If this sounds apocryphal...

[schmerica]

Don’t make me drive that truck, don’t make me feed that rottweiler
I’m clean out of luck, take me to the bedroom and tie my body down

...You guys, remind me not to listen to the LYRICS when I put on Paul Gross's songs, okay? OKAY.

(I stick with what I said the first time brooklinegirl showed me the Voodoo video: I actually do really like his voice. DON'T JUDGE ME.)

Now is the time of the day when I have to choose between continuing what I am doing -- that is, listening to PG and read all the archives at I Can Has Cheezburger? -- or watching the new Doctor Who episode I have downloaded. Decisions are hard!

Note that this is not a cue for fox1013 to comment to tell me that my lack of a clear decision means I should be writing her fic. That's not how it works!

Comments

[malnpudl.livejournal.com]

YES. Exactly. We are entirely on the same page. *beams*

[omphale]

Okay, I'm officially making "deconstructing Canadian music" one of the first topics for the yet-to-be-named new comm.

Because how much fun would it be to take apart Paul Gross's lyrics and demonstrate that, in fact, he's a lot better at this than people think? At the very least, the ones that people mock for making no sense *koff*Cherry Beach*koff* but which are actually social commentary.

And to pick out the Hugh Dillon songs that are the best references to Callum?

[malnpudl.livejournal.com]

I LOVE YOUUUUUUUUU! :-D

*does the Dance of Fannish Joy*

[malnpudl.livejournal.com]

Also: Somewhere swimming around in my brain are lots of thoughts toward a post on the themes and language of addiction and recovery in Hugh Dillon's lyrics. Which might interest no one but me... but still, at least the community would give it some sort of a shot at finding an audience.

[omphale]

Oh! Yes, perfect!

Have you noticed that the songs actually seem to trace out his addiction as autobiography? I mean, not just within them, but from album to album?

I'm *so* intrigued by the idea that Hugh is really a self-aware, smart guy who loves language and just happens to also be a punk. It's half the reason I read rps--I keep hoping that eventually his characterization will start to fit with that impression.

[malnpudl.livejournal.com]

Oh, absolutely!

I have spent literally hundreds of hours listening to these CDs, almost always in chronological progression, and thinking about what they mean.

And there is absolutely no doubt in my mind that most of his music is an autobiographical account of his history with addiction, recovery, relapse, sobriety, and its impact on his life and relationships -- mostly with Midori, I think, but I can at least hypothetically read Callum into some of them, too (which gets all the more interesting when you factor Callum's own acknowledged alcoholism and sobriety into their relationship).

I'm *so* intrigued by the idea that Hugh is really a self-aware, smart guy who loves language and just happens to also be a punk. It's half the reason I read rps--I keep hoping that eventually his characterization will start to fit with that impression.

That's my take on him. He's a very bright guy, and we've heard any number of times that he reads voraciously. He's a thinker and a wordsmith. And he has obviously spent a lot of time reflecting on his own life, his choices and mistakes and relationships, and that is the overwhelmingly dominant theme of his music. He just doesn't choose to present a polished image.

[omphale]

I have spent literally hundreds of hours listening to these CDs, almost always in chronological progression, and thinking about what they mean.

Okay, you officially live *way* too far away from me. No, really. This is not fair.

mostly with Midori, I think, but I can at least hypothetically read Callum into some of them, too (which gets all the more interesting when you factor Callum's own acknowledged alcoholism and sobriety into their relationship).

The music geek in me wants to agree with the first bit--it's the public relationship, after all--but the fangirl side wants it to be much more about Callum than it is.

It also makes a better narrative if it's about Callum, because then (as you pointed out) there are two distinct individual stories, and a joint one.

But yes, I admit that you're probably right.

He just doesn't choose to present a polished image.

Yes. Exactly. And he's quite deliberate about that--he uses language that doesn't entirely fit with the image, and is clearly pretty self-aware in his public correspondence when it comes to his music. The disconnects between the stuff he says he's reading and his style on things like the HDRC message boards are a lot of fun.

[malnpudl.livejournal.com]

We couldn't live much farther apart and still be in the same country.

Clearly there was a strategic error somewhere. *pouts*

[omphale]

Clearly. Luckily, I'm not planning to stay on the East Coast after graduation.

Unfortunately, I'm only moving as far west as the Mississippi. Which isn't all that much better.

Stupid geography. [Bad username or site: @ livejournal.com] has the right idea when she argues that we should all have special fangirl tranporters in our living rooms. They would make life *much* more entertaining.

[malnpudl.livejournal.com]

Also: Um... hi, Pearl. *sheepish grin*

[omphale]

Oops.

You know, this is the second time I've done this in two weeks. The last time it was (still unfinished) commentfic with [Bad username or site: @ livejournal.com].

Sorry, Pearl. You just bring up topics that people want to talk about!

[pearl-o.livejournal.com]

*giggles and waves back at you guys*

Dude, don't think twice about it. People having intense conversations in your comments is one of the most fun things ever.

[malnpudl.livejournal.com]

*smooooooch*

:-D