Das französische Label Infrastition bringt Mitte April eine Compilation mit Coverversionen von Siouxsie and the Banshees heraus – auf der nach einem der bekanntesten frühen Songs der Band “Icon” betitelten Sammlung sind insgesamt 15 Neuinterpretationen von Siouxsie-Stücken enthalten, zu den bekanntesten Acts zählen u.a. Mona Mur, die den genannten Song interpretiert, No More mit “The Staircase (Mystery)”, Psyche mit einer Version des bekannten Clubhits “Cities in Dust” und nicht zuletzt die frühere Noblesse Oblige-Sängerin Valerie Renay, deren sanft-somnambule und zugleich doppelbödige Version des Stücks “Christine” vom 1980er “Kaleidoscope”-Album bereits als Video zu hören und zu sehen ist. Der Song entstand damals unter dem Eindruck Autobiografie der unter einer multiplen Persönlichkeitsstörung leidenden Autorin Christine Sizemore.
“Covering a song you really love is always a tricky exercise. I started by playing Christine on the piano and jam with Theo Taylor, who co-produced the track. I wanted to create something slow, moody, dreamy, and sensual to depict this descent into insanity that is the story of the real Christine. I tried to construct a spacious and sonically sparse sphere like a hall of mirrors, where it’s hard to tell reality from fantasy, and you just find yourself drifting aimlessly. I made the video in my old flat in the middle of the lockdown at the end of 2020, while it was still kind of illegal to gather in the same room unless the windows and doors were open. Theo Taylor also shot and edited the video. I knew he was leaving for New Zealand shortly after, and it was our last chance to make a video together.
The lyrics of the song were inspired by the book The Three Faces of Eve, which tells the story of Christine Sizemore, a woman who suffers from multiple personality disorder. The names in the songs, Strawberry Girl, Turtle Lady, etc., are actual names that Christine’s children gave to the different distinct personalities, of which there were 22 in all. So, ideally I wanted 22 people to come into my flat and ‘be me’. In the end, I was happy to get hold of a handful of friends and get them to stand outside in the garden while we were shooting inside, one at a time, trying to respect the corona regulation as much as possible. It was a very intimate affair. The atmosphere was relaxed, and we managed to have a lot of fun while shooting and drinking wine. I was honoured that Berlin living legend and supermodel Steve Morell was able to join us.” (Valerie Renay)