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Post by rosabelbelieve on Aug 26, 2008 19:15:36 GMT
^ I remember hearing that. I think often when an artist creates something that truly captures all that they want to say at the time - I suppose what could be called a masterpiece - inspiration afterwards will seem lacking. And Hounds Of Love seems like this type of work, to me. I've certainly felt that after finishing a big project, I often feel empty for a while. You do just have to wait it out, I guess...
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Post by tannis on Aug 30, 2008 7:27:05 GMT
^ I see exactly what you mean... Beating Around The BushRa Ra Riot possesses a few characteristics that set it apart from the indie-rock fray. One of the tunes on The Rhumb Line is a cover of Kate Bush's "Suspended in Gaffa." All of the band's members are younger than the 1982 song. It's not the only Kate Bush song in Ra Ra Riot's repertoire, either. One of the band's first songs was the English singer's "Hounds of Love." "I was going through a huge Kate Bush phase, and managed to convince everyone that it'd be a great party song," Miles says. The band also embraced the idea of having a string section — it counts a violinist and a cellist as members — from the very beginning, according to Bonacci. It worked out well, then, that they met Miles. "It was almost a coincidence, because even before I was aware that I was going to be in this band ... I was really into Kate Bush, and a lot of her arrangements have strings and a lot of grand things happening," Miles says. Ra Ra Riot Navigates The Hypewww.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=94106363
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Post by tannis on Aug 31, 2008 9:00:31 GMT
DIRE STRAITS: Suspended In IdiomsFor the French TV programme, "Houba Houba" (October 1982), KB lip-synchs Suspended in Gaffa and performs a version of the choreography used in the video. Kate is introduced by the French tennis star Yannick Noah, who gets her to say the title of the song in French: "Suspendu au Gaffa".The French for blunder is the verb gaffer :il, elle, on gaffa - he, she, it, one blunderedKB: Paintings are a great inspiration... Kate Bush owns a picture painted by an unidentified artist, entitled "The Hogsmill Ophelia". It depicts an infant (or a doll) floating on its back in a dirty gutterlike area, and is a satire on Millais's 1851-52 painting, "Ophelia". Purgatory and "The Hogsmill Ophelia"Purgatory has traditionally been viewed as a place of torment, the purpose of which is to purify the individual. Eventually, the person will be cleansed and is eligible to enter paradise. The commonly administered enema and purgatory are both unpleasant but serve similar purposes, one cleansing the body and the other the soul... The Ninth Wave is to be in deep water, to be in a difficult situation which is hard to deal with. And one could say that the infant (or doll) depicted in "The Hogsmill Ophelia" is in deep sh*t, in a lot of trouble, is suspended in gaffa, a place or condition of suffering, expiation, or remorse: a purgatory..."The Hogsmill Ophelia": with Love and Squalor...in the gutter: Appropriate to or from a squalid, degraded position. This idiom uses gutter in the sense of "a conduit for filthy waste." [Mid-1800s]
We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars. — Oscar Wilde (1854-1900).At one end of the studio is a huge painting of a drowned, cracked doll floating face up past a sewer. For some reason this painting, which might be described as macabre-kitsch, seems to say a lot about its owner. Kate returns and sees me examining it. "That's called The Hogsmill Ophelia. A lot of people find it disturbing but I don't I've lived with it for ages. Looked at it every day. That picture cost me all the money I had once. Paintings are a great inspiration. One of my favourites is by Millais, The Huguenot. It's of a man going off to the wars being hugged to the breast of his lover. She's holding him to her by a scarf around his arm. It's very beautiful." "What Kate Did Next", 1985gaffa.org/reaching/i85_what.htmlThe Hogsmill Ophelia: a painting which Kate keeps on her wall.gaffa.org/passing/ophelia.gifverb gaffer - French for blunderwww.learn-french-help.com/french-for-blunder.html
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Post by tannis on Sept 1, 2008 9:00:05 GMT
Beating Around The Bush: Suspended In IdiomsOut in the garden There's half of a heaven...
I must work on my mind. For now I realise: Everyone of us has a heaven inside. Them heavy people hit me in a soft spot...lady garden: Noun. The female pubic area, the vagina and pubic hair.www.peevish.co.uk/slang/l.htm"Out in the garden" could be a KT idiom suggesting sex, masturbation, and that heaven inside. Indeed, some say that "Them Heavy People" is about masturbation:Actually I can see the masturbation angle: "Rollin' the ball"--a euphemism for female self-pleasure. "Inconvenient time/a room in my mind"--someone interrupting a jilling-off session "I must work on my mind"--figuring out what turns her on, fantasizing about things. "Every one of us have a heaven inside"--referring to the joy 'those parts' bring her. Unfortunately, the interpretation kind of falls apart in the second verse. But it is fun to be immature and giggle about it while it lasts. www.songmeanings.net/lyric.php?lid=54692Mary, Mary, quite contrary, How does your garden grow? With silver bells, and cockle shells, And pretty maids all in a row. ...it is identified with Mary I of England for roughly the same reasons as with her Scottish counterpart. The "How does your garden grow?" may make mocking reference to her womb and its inability to produce heirs... Essex tradition has it, however, that Mary lived on Jaywick Lane, the main route to what was then the thriving fishing village of Jaywick, near Clacton. Destitute after the death of her labourer husband, she was forced to resort to selling her body to feed herself and her children. She decorated her cottage, a mile or so from the beach, with cockle shells, and the Lily of the Valley – for which the area has always been noted – giving rise to the reference to silver bells. The reference to pretty maids relates to the girls that Mary introduced into her trade as business grew.And we're only bluffing. We're not ones for busting through walls...run into a brick wall: to come to a barrier against further progress; to encounter an insurmountable barrier to progress. hit a/the (brick) wall: to reach a situation where you cannot make any more progress. bang or run one's head against or into a brick wall: to waste one's time in a hopeless enterprise.
