Time Travelin’ truck song
Sublime or just retarded?
Have another egg

‘Bab: Ha, well, shows you how “with it” I am. I assume it must be from a year ago.

I met Mogwai while touring in the UK, but I’ve never heard them. I think that was in the throes of my music boycott. I listened exclusively to Joe Frank at that time.

Amy: Excellent work! The Robot Revolution must be won one soul at a time…

I’m glad you like that song. I hadn’t listened to WRTDH!? in years, but sat through the whole thing last week. That song is probably one of my least favorite DH! tunes from the past, but if it makes your workday smoother, “mission accomplished,” indeed!

Andrew: Judging from recent scientific reports that may soon be a possibility!

My biggest related mixup was on Michael Jackson’s “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough.”

The line is “Keep on with the Force, Don’t stop.” I always thought he was saying “Keep on ’til your voice stops now,” which, in retrospect, makes more sense.

Perch: There is no such thing as “truth” in art or music– at least the way I’m guessing you think about truth based on the wording of the question. If you’re trying to find truth in DH! songs, you’re looking in the wrong place.

The following is from filmmaker Werner Herzog’s “Minnesota Declaration” against the denizens of so-called “Cinema Verite” and pretty much sums up my feelings on this subject:

“There are deeper strata of truth in cinema [music, art, etc.], and there is such a thing as poetic, ecstatic truth. It is mysterious and elusive, and can be reached only through fabrication and imagination and stylization.”

Fabrication, imagination and stylization. If a songwriter is on his game, this is what he does. If he seeks to write “the truth” in his songs, then he is a either a propagandist for a political cause or in the Christian music industry.

Do your songs tell the truth?

-Perch

Incidentally, you might be pleased to know that “Robot Insurrection Hymn” has become my personal anthem as I sit in my cubicle at my day job. Eventually during the course of the day, the song comes up on “shuffle” and I sit there at my drafting board, surrounded by eight million ridiculous tasks to perform, and I smile.

Even more perfect? I overheard a co-worker singing, “La, la, la, la, la laaaaaaaa” to herself the other day. Mission accomplished!

the last couple albums have had some really great moments, but I also find myself always skipping over many songs. there is line they sometimes cross for me when it becomes just too simple and way too corny. if they don’t cross it, I eat it up. And the singer is a fascinating person. He still sings in his church choir at home. Have you heard mogwai?

My prose tends to be “turgid” (as a former philosophy prof said of one of my term papers), which is a tendency I’ve tried to combat in more recent songs. Also, in DH! songs, lyrics are almost always dictated by phonemes — “what phoneme sounds the best over this chord change?” etc. Perhaps a subject for another blog…

All the same, glad you dig it. Just a dumb, fun little ditty.

DJ: Ha, yes, I recall hearing the title bandied about somewhere from the backs of clubs over the years. I would cringe every time! Hopefully it didn’t make the audiences nervous.

Actually, some of the best shows I’ve played have been in Scotland– those people know how to have a good time! I also appreciate their approach to conflict resolution:

Last year, we stayed with a wonderful couple of Scottish punks in Glasgow, and the fellow recounted a show in Edinburgh where they were having sound problems. According to him, he put down his guitar, made a beeline through the crowd to the soundboard, and simply cuffed the sound man across the jaw.

Poof! No more sound problems!

The way he told the story, it sounds like this sort of direct approach to disagreements is common in Scottish clubs. What a country!

Incidentally, of all of the cities in which we’ve toured, Edinburgh is far and away my favorite! One of the most beautiful cities I’ve ever seen.

‘Bab: Well, I’d say the band is split. Karl always maintained that this song had its moments.

Speaking of Scots, what do you think of the new Belle and Sebastian? I’m not usually a fan, but I really like what I’ve heard of their new album– sunshiny, well-constructed, super-simple pop music. A definite departure/risk for them, which I appreciate a lot.

I love that story about the scot. DJ, i would drink to “what do the Scots know about music” except i listen to A LOT of scottish music.