From: owner-shindell-list-digest@smoe.org (shindell-list-digest) To: shindell-list-digest@smoe.org Subject: shindell-list-digest V6 #215 Reply-To: shindell-list@smoe.org Sender: owner-shindell-list-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-shindell-list-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk shindell-list-digest Wednesday, October 6 2004 Volume 06 : Number 215 Today's Subjects: ----------------- Re: [RS] More on The Island [rfoxwell@wso.williams.edu] [RS] The Island [B Gallagher ] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 05 Oct 2004 11:45:15 -0400 From: rfoxwell@wso.williams.edu Subject: Re: [RS] More on The Island Quoting kunigunda : > Gee - This is what I got from it: In a nutshell, there is no such thing as > Shangri-la. > The narrator is on a vacation from the continent....on a paradise island... > where it seems pretty much perfect; things are all pre-arranged, hotel, > food, etc., no worries, no cares, an ideal situation, where every room has > an ocean view, all the people that live there are prosperous, and nothing > happens there. Then comes the realization that things do happen, nothing > can stay the same. The sands shift, the beaches/cliffs erode, eventually > taking away all those rooms with an ocean view. The island is no longer a > paradise, the people no longer prosperous and confident. And of course > this is a metaphor that we can apply so well to our own lives and our > sometimes unreal expectations of what we think life should be. My interpretation of this song is close to Carrie's, although it involves a more metaphorical take on certain ideas, similar to Steve's analysis (although not with the same socio-economic bent). Like Carrie, I think the song is describing the "state of escape", that perma-paradise feeling of being on vacation. The Island is not a physical place, but rather a state of mind, an elusive feeling that some can capture for a while but no one can hold onto forever. Like Steve, I think one of the key stanzas is the one about mariners not arriving by latitude or longitude: "By latitude and longitude, mariners will not arrive Its coordinates are plotted by the relative position to the rising sea." The island is not a place that anyone can physically travel to, and is not tied down to any specific place; Richard is using an island as a metaphor for that state of mind, the "coordinates" of which are "plotted" by an individual's coping with regular, non-holiday, life. That's what the "relative position to the rising sea" refers to: the location of this state of mind depends entirely upon one's regular life (the sea), the hardships and frustrations (rising and falling) of which determine when an escape is needed. You can't just choose to enter that cherished state of mind; it is the progression of one's life that locates the position of that island, making it near or far, accessible or remote. I really like this stanza, by the way, it's a beautiful way to describe the concept of "escape" and its relative nature. In describing the "lucky few who call it home", Richard seems to be referring to the fortunate folks who seem to always be on vacation, those lucky bastards that we all grumble about, wishing that we had it as easy as they did. They are "prosperous", they are "confident", they "manifest a certainty" that life will always be easy, 'cause they've got it made. Oh, what we wouldn't give to be one of them! But then the song finishes by saying that it really isn't that easy after all; no one lives in perpetual vacation, life always asserts itself and pulls us from that state of mind, no matter how good we seem to have it. The song has already used the sea as a metaphor for regular life; therefore "time is on the ocean's side" is simply saying that, in time, life's hardships and realities will always bring you back. Those "houses" that seem to be built in the land of escape will always "slide" back into the sea, as inevitably we must all exit that state of mind and, with a sigh of regret, come back to real life. All in all, a lovely song, with a gentle sense of relaxation that evokes the very breeziness and ease that Richard is describes. I think I need a vacation. :) - --Chris ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 05 Oct 2004 12:02:22 -0400 From: B Gallagher Subject: [RS] The Island Spot on interpretation of a clever song. So much so that I copied the whole post here, should anyone have missed it. A lot to think about indeed. Oh, I see by your optonline that you're an Island Man too. My cable bill is $93/month - helps to provide new bulkhead at the Dolan's. Bart > Date: Mon, 04 Oct 2004 20:43:52 -0400 > From: steve trozinski > Subject: [RS] Thoughts on The Island > > Those of you Shindell decoders that have sensed something special about The > Island -- I must agree. A couple of years ago at Mahwah, when I first heard > it, it grabbed me as one of those iceberg songs Richard writes. Sort of like > ATFN's statement about Bosnia. It bugged me -- what the heck is he singing > about? What added to the feeling was the way he delivered the song -- serious, > almost brooding. I thought it was brilliant right out of the box, but I wasn't > sure why. To me, it sure isn't the "breezy" song some of the reviewers have > made it (Paste Mag being especially disappointing here). > > So after a little thought and a beer or two, here's one attempt to peel it > back. On one level, the song is about "Island life", and the traveller's take > on how everything changes. But on another level, here's the key -- > > By latitude and longitude > Mariners will not arrive > Its coordinates are plotted > By its relative position to the rising sea > > The Island isn't a place -- it is the priviledged class. The aristocracy. The > Island is defined by the differences -- cultural, material, attitudinal, from > the rest of the populace. And the ocean is the rest of us -- the middle > classes, working classes that aspire to be on the Island -- "Few are those who > do not fall beneath the spell". You could take "the spell" to be the lure of > affluence, the end of the struggle just to get by. The traveler in the song is > visiting the aristocracy, but hasn't joined them -- the packaged deal. > > The constant sun, the steady breeze > Nothing ever happens here > > He is describing the affluent (but empty?) lifestyle. Could he mean -- nothing > important ever happens here? And the lucky few that manifest a certainty -- > you could take this to be Richard's comment on the sustainability of the > distribution of wealth -- is this sustainable? Does it make sense? The > traveler sees the ocean eroding the divide --wishful thinking in the age of > Bush tax cuts? > > The engineers do what they can -- social engineering. Tax cuts, lobbying, > campaign financing, the works. > Everyday another house just slides away -- reminded me of Fastow, Lay, > Kozlowski. All the fallen. Despite the social engineering, they slid away off > the Island. > > This is, for me, the most interesting song on the CD. Surely, Last Fare has > more impact (a true gem), but The Island is the sleeper. Like his best songs, > he uses few words and gives you a lot to think about. > > Ron, I will mail the decoder ring you left on the East Coast back soon. > > Steve ------------------------------ End of shindell-list-digest V6 #215 ***********************************