"Busting through walls" could suggest progress, enlightenment, freedom, etc. And "Suspended in Gaffa" could be a KT idiom expressing entrapment, getting nowhere, never catching up... My running after the hands and never catching up. (The hands are out of sight - that is, offstage.) All I am doing onstage is running, running to keep up, but never making it.
~ The Play, Anne Sexton[/i][/color]
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Post by tannis on Feb 8, 2009 21:36:26 GMT
GAFFA (band)G IS FOR GAFFA The Nottingham-based five-piece produced hand-made sleeves for their debut single, “Normal Service Will Never Be Resumed” in 1977. A-Z of 1977: Pop’s Jubilee YearGaffa were one of the early new wave groups, as chronicled in Henrik Poulsen's book 77: The Year of Punk and New Wave. Nottingham-based punks Gaffa were formed by Wayne Evans (vocals, bass), Eddie Smith (guitar), John Maslen (guitar), Brendan Kidulis (keyboards), and Mick Barrett (drums) in 1977. The band debuted on the independent Cleverley Brothers label with an excellent four-track EP, Normal Service Will Never Be Resumed, each copy attractively packaged in a series of homemade picture sleeves, each one proudly very different than another. Launching its own label, Gaffa'n'Products, the band continued this gimmick across the remainder of its output, the singles "You Know I Love You But I Don't Know How I Know," "Attitude Dancing," and "Man with a Motive." The band also released an album, 1979's Neither Use Nor Ornament!, before breaking up later that year.GAFFA Discography 1977 UK "Normal Service Will Never Be Resumed" 7" Cleverly Bros. - CBM 002 1978 UK "Neither Use Nor Ornament" LP Gaffa 'N' Product - ZZZZ 001 1979 UK "Hearts Of Stone" 7" Gaffa 'N' Product - ZZZZ S001 1979 UK "Attitude Dancing" 7" Gaffa 'N' Product - ZZZZ S002 1980 UK "Man With A Motive" 7" Gaffa 'N' Product - ZZZZ S003recordcollectorsoftheworldunite.com/artists/gaffa/gaffa.html
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Post by tannis on Feb 9, 2009 14:27:44 GMT
The big nothingness...
"Bang!" goes another kanga On the bonnet of the van.
GAFA (pronounced: gaffa): The big nothingness of the Australian Outback - Great Australian F**k All. Australian Slangwww.koalanet.com.au/australian-slang.html'Guth Gafa' (pron, goo gafa), which is Gaelic for 'Captive Voice', is a documentary film festival situated in Gort an Choirce, a small picturesque village in the heart of the Donegal Gaeltacht. The first Guth Gafa festival was held in May 2006. The vision of this festival is to bring outstanding films and film-makers to this remote area – our films on the edge. This vision, combined with the wild beauty of the region, and the strength of the local culture and language, helps generate a very special atmosphere throughout our festival weekends. The festival is compact and familiar, and our motto of ‘see all the films, meet all the directors’ is the very essence of Guth Gafa. The big sleep...
Kashka from Baghdad Lives in sin, they say, With another man, But no one knows who.
gaffa - to doze, to nod, to nap A Dictionary of Iraqi Arabic (Clarity et al, 2003)
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Post by tannis on Feb 9, 2009 17:00:48 GMT
"A' ye o' the whim and the empty gaffa," (p.156) from Poetic tales: with other poems and songs By James Struthers Published by Printed by Bell and Bain, 1838
SONG. CONFIDENTIAL ADDRESS OF THE VILLAGE UNION. Tune—Arthur M'Bride*.
A' ye o' the whim and the empty gaffa, Dont listen to Reason, that gipsy, ava; But clag up her e'en wi' the dirt o' your jaw, If she geek ony mair at our Union. She says, that when freedom is granted to ane, That ane should just grant it his neighbour again; That the mind o' a man, though a blockhead, 's his ain.— What balderdash this to a Union !
She talks, too, o' mercy and love that we owe, To ilk ane around us, our friend and our foe; They may grunt owre the guzzle, wha think it is so, We ken better sense in the Union. The power that we hae, we will rigid display, Nor bend to the nonsense that wad us betray; But proud owre their necks we will canter away, Till they yield up their plack to our Union.
