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Post by kgp on Nov 3, 2005 18:24:21 GMT -5
Regardless, I think that some artists are of a mindset to NOT explain their work. RAther, they let the work speak for itself. I guess there is a school of thought that says, to explain it and go into al kinds of detail would diminish the work and its effect on the audience. maybe Paul is of this mindset where he'd rather not really reveal what the song was about.
If you believe that art is a reflection of society, and whatever artistic endeavor Paul holds up for us is a mirror, then perhaps the real artistic value is in each person's response to that work. Is there the shock of self recognition? Does it tell us something about the human condition? Does it show us ordinary things in a way we've never seen it before? Perhaps Paul would rather let us find meaning in it rather than for him to come right out and say hat "World Class Fad" means. Besides, it's fun for us to analyze and discuss his songs! Have you ever written something and handed it over for critique only to have that person come up with a totally different interpretation? Or any interpretation for that matter? (Um...yeah, that's what I meant. Sure.) There's so much ambiguity in most--hate this word, can't think of a better one--'pop' songs anyone could see himself in one.
I'm never sure about Dylan, who claims to not know what his songs are about, that the muses come thru him, he's just a vessel, blah blah blah. Is he pulling our leg and has been for the last 25 years due to his disdain for the press? Who knows? I don't know about Dylan, maybe the muse does visit him, but after seeing Paul write a song in his cramped, unheated basement, it doesn't look like this visceral thing where songs just pour out of him.(I was digging for another PW quote--the 'stupid people' one--and in some interview around the hype of Stereo he said, I don't use a thesaurus anymore.' That made me laugh because it means he used one in the past, I'm guessing on Suicaine. So Un-rock'n' roll  ) |
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Post by kgp on Nov 3, 2005 18:48:42 GMT -5
Whether Kurt Cobain thought 'World Class Fad' was about him or not, there's a good possibility that Paul wrote it long before Cobain was well-known enough to have a song written about him.
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Post by WsBigBrownBeaver on Nov 3, 2005 21:42:33 GMT -5
This conversation is just old rehash... Paul said the song was about Tommy... when Tommy was moving to LA (Pauls hates the place).
"Remember to leave a trail of crumbs" ...back home to MPLS
"Im the one you trust..."
Kinda obvious to me..... "You want it that bad"..... well... your in GNR now...
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Post by FreeRider on Nov 3, 2005 22:17:18 GMT -5
Have you ever written something and handed it over for critique only to have that person come up with a totally different interpretation? Or any interpretation for that matter? (Um...yeah, that's what I meant. Sure.) There's so much ambiguity in most--hate this word, can't think of a better one--'pop' songs anyone could see himself in one. I agree there's too much ambiguity. There will always be multiple interpretations, don't you think? And furthermore I think the difference is whether the artist uses abstract or concrete imagery. I think Paul at least gives us SOME concrete imagery to give you a picture of what he's talking about. The difference here is that Paul has a mastery of the craft. Use "Here Comes A Regular" as an example. Think of the imagery he gives us with his lyrics. It's done in a much poignant and poetic way. It's obvious he's a talented songwriter. It's like the difference between pulp novels and literature. As for Dylan---he claims to NOT know what the songs about. I find that hard to believe he doesn't have an idea what the song is about. Paul, on the other hand, seems to have a notion! Even Warren Zevon said in an interview that songs came to him because he was inspired by some wordplay that gave him an idea or that he had some feelings that he wanted to convey to the listener. So even Zevon had an idea what his songs were about. Dylan? He keeps insisting "I dunno, I just wrote down some lyrics" blah blah blah... |
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RickVee
Dances With Posts
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Post by RickVee on Nov 14, 2005 15:33:40 GMT -5
The video for WCF gives it away that the song is about Kurt Cobain. In the video, Paul is playing guitar while looking in the mirror. The image in the mirror is a left handed guitar player with the guitar slung down low - just like Cobain. Check it out on launch.yahoo.com/ If you watch it its clear that this was done purposefully. Search for Paul Westerberg and click on the World Class Fad video. |
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Post by GtrPlyr on Nov 14, 2005 21:18:12 GMT -5
The video for WCF gives it away that the song is about Kurt Cobain. In the video, Paul is playing guitar while looking in the mirror. The image in the mirror is a left handed guitar player with the guitar slung down low - just like Cobain. Check it out on launch.yahoo.com/ If you watch it its clear that this was done purposefully. Search for Paul Westerberg and click on the World Class Fad video. The date the video was made, and the date the song was written could be years apart, so I wouldn't put too much creedence in a small detail from the video. By the time the video was made, Nirvana were in the spotlight, so the director--or Paul--probably suggested they do a tongue-in-cheek dig at Cobain. In the liner notes to "Besterberg," Paul says: "Someone very famous thought it was about him. The video has me playing left-handed into a mirror. Hint: he donned the same coat in his next video." This seems to imply that it wasn't about him originally, and the little dig might have come about after Paul heard about Cobain's assumption concerning the song. The familiarity with the person implied in the songs lyrics also indicates that it is someone the writer knew. Paul never lived in Seattle, or even talked to Kurt, so I'd venture to say it wasn't about him. |
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Post by landshark on Nov 15, 2005 9:47:36 GMT -5
Who "donned" the same coat in his next video?
Is there anyone who knows the Cobain video oeuvre?
What was the coat anyway?
I never saw the video; can anyone post a link?
This reminds me of the Zapruder film ...
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Post by GtrPlyr on Nov 15, 2005 10:37:14 GMT -5
Who "donned" the same coat in his next video? Is there anyone who knows the Cobain video oeuvre? What was the coat anyway? I never saw the video; can anyone post a link? This reminds me of the Zapruder film ... If I recall correctly, he's talking about Nirvana's "Heart Shaped Box" video. |
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