My Morning Jacket

This is a shitty question, but:

What is the significance of the big brown stuffed bear on the front cover, back cover, and inside artwork of the album?

Personally, I find the artwork on ISM to be the ugliest of any of MMJ's albums or EPs (all of which are gorgeous).  

But I came up with a theory:

That all the album covers are indicative of the mood on a particular album.  

1) TF has the nightscape (this album is definitely late night, spaced-out listening)

2) AD has the scene of the auditorium as the sun is rising (the mood is still drowsy, but brightening)

3) Then ISM has that damn bear (to reflect the more aggressive rock mood on the album?)

Thoughts?

Well, the video that RCA put out about the group and the new album sheds a little bit of light on why the bear is on there, etc.

http://rcarecords.com/media/my_morning_jacket/video/it_still_moves_128.ram

If anyone hasn't seen this yet, by all means do so!

Thoughts?  You bet your boots I've got thoughts.

Why criticize the artwork publicly?  I happen to enjoy the images on all the albums, and ISM is no different.  The guys really worked hard on the cover art-why disrespect them here in the forum, when you could mouth off to anyone you know offline?  

Everyone has opinions, but dissin' the boys hard work is just downright disrespectful.  Sorry to be an ass, but it's true.

There's bears on the cover of the new Grand Champeen (http://mpcrow.home.texas.net/page2.html) record as well - 2003 is the year of the bear

http://www.ascendpress.org/PDF-files/2003.Calender.pdf

Damn.

I don't mean any disrespect, but when you compare the ISM art with the past stuff, it hard to argue that it has the  same BEAUTY as the others.  

I mean, afterall, it is a big dead stuffed bear that appears ready to attack.

I was only soliciting other opinions on the art.  Maybe there's some sort of hidden meaning or joke that I haven't fully appreciated yet?  



As far as the "mouthing off" thing goes, I thought the purpose of this forum was to exchange ideas and thoughts.

But, if the purpose of this forum is really just to praise "the boys" in everyway shape or form, while at the same time condemning any sentiment to the contrary, then you are right...I should have just kept my mouth shut.

If I haven't learned to appreciate the art just yet, fine.

Don't crucify me.

This smacks of the recent antics of the Bush Administration when they didn't want to hear anything critical of their big push to war.  Anyone who questioned the Administration and our Dear Leader's reasoning was degraded and labeled un-American.

Well, I guess since I don't like the ISM cover art I'm not a patriot and I hate America.

Okay, uncle...no bad vibes.  You're entitled to an opinion.

I object to the subjective terms like "ugly"...that's my point.  Everyone has feelings, and I think it would hurt someone's feelings to hear their hard work is considered "ugly".  

Wow.  I don't think I've ever read a more ridiculous, hyperbolic post in my life.

I've got no problem with you discussing your like or dislike of the artwork; but how you managed to conflate a little disagreement on a band's website with some sort of attack on your patriotism, I'll never understand.

I'd really hate to see this forum descend into a haven for this kind of political straw man b.s.

Ridiculous and hyperbolic?  I think not.

I drew a parallel between this situation and current political events (which we've previously discussed on this forum, without petty argument and over-sensitive knee-jerk reactions) and then used sarcasm to emphasize my point.

Furthermore, ART, by definition, is subjective.  

But since everyone has gotten so offended by my use of the word "ugly" and subsequently missed the entire intent of this thread, we should just let this one die before any more negativity and name-calling ensues.

QuoteBut since everyone has gotten so offended by my use of the word "ugly" and subsequently missed the entire intent of this thread, we should just let this one die before any more negativity and name-calling ensues

Okay, see...that's all I wanted.  I did miss the intent, sorry...my bad.  I'm just trying to understand.

Yes, you are correct, this should die before negativity takes over...the last thing we want is name calling, as well.  

We're all still friends!  It's all good.  My knee jerk reaction was unintentional.  I owe you a beer.

Fuhgettaboutit.  I still owe you a few rounds of bourbon.

When we finally do meet up, we'll buy each other drinks and sing songs.

Then towards the end of the evening, one of us will say, "Hey remember that post about the ISM cover art"?

Then we will calmly stagger outside and duke it out in da streets, like god intended.

Its all good in da hood, ma brutha.

Come here you big lug!  Let's armwrassle!