Hae mercy wha like on them, we will hae nane, But hunt and oppress them, and laugh at their pain ; The devil a Blackneb we'll let now alane, Till they bend to the beck of our Union. They may talk o' our motives for this and for that, The truth is,—we like a wee bit o' the fat; And the mouse or the maukin shall worry the cat, Ere we turn on our heel to the Union.
The pith o' the rabble 's the pith o' our laws, And the records of Numbsculls shall waft our applause; For the coofs that will cringe at the wag o' our taws, Are the blocks we will build in our Union. Then cheer up my lads o' the empty gaffa, . Though the whim it should burst like a bubble in twa, The fleece that is shorn frae the Bob-tails awa', Will be a' our ain in the Union.
* "Arthur McBride" is an Irish folk song. It was first collected around 1840 in Limerick, Ireland by Joyce; also in Donegal by Petrie. Several versions are found in Scotland, Suffolk and Devon - the tunes differing slightly. The song can be narrowly categorized as an "anti-recruiting" song and more broadly as a protest song.
"The Caterpillar and the Ant" from THE WORKS OF ALLAN RAMSAY, 1851
FABLE X. THE CATERPILLAR AND THE ANT.
A PENSY Ant, right trig and clean, Came ae day whidding o'er the green ; Where, to advance her pride, she saw A Caterpillar moving slaw. " Good ev'n t' ye, mistress Ant," said he ; " How's a' at hame 1 I'm blyth to s' ye ! " The saucy Ant view'd him with scorn, Nor wad civilities return ; But gecking up her head, quoth she, " Poor animal ! I pity thee ; Wha scarce can claim to be a creature, But some experiment of Nature, Whase silly shape displeas'd her eye, And thus unfmish'd was flung bye. For me, I'm made with better grace, With active limbs, and lively face ; And cleverly can move with ease Frae place to place where'er I please ; Can foot a minuet or a jig, And snoov't like ony whirly-gig ; Which gars my jo aft grip my hand, Till his heart pitty-pattys, and But laigh my qualities I bring, To stand up clashing with a thing, A creeping thing, the like of thee, Not worthy of a farewell t' ye ! " The airy Ant syne turn'd awa, And left him with a proud gaffa.
The Caterpillar was struck dumb, And never answer'd her a mum : The humble reptile fand some pain, Thus to be banter'd with disdain. But tent neist time the Ant came by, The worm was grown a Butterfly ; Transparent were his wings and fair, Which bare him flight 'ring thro' the air ; Upon a flower he stapt his flight, And thinking on his former slight. Thus to the Ant himself addrest : " Pray, Madam, will ye please to rest ? And notice what I now advise : Inferiors ne'er too much despise, For fortune may gi'e sic a turn, To raise aboon ye what ye scorn. For instance, now I spread my wing In air, while you're a creeping thing."
Allan Ramsay (15 October 1686—7 January 1758) was a Scottish poet. He is the connecting-link between the greater "Makars" of the 15th and 16th centuries, and Robert Fergusson and Robert Burns. He revived the interest in vernacular literature, and directly inspired the genius of his greater successors. The preface to his Ever Green is a protest against "imported trimming" and "foreign embroidery in our writings," and a plea for a return to simple Scottish tradition.
"Tam o' the Down" from The Ballads and Songs of Ayrshire, By James Paterson, Charles Gray. 1847.
Tam o' the Down
Whare Girvan stream, amang its braes, Rins rowin' to the sea; Whare mony a stately castle stands, An' mony a bonny tree,
Young Tammie liv'd: the fire o'youth Shone in his hazel ee, An' he has tauld his auld mither That married he will be.
Be counsell'd weel, my bonny son, O! counsel take frae me, An' dinna join in wedlock bands These twa lang years or three.
For women's hearts, my bonny son, Are deeper than the sea; An' darker than Burchill taps, That touches the star's e'ebree.
An' though their live is easy won, 'Tis unco ill to keep; An' ye may yet, my dearest son, O'er a fause maiden weep.
Let heather bloom on high hill taps, An' hair sprout on your chin; Then ye may gang an' try your skill A maiden heart to win.
But dinna gang, my bonnie son, To court Ann o' Drumfairn; Tho' weel I ken ye like the lass Aye sin' she was a bairn.
O she has cauldness in her looks To ane o' your degree; An' hear what your auld mither says She's no a match for thee.
Tam o' the Down, my bonny son, Be counsell'd weel by me; An' marry na, gin ye are wise, These twa lang years or three.
But mither, mither, I gaed yestreen To see Ann o' Dumfairn; An' I hae promised to her father, To marry his bonny bairn.
O did ye ask her ain consent, An' see love in her ee? An' did ye plant on her rosy lips The sweet, sweet kisses three?
I strove to kiss her rosy lips, She baud me haud awa'; I ask'd the lassie's ain consent, She gied a loud gaffa'.
Quo' she, I'll marry Tam o' the Down When comes the dark blue snaw, When the sun quats blinking bonnily, When stars begin to fa'.
