It’ll come as a surprise to no one that I don’t have any blink-182 in my music collection. To be honest, I couldn’t name a song of theirs until I listened to Madi Diaz’s, Enema Of The Garden State, her cover album of their 1999 album, Enema Of The State. I was surprised I recognized “All The Small Things” and “What’s My Age Again?” Maybe the music video is ingrained in my memory banks for some reason.
Madi’s solo acoustic versions are nothing like the original full-band, indie-rock sound of blink-182 but I found myself singing right along. Having only heard blink-182’s singles, the rest of the songs are new to me. The lyrics have a late 90’s emo angst which fits Madi’s style perfectly and it’s fun hearing her take on someone else’s songs. Never did I think I’d hear Madi singing about extraterrestrial probings (“Aliens Exist”), wishing she’d stayed home watching porn instead of going out (“The Party Song “) or looking for a girl she can train (“Dumpweed”).
On that note, why is it that women cover male singer/songwriters often but seldom the other way around? Madi stayed true to the lyrics, not changing pronouns or gender. Sure, she’ll sing about making out with girls but if a straight guy ever took on a female’s song, there’s no way he’s going to beg Jolene not to take his man.
Enema Of The Garden State is only available for purchase on Bandcamp (the link is available here) and every penny goes to the Defending Our Neighbors Fund. According to Madi “This will help give immigrant families, adults, young children, and so many of those in need of advocates, access to resources through this support system. They are providing immediate grants for trusted organizations to deploy legal advice and bond assistance.” In my gay opinion, there’s nothing better than buying an album to support a good cause and as a form of protest.
My only complaint, because I always have to have one, Madi should have busted out the Enema Of The State rubber gloves, nurse outfit and blue eye shadow, instead of recycling her Fatal Optimist cover.
