{"id":91796,"date":"2018-04-24T11:31:24","date_gmt":"2018-04-24T11:31:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.3ammagazine.com\/3am\/?p=91796"},"modified":"2018-05-08T15:17:54","modified_gmt":"2018-05-08T15:17:54","slug":"cherubs-zeros-glass-children-swans-symbolism-in-lyrics-of-the-smashing-pumpkins","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.3ammagazine.com\/3am\/cherubs-zeros-glass-children-swans-symbolism-in-lyrics-of-the-smashing-pumpkins\/","title":{"rendered":"Cherubs, Zeros, Glass Children & Swans – Symbolism in Lyrics of The Smashing Pumpkins"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Guy Mankowski.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\n
\n

The first line on the Smashing Pumpkins debut album Gish<\/em> is \u2018I am one \/ as you are<\/span> three.’ If we can draw an <\/span>analogy between the progression of the <\/span>band’s output with the idea of an artistic <\/span>journey, this is a notable opening line in a couple of respects<\/span>.<\/span> Firstly in respect of <\/span>Corgan having described Gish<\/em> as an album \u2018about spiritual ascension’<\/span>. Secondly, because<\/span> th<\/span>e broad concept of Corgan in relation to split identities<\/span> (an idea later resu<\/span>med in his <\/span>persona of <\/span>\u2018<\/span>Zero<\/span>‘<\/span> <\/span>and the resulting persona of \u2018<\/span>Glass<\/span>‘) <\/span>is <\/span>established right away. Thirdly, this opening line echoes <\/span>the Christian<\/span> concept of the Holy Trinity, which in turn <\/span>mirror<\/span>s<\/span> the <\/span>ancient <\/span>notion of \u2018Yod He Vau He’ a<\/span>s repeated in late track ‘Quasar’<\/span>.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

Yod He Vau He<\/span> <\/span>(with its similarity to the term \u2018Yahweh’)<\/span> is<\/span> <\/span>widely <\/span>considered<\/span> the most ancient name for the Universal Spirit. It is also a representation of the Universal Law, and a representation o<\/span>f the universal law of polarities<\/span>. <\/span>Within the<\/span> Kabbalistic tradition <\/span>(itself a derivation of Judaism) <\/span>the Yod represents the positive, the first He represents the negative (or void). Vau is the meeting of the Yod and He,<\/span> or<\/span> the place of interplay between these two principles. This<\/span> comprises an<\/span> <\/span>ultimate principle of existence, which <\/span>can be compared with the idea of the Holy Trinity or the Three. <\/span><\/p>\n

Given the introducti<\/span>on of <\/span>religious<\/span> imagery on the opening line of the Smashing Pumpkins’ debut album<\/span>, it is notable then that the Sm<\/span>ashing Pumpkins’ artwork would go on to repeatedly use corresponding <\/span>religious<\/span> imagery. <\/span><\/p>\n

Given <\/span>that Corgan’s personal philosophy <\/span>combines elem<\/span>ents of Buddhism and Catholicism<\/span> it seems reasonable to examine this imagery <\/span>using <\/span>esoteric<\/span> definitions of symbolism<\/span>. <\/span>The eclectic<\/span> nature of his beliefs is suggested in the title of the Smashing Pumpkins’ B-side collection Pisces Iscariot<\/em>, combining as it does astrological and religious references.<\/span> A neat summary of Corgan’s personal philosophy is difficult to achieve, given his reflexive openness, <\/span>but it includes<\/span> a belief in multi-dimensional existences and ill-defined p<\/span>henomena such as psychic attack (f<\/span>or instance, in a 2018 interview with Howard Stern, Corgan related his encounter with a shape-shifting individual who he reported as metamorphosing in his presence and then acknowledging having done that.<\/span>)<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The band’s second album, Siamese Dream<\/em>, has on its fro<\/span>nt cover two young girls who<\/span> the back sleeve <\/span>explicitly<\/span> reveals<\/span> are angels.<\/span><\/p>\n

