On Post: Numb

Date: January 18

Find it here

Honestly, what else could I do with the song Numb? It’s a list of overreaching rules set to a thick electronic beat and spoken by the Edge. It is also the second weirdest song off that album—behind Lemon which I also had to use for the this year’s Project—and one that does not lend itself well to a lot of different things. Or, at least, it didn’t seem to me that it did. You may feel differently.

My initial plan was just the back and forth on their being so many rules. I added the bit at the end about them giving themselves over to it anyway to gain access to…wherever that door was for because a.) they piece needed an ending, in my opinion, as opposed to a smash cut to credits on the “You asked” line, although as I look at it now, I don’t hate it as much as I did at the time and b.) it was a little bit of commentary on the human condition that we often complain about things but do them anyway out of an inherent trust of authority and/or a belief that runs something like, “I want to do this. If these are the rules, I may not like them, but what can I do? I accept my powerlessness and will do what they tell me to do this thing I think I want to do.”

I am as guilty, if not even more so, of this as anyone which is how I know that we do this sort of thing all the time. Sometimes it is accurate—TSA is not going to crumble and change their minds if you, by yourself, freak out about body scanners in that moments—but sometimes it fails to take a long view of things—see SOPA where, sure one person complaining would not have changed anything but multiple sites and internet personalities picking up on it and feeding off one another, derailed the bill.

Anyway, my high falutin’ reading of my own ending.

My explanation not ring true? Do you have questions that this piece left unanswered? Reach out and touch me at tim.g.stevens@gmail.com or @ungajje on the Twitter. And, as always, spread the word.