Daily Tune On - Antony “If It Be Your Will”
With Leonard Cohen’s “I’m Your Man” as this weeks “Weekly Hype,” I decided to choose Antony for today’s “Daily Tune On.” There were so many moving performances in the movie, it was hard to choose one, but Antony is such an unusual character to me and his performance of “If It Be Your Will” was so emotional that he is where I ultimately landed for this one entry.
To me Antony has such an unusual sounding voice that it stands out in a crowd and rises above most others. Watching him perform you feel as if you are being given entry to a very private moment, a glimpse into the man’s soul, and if you move you might disturb the mood or you could be asked to leave. It is very personal, a bit like watching the face of a guitarist as he takes the most intimate solo of his life, letting out what he’s held inside for so long. He seems to channel his vocal experience. At times he can look uncomfortable and even disturbed, moving his hands back and forth, going deep inside himself, but you know what he is touching is very pure and its essence is revealed in the vocal performance you hear on the other end.
For this piece I have chosen the song Antony sang at the concert for “I’m Your Man.” It’s a Leonard Cohen song entitled “If It Be Your Will.”
Antony, whose full name is Antony Hegarty, plays with a group called Antony and the Johnsons. You can also see and hear him in the Lou Reed movie, “Berlin,” Steve Buscemi’s movie “Animal Factory” and several others. He can be heard on the soundtrack to the Dylan inspired movie, “I’m Not There,” as well as many other artistic vehicles. In 2005 Antony and the Johnsons released the “I Am a Bird Now” LP on the Secretly Canadian label.
To see Antony perform “I’m Your Man,” simply click on the link below or cut and paste it into your browser.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1MDlMdu2gjw