Post by yellowmatter on Dec 1, 2003 14:51:55 GMT
This was mentioned on a different thread some time ago.
Carroll's influence on Lennon's creativity, especially regarding the Paul Is Dead scenario.
I'm re reading Wonderland and Looking Glass at the moment and just thought it would be useful to post this article from another site for all to read.
As i said, someone (sorry i forget who) posted a link to this site a while ago.
Fascinating read - well worth it!! (this article and the two works of Carroll)
I Am The Walrus:*
This song is the centerpiece of John Lennon's Jabberwocky.
Most people readily accept Lennon's constant assertion throughout his post-Beatle years that I Am The Walrus was just a nonsense song written in pointed response to nosey critics that were reading too much into his music.
What makes this ring false is that at the same time John was writing I Am The Walrus, (late 1967) he was receiving his first true wave of critical acceptance and examination. Just a year prior, John and the Beatles were struggling to have themselves accepted as serious artists. So why would Lennon be so cynical of critics that were finally listening carefully and, more importantly, thinking carefully about his music? One need look no further than his two books, In His Own Write and A Spaniard In The Works (published in 1964 and 1965 respectively) to see that John was a man who wished to be considered more than a mere rock-star, but as a clever wordsmith and writer. Plus, these two books showed a man whose mastery of wordplay and expression were "abstract" and "out there" long before he indulged in the fruits of the psychedelic era.
Thus being, fans that believe Lennon became lyrically "abstract" due to LSD experimentation and nothing more are sadly mistaken. And in the wake of existential gems like A Day In The Life and subsequent critical praise, one would think Lennon (a notorious egotist) would bask in the serious attention he was now receiving from the intelligentsia. And as a response, would attempt to up the ante even further and embark upon a work that would be so clever and ambiguous that critics would have a field day with it for years to come. One early Lennon quote from 1967 that works with this approach was made on a radio-show, in which John introduced I Am The Walrus:
"And, um, I Am The Walrus is one of my favorite tracks. Because I did it, of course! But also because it's one of those that has enough little bitties going to keep you interested even a hundred years later."
This directly contradicts Lennon's later quotes regarding his classic song. If Lennon was actually throwing out nonsense as a backlash against those who looked too deeply into his music, then why in 1967 would he encourage people to read into the song and find the "little bitties" contained within? The abundant amount of intersecting themes and literary allusions are proof enough that there's more to I Am The Walrus than sheer acid-drenched "nonsense".
In fact, insightful analysis of the lyrics brings to light the True significance of the Walrus and the tusked creature's role in the Beatles' shrewd game.
Firstly, it is common knowledge that Lewis Carroll was one of John Lennon's greatest literary influences. In fact, when Lennon was a mere schoolboy, he had already adopted many of Carroll's innovations in the use of words. Knowing this, it's not much of a surprise that Lennon's chief inspiration behind I Am The Walrus was Carroll's The Walrus And The Carpenter, which appears in "Through The Looking Glass".
In the famous poem, the Walrus tricks a group of oysters into following him down the beach. Initially, the Walrus's attentions seem innocuous enough, but shortly after, the oysters fall prey to the Walrus's insidious ruse and get devoured by him. There is an obvious parallel between this and the idea of John Lennon (as the Walrus) tricking Beatle fans into following him down the Mystery Tour trail.
For further proof that John was indeed referring to The Walrus And The Carpenter, he sings the refrain "I'm crying" five times. The Walrus in Carroll's poem cries as well. The Walrus, feeling sorry for playing such a mean trick on the hapless oysters begins to sob even as he continues to eat them:
"'I weep for you,' the Walrus said:
'I deeply sympathize.'
With sobs and tears he sorted out
Those of the largest size,
Holding his pocket handkerchief
Before his streaming eyes."
