Newsgroups: rec.music.gaffa

From article <9210131450.AA26217@relay1.UU.NET>, by M.E.Fletcher@gdr.bath.ac.uk:
> 
> I am totally stunned by the extreme misinterpretations of the
> song Wow that I have seen recently! Here is my alternative interpretation.
> 
> Matt
> 
> andrew david simchik writes:
> 
>>	I'll probably get in trouble for interpretation again, but could
>>someone help me with this?
>>	The lyrics to "Wow!" contain a line which *sounds* like: "He's too
>>busy hitting the Vaseline".  If this is really how the lyrics go, am I
>>mistaken in assuming that Kate is establishing the "He" as a--to be
>>technical--homosexual?  If so, I wish she could have found a more appealing
>>turn of phrase.  It borders on the offensive, were I the easily offended
>>type.
> 
> Theatre actors wear heavy make-up known as greasepaint. After the show it
> is removed by rubbing it off with vaseline. Hence "he's too busy hitting
> the  vaseline" means he is too busy back in the dressing room cleaning up
> to receive any applause/accolades etc. No dressing room with a star
> and make-up girls for him. There is no implied reference to homosexuality.

Evidently this particular actor got a little greasepaint on their bum.
In every performance of the song that I have seen, Kate pats her bottom 
with a knowing look as she sings the line "He's too busy hitting the 
Vaseline."

There's no question of the intent when you see the live performance.  
It is at the very least a double entendre.

> "Many an actor dies on stage, it's not for real he just holds his breath."
> This line is crystal clear, it's nothing to do with sexual pleasure in the
> slightest! The metaphorical meaning is about failure.

I agree, except that the lyric is...

 When the actor reaches his death,
 You know it's not for real. He just holds his breath.

> Once again, it's losers/failing to make it etc. not about homosexuality.
> The Sweeney was a very successful British TV cop show around the time
> the song was round. The song is about the miserable existence failed
> actors/actresses have, not realising their ambitions. They're never the
> stars, only the bit parts. The fool is a common Shakespearean role.
> 
> Please feel free to comment/flame if you still believe that Wow is
> a "queer positive" diatribe, but personally I think you've got hold of
> the wrong end of the stick.

I tend to agree that Wow is about failed actors/actresses and the
show business machine that chews people up and spits them out. Still,
I think the fact that one of the characters is gay is clearly established 
in the song.  It's used as piece of background and atmosphere more than as
statement about homosexuals.  This is just one more instance of Kate
packing a lot of character development and atmosphere into very few
words of lyric.  Nobody does it better.


"Don't drive too slowly."                 Richard Caldwell
                                          AT&T Network Systems
                                          nrc@cbnews.att.com
x-gateway: rodan.UU.NET from love-hounds to rec.music.gaffa; Sun, 11 Oct 1992 19:14:32 EDT
Date: Sun, 11 Oct 1992 19:13:40 -0400
From: vickie@pilot.njin.net (Vickie Mapes)
Errors-To: Love-Hounds-request@uunet.uu.net
Message-ID: <CMM-RU.1.3.718845216.vickie@pilot.njin.net>