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Michelle Shocked

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"Karen Johnston" redirects here. For those of a similar name, see Karen Johnstone. For other uses, see Karen Johnson.
Michelle Shocked
Michelle Shocked at Strictly Bluegrass, 2007
Michelle Shocked at Strictly Bluegrass, 2007
Background information
Birth nameKaren Michelle Johnston[1]
Born (1962-02-24) February 24, 1962 (age 62)[1]
OriginTexas
GenresAlternative folk
Occupation(s)Musician, songwriter
Instrument(s)Vocals, guitar
LabelsMercury/Polygram Records, Private Music
WebsiteMichelleShocked.com

Michelle Shocked (born Karen Michelle Johnston, February 24, 1962[1]) is an American singer-songwriter.

Early life

Shocked was born Karen Michelle Johnston on February 24, 1962, in Gilmer, Texas.[1] Her stepfather was in the US Army and the family moved from base to base. Her mother was Mormon and she was raised in that faith.[2] Her mother had her committed to a psychiatric hospital for a time during her teenage years.[1] She went through a punk rock phase, wearing a Mohawk hairdo and squatting in abandoned buildings in San Francisco.[2]

Career

In 1984, Shocked adopted the stage name "Michelle Shocked", often misquoted as "Miss Shell Shocked" or "Me-Shell-Shocked" as in the misquote in Green Left Weekly: "The term 'Miss Shell Shocked' is a direct reference to the thousand-yard stare, which was a term that they first used to describe the victims of shell-shock in World War One. These people from outward appearances had survived the war quite well when in fact inside their minds were blown. I first used that name in 1984 at the Democratic Convention in San Francisco where I was arrested for protesting and demonstrating against corporations who contribute money to both the Democratic Party and the Republican Party campaigns."[3]

Shocked received her first international exposure after Pete Lawrence recorded her performance on a portable tape recorder at the Kerrville Folk Festival in Texas. Lawrence released the tape in Europe as a bootleg album: The Texas Campfire Tapes (1986). Shocked was resistant to what she saw as the machinations of the music industry, and worked to retain a degree of creative control.[2]

Her first US success came with the release of her 1988 debut album Short Sharp Shocked on college radio rotations around the country, which was met with strong acclaim from listeners. On the crest of this independent momentum, her 1989 album Captain Swing on Mercury Records was released, followed by her 1992 album "Arkansas Traveler."

In 1995, Shocked contributed an original song to the soundtrack for the film Dead Man Walking called "Quality of Mercy." In 1996, she released a studio version of an underground release Kind-Hearted Woman (black cover) on the short-lived Private Music label.

Starting in 2002 with the release of Deep Natural, Shocked established her own label, Mighty Sound. She reissued expanded versions of her entire catalog, made possible by having retained complete ownership of her work when she signed with Mercury in 1987.

An acoustic version of her song "How You Play the Game" was featured as the opening and credits soundtrack in the DVD of the 2004 documentary film Bush's Brain.

Shocked continues to make music as an independent artist. In June 2005 she released a trilogy of albums called Threesome (Don't Ask Don't Tell, Mexican Standoff and Got No Strings). In May 2007 she released the album ToHeavenURide; in September 2009,Soul of My Soul [4]

Sexuality

Shocked performing in 2010

Shocked put forward an ambiguous sexuality from the beginning of her career. Her music appealed to many people including lesbians. In 1989 she joked to a US broadcast television audience that the New Music Album of the Year award she won, beating out Tracy Chapman, Phranc, and the Indigo Girls, should have been called "Best Lesbian Vocalist".[5] After an Earth Day performance in Chicago in April 1990, she gave an interview to Christie L. Nordhielm of Outlines, a Chicago newspaper for the gay community. Accompanied by journalist Bart Bull, she told Nordhielm she felt boxed in by listener expectations that she was either straight or gay; she said, "I would like a much broader definition for myself."[2] She explained her wish to be politically and sexually subversive by saying, "I resent like hell that I was maybe 18 years old before I even heard the 'L' word. I mean, that's understood, growing up sheltered in a Mormon environment. But it would have made all the difference for me had I grown up knowing that the reason I didn't fit in, was because they hadn't told me there were more categories to fit into."[2] She said she did not condone the outing activities engaged in by members of ACT UP.[2] Since then, Shocked has been listed as lesbian or bisexual.[6][7]

