Lust for Life

Christopher Owens is the songwriter for the band Girls from San Francisco. Their new album, called Album (are you already loving the simple names?) features this song, “Lust for Life” with no apologies to Iggy Pop or Princess Cruise Lines.

Owens grew up as one of the Children of God. His folks allowed his older brother to die of pneumonia rather than call a doctor, as medicine was outside the cult’s beliefs. His mom turned tricks to sustain the cult. His exposure to music and literature was limited to whatever was produced within the cult. He ran away as a kid, and apparently, Michael Jackson and Lionel Ritchie were revelations.

Tell you what, if you grow up with that much baggage and you get art from it all, you do well to take things one step at a time. Keep lyrics and titles simple. Make videos about being young, pretty and fucked in the head.

The band’s MySpace page features a Morris Louis painting, so they are savvy to art. They aren’t idiot savants. Still, first person to get Christopher Owens to read Burroughs or Bukowski gets a punch on the arm. Steer clear of the clichés, Christopher.