I gript he in my faulded arms; She sprang out like the moon, When sailing through a feathery cloud, In a bonny night o' June.
I said, Ye are ower modest, Ann, Your father kens fu' weel, An' baud me gang an' speak to you, An' a' my love reveal.
An' for thee, my love, shall na waste, While there is earth or air; O say thou lik'st me, bonny Ann, An' ease my mind o'care.
I saw the blood come to her cheek, The lightning to her ee; She left me like a cloud o' mist, An' I'm come hame to thee.
Tam o' the Down, my ae dear son, Be counsell'd weel by me; If e'er ye marry Drumfairn Ann, Ye'll ruse it till ye die.
Gae bid the moon to fauld her light Aye in a gloomy cloud, The wee, wee modest blinking star For aye its brightest shroud;
The primrose never mair to bloom, The wind nae mair to blow, An' Girvan's stream, among its braes, Frae this time ne'er to flow.
The lark to leave the morning cloud, An' sing on the forest tree; The wee brown moudiewort to soar Amang the clouds sae hie;
The salmon and the bonny trout, To leave the stream sae clear, An' wanton on the sunny hill, Or sleep 'mang scented brier.
An' sooner will these wonders be Than I cease loving Ann; O, mither, it's a heavenly sight, To see her milk white han'!
Go chain the billows to the deep An' bid them chafe no more: Vain were the thought - I'll love my Ann Till waves shall ceast to roar.
O dinna say she like na me, For that will burst my heart; But bless me wi' thy kindly smile, Ere frae thy care I part.
Ye've seen a low'ring summer morn Turn out a bonny day, An' Ann may be a gude gudewife: "O Tam, I wish she may:
"But my dear, kind, and bonny boy, Thou art thy mither's bairn, An' my heart bleeds to think that thou Hast woman's ways to learn.
"But hear me ance, and this is a' I'll never speak to thee; Ne'er build your hopes on woman's words But mark her kindly ee.
"An' dinna think a lassie loves Whene'er you are sincere; You canna bid the wind to blow When nae wind flutters near.
"An' can ye force a maiden fair To love you - na, na, na; Drumfairn Ann will ne'er be yours, Till comes the dark blue snaw.
"An' ye'll look lang, lang to the north Before that hour arrive; O never think on Drumfairn Ann, If e'er ye wish to thrive."
Thus did the kindly mother speak, While tears did blin' her ee; An' while she gaz'd upon her son, They drapt, drapt on her knee.
But love had bound the stripling's heart Firm in its cruel chain; For all his mother said, her words Fell on his ear in vain.
He went to see Drumfairn Ann, When the moon rose 'yont the hill: But hooly, hooly came he back His mither's door until.
His love met but a cauld return, He got nae love ava; Whene'er he said he lik'd her weel, She gied her auld gaffa.
His spirits sank to sad despair, His form to skin an' bane: In twa three weeks Tam o' the Down Could hardly gang his lane.
In twa thee mae the gowans grew Aboon his new made grave; An' wails for him the music sweet O' Girvan's murmuring wave.
Baith auld an' frail his mither wags About the Burchill braes, An' think upon Drumfairn Ann As the source o' a' her waes.
The lark ye may wile frae the sky, When sweet's the morning air; But never frae the heart the grief That's fixt there by despair.
The ballad of "Tam o' the Down" appeared, with the initials "J.B." attached, in the Dumfries Monthly Magazine for 1826. The places referred to - both Down and Drumfairn - are in the immediate neighbourhood of Girvan. The fate of the too fond lover is probably no fiction; but we are not aware of the circumstances.
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Post by tannis on Feb 9, 2009 19:00:54 GMT
Suddenly my feet are feet of mud. It all goes slo-mo. I don't know why I'm crying. Am I suspended in Gaffa?February 28, 1978: Kate is said to be the most photographed woman in the U.K. A Chronology of Kate Bush's Career gaffa.org/garden/chrono.html"All right, Mr. DeMille, I'm ready for my close-up..."A gaffer in the motion picture industry is responsible for the execution (and sometimes the design) of the lighting. Sometimes the gaffer is credited as Chief Lighting Technician. Experienced gaffers can coordinate the entire job of lighting, given knowledge of the time of day and conditions to be portrayed. Gaffers are responsible for knowing the appropriate color of gel (plastic sheeting) to put on the lights or windows to achieve a variety of effects, such as transforming midday into a beautiful sunset. They can re-create the flicker of lights in a subway car, the motion of light inside a turning airplane, or the passage of night into day.
I won't open boxes That I am told not to. I'm not a Pandora. I'm much more like That girl in the mirror.
If Kate's "Gaffa" refers to gaffer tape via the photographic lighting crew, then "that girl in the mirror" could refer to an early image of Kate Bush behind a glass frame.
