He's not my favourite artist by any means, but I still have a lot of time for the early stuff when he was part of the Current 93/Coil/NWW crew.
― heaven parker (anagram), Sunday, 8 October 2017 11:02 (six years ago) link
Not a Lemmon stan, whatever that is, but am sure that Run For Your Life is less about an imagined girlfriend-murdering character and more about a (quite juvenile) black humour based around some of the more questionable tropes of rock & roll - dry clowning without really questioning the underlying issue. Obvious that Lennon would feel embarrassed about it later, most people feel this way about their juvenile humour, especially when it has that personal connection to his physical violence.
― mfktz (Camaraderie at Arms Length)
"run for your life" is the work of the lennon who, in his youth, delighted in doing physical caricatures of cripples, and was only dissuaded from same slowly and at great length.
― bob lefse (rushomancy), Sunday, 8 October 2017 12:33 (six years ago) link
Yes, that's what I mean, a cruel, juvenile sense of humour, which he later grew out of (not saying he was a wonderful person later on, but he stopped *this* bullshit at least, eventually.) Think RFYL is degrees more interesting than those horrible impressions though.
― mfktz (Camaraderie at Arms Length), Sunday, 8 October 2017 14:12 (six years ago) link
the older i get the more credit i'm willing to give lennon for, like, actual personal growth, which was not a necessity for him after about 1963. lennon thought mocking cripples was hilarious, eventually grew out of it and became embarassed by it... and then you have people who mock cripples when they're fucking 70 years old and get elected president anyway. lennon wasn't a wonderful person, but these days i'm not honestly convinced that humanity has much better to offer.
― bob lefse (rushomancy), Sunday, 8 October 2017 14:24 (six years ago) link
More early Squeeze:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gqkb-UAjebgThankfully they grew out of this kind of thing
― PaulTMA, Sunday, 8 October 2017 15:33 (six years ago) link
<i>Devo - Mongoloid</i>
Ah, good one. Totally forgot that one. Also, "Pink Pussycat" is vaguely disquieting in that capacity (though still an excellent track, to my mind).
The point upthread about the Stranglers going well out of their way to be provocative in that era is completely spot-on, but that does't necessarily absolve them, so to speak.
― Alex in NYC, Monday, 9 October 2017 15:27 (six years ago) link
Oops, i've forgotten how to properly format here. It's been that long.
I can think of a few but black metal is low-hanging fruit.
Also: what's so morally objectionable about 'Windowlicker'? The French lyric 'j'aime faire des croquettes au chien', i.e. 'I like to make biscuits out of dog meat'? The video? Its prelude, perhaps, but that assumes the song is inseparable from its visual component.
― pomenitul, Monday, 9 October 2017 15:46 (six years ago) link
'Windowlicker' is offensive UK slang for someone with Down's syndrome or a similar disability
― plp will eat itself (NickB), Monday, 9 October 2017 15:50 (six years ago) link
Ah, I had no idea. My French-inflected mind automatically associated it with 'faire du lèche-vitrine, i.e. 'window-shopping'.
― pomenitul, Monday, 9 October 2017 15:55 (six years ago) link
Devo - Mongoloid
if this one bothers you probably don't pay attention to the lyrics on any of the Hardcore Devo stuff, especially "Bamboo Bimbo". just gross all around.
― frogbs, Monday, 9 October 2017 16:05 (six years ago) link
Gil Scott Heron - The Subject Was Faggots
― nicky lo-fi, Wednesday, 11 October 2017 13:29 (six years ago) link
'Windowlicker' is offensive UK slang for someone with Down's syndrome or a similar disability― plp will eat itself (NickB),
― plp will eat itself (NickB),
I had no idea
― starving street dogs of punk rock (Odysseus), Wednesday, 11 October 2017 13:49 (six years ago) link
I don't think it's that commonplace, I'd never heard anyone say it, I only found out about it due to this crappy punk band from London that were around in the 00s called Short Bus Window Lickers, I knew what Short Bus meant and that made it pretty obvious.
