Post by star18 on Mar 4, 2021 20:36:51 GMT -5
I'm getting psyched up for the ODP stream tonight and thought I'd drop a couple ideas I've been bangin' round.
Like many of you, I really enjoy trying to connect the various characters, scenes, and phrases of the THS universe into a narrative. The band also happens to be right in my wheelhouse musically as well, but really what elevates THS over the other bands I adore is the lyrical depth and genius.
As I've mentioned elsewhere, my appreciation was really elevated by Skepticalatfirst's unbelievably brilliant work on this board. Before "Here Goes," I had a sense of the scope of this thing, but his ability to lock down key characters and ideas was absolutely huge to me -- not only in terms of evaluating this band, but also as an influence in how I approach my own music projects (I'm just a bar band vet myself but I can play a little keys and guitar and like to make weird shit in Ableton on the weekends.) So thanks again, ya clever kid.
I don't have anywhere near the encompassing, cohesive vision of Skeptic's stuff, but I do like to take certain aspects or scenes and try to explore them from some different angles. One thing that's been on my mind lately is "the band" -- not Tad & Bobby & co., but the band of the lyrical universe.
From the third song in the entire catalog --"Barfruit"-- we know that at least one of the characters is in a band. (For that matter, we know it's not their first!) There are lots of other references to performance and "the band" throughout all of the albums, don't think we need to dwell on this point too much. "We were bored so we started a band." "I came back to start a band, of course." Yup.
Skeptic places "The Narrator" as the musician among our cast of characters, and I agree. While of the characters are clearly big music fans -- all of the constant references to songs, listening, etc. -- we never see Holly pick up a guitar or Charlemagne rock the drums. "Chicago Seems Tired Last Night" is interesting here because the first half of the song is clearly someone in the band ("we push it out through PA speakers") but the second half is someone watching the band ("they did __, into __" "when the band stopped playing, we howled out for more.")
What I really want to talk about is the size and relative fame of this band. In "Barfruit" we hear that they're a bar band, which definitely implies a local act. But in several other places throughout the catalog, we get clues that this band is actually a pretty big act. Without even necessarily identifying characters, here are some easy picks:
- In "Sketchy Metal," someone "went through the publicist." Local bar bands do not have publicists. If this is our Narrator's band, they're at least a touring act.
- "Touchless" has a lot of touring-band imagery -- the sound check, the dressing room, the bus rolling through the night.
- "Almost Everything" also has a bus, and a waitress "asking if we were Pink Floyd," which definitely signals "multiple shaggy looking dudes."
- "Slapped Actress" is tricky but gives us "tickets" and "stadium seating."
There's more but that seems fine for now. Now, in "Here Goes" Skeptic makes the point that frequently "the band" can be used as metonymy for "the narrator." I think that's valid! No argument. But I want to raise the point that in order for that construction to work, there must be an actual band, and from available evidence, they're at least decently popular. Not A-list perhaps, but they're at least touring regionally, and playing venues with backstages and dressing rooms, which is pretty good. (As I said upthread, I've spent 10+ years in various bands and made a little bit of money and a whole lot of fun but I've never had a dressing room.)
So if at least one of the core characters -- probably the Narrator but regardless -- is in a pretty popular band, that might change a few things. "Here Goes" makes the point that the scope of all the travel is pretty impractical for these ne'er-do-wells, and I completely buy into the idea that a lot of the geography is metaphorical. But if there is a touring band in the equation here, that does give some justification for some of the travel. That doesn't mean that *most* of the action doesn't still take place in the Twin Cities, but they might be taking some (tour) trips. And perhaps some of the "living in motels" imagery might be linked to the non-musician characters tagging along on the tour and running drugs/petty scams wherever they can.
Gonna leave it there for now and watch the livestream! As I've said elsewhere, I hope no one takes this as me just trying to poke holes in 'Here Goes' -- I only reference Skeptic's work so much because he is, to me, the leading mind on the subject. Enjoy the stream!
Like many of you, I really enjoy trying to connect the various characters, scenes, and phrases of the THS universe into a narrative. The band also happens to be right in my wheelhouse musically as well, but really what elevates THS over the other bands I adore is the lyrical depth and genius.
As I've mentioned elsewhere, my appreciation was really elevated by Skepticalatfirst's unbelievably brilliant work on this board. Before "Here Goes," I had a sense of the scope of this thing, but his ability to lock down key characters and ideas was absolutely huge to me -- not only in terms of evaluating this band, but also as an influence in how I approach my own music projects (I'm just a bar band vet myself but I can play a little keys and guitar and like to make weird shit in Ableton on the weekends.) So thanks again, ya clever kid.
I don't have anywhere near the encompassing, cohesive vision of Skeptic's stuff, but I do like to take certain aspects or scenes and try to explore them from some different angles. One thing that's been on my mind lately is "the band" -- not Tad & Bobby & co., but the band of the lyrical universe.
From the third song in the entire catalog --"Barfruit"-- we know that at least one of the characters is in a band. (For that matter, we know it's not their first!) There are lots of other references to performance and "the band" throughout all of the albums, don't think we need to dwell on this point too much. "We were bored so we started a band." "I came back to start a band, of course." Yup.
Skeptic places "The Narrator" as the musician among our cast of characters, and I agree. While of the characters are clearly big music fans -- all of the constant references to songs, listening, etc. -- we never see Holly pick up a guitar or Charlemagne rock the drums. "Chicago Seems Tired Last Night" is interesting here because the first half of the song is clearly someone in the band ("we push it out through PA speakers") but the second half is someone watching the band ("they did __, into __" "when the band stopped playing, we howled out for more.")
What I really want to talk about is the size and relative fame of this band. In "Barfruit" we hear that they're a bar band, which definitely implies a local act. But in several other places throughout the catalog, we get clues that this band is actually a pretty big act. Without even necessarily identifying characters, here are some easy picks:
- In "Sketchy Metal," someone "went through the publicist." Local bar bands do not have publicists. If this is our Narrator's band, they're at least a touring act.
- "Touchless" has a lot of touring-band imagery -- the sound check, the dressing room, the bus rolling through the night.
- "Almost Everything" also has a bus, and a waitress "asking if we were Pink Floyd," which definitely signals "multiple shaggy looking dudes."
- "Slapped Actress" is tricky but gives us "tickets" and "stadium seating."
There's more but that seems fine for now. Now, in "Here Goes" Skeptic makes the point that frequently "the band" can be used as metonymy for "the narrator." I think that's valid! No argument. But I want to raise the point that in order for that construction to work, there must be an actual band, and from available evidence, they're at least decently popular. Not A-list perhaps, but they're at least touring regionally, and playing venues with backstages and dressing rooms, which is pretty good. (As I said upthread, I've spent 10+ years in various bands and made a little bit of money and a whole lot of fun but I've never had a dressing room.)
So if at least one of the core characters -- probably the Narrator but regardless -- is in a pretty popular band, that might change a few things. "Here Goes" makes the point that the scope of all the travel is pretty impractical for these ne'er-do-wells, and I completely buy into the idea that a lot of the geography is metaphorical. But if there is a touring band in the equation here, that does give some justification for some of the travel. That doesn't mean that *most* of the action doesn't still take place in the Twin Cities, but they might be taking some (tour) trips. And perhaps some of the "living in motels" imagery might be linked to the non-musician characters tagging along on the tour and running drugs/petty scams wherever they can.
Gonna leave it there for now and watch the livestream! As I've said elsewhere, I hope no one takes this as me just trying to poke holes in 'Here Goes' -- I only reference Skeptic's work so much because he is, to me, the leading mind on the subject. Enjoy the stream!