Derivation: Early studios were "available light" only, so there were articulated mirrored panels in the roof of the studio buildings that could be pushed from the floor by long "gaff" poles to bounce the sunlight to where it was needed on the set. Because the Earth moves continuously these hinged panels would need to be gaffed after each take. Once electric lighting instruments became the standard equipment, the light operators were known as electricians while the older, more experienced lighting technicians were still known as gaffers. Eventually it came to mean someone in charge of lighting. Also posited: early films used mostly natural light, which stagehands controlled with large tent cloths using long poles called gaffs (a gaff is a type of boom on a sailing ship), or a pole with a hook on the end to assist in bringing nets or large fish aboard. The term was also used to describe men who adjusted lighting in English theatre and men who tended street lamps, after the "gaff" they used, a pole with a hook on its end. Very famous is the adhesive tape called after the gaffer: gaffer's tape or gaffer tape. Often it is misspelled as "Gaffa tape".
Other usages: In 16th Century English, the term "gaffer" denoted a man who was the head of any organized group of labourers, and the usage continues in colloquial British English to this day as a synonym for "boss". The word is probably a shortening of "godfather" (rather than the more commonly believed "grandfather") and is sometimes still used colloquially to refer to an old man (as in Gaffer Gamgee in The Lord of the Rings). In 16th and 17th century rural England it was not confined to elderly men and was used as a title slightly inferior to "Master" and similar to "Goodman". The female equivalent was "Gammer" (which also came to colloquially refer to an old lady).www.nationmaster.com/encyclopedia/Gaffa
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Post by tannis on Feb 9, 2009 21:11:57 GMT
He's gonna wangle A way to get out of it. She's an excuse And a witness who'll talk when he's called.If Kate uses "Gaffa" to refer to gaffer tape, then SIG is possibly our first written cultural reference to this variation on gaffer (unless, of course, the band Gaffa got there first). Maybe Kate originally wrote Suspended in Gaffer [He's gonna wangle a way to get out of it], but condensed it to "gaffa"?
However, if not, and if Kate's Gaffa refers to Purgatory, for example, then "gaffa" as gaffer tape first makes it into written form in a 1989 biography of Peter Gabriel [Coincidence? No coincidence?]: "‘This very shy individual met me at the station in his car and drove me through the streets of Bath, off to the little cottage where he lived at the time. I was very struck by a children's swing which was in the garden, which was stuck together by GAFFA TAPE. GAFFA is used by roadies to stick everything together on stage, it was nice to see it extended to the children's swing as well."'—Peter Gabriel: An Authorized Biography by Spencer Bright.
Of course, "gaffa tape" was probably widely used and heard conversationally/casually as slang for gaffer tape, and this usage may have inspired the KT lyric.GAFFER did appear in 1930s meaning head electrician. However, the term GAFFER TAPE did not come on the scene until the 1970s. First the adhesive product had to be invented during WW II, reportedly for sealing ammunition boxes, and be called – probably having to do with its waterproof properties – DUCK TAPE (1942). And then it had to be called by the heating and ventilation guys, who used it to seal ducts, DUCT TAPE (1965). And then someone had to connect the words ‘gaffer’ (head electrician or just electrician, especially in a lighting crew) with the idea of the DUCK/DUCT TAPE that these guys often used for holding electrical cables securely in place, to get GAFFER/GAFFER’S TAPE (1974). And, finally, we have the variation on 'gaffer' used in the Peter Grabriel quote giving us GAFFA TAPE (1989). Note: The dates in parenthesis above and the dates of the quotes below are not necessarily the absolute first appearances in print, but are merely the earliest examples that I have been able to dig up in my searches of historical newspaper archives, etc. or ones that have been found by others.see more: duck tape / duct tapewww.wordwizard.com/phpbb3/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=18312&view=previous
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Post by tannis on Feb 10, 2009 17:27:36 GMT
KT and THE LADY OF SHALLOT: Suspended in Gaffa...I won't open boxes That I am told not to. I'm not a Pandora. I'm much more like That girl in the mirror. Between you and me She don't stand a chance of getting anywhere at all. Not anywhere at all. No, not a thing. She can't have it all. Two different faces, the real and the reflection on a cold beam of light , and the beams of wood over her head came from scrapped Men of War down in Woolwich dockyards; every nick and cut in the black, old trees tells of heavy seas and the heat of the tropics. Just behind her is the piano our father practised on , playing Schubert, Chopin and Beethoven sometimes for hours.home.att.net/~james51453/cathy12.htmAnd suddenly I find myself Listening to a man I've never known before Telling me about the sea All his love, 'til eternityJohn William Waterhouse, "I Am Half-Sick of Shadows," Said the Lady of Shalott (1915)In this, the last of his Ladies of Shalott, Waterhouse chose that same moment as Meteyard, when the lady catches a glimpse of a young couple in her mirror. This lady does not close her eyes in pain, though. She stretches and gazes wistfully, apparently daydreaming about the life she is missing. She is not the same prisoner, high up in her tower that we saw in the previous version. We get the feeling that it is pure will power that prevents the lady from leaning out of her balcony window. This is not the padded cell of Meteyard's vision, for Waterhouse has given her a large clear mirror, reflecting a wide balcony, with arches and columns, overlooking the river and Camelot, tantalizingly close. This lady gets to see the world pass by in glorious technicolour. Her room is brightly lit and full of fresh air. The couple are almost within reach, and very real, not at all the shady phantoms glimpsed in the distorted dark mirror in Meteyard's picture. We can imagine how easy it would be for this lady to glance towards us, to leave her art for the moment and see real life. At any moment, Lancelot will come riding by, full of life, whistling and singing and she will not be able avoid the temptation of such a spectacle. She will turn to look at him and the curse will fall, heralded by the cracking of her mirror and the destruction of her loom and tapestry. She will be doomed to death for daring to take a glimpse at life, for forgetting her work and her duty for an instant. By choosing to depict the moments before this dramatic climax to the tale, Meteyard and Waterhouse excuse her. We understand why she would want to risk it all for a little life and she has our sympathy. This scene affects us in a completely different way to the sensational climax. We stop and think, contemplating the life she is missing.Sidney Meteyard, "I am half-sick of shadows" said the Lady of Shallot (1913)see more: KATE BUSH and THE LADY OF SHALOTTkatebush.proboards6.com/index.cgi?board=kickinside&action=display&thread=1678&page=2I won't open boxes That I am told not to. I'm not a Pandora.Dante Gabriel Rossetti, Pandora, 1879
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Post by tannis on Feb 14, 2009 21:00:26 GMT
Kate Bush - Suspended In Gaffa www.youtube.com/watch?v=3RVX9TdbJaQ For the first time on YouTube in High Quality, Kate's famous puppet version of Suspended in Gaffa, at a German tv show back in 1982.
