When getting to know the Beatles, you will encounter many strange
seeming things, some of which might seem absurd in context, others will
just be ubiquitous or suggest a deeper meaning not immediately apparent
on the surface. Part of getting to understand the Beatles Mysteries
begins with learning to read between the lines, backwards, inverse or
upside-down. Here I will begin to examine some of the Beatles symbols,
iconography and lyrics in order to flesh out deeper meanings behind what
appears on the surface to be a disordered raft of psychedelia and Lewis
Carroll-ian imagery.
I will be getting many of my interpretations from the books, The Illustrated Signs & Symbols Sourcebook: An a to Z Compendium of over 1000 Designs by Adele Nozedar (2008), (Hereafter ISS). or Mark O'Connell and Raje Airey'sThe Complete Encyclopedia of Signs & Symbols. 2007, (Hereafter CESS). Other internet sourced information will be linked to, or cited, for your own verification. Also- 1,001 Symbols: An Illustrated Guide to Imagry and its Meaning, by Jack Tresidder, Chronicle Books. 2003.(Hereafter 1,001S)
I'd
like to briefly introduce the author of my main research source: "Adele
Nozedar has long been fascinated by the power of symbols and visual
signs, which led her to the formal study of alchemy. As well as being a
researcher, Adele has exhibited photographic work and runs a studio in
Wales." I was particularly interested in drawing references from her
book because of her British cultural heritage and focus, which I find
most important for trying to understand the worldview and cultural
perspectives of the Beatles members.
I'm not
suggesting, necessarily that the Beatles meant to infer the symbolic
meanings of all these things (One can mention an apple without meaning
anything about sexuality), but I do believe that at least John was very
aware of imagery in art and the language of symbols through his
education in the art academy, and his interests in authors like James
Joyce and Lewis Carroll.
"In Nature's Temple, living pillars rise
Speaking sometimes in the words of abstruse sense
Man walks through woods of symbols, dark and dense,
Which Gaze at him with fond familiar eyes.
Like distant echoes blent in the beyond
In unity, in a deep darksome way,
Vast as black night and vast as splendid day,
Perfumes and sounds and colors correspond"
- Charles Baudelaire
(Wikipedia: "April 9, 1821 – August 31, 1867 Baudelaire was a French poet who produced notable work as an essayist, art critic, and pioneering translator of Edgar Allan Poe. His most famous work, Les Fleurs du mal (The Flowers of Evil), expresses the changing nature of beauty in modern, industrializing Paris during the 19th century." Side Note: Looking
into Charles Baudelaire leads to some fascinating insights, and "The
Flowers of Evil" is a very worthwhile poetry collection to look into.
Flowers play a prominent role in Beatles imagery, and his Poem "Le
Soleil/The Sun" is an interesting poem to have in mind while looking
into the Sun references made by the Beatles, both as a group and in
several individuals' songs (Ou est le Soleil?)
"Whether
consciously or unconsciously, the symbol carries the sense of joining
things together to create a whole greater than the sum of its parts, as
shades of meaning accrue to produce a complex idea."- Mark O'Connell and Raje Airey, The Complete Encyclopedia of Signs & Symbols. 2007.
We'll
begin here, but look forward to more to come in the future! I
originally intended to post this all as one post (the introduction and
the entries), but after completing it, I found it was far too long for
anyone's patience...so little bites, in alphabetical order, to follow!
Showing posts with label lewis carroll. Show all posts
Showing posts with label lewis carroll. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
Friday, February 1, 2013
Minding my own business, I happen across a Rabbit. Curiosity ensues.
Once upon a time, whilst mindlessly tumbling through Stumbleupon.com I chanced upon a post detailing 10 basic clues in the legendary "Paul is Dead" Myth/Mystery from the "Sgt. Pepper" album.
"What an intriguing myth to still be perpetuated so many years after the fact" I thought. Surely by now it had all been resolved, case closed, everything fully explained and accounted for....and Down the Rabbit Hole I fell.
I was curious about this odd bit of "urban legend". Alas, I knew nearly nothing about the Beatles. As a child I was raised strictly religious and was once made to read a book, "Pop Music and Morality" as punishment for listening to Jesus Jones. This book, ironically, was where I first learned about the back-masking in Beatles albums...but I didn't believe it. I didn't really care for much of what I'd heard of Beatles' music, anyways- much of it was creepy and strange, such as I Am The Walrus and Come Together...it didn't make any sense, I couldn't relate to it. I did vaguely think they had a strange obsession with Paul because of the weird line I thought went, "Nobody was really sure if he was from the house of Paul" and they seemed to always be pointing at him.
I did grow up in the MTV age, though, and was vaguely familiar with Paul McCartney from the video, "Say, Say, Say" with Michael Jackson and such. I remembered seeing a picture of Paul performing Hey Jude and, when cataloging my childishly observant mind, I reflected on the fact that Paul was strange- he never seemed to look the same! The only other time I recall ever paying any mind to the Beatles or Paul was a dream I had within a couple of days of hearing him be interviewed on the radio briefly before they played Biker Like an Icon. In the dream I was in a hot-air balloon flying over a picturesque farm with a red barn, a stage to the side, and a band playing on it for a small gathering. My balloon swooped in close to the guitar player and I saw up close Paul's detailed face and I remember thinking, "Paul McCartney looks nothing like himself!
