Re: Johnny Marr in New Statesman portrait feature
Great, the story with The Hanged and The Charioteer made my day!
That Morrissey photo reminded me of a particular scene from an old movie (Jennifer on My Mind) with an addicted girl who walked a balustrade and barely avoided falling. In contrast to her, the guy in the picture seems to even have wings (see the size, reflection and angle of the fingers), so apparently he is ready to fly. But will he?
Well, he wants to fly, but he subconsciously fears having the same fate as Icarus, who made wings out of feathers and wax and attached them to his arms. Icarus has been warned not to fly too close to the sun (which can melt the wax) or to the sea (because the feathers would get wet and heavy). But being a dreamer, he strayed from the right path, so eventually the sun melted his wings, he fell into the sea and drowned. So our hero fears both the sun/fire and the sea/water, because he perceives both elements as dangerous to his life.
Now I know how Joan of Arc felt
as the flames rose to her Roman nose
and her Walkman started to melt
The suns burns through
to the planet's core
and it isn't enough
they (the lazy sunbathers) want more
In a river the colour of lead
immerse the baby's head
Over the moor, take me to the moor
The rain falls hard on a humdrum town
This town has dragged you down
Reel around the fountain
slap me on the patio
Trudging slowly over wet sand
back to the bench where your clothes were stolen
this is the coastal town
I find a fountain of youth
and I fell in
how could I ever win?
When he awoke
the sea was calm (Girl drowning)
I am a poor, freezingly cold soul,
so far from where I intended to go.
scavenging through life's very constant lows (Seasick, yet still docked)
