Kandinsky in Motion

We dig down in the ocean.
Swing up to the stars.
We own the moon and the earth.
We're masters of Mars.
We're bodies in motion.
We embody the spirit of motion.

(1)

Our ancestors cowered in caves
Afraid of the dark and the thunder.
Wrapped up in black magic and rage
They were slaves to their hunger

(2)

Now we fly across mountains in planes
We know all about time and big numbers.
We're bodies in motion.
We embody the spirit of motion.

(3)

I love you with all my heart.
You have my devotion.
I loved you from the start.
We're bodies in motion.
We embody the spirit of motion.

(4)

Ooo the weight of the world. Eternal spin.
Puts a dent in my shoulder.
A burn in my spin.
A burn in my spin.

(5)

Some say the future is crowds
fighting for water and space.
Chaotic and dark and loud,
everything used up and taken

(6)

But I say the future's within
the still point of the mind
Where we escape the bounds of earth
And break the bonds of time.

(7)

If somebody asked me to design a religion
I would make it all about snow.
No good or evil and no suffering.
Just perfect crystals spinning
In ecstasy
   ecstasy
     ecstasy
       ecstasy.

(8)

1: Transverse Line / Wassily Kandinsky, 1923

2: Heavy Circles / Wassily Kandinsky, 1927

3: Mild Tension / Wassily Kandinsky, 1923

4: Colourful Ensemble / Wassily Kandinsky, 1938

5: Upward / Wassily Kandinsky, 1929

6: Grouping / Wassily Kandinsky, 1937

7: Circles in a Circle / Wassily Kandinsky, 1923

8: Fixed Light / Wassily Kandinsky, 1932


Photo source: www.wassilykandinsky.net
'Bodies in Motion' lyrics by Laurie Anderson

The 'Homeland' Zoo

Getting absorbed in the world of Laurie Anderson's 'Homeland' led me to the following fun revelation: that animals appearing in various aspects of the album almost could fill a zoo.


Take, for example, The Beginning of Memory, with the billions and billions of songbirds circling around in the sky, and the lark, whose father dies one day, and whose decision to bury the corpse in her own head marks the beginning of memory.


There's one more bird - another songbird - in 'Homeland': the robin that sings the song of long lost love in Strange Perfumes. Oh, and let's not forget the sky-flying birds at the beginning of Thinking of You.


Some mammals also pop up here and there throughout the album: right at the start, Transitory Life's mouse who realizes that he's in a trap, and, from then on, he is literally condemned to death. [Not really a vision for sore eyes.] And, of course, Lolabelle, who leaves her mark on Bodies in Motion by her barking and playing the piano in her sweet, eccentric way.


Then there's Only an Expert that not only mentions the Pet Solution, but its updated lyrics also contain fish poisoned by, and ducks and dolphins completely coated with oil that spilled out into the ocean.


... plus a bonus from Mambo and Bling (the first vinyl of 'Homeland'):

"[...] the classic problem calculating your odds for accidents that might happen. Like, you have more chance, for example, getting hit and killed in a car crash than dying in a plane crash. But things keep changing, so you have to keep re-calculating the odds and updating the list. You you have to keep adding things like [...] being crushed by a crane falling onto your building. And you have to keep crossing other things off the list, like [...] getting trampled by hordes of horses"

The Spirit of Motion

A couple years ago, Lolabelle, Laurie Anderson's rat terrier contracted an aggressive form of cancer and during the medical therapy she went blind. She has overcome the illness but her pep was gone. Her worried family finally found a trainer for her who taught her to play the piano ( = tap the keys with her paws and get treats for it) and this kind of mental and physical stimulation brought her vigor back.

Recently Lolabelle herself has made a few public appearances: her keyboard playing was an attraction at the 'Homeland' release party, and, besides her majestic 'parents', Laurie Anderson and Lou Reed, she was the third royal person (the Royal Mer-Dog) reigning over the annual Mermaid Parade at Coney Island.

Poor little Lolabelle, though, looks kind-of resigned / disoriented / a little bit fat (right, she has overcome a serious illness and she might constantly get those treats) in some recent photos. I do hope she feels better than she looks like. I'm sure her loving family is 100% there for her. Laurie has just recently said something like Lolabelle was working on a 'Christmas record'-- sounds promising, right? :)

(original photo here)

But what I really wanted to say is that I honestly think 'Bodies in Motion' is actually a song written for/about Lolabelle, and featuring her 'playing' the piano on that very track of 'Homeland' is more than accidental.

Laurie has occasionally told about the personality of her dog-- being a rat terrier, she loves agility training, her main motivation is simply to have fun in life. Laurie has also mentioned something like this as her own life goal, too.

So, here they are, just like twin stars, furthermore: two fellow goddesses out of some ancient Greek myth who may have total command over the world, even over other worlds, too, they can get anywhere they want to, they could see into the future, they could create a religion but all they care about is to have as much fun as possible. (Even if the weight of the world lies heavy on her shoulder-- see the Atlas --> Greek mythology reference, right?)

And to move is to have fun. Moreover: to move together is to have even more fun. To move eternally: a thing only godlike creatures are able to do. So, these two gorgeous souls unite in constant synchronic motion and love and devotion-- a couple with enviable affection towards each other.

I do hope that the world will find delight in the heartwarming sight of this for a long time to come. Or, perhaps, they are going to be there eternally. They'll grace us only when they are in the mood. Blissful souls are entitled to do so. And they most likely are of that species.