Douglas Coupland All The Way Down

jakec:

A thing about sincerity and sometimes saying things that feel right but also come off as cheesy when you read them back: the other day I was thinking about how “There are nights when I think that Sal Paradise was right / Boys and girls in America, they have such a sad time together,” is a line that I would be self-conscious in writing because referencing Kerouac seems to have been deemed ‘played out’. And titling your solo album by changing around the words of a slogan on a very popular television show also seems questionable because it’s such an obvious, blatant reference, and I’d feel like I was borrowing the meaning of that phrase rather than making some attempt at an original one that encapsulated the album. But then Craig Finn, I imagine, feels like “Clear Heart, Full Eyes” does encapsulate the album as well as exhibiting his appreciation for something that’s obviously really close to him (how could it not be? FNL was amazing) and if that’s true, there’s really no need to feel self-conscious at all. This reminds me of something my other favourite-guy-who-makes-music said about writing This Is Happening but could probably do with application to a lot of things other than songwriting: “I guess on this record, I was like, ‘Well, embarrassment is not a good enough reason not to do things. You should try and do the best you can, even if it’s a little embarrassing—or a lot embarrassing.’” Maybe embarrassment is not such an obvious indicator that you shouldn’t do something after all.