The Aging Musician
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"The Aging Musician" (subtitled "Narcissus knows no one naked") is a track from The Residents' 1994 album and CD-ROM, Gingerbread Man.
Background
The Again Musician could've been inspired by a number of perspectives. Due to Gingerbread Man's theme of depression and extreme distaste for the human race, targeting musicians and artists seems very on brand for The Residents. The Residents have frequently taken time in their career to point out their opinions of musicians and the industry as a whole. This could be through swastikas, John Philip Sousa covers, and even referring to their own music as "twenty long years of painful regurgitation." All of this culminated into a fat old man plagued by his "obsolete and sadly naive values."
The song itself features Todd Rundgren playing a bitter old musician who is sick of culture that "no longer needs his simplistic songs praising the virtues and failures of true love." His singing at the start states his life story as a guitar player who is even considering suicide to be famous once again, but in his own words, "I wouldn't be a hero, I'd be dead." His later monologuing details more of his current life as a gun collector and the caretaker of a pair of fox terriers.
This song also has some pop culture references, mainly in the lyrics on Kurt Cobain's suicide, "goddamn MTV", and "computer crap" music. With this album's recording ending in May 1994, the reference to Kurt Cobain was likely a late addition, with his suicide taking place on April 5th 1994. MTV is notable as while many people then and now question what MTV did to music, The Residents themselves have actually been featured on MTV multiple times during its Infancy. They even made music for a TV show that was airing on MTV during the early 90s. Lastly, while the "computer crap" complaint is an accurate depiction of The Aging Musician, it comes off as quite ironic being said over some of the most computer music to ever be made.
Legacy/CD-ROM
While the Gingerbread CD-ROM can be quite challenging to play, a full playthrough is thankfully easily accessible on YouTube. The start of "The Aging Musician" contains various bits off messages laid over a 3D sculpture of the character made by Leigh Barbier. The content itself is quite an overwhelming amount of guns, bullets, old cartoons, and fox terriers.
The song was performed live in 1997 as part of the Halloween Disfigured Night shows with it being one of three Gingerbread Man songs performed at the show. This portion of the show would feature the Singing Residents in some flamboyant clothing and a hand crafted mask representing the musician.
In 2001 The Residents revisited a larger portion of Gingerbread man for their DVD and tour Icky Flix. The video features various shots of a naked musicians in a room with multiple prostitutes contemplating his life over the songs singing portion. The ends with the gingerbread man stealing the spotlight on his TV with the musician presumably shooting the TV shortly after the scene ends. There are also some new lyrics at the start sung by Carla Fibrazio.
In 2018 a cover of the song appeared on the official tribute/remix album I am A Resident! by Jeremy Maloney.
In 2020, The Cryptic Corporation asked The Residents to curate a selection of their favorite songs from their own back catalog for a Spotify playlist titled "Residents' Personal Favorites"; This was one of forty songs chosen.
Lyrics
Run, run, run, run Run, run, run, run Run, run, fast as you can Run, run, fast as you can Run, run, fast as you can You can't catch me, I'm the Gingerbread Man
Once upon a time I played electric guitar And they said I was a rock and roll star Now nobody calls me on the telephone So I sit and watch my TV all alone
Maybe if I put a bullet in my brain They'd remember me like Kurt Cobain And the parasites on MTV Would wipe their eyes and act like they knew me
But I wouldn't be a hero I'd be dead Just a note beside a corpse that read If you like to pretend that you'll never get old You got what it takes to rock and roll
Jagger - he was a poet None of this three chords and a hairdresser crap I just need a couple of players With a couple of really good players I could have a band again go back on the road C'mere boy Play real music none of this computer crap Real music We could go big Whatever happened to music Now it's all about marketing and media coverage Goddamn MTV Everything was okay before MTV And gun control - like gun control's gonna stop anything A Trooper Mark III'll stop just about anything C'mere boy Schnauzer, where's Uzi? Is he outside? Nothing's right anymore not even TV Davy Crockett said it all If you're sure you're right then go ahead on Now nothing's right Goddamn MTV
Story
Once he winked, and the women would swoon. Once he lived in limos and watched the world through the darkest of glasses. Once he played and sang for millions around the world.
Now his primary relationship is with a pair of fox terriers. Now he collects guns instead of royalties. Now he watches TV constantly and still laughs at the old cartoons at sitcoms that formed the bulk of his obsolete and sadly naive values.
The aging musician feels betrayed by a culture that once embraced but no longer needs his simplistic songs praising the virtues and failures of true love. And if he could still evoke even a false belief in those songs, maybe he could still make it on the nostalgia circuit.
But it's so much easier to be bitter.
Credits
Performance: The Residents
Guest: T. Rundgren
Appearances
- Gingerbread Man (1994)[1]
- Louisiana's Lick (1995)[1]
- Our Tired, Our Poor, Our Huddled Masses (1997)[2]
- Live At The Fillmore (1998)[3]
- Icky Flix (2001)[2][4]
- Icky Flix (Original Soundtrack Recording) (2001)[4]
- Petting Zoo (2002)[5]
- Kettles Of Fish On The Outskirts Of Town (2002)[6]
- 1997: The Missing Year - The Fillmore Dress Rehearsal (Act One) (2009)[7]
- Icky Flix Live (2009)[8]
- Brava (2010)[6]
- GBM(i) (2011)[9]
- Interactive Media (1991-97 Game Design) (2014)[10]
- 80 Aching Orphans (2017)[1]
- I Am A Resident! (2018)[11]
Versions
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1994 Studio Version (4:51)
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 1994 Studio Version Edit (2:30)
- ↑ 1997 Live Version (4:52)
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 2001 Studio Version (2:30)
- ↑ 1994 Studio Version Edit (2:51)
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 2001 October Live Version (2:27)
- ↑ 1997 Rehearsal Version (4:08)
- ↑ 2001 March Live Version (2:26)
- ↑ 1994 Demo Version (2:33)
- ↑ 1994 Studio Version Edit (0:41)
- ↑ 2018 Jeremny Maloney Version (3:05)
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Gingerbread Man (1994) Track listing |