(Carroll, Annotated Alice, p.236)
"I Am The Egg Man" should instantly make people think of Humpty Dumpty. As is known from the classic Mother Goose tragedy, Humpty Dumpty had a nasty fall from a wall and cracked his head so badly that "all the King's horses and all the king's men couldn't put Humpty Dumpty together again". Also, in "Through The Looking Glass", Alice meets the legendary Humpty Dumpty and gets him to help her decipher the Jabberwocky. Also, Alice has the following impression as she converses with the Egg Man:
"'If he [Humpty Dumpty] smiled much more, the ends of his mouth might meet behind,' she thought: 'and then I don't know what would happen to his head! I'm afraid it would come off!"
(Carroll, Annotated Alice, p.265)
As mentioned, the Jabberwocky, in the poem of the same title, is beheaded. Also Alice and many characters are threatened with decapitation in Alice's Adventures In Wonderland. And there's more talk of heads being cut-off in "Looking Glass", thanks to Tweedledum, who places a bolster round Tweedledee's neck, "to keep his head from being cut off" (Carroll, p.242). He continues with this thought and tells Alice, "it's one of the most serious things that can possibly happen to one in battle...to get one's head cut off." This beheading motif in Carroll's work is reflected in numerous Paul Is Dead clues that suggest McCartney was a victim of a decapitation or, at very least, severe head wounds (e.g. crack in cartoon Paul's head and "Magical Mystical Boy").
"I Am The Walrus" contains allusions to James Joyce and his novel Finnegans Wake that also contains numerous "portmanteau" words, including ten hundred-letter thunderclaps that symbolize the mighty fall from his ladder of Tim Finnegan. Lennon's line "Goo Goo Goo Joob" is very similar to "goo goo goosth" (found in Joyce's novel) and Humpty Dumpty's name is contained in various portmanteau sections of the book. The Humpty Dumpty/portmanteau link between "I Am The Walrus" and Joyce's surreal tome is important because of the attention it brings to the main plot of Finnegan's Wake: Joyce's novel tells the story of Tim Finnegan, who everyone in the book believes to be dead. However, at Tim Finnegan's wake he awakes (from a coma-like state) and discovers that an impostor (named Humphrey Chimpden Earwicker) has already taken his place. Impostors, death, eggmen and portmanteau words...sound familiar?
Another line in I Am The Walrus mixes another literary great into the Mystery Stew: "You should have seen them kicking Edgar Allen POE." Edgar Allen Poe was known to occasionally leave secret messages in his short-stories for readers to decode, the most memorable of which being The Goldbug.
Finally, in the song's fade-out, there's one last allusion that ties everything together. It is an audio snippet of a BBC radio production of William Shakespeare's King Lear. What's so intriguing is the fact that King Lear contains a subplot involving an impostor taking the place of another. This intersects perfectly with the main plot of Finnegan's Wake. In Shakespeare's play, the Earl of Gloucester is tricked by his illegitimate son, Edmund, into believing that he is actually Edgar, the other son of Gloucester. This deception is achieved via the deft substitution of letters. On top of all this, the specific lines used in the fade-out of I Am The Walrus should raise a few eyebrows, for their sheer deathly tone:
OSWALD: "Slave, thou hast slain me. Villain, take my purse. If ever thou wilt thrive, bury my body, and give the letters which thou findst upon me to Edmund Earl of Gloucester. Seek him out upon the British party. Oh, untimely death!"
EDGAR: "I know thee well--a serviceable villain, as duteous to the vices of thy mistress as badness would desire."
GLOUCESTER: "What, is he dead?"
EDGAR: "Sit you down, father, rest you."
At very least, it is quite clear, upon close examination of this great song and its many macabre themes that it was John Lennon's intent to create a Mystery for Beatle fans.
A Mystery that (on the surface) contained two main components: the idea of Paul McCartney being killed and the idea of him being subsequently replaced by an impostor.
*This is NOT my own work, it has been taken from www.kirkco.org/walrus/tour.htm
-So let me know what you all think of this - any comments would be appreciated! ;D
Carroll's influence on Lennon's creativity, especially regarding the Paul Is Dead scenario.
