The hypocrisy in ink & lemons

Tool is one of my favourite bands. Their songs are not only great to listen to on a musical level, but the lyrics frequently have a deeper message that makes you stop, think and question. All good things I say. Their message is often spiritual in nature or about self-examination. No, not that kind of self-examination. Philosophical examination. You know, the meaning of life stuff? Sheesh.

The overall message from Tool regarding their music is to find your own interpretation of the songs and to not be a sheep. Sure there might be a consensus view about what a particular song means, but there are plenty of ambiguous references or words that the individual listener can interpret in their own way.

Even if you're not a fan of their music, I think their message is relevant to all and I urge you to read on.

This is my analysis of the meaning of "The Pot" by Tool, with specific reference to one line in the song that made no sense when I first heard it.

“The Pot” is from Tool’s 10,000 Days album, and is a song that generally examines the hypocritical laws and policies of the US government, an idea that is obvious from the lyrics and the reference to kangaroo courts. However, it seems the meaning of one line in the songs chorus has stumped many Tool fans (e.g at Toolnavy and others).

“Weeping shades of cozened indigo/Got lemon juice up in your eye”,

I think that line is used to illustrate the main theme of the song, that is hypocrisy of the US govt., by referring to the US ban on henna. A ban which causes more harm than good.

Henna is a plant from which a dye is prepared by using lemon juice (“Got lemon juice up in your eye”) and sugar. Henna dye is commonly used for tattooing. Although considered harmless, with a large dose, henna may be fatal for persons with a certain genetic deficiency. Around 0.6 - 2.9% of the US population have this deficiency. Based on this data, according to the FDA, henna is illegal in the US.

As a substitute for the illegal 'real henna', some tattoo artists use 'black henna', which is also commonly used to dye hair black. Unfortunately, black henna is more likely to cause harm than real henna, as black henna contains a synthesised compound that causes severe allergic reactions in 3 - 15% of the US population (compare this to real henna). So when someone gets a temporary tattoo, they may receive black henna, a dye that can cause severe blistering, sores and scarring, “Weeping shades”. In addition, although named “black henna”, it is not a henna product at all. It’s a misnomer, hence “cozened indigo”.

Black henna is a legal and readily available product in the US.

Moreover, those persons that are allergic to (real) henna are also allergic to fava beans. Needless to say, fava beans are a legal product in the US.

Talk about irony/hypocrisy overload.

Also, the “Please” in “Ganja! Please! You must have been out your mind” absolutely exudes sarcasm, and given the general tone of the song, I see “The Pot” as a rant from Tool. In my opinion, it’s a song that uses the henna/pot/other issues as devices to make us think about the inconsistent, frustrating and misguided policy of bureaucracy that we live with everyday.

Saturn returns

“Clutch it like a cornerstone. Otherwise it all comes down.
Justify denials and grip 'em to the lonesome end.
Saturn ascends, comes round again.
Saturn ascends, the one, the ten.
Ignorant to the damage done.”
The Grudge by Tool, from the Lateralus album.

Saturn takes approximately 29.5 years to orbit the Sun. When Saturn returns to the same position as it was at the time of someones birth, astrology states that the person goes through a period of turmoil, uncertainty, change and reflection. However, it's a not just a time of great upheaval, but also of accomplishment, reflection and maturity. This phenomenon is known as the Saturn return, and from my scant knowledge of this subject, the first Return for a person occurs between the ages of 27-30. The precise timing varies for each individual.

I've never been a believer in astrology and I find horoscopes absolutely ridiculous. Yet the current period of my life fits into the notion of a Saturn return quite well. My age fits within the Return period, I've moved to the US, started a new job and will have to find a new life. All events that qualify as a period of upheaval and challenge. It has also been a period where I've seriously reconsidered the meaningfulness of everything (although I've always questioned the purpose of my existence). I'm excited, pessimistic and petrified about what a possible Saturn return has in store for me, but it should prove to be an interesting period nonetheless.

