Whu Gnu? Definitely not me...

Today I was listening to some old Whu Gnu songs on my iPod. Whu Gnu was a band back in Texas that included a couple of friends and several more acquaintances. They broke up a while back, and their lead singer/songwriter, Jonathan Meiburg, has moved on to be a part of 2 bands, Shearwater and Okkervil River. Bo Griffin (drums) and Mike Dow (keys) have gone on to record music for Craig Kotfas and also formed the band So Sad Robot. Dutch Rall (bass) went on to make his own music and produce Emmy-winning public television programs. Ken Hood (also drums) became a Presbyterian minister in Oregon. And so on. But, for that brief few years in Bedford and Austin, TX, there was Whu Gnu. And, I still like to listen to the "old stuff". Mainly, I thought their songs had some pretty good grooves, and several had impressive guitar work. But, today I realize and want to relay something that I had never really contemplated about their music: for the majority of Whu Gnu's songs, Jonathan's lyrics just make no damn sense to me. I remember one very embarrassing evening when Whu Gnu had finished a show at the Ruta Maya coffee house. One of their songs that night, "Secret Chambers of the Masons", has kind of an easy-breezy, almost Caribbean feel to it. I found the song to be relaxing and fun, and I mentioned that to Jonathan after the show. He gave me a rather quizzical look and said, "that song is about a murder". Um....ok. Another example: one night, Bo (friend and drummer) brought over a rough track of the instrumental portion of a new song they were working on. It was a smooth groove in 6/8 time, and Bo commented that this was "getting it on with your girlfriend in the backseat of your car" music. When the song was finally released, what did it end up being about? Erasmus of Rotterdam, a 16th century Dutch humanist. For "getting it on music", pardon me if I reach for Barry White instead. A further survey of Whu Gnu's music, and I realized that there was a lot of over-my-head intellect in the songs, but a surprising lack of heart. Kind of like passionately singing the contents of your income tax statement with electric guitars in the background. But, despite that, I still love listening to my Whu Gnu stuff because of the memories it evokes.

Anyway, I guess I just felt like ranting about something today. We're still waiting on the arrival of our daughter - 2 more weeks until Rachel's due date, and it feels like an eternity. Oh well. Maybe I can crank up Whu Gnu's "Cowboy from Cork" and engage in some deep thoughts about....uh....crap, what is THAT song about?!?!