Today’s slow drag is with “Radio Silence,” from “When I was Cruel,” released in 2002. The songwriting is credited to Elvis Costello. There’s a distinct lack of vulnerability coursing through this stoic ballad that is just chilling. The medium of radio and record making has been a meta concept of Mr. Costello’s long before even “Radio, Radio” of course. So, either longingly, contemptuously, or indifferently, these references act as signposts of the technological trajectory this storied career has traversed. Signal fading, listen to what I'm saying Testing, testing This better be worth all of the breath I'm wasting Maintaining radio silence from now on Held together by the counseled-against present progressive grammar construction, this first verse is an -ing fest that sets the listener down right in the middle of the action. Six of the twenty five words in this verse, fading/saying/testing/testing/wasting/maintaining, use this construction to get us up to speed. The location of this signal, take note, is nevertheless left unstated. Barricaded in the talk radio station Hostage taken The red "On-Air" light shines on Something cheaper that passes for free speech will have to do The fading signal, the radio silence, it is revealed, is not from some distant vessel in distress, but from within a radio station itself; this sets us on a beautiful meta spiral. The term “radio silence” is a self-evident condition of dead air that is caused by an accident, or in order to hear distress signals, or to prevent the enemy from intercepting communication. In this last instance, it is said the Japanese Strike Force sent no radio messages until after Pearl Harbor had been set upon. In context, then, the distress is figurative, rather than literal, for the time being at any rate. The self-referential distain for endless interviews that likely subvert true sentiments is right there for the picking if we want to blur the line between the poet and the pen. Sometimes it’s just too obvious to ignore. However, just because it suggests a glimpse into the writer’s world, doesn’t mean that the veil will ever be lifted entirely. Hear him coming through loud and clear He's trickling in your ear He'll tell you anything you want to hear Tape starts running He's going to tell you something String starts strumming Another humdrum conundrum Signing off now Maintaining radio silence from now on But there's one thing I should have said "The hostage will end up dead" It's just a comedy The hostage is me I believe the technical term might be “buttering up the guest” just before the interview begins. It seems difficult to remain on this side of cynical given all the dog and pony shows Mr. Costello has been witness to and victim of. Here again we are swept away on the present progressive with rhymes falling all over themselves. Each of these words, running/strumming/maintaining, frame the quick hit of strumming/humdrum, and of course then falls into the buttery vat of humdrum/conundrum. Conundrum, a rock and roll word if there ever one was, yet it’s not many who would dare use it, let alone place it where it makes such an impact. In this fourth verse is the third mention of radio silence. The first reference was borne of fatigue. The second reference was a seemingly straightforward reporting of the facts. This third one sounds like a declaration. Swearing off these tedious interviews, perhaps. The ones that state Mr. Costello’s “aim is true,” before asking him who “Alison” is. Can you imagine the grace one must possess to go through these and other predictable questions over and again? The Chekov’s gun of the hostage mentioned in the second verse is now paid off in the fifth verse. What do you suppose it means when the statement, “the hostage will end up dead,” is placed in quotes? The reveal at the end that the hostage “is me” is not given such treatment. This goes back to what I mentioned earlier about how, just because it feels as if we’re glimpsing the Twilight World of the artist, doesn’t mean it’s not backstage glimpse. So, pay the ransom Beyond the run-out groove And get my wife down here A helicopter on the roof No police marksman Maintaining radio silence from now on Joining the familiar jargon of “reel-to-reel,” “flutter and wow,” and probably so many more meta references I fail to catch hanging about in Mr. Costello songs, the “run out groove” is another analog reference to the art of music making, in this case, vinyl. It’s the area at the end of the record’s final groove that is also known as the “dead wax” or the “matrix area.” While traditionally a place for master information, apparently there is a record engineer named George Peckham who is renowned for placing the motto “A Porky Prime Cut,” and other personalized inscriptions in this area. He is credited with inscribing a phone number on the runout groove of “This Year’s Model” that lucky winners could call to claim a limited edition signed photo of Mr. Costello. No word on how many photos were offered or claimed. For as many words found in this poet’s canon, words to refer to women, such as “wife” are used rather sparingly. “The World and his Wife,” the title of a song from “Punch the clock,” is a phrase borrowed from Jonathan Swift who coined it in 1738’s “Polite Conversation,” meaning a great many people. Other than these two appearances, I’m at a loss to think another instance. Are there any other examples? As for the fourth utterance of radio silence; it speaks of the numb desperation to flee this humdrum hostage situation. The demands. The risk of bodily harm. At least make it interesting. It’s all worth it, it seems, to threaten to go radio silent. Mystery voices Drowned out by too much choice That's not to mention The sad waste of this wonderful invention Maintaining radio silence from now on Libraries filled up with failed ideas There's nothing more for me there I trust in tender ink and gentle airs “The sad waste of this wonderful invention” that has turned to mere noise; biting the hand that feeds you, perhaps? And, also as mentioned, there is little vulnerability, even in the face of fleeing the scene, detected in his voice. Fearless in his writing, fearless in his deeds. Take, for instance, bemoaning the saturation of words that have already been written, but of course there is a new stunning phrase to wander around in. “I trust in tender ink and gentle airs.” I might be able to guess at the first layer of the tangled meaning found in this piece, yet I continue to rest assured there is so much more to it. Blissfully so. Do those drug dealers still polish women made of wax? Gangsters and world leaders Require the same protection from attack From a distance it's hard to tell the difference Between a king and jack then a poet and hack Maintaining radio silence from now on This fully formed, yet divergent ending verse, is tied together with the final threat of “maintaining radio silence from now on,” which trails on in almost a daydream like voice. It leaves the stage with a reminder, and perhaps an accusation. In short, he’s the master. As if we didn’t already know that. — Dig it Again, this has been a slow drag with “Radio Silence” from 2002’s “When I was Cruel.” It’s a piece that rounds out a truly masterful collection of self-reflection and other forms of obscure features of life. It uses a ballad format and the present progressive grammar construction to situate a story that might be within a story, or perhaps just a fleeting glimpse of a moment of work-a-day world dismay. And that’s it for today’s slow drag, my friend. Thank you for listening. Other gems from “When I was Cruel” you’ll enjoy a slow drag with are episodes 2, “You Only Wanted to Be Famous,” a slow drag with “Alibi,” episode 42, “A Creature of Habit,” a slow drag with “Tart,” episode 49, “Every Twisted Grudge,” a slow drag with “Soul for Hire,” and episode 63, “I’m Counting on You,” a slow drag with “My Little Blue Window.” So, until next time, adieu, my little ballyhoo. Show Notes: ---------------------- Appreciation written, produced, and narrated by Remedy Robinson, MA/MFA Twitter: https://twitter.com/slowdragremedy Email: [email protected] Podcast music by https://www.fesliyanstudios.com Rate this Podcast: https://ratethispodcast.com/slowdrag ---------------------- References: Elvis Costello Wiki Resource, “Radio Silence”: http://www.elviscostello.info/wiki/index.php/Radio_Silence “Radio Silence”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2CcSwea80dc (can’t find an official EC upload) “Radio Silence” Definition: https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/radio-silent-silence-meaning “Pearl Harbor” Strike Force radio silence”: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/01611190701313940?journalCode=ucry20 “The Secret History of messages etched into records”: https://thevinylfactory.com/features/secret-history-messages-etched-runout-groove/ “The World and His Wife” Origin: https://wordhistories.net/2020/04/22/world-and-his-wife/ Purchase “The Most Terrible Time in My Life…Ends Thursday” https://www.amazon.com/Most-Terrible-Time-Life-Thursday-ebook/dp/B07XLXS5PL/ref=sr_1_1?crid=Y4SGCT62WPEK&dchild=1&keywords=the+most+terrible+time+in+my+life+ends+thursday&qid=1608873405&sprefix=The+Most+Terrible+Time+in+%2Caps%2C195&sr=8-1 Comments are closed.
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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 |