I find it amusingly similar to "Cut Your Hair", but I'm not trying to make this some run-of-the-mill entry for the sake of writing something post-hiatus. Each song does have its own unique attributes and divergent perspectives. I find "Cut Your Hair" to be Malkmus' musings of the skewed perspective of the plethora of washed-out bands that virulently sprung out from the post-grunge wastelands around the 90's. However, "Stereo" seems to be Malkmus' personal perspective through his experience being with Pavement and touring. The song isn't exclusively focused on the music scene as evidenced by allusions to the country focused on image and consumerism, as well as what it means to be human. There are also several motifs mentioned throughout, and this may be a direct byproduct of Malkmus' writing style. You all know the drill: line by line with parenthetical annotations. Feel free to add your own thoughts in the "Comments" section.
Pigs, they tend to wiggle when they walk
The infrastructure rots
And the owners hate the jocks
With their agents and their dates
(Pigs, in this context, are referring to corporate hotshots and politicians. The choice word "wiggle" may suggest an air of superiority. This recalls an image of unbridled greed and dishonesty. This results in a decaying society rife with corruption and depravity. I can't help but think about Fitzgerald's "The Great Gatsby" in terms of the word "rot", which detailed similar issues in a hedonistic, greed-stricken era of the 20's. The "owners" may represent the American people and the "jocks" seem to be another name for the CEO's and prolific people of society. These lines convey a hostility of the peon towards the "jocks" of American society.)
If the signatures are checked
You'll just have to wait
("Checked" can refer to cashing in a check, and can also mean a background check on a contract of some sort. In relation to the next line, I interpret "wait" to be earning profit from record sales and endorsement deals. I imagine a band in its infancy landing a deal with a major label.)
And we're counting up the instants that we save
Tired nation so depraved
From the cheap seats see us
Wave to the camera
It took a giant ramrod
To raze the demon settlement
(The "counting" may refer to an economic maelstrom or even a society consumed in and by consumerism. This prompts me to think about Costco and Sam's Clubs around the nation, what with their gratuitous bulk offerings of products at a discounted price. These enticing deals escalate mindless spending and breed this mantra of "more, more, more" as desirable. This emphasis on "more" perpetuates growing waste and may even contribute to current, burgeoning health issues. The "cheap seats" are one of the primary instances of the music scene itself in the song, and it seems as if Malkmus himself admits to just being another product of consumerism and marketing. I liken the line "Wave to the camera" to a sort of degrading act of servitude towards a higher power. It brings to mind an image of a circus spider monkey of some sort, being demanded by its owner to perform a certain trick on queue against its will...okay in other words, I'm thinking Derek Zoolander. These could be metaphorical for all the publicity tactics devised by the corporate heads of a major label to please mainstream to maximize profits for the label. However, the originality of the band itself is drained due to being directed by the label as to what to do to become "successful".
The word "ramrod" is, according to dictionary.com, "a cleaning rod for the barrel of a firearm". There is another definition: "a strict disciplinarian". This suggests the purging, or cleaning out of society as sort of a method to improve it in the future. This can refer to a more sound selection of politicians who are honest to the people, and is metaphorical for any revolutionary change in society as a whole's best interest. Society is referred to as a formidable firearm and "a demon settlement" which will only cause the destruction of itself. This brings to mind suicide and as it is sinful, the word "demon" is fitting in the context. This purging can be a Utopian ideal conceived by Malkmus, but there are a few events in American history that this can be comparable to.)
But high-ho silver, ride
High-ho silver, ride
(The "high-ho" could be an allusion to the "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" movie scene where the dwarfs are whistling this tune while they are working and walking back home. It seems to represent the average white-collar working class, where uniformity is key. It's intriguing how "silver" is used instead of "gold" as silver is the next best thing, generally. It brings to mind the peon of America. I can't comment much on "ride" as I cannot discern what it refers to, and there could always be errors in transcribing lyrics from a song.)
