Video: In the Highly Nuanced Life of the Conqueror

We’ve started working on new songs! This is one of my favourites so far! Words arrived spontaneously while Dave played the fourth or fifth piece of music he’s been working on.

In the Highly Nuanced Life of the Conqueror

In the highly nuanced life of the conqueror

As you can imagine
all the features of life
your whims are manifested
by peons who do your bidding
or maybe you can’t

It’s not something I think about at all
I don’t know about you
It’s not an area of interest

World domination power over others
I could care less
but I guess
there are a lot of things that happen to us
we seek revenge in escape to fantasies
big and small

Where we wield the sword, shoot a gun, hurt someone
now they’re dead
then you move on to the next one
Ya ya ya ya
you’re gonna move on to the next one
and the mayhem continues
and are you feeling better as you move across the landscape
killing, maiming whatever pixels get in your fucking way
or turn the page in the book where the damsel is in distress again
and some guy on a horse is gonna ride by and grab her
and swing her up onto the antiquated saddle thingy

And they ride off and I guess you’re one of them
you’re the guy , you’re the girl, you’re the rescuer, you’re the victim
or sometimes a little of both
a little bit of each
at the same time
Ya ya ya ya
Are you feeling any better?

When you’re living out this violence
that you’ve ingested
instead of
finding other ways and other things to do
Ya ya ya ya
Are you feeling any better
about yourself and any others in your life
that you just can’t seem to talk to?
Ya ya ya ya

In the nuanced life of a conqueror
on a white horse, a black horse, some kind of tank thing
with a gun that’s shooting people that aren’t really people or so you say
or so you say
Ya ya ya ya

Are you feeling?
Are you feeling?
Are you feeling?
What the fuck are you feeling, man?
What the fuck are you feeling?
What the fuck are you feeling?
Are you feeling any better?
I don’t understand.
Ya ya ya ya

Are you feeling any better?
Now that you’ve slaughtered the lot of them
and they’re lying there dead
Ya ya ya ya
they’re lying there dead

Are you feeling any better?
Are you feeling any better?
Are you feeling
any better?

Video: Held

Jean Smith vocals. David Lester guitar at Chicago’s Lounge Ax in the mid-1990s. “Held” is from “Dovetail” (K Records, 1992).

Held

You’d be surprised alright
where you could be held
there
pinned in an updraft
back against the clouds

Holding sirens’ rage
on a tangle pain
you didn’t know was there
you didn’t know it was there

Gridwork set up for your wing on rise
to place
where you will be held
back against the light

Hammer on, hammer on
towards never getting back
never getting back
hammer on
hammer on

 

 

 

 

 

 

Video: This Machine (cover)

West Coast Chalice: Karl Blau, Brian Tottenham, Braydn Krueger, Doug Cassidy, and Jesse.

The original version of “This Machine” is from “Dovetail” (K Records, 1992).

This Machine

Making it anything
so it isn’t nothing now
I am touching at the future
with a tin edge hollow stamp

I wove the spin of endurance
knots hanging in black twine
jarred up on a plank shelf
oiled to a (dull) shine

I am wanting (watching)
I am wishing
for wind
to knock this stillness out

Making it anything
so it isn’t nothing now

Screaming on track
pounding up loud
dreaming down pipe on a sigh
sifting on freight tight
this machine rides

Making it anything
so it isn’t nothing

VIDEO: The Dogs

“The Dogs” by Mecca Normal from “Water Cuts My Hands” (K Records, 1991). Jean Smith vocals. David Lester guitar. Video and paintings by Jean Smith.

The Dogs

My thoughts are chased my dogs
trapped in Instamatic snapshots
their eyes are red in the night
I can see into their mouths
past the teeth
past the teeth

I’m at home in the strangest places
but the sea is just pounding water
trying to get revenge
trying to get revenge

The dogs are barking
running towards me
through a roll of twenty-four exposures

The dogs have questions for me
I don’t know what they are

On the train I heard the sea on the tracks
roaring in a straight line
away from me
away from me

Stop it with the gun
Stop it with the gun
was a philosophy of hers
more than a request
but right now she’d like the kid to quit it
he has a sound-equipped machine gun
pointed at her head
pointed at her head

The dogs have been measured out to me

Some of the snapshots have one big dog
some of the snapshots have two dogs
some of the snapshots have three dogs
I don’t know how many dogs there are
more than three
more the ones my flashcube illuminates

The dogs have questions for me
The dogs have questions for me

Dogs don’t mince words

 

 

 

VIDEO: Lois Wrote About the Farm

“Lois Wrote About the Farm” by Mecca Normal from “Water Cuts My Hands”(K Records, 1991). Jean Smith vocals. David Lester guitar. Painting by Jean Smith.

“Lois Wrote About the Farm”

America has named its chickens.
Two of them are called The Twins.