On March 17, 2013, Shocked spoke out against gays during a concert at Yoshi's nightclub in San Francisco, which led to the audience leaving in protest and the management shutting the club down.[8][9] At least two venues cancelled scheduled performances in response to Shocked's remarks.[10]

Personal life

In 1992, Shocked married journalist Bart Bull. They divorced in 2004.[11] Her half-brother is musician Max Johnston. She attends West Angeles Church of God in Christ.[12]

Shocked was arrested during the November 29, 2011, eviction of the Occupy Los Angeles movement.[13][14]

Discography

Albums

Selected recordings:

Re-releases

Mighty Sound has re-released her Mercury releases, each having a second CD of bonus tracks:

  • The Texas Campfire Tapes as Texas Campfire Takes (April 22, 2003)
  • Short Sharp Shocked (September 23, 2003)
  • Captain Swing (March 16, 2004)
  • Arkansas Traveler (September 14, 2004)

Singles

Year Title Chart positions Album
US US Mod Rock US MSR UK[15]
1988 "Anchorage" 66 16 – 60 Short Sharp Shocked
"If Love Was a Train" – 20 33 63
"When I Grow Up" – – – 67
1989 "On the Greener Side" – 19 – – Captain Swing

References

  1. ^ a b c d e The Great Rock Discography (6 ed.). The National Academies. 2002. p. 141. ISBN 1841953121.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Nordhielm, Christie (1990). "'Shocking' Revelations from Michelle Shocked". Outlines. p. 25. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |newspaper= (help); Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help) Interview republished in the Dallas Voice on April 25, 2008, as "Michelle Shocked said what? 1990 Outlines interview surfaces".
  3. ^ 1992 Interview with Green Left Weekly. Retrieved 29 Dec 2011.
  4. ^ Westerly, Mal (2009-02-25). "Michelle Shocked Back with "Soul of My Soul" Album...". MusicNewsNet.com. {{cite web}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Missing or empty |url= (help)
  5. ^ Russell, Paul (2002). The Gay 100. Kensington. p. 331. ISBN 0758201001.
  6. ^ Gross, Larry (2012). Up from Invisibility: Lesbians, Gay Men, and the Media in America. Columbia University Press. p. 157. ISBN 0231529325.
  7. ^ Mockus, Martha (2000). "Music, Women's". In Bonnie Zimmerman (ed.). Lesbian Histories and Cultures: An Encyclopedia. Vol. 1. Taylor & Francis. p. 523. ISBN 0815319207.
  8. ^ "Alt-Folk Singer Michelle Shocked Goes On Homophobic Rant, Tells Audience 'God Hates Fags'". Queerty.com. 2013-03-18. Retrieved 2013-03-18.
  9. ^ "Shocked show shut down over gay slur". SFGate.com. 2013-03-18. Retrieved 2013-03-18.
  10. ^ "Michelle Shocked: anti-gay rant triggers Evanston cancellation". Chicago Tribune. 2013-03-18. Retrieved 2013-03-18.
  11. ^ Rogers, Jude (July 31, 2005). "Keep the campfire burning, Michelle". The Observer. Retrieved 19 October 2011.
  12. ^ "Michelle Shocked - Yes God is Real - michelleshocked.com". YouTube. Retrieved 2012-03-26.
  13. ^ "LA Times Posts Names of Those Arrested at Occupy LA, Stories Begin to Unfold About What Happened During the Raid: LAist". Gothamist. Retrieved 2 December 2011.
  14. ^ "Protesters arrested at Occupy L.A. – Spreadsheets – Los Angeles Times". Los Angeles Times. December 1, 2011. Retrieved 2 December 2011.
  15. ^ a b Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 496. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.

External links

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