Expert: Joe - 6/29/2002

Question
Hi!,
   I've tried a lot of sites to decipher the meaning of bush's machinehead but haven't come across any.If you do know its meaning or if you could direct me to another site/person,I'd be grateful.
Thanks,
Kartik  

Answer
Gavin has made comments about various songs in concert and on bootlegs.  Machinehead isn't one of them.  Anyone who says they know what the song is about is probably lieing.  So I honestly can't give you any clues, I think most of the song is just surreal lyrics Gavin wrote that don't mean a whole heck of a lot.

HOWEVER--

One huge hint, Gavin is a big fan of Allen Ginsburg - and in the middle of the song he shouts "I saw the best minds of my generation starving hysterical and naked, dragging themselves through the streets..."  this is from a long poem called "Howl" by Allen Ginsburg.  This poem is about how many of the smartest people were addicted to drugs and how screwed up the world was (written around the 1950's or 1960's.  That is one clue to Gavin's meaning perhaps.

Hope that helps...  many other songs Gavin has spoke of its meaning, but Machinehead simply isn't one of them.

Be sure to visit my Bush site below!

-Joe
http://www.deconstructed.org/