Debora Curry
English Dept - Administrative Assistant
Email: debora.curry@gcccd.edu
Office Hours: Monday-Friday 8am to 10am and 2pm to 4pm - email Debora for link for her Zoom Office hours
WRITING CREDITS:
Lester Bangs
I wash his poo pants[1]
While he stands around and rants
Living with an artist is aesthetic bliss[2]
But mama never told me there'd be days like this[3]
Poo pants
Hangin' off his bottom
Oh, oh, oh poo pants
I'm so glad he's got 'em
Somehow they're endearing to me
I wash his poo pants
While he plays "Sally Can't Dance"[4]
But as he guzzles malt liquor and scoffs
For five days he doesn't take 'em off
He's a genius in the throws of ascension[5]
But I move in another dimension.
SOURCES:
Derogatis, Jim. Let it Blurt: The Life and Times of Lester Bangs, America's Greatest Rock Critic.
ABOUT THE LYRICS:
[1] Bangs wrote the lyrics in jest—circa 1976—for former girlfriend Nancy Alexander, which were slated for a song never recorded, and perhaps never performed, either. Their long-suffering point of view suggests at least that, not only was Lester aware of how his scandalous hygiene affected others, he was also mindful of the challenges to his interpersonal skills posed by his eccentricities, genius, and incorrigible habits, especially when it came to meaningful romantic relationships.
[2] "living with an artist is aesthetic bliss": "aesthetic bliss" is an often quoted catch phrase originated by Vladimir Nabokov in his scandalous 1955 novel, Lolita: "For me a work of fiction exists only insofar as it affords me what I shall bluntly call aesthetic bliss, that is a sense of being somehow, somewhere, connected with other states of being where art (curiosity, tenderness, kindness, ecstasy) is the norm."
[3] "mama never told me there'd be days like this": popular platitude of unknown origin, frequently used in song lyrics.
[4] Sally Can't Dance: Lou Reed's 1974 solo album on the RCA label; its titular track, "Sally Can't Dance," was released as a single.
[5] "throws of ascension": either a misspelling or a pun on "throes of ascension," a phrase referring to a mystical transfiguration, or a transitional state of Nirvanic enlightenment. Many New Age philosophies postulate that our planet is in the throes of ascension, the destination of which is a 5th Dimension of spiritual bliss. In this sense, "throes" may have a double meaning, since it is also commonly used in the phrase "the throes of passion"; the reference here could be, both, a sexual one and an intensely fervent spiritual one, as in the Buddhist notion of Bliss, or the Christian concept of Passion. This interpretation is reinforced by the appearance of "aesthetic bliss" in the first stanza of these lyrics. (See Note 2.)
Debora Curry
English Dept - Administrative Assistant
Email: debora.curry@gcccd.edu
Office Hours: Monday-Friday 8am to 10am and 2pm to 4pm - email Debora for link for her Zoom Office hours
8800 Grossmont College Drive
El Cajon, California 92020
619-644-7000
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