The album’s<\/span> opening track is <\/span>also <\/span>entitled \u2018Cherub Rock.’ <\/span>A<\/span>ngels, as well as symbolising within<\/span> Christianity messengers of God, are within the Tarot <\/span>system <\/span>representative of <\/span>messages<\/span>.<\/span> <\/span>Surrounding ca<\/span>rds in a T<\/span>arot reading are said to<\/span> point to the divine message that the recipient is intended<\/span> to receive. So what is the message Corgan is <\/span>on some level <\/span>hoping to transmit on Siamese Dream<\/em>? <\/span><\/p>\n

If Gish<\/em> was about spiritual ascension, Siamese Dream<\/em> seems dedicated to the purpose of expressing inner pain that<\/span> has previously<\/span> been a source of shame. In the Smashing Pumpkins’ documentary Graceful Swans of Never<\/em> Corgan s<\/span>peaks of his abusive childhood. Corgan has spoken of how this abuse led to obsessive-compulsive behaviour, suicidal thoughts, self-injury and enforced sleep deprivation. He added that<\/span> \u2018as an abused child your confidenc<\/span>e to express yourself is so low.’ He then goes<\/span> on to explain how<\/span> Siamese Dream<\/em> was the result of his courageous decision to express the hidden <\/span>anguish<\/span> of his childhood<\/span>. The \u2018message’ denoted by this angelic imagery could, therefore, be of the possibility <\/span>of <\/span>transcending <\/span>pain by expressing <\/span>it.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n

It is possible that the children on the cover are intended to resemble Corgan therefore, especially given his tendency to use female characters as mouthpieces, which is discussed later. <\/span>Adding to thi<\/span>s <\/span>possibility<\/span>, the Cherub in Taro<\/span>t sym<\/span>bolises four basic virtues – to <\/span>Know<\/span>, to Will, to Dare and to be S<\/span>ilent<\/span> (which Corgan felt pressured to be regarding his abuse)<\/span>. <\/span>Furthermore, t<\/span>he final track <\/span>of the album <\/span>\u2018Lunar’, appropriates the imagery of the moon, which in Tarot resembles \u2018the mothering principle, nurture, home and family.’ Give<\/span>n the preceding track \u2018Spaceboy<\/span>‘ <\/span>concerned<\/span> the plight of Corgan’s <\/span>brother<\/span>, who has special needs<\/span>, it is<\/span> notable that an album arguably <\/span>about overcoming spiritual pain should end <\/span>firmly <\/span>rooted in the symbolism of the family. <\/span><\/p>\n

In an interview with Jenniffer Weigel for the series \u2018I’m Spiritual Dammit’ Corgan explained his own view of emotional healing. Whilst it did not explicitly implicate art it showed a less binary view than simply the motivation to turn negative into positive. Corgan said;<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2018The healing point is where you translate those [personal] stories to the point where they no longer have an emotional punch to them\u2026 they’re as important to you as \u2018hey I went to the Cubs game and I saw this an amazing game and oh this thing happened to me when I was a kid and it was really awful\u2026 it doesn’t define you emotionally any more\u2026.’<\/span><\/p>\n

The fact that Corgan is a Cubs fan and did have awful things happen to him as a <\/span>child seems revealing. He added:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2018I<\/span>f you can reach that point in your emotional connection to your past that means you’ve actually accomplished something because your past is not defining your present and your future… you do actually ha<\/span>ve to examine your past and you<\/span> have to examine your experiences and your role<\/span> in it to heal but once you do<\/span> heal they don’t have the same value they once did nor should they.’<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

So to him, catharsis or growth does not come in the form of turning bad into good, through art or otherwise, but instead through re-examining your emotional connection with the stories you tell yourself about your life. <\/span><\/p>\n

