Sister Awake meaning

Joined: 01 Feb 2009 Posts: 113

I was wondering if anyone recalls JM ever explaining what Sister Awake is about? Is it written anywhere in an interview or something?

It's always been a complete mystery to me, verging on American Pie territory in impenetrability of meaning. I can guess and interpret, but I want to know what JEFF created it as.

But oh how I love the song. The line about calling a name to invoke the fates... wow... it's the kind of song that speaks to JM's flashes of genius IMO. I felt that way about Save Me too until I found out that song speaks to STUART's genius. Boy I was shocked and disappointed... but still adore Save Me.

I have deliberately never watched the Sister Awake video clip because I don't want it to delete the videoclip and images the song evokes in my head.

Somewhere, it might be on the I&I dvd, Jeff says something about the songs on Tx being self-explanatory. I can remember actually exclaiming 'Oh yeah!?' out loud to the television. The television never talks back though, no matter how much you yell at it.

Joined: 27 Sep 2007 Posts: 48

I found this from a radio interview the boys did when the Edges of Twilight came out. I transcribed it out:

...a song called Sister Awake. What can you tell me about this one?

Um, lyrically, again, Sister Awake is dealing with the ideal of a muse and questioning the temptations that go, I suppose, hand in hand with the creative process, or the process of inspiration. So, basically, again it's a song about decent, but I think at the end, it's resolution is um...I don't remember the words actually.."and you hear them call our your name, invoking the fates", yeah...yeah, I think it's just a song about qualifying those temptations, like putting them in line, you know what I mean.

Where does the sister part come from?

Well, it's just kinda of like how everyone is kind of like an hermaphrodite, right, in terms of the soul, male and female. I've always thought of the muse in more in like a female sense, or a sister...not more or less like a lover, but more like a sister. So I'm basically, you know, sister awake, having my own artistic consciousness and subconsciousness awakened.

—

I believe there's also some commentary about the meaning of the song on the commentary track on the illuminations dvd. I could write those out for you too later (when I get home, where my dvd is), if you don't want to watch the clip.

Joined: 01 Feb 2009 Posts: 113

Thanks Riven, that's very, very helpful. Sounds very Jeffly. He's a bugger for forgetting his own song lyrics. I find it strange. I can see forgetting a more obscure song but S_A? I suppose he might skip over that bit live as he likes to play medleys.

On one of the bootlegs he mentions how he had to borrow a copy of 'The Edges of Twilight' backstage to remember how to play Release so he could perform it. Yep, Edges of Twilight! Argh it drives me crazy every time I hear it! Edges wouldn't have helped you very much dear!

Never mind transcribing the dvd commentary, I can listen without watching! Thanks though.

I love the commentary on Save Me where he's talking about his reverse vampire teeth and the girl on the escalator LoL... (p.s. it's so unfair I never run into celebrities on escalators. Or anywhere else Razz

That's seriously very helpful Riven, I will have a good think about what you transcribed next time I listen. I'm assuming this all came out of JM's mouth?

Joined: 27 Feb 2009 Posts: 126

What are "reverse vampire teeth"?
Those sharp teeth on his lower jaw?

...and what about the girl on the escalator?
Twisted Evil

I don´t know why, but somehow that scene from the Doors movie just came in my mind. No wait, that was in an elevator. Ah, never mind.

Joined: 01 Feb 2009 Posts: 113

LoL Trinity both those remarks - escalator/elevator remind me of Mallrats: 'That KID is BACK on the escalator again!' / 'Tell me about the elevator Brodie'

Yeah the reverse vampire teeth thing refers to JM's lower teeth. I think the commentry about the escalator was over the Save Me video because for some reason his Reverse Vampire Teeth (RVT) are really noticeable in that clip.

The story is this, to the best of my memory. I really like this anecdote so I made a point of remembering it.

JM says that he was out with his girl at the time in Canada at somewhere like a hardware shop and he was in disguise. There were two teenage girls on the escalator near them going 'It's him!' 'No it's not!' 'It is! Look at the teeth!'

So he can apparently be picked out of a line-up by just his RVT lol

I find it hugely fascinating that he had either a real or perceived need to be disguised. I suppose, back in the day in Canada it is conceivable but... he's never been Michael Jackson. And he seems to schlep all over Australia without apparent detection as far as I can see. I find it really fascinating, as I said. Thoughts anyone?

Posted: Thu Oct 29, 2009 7:41 am

Well I imagine he'd come accross one or two fans here and there who'd act like that.... and I imagine he get's the same in Australia.... but for the most part, well depending on where you live, most here don't give many famous or semi-famous people a hard time walking down the street.

I know a few well known actors and musicians made it a point to have a second home in Cape Breton mainly due to the local population not giving a damn who's there and don't often rat their locations out to the media, etc.

But hey, if it's not someone's teeth people recognize, it's their ears, nose, height, etc.

Joined: 27 Feb 2009 Posts: 126

I have a colleague who has RVT like these. We use to make Werewolf jokes, like howling whenever it´s a full moon...really funny Twisted Evil

That reminds me: tomorrow is Halloween. Too bad I´m not at work. It looks like he gets away this year.

and one more about the RVT: a good friend of mine who´s a dentist was "a bit concerned" when she watched the Save Me video.
I think it looks pretty cool though...

Joined: 27 Feb 2009 Posts: 126

Now that is the perfect RVT clip:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-nPqkyKI2c
( I have to send this link to my dentist friend Laughing

)

...Ok, this has nothing to do with The Edges of Twilight or the SA lyrics, but ain´t those RVT cute?!

Joined: 01 Feb 2009 Posts: 113

Wow I've never seen that clip before. It's a nice one. Strange seeing JM in glasses. But there's something odd about it. The body language? Like they just had a huge fight 10 minutes earlier and then had to sit next to each other at the wedding.

Those are some really pointy teeth lol. I wonder if Jeff's boy has them.

Who knew Jeff was so trendy, what with the vampire hysteria these days. Although, reverse vampire teeth may be considered subversive, even for a vampire.