The World Beyond BetterMost > The Culture Tent
Willie Nelson's Lost Highway
Monika:
--- Quote from: milomorris on November 07, 2009, 08:22:56 am ---People see what they want to see.
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And they don't see what they don't want to acknowledge.
Kelda:
--- Quote from: Marge_Innavera on November 07, 2009, 02:10:12 am ---There's no context for that in the song; and for the benefit of our non-American members, dropping a ketchup bottle in moments of surprise and shock is not an American idiom. I doubt any American on this thread has heard of that before now. And I also doubt anyone here seriously believes that the resemblance to a blood spatter is a coincidence.
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exactly my point Marge.
--- Quote from: milomorris on November 07, 2009, 08:22:56 am ---I never said dropping a ketchup bottle was an American idiom. I said eating ketchup with fries is an American idiom. I said dropping a glass of water (or anything really) is a stock, old-school, slapstick gag. I'm sure plenty of people around the world, including Americans, are familiar with that.
I suppose some could interpret the ketchup as a blood splatter if they were looking for yet another reason to perpetuate an attitude of victimhood. I remember years ago, there was a TV commercial for Hefty trash bags. A white lady in suburbia takes a bag of trash out to the curb, and a black sanitation worker picks it up and tosses it into the back of the truck. They smile at each other and wave. A few black folks claimed that commercial was racist.
Besides, blood splatter patterns have unique characteristics because of the consistency of blood, and the fact that it is under pressure inside the body. Splattered blood doesn't just come out looking like a blob. It typically includes directional patters. Of course now someone is sure to come up with a picture of a blood stain that looks just like the ketchup to "prove" me wrong.
People see what they want to see.
--- End quote ---
The eating ketchup with fries is no more an American idiom as it is in a UK idiom. Still dont see how it has any relevance to the song at hand. I still dont see how a slapstick gag fits with the song..? If you think the blood splatter is a stretch (and go into the deatil about how blood splatters as you have done above) how isn't your interpretation also a stretch about showing a american idiom and a slapstick nature to the song?
So I think Buffy has a point when she says:
--- Quote from: Buffymon on November 07, 2009, 10:40:46 am ---And they don't see what that they don't want to acknowledge.
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That's why I mentioned the fantasy world earlier.
Like Lynne said, I'd love it to be a paradoy but I dont buy it.
milomorris:
--- Quote from: Kelda on November 07, 2009, 10:51:20 am ---The eating ketchup with fries is no more an American idiom as it is in a UK idiom.
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Really?? Try offering your average Joe from the Bronx malt vinegar with his fries and see what he has to say about that.
But that is totally beside the point. I see a broken bottle of ketchup, Marge sees a metaphor for blood. She's saying the image is violent, I'm saying "sometimes a cigar is just a cigar."
As I said earlier, unless we hear from the artist (either Willie or Saddlesore) we don't know which of our interpretations is correct.
Clyde-B:
What is a broken bottle considered in redneck circles?
A symbol of peace?
Kelda:
--- Quote from: milomorris on November 07, 2009, 11:08:18 am ---Really?? Try offering your average Joe from the Bronx malt vinegar with his fries and see what he has to say about that.
--- End quote ---
I'm talking about the sauce not vinegar. Thats a seperate - obviosluy UK or Euro specific - idiom Milo.
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