My curious, intuitive, childhood observations were aware that something was amiss with the Beatles; and now the rabbit had appeared before me. I thought the best way to decide what was going on with this story was to first look into it directly: What was the evidence supporting this idea? Has there been a credible refutation, like a DNA test? Dentist Testimony, anything other than the basic, "Pshaw, no, of course not"; which left something to be desired all of the sudden. I knew that, like young Alice's intuition, curiosity and acute observational skill which led her through the tricky world of chaos and rationality to the truth, my childhood mind and intuition knew that something was going on that was not true.
The first place to begin was to learn everything I could about the Beatles, their history (before during and after), their music, the art around them, the history and culture of that time period and place. One of the first things I discovered was that there are as many versions of any given Beatle truth as there are versions of Strawberry Fields Forever. We'll discuss this further when we look at "Shoes". One can never be too sure that any specific fact is true, and all facts need to be investigated for consistency. That being said, I have journeyed far in the past 2 years of my investigation. I think the internet has changed everything, and that there is enough substantial evidence that, at the very least, SOMETHING is amiss! What it is, ah, that's where we fall down the Rabbit holes; but, whatever it is:
I'd love to thank whatever force injected the "Paul is Dead" myth into my life, because through it I came to know the Beatles, and their individual lives and music (I am aghast at having lived life without George Harrison's music!), at the opportunity to explore such an amazing story, that even as it officially stands is so amazing and complexly divine in it's eloquence in a literary sense- so mind-blowing bizarre and beautiful....and horrifying if you fall down certain holes. Beware and keep your shields raised and your energy cleansed...something wicked, weird or absurd or divine this way comes! Ha ha!!
"What an intriguing myth to still be perpetuated so many years after the fact" I thought. Surely by now it had all been resolved, case closed, everything fully explained and accounted for....and Down the Rabbit Hole I fell.
I was curious about this odd bit of "urban legend". Alas, I knew nearly nothing about the Beatles. As a child I was raised strictly religious and was once made to read a book, "Pop Music and Morality" as punishment for listening to Jesus Jones. This book, ironically, was where I first learned about the back-masking in Beatles albums...but I didn't believe it. I didn't really care for much of what I'd heard of Beatles' music, anyways- much of it was creepy and strange, such as I Am The Walrus and Come Together...it didn't make any sense, I couldn't relate to it. I did vaguely think they had a strange obsession with Paul because of the weird line I thought went, "Nobody was really sure if he was from the house of Paul" and they seemed to always be pointing at him.
I did grow up in the MTV age, though, and was vaguely familiar with Paul McCartney from the video, "Say, Say, Say" with Michael Jackson and such. I remembered seeing a picture of Paul performing Hey Jude and, when cataloging my childishly observant mind, I reflected on the fact that Paul was strange- he never seemed to look the same! The only other time I recall ever paying any mind to the Beatles or Paul was a dream I had within a couple of days of hearing him be interviewed on the radio briefly before they played Biker Like an Icon. In the dream I was in a hot-air balloon flying over a picturesque farm with a red barn, a stage to the side, and a band playing on it for a small gathering. My balloon swooped in close to the guitar player and I saw up close Paul's detailed face and I remember thinking, "Paul McCartney looks nothing like himself!
My curious, intuitive, childhood observations were aware that something was amiss with the Beatles; and now the rabbit had appeared before me. I thought the best way to decide what was going on with this story was to first look into it directly: What was the evidence supporting this idea? Has there been a credible refutation, like a DNA test? Dentist Testimony, anything other than the basic, "Pshaw, no, of course not"; which left something to be desired all of the sudden. I knew that, like young Alice's intuition, curiosity and acute observational skill which led her through the tricky world of chaos and rationality to the truth, my childhood mind and intuition knew that something was going on that was not true.
The first place to begin was to learn everything I could about the Beatles, their history (before during and after), their music, the art around them, the history and culture of that time period and place. One of the first things I discovered was that there are as many versions of any given Beatle truth as there are versions of Strawberry Fields Forever. We'll discuss this further when we look at "Shoes". One can never be too sure that any specific fact is true, and all facts need to be investigated for consistency. That being said, I have journeyed far in the past 2 years of my investigation. I think the internet has changed everything, and that there is enough substantial evidence that, at the very least, SOMETHING is amiss! What it is, ah, that's where we fall down the Rabbit holes; but, whatever it is:
I'd love to thank whatever force injected the "Paul is Dead" myth into my life, because through it I came to know the Beatles, and their individual lives and music (I am aghast at having lived life without George Harrison's music!), at the opportunity to explore such an amazing story, that even as it officially stands is so amazing and complexly divine in it's eloquence in a literary sense- so mind-blowing bizarre and beautiful....and horrifying if you fall down certain holes. Beware and keep your shields raised and your energy cleansed...something wicked, weird or absurd or divine this way comes! Ha ha!!
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