The cherub<\/span> theme returns in the Smashing Pumpkins’<\/span> work notably<\/span> on their <\/span>following <\/span>double album <\/span>Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness<\/em> (<\/span>MATIS<\/span><\/em>)<\/span>. On the front cover<\/span> of the album, foregrounded in the CD and <\/span>cassette<\/span> version<\/span> a celestial female, with an <\/span>expression of divine rapture, is riding<\/span> the vehicle of a star<\/span> against a backdrop of moons<\/span>. <\/span>In the video for lead single \u2018Tonight, Tonight’, the aesthetics of French illusionist <\/span>Georges M \u00e9li\u00c3\u00a8s<\/span> are appropriated in a video in which a couple undertake another,<\/span> startling, <\/span>journey<\/span> through the cosmos<\/span>. <\/span>In it, the Pumpkins play a kind of celestial Greek chorus, appearing as flickering apparitions on a cloud, as if offering commentary on the couple’s emotional journey, as narrated through the song. This voyage requires them to battle aliens with umbrellas and take joint leaps of faith<\/span>, as well as witness beautiful underwater spectacles<\/span>. Corgan here is not the adventurer, but rather an omniscient narrator describing the nature of it.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n

The <\/span>album<\/span> <\/span>track \u2018Cupid De Locke’ furthers <\/span>utilises<\/span> <\/span>t<\/span>he imagery of a cherub in lyric as well as visual form, with Cupid using its arrows to stimulate<\/span> love<\/span>. <\/span>Corgan’s description of the album in the vinyl’s liner notes focuses on the aesthetic symbolic level. I<\/span>n Corgan’s words, \u2018I sought some refuge by writing whimsically as well; finding solace in twirling parasols and the extant, lingering passions of the Belle <\/span>\u00c3\u2030poque<\/span>.’ <\/span><\/p>\n

Of<\/span> the track<\/span> <\/span>\u2018<\/span>Porcelina Of The Vast Oceans<\/span>‘<\/span>, Corgan<\/span> is more open to a <\/span>psychoanalytic<\/span> interpr<\/span>etation of his work in the post-<\/span>Freudian tradition. He notes that<\/span> \u2018vague allusions to mythic tides and sinking ships seemed only to enhance the unconscious feelings within. Carl Jung would be proud!’ More thoughtfully, he added, \u2018there is something perfect about not fussing over everything too much, letting <\/span>synchronicity<\/span> be a teacher and guide to the stars.’ Here, his appropriation of Jung’s term<\/span> \u2018<\/span>synchronicity<\/span>‘<\/span> magnifies the imp<\/span>ortance of coincidence and the idea that<\/span> events can be meaningfully related without being causally connected. <\/span>Corgan validates this as an interpretive method.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The MATIS<\/em> track, and single <\/span>\u2018<\/span>Thirty-Three<\/span>‘ is notable for the repeated symbolic use of the number three. The song<\/span> contains the <\/span>evocative line<\/span> \u2018mysteries not ready to reveal,’ <\/span>thereby <\/span>giving the track a kind of <\/span>resonance which<\/span>, if Corgan’s insights into his artistic process are to be believed, may be beyond even<\/span> his comprehension<\/span>. <\/span><\/p>\n

In a Q&A following the New York screening of his <\/span>2017 film Pillbox<\/em> Corgan<\/span> described himself<\/span>,<\/span> when he writes as having \u2018something speak through me’ with him acting as \u2018a filter for information coming from somewhere else’. He added \u2018it seems to me in a sensory way I’m having an experience of an othe<\/span>r, an other speaking through me;<\/span> call it nature, call it love, call it wisdom, call it ancestral DNA\u2026 I feel my job is almost custodial.’ Having acknowledged the<\/span> possibility this experience could be<\/span> psychot<\/span>ically generated he then evokes meditative<\/span> or liminal states of the type described by <\/span>spiritual <\/span>practitioners<\/span> in the Hindu <\/span>or Yogic <\/span>tradition. He describes<\/span> how he has no recollection of having written certain songs.<\/span><\/p>\n

The track <\/span>\u2018<\/span>Thirty-Three<\/span>‘<\/span> also contains the<\/span> unusual line<\/span> \u2018<\/span>graceful swans of never’ <\/span>and<\/span> the imagery of the swan is interesting given the line about \u2018mysteries not ready to reveal.’ In the Tarot<\/span> tradition<\/span>, the <\/span>Ace of Cups card represents the Swan<\/span>. <\/span>The <\/span>Swan spirit embraces beauty and grace [one interpretation of which is <\/span>of \u2018<\/span>acceptance<\/span>‘ of the future<\/span>] as part of life. <\/span>The swan symbolises an ability to \u2018<\/span>see into the future and to enter into higher vibrational planes of existence.’<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n

