Lifter Puller, Rock and Roll!

yes, Kate, we knew

matos keeps posting as if he's answered me somehow, but I'm not happy. reason: I don't CARE about the 'interesting way' stuff, the mechanics of songwriting. there are lots of good songwriters out there. my original question and later questions had the thrust of: why this subject matter? why the extremely intense identification with, or affinity for, this subject matter? this is what I think I've gotten out of matos, so far:

1) rebellion is attractive
2) personal experience of the lifestyle
3) LP get to something pretty deep in the heart of why people go clubbing et al; there is a romantic aspect to nightlife and there are, believe it or not, intelligent people who are drawn to that
4) CF found this world/life interesting and wanted to explore it

what do LP get to about why people choose the nightlife (and I assume we mean here not just to go out and have a little fun kind of nightlife, but a lifestyle where this IS life)? the reason I put it in terms of a 'myth' before was that that thing, at the heart of why people live this life, seems like one sort of story told about, if you will, the essence of 'rock'. about what really makes it important, or authentic, or significant, or good.

(the fact that zod is possibly a poster i like when s/he's NOT being anonymous doesn't alter this judgment in the slightest)

this is an interesting thread even if the main discussors were annoyed and unhappy during it: in fact, possibly BECAUSE the main discussors — both highly intelligent writers — were annoyed and unhappy about it (two very raw spots rubbing against one another: why?)

Maybe Josh's problem is that it's a little obvious? I was going to post a lecturing post abt how EVERY band lives in this world and is comprised of these kinds of people, that would have gone something like this: Waiting tables, tending bar, doing a little freelance, going to parties, living at NIGHT, making your money in tips, getting a tattoo, driving a shitty car, being in a couple bands or art projects that will go nowhere, doing drugs and knowing people who do WAY more than you, wasting your money, watching people you went to school with (whatever level you managed to finish) commuting in their new Jetta, trying to make your ideas matter in the world, to make them pay off, to make the utter childish mess of your life pay off --> this is the place that all pop music comes from, unless you're Kelly Clarkson. So it's not like LP are somehow special or wierd for having anything TO DO with the life; you could even fault every other performer for saying LESS abt it. Yeah LP do a 'pastoral' or 'grotesque' way of looking at it, but it's the place that all of your other music comes from.

...But that isn't news to anyone I guess. So maybe that's Josh's problem with them? Every band ever is in this world and all the other ones want to talk abt something ELSE? CF's great use of metonymy notwithstanding? I mean, "woke up with my hand stuck in the tapedeck" is probably one of my favorite lines from any song: hilarious, unexpected, clear, detailed. To bring up another of my old poetry profs: "there is no such thing as a synonym" (she was qting someone else who I should know the name of) TAPEDECK, it's so perfect, so much better than 'stereo' (or, since the line dodges away at the last second from snicker-snicker sex talk, 'up her ass' or something). What kind of manky shithole was he partying in? The part stands in for the whole. But if you (the general 'you' here really) just think that waking up with your hand stuck in a tapedeck at 23 or 27 or 35 is ONLY a stupid thing to do, I guess yeah the uh charms of LP may mean jack to you.

Yeah, I do think so, actually! While I respond partly because I recognize a lot of CF's characters, it's pretty much an article of faith for me that subject matter is cosmetic: the substance lies elsewhere.

the girl selling t-shirts was kind of a freaker,
first she gets handcuffed
they started to beat her, i was so angry, you had just left me
they had her pinned down, it was so easy, gotta admit it
i can't forget it, i don't regret it
that i got some kicks in

Can't get beyond the selfishness, and it's just so plainly sad and even universal. The heft of the cruel world is underwhelming and unmoving next to selfish thoughts and personal pain.

About language? I dunno. Certainly they use language in a fascinating, complicated, almost singular way, but I wouldn't say they're about it. At least not in the formalist/gestural way the word "about" implies to me.

I think there's really dense, rich thematic stuff going on in LP's ouvre -- stuff about the way subcultures work, about a certain kind of millenial American sadness... Anyone wanna start a thread on thematic strands that run through Craig Finn's work?

"He said, 'My name is Corey - I'm really into hardcore - People call me HARD .... COREY!"

I had to go sit down after hearing that because I was laughing so hard.

http://www.thebrokerdealer.net/

is the still functional website for Craig Finn electronica side-project mentioned above. The site has 4 mp3s available... are they others out there??

There is some other band called broker/dealer out there too now.

if anyone is willing to share a copy of a LP live show, please let me know.. thanks.