May 26, 2004
beware of 1:14!!
Anger and I have had an interesting relationship over the years. It took us a very long time to get acquainted (25 years or so) and we are still sort of feeling each other out. We had a pretty significant run-in a few weeks back and this song resulted. I thought it was pretty cool that the energy from such an encounter on an otherwise wasted Tuesday evening became a song.
In some ways I am embarrassed by this song (no parking). Not because I think it is poor musically or particularly badly engineered or anything; but rather because I don't know if it is believable. You *should* believe it because it came from a place that was pure and direct, but I don't know if I was able to get this across in the song. And if it doesn't convince you, it might come across as pathetic and over-dramatized. How's that for self-confidence?
I guess I'm just not sure I fully achieved what I had hoped. Not sure if I am able to bring the listener into my world in that moment. And if I failed at this, there isn't much else to grab onto. So in that sense I suppose it's a little risky. But I figure letting you kind and benevolent listeners listen is the only way to find anything out, right?
So here is my little Q&A to kick things off. As always, ask your own if so inclined.
Is this finally a happy song?
No. In fact, not at all - as you may have gathered from the anger discussion above(!). This does not mean it isn't a positive song though.
What household object did you end up hitting?
I tried a bunch, but what I ended up using were the couch hit with timpani mallets and a spent snare drum head hit with marimba mallets. And a cat hit with...
Are there any swear words in this song?
Yes. Parental Advisory in full effect. As in: Kids, don't let your parents listen...
Was there really no parking?
Believe me; there was NONE.
Yes, yes, it's very believable -- powerfully so. The juxtaposition of soft tones and melodies with a way-beyond-Howard-Dean bit of screaming is potent. I was drawn in by the subtly building tension at the beginning, with breathy and emotive vocals and lyrics that reminded me how cathartic it can be to push yourself to extremes (physically or even vocally) in order to feel your aliveness and perhaps even to purge emotional poison (as if it were that easy!)
That said, I'm not sure the level of anger expressed in 'no parking' is truly believable in the context of any sort of everyday frustration, such as a lack of parking. In that context, it would seem a bit overwrought and melodramatic -- perhaps even funny, for someone observing it. But something much deeper and more poignant is being exuded here. Something that makes me want to say that I don't ever want to make THAT guy angry -- but I don't mean that in its most common sense (i.e., that to do so would put me in apprehension of imminent bodily harm). That's not it at all. It's more that to be the cause or trigger for such anger -- infused as it seems to be with a sense of turmoil, passion and hurt -- would not rest easily on my conscience.
But I'm no musicologist. I have no idea if my particular reaction, or even any aspect of it, was intended or even anticipated to be conveyed through this song. All I know is what I feel. And I'm struck by the power of this one.
Posted by: twiga at May 27, 2004 10:37 AMI struggled a lot with what I should call this song. Although there is a direct connection with parking, literally, I had hoped for more of a double meaning. The literal along with something more along the lines of being so angry that one is not able to calm feelings of rage and ends up bouncing all over the place (in the head, that is) without being able to settle down on something (a parking place) and rationally assess the situation. Does that make any sense?
Also I don't don't mind the fact that it is funny to think that lack of parking could cause such an explosion. Maybe that diffuses some potential melodrama?
Thanks for sharing your reactions, and I promise to not beat you up if you ever piss me off(!)
Hey, I'm just excited you were able to park your rage in a cool song that you can share with all your fans.
Hmm, I suppose I'll have to fight the urge to drive you explosively crazy in order to generate more interesting songs... What an incentive you've now provided!
Posted by: twiga at May 27, 2004 01:28 PM