Hey, Dad, what's a 'Mongk'?

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Hey, Dad, what's a 'Mongk'?

Postby Singing Bear » Wed Jul 30, 2014 11:49 am

Any thoughts? Bloody great song but would like to chew the cud over an exegesis. Call an ambulance?
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Re: Hey, Dad, what's a 'Mongk'?

Postby Blackout » Wed Jul 30, 2014 12:08 pm

Absolutely no idea (in its original context) but it doesn't half throw up some terrifying things on Google....

Image

( http://www.mongk.ch/html/start.htm )

Moreover, according to Google Translate, "Behind every line lurks an unexpected turn, be it towards the abyss or sometimes the surprising happy ending - Whether the band can freeze a climber on the summit of Everest toasty, shipped schweiztümelnde Grantler in the supposed regional train to Amsterdam, or a frustrated curious trout on Anglers search sends, against the grain, the scenarios of the songs are. "
And I asked, "Are you dreaming about a crow?"
And there she was....

http://blackout300.tumblr.com/
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Re: Hey, Dad, what's a 'Mongk'?

Postby Singing Bear » Thu Jul 31, 2014 9:30 am

Yes, those blokes look pretty 'out there', though the clip on YouTube, which I'm assuming is them (can there be two Mongks?), doesn't really stand up to the hype. As for the Hamilton lyric, we can certainly see an urge to embrace the Primal and a rejection of the perceived hollowness of elements of 'modern' humanity. Of course, it's just possibly about wanking. Further enlightenment?
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Re: Hey, Dad, what's a 'Mongk'?

Postby Blackout » Thu Jul 31, 2014 11:02 am

There are two, the other one is some sort of dubstep DJ. (I was really bored yesterday).

My take on Mongk the song title meanwhile is that it's a word Hamilton (or another band member) either made up or saw written somewhere in northern Europe and found it amusing. It doesn't appear to relate to the song in any way after all, does it?.......

That said, one of the things I love about many British Sea Power (and possibly to an even greater extent my fave defunct 00s band Forward Russia) lyrics - given that I'm not, in general, a lyrics sort of person and about half the music I listen to doesn't actually have any - is the intrigue, the realisation that in all honesty you haven't the faintest idea what it's all about. As a child I pondered endlessly over some of the nonsense transcribed into Smash Hits, but in these days where many a lesser band sees fit to explain every syllable of their simplistic verse in even more simplistic terms (if you're ever feeling a bit thick, perhaps after watching a non-populist science documentary or something, and need a little ego boost simply google for an interview where members of inexplicably popular performing monkey troupe Kasabian talk about their song meanings, you'll instantly feel cleverer) I actually quite like the idea of a songwriter keeping their cards close to their chest. In this sense I do empathise with those in the ex-BSP-fan faction who lament the more direct lyrical approach of more recent material, though personally I'd hate any band to (a) stand still in a moment just because it was acclaimed/popular (b) churn out to order what is expected of them as opposed to what comes naturally. And as this very thread demonstrates, there's still plenty of mystery in their '10s creations.

Regarding the thirst for meaning, one of my favourite musician anecdotes is told by the wonderful composer/multi-instrumentalist Olafur Arnalds: he was commissioned to provide a short piece of music for an advert for fitted bathrooms and it was a decent payday so he took it, but the company either changed their mind or didn't like his piece. He liked it and developed it and it became popular, and fans and journalists alike would attribute this beautiful piece of music to inspiration from the incredible Icelandic landscape (he grew up in a small town on the edge of a fjord), the midnight sun and the Aurora; whole blog posts were written about its evocative nature, and as he said (something along the lines of) "I always felt really bad spoiling their dreams by telling them it was inspired by trying to sell a couple of baths and bidets..."
And I asked, "Are you dreaming about a crow?"
And there she was....

http://blackout300.tumblr.com/
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Re: Hey, Dad, what's a 'Mongk'?

