Re: breathing death

[Jon Drukman <jsd@GAFFA.MIT.EDU>]

>Really-From: juli@cabot.dartmouth.edu (Julian West)
>
>> [Death is a major theme of _TSW_, side one.]
>Interesting theory! Care to elaborate?  I, for one, am convinced that the
>album is more cohesive, both musically and thematically, than early reports
>have suggested. Does anyone else have any other "connecting principles"?

Yeah, all the songs sound the same.  I can't believe Joe Turner didn't
find it cohesive.  Timbrally speaking, it's about as varied as vanilla
pudding!

I dunno bout death being a "major theme" however.  "Minor subtext" is
more like it.  Let's do a quick spot-check.

The Sensual World:  is there death in this one?  sounds more like sex to
me.  Perhaps IED is cleverly referring to la petite morte?

Love and Anger: well, i'd say this one is about love, on the one hand,
and gee, could it possibly be anger on the other?  Yeah.  No death here.

The Fog: OK, death is definitely a major player in this piquant entracte.
Of course, since this is _plainly_ an outtake from "the Ninth Wave", what
do you expect?

Reaching Out:  I don't hear any death images here.  But, this song
gives me severe gastrointestinal pains, so I haven't paid the closest
attention to the words.  they seem to be more about the tendency of
natural things to reach out for other natural things.

Heads We're Dancing: This song remains a major puzzle to me.  If my
crazy theories regarding the lyrics are correct, then death could be a
major text here.  six million deaths, to be precise!

So, the re-cap: death songs: one and a half, maybe two.  Non-death
songs: three.  Bummer guys!

Does anybody think that _rocket's_tail_ is about suicide?  I do.


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