I’ve always felt that too much attention, too much credence, is given to the term “writer’s block.”
Nearly every writing class I’ve taken has addressed this issue by asking the same question. “What do you do when you have writer’s block?” Not “if” but “when.” Invariably, the answers are predictable: clean the house, go for a walk, procrastinate in some form or fashion, or, sadly, give up entirely. In a similar vein: what time of day? Where? How many words do you set as your daily/monthly goal? Bright eyed organizational plans of action seem to become overtaken by excuses for not reaching a certain goal and for not being able to write at a certain place at a certain time. A more streamlined, helpful, and humane question posed by a well-intended professor, in my opinion, could be: “in addition to procrastination, arbitrary word count, and needing a specific place to work, what other ways do you invent and/or avoid self-sabotaging yourself as a writer?” Seriously, why resist these traditional and shared traits found across the entire writing spectrum, when leaning into them seems much more productive and far less self-flagellating? Some writers may respond well to pressure, to deadlines, and to other forms of impending catastrophe; I’ll give you that. But I do question if they were conditioned into it, or if it has come to them naturally. Speaking for myself, I’d rather feel excited about what I’m going to write, rather than hate myself for not having written it sooner. The house needed to be cleaned anyway, and, instead of wrestling with failure, my imagination is free to explore the recesses of my character’s psyche as I reorganize the closet or scrub the tub. This hasn’t always been my philosophy, of course. I had to go through a few bouts of traditional inferiority and self-sabotage before I realized that the core ingredient of the creative process doesn’t have to be undue pressure; but rather it can come from a place of kindness and encouragement. I know that sounds a bit Pollyanna-ish. But, consider: we have an entire world that’ll happily tear us to shreds. Why must we join in on their festivities in order to accomplish our goals? Getting angry with ourselves for cleaning the house instead of writing is the same as cursing our daily commute because we should be at work instead. The writing process doesn’t start when we sit down to type out our first words. Once, in a writing class, we were prompted to describe the house we grew up in. I wrote at length about old newspapers and how their ink starts to feel tacky as it rubs off on your fingers as you wrap dishes and glasses and place them in cardboard boxes. When pressed by the professor to write “about at least one room,” I went deeper about the tacky feeling and how there was nothing indelible about any place I’d lived. The smudged walls where blackened fingers had touched were easily washed clean, erasing all evidence of my time there. In addition to not being talked into writers block, I also firmly believe it’s equally as important to block out the low frequency hum of mediocrity that threatens our singular creative visions. Now, that’s the sort of “writer’s block” I can get behind. My name’s Remedy. This is an appreciation. This is an exploration of linguists, language, writing, and clever word play as framed by the peerless poetry of the modern day master, Elvis Costello. --- Dig it Today’s slow drag is with “Damnation’s Cellar,” from “The Juliet Letters,” released in 1993. The songwriting and musical arrangement is credited to Elvis Costello’s birth name. This is one of the very few songs on this album that is credited solely to Mr. Costello. Capitalizing upon the rare voice and string quartet combination, pairing Elvis Costello’s angelic voice with the lush sound of the Brodsky Quartet, “The Juliet Letters” was inspired by a newspaper article about an Italian academic who replied to real letters written to the fictional “Juliet Capulet.” This entire collaboration started with a simple prompt: write a letter. It can be any sort of letter: a love letter, a suicide note, a form letter, a chain letter, a letter of regret for not having written sooner. Did anybody notice over marmalade and eggs In between the Princess' legs What with wars and floods and beggars Not to mention stocks and shares Well, if you have a moment to spare Can you write and reassure me that I have seen That they're constructing a time machine And there will be no need for the obituary pages We can have any hero from the bygone ages 'Til the truth emerges, an argument rages From the liner notes, “Damnation’s Cellar” purports itself as a letter that is “a glimpse of a fantastic kind of immortality.” This helps explain the time machine’s purpose. No obituary pages, which connotes no future either. Just history relived again and again, maybe? Tell us more. As for the sheer poetry of that first stanza, please correct me if I’ve gotten this wrong, but what I hear is a flowing introduction that uses a sophisticated and restrained 10 line rhyme scheme of triplets that bookend couplets: aaa (eggs/legs/ and the slant rhyme of beggars) bb (share/spare) cc (seen/machine), and ddd (pages, ages, rages). This journeyman level of rhyme is augmented by its intrigue, its assertions, and its suspicion. In addition to the wonderful references in this piece, before he goes deeper into the story, the chorus becomes a reminder of the title, “damnation’s cellar.” The major and the minor turn from tallow into tar But it doesn’t just remind, it uses stunning syntactic symbolism to denote descending. Should we leave them in their place down in damnation's cellar? Amazing. We’ve just been walked down rickety basement stairs into the bowels of good intentions. Here the piece gets into the details of this immortality: When any form of deity that you might enjoy Can be conjured with a test-tube and a flame If it's out there then science can explain it Or at least remove the blame And if there is anyone you'd like to see again Then speak up quickly Send us back Da Vinci so we don't have to ponder The maddening smile of "La Giaconda" “Maddening smile” can only mean one painting, of course, but if Mona Lisa has a last name, how many other tidbits have I failed to ponder? I’m about to learn a couple more before this piece ends: The critics say Nijinsky, the dancer, of course While the punters would probably prefer the horse You’ll find it quicker than history, cheaper than divorce English to English translation: punter is British slang for a gambler, a risk taker, a customer, so the punter’s preference seems to be spot on in its assumption, especially when you consider that Nijinsky, the best male ballet dancer of the twentieth century, wasn’t the only Nijinsky referenced in these lines. The last Thoroughbred horse to have won Britain’s Triple Crown, Nijinsky, won it in 1970, an accomplishment that took 35 years to achieve; a feat that hasn’t been replicated since. Run at a longer distance over a longer span of time, makes the British version of the Triple Crown that much more difficult than the American version, making the feat that much more impressive. While that genius turn of phrase sinks in, let’s hear the gorgeous chorus again: The major and the minor turn from tallow into tar Should we leave them in their place down in damnation's cellar? Back in the list of time machine wishes: Bring back Liberace or Ollie and Stan Shakespeare will have to wait his turn Elvis Presley and Puccini shall return I suppose we live and learn Though it's hard to believe as we cheerfully burn The four lines that follow the first line that ends in a slant rhyme use straightforward rhyme: turn, return, learn, and burn. Yet, it’s so sophisticated that it seems to merit the expression of how the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Naming five heavy hitters is no mean feat to be sure. And, note yet another reference to “Elvis.” It's curious Some will call for justice, there are murders to solve What about Hitler? Or at least Lee Harvey Oswald Give us this day and everything we squander Anyone beautiful, somebody blonder They'll never please mankind, so lie back and enjoy it Stop press: They've just decided to destroy it There is so much to linger over here. Curious/justice is but a prelude to solve/Oswald, leveling off with squander/blonder, and again we have a word rhymed with itself, but with a twist: enjoy it/destroy it. With an honorable mention for the alliteration of “at least Lee Harvey.” And the subtle call back to confusion over which Mr. Oswald “Less Than Zero” floats in the Elvis Costello zeitgeist. All of this in an “aabbccdd” pattern. I’m in awe. The use of the truly horrifying and dated “lie back and enjoy it” drives home the immortality at a cost argument. You can have lunch with Italian Opera composer Puccini before hitting the theatre with Will, sure, but you might hear expressions and encounter attitudes that in the real world will hopefully be lost to history. The major and the minor turn from tallow into tar Should we leave them in their place down in damnation's cellar? This syntactic symbolism is a joy to behold. ---- Dig it Again, this has been a slow drag with “Damnation’s Cellar” from 1993’s, “The Juliet Letters.” Spawned from a writing prompt, what a paragon of form and function, of poetry in its purest form, with an angelic voice and lush instrumentation that fills it out to be assessable in the world of popular culture. I’m still in awe of Nijinsky and the ease with which the dancer and the horse are compared so effortlessly. The structure, the alliteration, the truth, the lies, and the fanciful thinking about what it means to live forever. It means living in the past, if this is any indication. This is but one interpretation, of course. With each slow drag with what I thought was familiar material, I continue to learn and gain deeper insight. What a joy. I’ve noticed what looks like Elvis Costello singing with his eyes closed. I imagine he’s composing new songs while singing existing songs. To quote the coolest man ever, “What’s he building in there?” Thank you so very much for finding this appreciation, this exploration of linguists, of language, and masterful poetry, all framed by the peerless poetry of the modern day master, Elvis Costello.