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Post by Barry SR Gowing on Feb 24, 2009 20:17:48 GMT
Thanks for the clip, tannis! I've been thinking about this song again, and re-reading Kate's comments. I think the idea of purgatory essentially "explains" it. The point of purgatory (and I can say this as a fully qualified, although lapsed, Catholic) is that you have to work (to absolve your sins) before you can enter Heaven. This work could take years, decades, centuries or perhaps it might last until Judgement Day. Kate seems to be likening the gap between desire and achievement to a state of purgatory. You just can't have things, you have to work at them until you are "qualified". This is true of art, love, spirituality ... everything really. I can definitely relate to this, as I'm now working on my second album and I certainly have a feeling of "do I actually have to do this?" I've got it in my head, but I have to do all this work to get it out... It would be easier to just have some choccies, or a drink - but that won't get it done! What is tricky about the song is the "she" and "he" who seem to be being judged. I suppose the suggestion is that all creative people are in purgatories of our own making. Oh the agony! --Paul--
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Post by tannis on Feb 24, 2009 23:00:50 GMT
Good Luck with the album, Paul. And, yes, Suspended In Gaffa does seem to deal with the gap between desire and achievement. Listening to The Dreaming and Never For Ever the night before my interview with Kate the two LPs gradually revealed many lyrical similarities - the anti-war theme of "Breathing" and "Army Dreamers", which is continued on "Pull Out The Pin", for instance. One track, though, left me utterly bewildered - "Suspended In Gaffa"... KB: "Lyrically it's not really that dissimilar from "Sat In Your Lap" in saying that you really want to work for something. It's playing with the idea of hell. At school I was always taught that if you went to hell you would see a glimpse of God and that was it - you never saw him again and you'd spend the rest of eternity pining to see him. In a way it was even worse if you went to purgatory because you got the glimpse of God and you would see him again [ but you] didn't know when. So it was almost like you had to sit here until he decided to com back. "I suppose for me in my work, because it's such a sped up life and so much happens to you and you analyse yourself a lot, you see the potential for perhaps getting to somewhere very special on an artistic or a spiritual level and that excites me a lot. And it's the idea of working towards that and perhaps one day, when you're ready for that change, it's like entering a different level of existence, where everything goes slow-mo... it's almost like a religious experience. That's basically what the song's about." Melody Maker, "Dreamtime Is Over", Paul Simper, Oct. 16, 1982gaffa.org/reaching/i82_mm.htmlWhat is tricky about the song is the "she" and "he" who seem to be being judged. I suppose the suggestion is that all creative people are in purgatories of our own making. Oh the agony! Or Hells of their own making... KaTe says that SIG is "playing with the idea of hell" and that at school she "was always taught that if you went to hell you would see a glimpse of God and that was it." So does this mean that in SIG the protagonist is Suspended in Hell? Is "Gaffa" KaTespeak for "Hell"?
"I caught a glimpse of a god, all shining and bright."