America strings its words together neatly;
it is hiding something big.

The check-out girl says she can’t quit smoking.
She’d have nothing else to do.

America, instigator of The Dream.
In my mind my body aches.

 

VIDEO: Dead Bird’s Feet

“Dead Bird’s Feet” by Mecca Normal from “Water Cuts My Hands” (K Records, 1991). Jean Smith vocals. David Lester guitar. Directed by Jean Smith.

Dead Bird’s Feet

Dead bird’s feet
mounted on the wall
they don’t have a right side up
they don’t have an up side down
they were something else
now they’re on the wall
on the wall

Wanting conflict to be neat
we name the opposition
forever it will be the things they do
that are wrong
that are wrong

Men hate women
making it easy for women to hate men
women hate men
making it easy for men to hate women
men to hate women

We are handing out stiff starched pajamas
to sex offenders
in concrete halls

We are wincing and creating opinion
slamming steel doors
and turning in the breeze
in the breeze

of right and wrong
of right and wrong
outside where air is pure
air is pure
air is pure

Right and wrong
outside
outside where air is pure
air is pure

 

 

VIDEO: Not Standing Still

“Not Standing Still” by Mecca Normal from “Water Cuts My Hands” (K Records, 1991). Jean Smith vocals. David Lester guitar.

Paintings by Jean Smith

 

Not Standing Still

You might say,
“Why do I fight?
Change won’t happen.”

Well, not overnight.

Why do you think
we’re standing still?

We’re not standing still.

Change will happen.
Oh yes, it will.

 You might say,
“We’re standing still.”

 We’re not standing still.

 

VIDEO: Water in a Bucket

“Water in a Bucket” by Mecca Normal from “Water Cuts My Hands” (K Records, 1991). Jean Smith vocals. David Lester guitar. Directed by Jean Smith

Images: Stock footage from Prelinger Archives. Flint faucet. Mecca Normal performing in Holland 1994 — using the visual portion of footage at Fast Forward Festival, Nijmegen. Direction and editing Remko Dekker. Cameras Bart de Keulenaar, Wilmer Hendriks, Remko Dekker.

Water in a Bucket

La la la my my my la la la my my my

Water in a bucket

down the street

You carry your water in a bucket down the street

La la la my my my la la la my my my

You carry your water too

in a North American city

in a North American street

Where the dream started

it started without you

I wanna get out of this dream

nightmare

I wanna climb out of this dream

this dream

this nightmare

nightmare

nightmare

It’s no dream

nightmare

nightmare

I wanna get out of this dream

nightmare

The dream started without you

It’s no dream

La la la my my my la la la my my my

 

VIDEO: Cherry Flowers

I made a video for the Mecca Normal song Cherry Flowers (Dovetail, K Records, 1992) fairly spontaneously. It’s a pretty song about springtime and I did a cherry blossom painting recently, so it occurred to me to connect them. But, as I was putting the elements together, I recalled more about the song’s meaning, which I don’t think I’ve ever been asked about or expressed.

That got me to thinking about all our songs and the various meanings tucked up into them, so I listed all the songs, created a song meaning legend and assigned codes to most of the songs with a note saying that some of the songs need to be reviewed due to their nature, which might be psychological, poetic or complex.

As for Cherry Flowers (1992), it is about the geography of borders, clandestine crossings in vehicles (row boats heading for the united caves of america) laden with cherry flowers. Feel free to interpret what the cherry flowers are (maybe art and music?), but, in the song, “seven men in white shirts watch the needle on the gauge, rise and fall, swing and dive, on the border” using specialized equipment to assess the validity of those attempting to cross.

Painting by Jean Smith “Spring” (11 x 14″ acrylic on canvas panel) $100 USD

Song Meanings

Song Meanings

Illo by Jean Smith

 Illo by David Lester

 

Mecca Normal songs listed alphabetically with predominant themes as per the legend. Songs without code need to be reviewed due to their nature, which might be more psychological, poetic or complex to assign code to at first glance.

LEGEND:

Activism related to Status Quo = Act

Apathy = Apathy  Anger = A

Capitalism = C

Empathy = E

Environment = Env

Feminism = F

History = H

Injustice = I

Language = L

Political (including Personal) and Protest = Pol & P

Relationships (romantic, interpersonal, family) = R

Social Justice = SJ

Utopian = U

SONGS:

12 Murders – F, SJ, Pol
20 Years / No Escape – Apathy, H, I, U

1922 – F, I, H, P, U

A Kind of a Girl – F, I, H, P

Accidently – L

Alibi – R

All About the Same Thing – R, H, C

Ancient Fire – F, Pol, H

Are You Hungry Joe? – SJ, I, H, Pol, A

Armchairs Fit – Act, A, Apathy, Pol, C

Arsenal – F, R, L, I, Pol

Art Was the Great Leveler – E

Attraction Is Ephemeral – R, Pol

Beaten Down – A, Pol, C

Beppo’s Room –

Between Livermore and Tracy –  B

lame the Glass Man – H, C

Blue Sky and Branches – A, R, H, Apathy

Blue TV – C, A

Breathing in the Dark – R

Broken Flowers – R, C

Cave In – A, Pol, C

Cherry Flowers – Pol, U

Clatter – C

Convince Yourself – E, C

Crimson Dragnet –

Current of Agreement – E

Cyclone – E  Days – Env
Dead Bird’s Feet – L, F, A
Deep Dark Secret –

Don’t Heal Me Like a Dog Just to Break Me Like a Horse – R

Don’t Look In The Mirror –

Don’t Shoot – Act, Pol, C, SJ

Drilling – Env, C

Drive At – H, Env, C

Echo –

Elemental Steamer –

Engine Rain – C, Env

Every Wrong Word – L, F, I

Excalibur – R

Fallen Skier – R

Family Swan – R

Fan of Sparks – Env

Fight for a Little – P, A, H

Flash Light –

Follow Down –

Forlorn – F, R

From the Surface –

Frozen Rain –

Gravity Believes –

Greater Beauty – Env

He Didn’t Say – F, R

Held –

Her Ambition – F

His Own Madness – R

Horse Heaven Hills –

How Many Now? – H, SJ

Hurricane Watch – E

I Don’t Get It –

I Don’t Need To Hold Your Hand –

I Hear You – E

I Know a Little Bit – C

I Walk Alone – F, A, H, Pol

I Went Away For A While –

Ice Floes Aweigh – R, H

I’ll Call You – R, F, A

I’m a Bit Confused – C

I’m Not into Being the Woman You’re with While You’re Looking for the Woman You Want – F, R, I, A, L, Pol

In Canada – R, H  In January – Pol, Res

Is This You? – E

It’s Called Rock ‘n Roll – H

It’s Important – E

Joelle – F, SJ, Pol

Kingdom Without Weather – Pol, U

Lois Wrote About The Farm – L, C, Apathy

Maisy’s Death – E

Malachi – Pol, Emp, Act

Man Thinks Woman – F, I, L, A, H, Pol  Medieval Man –

More, More, More – C

Mrs. McGillvary –

Museum of Open Windows – Pol, A, SJ

My First Love Song – R

Naked and Ticklish – R

Narrow – R

No Mind’s Eye – R, L

Nobody’s Asking –

Normal – Apathy
Not Standing Still – Act, Apathy, Pol, P, H

Not With You – R, F  Not Yet – R

Now That You’re Here – R

Odele’s Bath – E

OK, Here We Go – E

On the Row of Dials –

Once – H, Env

One Man’s Anger – F, Pol

One More Safe – Emp, Pol, L, Act

One Woman – F, Act, H

Only Heat – E
Orange Sunset – A, F, L

Pamela Makes Waves – F, H  Paris in April – F, H

Peach-A-Vanilla – Apathy, Act

Phone’s Unplugged – I, R

Pocket Of Scribbly Gums –

Prize Arm – A, C, Act

Revolution#Pine – Pol, Act

Ribbon – Pol, Act

Richard – C

Rigid Man in an Ice Age – H, L

Rose –

Scare in the Hallway –

Sha La La La – Pol, Act

Smile Baby – F, SJ, Pol

Something to Be Said –   S

Step into My Sphere – F, R

Straying to Summer – SJ

Strong White Male – Pol, F, C, I, H
Taking The Back Stairs – Act, Apathy, A, C, E, H, I, P, SJ, U

Texada Warns Me –

The Caribou & the Oil Pipeline – P, A, C, E

The Dark Side of Maria – R
The Dogs – C, L

The Message – Pol, SJ, Act

The Observer – H

The Orbit – R

The Revival of Cruelty – Pol, Act, C

The Way of Love – R

Then – A, H, Pol

This Is Different – E

This Is My Summer Vacation – C

This Machine – E, Apathy

Throw Silver – R

To Avoid Pain – Apathy

Tolerate Me – A

Trapped Against – Apathy

Trapped Inside Your Heart – R

Upside Down Flames – U

Vacant Night Sky – E, R

Waiting for Rudy – C, SJ, Pol

Walking the Walls – Apathy

War Between the Neighbours – C, R

Wasn’t Said – R

Water Cuts My Hands – Pol, C

Water In A Bucket – H, I, Pol, C, E, SJ, U

What About the Boy? – SJ

What’s Your Name? – Apathy

When You Build a House Without Doors – Pol

When You Know – R

Who Shot Elvis? – H, Pol, C

Who Told You So? – H, A, Pol

Will He Change? – SJ, Pol

Women Were King – H, F, Pol, U

You Heard It All – Pol, H