Live Through This: Courtney Love has joined “Sons of Anarchy” Season 7.
Her countless personal foibles aside, ever since my first exposure to Hole's landmark 1994 album I've been a fierce advocate of C-Love – for my money one of the most mercurially captivating performers of this or any age. As a matter of fact, she was recently featured in HitFix's “Career Comebacks We're Dying To See” gallery – a fortuitous pick on my part considering she's now set to enjoy a “pivotal, multi-episode arc” on the long-running FX series as – get this – a “straight-shooting preschool teacher.” Oh god, yes.
But of course, I get it: the majority of our readers probably won't count C-Love's “SoA” casting as good news (just waiting for the shameless “She Killed Kurt” believers to come out of the woodwork). But hey, Dave Grohl forgave her, so why can't the rest of you? Here are five reasons why I think today's announcement is actually a great thing.
1. She's proven she can act.
Love may not have starred in a film since the unfortunate 2002 Charlize Theron-Kevin Bacon thriller “Trapped” – and okay, she was a little zonked-out in that one – but lest we forget she scored critical raves and a Golden Globe nod for her attention-grabbing role in 1996's “The People vs. Larry Flynt.” And while it's easy to forget nearly two decades removed, her Hollywood winning streak actually continued a few years beyond that, with roles in the Andy Kaufman biopic “Man on the Moon,” ensemble comedy “200 Cigarettes,” Lili Taylor indie drama “Julie Johnson” and the (legitimately awful) 2000 William S. Burroughs movie “Beat.” Prior to “Flynt” she also had a small supporting role in the 1995 biopic “Basquiat,” which proved a perfect vehicle for her naturalistic charms.
2. She's playing a damn preschool teacher.
For all I know she could be playing a methhead preschool teacher – the character details are a little slight at the moment – but this is still a pretty delirious bit of against-type casting for the woman who brought the term “kinderwhore” into the mainstream. Get your fingerpaints out.
3. She could still pull off black leather.
Considering everything she's been through over the last several decades, it's pretty amazing but: Courtney Love looks shockingly good right now. All I'm saying is, let's put her in a black leather mini and see where it goes.
4. She's Courtney Love.
Love her or hate her, she didn't win that “Most Controversial Woman In Rock” title by being boring. Bring on your opinions, Courtney will crush them.
5. I will now watch “Sons of Anarchy.”
“SoA” has been flirting with my “Instant Watch” queue on Netflix for awhile now, and this is a pretty good motivator to follow through. Then again: is a CliffsNotes version of the first six seasons available, by chance? Because that's a lot of Courtney-free biker mayhem to wade through.