This <\/span>song could, therefore, <\/span>be argued to denote <\/span>Corgan’s subconscious appreciation that in time unresolved mysteries will be concluded and that on some level he has <\/span>an awareness<\/span> that <\/span>the individual will access in the future higher planes of consciousness and realisation<\/span>.<\/span> His awareness of this interpretation seems moot given the above insight into his <\/span>songwriting<\/span> process. <\/span><\/p>\n

Supporting this interpretation, when considering<\/span> this song<\/span> Corgan said<\/span>, \u2018there is a moment where you feel alright knowing where you will land; knowing that by standing at a crossroads you invite whatever conclusion may come.’ <\/span><\/p>\n

The video for \u2018Thirty-Three’ elaborates some of Corgan’s stylistic tropes. The celestial being on the cover from the album is reproduced as a woman, and a cast of angels and anguished ballerinas seem to stand as visual proxy for Corgan, given the first person narration of the song. <\/span><\/p>\n

Later on in the record, the track \u2018<\/span>By Starlight<\/span>‘ evokes<\/span> the celestial creature on the cover of the album. The Star card in Tarot is an important card for personal transformation, representing new ideas and growth. Given the exponential musical growth<\/span> of the Smashing Pumpkins on this bestselling<\/span> album, this symbolism seems coincide<\/span>ntal at the very least<\/span>. Whereas <\/span>their <\/span>previous albums had <\/span>revolved a<\/span>r<\/span>ound<\/span> composition<\/span>s mainly using the <\/span>bass,<\/span> drums, guitar, and vocal set up<\/span><\/span>, MATIS<\/em> saw Corgan lear<\/span>ning a range of new instruments. Here he<\/span> incorp<\/span>orated<\/span> synths, zithers, and various other devices<\/span> to push the musical envelope<\/span>. <\/span>The album itself opens with a vocal-less piano and st<\/span>ring-<\/span>led piece, therefore serving<\/span> as a <\/span>strident <\/span>reaction to the heavier, grungier sound <\/span>previously<\/span> <\/span>associated with the band. The idea of development on this album seems played out too in the titles of both sides of the record which denote the <\/span>development of morning to night. They are titled<\/span> <\/span>\u2018<\/span>Dawn to Dusk<\/span>‘<\/span> and <\/span>\u2018<\/span>Twilight to Starlight<\/span>‘<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

During the MATIS<\/em> era, Corgan made a conscious decision to negate his personality<\/span>, as a reaction to the pressures of fame<\/span>. \u2018I’ll shave my head, and write Zero across my chest,’ he sai<\/span>d [to paraphrase]<\/span> thereby spawning the image Corgan<\/span> would become m<\/span>ost readily associated with<\/span>. <\/span><\/p>\n

Tracks <\/span>on MATIS<\/em> echoed this sentiment<\/span>, with the track \u2018Zero’ containing the line <\/span>\u2018God is empty <\/span>\/ <\/span>just like me’<\/span>. In the liner notes for the album, Corgan mentioned how this<\/span> line<\/span> led people to try to come up to him, <\/span>\u2018trying their best <\/span>t<\/span>o<\/span> convert me to a God and <\/span>Saviour<\/span> I was already sold on’<\/span>. So if Corgan’s seeming<\/span> nihilism did not truly relate to an atheistic belief then where did it stem from? An argument can be made that it was more a reflection of Corgan’s sense of emotio<\/span>nal devastation. As Corgan revealed, the track \u2018<\/span>Here Is No Why<\/span>‘ had a<\/span> title<\/span> \u2018appropriated from an article [he’d]<\/span> read on an anniversary of the world’s first <\/span>nuclear<\/span> attacks. A <\/span>survivor, surve<\/span>ying a legacy of near-total devastation, had remarked in broken English that \u2018here is no why.’ Looki<\/span>ng at the twisted remnants of [his]<\/span> own child<\/span>hood memories, [he]<\/span> felt a similar sense of loss.’ <\/span>On this record, the idea of de<\/span>velopment and celestial travel<\/span> sits alongside a personal bland of nihilism that, on closer investigation, is not <\/span>religious<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n