Suspended In Gaffa could also reference game theory and "The Prisoner's Dilemma". After all, they say they're only bluffing, but KT's art does bust through walls! But does it really deal with Purgatory? Or is it all one big bluff?And we're only bluffing. We're not ones for busting through walls, But they've told us Unless we can prove That we're doing it, We can't have it all. call your bluff: to make someone do what they said they will do. He said he would help, and now his opponents have called his bluff and asked him to provide the funds. Etymology: based on the literal meaning of calling a bluff in a card game (forcing someone to show the cards they hold)Purgatory in Roman Catholicism
Roman Catholicism gives the name purgatory to the final purification of all who die in God's grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified. According to Catholic belief, immediately after death, a person undergoes judgment in which the soul's eternal destiny is specified. Some are eternally united with God in Heaven, often envisioned as a paradise of eternal joy. Conversely, others are destined for Hell, a state of eternal separation from God often envisioned as a fiery place of punishment. In addition to accepting the states of heaven and hell, Roman Catholicism envisages a third state before being admitted to heaven. According to Roman Catholic doctrine, some souls are not sufficiently free from sin and its consequences to enter the state of heaven immediately, nor are they so sinful as to be destined for hell either. Such souls, ultimately destined to be united with God in heaven, must first endure Purgatory—a state of purification. In purgatory, souls "achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven."
Roman Catholics make a distinction between two types of sin. Mortal sin is a "grave violation of God's law" that "turns man away from God", and if it is not redeemed by repentance and God's forgiveness, it causes exclusion from Christ's kingdom and the eternal death of hell. In contrast, venial sin (meaning "forgivable" sin) "does not set us in direct opposition to the will and friendship of God" and, although still "constituting a moral disorder", does not deprive the sinner of friendship with God, and consequently the eternal happiness of heaven. According to Roman Catholicism, pardon of sins and purification can occur during life—for example, in the Sacrament of Baptism and the Sacrament of Penance. However, if this purification is not achieved in life, venial sins can still be purified after death. The specific name given to this purification of sin after death is "purgatory". Purgatory is a cleansing that involves painful punishment, associated with the idea of fire such as is associated with the idea of hell. It is clear from the Liturgies that the souls for whose peace sacrifice was offered were shut out for the time being from the sight of God.
Augustine (Enarration on Psalm 37, no. 3) speaks of the pain which purgatorial fire causes as more severe than anything a man can suffer in this life. Gregory the Great speaks of those who after this life "will expiate their faults by purgatorial flames," and he adds "that the pain be more intolerable than any one can suffer in this life". Following in the footsteps of Gregory, St. Thomas teaches that besides the separation of the soul from the sight of God, there is the other punishment from fire. St. Bonaventure not only agrees with St. Thomas but adds that this punishment by fire is more severe than any punishment which comes to men in this life. How this fire affects the souls of the departed the Doctors do not know, and in such matters it is well to heed the warning of the Council of Trent when it commands the bishops "to exclude from their preaching difficult and subtle questions which tend not to edification', and from the discussion of which there is no increase either in piety or devotion" (Sess. XXV, "De Purgatorio").
Are the souls detained in purgatory conscious that their happiness is but deferred for a time, or may they still be in doubt concerning their ultimate salvation? The ancient Liturgies and the inscriptions of the catacombs speak of a "sleep of peace", which would be impossible if there was any doubt of ultimate salvation. Some of the Doctors of the Middle Ages thought uncertainty of salvation one of the severe punishments of purgatory; but this opinion finds no general credit among the theologians of the medieval period, nor is it possible in the light of the belief in the particular judgment. St. Bonaventure gives as the reason for this elimination of fear and of uncertainty the intimate conviction that they can no longer sin: Fear is cast out because of the strengthening of the will by which the soul knows it can no longer sin. St. Thomas says: unless they knew that they are to be delivered, they would not ask for prayers.
Dante: Purgatory as a physical place As for purgatory, it is depicted as a mountain in the southern hemisphere. When, according to Dante's work, Satan rebelled against God and was defeated, he was cast out from Heaven and fell to Earth. The impact crater from the fall was so great that it reached to the Earth's core. Satan being held at the center of the center of the universe (Earth) was seen as reflecting his selfishness. As for the crater, it was filled over becoming a dark and fiery cavern, Hell, with Jerusalem directly over Satan. Yet the force of the Satan's impact created such an uplift, that it produced a mountain "beneath" Satan, on the opposite side of the Earth from the impact. Souls given a second chance find themselves at Mt. Purgatory and should they reach the top they will find themselves at Jerusalem's antipode, the Garden of Eden itself. Thus cleansed of all sin and made perfect, they wait in Earthly paradise before ascending to Heaven. Thus, ironically, all Satan's attempts to destroy and damn humanity did was ensure humanity's salvation.
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Post by stufarq on Jul 14, 2009 21:28:12 GMT
I can never understand why there's so much debate over the meaning of "gaffa". - It is a common name for gaffer's tape - especially in the UK theatre profession, where it's pretty much the only name ever used for it. - Kate has said that this is what she's referring to. All that stuff quoted earlier (and I know it wasn't written by anyone here) about her lying is just silly. Why is she only telling the truth when it fits someone's own interpretation? - I was going to add that in the video she is literally suspended in gaffa ie hanging from the rafters covered in gaffa tape. Except that I've just looked at it and she's not! I've always had that memory in my head but it's completely wrong. How strange."It is easier for a camel to get through the eye of a needle than it is for a rich man to get into heaven" Although not necessarily relevant here, I would like to point out that the needle referred in the Bible is not the kind you sew with, but rather an opening in the outer wall of a town just big enough for an adult human to crawl through, but not big enough to ride your camel into. Actually, that's a very common myth. Apparently there's no evidence whatsoever that any gate known as the eye of the needle or similar ever existed. The theory is reckoned to have been invented to give an easier explanation to an otherwise very harsh Biblical passage. Incidentally, considering that Kate has said that this song covers the same ground as Sat In Your Lap, has anyone noticed that she reuses the head and arm movements in the video?
