Thursday, August 6, 2009

Dudley Saunders' unrecorded new song COUNT ZERO



A hot sleepless night in Los Angeles made me sit down and play this into the web-cam. I am slightly delirious, and I've only played the song at one gig so far. The song is cryptic, I've subtitled the video to help anyone who doesn't know the William Gibson novel novel that inspired it.

If you want to re-read:

A SILVER BABY SPOON SAWN IN HALF
A CRYSTAL STOPPER FROM A VIAL OF DRIED UP PERFUME
A FATHER WAVING IN A PHOTOGRAPH
ALL STARING AT ME IN THIS JUMBLED ROOM

ZERO OUT
THE COUNT
START IT OVER NOW
REMAINS REMAIN
BUT RE-ARRANGE
IN ME SOMEHOW
AND IN THESE BOXES

A BROKEN BIG-WHEEL
AND A SILK BOW-TIE
A PAGE OF HOMEWORK
RED WITH TEACHERS' MARKS
I'LL CUT THE OCEANS FROM EACH MAP I FIND
AND SPILL A SEA OF PILLS
OUT OF A JAR

BLANK DIARIES
A BENT CAR KEY
FILL A PICTURELESS
PICTURE FRAME
DISCARDED THINGS
RE-COMBINING
UNTIL THEY TELL THEIR NAME

AND IF MY FINGERS SNAG
YOUR JACKET SLEEVE
OR CATCH THE CORNERS
OF YOUR UNTUCKED SHIRT
A PIECE OF YOU WILL END UP
INTERWEAVED
WITHIN THE BOXES OF A FAMILY'S HURT

REPEAT FIRST CHORUS

I put in subtitles so you don't miss any of the lyrics.



"If you've forgotten, or I've never told you, this is part of a project I got obsessed with: to write an album of songs taken from novels. Nothing so new, since we all get secretly inspired by other art-works all the time, but I got interested in what would happen if I did it systematically. None of these songs are what you'd call adaptations - they're more like the child of the interaction/intercourse between the book and my own subconscious. I hope none of the novelists is outraged (for some reason, I imagine contempt from Martin Amis). But I'm up to my own trouble in these songs and not theirs.



If you haven't read William Gibson's COUNT ZERO, go get it quick. This song comes from a late chapter, and I'd be curious to hear how your reaction changes after you've read." - Dudley Saunders

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