The band’s fourth album Adore<\/em><\/span> <\/span>eschewed Gish<\/em>‘s <\/span>principle <\/span>ideas of spiritual ascension and MATIS<\/em>‘s preoccupation with development<\/span>, for an immersion into overtly<\/span> <\/span>gothic aesthetics. <\/span>When asked in an interview where such <\/span>imagery<\/span> came from, Corgan answered that as a child he had \u2018read to<\/span>o<\/span> much Edgar Allen Poe.’ But the symbolic use of the gothic tropes on this album is significant.<\/span><\/p>\n

The gothic movement<\/span>, in terms of the musical subculture,<\/span> is striking for its use of the negation both in visual landscapes, as well as in soundscapes. As Charles Allen Mueller wrote (with reference to The Cure’s records) \u2018The fragmented nature of the imagery helps relay a gothic sense of disintegration.’ One of The Cure’s most famous records was in fact titled <\/span>Disintegration<\/span><\/em>, <\/span>with the band’s singer, Robert Smith, portrayed amongst a backdrop of shadowed, wilting and decaying vegetation on the cover. In fitting with <\/span>the <\/span>Goth<\/span> preoccupation for Victoriana this cover fitted comfortably within the aesthetic palette of crumbling castles, mist, candlesticks and ever-present darkness- all visual cues associated with this movement.<\/span> Comparably, A<\/em><\/span>dore<\/em> contains within its colour-<\/span>drained artwork a stark shot of the band, dressed in Victorian clothing, climbing a hill to a skeletal looking tree. <\/span>These features allow the album to fit neatly into the gothic tradition. <\/span>So to does the use of female protagonists as sites for the artist to explore emotional pain through. The acknowledgement of the gothic work of <\/span>Daphne d<\/span>u Maurier in the protagonist of the track \u2018Daphne Descends’ is noted. So too is the<\/span> fact that d<\/span>u Maurier’s protagonists inhabited the type of windswept settings depicted in the album’s artwork. <\/span><\/p>\n

Corgan’s lyrics show a tendency for him to use female characters with evocative, literary names as sites of personal and thematic meaning<\/span>. One track off MATIS<\/em> is even entitled \u2018Through The Eyes Of Ruby.’<\/span> Names such as Starla, Porcelina, Ava, Czarina, and Daphne recur in his work. Within the musical context of the time, he was not alone in this respect. Possibly continuing a tradition established by Kate Bush, in her 1998 album<\/span> <\/span>Is<\/span> This Desire?<\/span><\/em> PJ Harvey would use female characters such as \u2018Catherine de Barra’ as emotional canvases wi<\/span>thin similarly gothic settings.<\/span><\/p>\n

Corgan’s description of the album was that it was \u2018made by broken toys, for broken people.’ The death of keyboardist Jonathan Melvoin, Corgan’s<\/span> recent<\/span> divorce, and the breakup of the relationship between guitarist James Iha and D’a<\/span>rcy Wretsky all offered ample explanation<\/span> for this emotional backdrop. <\/span><\/p>\n

Furthermore, the musical relationship of the band was disintegrating, with drummer Jimmy Chamberlain having been sacked for drug use. Deprive<\/span>d of the band’s powerhouse drummer, Adore <\/span>eschew<\/span>ed<\/span> overdriven music, which fitted into the realms of grun<\/span>ge or metal, in favour of piano-<\/span>led, acoustic songs such as <\/span>\u2018For Martha’, which detail<\/span>ed Corgan’s<\/span> grief over his mother’s death.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n

