Jon Drukman's theories

[juli@lafayette.dartmouth.edu (Julian West)]

>Edward Suranyi writes:
>>P.S. I thought Gaffa was a town in Israel. :-) :-)
>I thought "Suspended in Gaffa" must be related to Huxley's _Eyeless_In_Gaza_.  

But Ed was probably thinking of Jaffa!
At least, that's the first thing _I_ thought of when I heard the song.

>Well, yes I can cite a precedent.  Syd Barrett used James Joyce's words
>for his song (I think it was) "Golden Hair" from 1969-70 ("Madcap Laughs" or
>"Barrett", can't remember which).  There is a credit on the album stating
>that Syd got permission to use the lyrics.

Greg, can you tell me more about this?  Is there a chance of finding the
album still on the market?

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Thanks to Jon Drukman for putting himself out on a limb with some theories
about the new songs. I have some replies:

> 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.

I disagree, Jon. This could possibly be a "Teen Suicide: Don't Do It" song.
Consider the lines "What would we do without you?" "You might not think
so now ... someone will come to help you."

> The Fog: this is _plainly_ an outtake from "the Ninth Wave"

I agree with you here.  Do you think it was really intended to fit into
the _9th Wave_ sequence somewhere?  

_Now_ will you guys believe she survives at the end of _The_Ninth_Wave_?
She's still around on the new album!   :-) :-)

> 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!

I don't think you are crazy here either!  I really think the song is about
the way Europe was seduced by Hitler in the '30s, and didn't know who
it was dancing with until it woke up and smelled the coffee the morning after.
Get your half-assed theory out in the open!  What's with using Ed Suranyi
as a confidant?

> There seems to be a line where Kate says "It was 1939 before
> the music started" as well.  

Actually the line is "It was '39 before..."  No "19". But otherwise you are 
right.  I transcribed all the lyrics to side one (which I could understand)
last night.  I'll post them later.

Thanks also for your list of pop songs setting literary texts. 
None was familiar to me.

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                                                     Julian