# Things artist say about their work you don't believe **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 23, 2011, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-artist-say-about-their-work-you-dont-believe/582848 "2011-05-23T02:33:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![panamajack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/47e85d/32.png) [@panamajack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panamajack)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2011, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-artist-say-about-their-work-you-dont-believe/582848/41 "2011-05-24T03:44:53Z")
> [@Nobody](#): > > I won’t say I out and out disbelieve Bryan Adams when he says “Summer of 69” is about the sex act. But I have my doubts. He wasn’t the only one who worked on the song, so he doesn’t have the last word on it. For Adams, 1975 or so would have been the right year if it was by years. For co-writer Jim Vallance, 1969 would have made more sense, and it’s [his claim](http://www.jimvallance.com/01-music-folder/songs-folder-may-27/pg-song-adams-summer-of-69.html) that it’s the year. There’s an (apparently apocryphal which I once thought to be true) story that Adams had originally wanted it to be set in '75, and the “Baby Boomer record company” forced him to change it. I’d be interested if there’s any truth in that - it may be why Adams made up the 69 story. ---
**Author:** ![Nobody](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/94ad74/32.png) [@Nobody](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nobody)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2011, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-artist-say-about-their-work-you-dont-believe/582848/42 "2011-05-24T03:49:36Z")
Yeah, I didn’t hear about the name change, but watching [Pop up Vido](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pop-Up_Video) a long time ago it mentioned that Adams would have been too young, but Vallance would have been the right age. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2011, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-artist-say-about-their-work-you-dont-believe/582848/43 "2011-05-24T04:01:48Z")
Another vote for not believing Bradbury. _Fahrenheit 451_ was written in 1950. We’re supposed to believe that Bradbury’s main point was that television was taking over the media? What is a lot more believable is that decades later, when Ray Bradbury and everyone else in the world saw how dominant television had become, Bradbury convinced himself that he had predicted all of this back in 1950. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2011, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-artist-say-about-their-work-you-dont-believe/582848/44 "2011-05-24T04:10:18Z")
> [@Nobody](#): > > I won’t say I out and out disbelieve Bryan Adams when he says “Summer of 69” is about the sex act. But I have my doubts. > [@panamajack](#): > > He wasn’t the only one who worked on the song, so he doesn’t have the last word on it. For Adams, 1975 or so would have been the right year if it was by years. For co-writer Jim Vallance, 1969 would have made more sense, and it’s [his claim](http://www.jimvallance.com/01-music-folder/songs-folder-may-27/pg-song-adams-summer-of-69.html) that it’s the year. There’s an (apparently apocryphal which I once thought to be true) story that Adams had originally wanted it to be set in '75, and the “Baby Boomer record company” forced him to change it. I’d be interested if there’s any truth in that - it may be why Adams made up the 69 story. I believe Adams made the same claim in a Behind the Music episode. And really, it makes total sense that the year was originally something other than 69, he would have been ten years old in 1969. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2011, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-artist-say-about-their-work-you-dont-believe/582848/45 "2011-05-24T04:17:49Z")
> [@K364](#): > > You think they are putting us on? I used to think so about JP… dripping paint from a catwalk onto a tarp on the floor was a big joke. Until I saw “Autumn Rhythm” at the Met Museum. It’s the real deal, quite impressive. I can’t really defend Warhol–he’s not really my cup of tea–but if Pollack is not “emotionally sincere,” fine. All I know is, his work hits _me_ right in the gut. It’s sublime in every sense of the word. ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2011, 11:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-artist-say-about-their-work-you-dont-believe/582848/46 "2011-05-24T11:58:47Z")
> [@Derleth](#): > > **HeyHomie** : Please state why you think _Blister in the Sun_ is about masturbation. _Body and beats I stain my sheets_ is, for me, the giveaway. Not to put too fine a point on it, but this brings to mind masturbating under the covers and ejaculating onto the sheet. Of course, I freely admit that I may be wrong. And **The\_Peyote\_Coyote** : point taken. I mentioned the saxophone only because the instrument turns up pretty frequently in be-bop. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2011, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-artist-say-about-their-work-you-dont-believe/582848/47 "2011-05-24T16:14:43Z")