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Post by tannis on Jul 16, 2009 20:27:32 GMT
I have also read that there was two meanings for the Aramic word for camel (Gamlo) in the 1st century. "Gamloas" is defined as a thick rope used to bind ships. Since Jesus used fishermen as his disciples; then this analogy would have made sense to them.. And that's also a very common myth:Matthew 19:23-26 23 Then Jesus said to his disciples, "I tell you the truth, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24 Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." 25 When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, "Who then can be saved?" 26 Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."What is the eye of a needle, or a needle's eye? Many people have tried to explain this phrase. We believe it means exactly what it says, and does not need watered-down explanations to make it easier for a rich man to enter Heaven. We will show you why.
Small gate? Some say the needle's eye, or the eye of the needle, was a small gate at the entrance of Jerusalem and other cities. When the city-keepers had locked the main gates, camels and their owners who arrived after hours could squeeze through this gate. But scholars have searched in vain to find ancient evidence that people referred to any of these gates as “the eye of a needle”.
Camel means rope? Others have said the Aramaic word for camel was the same as the word for rope, and that Jesus meant it was hard for rope to go through the eye of a needle. Well, Jesus did speak Aramaic, but again, reliable evidence is weak that this is what He meant.
Such explanations downplay the wonderfully memorable and clever illustration that Jesus came up with to teach the difficulty of getting into Heaven if you are loaded with loot. He was talking to the rich young ruler at the time, and the man was sad at hearing this because he was very rich. He would hardly have been sad knowing that camels always got through the city gate. And he would hardly be sad knowing that anyone could untwist a piece of rope to thread it through the eye of a sewing needle.
The illustration of the camel going through the eye of a needle was perfect for those He was speaking to. The eye of a needle means the eye of a needle. Jesus' explanation that what is impossible for men is possible with God shows that rich men can be saved and enter Heaven. But only if they put their faith in God rather than in their riches.Matthew 7:1-6 1 Judge not, that you be not judged. 2 For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. 3 And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? 4 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; and look, a plank is in your own eye? 5 Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye. 6 Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces. The figures of a speck and a plank are real figures used humorously. Jesus shows how we are generally far more tolerant to our own sin than we are to the sin of others. Look, a plank is in your own eye: Our hypocrisy in these matters is always more evident to others than to ourselves. We may find a way to ignore the plank in our own eye, but others notice it immediately. First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye: Jesus doesn’t say that it is wrong for us to help our brother with the speck in his eye. It is a good thing to help your brother with his speck, but not before dealing with the plank in your own eye.
Once the plank is removed “from your own eye. . . then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.” Speck removal is a critical job in the life of Christians. The problem is not speck removal; the problem appears to be speck removal by someone who has a redwood stuck in their eye-socket. The problem seems to be the character of the person judging and the type judgment or measurement used. What, then, is the type of judgment to be avoided? The term hypocrite in verse five is helpful in figuring this out. The plank/speck comparison is not a big sin versus a little sin. The plank appears to indicate the hypocrisy of the one making the judgment. The plank is removed from our eyes when, by the grace of God, we trust in Christ.PULL OUT THE PLANK: I want to be a perfect person...KB: "It's so hard to look at people you love so much and see things which are screwing them up . . . reading things about Gurdjieff or the Bible give some comfort, they make you feel you can do something about it. The connection, getting through the barriers to people is the thing . . . continually swilling in ego isn't what I want to do. I want to be a perfect person. I think everyone does." Sounds, "Labushka", Phil Sutcliffe, August 30, 1980 www.gaffaweb.org/reaching/i80_so.htmlSo now I take the opportunities: Wonderful teachers ready to teach me. I must work on my mind. For now I realise: Everyone of us has a heaven inside...
My silly pride Digging the knife in. She loves to come for her ride. Surely by now I should know I can control My highs and my lows By questioning all that I do, Examining every move, Trying to get back to the rudiments...
I've been doing it for years. My goal is moving near. It says, "Look! I'm over here." Then it up and disappears...
I try to get nearer, But as it gets clearer There's something appears in the way, It's a plank in me eye...The alchemical desire to be a perfect person runs through a lot of KaTe's work. IMHO, the "plank in me eye, With a camel Who's trying to get through" dramatically emphasises the impossibly big challenge confronting the protagonist in her quest "to be a perfect person", as she searches for clarity of purpose, vision, and being over self-doubt, imperfection, and nothingness. She really does want it all, and is as determined as the camel struggling through the eye to enter the kingdom of Heaven. But first she must attend to her own faults, work on her own mind, and pull out the plank...DORY PREVIN - The Perfect Man (1972)www.youtube.com/watch?v=vGa0WEfvydw
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