As a doctor and a psychologist, I am concerned about the development of our boys and girls, and can't help but fret over the paucity of role models they have. Intermittently, I will be posting an analysis of songs, to help you, as potential parents or victims of idolatry, understand the malignant nature of our purported cultural heroes. I'm going to be frank here. I don't expect to be well received, for the medicine I give is bitter and will be rejected by many and accepted by the few. But as they say, better to light one candle than to curse the darkness.
This weeks analysis is going to be of Radiohead. Impressionable minds have been usurped by the tentacles of the manipulative and virulent Thom Yorke, and it is my responsibility as a doctor and psychologist to call a spade a spade, and shed some light on this malignant homonculous of a man.
- Aaron H. Mathis, MD
Appalling, isn't it? Let's start with the first couple of opening lines:Thinking About You
Been thinking about you, your records are here,
your eyes are on my wall, your teeth are over there.
But I'm still no-one, and you're now a star,
what do you care?
Been thinking about you, and there's no rest,
shit I still love you, still see you in bed.
But I'm playing with myself, and what do you care
when the other men are far, far better.
All the things you've got,
all the things you need,
who bought you cigarettes,
Who bribed the company to come and see you honey?
I've been thinking about you, so how can you sleep?
These people aren't your friends, they're paid to kiss your feet.
They don't know what I know and why should you care
when I'm not there.
Been thinking about you, and there's no rest,
should I still love you, still see you in bed.
But I'm playing with myself, what do you care,
when I'm not there.
All the things you've got,
she'll never need,
all the things you've got.
I've bled and I bleed to please you.
Been thinking about you.
It's obvious from just this little bit that Yorke is deeply emotionally attached, something which should always be regarded with shame and not shared with the public, as it tends to reinforce such malodorous mind states in others. It also suggests he sees people as objects to latch onto like a child or leech. Most disturbing is his dissection of his ex-lover into parts, focusing on the teeth as separate from and eyes, rather than regarding him or her as a whole person. Artists often like to express their subconscious without really understanding it. This is a disturbing trend, as the subconscious is often base and unhealthy, and Yorke is no exception here. With his objectification of his lover into body parts, what I sense is a burgeoning necrophilia, a mind state all too common in the socially inept and physiologically unbalanced. Private counseling and therapy is in order here, and it is a sad commentary on our society that struggling beta males like Yorke slip through the cracks of our supports. These virulent males squirm their way into a position where they become a Hades of sorts, latching onto lost souls and draining them of their vitality.Been thinking about you, your records are here,
your eyes are on my wall, your teeth are over there.
I could go on in further detail, but my lunch break at NASA is only so long, so let's continue with the analysis:
As a psychologist, just a few words out of a patients mouth tells me a great deal, and in the case of these couple lines, Yorke clearly paints himself as a man obsessed with attention from others, and is oblivious to the value of a humble profession. Here is a man green with envy, without the self-control to put his attention on more realistic things.But I'm still no-one, and you're now a star,
what do you care?
Here we see Yorke openly confessing to masturbation. Not only that, but masturbation to the tune of an ex-lover. This is never healthy, and it's a sad commentary on our society when the heroes we praise choose to make a living via confessing their perversity and impotency.shit I still love you, still see you in bed.
But I'm playing with myself, and what do you care
when the other men are far, far better.
Disappointingly, we can see that Yorke repeats this confession later in the song:
This repetition suggest that Yorke has made a sort of ritual or routine of masturbating to the image of an ex-lover. What kind of effect is this music going to have on our young people? Surely what's going to happen here is that boys with similarities to Yorke's prototype are going to latch onto Yorke's work and absorb and embody the impotency expressed in songs of this sort.Been thinking about you, and there's no rest,
should I still love you, still see you in bed.
But I'm playing with myself, what do you care,
when I'm not there.
The emasculation of males is a daunting feature of modern society, and my research indicates that testicle size has been steadily shrinking over the last few decades. It's enough to almost make me want to quit my job here at NASA and write some REAL songs. Songs that will breath some life in this dying culture.
Well, that's it for today folks, I've got some experiments to be doing this afternoon. Next week, expect a new analysis of a song and artist, an artist who you are undoubtedly familiar with, likely to your detriment.
Regards,
Aaron H. Mathis, MD