Great song characters

Flint · 12-19-2007, 10:48 PM

Steely Dan featured many great "song characters" ... and now the thread drift:

This relates somewhat to a pet peeve of mine, regarding the way musical lyrics are recieved. When a novelist writes about being a a serial killer, people understand that it is fiction; but if a singer sings about being a serial killer, people go "holy shit, this guy is a serial killer!" or "this guy advocates serial killers!" etc.

The musical artist is percieved as delivering a more personal message, while the artists of other mediums are understood to be describing fictional people and events, in order to get a metaphorical point across. If you don't believe me, watch this video of Frank Zappa on Crossfire (1986), debating against censorship of rock music.

12-19-2007, 10:48 PM	#5
Flint Snowflake Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Dystopia Posts: 13,136	Steely Dan featured many great "song characters" ... and now the thread drift: This relates somewhat to a pet peeve of mine, regarding the way musical lyrics are recieved. When a novelist writes about being a a serial killer, people understand that it is fiction; but if a singer sings about being a serial killer, people go "holy shit, this guy is a serial killer!" or "this guy advocates serial killers!" etc. The musical artist is percieved as delivering a more personal message, while the artists of other mediums are understood to be describing fictional people and events, in order to get a metaphorical point across. If you don't believe me, watch this video of Frank Zappa on Crossfire (1986), debating against censorship of rock music. __________________ **************** There's a level of facility that everyone needs to accomplish, and from there it's a matter of deciding for yourself how important ultra-facility is to your expression. ... I found, like Joseph Campbell said, if you just follow whatever gives you a little joy or excitement or awe, then you're on the right track. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Terry Bozzio**

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