Yeah Yeah Yeahs: Meet Rock's New Queen of Cool

Led by a bruised, beer-spitting, New York-conquering female superhero, Yeah Yeah Yeahs are one of the most exciting rock groups of the past ten years. And guess what? They’re actually getting kind of popular! Here’s the story of how three quirky cool kids made it to the big time--no compromises, no sellouts, no regrets.

 

Led by a bruised, beer-spitting, New York-conquering female superhero, Yeah Yeah Yeahs are one of the most exciting rock groups of the past ten years. And guess what? They're actually getting kind of popular! Here's the story of how three quirky cool kids made it to the big time--no compromises, no sellouts, no regrets.

Buried deep in the crowd is a slight and almost Druidic female figure with a black hooded sweatshirt pulled down over her eyes. She's been anonymously swilling Coronas for about an hour. As Har Mar takes the stage, stomach bulging comically over his track pants, the woman quietly disappears. The show grinds on-the singer strips down to his green briefs and tries to French kiss girls in the front row. Then, suddenly, a surprise guest is announced: Karen O of Yeah Yeah Yeahs.

The silver curtains behind Har Mar part and the woman in the hooded sweatshirt stands transformed, high-kicking like a spastic Rockette in a backless, blue, terry-cloth hot-pants leotard. Three 12-inch Slim Jim meat snacks poke out from the front of her outfit. She's got a long post-mullet snaking down her spine, hair cut short on the sides, and her face is twisted into a bizarre grin. Looking both beautiful and ridiculous, she sings a track called "Cut Me Up," ending splayed in a half-assed split. Raising both arms, she screams, "Jackie Farry!" Then, fumbling with the curtains, she awkwardly makes her way offstage.

There have been comparatively few female rock stars, and fewer still whose resumes don't read like tragic falls from grace. But Karen O--flamboyant, thoughtful, not backed by an armada of image handlers--has an answer for all that. With her art-damaged, morning-after prom dresses, slathered-on makeup, and performance-induced cuts and bruises, she's Iggy Pop for shy nerds who want to get loose. A Yeah Yeah Yeahs show is rawness choreographed: Karen's face contorts as she rolls around the stage, ripping at her clothes. She spits beer on the audience, pours it over her head, and sticks the microphone in her mouth. She exudes femininity on the verge of madness and elation, while guitarist Nick Zinner's melodic sheets of noise and Brian Chase's subtle but rowdy drums provide a perfectly lurching backdrop. Her enigmatic lyrics, which always seem to be about the eternal messiness of sex and romance, are a haywire conduit for pure emotion. She's confident enough to go out to the edge, and to bring us with her.

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