July 18, 2002

 
Let's Boom Things Foward

Boom Selection is back, and they're selling a 3 cd-rom set with 42 hours of music called 'Nevermind The Bootlegs', which includes a manifesto about 'appropriationalist music'. The most interesting thing about the tracklisting is that they didn't just limit themselves to bootlegged material, they are including non-licensed non-mixed official releases by several artists. They are brave bastards. I'll be ordering my copy soon enough.

A World So Bitter Turns Sweet

I've been obsessed with "This Is My Room" by Jonathan Fire*Eater for a few months now. In addition to just sounding like pop bliss to my ears, a major part of my obession has been the song's peculiar, often incomprehensible lyrics. Below, I've transcribed the lyrics to the best of my ability - can anyone out there give me a hand with figuring this out? I'd greatly appreciate any possible corrections that can be offered. I do not have the actual record, so I'm holding out hope that the lyrics may have been printed in the liner notes.


THIS IS MY ROOM

in the orphan asylums
the painters stretch their canvas in the (happy way?)
they prepare their paints in the vacant lot, the children play
and the colors will run, but so will my son
that mistook my (stopping the time?)
please come, this is place you must have known
where he and his sister never hear of the whisper
of the silence of the atoms that (swim here?) in the air
between the taxi driver now, and his crying fare
all the cruelness of this world, it can be daunting
but it's got nothing on the joy of haunting
(yeah?) it's tattered in my brain,
a top hat and cain.. (uintelligable mutter)

in another time, this could have been my room
even criminals may follow the cycle of the moon
but their mothers will come, their mothers may go
they'll bring their (covered discs?), and they'll all go home

there are people in my eyes, they look for me in my eyes
there are people in my eyes, but they sleep all the time
everybody has a crutch, but man, they sleep so much
and I will hire the assassin just to kill the time
one of these days I will make this room mine
my chin on the sill, all the rain's hanging still
please come home, this is a place unknown
the silence of the atoms that (are swimming?) in the air
between the taxi driver now, and his crying fare
there's a breeze in the trees, I can paint what I see
by the (?) of the torch, moths on the porch
go flicker away, today was (a cain?)
so take me by the hand and walk me through the landscape
the sidewalks all glitter, and a world so bitter turns sweet
...it's kinda cold!
there's a place in the alley where my (family?) hit the ground tonight
I can wait, I can wait like a kid sleeping for Christmas
oh, the winter is (?)

Besides a few lines that I can't make out, "This Is My Room" is particularly baffling to me cos it seems to have some kind of deliberate narrative structure that has been scrambled, and filled with some confusing lines which may have been throwaway lines, or perhaps parts of a puzzle that I just haven't figured out yet. Whether I'm kidding myself or not, I'm fairly convinced that this song has an internal logic that I'm determined to figure out. The images of 'orphan asylums', painters, taxi drivers, the references to mothers, sons, and sisters - it's all too specific to be accidental and purely stream-of-conciousness. The images seem deliberate, all there to set up a vivid picture of a scene, a time, a place. There seems to be some kind of story connecting all of the characters, places, and events, but the lyrics of the song seems out of chronlogical order, even though the lyrics remain in the present tense throughout the song. I have no idea what the character means when he sings about how "in another time, this could've been (his) room", or that "one of these days (he) will make this room (his)". What room? What about it? A room at the orphanage? A room with a new family? What?

Also, can anyone please tell me what Jonathan Fire*Eater vocalist/lyricist Stewart Lupton is up to these days? I obviously really love his lyrics and his voice, and I am very interested to hear what he's been doing since JFE broke up and the other guys went off to form the Walkmen. Google has been pretty useless in finding out information about JFE and Lupton.

Everything All Of The Time

It's been a while since I've listened to Radiohead, so I pulled out the I Might Be Wrong Live Recordings record this morning. The most striking song on the record has got to be the version of "Idioteque", which is even more uneasy and nervous sounding than the Kid A version. This isn't the best live version of the song that I've heard (or witnessed), but it doesn't matter, it does the trick. Something about that droning keyboard sound in the song makes me recall every feeling of nausea that I've ever experienced; combined with the variety of percussive sounds, disorientation comes to mind. Once the 'ice age coming' part kicks in, the live drums sound like they are tumbling down a hill while Thom Yorke tries to outrun them with his voice.

It doesn't really matter what Thom is singing in the song, the sound of his voice hits a very raw nerve with me. I know the feeling even if the words don't match up with my life. I wish it were easier to understand what it is about Yorke's voice that communicates so much to so many people - how his voice is able to get across so much unspoken subtext that his lyrics only vaguely touch on. I think this is why so many people always seem so clumsy when trying to articulate why they like or dislike the man's music.

Sweet Little Back-Breaker

I know that making fun of Rob Liefeld is too easy, that it's nothing but cheap shots - but still, come on...just look at this page from his newest comic. Look at the woman's back on the top panel! Does Rob Liefeld really think that's what a sexy woman would look like, or does he really have no idea how to draw anything other than deformed monstrosities like that?