tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2367859846495854541.post5565709356333486218..comments2009-05-31T23:22:20.551-04:00Inverarityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09838650110847975337noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2367859846495854541.post-36059144839153127982009-05-31T23:22:20.551-04:002009-05-31T23:22:20.551-04:00Hey, you can't sail on a river! I have no idea what Cale was going with the fishermen bit and the landlocked states. <br /><br />Not sure he did either. This is a song I'm content to leave in mystery. It reminds me of all the wonderful art and thought that has come from the idea of the <I>stultifera navis</I>: <A HREF="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ship_of_Fools_(satire)" REL="nofollow">Brant's satire, Durer's woodcuts for it</A>, <A HREF="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ship_of_Fools_(painting)" REL="nofollow">Bosch's amazing painting</A>, Porter's stultifying novel, Foucault's wanky misrepresentations of history, and Brian Eno's take on the same subject on the Cale collaboration <I>Wrong Way Up</I>. On which more hereafter.<br /><br />MotA refers to my reading the Porter novel, which was indeed partly inspired by an addiction to this song. But I was also interested in the subject matter and in seeing if I could conquer that unending, plotless novel of pointless on-ship intrigues by a large number of detestable characters. I did, at no small cost to myself. It has no relevance to this song. However, the first chapter is awfully reminiscent of <A HREF="http://blog.fragmentsofcale.net/2008/11/sudden-death.html" REL="nofollow">Sudden Death</A>...Inverarityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09838650110847975337noreply@blogger.com