Postby Singing Bear » Thu Jul 31, 2014 12:50 pm

I'm in 100% agreement as regards the essential need for good art to maintain an element of mystery. I suppose the prime example in rock music is, arguably, Bob Dylan who maintains interest by being deliberately vague, full of allusions, hints, dead-ends etc. (maybe not in his Gospel period but the power then came from the ferocious straight-forward approach mixed with a fiery vocal performance - but that's a another story). Many of my favourite poems are impossible to quite pin down but making some kind of attempt can be fun providing it doesn't fall into the lit.crit. abyss. Even if Hammy has no clue about the song's meaning, it can take on different thing for each listener because there is true power in the chosen words. I like your idea of the title being a completely random word and your quote from Mr. Arnalds is instructive.
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Re: Hey, Dad, what's a 'Mongk'?

Postby Singing Bear » Sat Aug 02, 2014 9:19 am

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Re: Hey, Dad, what's a 'Mongk'?

Postby rover » Sat Aug 02, 2014 9:30 pm

Blackout wrote: (if you're ever feeling a bit thick, perhaps after watching a non-populist science documentary or something, and need a little ego boost simply google for an interview where members of inexplicably popular performing monkey troupe Kasabian talk about their song meanings, you'll instantly feel cleverer)


http://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/jun/29/kasabian-or-spinal-tap-billy-bragg-tell-them-apart
The Law of Inverse Relevance: the less you intend doing about something the more you have to keep talking about it.
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Re: Hey, Dad, what's a 'Mongk'?

Postby Wendelin of Trier » Mon Aug 04, 2014 10:57 am

rover wrote:
Blackout wrote: (if you're ever feeling a bit thick, perhaps after watching a non-populist science documentary or something, and need a little ego boost simply google for an interview where members of inexplicably popular performing monkey troupe Kasabian talk about their song meanings, you'll instantly feel cleverer)


http://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/jun/29/kasabian-or-spinal-tap-billy-bragg-tell-them-apart


I really dislike Billy Bragg. Not a jokey sort of cockney ghost exaggerated type of dislike, I genuinely hate him.
It's like everything you never said but always meant to say
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Re: Hey, Dad, what's a 'Mongk'?

Postby Singing Bear » Mon Aug 04, 2014 3:19 pm

Wendelin of Trier wrote:I really dislike Billy Bragg. Not a jokey sort of cockney ghost exaggerated type of dislike, I genuinely hate him.


How come? Personally, I have mixed feelings.
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Re: Hey, Dad, what's a 'Mongk'?

Postby cawseetiger » Mon Aug 04, 2014 3:41 pm

I've seen BB live several times over the years and at one time he was an ever present on my cd player / turntable and was lucky enough to have a chance meeting with him at the Beverly Folk Fest many years back and he seemed a genuinely nice bloke.
However he slide into his retro country stuff is fucking dull and doesn't do it for me albeit for the odd tune / reworking. I did take the time to buy his last album Live from the Union Chapel wasn't overly impressed with that either.
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Re: Hey, Dad, what's a 'Mongk'?

Postby DepthofAlbertsEyes » Wed Sep 03, 2014 6:24 pm

I've come to think that the lyric might be a slightly abstract wordplay. That is, 'mongk' as 'mong-k', pronounced mong-kay = monkey.

So the subject of the song, suggesting that we are beastly and should not consider ourselves above lower orders of being, is in keeping.

"Don't raise yourself up above the Inuit or Gorilla"
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Re: Hey, Dad, what's a 'Mongk'?

Postby Skinku » Wed Sep 03, 2014 11:01 pm

DepthofAlbertsEyes wrote:I've come to think that the lyric might be a slightly abstract wordplay. That is, 'mongk' as 'mong-k', pronounced mong-kay = monkey.

So the subject of the song, suggesting that we are beastly and should not consider ourselves above lower orders of being, is in keeping.

"Don't raise yourself up above the Inuit or Gorilla"


Hang on you are making sense. Stop it.
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Re: Hey, Dad, what's a 'Mongk'?

Postby BabyGray » Fri Sep 19, 2014 12:45 pm

You lot don't know your fish! I've caught a fair few of these mongkfish before, great eating especially frying in milk. Goes well with rigwelter ale.
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Re: Hey, Dad, what's a 'Mongk'?

Postby NicholasVanWotsisface » Thu Sep 25, 2014 7:29 am

A mook? What's a mook?
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Re: Hey, Dad, what's a 'Mongk'?

Postby redc » Thu Sep 25, 2014 10:25 am

NicholasVanWotsisface wrote:A mook? What's a mook?


I don't know, but apparently I used to run one.
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