NUDI NELLA FORESTA.
"David Byrne ha uno sguardo da manicomio, ma non emana un senso di pericolo: sembra solo un simpatico mattacchione che hanno mandato a casa dal reparto psichiatrico con una busta di Torazina." (Lester Bangs)
Lo zio Lester tratteggiava i contorni psico-fisici di mastro David Byrne con affettuosa e bonaria arguzia, e lui di manicomi musicali si che se ne intendeva: un pò il Franco Basaglia dei romanzieri rock. Era l'alba della rivoluzione copernicana Talking Heads. Chiuso l'umorale e tachicardico decennio Settanta, un ponte di concettuale melting-pot stilistico abbracciava idealmente il ritmo ancestrale di Madre Africa e la convulsa paranoia del moderno Occidente. Breve riepilogo cronologico, con le quattro Teste Parlanti a schiudere suoni incredibilmente inediti e antichi in un orizzonte vastissimo, prima sconosciuto e lontano; dall'esordio 77 che burlava new-wave e note oblique al trittico proteiforme con il signor Eno in cabina di regia, di cui Remain In Light sarà l'epocale e infinito Everest. Infine il canto dadaista e schizzato del manichino plasticoso Byrne su liriche di nevrosi metropolitane, a rimescolare ancor più le carte con l'aiuto dei sodali Harrison, Weymouth e Frantz. Praticamente anticiparono il meticciato sonico, l'incrocio impossibile che univa tradizione e avanguardia, tribalismo e foga intellettuale. Praticamente forgiarono l'etno-world degli anni Ottanta. Seminali? Perbacco! Se vogliamo associare la parolina magica nel giusto contesto, distante da spermatozoi e Ron Jeremy, pochi altri furono così folgoranti e pionieri. Dopo alcuni lavori che avvicinavano il mondo delle teste newyorkesi a un comunicativo pop-rock senza tanti fronzoli (Little Creatures l'emblema) giunse il 1988, altro giro di boa a chiudere una decade. Ed ecco l'ennesimo colpo d'ala, il pifferaio David e i compari della pregiata bottega decidono di trasferirsi in Francia, a Parigi, con la supervisione del discreto Steve Lillywhite, musicisti africani, tamburi, ottoni funk e la chitarra di Johnny Marr preziosa alleata in quattro brani.
Naked resta il miglior epitaffio e congedo possibile alla straordinaria avventura TH. Orfani del demiurgo Brian da tempo, l'ego in espansione del capobanda Byrne e le scorbutiche liti sul copyright sonoro segneranno l'inizio della fine. Ma i Nostri hanno ancora risorse per l'uscita di scena finale, sgambettano l'ondata rock-etnica di qualche annetto in un pop speziato, che si nutre dei suoi contrari nel vorticoso girovagare in cento direzioni differenti, senza mai perdere l'orientamento. L'epilogo di Naked è un flusso continuo di speranza e tensione, l'urgenza "globalizzata" (positiva) d'intersecare diversi linguaggi e culture. Tra movenze-calypso e l'arsura della Louisiana di Mommy, Daddy, You And I, il James Brown cesellato in giacca e cravatta della sorniona Blind (fantastico il videoclip diretto da Rocky Morton e Annabel Jankel) oppure il Centro America multicolore di trombe, fiati e congas che pervadono Mr. Jones. Un viaggio pieno di punti esclamativi, dove l'elettronica sinistra, sfuggente di The Facts Of Life incontra innocenti chitarre jingle-jangle e un basso sinuoso (Nothing But Flowers). Come la confluenza del Maranòn e Ucayali (due fiumi della regione andina centrale) origina il Rio delle Amazzoni e i suoi 7040 km, il blues ossuto dei padri in Ruby Dear si annulla risucchiato nelle acque profonde dell'inquieta Cool Water. Stop, e titoli di coda.
Un tropicalismo eclettico, che evoca il clima amazzonico sempre caldo e sempre umido, con una intensa nuvolosità e pioggie copiose distribuite uniformemente nel corso dell'anno. Potreste sentirvi persi e finalmente nudi, con la spiccata attitudine ad arrampicarvi degli arboricoli. Perché la distinta scimmia che ci osserva dalla copertina di Naked insegna: solo chi osa caparbiamente evolve e torna pacificato alla natura. Siamo tutti liberi (e nudi) nella foresta.
