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Marquette Wire

The student news site of Marquette University

Marquette Wire

The student news site of Marquette University

Marquette Wire

REVIEW: Girl Talk

    In 2007, Greg Gillis had a day job as a biomedical engineer and a secret nightlife as a mash-up king who went by the name of Girl Talk. And now, after having quit his day job, Gillis spends most of his time with his laptop and hyped-up, sweat-covered, young crowds across the country.

    His innovative music is nothing music enthusiasts have ever heard before. A club scene’s dream, this “post-modern musical casserole,” as Rolling Stone calls it, puts listeners and shows attendees in a world of their own. Gillis uses a program called Audio Mulch to mix music and to create the mash-ups now playing in clubs across the world.

    A Girl Talk show consists of three main things: Greg Gillis, his laptop (covered in Saran Wrap to protect it from sweat), and a crowd resembling a can of sardines. Once the party starts, fans rush the stage as Gillis remains at his laptop. The heat rises throughout the show until everyone is dripping in sweat, and while this does not seem particularly comfortable, the mood generated by Girl Talk is enough to keep attendees dancing the night away. Gillis is quite the entertainer, and is known to do whatever he can to keep the party at an alltime level of insanity. Whether this means taking off his shirt or pants while on stage, or having his assistants shoot toilet paper out into the crowd, Gillis will stop at nothing to make the show worth it for all of his fans.

    Girl Talk has released four albums thus far: Secret Diary, Unstoppable, Night Ripper, and Feed the Animals. The latter followed in Radiohead’s footsteps when it was offered as a pay-what-you-want download on the Internet. Ranked #24 on Rolling Stone’s list of the top 50 albums of 2008, Feed the Animals is composed of over 300 songs. Twisted Sister lyrics overlap Lil’ Mama lyrics and summer 2008’s hit song “Sexy Can I” overlaps a Rod Stewart classic. “The Weight” by The Band is mixed with rap song, “It’s Goin’ Down,” in an eclectic mix called “Still Here.”

    The songs Gillis mixes on his albums sometimes form humorous beats, as a Kelly Clarkson innocent love song can be mixed with a rap beat containing crude lyrics. “I understand the juxtapositions are humorous, but I never want to sacrifice what’s musical just to make it funny,” Gillis says in a fall interview with Rolling Stone.

    Caitlin Cavanaugh, a freshman at McGill University in Montreal, has noticed the popularity of Girl Talk in the city’s nightlife. “The club scene is huge here and his music is super catchy and fun to dance to,” she says. Because Girl Talk is so internationally popular, tickets for the Montreal show went for over $100. Montreal was just one stop in the 30-city tour Girl Talk embarked on this past fall. Gillis reached cities across Europe and the United States, including our very own Milwaukee.

    Gillis, 27, hails from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and attended Case Western Reserve University in Ohio. He began his Girl Talk project upon arrival in college in the summer of 2000. The name “Girl Talk” is in reference to a line in a Jim Morrison poetry book, Gillis revealed in a Nerve.com interview.

    Aware of the potential lawsuit his music could attract, as he has not obtained permission from any of the artists he features in his albums, Gillis is not too worried. While many have called Girl Talk’s music a “lawsuit waiting to happen,” he sees his music as fitting under Fair Use, meaning he can sample already recorded work, as long as his own work falls under different criteria. Gillis looks at his music as being transformative and thus doesn’t see his music as being a problem. He mentions in a Village Voice online interview that he has yet to receive any complaints from artists he has featured in his music. His fans would definitely agree that what Girl Talk does is not simply taking songs and putting them together in a mix.

    “He takes songs that are already good and puts his own unique touch in them, I don’t think what he does is stealing,” said Cavanaugh.

    For now, Gillis and his laptop will continue to tour the country, awing fans and raising mash-up music to new heights. And because those diehard fans will continue to ask for more of Girl Talk from now on, Gillis will just have to feed the animals.

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