I'm re reading Wonderland and Looking Glass at the moment and just thought it would be useful to post this article from another site for all to read.
As i said, someone (sorry i forget who) posted a link to this site a while ago.
Fascinating read - well worth it!! (this article and the two works of Carroll)
I Am The Walrus:*
This song is the centerpiece of John Lennon's Jabberwocky.
Most people readily accept Lennon's constant assertion throughout his post-Beatle years that I Am The Walrus was just a nonsense song written in pointed response to nosey critics that were reading too much into his music.
What makes this ring false is that at the same time John was writing I Am The Walrus, (late 1967) he was receiving his first true wave of critical acceptance and examination. Just a year prior, John and the Beatles were struggling to have themselves accepted as serious artists. So why would Lennon be so cynical of critics that were finally listening carefully and, more importantly, thinking carefully about his music? One need look no further than his two books, In His Own Write and A Spaniard In The Works (published in 1964 and 1965 respectively) to see that John was a man who wished to be considered more than a mere rock-star, but as a clever wordsmith and writer. Plus, these two books showed a man whose mastery of wordplay and expression were "abstract" and "out there" long before he indulged in the fruits of the psychedelic era.
Thus being, fans that believe Lennon became lyrically "abstract" due to LSD experimentation and nothing more are sadly mistaken. And in the wake of existential gems like A Day In The Life and subsequent critical praise, one would think Lennon (a notorious egotist) would bask in the serious attention he was now receiving from the intelligentsia. And as a response, would attempt to up the ante even further and embark upon a work that would be so clever and ambiguous that critics would have a field day with it for years to come. One early Lennon quote from 1967 that works with this approach was made on a radio-show, in which John introduced I Am The Walrus:
"And, um, I Am The Walrus is one of my favorite tracks. Because I did it, of course! But also because it's one of those that has enough little bitties going to keep you interested even a hundred years later."
This directly contradicts Lennon's later quotes regarding his classic song. If Lennon was actually throwing out nonsense as a backlash against those who looked too deeply into his music, then why in 1967 would he encourage people to read into the song and find the "little bitties" contained within? The abundant amount of intersecting themes and literary allusions are proof enough that there's more to I Am The Walrus than sheer acid-drenched "nonsense".
In fact, insightful analysis of the lyrics brings to light the True significance of the Walrus and the tusked creature's role in the Beatles' shrewd game.
Firstly, it is common knowledge that Lewis Carroll was one of John Lennon's greatest literary influences. In fact, when Lennon was a mere schoolboy, he had already adopted many of Carroll's innovations in the use of words. Knowing this, it's not much of a surprise that Lennon's chief inspiration behind I Am The Walrus was Carroll's The Walrus And The Carpenter, which appears in "Through The Looking Glass".
In the famous poem, the Walrus tricks a group of oysters into following him down the beach. Initially, the Walrus's attentions seem innocuous enough, but shortly after, the oysters fall prey to the Walrus's insidious ruse and get devoured by him. There is an obvious parallel between this and the idea of John Lennon (as the Walrus) tricking Beatle fans into following him down the Mystery Tour trail.
For further proof that John was indeed referring to The Walrus And The Carpenter, he sings the refrain "I'm crying" five times. The Walrus in Carroll's poem cries as well. The Walrus, feeling sorry for playing such a mean trick on the hapless oysters begins to sob even as he continues to eat them:
"'I weep for you,' the Walrus said:
'I deeply sympathize.'
With sobs and tears he sorted out
Those of the largest size,
Holding his pocket handkerchief
Before his streaming eyes."
