BOC: Imaginos, part 13 - Magna

[Robert C. Mayo]

call it laziness, short attention span, or low iq, but i've always felt that
this stuff was simply a very loosely connected collection of songs by 2
extremely gifted and imaginative writers, yes; but perhaps not the
meticulously crafted, fully realized, linear story that many have attempted
to interpret and decipher. i'm just not convinced that pearlman's story was
ever *completely* mapped out; or that there was a concerted effort to tell
this story in parts sprinkled throughout boc's career, or that *all* of the
songs listed by the faq/Al all thell parts of the story. some fit into the
loose framework and add to the mythos, coincidentally, sure (but the 'i only
live...' line in 'r u ready' qualifies it as a part of the cycle?). but what
i see here is more like the first 2 seasons of 'twin peaks': a strikingly
creative and gripping series of loosely connected vignettes that appear to be
leading somewhere, *surely this must all add up to something*...but in truth,
it doesn't add up to anything more than "a strikingly creative and gripping
series of loosely connected vignettes."

I know that there was a real core-theme to the story way back when, but i'm
suggesting that it grew and evolved as boc grew and evolved, and Al's
imaginos lp was an attempt to reign it all in and make the final definitive
statement on it. But my reading (and i'm entitled to it) remains: an
extremely interesting collection of lyrics by two talented artists who
imposed a story framework ("mythos") onto the songs as they were written and
recorded. the story could be put together and evolved with any songs that
seem to have similar themes, not according to any pre-planned framework.

Al's (and Pearlman's) word has to stand as the definative explanantion; it's
his work. but only they know the true 'story', and even they (Al) says that
it hasn't been completely revealed and might never be. or is that line
intended  to keep us guessing, de-coding, analyizing, mythologizing...

i truly enjoyed your writings on the subject, however. if you have a chance,
read neil stephenson's NECRONOMICON for another take on the ancient secret
conspiratorial origins of WWII...

a huge Al fan
bobm