internationally famous. So when MTV News spoke with them at the kickoff that year, they were still sort of trying to figure out where they belong. To them, Lollapalooza was just another opportunity to check out some bands they really dug. “I’d like to come and see Boo-Yaa T.R.I.B.E.,” guitarist Kim Thayil said. “I like the bill on the first stage. It’s great. We have [played with a lot of them before], and I’m sure we’ll continue to play with the type of bands that you’ll show on [‘120 Minutes’] or the type of bands you’ll show on ‘Headbangers Ball.’ ” And, in a way, Thayil’s comments were strangely prescient. In 1996, Soundgarden played Lolla with the likes of Metallica and the Ramones. This year, they share the bill with Lady Gaga and the Strokes. All of which goes to show you that the more things change, the more they stay the same. Sort of like Lollapalooza itself. Lollapalooza 2010 gets under way Friday — make sure to check out MTV News’ Lollapalooza Live , streaming Friday, Saturday and Sunday at 5 p.m., right here on MTV.com. Related Videos Lollapalooza Lookback
‘Her presentation is so overwhelming that some may overlook the music,’ he tells MTV Radio of over-the-top live show. By James Montgomery, with reporting by Sasha Hamrogue Lady Gaga Photo: George Pimentel/ WireImage Perry Farrell remembers Lady Gaga ‘s 2007 set at Lollapalooza, a sweaty, Saturday-afternoon affair that saw the then-brunet, yet-to-conquer-the-globe Gaga parade around in little more than a disco-ball bra and thigh-high stockings. He was impressed, but needless to say, he never thought he’d see the day she’d be headlining the fest. “I remember … she’s got dark-brown hair, she’s in a bikini, and she’s wearing thigh-highs and she’s sweating, because she was on at around 3 o’clock,” Farrell told MTV Radio. “Her music was cool, her show was kind of cool, but now, the production of her music, the people she’s surrounded herself with, the development of her stage show … it’s something that, when I think about Lollapalooza, in that gorgeous setting of [Chicago’s] Grant Park, with the amazing buildings all around us, lit up, I see her and her show as being as a centerpiece to the evening.” Yes, from side-stage curiosity to mainstage must-see, Gaga has come a long way in three short years, and Farrell — who’s already said that Lollapalooza will spend six figures to accommodate her massive Monster Ball stage — sees it as his obligation to help her continue on that climb. But he’s hoping the Lolla crowds won’t just focus on her stage show. After all, her music is pretty great too. “Her presentation is so overwhelming that some may overlook the music … but the truth is, her music, to me, is right where music should be. It’s on the cutting edge, but it’s [also] in the crosshairs of where every musician is aiming these days,” he said. “She’s this hybrid of Yoko Ono, sort of the Plastic Ono Band meets Madonna meets Elton John. She’s this beautiful crossing of those things [that] every musician is looking to find. Everyone’s looking for that sound, and I think she really hits it.” And though he realizes that not all Lolla fans are necessarily “little monsters,” he also hopes they’ll be won over by her set. After all, that’s sort of what Lollapalooza has been doing since it first started back in 1991: introducing kids to new artists, new scenes and, most importantly, new sounds. “We’re going to help her deliver it, just the way we did in 1991, when people didn’t go to rap concerts because they might be considered very dangerous,” he said. “[Back then,] a lot of those kids who went to Lollapalooza might not have seen Ice-T, but then, there he was. Same with Ice Cube. And that’s one of the things I guess I could say I pride myself in: I’m able to bring music that people are very curious about, and once they meet this music, they’ll really dig it.” What are you expecting from Lady Gaga’s Lolla set? Let us know in the comments! Related Photos Lady Gaga’s Homecoming Show At Madison Square Garden The Evolution Of: Lady Gaga Related Artists Lady Gaga Perry Farrell
Our columnist once saw Trent Reznor as terrifying, and on this latest tour, he still is, in Bigger Than The Sound. By James Montgomery Nine Inch Nails’ Trent Reznor Photo: Jeff Kravitz/ FilmMagic Despite what you might have heard, in the summer of 1991, when I was 12 years old and terrified of everything, I didn’t actually go to Lollapalooza. This is a pretty big revelation, as I have spent the subsequent 18 years pretending that I actually did go to Lolla ’91 (“Man, Body Count were crazy”), and to this day, I’m not really sure why I didn’t.
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