Oscar Wilde once said that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. But as true as his sentiment continues to be, it also falls slightly short; sometimes, imitation can be more than that. Sometimes, imitation can even be revolutionary.
In the case of “Summer Wine,” a cover of the 1960s pop classic by Nancy Sinantra and Lee Hazelwood, Lilah Larson and Oliver Ignatius (otherwise known as a singer and producer, respectively, for Sons of an Illustrious Father) seem to be aiming for the latter. Recording a song that sounds almost identical to the original, the duo subverts its central tenet by switching the highly gendered roles of who sings what. In their version, Sinatra’s parts are sung by Ignatius, while Larson takes on the role of Hazlewood. For their accompanying music video, a shot-by-shot recreation of Nancy and Lee’s original 1967 promo film, the pair dress up in drag. Ignatius dons a long blond wig and sports a flirty cat eye; Larson rocks a well-coiffed short cut and a dramatic, appropriately 60s black mustache.
It’s somewhat familiar territory for the singer and producer. After all, that Ezra Miller-led band has always been known for their “genre queer” music. That Larson and Ignatius would continue to experiment with gender-bending in their solo work is hardly surprising.
“As far as baroque country rock albums go, there aren’t many greater monuments to the patriarchy than Nancy & Lee,” the pair says about their decision to recreate this particular song — the lead single of what will eventually be a complete reimagining of the entire Nancy & Lee record. Pointing out the ways all the songs on the album “drape an ingenue-like Nancy Sinatra in sweeping canopies of orchestration while duetting with puppet master and production genius Lee Hazlewood,” Larson and Ignatius were equally fascinated and inspired by its “almost comic adherence to 1960s gender and societal norms.”
And what’s the best way to deconstruct outdated gender norms? Through drag, of course.