But within this new <\/span>aesthetic <\/span>palette <\/span>was also room for darker devices, reflecting the tone<\/span> of the album sleeve. <\/span>Tracks like<\/span> \u2018Shame’ and \u2018<\/span>Daphne Descends<\/span>‘<\/span> utilise drones, to give Flood’s ornate, layered production<\/span> a sense of dense layering. Flood’s production<\/span> evokes moods that are at once claustrophobic<\/span> <\/span>and expansive. In the album’s single \u2018Perfect’ the glacial production and clea<\/span>n guitars offer<\/span> a backdrop to a <\/span>painful lyric concerned with Corgan c<\/span>omin<\/span>g to terms with a breakup. T<\/span>he clashing gu<\/span>itars in \u2018Daphne Descends’ <\/span>sit behind the chorus<\/span>es words; \u2018You love him’. But they <\/span>sound far from romantic,<\/span> instead<\/span> evoking an approaching emotional storm. <\/span><\/p>\n

In his consideration of the <\/span>g<\/span>oth<\/span> genre in England is Mine – Pop Life in Albion from Wilde to Goldie<\/em> Michael Bracewell<\/a> focuses on The Cure and the unr<\/span>esolved trauma of their music. He defined<\/span> the <\/span>g<\/span>oth<\/span> movement as one in which \u2018there is the continued, or even obsessi<\/span>ve denial of a formative trauma.’ This is a salient<\/span> observation given that Corgan drew parallels between his childhood and the <\/span>documentary <\/span>description of <\/span>nuclear<\/span> fallout. Bracewell would go on t<\/span>o draw parallels between the urban architecture of suburbia and T<\/span>he Cure’s songs, which he unflatteringly described as a \u2018musical expression of suburbia itself; a dense and repetitious sound, carrying a mesmeric dirge\u2026’ The nine minute<\/span>s of repetitive music in the Adore<\/em> track \u2018Shame’ (<\/span>itself an unresolved trauma<\/span>,<\/span> with Corgan <\/span>ending the track <\/span>addressing someone who \u2018made us cry’<\/span>) comes to mind following Bracewell’s description. If Adore<\/em><\/span> did not contain <\/span>many dirges, it <\/span>d<\/span>id contain<\/span> more drones, repetition, Victorian imagery and stark colouring than any of Corgan’s previous work. <\/span>The thematic idea of celestial development has given way to a gothic sense of unresolved pain, itself a state in which the artist and<\/span> listen<\/span>e<\/span>r<\/span> languish and co-exist<\/span> in beautiful, disintegrating denial. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

For the Smashing Pumpkins fifth album, Machina \/ Machin<\/em><\/span>es of God<\/em> a concept was created to tie the songs together. However, with the band’s <\/span>line-up<\/span> disintegrating <\/span>throughout the recording process the result<\/span>ing album felt <\/span>a little unrealised. <\/span>It is worth noting however that the distancing effect the album was criticised for having from the listener was, according to Corgan, intended. <\/span><\/p>\n

Corgan <\/span>conceived <\/span>a story <\/span>revolving around a rock star named Zero (based on the public persona of Corgan)<\/span>. An early premise <\/span>regarding the album <\/span>was for the members of the band to all similarly <\/span>caricature themselves throughout the<\/span> touring duties. \u2018Zero’, whose relationship with Corgan <\/span>is obvious<\/span>, <\/span>hears <\/span>the voice of God <\/span>and renames himself Glass. He then also <\/span>renames<\/span> his band <\/span>\u2018<\/span>The Machines of God<\/span>‘<\/span>.<\/span> <\/span>Within this narrative, fans of the band <\/span>are <\/span>referred to as the \u2018<\/span>Ghost Children<\/span>.’<\/span><\/p>\n

In the track<\/span> ‘Glass And The Ghost Children’ <\/span>dialogue from<\/span> Billy Corgan’s therapy sessions<\/span> <\/span>is <\/span>spliced in<\/span>to the audio. Corgan is heard saying<\/span>; \u2018God could be my intuition or whatever, but I always assume that the voice I hear is the voice of God. Then I started thinking, what if I’m insane? So I’m operating on the premise that I’m hearing the voice of God, or what I <\/span>perceive<\/span> to be God speaking through <\/span>me\u2026the fact <\/span>[is] <\/span>that I’m <\/span>[instead] <\/span>following my intuition<\/span>,<\/span> which in of i<\/span>tself may be completely false.’<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

