It’s an understatement to say that 2020 has thrown up a few unexpected twists and turns, but Miley Cyrus’ single-handed attempts to push rock music back into the centre of mainstream culture has been a joy to witness.
So far this year we’ve seen the Nashville pop star cover Pink Floyd and Pearl Jam on American TV (this after covering Metallica and Nine Inch Nails at Glastonbury 2019), recruit Billy Idol and Joan Jett for her new album Plastic Hearts) and, most intriguingly of all, announce her intention to record a Metallica covers album, a prospect which Rob Halford, for one, is excited about.
And now, we’ve got Cyrus - sporting a Plasmatics T-shirt - covering Hole’s Doll Parts on Howard Stern’s SiriusXM show. Doll Parts is one of the nakedly emotional high-points of Hole’s brilliant 1994 album, Live Through This, and while Cyrus can’t possibly be expected to imbue the song with as much pain as Courtney Love, it’s another stunning showcase of the 27-year-old pop star’s versatility and range.
In coincidental news, last month Courtney Love hinted again that Hole might reform in 2021.
Love, who is currently living in London, made the comments in an interview with the NME. "Before I came back I actually had Melissa [Auf der Maur, bass] and Patty [Schemel, drums] come with our tech to this old-world rehearsal studio. We had a good session, but it takes a bit of time to get back into the rhythm of it all.
"It’s something I’d love to do and [I've] been taking guitar lessons over Zoom during lockdown and I’m writing again so we’ll see!"
