About This Blog

Dare to Dissemble is my little online ranting place, where I air my thoughts about the ridiculous state of affairs at the University of Alberta--a formerly strong public institution with tons of potential being driven into the ground by inept governance and irresponsible government funding policies. Comments are welcome, but not expected. Like most blogs on the internet, this one languishes in obscurity and is read for the most part by its proprietor.

Wednesday, December 26, 2012

Song of the Week: Misunderstood

In 1977, Pete Townshend of the Who and Ronnie Lane of Small Faces and the Faces put out an album called Rough Mix.  A collaboration between two seminal figures of 60s/70s rock, the album contains many gems, among them Keep Me Turning and Heart to Hang Onto.  (It was also reputed to be one of the most alcohol-soaked recording sessions in history.)  A lesser-known song from Pete has always appealed to me:  Misunderstood.  Here are some of the lyrics:

Just want to be misunderstood,
I want to be feared in my neighbourhood.
Just want to be a moody man,
Say things that nobody can understand.

I want to be obscure and oblique,
Inscrutable and vague,
So hard to pin down.
I want to leave open mouths when I speak,
Want people to cry when I put them down.

These words always made me think of my PhD advisor, who was really a fine guy, but he was absolutely unreadable and intimidated the hell out of everyone. Anyway, it's a good melody and the lyrics are very clever.  Give it a listen.

(By the way, travel will keep me for posting for a week or two.)



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