Group hug! ;D

You guys are too cute! aww. I just thought I'd say that I like the artwork. Plus it's kinda cool cause one of my favorite songs is "The Bear." Now I get to see the Bear. I also like it because the album is called "It Still Moves" and it's represented by an inanimate Bear that used to move. Or maybe IT still moves... hmmm... I love DA Bear. ;)

i believe it was inspired origionally by senor griz.  d. cash told us back when it was being made....but wouldnt show it to us.


i will have to watch that video link later.  the assholes in my office wont shut the fuck up so i can hear it.

Hmm, this is a rather controversial topic, so I'm almost afraid to give my opinion, but I think somewhere, Tooth might have a point when he talks about his theory about how most of the front covers reflect the musical content of all the albums. And about that promovideo, you can see how they're making the artwork, but there's no explanation about why it's a bear. So why a bear? You could simply say, well, it's just a nice picture. But if that'd be the case and you would find it an ugly picture... I'd say you're totally entitled to ask, why for heaven's sake that bear?

And John, I have to say I was a little disappointed when I read your first reaction. If you don't like the picture, one of the places to discus that is this forum. Tooth is obviously a big fan, but there are always cases when your favourite band does things you don't get and then you want to talk about that with fellow-fans. I wonder myself why they put that bear up front. I like the picture, but I'd also like to know the story behind it.

So, well, there you go, Tooth. Thought it was time for a more mellow reply here...  :)

dd...shhh

QuoteAnd John, I have to say I was a little disappointed when I read your first reaction. If you don't like the picture, one of the places to discus that is this forum. Tooth is obviously a big fan, but there are always cases when your favourite band does things you don't get and then you want to talk about that with fellow-fans. I wonder myself why they put that bear up front. I like the picture, but I'd also like to know the story behind it.

Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrgh, matey.  Methinks I had to rethink that position in a hurry.  Arrrrrrrrrrrgh...I walk the plank for me indiscretions.

You are correct, I was overreacting...me and Tooth had kissed and made up and all that jazz.

Call me an overzealous fan, if nothing else  ;D  

QuoteWhat is the significance of the big brown stuffed bear on the front cover, back cover, and inside artwork of the album?
Thoughts?

I think the bear is there because it was out at the farm, and like the masks they are wearing in the website photos, they took all the props they could grab hold of and carried 'em up into the loft and shot some pics and chose the results they liked the most.

Or, it could be that the guys have been brainwashed by a backwoods cult whose deity is the bear. They do seem to be standing in a ritualistic manner around the creature, don't you think? And maybe those aren't props they're wearing, but are holy vestments.

be careful.  the cult of senorgriz will come for you if you keep broadcasting our secrets!

Now we're on to something...

I first heard what the name of the new album was going to be from some review link from this site sometime earlier this year.  But here's the thing, it was so long ago, so long before the album dropped, that the review got the name wrong.  Instead of "It Still Moves" they printed simply "Still Moves".  

So I spent a few days thinking about that.  What it meant.  What was happening in the title?  After turning it over for a while I realized that there was a play there that I really enjoyed; the play between something being still and something moving and how  sometimes that can be the same thing at the same time.  A thing that is both still and moving.  

What are moves that are still?  Quiet actions.  Emotions. A moving moment; one that brings you to tears.  There was a whole level beyond the connotations of looking at a thing and seeing it moving and looking at it again and there it is still moving, which is the first impression I feel the title is supposed to give you.

Now, on to the bear.

I think the bear is a physical representation of this seeming paradox of static and dynamic.  It's a dead stuffed bear, yet it's attacking.  It's frightening, but ultimately impotent.  It represents problems of reconciling appearance with reality.  It projects confidence, but is, at its heart, insecure.  

To take the idea of "Still Moves" a bit farther I think that its relates to the tone of the album.  This is a road album at its heart.  How many songs are about bars or playing shows or tour vans or recording albums?  This is not the album an angst ridden teenager who's afraid he's never going to leave Louisville would write (see Tennessee Fire), it's the album of a band that is constantly on the road.  Going places, but never getting anywhere.  Modest Mouse's Interstate 8 (infinity loop).  Still. Moves.  The bear illustrates that.

Wow, Spoon... That's one mighty good explanation. Don't know if they actually meant it that way, but it doesn't matter. I love it when people actually think about art and stuff. You rock.

Yeah! That was an awesome interpretation! Spoon - you're good people. I briefly met you in S.F. in the spring. You gonna be back there in October?