Elenco tracce testi e video
01 Blind (04:58)
Signs
Signs are lost
Signs disappear
Turn Invisible
Got no sign
Somebody got busted
Got a face of stone
And a ghostwritten biography
Dogs start to rush in,
Hungry for some food
Dogs start a-twitching
And they're looking at you
It was light
By five
Torn all apart
All in the name of democracy
He's hurt
He's dying
Claimed he was a terrorist
Claimed to avert a catastrophe
Someone should'a told him
That the buck stops here
No one ever said
That he was involved with thieves
And they're blind, blind
blind, blind, blind, blind, blind
blind, blind
blind, blind, blind, blind, blind
No sense of harmony, No sense of
time, Don't mention harmony, Say:
What time is it? Give
a little shock, and he raises his hand
Somebody shouts out, says: What is
it? What is it? What is it?
He was shot down in the night! Peo-
ple ride by but his body's still alive.
The girl in the window what has she
done? She looks down at me...
says: "I don't want to die!"
And I'm blind, blind
blind, blind, blind, blind, blind
blind, blind
blind, blind, blind, blind, blind
Somebody could have told us where they go
Crawling all around looking for foot, foot, footprints
Now tell me what the Hell have we become?
Some dirty little bastards What the hell is going on?
No sense of harmony, No sense of
time, Don't mention harmony, Say:
What time is it? Give
a little shock, and he raises his hand
Somebody shouts out, says: What is
it? What is it? What is it?
He was shot down in the night! Peo-
ple ride by but his body's still alive.
The girl in the window what has she
done? She looks down at me...
says: "I don't want to die!"
They're blind and they're blind
blind, blind, blind, blind, blind
blind, blind
blind, blind, blind, blind, blind
blind, blind
blind, blind, blind, blind, blind
blind, blind
blind, blind, blind, blind, blind
02 Mr. Jones (04:18)
Mr. Jones
Put a wiggle in your stride
Loosen up
I believe he'll be alright
Changing clothes
Now he's got ventilated slacks
Bouncing off the walls
Mr. Jones is back!
Bulge out
And wind your waist
Tight pants
Got curly hair
Drinking cold beer
From metal cans
Moonshine
And Handi-Wipes!
Mr. Jones is back in town
It's his lucky day
Hold up your hands and shout
Jones is on his way
Pitter pat
Mr. Jones is back in town
Aces high
Now his pants are falling down
He looks so fine
In those patent leather shoes
Mr. Jones you look tired
I believe you'll be alright
Sales men
Conventioneers
Some rock stars
With tamborines
Short skirts
And skinny legs
Selling bibles
And real estate
It's a big day for Mr. Jones
He is not so square
Mr. Jones will stick around
He's everybody's friend
Fast cars
And motorbikes
I'm sure glad
He's on our side
The Jones Gang
Down at the bar
Watch out, this time
They've gone too far
They call for Mr. Jones
They put him in charge
Mr. Jones will help us out
He's a lucky guy
It is Mr. Jones' Birthday party
For another year
In his hotel room Party favors
It's a holiday
03 Totally Nude (04:03)
Big and I'm bad
And I want you to know
I hand around
Where the grass is greener
Totally naked, baby
Totally nude
'Cause if I want to
Who's gonna stop me?
I'm absolutely free
Living in the trees
The birdies and the bees
'Cause I'm a nature boy
Locked up inside
You can't tell me where it's at
Open up, open up, open the door
Rocks and trees and physical culture
Some days you hide
I guess you wonder where you are
Nature boy, nature man, take me along
We got a life that's undiscovered
We threw it all away
Throw it all away
Rolling every way
It's irresponsible
So civilized
I guess you wonder where you are
Nature boy, nature man, take me along
Deep in the woods we're undiscovered
I'm a little fish and you're the river
Living in a boat that's underwater
We can tip, tip, tip it over
You can push, push, make it better now
Wake your daddy up
It's a quarter to five
Our little boat
Has lost it's rudder
Dive to the bottom
And we never come up
A polka party
For Bob and Martha
I'm absolutely free
living in the trees
The birdies and the bees
'Cause I'm a nature boy
Think what you like
This is really where it's at
Open up, open up, open the door
We don't need clothes and we don't need money
So civilized
I guess you wonder where you are
Nature boy, nature man, take me along
Deep in the woods we're undiscovered
04 Ruby Dear (03:48)
'Round and 'round
and we won't let go
And where we stop
no one knows
uh-huh uh-huh
Down and down
in a spin we turn
Looking like
we'll never learn
uh-huh uh-huh
Think about
what ev'ryone is saying
Ruby dear
Oh don't you hear
Late at night
when the radio is playing
Ruby dear
So looky here
Oh this record's broken
It slips a beat
And all those watermelons
Have gone to seed
Nothing lives
in this dirty little river
No one here
Will shed a tear
It dried up
but it couldn't run forever
Ruby dear
That's what we hear
I still like the ocean
Down by the sea
They left that door wide open
It tempted me
Hounding me
from the bedroom to the kitchen
Ruby dear
I'm still right here
Now they throwed
the fox amongst the chickens
It's too deep
I'll drown in my sleep!
