re: Wow! vs. Kashka?

[gerstel@quaker.admin.upenn.edu]

(I'm making a stab in the dark with this - it's *very* colored by my own
morality, so don't assume it's Kate Canon!)

The actor mentioned in "Wow" is meant to be a negative model in a couple of
ways - "you know it's no thrill/he just holds his breath", etc.  I'd say that
the stanza ending in "He's too busy..." is saying that he's letting sexual
pleasure get in the way of his career and his life.  The phrase Kate uses is
crude because it fits what he's doing to himself.

On the other hand, other than the first line, "Kashka from Baghdad" is all
about enjoying life.  It's all about music and laughter and love, and it
doesn't seem to matter whether it's a man and woman or two men or whatever.
The fact that the actor and Kashka share a sexual preference means very little
in comparison to their larger outlooks.