Best Intentions

I accidentally overheard a radio playing Shiny Happy People by R.E.M (and just typing the name brought the fucking tune back into my head) and got to thinking about songwriter’s intentions.

Surely Michael Stipe and the boys didn’t intend for people to go on a bloodlust rampage, destroying everything in sight and then committing hari-kari with a sharpened toilet plunger, but that’s what I want to do when I hear that song. I’m pretty positive that R.E.M. did not want me to take out everyone inside a Briaz like a retarded hunter in a chicken coop.

I remember listening to Revolution 9 on The Beatles’ White Album while driving a lonely stretch of California road late, late at night. There’s a brief burst of a voice that I swear sounded like, “You’re gonna die!” and that was followed by maniacal laughter. It spooked me in a heavy, heavy way. If I remember correctly, I pulled over to have a cigarette and chill out – as I might have been a little high at the time… I remember thinking, “surely The Beatles didn’t mean to freak my shit out.”

But they probably did. That John was a fucker.

And this made me remember sitting around a second hand kitchen table in Southern California, listening to the above mentioned White Album and feeling the come on of some blotter acid. Revolution 9 began playing when Dave asked, “what the hell is this?”

“This is the song that drove Charlie Manson over the edge,” I replied.

And with the perfect slump and ‘now I’m fucked’ look on his face, Dave simply said, “great!”

I laughed for like 15 minutes.