Saturday, February 07, 2004

Courtney Love: Joycean?

There are so many ways to describe Courtney Love, so you can imagine why The Corsair objects to Neil Strauss' characterization of her phone call to him as "Joycean" in tomorrow's Arts and Leisure section.

The Corsair would have found another adjective, like, say, "narcissist," or even, "messy." "Primitive" maybe?

Then again, the more we look at it, maybe Strauss was right. Maybe Love is Joycean. I mean, look at these lyrics from Doll Parts:"

"I want to be the girl with the most cake/
He only loves those things because he loves to see them break/
I fake it so real I am beyond fake/
And some day you will ache like I ache"

And Ulysses,

"Lord!

Did me good all the same. Off colour after Kiernan's, Dignam's. For this relief much thanks. In HAMLET, that is. Lord! It was all things combined. Excitement. When she leaned back, felt an ache at the butt of my tongue. Your head it simply swirls."

Now, check out Courtney Love in Gutless:

"You can try to suck me dry
But theres nothing left to suck
Just you try to hold me down
Come on try to shut me up"


And contrast that with a wandering Steven Daedelus, "Beingless Beings. Stop! Throb always without you and throb always within. Your heart you sing of. I between then. Where? Between two roaring worlds where they swirl, I. Shatter them, one and both. But stun myself too in the blow. Shatter me you who can. (242)"

Joycean?

Hmmmmmm ... could be.










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