― Colonel Poo, Wednesday, 11 October 2017 13:52 (six years ago) link
i'm about the same age as RDJ, maybe its use was confined to that generation
― plp will eat itself (NickB), Wednesday, 11 October 2017 14:15 (six years ago) link
btw: http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/outrage-lego-calls-new-character-5853032
― plp will eat itself (NickB), Wednesday, 11 October 2017 14:21 (six years ago) link
Sparks - Young Girls
― kitchen person, Wednesday, 11 October 2017 14:36 (six years ago) link
Maybe nick its only used in a certain part of the uk? pretty sure we are about the same age roughly
― starving street dogs of punk rock (Odysseus), Wednesday, 11 October 2017 18:11 (six years ago) link
In the past I've heard it used in both Western Scotland and London, fwiw
― MaresNest, Wednesday, 11 October 2017 18:24 (six years ago) link
I've only ever (over)heard it being used twice.
― more Allegro-like (Turrican), Wednesday, 11 October 2017 19:07 (six years ago) link
I've heard it in west of scotland in the 90s. Well more "Windae" licker obv.
― -_- (jim in vancouver), Wednesday, 11 October 2017 19:16 (six years ago) link
I'm from Australia and encountered it in imported English culture before the Aphex record.
― shackling the masses with plastic-wrapped snack picks (sic), Wednesday, 11 October 2017 19:30 (six years ago) link
Weird thing to be hipster about
― fuck you, your hat is horrible (Neanderthal), Thursday, 12 October 2017 02:07 (six years ago) link
On the same Aphex vibe I have always felt Rubber Johnny was built around horror of physical disability. Perhaps more Chris Cunningham's fault than Richard James'.
― attention vampire (MatthewK), Thursday, 12 October 2017 08:31 (six years ago) link
― pomenitul
i kind of assumed it was a drug reference, some variation of "windowpane"
― bob lefse (rushomancy), Thursday, 12 October 2017 11:20 (six years ago) link
This was my assumption too.
― how's life, Thursday, 12 October 2017 20:44 (six years ago) link
I don't know if morally objectionable is the right word, and I think it's an amazing songwriting but I never know how to feel about Graham Parker's "You Can't Be Too Strong." Not many songs have taken on abortion in an artistic way, and he has since claimed it being interpreted as anti-abortion was incorrect (he was intending to present it from three perspectives then "you decide what's wrong" as he sings at the end) but...it's always somewhat troubled me even though like I said I don't completely know how to feel about it or interpret it.
― Universal LULU Nation (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Thursday, 12 October 2017 21:25 (six years ago) link
some of you ppl don't like characterizations in lyrics
― ice cream social justice (Dr Morbius), Thursday, 12 October 2017 21:30 (six years ago) link
― Alex in NYC
"bamboo bimbo" is miles more offensive than either of these. just a vile song.
― bob lefse (rushomancy), Friday, 13 October 2017 02:07 (six years ago) link
There are a few tracks by NWA that would qualify ! Right now I'm listening to "She Swallowed It"...
― AlXTC from Paris, Friday, 13 October 2017 13:19 (six years ago) link
The police deserve a bit more respect than they got from those guys imo
― President Keyes, Friday, 13 October 2017 13:29 (six years ago) link
Saw "Mongoloid" mentioned, and I'll add a lot of stuff from those "Hardcore Devo 1974-77" collections.
― Scape: Goat-fired like a dog! (Myonga Vön Bontee), Saturday, 14 October 2017 23:13 (six years ago) link
As frogbs noted
― Scape: Goat-fired like a dog! (Myonga Vön Bontee), Saturday, 14 October 2017 23:16 (six years ago) link
Came in to say "Run For Your Life," which I just can't see as a clever persona piece, it's just a mean ugly bad song I hope he later regretted.
So I guess I'll go with "Beat on the Brat."
― Guayaquil (eephus!), Sunday, 15 October 2017 02:40 (six years ago) link