Take another ride to see me home
Listen to me! I'm on the stereo stereo
Oh my baby baby baby baby babe
Gave me malaria hysteria
(This sort of details a brush with fame that bands have when they get radio airplay (car/ride radio), and Malkmus could be mocking this "hysteria" by feeling like one is on top of the world. This could have been a previous emotion experienced by Malkmus and he is reminiscing on it. "Malaria" could be likened to decay due to pretentiousness and empty moral values, and suggests sickness. It reminds me of fame "getting to one's head". The line, "Listen to me! I'm on the stereo, stereo", is satirical as it is such a juvenile demand. (It is believed that around the age of 4-6, children are most self-centered and are constantly vying for attention.))
What about the voice of geddy lee
How did it get so high?
I wonder if he speaks like an ordinary guy? (I know him and he does!)
(The allusion to Geddy Lee of the band Rush is interesting, as Rush is an obviously well-established band in American culture. This seems to be a contemplation of the general layman audience about whether or not a successful mainstream band's members are truly "down to earth"--a relatable human being. The high voice may be a characteristic of pompousness.)
And you're my fact-checkin' 'cause(aww...)
(I recall Wikipedia entries and fan sites with direct quotations from artists in interviews and what-not.)
Well focus on the quasar in the mist
The kaiser has a cyst
And I'm a blank want list
The qualms you have and if they stick
They will drown you in a crick
In the neck of a woods
("Quasars" are actually many intergalactic objects that are described as being luminous and possessing immense power, even more so than that of our own galaxy. This directs me back to the previous references to the kind of bands Malkmus writes about in "Cut Your Hair". They may all think highly of themselves through their hipster images they try to convey (luminosity), but the "mist" veils all rendering them as dull, monotonous objects lacking true substance of what makes a band truly great. "Kaiser has a cyst" is a reference to the CEO's or politicians with their self-destructive inflated egos (cyst--abnormal, sac-like protuberance filled with fluid). It is difficult to tell whether Malkmus may be satirizing himself or humbling himself in the preceding line as a "blank want list". If he is committing the latter, then he declares himself as an individual who's character, regardless of the well-received praise as a musician, is not over-ridden with greed and ostentatiousness. If he is satirizing, then he may be trying to dispel, through mockery, preconcieved notions of bands trying to separate themselves from the hype of fame. Through this, it is realized that fame will inevitably get the best of anyone, as it is innately a part of human nature to give in to ambition sometimes.
I am absolutely enamored by Malkmus' play on words in the last two lines: "crick" is phonetically similar to "creek" which is related to "drown", furthur continuing the water imagery. Also in the next line, "woods" could also extend the imagery from the previous sentence to a more overarching "nature" imagery. A "crick", as a spasm in muscles in the back or neck, is also mentioned in the preceding sentence. There is just a beautiful continuity I notice, illuminating Malkmus' talent in incorporating double meanings through metaphors--I know I'm an art nerd. I'm really curious to hear your thoughts on what these last few lines mean to you.)
[roommate note: crick is actually a slang/ countrified word for creek also, so kudos to kat for catching that :)]
That was populated by
Tired nation on the fly
Everybody knows advice
That was give out for free
Lots of details to discern
Lots of details
(I notice a connection between the previous mention of "ramrod", and this verse is based on the present. This is reflecting on the aftermath of the destruction of the corrupt, and these "qualms" are attributed to the lower class on society's totem pole. They will perish if they don't possess a competitive or ambitious mentality. This verse includes some hints of social Darwinism principles. The purpose of the "ramrod" was to purify society to start anew, rid of previously up-held moral ideals. However, this was all unsuccessful and affirms the notion that humans will be innately greedy and, although it could be the bane of humanity's existence, it is a necessary evil for survival. The lines: "give out for free-Lots of details to discern" recalls to mind the aforementioned chain vendors of bulk items, like BJ's or Costco. This is open to interpretation, of course.)
But high-ho silver ride
High-ho silver ride
(read above)
Takes another ride to make me
Oh, get off the air I'm on the stereo stereo
Oh my baby baby baby baby baby babe
Gave me malaria hysteria
(read above)
P.S.- yay for my roommate. mehhhh.
[roommate note: :D. mehhhh.]