This insight has echoes of Corgan’s<\/span> reported<\/span> <\/span>self-doubt<\/span> earlier in the article, when he wonders if his creativity is \u2018psychotically generated.’ <\/span><\/p>\n

The song ‘Glass And The Ghost Children’ c<\/span>ontains the lines <\/span>‘up the silver ghost \/ glass migrates under \/ her translucent skin \/ and all are spiders \/ wonder what we’ve got us in’<\/span>. The<\/span> imagery of spiders and glass recalls Ingmar Bergman’<\/span>s<\/span> use of the spider <\/span>as <\/span>metaphor in the film Through A Glass Darkly<\/em>.<\/span> <\/span>In the film<\/span>, a disturbed girl named Karin tells her family that God came to her in the form of a spider, which crawled out of the closet and <\/span>tried to penetrate her.<\/span> Despite this disturbing <\/span>personification<\/span> of God, Bergman’s conclusion seems to be \u2018God is love.’<\/span><\/p>\n

An analysis of Bergman<\/span>‘s<\/span> <\/span>conceptions<\/span> <\/span>of God as a spider by<\/span> the academic Sean Volk concluded<\/span> that both the director and the philosopher<\/span> Nietzsche<\/span> (who had also used the God <\/span>\/ spider <\/span>metaphor)<\/span> believe<\/span>d it to be<\/span> the responsibility of the individual to create their own understanding of God and religion.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

Perhaps Corgan’s concern that it was his intuition, rather than divine intervention that he was accessing<\/span> when seeking guidance is validated. Here we have the view that an individual cultivates<\/span> their own understanding of what \u2018God’ is, rather than <\/span>communicating directly with an accessible outside force. Perhaps what is <\/span>perceived<\/span> as \u2018God’ is, in fact, a personification by which the individual’s own <\/span>meditative or creativ<\/span>e <\/span>communion with themselves <\/span>cultivate<\/span>s<\/span> <\/span>personal development<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"guy-mankowski-image\"<\/strong><\/p>\n

ABOUT THE AUTHOR<\/strong>
\nGuy Mankowski<\/a> is an academic whose PhD concerned post-punk literature. He is also the author of How I Left The National Grid: A post-punk novel<\/em><\/a>. His latest novel, An Honest Deceit<\/em>, was published in 2016.<\/p>\n

(with thanks to Dr. Peter O’Connor and Hollie Martorella)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

But within this new aesthetic palette was also room for darker devices, reflecting the tone of the album sleeve. Tracks like \u2018Shame’ and \u2018Daphne Descends’ utilise drones, to give Flood’s ornate, layered production a sense of dense layering. Flood’s production evokes moods that are at one claustrophobic and expansive. In the album’s single \u2018Perfect’ the glacial production and clean guitars offer a backdrop to a painful lyric concerned with Corgan coming to terms with a breakup. The clashing guitars in \u2018Daphne Descends’ sit behind the choruses words; \u2018You love him’. But they sound far from romantic, instead evoking an approaching emotional storm.<\/p>\n

\nBy Guy Mankowski<\/b>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":119,"featured_media":91822,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10,663],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-91796","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nonfiction","category-sounds-nonfiction"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.3ammagazine.com\/3am\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/91796","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.3ammagazine.com\/3am\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.3ammagazine.com\/3am\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.3ammagazine.com\/3am\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/119"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.3ammagazine.com\/3am\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=91796"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/www.3ammagazine.com\/3am\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/91796\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":92143,"href":"https:\/\/www.3ammagazine.com\/3am\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/91796\/revisions\/92143"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.3ammagazine.com\/3am\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/91822"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.3ammagazine.com\/3am\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=91796"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.3ammagazine.com\/3am\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=91796"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.3ammagazine.com\/3am\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=91796"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}