Grace Jones in a flash

The flamboyant singer hasn't lost any of her style, embarking on a comeback tour that's as much about theater as music.

July 26, 2009|Reed Johnson

Asked what she thinks in general of contemporary pop, Jones is characteristically frank. "It's gotten boring, to be honest. Repetitive. I don't think pop should mean that you had no talent."

Among Jones' latest personas, the most startling might be her role as grandparent to her son's young daughter. For Jones, coming of age meant making a total break with her family, becoming a nudist, doing "quite a bit of acid-tripping" and generally acting out. Today, her family is totally supportive, Jones said, and her perspective on her own past behavior has shifted.

"I disappeared for about a year. It's a terrible, terrible thing to do to a parent. Now that I'm a parent, I'd hate to do that."

In the end, Jones believes, it is fear that often keeps people from living their lives most fully and openly.

"I like to think of myself as a positive person. Otherwise I wouldn't have had a child," she said. Referring to a song from the new album, "Sunset Sunrise," which alludes to a cycle of renewal shared by all human beings, she added: "I do believe that. It will get better, it has to get better."

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reed.johnson@latimes.com

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