John Rutsey played drums on Rush’s first album, and then was replaced by Neil Peart. According to Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson, Rutsey was replaced because he had medical/physical problems brought about due to diabetes, and couldn’t withstand the rigors of touring as a result. I say _ **bullshit** _. Yea, Rutsey may not have been in the best of shape, but I believe he was simply fired by his bandmates. Lee and Lifeson \*knew \*Rutsey was only a so-so drummer, and they wanted someone who was more in their “league”. Not that I blame them; Peart was clearly a better drummer. But why lie about the real reason? ---
**Author:** ![Sarahfeena](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sarahfeena/32/519_2.png) [@Sarahfeena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sarahfeena)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2011, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-artist-say-about-their-work-you-dont-believe/582848/48 "2011-05-24T16:22:16Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > John Rutsey played drums on Rush’s first album, and then was replaced by Neil Peart. According to Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson, Rutsey was replaced because he had medical/physical problems brought about due to diabetes, and couldn’t withstand the rigors of touring as a result. I say _ **bullshit** _. Yea, Rutsey may not have been in the best of shape, but I believe he was simply fired by his bandmates. Lee and Lifeson \*knew \*Rutsey was only a so-so drummer, and they wanted someone who was more in their “league”. Not that I blame them; Peart was clearly a better drummer. But why lie about the real reason? Maybe so as not to hurt his career? To spare his feelings? To not look like giant assholes? People BS about this stuff all the time when people get fired, it’s not a big deal. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2011, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-artist-say-about-their-work-you-dont-believe/582848/49 "2011-05-24T16:27:24Z")
> [@HeyHomie](#): > > _Body and beats I stain my sheets_ is, for me, the giveaway. Not to put too fine a point on it, but this brings to mind masturbating under the covers and ejaculating onto the sheet. Of course, I freely admit that I may be wrong. Except you’re ignoring most of the lyrics of the song to come to that interpretation. I think my interpretation works better when you take the majority of the lyrics into consideration. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2011, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-artist-say-about-their-work-you-dont-believe/582848/50 "2011-05-24T16:31:21Z")
> [@](#): > > Body and beats I stain my sheets is, for me, the giveaway. Not to put too fine a point on it, but this brings to mind masturbating under the covers and ejaculating onto the sheet. Of course, I freely admit that I may be wrong. There’s also “Big hand, I know you’re the one”. ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2011, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-artist-say-about-their-work-you-dont-believe/582848/51 "2011-05-24T16:31:31Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > There’s definitely _something_ to what Pollack was doing, given the mathematical patterns in it so easy (with the help of a computer) to distinctively recognize but so hard to recreate. Now, whether that something is art is up for debate, but it’s certainly there. Arm length and personal idiosyncrasy of movement. Yes, it’s difficult for someone else to throw paint on a canvas just like him. But so what. Can someone else pee in the snow just like me? ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2011, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-artist-say-about-their-work-you-dont-believe/582848/52 "2011-05-24T16:37:51Z")
Elton John claims that “Tiny Dancer” is about the small women he found in California, or something like that. Sorry, Elton, I think it’s about masturbation. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2011, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-artist-say-about-their-work-you-dont-believe/582848/53 "2011-05-24T17:24:32Z")
> [@Sitnam](#): > > Arm length and personal idiosyncrasy of movement. Yes, it’s difficult for someone else to throw paint on a canvas just like him. > > But so what. _shrug_ Different strokes and all. (Pun somewhat intended.) As a visual artist who deals in realism mostly (photographer), I would love to be able to do what Pollack does. I’ve tried it. None of it looks good. Pollack’s work, to me, looks thought out and the man has an impeccable sense of composition. There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that the man is and will continue to be regarded as one of the greatest artists of the 20th century, and deservedly so. ---
