"Simple and Not" could not have been written at another time in my life. I understood things from one side only; now, as a parent, the sadness and horror of a child's suicide is much clearer to me. I had sympathy for the parent's feelings before having kids; and in fact, during the time in my life where I was much like the "layabout" character of this suite, it was primarily how my death would affect my parents and siblings that stopped me from voluntarily sliding off the earth. Still, I could not know what a parent's concern for a child's future felt like, I could not know the pressure of feeling responsible for motivating and guiding and even giving tough love when it appeared necessary for their well-being. I could only see my own disgust with the world I was expected to get along in, my sense of their having given in and given up, and their expectation, however well intended, that I do the same. One of the reasons I waited so long to have children was this: how do you sell them a way of life you despise? How do you help them along without poisoning them with your own cynicism? There was no easy answer before, there is no easy answer now. I only know that mistakes in judgment can have catastrophic effects. The only answer I have ever seen for this is love. Maybe tempered with patience. I am not a fan of tragedy, and this was only written because it entered my head and refused to go away until I dealt with it this way. May you and I and our loved ones never have to deal with this in real life.
GS, October 2016
lyrics
The Words
a) Simple and Not
Simple and not
Knowledge and regret
Never meant to hurt
Never meant to hurt
Never
What else was there to do
It seemed so simple
It was not
The answers made sense
They did not
Never meant to
Never meant to
Never
b)Nursery Rhyme
Layabout, layabout, why don't you rise
Go outside and look out at the skies
The only thing that feels good is nothing
Layabout, layabout, how will you work,
Pay your bills, eat, have a job and don't shirk
The only thing that feels good is nothing
Layabout, layabout, sleeping all day,
You're not getting younger, time's slipping away
You can't coast forever off everyone else
The only thing that feels good is nothing
Layabout, layabout, why won't you rise,
Respond to my volume, respond to my cries....
Functional Impossibilities
Functional impossibilities
Exist nonetheless
New ones come
Each go at some point
While others somehow continue
credits
from Simple And Not,
released October 19, 2016
The Words:
Simple and Not
Nursery Rhyme
Arrangements
Broken, Unhealed
Memories
Room, No Occupant
Layabout's Last Dream
Functional Impossibilites
total time: 29:38
All sounds composed and performed by Greg Segal.
Recorded July to October, 2016, at Phantom Airship 7, Portland, OR, USA
Cover by GS, using public domain illustrations.
Instruments:
vocals, virtual instruments with keyboard controller, cello, violin, electric bass, electric guitar, recorder, drums, percussion, homemades.
Throwing mathcore, emo, and ambient into the mix, Estonia's Kaschalot push progressive rock's multitasking approach to its limits. Bandcamp New & Notable Mar 10, 2021