"There's always a damaged friend,
living in a dark hotel.
The heart's filthy lesson
with her hundred miles to Hell.
Oh no!
If there were only something between us!
If there were only something between us!
Something in our hearts.
Something in our... blood.
It's the heart's filthy lesson,
heart's filthy lesson,
heart's filthy lesson,
heart's filthy lesson,
that falls upon deaf ears....
falls upon DEAD ears."
---David Bowie, "Heart's Filthy Lesson", _Outside_
Now what is going on in this song? Well... for context...
it was released in 1995.
So is it... just about AIDS?
Could it also be about the *absence* of Love?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"What are you doing to yourself?
What are you doing to yourself?
What are you doing to yourself?
Don't you know it's the last thing you should do?
Nobody loves anymore.
Nobody loves anymore.
Nobody loves anymore.
It's the worst thing you can do.
Save the last dance for me.
Catch the last bus with me.
Save the last kiss for me.
It's the safest thing you can do."
---David Bowie, "The Last Thing You Should Do", from _Earthlings_
What's going on in this one? Released in 1997. Another song just about AIDS?
Who ARE these "damaged friends"? What might they be "doing to themselves"
that Bowie is so concerned about? Could he have been damaged, himself, at
one time, living in LA, coked out of his mind, and needing a serious
dry-out, change-of-lifestyle in Berlin? Could he, perhaps, have rescued his
friend Iggy Pop from a mental hospital in LA-- not because, necessarily,
Iggy was living under "capitalism", as much as that Iggy had gotten himself
into some seriously self-destructive behavior that was also interfering
with the rights of others to pursue *their* idea of... living a life?
Does Bowie's sarcastic point about "nobody loving anymore" tie in with the
problems that Foucault has in this _History of Sexuality_? It's the worst
thing you can do, you know! I mean, that shrink-- they have a history of
abusing their patients, just like priests can do. Is that "love" or taking
advantage of your power in a sick way?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Another "pop" thing that I actually think Foucault *would* enjoy is this.
(Ever see the video for this one?) Believe me, I'm not "tossing Baby out
with the Bath Water" with Foucault. It goes like this:
"Heaven loves you.
The clouds part for you.
Nothing stands in your way
when you're a boy....
When you're a boy,
you can wear a uniform!
Other boys check you out!
Learn to drive and everything!
You get a girl!
These are your favorite things
when you're a boy....
Boys. Boys. Boys keep swinging.
Boys always work it out."
---David Bowie, from "Boys Keep Swinging", _Lodger_
Meanwhile, in the video, as it progresses, Bowie comes out in a series of
drag costumes, one of which is an Airline Stewardess, and at the end of the
"fashion-like" platform for "showing him/herself", he smears the liptick
off with his arm, and throws off his wig in contempt at the camera.
---Randall Albright
http://world.std.com/~albright/
living in a dark hotel.
The heart's filthy lesson
with her hundred miles to Hell.
Oh no!
If there were only something between us!
If there were only something between us!
Something in our hearts.
Something in our... blood.
It's the heart's filthy lesson,
heart's filthy lesson,
heart's filthy lesson,
heart's filthy lesson,
that falls upon deaf ears....
falls upon DEAD ears."
---David Bowie, "Heart's Filthy Lesson", _Outside_
Now what is going on in this song? Well... for context...
it was released in 1995.
So is it... just about AIDS?
Could it also be about the *absence* of Love?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"What are you doing to yourself?
What are you doing to yourself?
What are you doing to yourself?
Don't you know it's the last thing you should do?
Nobody loves anymore.
Nobody loves anymore.
Nobody loves anymore.
It's the worst thing you can do.
Save the last dance for me.
Catch the last bus with me.
Save the last kiss for me.
It's the safest thing you can do."
---David Bowie, "The Last Thing You Should Do", from _Earthlings_
What's going on in this one? Released in 1997. Another song just about AIDS?
Who ARE these "damaged friends"? What might they be "doing to themselves"
that Bowie is so concerned about? Could he have been damaged, himself, at
one time, living in LA, coked out of his mind, and needing a serious
dry-out, change-of-lifestyle in Berlin? Could he, perhaps, have rescued his
friend Iggy Pop from a mental hospital in LA-- not because, necessarily,
Iggy was living under "capitalism", as much as that Iggy had gotten himself
into some seriously self-destructive behavior that was also interfering
with the rights of others to pursue *their* idea of... living a life?
Does Bowie's sarcastic point about "nobody loving anymore" tie in with the
problems that Foucault has in this _History of Sexuality_? It's the worst
thing you can do, you know! I mean, that shrink-- they have a history of
abusing their patients, just like priests can do. Is that "love" or taking
advantage of your power in a sick way?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Another "pop" thing that I actually think Foucault *would* enjoy is this.
(Ever see the video for this one?) Believe me, I'm not "tossing Baby out
with the Bath Water" with Foucault. It goes like this:
"Heaven loves you.
The clouds part for you.
Nothing stands in your way
when you're a boy....
When you're a boy,
you can wear a uniform!
Other boys check you out!
Learn to drive and everything!
You get a girl!
These are your favorite things
when you're a boy....
Boys. Boys. Boys keep swinging.
Boys always work it out."
---David Bowie, from "Boys Keep Swinging", _Lodger_
Meanwhile, in the video, as it progresses, Bowie comes out in a series of
drag costumes, one of which is an Airline Stewardess, and at the end of the
"fashion-like" platform for "showing him/herself", he smears the liptick
off with his arm, and throws off his wig in contempt at the camera.
---Randall Albright
http://world.std.com/~albright/