Post by yung r uPost by sjconroOr: jail, "dangerous obliviousness" (?), and lampshades: A loving
tribute to Ed Gein.
I might be overreaching. I made that connection based on the feeling of
dangerous obliviousness that the song has, and yeah, the jail line
helped justify it. I always think of those particular lampshades when I
hear the song, though I may be projecting something that was not
intended.
Back to the Hanging
" there will be plenty of room in jail"
Right?
--
Here's my take....
"Bring your own lampshade, somewhere there's a party." - Self
explanatory
"Here its never ending, can't remember when it started. If being
afraid is a crime, we hang side by side."
The lampshade is indeed the lampshade on the head cliche. But Paul
uses the play on words to mesh together a hanging or "swinging party"
and a regular party where you would wear a lampshade.
Why are they hanging? Because they are scared...and weak.
If being afraid is a crime we hang side by side at the swinging
party....
If being wrong's a crime, I'm servin forever. If being strong's your
kind, I need help with this feather.
I guess the whole thing is ol Paul is saying he is scared, never right
and weak. And if that is a crime, it's never ending, he is guilty.
For the truly curious - the writer Dorothy Parker was the one who
coined the expression lampshade on the head in one of her articles -
presumably for the New Yorker. I've always felt Swinging Party - and
Here Comes A Regular - was probably the truest distillation of Paul
Westerberg's doubt and fear at doing anything well - which is probably
why it's connected so much with all of us who loved the band and his
work. We can really relate to that song (s), especially when it's past
midnight and there isn't much left but two warm beers and the party's
ending, there's no ride home and tommorow is Monday and we failed, and
well, you get the point. I use the distinction between Westerberg's
feelings and a major Replacements song like Shooting Dirty Pool or
Tommy Gets His Tonsils out. Fuck art. Let's dance.