cowboy Kim I am

Posted over 2 years ago

Artist:
- PLAY
Devo
Album:
- PLAY
- QUEUE
Greatest Hits
Track:
- PLAY
- QUEUE
Big Mess

A while ago I did this little project taking pictures inspired by song lyrics. I posted some of the photos here on this page before, even. In any case, when the project was first conceived, I had thought it would be a good idea to take a series of pictures inspired by the lyrics of just one song. That song was to be DEVO's Big Mess. At the time I described some of the pictures I wanted to take as follows:For "I'm a man with a mission" I'm thinking of having a person in a Tommie Smith pose with some sort of homage to the accomplishment of this particular mission** in the background. I would like for it to be written out with one of those magnetic alphabets like the kids play with, but I probably couldn't acquire those and they are too small to really work anyways. I'm also haven't decided what the ideal model for this picture would look like, but that's ok because it's just going to be whoever agrees to do it anyways.
For "I've got a picture in my pocket of the lucky one" I have a few different ideas, but all of them involve a pocket and a picture. The one that aligns best with the mission idea (particularly the part where it is a familiar or somewhat well known composition) would look an awful lot like the picture on the cover of the traveling pants dvd. I'm not sure who or what should be the lucky one just yet.
(later, when I asked a friend who was the lucky one, he said, "some guy with a huge dick," we just couldn't get over it!)

In the end the project evolved, but I did shoot one of the Big Mess photos:

(more devo photos in comments!)So, the reason I bring all this up is that I did this project a year ago, and since then, I have listened to DEVO almost every single day.

Comments (16)

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brand X says Too Much Paranoias - "hold the pickles, hold the lettuce, special orders don't upset us" My brother gave me a cassette of Oh No! It's DEVO when I was six or seven years old. I listened to it quite a lot back then, shared it with friends, all that type of things.

Permalink posted 02/12/2007
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brand X says Space Junk – “It smashed my baby’s head, and now my Sally’s dead” . Until I looked up the Big Mess lyrics for this project, I always used to think that the cowboy’s name was Tim. I nice person told me she always thought it was cowboy Jim until she found "the Cowboy Kim story":http://www.ithrewup.com/obsesso/html/ultrageek_pgs/cowboykimltrs.html

Permalink posted 02/12/2007
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brand X says Jocko Homo - "We're pinheads now, we are not whole, We're pinheads all, Jocko Homo"

Permalink posted 02/12/2007
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brand X says gets unfairly cropped in the main post

Permalink posted 02/12/2007
Anonymous says . *Devo's "I Desire" is based upon a poem written by would-be Reagan assassin John Hinckley, Jr. to his paramour Jodie Foster. Imagine Hinckley's chagrin when it became clear that Foster prefers the company of _female_ assassins.* I desire I desire I pledge allegiance to the thought That your love is all that matters And your gestures have the power To bring the whole world to its knees Dont let me torment you Dont let me bring you down Dont ever let me hurt you Dont let me fail because I desire your attention I desire your perfect love I desire nothing more (than this) (or less) To give you happiness Could become a lifetime goal A smile I might bring you Is more important than world peace I pledge allegiance to the fact That youre wise to walk away For nothing is more dangerous Than desire when its wrong

Permalink posted 02/12/2007
Anonymous says *John Hinckley's Letter to Jodie Foster Written Immediately Before Assassination*, chillingly similar to any number of distressed love letters, except of course for the "getting" Reagan part. Dear Jodie: There is definitely a possibility that I will be killed in my attempt to get Reagan. It is for this very reason that I am writing you this letter now. As you well know by now I love you very much. Over the past seven months I've left you dozens of poems, letters and love messages in the faint hope that you could develop an interest in me. Although we talked on the phone a couple of times I never had the nerve to simply approach you and introduce myself. Besides my shyness, I honestly did not wish to bother you with my constant presence. I know the many messages left at your door and in your mailbox were a nuisance, but I felt that it was the most painless way for me to express my love for you. I feel very good about the fact that you at least know my name and how I feel about you. And by hanging around your dormitory, I've come to realize that I'm the topic of more than a little conversation, however full of ridicule it may be. At least you know that I'll always love you. Jodie, I would abandon the idea of getting Reagan in a second if I could only win your heart and live out the rest of my life with you, whether it be in total obscurity or whatever. I will admit to you that the reason I'm going ahead with this attempt now is because I cannot wait any longer to impress you. I've got to do something now to make you understand, in no uncertain terms, that I'm doing all of this for your sake! By sacrificing my freedom and possibly my life, I hope to change your mind about me. This letter is being written only an hour before I leave for the Hilton Hotel. Jodie, I'm asking you to please look into your heart and at least give the chance, with this historical deed, to gain your love and respect. I love you forever, John W. Hinckley

Permalink posted 02/12/2007
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brand X says LINK .. Devo also ran into issues with the song I Desire. Devo had originally planned to have poets and friends write lyrics for the album. This idea was later scrapped, but Devo decided to do one song based on a poem by would-be Reagan assasinator John Hinckley. I Desire was the result. The FBI tried to block the release of the album and the song, claiming it might inspire copycat attacks, and link Hinckley style psycopaths to Devo. The album, however, was released on time.

Permalink posted 02/12/2007
Anonymous says . I AM COWBOY GEORGE. I'M A MAN WITH A MISSION. A BOY WITH A GUN. I GOT A PICTURE IN MY POCKET OF THE LUCKY ONE. COWBOY GEORGE I AM. MR. REALITY.

Permalink posted 02/12/2007
Anonymous says . More extremely graphic photos of the "lucky ones":http://www.awitness.org/journal/real_iraq_war.html. Extremely. *_Extremely._*

Permalink posted 02/12/2007
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brand X says I GOT A COWBOY HAT IT IS MY BUSINESS HAT

Permalink posted 02/12/2007
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Smooth Hegemon says "For some, those photos of dead Iraqis are as good as big tits and the money shot":http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nowthatsfuckedup.com

Permalink posted 02/12/2007
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Smooth Hegemon says (love the photos as well, brand X. Literalism taken to its most delicious absurd)

Permalink posted 02/12/2007
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brand X says thanks, dude.

Permalink posted 02/12/2007
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ebuzzmiller says we need Devo now more than ever, unfortunately, those guys don't seem to be capable of making a decent record anymore - "Oh No" was the last good thing they did, but for me, Duty Now For The Future is *the* manifesto...

Permalink posted 02/13/2007
Anonymous says Educational "link":http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nowthatsfuckedup.com, Smooth. I had not heard about "nowthatsfuckedup.com" until now. I support the ACLU, but every once in a while the organization plays knight-in-shining-armor to someone _really fuckedup,_ like nowthatsfuckedup.com's proprietor Christopher Wilson. In order to clear my head, I have to go and reread this Onion article: "ACLU Defends Nazis' Right To Burn Down ACLU Headquarters":http://www.theonion.com/content/node/39182

Permalink posted 02/14/2007
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Hermes says I'm really not into Punk and New Wave. Just heard a few songs of DEVO - never heard anything of them before - and it's not up my alley, at least not yet. But: I do like their attitude, after that bit, I read about them. The idea of making fotos inspired by a song is just brilliant. Never came into my mind. And your fotos here are brilliant too, especially "Big Mess" and "Space Junk" - at least in my amateurish perception. Did you stop your little project or will there be more fotos in the future? In case that you plan do more of that stuff: here's an interested "viewer". Great post. Cheers.

Permalink posted 06/18/2007