For multiple reasons, the thinking that some distant planet can influence one's life seems silly to me. Yet it is intriguing to consider our link with the stars and planets surrounding us. From the Big Bang, we are "made of stars" after all. The atoms that we're all made of were created through proton-proton fusion reactions in stars or supernova explosions. Maybe there is a link between our lives and the celestial bodies that alter our futures. However, if we are indeed influenced by our link to the stars it seems odd that we humans, who should also be linked in the same manner, can hardly relate to each other in an increasingly divided world.

Planetary Saturn (top); "Saturn" by Goya, 1820-1823 (bottom)

Regardless of ones belief in the Saturn return, the lyrics in "The Grudge" encourage a deeper and more fundamental interpretation. It's about trying to better yourself spiritually as a way to find peace in our lives. The song suggests that forgiving the insignificant grudges that we all accumulate during life and moving on will lead to the path of a higher sense of spirituality.

Hanging on to grievances and overanalysing the past is something that I'm very prone to do. I believe it has to do with me trying to understand what factors have conspired to create the undesirable parts of my personality, or those events which have corrupted the better qualities I once displayed. I miss the time when I was more tolerant, patient and less angry than I am now. Everything seemed, not easier or more carefree, but more peaceful. My hope was that by understanding how the problem came to be, this could lead to acceptance and even resolution of the problem.

But can self-enhancement, higher spirituality and inner peace arise from calculated reasoning? Perhaps the real issue stems from overthinking of the problem and maybe it's better to "let go" as the final words of the song suggest. Just let go. Such a simple command to write, but infinitely harder to accomplish. Seems like inner tranquility will remain elusive for me a while yet.

Looking on the bright side, if I don't succeed in this Saturn return, I've got another 30 or so years to prepare for the next Return. I'll just have to rely on the weekly horoscope to see what's in store for me until then.

"Give away the stone.
Let the oceans take and transmutate this cold and fated anchor.
Give away the stone.
Let the waters kiss and transmutate these leaden grudges into gold.
Let go."
The Grudge by Tool, from the Lateralus album.

Happy Birthday Ex-flatmate

Today is Ex-flatmates birthday, so happy b'day mate! Well technically it's tomorrow, but with the 14 hour time difference, I gave him a ring today and said g'day/wished him well using Skype. With free Skype to Skype calls and really cheap international calls, it's an awesome program for calling overseas, especially in my situation of only having the opportunity to call from a cell phone with expensive international rates. Wow, that reads as a cheesy ad for Skype, but you get the gist that I'm a fan. Even though it's only been a month, it was cool to chat to Ex-flatmate and catch-up on recent happenings, plus it's always nice to hear a familiar accent via +61.

I've known Ex-flatmate since high school (as with most of my close friends). We shared an apartment for around 2 years and have had countless adventures through our friendship. Ex-flatmate is one of those high-achievers who works unnaturally long hours in the ruthless corporate world, yet manages to be positive, cheerful and modest, plus he still manages to take time out from his commitments to hang out with his mates for a beer or a rock concert. A more decent, likeable bloke I couldn't imagine. Over the years, me, Ex-flatmate and The Scotsman have made a tradition of being the rock gig/music festival-attending trio, and some of the highlights of my last few months in Australia was moshing out to Tool and at the Big Day Out festival (where Tool was also headlining) on consecutive days at the end of January.

Big Day Out crowd 2007, by Matt Booy

The lineup at Big Day Out this year was stupendously superb and Tool and Muse rocked out completely, while Aussie bands like John Butler Trio, Expatriate and the few songs we caught from The Vines were also top notch. A significant number of young, shirtless, amazingly hot guys were a fitting accompaniment to the superb music; especially in tight, crowded situations, as in the mosh pit. I mean let's not beat around the bush, a music festival is 80% music, 20% pervfest, well for me it is. If you are a tourist in Sydney around late January and want to visually sample the most gorgeous guys (or girls) Australia has to offer, I strongly suggest trying to snag a ticket to the Big Day Out. A diverse range of music, a hedonistic mass of shirtless guys, beers, good mates and a sunny clear blue sky, need I say more?

But I digress, back to the birthday message, I hope the golf God's favour Ex-flatemate for his birthday round and that he has an overall awesome weekend off, despite being another year grayer :-). I know Ex-flatmate is a Star Wars fan and although it's not sold anymore, if I could mate, I would have sent this to you:


More vintage Star Wars stuff and the above image can be found here.