May 21, 2008
I Just, You Know . . .
I can't figure out where Peter Gabriel was going with this.
Can anyone decipher that one?
It's just . . . opaque.
This is clearly a variant of the Incomprehensible Englishman syndrome first identified in 1968 with the release of Procul Harum's Whiter Shade of Pale. The symptoms are a state of cognitive disassociation and confusion followed by regret for having wasted valuable time listening, sometimes repeatedly, to musical doggerel with no sense, meaning or hook. In Mr. Gabriel’s case it is less a case of what the fuck is he saying as why the fuck is he saying it.
It is similar to Incomprehensible Welshman Syndrome associated with Dylan Thomas (Not to be confused with Incomprehensible Bob Dylan Syndrome, a whole different and deeper kettle of fish!), Incomprehensible Irishmen Syndrome which spans a spectrum of disciplines, personalities and genres too numerous for citation and Incomprehensible Scotsman Syndrome which includes all Scotsmen regardless of age or gender and their apparel or lack there of. Currently the only population of the British Islands free of the curse appears to be the Manx although this may be because no one knows they exist although examples have been known to mutter a kind of Gaelic pig Latin and claim it was intelligible speech. In all cases it is a matter of actions that at first, second and third glance appear foolish, followed by an opening of the mouth and speaking words that proves the point.
Without parsing Mr. Gabriel's words too closely he is apparently suggesting we jump in the water and kiss a somewhat anthropomorphic frog. The frog seems to retain memories and sense of identity from a past existence as a high-caste human judging by his references to royal blood while exhibiting the outward characteristics of the familiar amphibian: webbed feet, slimy skin and large bulbous eyes positioned on top of a large primitive skull. Of course this describes the current royal family as well, although I doubt that if you found one lying in a pond you'd be inclined to kiss it or even lick its back for the dubious pleasure of the psychedelic kick you could achieve by ingesting their mucosa.
The literature (Herder's Symbol Dictionary, The Golden Bough, etc. see also my Wikipedia entry) is clear the frog is a transitive creature associated with re-birth and resurrection as is just about everything else in ancient myth and legend. Mr. Gabriel has obviously visited the Royal Mausoleum at Frogmore one too many times and identifies with Albert the Prince Consort of Saxe-Cogberg-Gotha whom he styles a “Frog Prince” and thus worthy of re-birth and the mantle of hero as Joseph Campbell and other intellectual frauds have maundered about. Or he has heard "Froggy goes a Courtin" and decided to pep it up a bit and failed.
I hope this answers your question.
Wikipedia entry on you, or on froggies?
I am sorry. You are completely right, I misunderstood the question. I meant to respond to the question of whether Henry and Clover Adams were at least as influential as Gomez and Morticia, but I digress.
Dick Cheney, through common ancestry with Henry Squires, is part of that Adams political family. As are Millard Fillmore, William Howard Taft, and Calvin Coolidge. And shouldn't we start with Samuel and Mary Fifield Adams (parents of Sam Adams), or even further back, rather than Henry and Clover (1838)? And is it true that Henry suffered a stroke upon learning of the sinking of the Titanic because he had tickets for the return trip from the US to Europe? Were they nonrefundable?
"Let the issues be the issue.
About Joy W. McCann: I've been interviewed for Le Monde and mentioned on Fox News. I once did a segment for CNN on "Women and Guns," and this blog is periodically featured on the New York Times' blog list. My writing here has been quoted in California Lawyer. I've appeared on The Glenn and Helen Show. Oh—and Tammy Bruce once bought me breakfast.
My writing has appeared in The Noise, Handguns, Sports Afield, The American Spectator, and (it's a long story) L.A. Parent. This is my main blog, though I'm also an alumnus of Dean's World, and I help out on the weekends at Right Wing News.
My political philosophy is quite simple: I'm a classical liberal. In our Orwellian times, that makes me a conservative, though one of a decidedly libertarian bent.
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