IndyArts: Gene Simmons, Harley Quinn and Annette

The Independent’s entertainment newsletter [View in browser]( [The Independent]( September 04, 2021 [The Independent]( Written by Louis Chilton The IndyArts Newsletter Hello and welcome back to the IndyArts newsletter. I’m Louis Chilton, filling in for Alex for this week. And what a week it’s been. Last Sunday finally saw the release of Kanye West’s repeatedly delayed new album, Donda. Clocking in at nearly two hours, the thing was a behemoth - an indulgent opus from one of the defining figures of modern music. In her [excellent zero-star review](, however, The Independent’s Music Correspondent Roisin O’Connor discussed how the controversial inclusion of Marilyn Manson and DaBaby on the album overshadowed everything that Donda did well. And Kanye didn’t have the only major music release; the sixth album from Canadian hitmaker Drake, Certified Lover Boy, came out yesterday. [Oscars image]( David Crosby: ‘We were trying to differentiate ourselves from the previous generation' (Anna Webber) The pandemic may be far from over, but it’s starting to feel like the world has decided to plough on regardless. To that end, there have been a number of large-scale events recently, across the world of culture. A Liam Gallagher-headlined Reading Festival earned [four stars from Mark Beaumont](, while Foals at London’s All Points East was [marred by technical issues with the sound](. You can also find a rundown of the 10 best shows from this year’s scaled-down Edinburgh Festival [here](, which came to a close at the end of August. Our Culture section also ran a number of strong features this week, from Adam White’s exploration of racism, trauma and radical justice in the new horror remake Candyman, to Paul Sexton’s look back at the singular [life and career of Gerry Rafferty](. Liz Aubrey also talked to the songwriters behind Disney’s [Frozen](, now a hit stage musical. [The Saturday Interview – Gene Simmons]( [Oscars image]( Gene Simmons: ‘I’ve got to do two hours of makeup preparation, then wear 40 pounds of armour and studs, and then seven-inch platform heels’ (Kevin Winter/Getty Images) The [Saturday Interview]( this week is with Gene Simmons. The notorious Kiss frontman speaks to Kevin E G Perry about mortality, hanging up his touring hat for good, and why he’ll always be a mummy’s boy. As you might guess, it’s a lively one. And Google tells me it features one of only two uses of the word “schmeckle” in the history of The Independent’s website. [Oscars image]( Gene Simmons, sans makeup, in 2018 (Paul Morigi/Getty Images) Read an extract from our Saturday Interview below... In the recent career-spanning documentary Biography: KISStory, Simmons manages a little more self reflection. “I succumbed to fame,” he says in the film. “Not with chemicals and alcohol, but with ego… It’s easy to look at someone who’s suffering with alcohol or drugs and say: ‘Hey, you got a problem buddy.’ Mine was more hidden. Being full of myself, that’s what it was.” Sadly there’s still no rehab facility for being too full of yourself, but Simmons leaps at the opportunity to discuss his lifelong sobriety. “I've never taken any drugs, not marijuana, not coke, not crack, not heroin, nothing,” he says. “Never smoked cigarettes. Never been drunk in my life, not once. I don’t say this to try to convince anybody, because you should get a menu in life and pick what you want. You can eat desserts all the time, but you’re gonna f*** up your body.” [Read the full interview here]( What to binge this week [Oscars image]( Kaley Cuoco voices Harley Quinn in Channel 4's adult animation [Harley Quinn]( Harley Quinn – the animated DC Comics adaptation which made headlines earlier this year when DC executives vetoed a scene of Batman performing cunnilingus – finished airing its second season on E4 this week. As someone who’s sceptical of superhero fare at the best of times, and downright nauseated by the current market saturation, I have to admit this series is a wonderful anomaly. It’s inventive, progressive and genuinely funny – thanks in no small part to a talented roster of voice actors that includes Kaley Cuoco, Alan Tudyk, Tony Hale (Arrested Development), Jason Alexander (Seinfeld), and Curb Your Enthusiasm’s JB Smoove. Both seasons can be streamed now on All 4. Out and about [Annette – out in cinemas]( The Holy Motors filmmaker returns for his first feature since then: a surreal rock opera starring Adam Driver and Marion Cotillard. Reactions have (predictably) varied wildly. Is it the masterpiece its champions make it out to be? Or an empty, pretentious dud? You’ll have to see for yourself to decide. Read The Independent’s review [here](. [Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings – out in cinemas]( The second of four Marvel films to be hitting cinemas this year, Shang-Chi may also be the most intriguing, an action thriller inspired by classic martial arts movies. Clarisse Loughrey was won over by its charms, writing that it “draws from China’s wuxia genre and Jackie Chan’s expansive oeuvre, but does so with rare sincerity”. Read her full review [here](. [Rockets and Blue Lights – National Theatre]( Originally staged at Manchester’s Royal Exchange Theatre, this intense, politically charged play from Winsome Pinnock opened at the National Theatre this week. [Book tickets here](. Essential reading [As Beyonce turns 40, these are 13 of her most legendary fashion moments]( [As Beyonce turns 40, these are 13 of her most legendary fashion moments]( [Editor’s letter: Sally Rooney reminds us the joy of culture is the conversation]( [Editor’s letter: Sally Rooney reminds us the joy of culture is the conversation]( [The 17 absolute worst sex scenes in film]( [The 17 absolute worst sex scenes in film]( If you can spare a minute we’d love your [feedback]( on our newsletters. [The Independent]( Join the conversation or follow us [Facebook]( [Twitter]( Please do not reply directly to this email You are currently registered to receive The Independent's entertainment newsletter. Add us to your safe list of senders. 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