Re: "Suspended in Gaffa" et al

[berns@lti2.lti.com (Brian Berns x26)]

>> [Me:] "Suspended in Gaffa" is OK, but it means nothing to me, as I have no
>> idea what "Gaffa" is.

>> Smiley-face, smiley-face, etc.

> [|>ougy:] Kate says that "Gaffa" is gaffer's tape (i.e. duct tape).  It is a
> very sticky, but removable tape that is used by musicians to tape down
> all the myriad wires they have to deal with while recording or
> etc.

At the time I wrote the original, I thought it was the funniest thing I had
said all month.  Apparently, I over-estimated myself.

> My favorite songs are "Night of the Swallow", "Get Out of My
> House", "Leave it Open", and "Pull Out the Pin".

Me, too (more or less).  Let's talk about these songs!  And let's *not* talk
about the amazing technical accomplishment of the "We let the weirdness in"
section of "Leave it Open".

> I don't think that all the debate over "Suspended in Gaffa" occurs
> because most people think that it is the best song on the album, but
> rather because it is one of the more difficult songs to figure out.

"Figure out"?  I agree that music should be challenging, but this is absurd.
You treat the song like it's a math problem.  Have you ever thought (I'm sure
this is blasPhemY) that there are better things in life than to force lyrics
into having *exact* meanings?

Does anyone out there think the lyrics to this song are particularly *good*
by Katian standards.  Not that I've heard.  Then why debate over it?

> The only thing I was lacking was the
> neat implication that it is the very tools needed to achieve ones
> goals that can be what is hindering you.

You're right, that is a pretty cool implication.  And one that I have not seen
before in all the Gaffa debating.  But it's *your* idea, probably not Kate's.

Look, here's a quote from R.E.M.:

   Swan, swan, hummingbird
   Hurrah
   We are all free now
   What noisy cats are we
   Long low time ago
   People talk to me

What *exactly* does it mean?  Who cares, it just sounds cool when you sing it.
Whatever associations and implications it brings to mind (for me, alot) are
yours.  Whatever Michael Stipe was thinking when he wrote it is of only mild
interest to me.  When I heard that the amazingly beautiful poetic wonderful
song "Fall on Me" was about acid rain, I was really pissed off.  I try not to
think about that when I hear:

   Buy the sky and sell the sky
   Lift your arms up to the sky
   And ask the sky
   Don't fall on me

I use R.E.M. becuase it's clear that their lyrics are *intentionally* without
obvious exact meaning.  I hope the same is true of Kate, because if she is
really trying to communicate precise ideas in "Suspended in Gaffa", she isn't
doing a very good job.  But feel free to continue digging.

-- Brian
..buita!lti!berns

P.S. Sorry for the conversational delay.  I'm writing this on Wed. Sept. 27 from
     Salem, MA.  Don't know why it takes so long to reach the net.