Re: bursting the gay Cloud

[biscotti and borscht <woj@remus.rutgers.edu>]

also sprach Mark Wegner:

>Being one of the older lovehounds (41) I would like to point a couple of
>things out (and I will try not to sound too pompous).

not sure that your age has anything to do with your point, but...

>Whether your singer-songwriter is Kate, Tori, Neil Young, etc. not
>everything that they write has some "deep meaning".  And most, believe
>me, have NO  "hidden meaning" that only a few people are intelligent
>enough to get.  

i think you're right to a point: lyricists who obfuscate or write
metaphorically (such as tori amos) often have a meaning which is "hidden"
to the extent that what they are saying in not immediately obvious. KaTe,
generally, is not one of these types of songwriters. in fact, with the
exception of _the ninth wave_ and "suspended in gaffa", i don't think much
of KaTe's ouevre is all that "deep" -- though research is often required to
piece together where she is coming from, such as with "cloudbusting".

>I absolutely guarantee you that if you want, you can
>come up with a logical hidden meaning for every Kate song there is.  To
>think that "your son's coming out" is a reference to sexuality makes
>perfect sense if this is mentioned in The Book Of Dreams.  If not, it is
>a LUDICROUS assumption.  In my not-so-humble opinion.   :)

i disagree. for those who wish to get something out of a song that the
author did not intend, all the more power to you. music is fluid and its
meaning a function of one's situation. different interpretations of songs
can and are valid for different people. the only thing that is ludicrous is
to ascribe a meaning to the author when there is no evidence to support the
claim or evidence which outright negates the claim.
-- 
_O_ woj@remus.rutgers.edu                     friends don't let friends
 |< http://remus.rutgers.edu/~woj/         drive sport utility vehicles