The scariest woman in the world? How exactly do
you earn a reputation like that?
For Grace Jones the answer is easy - you make it
happen. And then laugh about it. First there were
the Jean-Paul Goude photographs that transformed
the striking Jones into a human sculpture and an
icon of surrealistic art. Then she became a butt
kicker alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger in "Conan
The Destroyer", played a man-eating Bond villian
in the Roger Moore film "A View To A Kill" and
dominated the screen in a little known vampire
flick, "Vamp", without uttering a single word.
And of course, there have always been those paparazzi
pics, where she glares and glows on cue for the
camera. Yet talking over the phone from the Bahamas,
Miss Jones is amazingly friendly, exuberant and even
a tad fey.
The statuesque Miss Jones began her life in the
public eye on the catwalk as a Parisienne model
but soon found an audience for her other extraordinary
talents. After building an underground following as
a clubsinger, Grace hit the recording studio to
produce her debut album, "Portfolio". In the 80's
she went on to record albums that are still relevant
today as they were when they took the clubbing
world by storm on their first release.
"Nightclubbing", "Warm Leathrette", "Living My Life"
all managed to create a unique blend of disco,
reggae, funk, and pure unadulterated sexuality
that had never been experienced before.
What Grace Jones is probaly best known for, however,
is her 1985 album, "Slave To The Rhythm"--an
album that revolved around one track in amish-
mash of dance, biography, and the catwalk.
Once again, Grace showed the world that she can
create something utterly fresh and enduring:
"Slave To The Rhythm" hasn't dated one bit.
More recently, Jones has kept busy in the modelling
spotlight, doing club gigs and popped up every now
and then with a new track. She made an appearance in
the Eddie Murphy movie, "Boomerang", for which she
also penned a song and in 1998, wrote "Storm",
for the new film version of "The Avengers".
Where does she find the time to cram everything
in, I ask?
She laughs,"I don't know! This is my first vacation
in about a year. I just "go with the flow". I've
been working on an album for about four years now.
Doing that, and I've also been working on a script.
My first script for a film. I can't tell you much,
but it will be filmed in Jamaica. I'm originally
Jamaicain, so I'm going to write about what I know."
Is it like "The Grace Jones Story" that your writing?
"No,no,no..." Jones laughs again. My character will
be in the film, but I won't be playing that part.
It won't be the main character, there's a bunch
of people."
Jones is little more forthcoming about the album
she's been working on for the past four years and
whether or not it will contain the songs she's
released sporadically, such as "Storm" and the
track she performed on "Boomerang".
"Probably not the Boomerang track," she explains,
"but Storm probably will. I've been working with
Tricky on three tracks, so one of those will be
there. I have a whole bunch more stuff that we
have to re-record because I couldn't stand the
production. The level wasn't what it should've
been in my opinion, so we're going to re-record
a lot of material that we've done before."
So what is Tricky like to work with?
"Oh, he's great!!" Jones enthuses, "Just great!
Unpredictable! I dunno, I think we're very much
alike in that sense. You just go in and pull things
out of a hat. He takes risks, he just jumps in
and does it. If it feels good, you continue."
She thinks for a moment when I ask if she considers
herself a perfectionist.
"I like to get as close as possible, because
sometimes you get too close to being a perfectionist,
and you ruin everything. I like mistakes--when they
are positive ones, they will take you in a direction
that you never expected to go in."
Jones has a timeless appeal, especially among
the world's gay community who literally idolise her.
"I performed a lot, and still do, in gay clubs.
I try and do them whenever I possibly can.Whenever
they invite me, I'm always there. I think they are
my best audiences really. They're really there for
me. In the show, you can go as far as you want to
go--there's nothing you can't be, as different
as whatever! Maybe it's because they are different
themselves. They're much more open to their
feminine side, and I think we recognise that
in each other."
Grace Jones was one of the main acts for the
opening of Atlantis in the Bahamas, where she
made a spectacular entrance. "I flew in from
the fathoms of the sea! I flew in from a very
high tower, and I sang "Slave To The Rhthym"
in two parts as The Goddess of Atlantis. I
had a special costume made with big wings that
opened up like a bird in purple, green and gold.
And then I had a scaly kind of outfit on. I
looked like some kind of amphibian. Then I had
a headpiece that was very Nefertiti-ish, that
glowed from the inside. It was all made out of
this parachute type material, so it was all
quite light."
Who were some of the guests at the opening?
"Well Michael Jackson performed, Stevie Wonder,
Quincy Jones, Natalie Cole, Denzel Washington,
the Olympic Swimming Ballet team, Leonardo
DiCaprio, Sidney Poitier, Stephanie Mills, my
Mom and Dad! It was quite a party!"
Obviously, you must have seen "The Avengers",
why do you think it got such a bad rap?
"I liked it! I thought it was cute! I know why
it got the press it did. Because they didn't show
it to anyone before it came out. The press felt
snobbed, so they went, "I'll get you back."
They didn't show it to anybody, and it backfired
on them, because then the press turn around to
show their power. Personally, I liked it very much.
I think it will end up a cult classic. Once people
start watching it, they'll start going:"Oh my God!
It's not that bad! It's quite entertaining!" But
they really pissed off the press and the press
ultimately say, "We are God here on Earth! Fuck
You!" What they should have done, is even if they
just had a small screening just for the press. But
they didn't show it to anyone...ZERO!! Even I
got suspicious, "What are they trying to hide?"
Although Grace spent Christmas in New York with
her family it was not before she managed to get
in a good deal of jet-skiing and para-gliding
at Atlantis. "They've got this incredible slide
here," Jones tells me with some excitement. "It's
like a free-fall. It's called "Leap of Faith" It's
sooooo scary...and I did it!! I thought I have to
do it quick, before I change my mind. So I
closed my eyes and did it! But I've got to do
it again."
Grace's new album will feature contributions from
Tricky, Puff Daddy, Roni Size, and Stevie Wonder.
While we're waiting for a release date to be
announced, take a listen to the "Compass Sessions"
on Island Records.
ORIGINAL TEXT:Michael Daniels
