Night Music: Liz Phair, “Turning Japanese”

When I wrote earlier today the Sonics in 1961 were juvenile I was immediately reminded of the Liz Phair recording Juvenilia. The ep includes some of the songs that she recorded with the band Material Issue on a series of tapes released as Girly Sounds, before she signed with Matador. Before Exile in Guyville.

It also includes a muscular cover of the Vapors’ hit song, Turning Japanese, also backed by Material Issue, and which judging from the YouTube comments might be about masterbation. You moron!

I was going to pair it with the Vapors’ version, but this is much better. There are a lot more comments on the Vapors version’s page, however, including a discussion of why masturbating would be called Turning Japanese rather than Turning Chinese or Turning Asian. Maybe having to do with the number of syllables. Not to be missed, but first, this:

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