The Walrus - Music With Big Fuckin' Teeth!

12/14/2007

Operator Obsessions: Mirage's "Lady Operator" Vs. Pete Shelley's "Telephone Operator"

Seduction is and will always be a theme in pop music. Two artists in particular, Mirage and Pete Shelley of the Buzzcocks, have written songs about a particular type of seduction.

Mirage's "Lady Operator," released this year, is a beautiful 6 minute excursion into the forays of dissonant disco. Robotic vocals and ultra-melodic synthesizers, along with a down-tempo electro beat, help to tell the somber tale of an exhausted man helplessly trying to re-connect with a certain telephone operator. On the other hand, er line, Pete Shelley's up-tempo new-wave gem "Telephone Operator," from 1983 takes a more ballsy approach. The song's character seeks to discover whether or not he is actually in love with the operator by asking if he can see her later. It turns out that Pete did end up meeting the operator, and she looked like this.

Mirage's 12"s are available at Italians Do It Better Records.

Pete Shelley's album, XL1, is available at CD Universe.