(Carroll, Annotated Alice, p.236)
"I Am The Egg Man" should instantly make people think of Humpty Dumpty. As is known from the classic Mother Goose tragedy, Humpty Dumpty had a nasty fall from a wall and cracked his head so badly that "all the King's horses and all the king's men couldn't put Humpty Dumpty together again". Also, in "Through The Looking Glass", Alice meets the legendary Humpty Dumpty and gets him to help her decipher the Jabberwocky. Also, Alice has the following impression as she converses with the Egg Man:
"'If he [Humpty Dumpty] smiled much more, the ends of his mouth might meet behind,' she thought: 'and then I don't know what would happen to his head! I'm afraid it would come off!"
(Carroll, Annotated Alice, p.265)
As mentioned, the Jabberwocky, in the poem of the same title, is beheaded. Also Alice and many characters are threatened with decapitation in Alice's Adventures In Wonderland. And there's more talk of heads being cut-off in "Looking Glass", thanks to Tweedledum, who places a bolster round Tweedledee's neck, "to keep his head from being cut off" (Carroll, p.242). He continues with this thought and tells Alice, "it's one of the most serious things that can possibly happen to one in battle...to get one's head cut off." This beheading motif in Carroll's work is reflected in numerous Paul Is Dead clues that suggest McCartney was a victim of a decapitation or, at very least, severe head wounds (e.g. crack in cartoon Paul's head and "Magical Mystical Boy").
"I Am The Walrus" contains allusions to James Joyce and his novel Finnegans Wake that also contains numerous "portmanteau" words, including ten hundred-letter thunderclaps that symbolize the mighty fall from his ladder of Tim Finnegan. Lennon's line "Goo Goo Goo Joob" is very similar to "goo goo goosth" (found in Joyce's novel) and Humpty Dumpty's name is contained in various portmanteau sections of the book. The Humpty Dumpty/portmanteau link between "I Am The Walrus" and Joyce's surreal tome is important because of the attention it brings to the main plot of Finnegan's Wake: Joyce's novel tells the story of Tim Finnegan, who everyone in the book believes to be dead. However, at Tim Finnegan's wake he awakes (from a coma-like state) and discovers that an impostor (named Humphrey Chimpden Earwicker) has already taken his place. Impostors, death, eggmen and portmanteau words...sound familiar?
Another line in I Am The Walrus mixes another literary great into the Mystery Stew: "You should have seen them kicking Edgar Allen POE." Edgar Allen Poe was known to occasionally leave secret messages in his short-stories for readers to decode, the most memorable of which being The Goldbug.
Finally, in the song's fade-out, there's one last allusion that ties everything together. It is an audio snippet of a BBC radio production of William Shakespeare's King Lear. What's so intriguing is the fact that King Lear contains a subplot involving an impostor taking the place of another. This intersects perfectly with the main plot of Finnegan's Wake. In Shakespeare's play, the Earl of Gloucester is tricked by his illegitimate son, Edmund, into believing that he is actually Edgar, the other son of Gloucester. This deception is achieved via the deft substitution of letters. On top of all this, the specific lines used in the fade-out of I Am The Walrus should raise a few eyebrows, for their sheer deathly tone:
OSWALD: "Slave, thou hast slain me. Villain, take my purse. If ever thou wilt thrive, bury my body, and give the letters which thou findst upon me to Edmund Earl of Gloucester. Seek him out upon the British party. Oh, untimely death!"
EDGAR: "I know thee well--a serviceable villain, as duteous to the vices of thy mistress as badness would desire."
GLOUCESTER: "What, is he dead?"
EDGAR: "Sit you down, father, rest you."
At very least, it is quite clear, upon close examination of this great song and its many macabre themes that it was John Lennon's intent to create a Mystery for Beatle fans.
A Mystery that (on the surface) contained two main components: the idea of Paul McCartney being killed and the idea of him being subsequently replaced by an impostor.
*This is NOT my own work, it has been taken from www.kirkco.org/walrus/tour.htm
-So let me know what you all think of this - any comments would be appreciated! ;D
;DIan & Yellowmatter - great work, guys !!! That article was VERY interesting. It's always interesting, to read how John's mind works. He's a brilliant man. He's got the fastest mind of anyone I've ever met !!!! 