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Normal History Vol. 286: The Art Of David Lester

Every Saturday, we’ll be posting a new illustration by David Lester. The Mecca Normal guitarist is visually documenting people, places and events from his band’s 30-year run, with text by vocalist Jean Smith.

In this week’s column, I continue to compare songs on Calico Kills The Cat with songs on our new album, Empathy For The Evil, from start to finish. See notes from Sept. 6, 2014

2. “Blue TV” (Calico Kills The Cat, 1989) From the vantage point of the street in front of a suburban house, the blue light flashing behind the curtain represents the lies that TV propagates and complacent citizens swallow.

2. “What’s Your Name?” (Empathy For The Evil, 2014) Here, the singer attempts to turn the tables by asking listeners questions that intend to implicate and hold accountable citizens who rely on anonymity to abdicate responsibilities and behave badly. I think this stems from a sense of powerlessness, so, in a way, the song intends to return power to individuals. The power of identity—a name. The power of emotions, of caring, and the things we say and do when we are vulnerable in those ways.

Perhaps “What’s Your Name?” is a form of reverse psychology that aims to make the same point that “Blue TV” focused on using a more accusatory tone.

“Blue TV” from Calico Kills The Cat (K, 1989; Matador, 1991; Smarten Up!, 2003) (download):