The Point by Harry Nilsson: part 2

Here is a bit more of Nilsson's "The Point."

now now. Bear with me. Indulge Me. Turn your brain off. You see, I must expunge this psychadelia my parents left simmering in the crock pot of my soul. Think of this as a potluck of my body (its kinda like an acid doused Eucharist). Put your keys in the bowl (that part comes later, Mary Magdalene). We ain't going nowheres till I burn these images into your mind. Also! don't worry, there's only one more installment.

And hey it might do you some good to actually read what I'm saying once in a while.

So this is my favorite song on the album. Its called "Think About Your Troubles"<-- thats the mp3 - Unfortunately the recording of this song on youtube looks and sounds like a snuff film. A bad one at that. (I know my snuff films)

Anyhow, it starts with a delicious beat, beaten on a cowbell. Nilsson floats in with an orchestra of Andrew Birdesque pizzicato strings, a piccolo, and a clone who moans and adds pseudo-commentary over his shoulder. (Nilsson: "and soon this salty water" Nilsson's Clone: "not too good for drinkin" uh, thanks?)

The song is beautiful, but more important here is the imagery that accompanies it. Its about as strange as the imagery gets in the movie (and that includes the pointed village/castle, the purple and orange triangular citizens of the city, the pointed forest's blatant use of sexual imagery, the three flying fat ladies, the list goes on) Watch for the Uncle Sam reference, the Phallic reference, the Lite Brite reference. (props to Kitsch and Emily for the idears)

Perhaps because I'm in a house of scholars we decided that it would be a great idea to deconstruct the movie's imagery/themes etc. while we were watching it. Turns out that the movie is pretty fascinating when one considers all of the intersections of race/gender/class going on here. This movie has it all: the "magical negro," the intersexed child, the bourgeoisie elite. Its obvious that the boys club surrounding The Beatles was a bit misogynist, but watching this video makes it all too apparent that the early seventies were - lets put it this way - a period of transition.