Show Notes:
---------------------- Appreciation written, produced, and narrated by Remedy Robinson, MA/MFA Twitter: https://twitter.com/slowdragremedy Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/slow_drag_with_remedy/ Email: [email protected] Podcast music by https://www.fesliyanstudios.com Rate this Podcast: https://ratethispodcast.com/slowdrag ---------------------- References: Elvis Costello Wiki Resource, “Damnation’s Cellar” http://www.elviscostello.info/wiki/index.php/Damnation%27s_Cellar People write to Juliet Caplet: http://www.elviscostello.info/wiki/index.php/The_Juliet_Letters_(1993)_liner_notes Rhyme Scheme: https://www.creative-writing-now.com/rhyme-schemes.html https://literarydevices.net/rhyme-scheme/ Thank you to Comeron Mazafair @world_on_a_wire for his help with linguistic terminology. Punter slang definition: https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/punter Mona Lisa’s Last Name (sometimes questioned) https://www.wga.hu/html_m/l/leonardo/04/1monali.html English Triple Crown: https://www.britannica.com/sports/Triple-Crown-British-horse-racing Nijinsky, the crowd favorite triple crown winner: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/racing/greatest-derby-winners/nijinsky-epsom-1970-profile/ So, until next time, Adieu, my little ballyhoo Comments are closed.
|
AboutSlow Drag with Remedy is an Elvis Costello podcast appreciation. It's an exploration of linguistics, language, poetry, and clever wordplay as framed by the peerless poetry of the modern-day master, Elvis Costello. Slow Drag by Song
Poor Napoleon Alibi Church Underground The Big Light Georgie and Her Rival Joe Porterhouse No Hiding Place 20% Amnesia All This Useless Beauty Let Him Dangle King of Thieves Damnation's Cellar Stripping Paper Pidgin English Riot Act Bedlam The Quickening Art Luxembourg Chemistry Class Living in Paradise My Mood Swings Waiting for the End of the World Little Atoms Two Little Hitlers Crimes of Paris You Tripped at Every Step Needle Time Men Called Uncle Peace in Our Time The Loved Ones I Almost Had a Weakness Our Little Angel Invasion Hit Parade Turpentine Miracle Man A Voice in the Dark The Greatest Thing Satellite Hand in Hand Clubland Tart Glitter Gulch Stations of the Cross Science Fiction Twin Possession This Sad Burlesque Flutter and Wow Soul for Hire After the Fall Blue Chair Monkey to Man Mouth Almighty Watch Your Step ...This Town... Distorted Angel Worthless Thing No Dancing Miss Macbeth Charm School Poor Fractured Atlas Brilliant Mistake My Little Blue Window Suspect My Tears Coal Train Robberies Fish 'n' Chip Papers I Hope You're Happy Now Man Out of Time 13 Steps Lead Down Go Away Sweet Pear The Name of This Thing is Not Love Jimmie Standing in the Rain The Deportees Club The Birds Will Still Be Singing Starting to Come to Me Pay It Back Five Small Words Pretty Words Radio Silence Human Hands Night Rally I'll Wear It Proudly Motel Matches Drum and Bone Harpies Bizarre Nothing Clings Like Ivy Why Won't Heaven Help Me Next Time 'Round The River in Reverse A Room with No Number Clown Strike The Invisible Man My Most Beautiful Mistake All the Rage The Town Where Time Stood Still Episode of Blonde e of Blonde No Flag A Slow Drag with Josephine That Bridge I Burned Sour Milk Cow Blues You Little Fool Spooky Girlfriend Suit of Lights There's a Story in Your Voice Dishonor The Stars The Other Side of Summer Mischievous Ghost They're Not Laughing at Me Now White Knuckles Honey, Are You Straight or Are You Blind? Black and White World The World and His Wife
God's Comic The First to Leave Green Shirt The Man You Love to Hate Lip Service American Gangster Time Blame It on Cain The Spell That You Cast Lipstick Vogue The Difference Stella Hurt Tears before Bedtime |