The harshness of reality and fantasy.

by Captain Walker

Categories: CW

This morning I’m moved by a very introspective and  investigative-of-the-human-condition blog  – or so I see it.  See: Remembering Cobain.

[And to be 200% clear I am not saying that the author wrote the blog with the angle that I see it, even if my perception is co-incidentally correct. This particular post comes with a strong disclaimer at the end.]

Idiots living in superficial land will find a song such as ‘Rape me’ offensive – please leave now.

Well, Remembering Cobain is probably not an easy read for most, cuz you gotta know something about Nirvana.

Shockingly for me as a long time fan of Nirvana music.

  1. I recall in 1996-1998 playing much Nirvana songs – and especially Smells like teen spirit (below).
  2. Crazily in retrospect, I was totally unaware that Cobain had died. This is similar my coming to knowledge of Rafferty.

In some ways I’m catching up – on the past! Chrysst!

So – I’ve been thinking a bit about Cobain’s unusual life and death. Drugs, chaos, suicide etc are not new to such artistes on the music circuit, or even among those in Hollywood circles. But I got to thinking, that perhaps.. perhaps.. their crazy lifestyles take them closer to reality. “What reality is that, if your brain is spaced out on drugs most of the time?”- I can expect those lacking in existential insight may ask. Sadly most are unaware of the explorations of consciousness that have been undertaken in controlled situations, by people under the influence of LSD (for example). And before I go any further – my mention of this is not to be taken that I am for or against such experiments.

Jennifer Ouellette spoke of her controlled exploration of consciousness and it’s demarcation from reality at 59.27min in SGU podcast of 16/11/2013 [Errrhh.. if you don’t know how to scroll through a podcast, Google and Youtube are your friends, not me. How many times do I have to say this!!?]. The issue is that altered states of mind may bring individuals closer to a reality that most do not experience – and yes, for sure it can also take people away from reality – well at least a reality as commonly experienced by most people in a ‘drug-free’ state. But for those who approach the existential vacuum in such induced altered states of mind, they come away with a profoundly different perspective on the world. It is as though a proportion, can never live normally again.  Some yearn to return to what they’ve experienced – rebellious against a hitherto ‘common’ or bland world.

Some singers and musicians get really really close to something about humanity. Well – yes – I know that many of them don’t write their songs. That’s an elementary point. The lyrics are there but it is the singer that brings it all alive by their particular intonations and emotional input. All that resonates with people out there.  I think it must be tough for some singers – they may not show the pressures on stage, but to the effort and the emotional price must be significant. [Same for actors who bring their roles in films alive]

So to sum up – I think that some singers are actually in touch with a reality that is very difficult for them. The pressure may bear on them and eventually they may crumble  – and die (a bit faster than the rest of us). Right – I don’t care if you agree or disagree. I just wanted to give my perspective, which could well be wrong.

Disclaimer: Because of the paranoid nature of human beings and a propensity to create meaning and then turn such meaning into fact, I need to assert that nothing in this blog shall be construed as stating or implying any support for altered states of consciousness induced by legal or illegal substances. The author does not support experimentation with altered states of mind, unless subject to the highest independent scientific controls and supervision, and that there is minimal risk – or those engaging in such research knowingly and freely submit themselves to such research with full awareness of the risks. The author strongly warns against anyone using drugs to explore consciousness or other states of mind.  Finally – being a fan of Nirvana music does not mean I worship any destructive or self-destructive values they may represent, in the minds of any body of people.


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