There have been countless occasions when I’ve listened to a song and imagined what its words and sounds were supposed to represent, and I inevitably perceive each element to be complex and subtle and conscious. However, when the songwriter eventually explains his thought process during the music’s creation, I often realize that (a) the musician barely cares what the song is supposed to mean, and that (b) I’ve actually invested more intellectual energy into the song than the goddamn artist. Which is fine, I suppose; I mean, my favorite band is KISS, so there are certainly some self-created
...more