Angels and prostitutes
They might look the same
And if to Hell we're going
I'll see you there
'Round and 'round
and we won't let go
And where we stop
no one knows
uh-huh uh-huh
Down the street
where the bonfires glow
Looking like
they lost control
uh-huh uh-huh
Settle down
in that rocking chair
Breathing in
that rotten air
uh-huh uh-huh
Johnny Jones
fell fast asleep
Down a hole
where the rocks are steep
uh-huh uh-huh
05 (Nothing but) Flowers (05:14)
Here we stand
Like an Adam and an Eve
Waterfalls
The Garden of Eden
Two fools in love
So beautiful and strong
The birds in the trees
Are smiling upon them
From the age of the dinosaurs
Cars have run on gasoline
Where, where have they gone?
Now, it's nothing but flowers
There was a factory
Now there are mountains and rivers
(you got it, you got it)
We caught a rattlesnake
Now we got something for dinner
(we got it, we got it)
There was a shopping mall
Now it's all covered with flowers
(you've got it, you've got it)
If this is paradise
I wish I had a lawnmower
(you've got it, you've got it)
Years ago
I was an angry young man
I'd pretend
That I was a billboard
Standing tall
By the side of the road
I fell in love
With a beautiful highway
This used to be real estate
Now it's only fields and trees
Where, where is the town
Now, it's nothing but flowers
The highways and cars
Were sacrificed for agriculture
I thought that we'd start over
But I guess I was wrong
Once there were parking lots
Now it's a peaceful oasis
(you got it, you got it)
This was a Pizza Hut
Now it's all covered with daisies
(you got it, you got it)
I miss the honky tonks,
Dairy Queens, and 7-Elevens
(you got it, you got it)
And as things fell apart
Nobody paid much attention
(you got it, you got it)
I dream of cherry pies,
Candy bars, and chocolate chip cookies
(you got it, you got it)
We used to microwave
Now we just eat nuts and berries
(you got it, you got it)
This was a discount store,
Now it's turned into a cornfield
(you got it, you got it)
Don't leave me stranded here
I can't get used to this lifestyle
06 The Democratic Circus (05:01)
Found out this morning
There's a circus coming to town
They drive in Cadillacs
Using walkie-talkies, and the Secret Service
Their big top
Imitation of life
And all the flags and microphones
We have to cover our eyes
We play the sideshows
And we like the tunnel of love
And when we ride the ferris wheel
We're little children again
And when they're asking for volunteers
We'll be the first ones aboard
And when the ringmaster calls our names
We'll be the first ones to go ... to sleep
Stealing all our dreams
Dreams for sale
They sell 'em back to you
On with the show
Start the parade
We sand along
Sweep us away
It's political party time
Going down, going down
And the celebrities all come out
Coming down, coming down, coming...
The sun is going down
And the dogs are starting to howl
We stay out after dark
Eating cotton candy
And the music's playing...
How we all laughed!
We split our sides
The cameras flashed
We almost died!
The rain's gonna pour on down, falling out of the sky
Coming down, coming down
And the celebrities all run out, and the rain's
Coming down, coming down
Gonna rain,
Gonna rain, gonna rain
Gonna rain, gonna rain,
Rain, rain
Rain, rain
And now I wonder who's boss
And who he's leavin' behind?
08 Mommy Daddy You and I (03:58)
All the way home from baltimore
We couldn't find a seat
Conductor says he's sorry for
The blisters on our feet
Comes a-riding in a bus
The high and the low
Mommy, daddy, you and i
Going on a trip
And we're not going home
Mommy, daddy, you and i
Driving, keep driving
Driving, driving all night
Sleeping on my daddy's shoulder
Drinking from a paper cup
And i'm wearing my grandfather's clothes
And they say that up north it gets cold
Crawling out of bed one night
Walking in my sleep
We're not the only family
To take this little trip
Driving all the way up
It's 30 below
Mommy, daddy, you and i
Even little kids
Getting ready to go
Mommy, daddy,you and i
Chilly, chilly-willy
It's colder the further we go
Some are born to take advantage
But saying it don't make it so
So hold me and don't let me go
'cause the sidewalks are covered with snow
He's speaking english now
And he's smoothing out his clothes
He's mr. button down
He's leaving home
Making changes day by day
And we still ain't got no plan
How we gonna make our way
In this foreign land?
Well we'll keep driving, keep driving
Driving with all of our might
Changing, still changing
Changing the water of life
Keep that little man a shining
See how the tail can wag the dog
And we're all riding in this old bus
And the driver is singing to us
And we're wearing out grandfather's clothes
'cause we heard that up north it gets cold
Carico i commenti... con calma