(http://mywebpages.comcast.net/jvmuell/spoon.gif)

anybody a tick fan?

i love the tick, they need to put it out on dvd.

What in gods name is a tick???

here's some sites for the tick info: http://www.cs.rose-hulman.edu/~stinerkt/Tick.html
http://www.thetick.ws/cartoons.html
http://xenafan.com/tick/

i want the cartoon version, but this might just help tide me over: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0000AUHQE/ref=ase_michaelleggcom/002-5240256-4008018?v=glance&s=dvd

here's an online petition to get the animated series released on dvd: http://www.petitiononline.com/dvdtick/petition.html

QuoteWhat in gods name is a tick???

once, when i was a kid i lived in southern arkansas.  me and my buddies would go out in the woods and play in the creeks and just go crazy.  so one day i got home and my little bald nuts started itching really bad and i couldnt figure out what was going on.  you might think i was fooling around with one of my buddies and gotten crabs but you would be thinking wrong, pervert.  i had stepped into a nest of seed ticks.  

seed ticks are VERY small ticks that like warm moist places like the place in your pants that is "special" and not supposed to be touched by grownups.  i looked down at my little fuzzless friends underneath my vienna sausage and lo and behold it looked like they were covered with something small.....and itchy.  ahhhhhh, nothing like the feeling you get when your mom spends an hour with tweezers pulling seed ticks one by one out of your prepubescent sack.  its taken years of therapy to get over that one.


on a more recent note.  a few years ago i took off my shoe because something was itching between my toes.  i thought it was another attack of the old athletes foot but not this time.  there was a tick that had burrowed in between my toes and was just suck suck suckin away.  evidently the bastard had been there a few days because he was as big as the toes he was in between....ok, not quite but almost.  so i lit a match and touched its fat ass and it backed the fuck up out of my toes.  

now, this might tell you more about my foot cleaning habits than you wanted to know.  it also m ight tell you more about me, my balls, my mom and our special "tick time".  i just hope that i have helped explain for you a little about our blood sucking parasites we call ticks.

DD - I'll second that shhhh.

I found DD's stories to be very informative... even though I already knew what a tick was. besides, don't we all have our crazy little stories about parasites and privates?

QuoteDD - I'll second that shhhh.

watch out batman!!!  or ill make you my robin and we will play "see what fits in the batcave".   ;)

Thank you for that very very good explanation DD. Funny was it as well.
But thinking about it, i do not know i we have any ticks up here in Norway. I think i must cheque my toes every night before i go to sleep.

Have a tick-free day anyway

Hahaha, this topic got totally weird... Who'd have thought that a simple question would lead to the first real row on this board first and then to a discussion about ticks... You guys are crazy!  :)

first row, eh?  I believe you are forgetting the "mellow" discussion of a few months back....hardee harr harr.  ;D

I'M REEEEEEEEEEEAL FUCKIN' MELLOW, YA BUNCHA DINGLEBERRIES!!

P.S.  I love Spoon's explaination of the cover art.  Very nice indeed.

Love,

Tooth

lmfao!!! dd, that's a great story, ahahahahaha.  ;D

i don't think the "shh" had anything to do with dd's story

A funny story about the bear (as relayed by Two_Tone Tommy)

Jim wanted to bring the bear to the 2 Louisville shows.  He contacted the taxidermist (is that the right name?) that they got the bear from and it ends up he sold the bear to guy in (if I remember correctly) Tennessee.

Jim asks if they can get a hold of the guy and see if they can rent the bear for the 2 shows.  The guy says no problem.  He can deliver the bear and pick it up after the shows for whatever price they agreed on.

So all is cool.

Then the guy calls Jim on Wednesday and says I forgot to mention one thing.  I removed the fangs because they were freaking people out.  It made the bear look too scarey.  So he put a fake salmon in the bears mouth and removed the fangs.  "Does that make a difference?"

"Of course it does."  So it looks like there will be no baar in Louisville. >:(

The baar can't sometimes eat anything without it's fangs.  Execept of course fake salmon.

HA!  I'm loving the picture of the baar more and more all the time!

That story is cool, yeah, thanks my_evening_jacket. And yes, all my doubts about the artwork are gone, now. Long live the bear! We luv the bear! Let's get ourselves a fanclub for the bear!  ;D

The bear in costume was freakin' hilarious!  Long live the bear!