fun fact: in the 50s the Kent cigarette brand had a type of cig with micronite filters that literally had crocidolite in them, aka BLUE ASBESTOS, literally THE most lethal type of asbestos by a mile. and you could just buy it at the store and huff it
Ok this started as a text to my friend but turned into like one of those deranged swiftie blazed posts… anyways. Battling ssri withdrawal symptoms with over the counter serotonin (carly rae jepsen). Listened to an interview with her last night and 1) As I suspected, Bends is about navigating the grief of losing a family member in Canada when covid travel restrictions made it impossible to be with her family. But also a) the part that goes “this isn’t happening, doo doo doo doo” comes out sort of silly and sweet but it’s about sort of losing your words and disassociating, b) she didn’t think it would be a song she would release because it was so personal and like a diary entry, but the friends and family she shared the song with really connected with it, which c) is a big part of her artistic process. We all know carly writes tons of songs that never get released, but part of that is her philosophy that songs have two sides: one is the authentic personal idea or feeling she’s expressing and the other is how the audience receives and connects to it. She says she can feel like she’s channeling something and expressing it exactly the way she wants to, but if the people she trusts to share unfinished songs with don’t connect with it, she won’t release it. Which i love to hear…, bc like “self expression” is such a natural impulse for an artist but the desire to connect with others is what makes it really good. Finally, the way Western Wind is about her childhood memories and staying connected to the people and places she loves despite everything makes it a natural flip side to Bends…. The way she says The Loneliest Time is about turning loneliness over and finding something beautiful on the side…. I’m literally weeping …
