Mike Tyler is an American poet known for his East Village/Greenwich Village
readings at the infamous Nuyorican Poets Café. An influence on Banksy (yes, the
graffiti artist) and Beck, Tyler has since developed a confusing admiration for
music. He released his sophomore album Erection last year with a couple
of singles that shocked British critics rather than excited them. It seems that
even the most sex craved middle aged broadsheet critic respects Tyler's poetry
and influence but disregards his... Sex.
"Money Grows on Your Knees" is clearly a song about prostitution,
there's a simple message and Tyler expresses this tirelessly in the video seen
above. It's somewhat spoken word / pop rock with Tyler's Leonard Cohen-esque
gristly aged voice which is just as much blunt and croaky as it is angled to a particular
banana loving 60s generation of White Light / White Heat fans. What a
mouthful, I know, but Tyler's vocal is intended to reciprocate that of Lou
Reed's - who is still considered in the unpopular category of: "Vocalists
Who Can't Sing For Shit, but Sound Perfect Anyway." Tyler is
under this category for a reason, he can't sing for shit... But his singing
voice sounds perfect with the punchy instrumental anyway. This isn't the most
exciting, shocking, funny, or shit song I’ve heard today - it's the most
unique. Tyler has a distinctive style of reading, for instance when he says: "First
profound thing the child says is 'Daddy why did you do that', Daddy profoundly
replied, 'I did it so you could be alive'." Let’s leave it at that
shall we...
~Eddie