**Author:** ![brujaja](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4af34b/32.png) [@brujaja](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brujaja)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2011, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-artist-say-about-their-work-you-dont-believe/582848/54 "2011-05-24T18:30:34Z")
Paul McCartney says that [“C Moon”](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C_Moon) is about being the opposite of L7; i.e., not square; i.e., cool. [I don’t think so.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5x--x_5hu7Q) So, what is it about? I have a theory, butt I’m not saying. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Excellent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f19dbf/32.png) [@Mr.Excellent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Excellent)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2011, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-artist-say-about-their-work-you-dont-believe/582848/55 "2011-05-24T18:55:50Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > Tolkien’s claim that his works have “no allegorical intentions …, moral, religious, or political…" Riiiiiiiight. And I’ve got a shiny new ring to sell you. That ring _is_ shiny! I … wantssss it. My preciousssss… ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2011, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-artist-say-about-their-work-you-dont-believe/582848/56 "2011-05-24T20:55:16Z")
Margaret Atwood repeatedly claims that _The Handmaid’s Tale_ is not science fiction. Perhaps she didn’t write it as such, but the book doesn’t support her contention. ---
**Author:** ![Nzinga\_Seated](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b5ac83/32.png) [@Nzinga\_Seated](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nzinga_Seated)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2011, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-artist-say-about-their-work-you-dont-believe/582848/57 "2011-05-24T21:07:31Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > Margaret Atwood repeatedly claims that _The Handmaid’s Tale_ is not science fiction. > > Perhaps she didn’t write it as such, but the book doesn’t support her contention. I would have catagorized it as dystopian, which is my favorite genre. I guess one could make a case that it’s both dystopian and sci fi, though. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2011, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-artist-say-about-their-work-you-dont-believe/582848/58 "2011-05-24T22:05:56Z")
> [@Sitnam](#): > > I serious doubt Jackson Pollock and Andy Warhol’s emotional sincerity. I stand with **pulykamell** on Jackson Pollock, but for Andy Warhol, I always thought emotional insincerity was the entire point of what he was doing. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2011, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-artist-say-about-their-work-you-dont-believe/582848/59 "2011-05-24T22:17:23Z")
> [@Nzinga\_Seated](#): > > I would have catagorized it as dystopian, which is my favorite genre. I guess one could make a case that it’s both dystopian and sci fi, though. The one thing that supports her argument is that the society of Gilead is so idiotic, it is obvious that she didn’t even think about any potential long-term implications of what she was writing (which is part and parcel in re: to science fiction writers). To quote an [earlier post](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=609536) I made: > [@](#): > > So, you’re going to round up all your fertile women, give them to 60 year-old guys so they can shag them three times, and if she doesn’t get pregnant, you’re going to kill her? In a world where 25% of pregnancies carried to term are either a mutant or a dead child? That’s your plan to boost birthrates? Really? ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2011, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-artist-say-about-their-work-you-dont-believe/582848/60 "2011-05-24T22:38:55Z")
> [@Diceman](#): > > Elton John claims that “Tiny Dancer” is about the small women he found in California, or something like that. Sorry, Elton, I think it’s about masturbation. Elton John didn’t write the lyrics to “Tiny Dancer”. It’s Bernie Taupin, Elton John’s frequent lyrical collaborator, who says the song is about freespirited women he met in California in the 1970s. I can’t cite this, but I once read an interview where someone specifically asked Taupin if the song was about masturbation. He didn’t get why anyone would even think that since it’s quite clearly about a woman. The interviewer referred to the “tiny dancer _in my hand_” line, and Taupin pointed out that no man would write a song in which he described his own penis as being tiny. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-artist-say-about-their-work-you-dont-believe/582848.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-artist-say-about-their-work-you-dont-believe/582848.md?page=4)