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Christopher J. Anderson
1/11/96
New York University Essay: Selection C
"I Wrote a Bad Check to this College..."
Mike Knott's Lessons in Individuality and Communication
It was quite difficult to choose only one piece of creative media for this essay. Between all the music, poetry, and literature which I come in to contact with, it is hard to pinpoint a single work that can encompass the things which I have learned from the arts. So, finding that task futile, I had to choose one piece which stood out from the rest: the album "Strip Cycle" by Mike Knott.
Mike Knott is not a famous figure, which makes his work more interesting to me. While popular bands are sometimes interesting to me, I find after hearing some of their work too often, the music loses any power it had to affect me. Mike Knott is a double blessing because, in addition to being immune to overplaying, the music he produces is creative, divergent, and generally brilliant. He paints vivid pictures with his voice, and makes rock music new again on every album.
He does this by using many divergent ideas such as use of different instruments (harmonica, trumpets, and cello), and using his voice in unorthodox ways. He is not afraid to try anything. He trusts his ear, and I believe that inside, he is a musical genius. He allows that to come through in his songs.
His poetics are also unorthodox. Lines from "Bad Check" follow:
"I wrote a bad check to my parents/I wrote a bad check to the government/I wrote a bad check to this cello player/She didn't know it at the time 'cause I'm singin' it later - (cello begins here)
Sometimes I wish they'd shine bright lights on cop cars, we could pick bright cherries, I wanna bowl, I wanna knock down some pins"
These are interesting for two reasons: form and content. The form is varied, as he uses a standard rock verse format for the first selection (which is the verse) and bizarre freeform for the chorus. The contrast provides an interesting aspect within itself.
The free form of the chorus allows him to string together several concepts in a most intriguing manner. It is especially relevant to note the manner in which he sings it. The song is in a minor key, being a somewhat depressing topic, and he uses a somber but light tone in the chorus. He sings the words without breaks, adding to the association between the words. Then with the connection of the words both in vocals and delivery, he then uses different meanings of the words in each phrase.
This brings the discussion into content. The technique he uses here is very subtle. He plays on your unconscious mind, which associates all the concepts without us having a conscious explanation for the meaning of the sentence. Logically, the sentence is nonsense. But poetically, it is poignant.
To analyze it deeper, it builds on the simplicity of the verse. There he presents his problem: financial troubles, evidenced in bad check writing. This is very clear. The chorus, however, attempts to portray how he feels inside. "Cop cars" symbolize possible problems. He wishes they were more apparent (shine bright lights on them) so he could avoid them and enjoy life (pick bright cherries). He then says he "I wanna bowl" (Important that he says "wanna" - "want to" would associate this section only with bowling, and "want a" with the cherries) which implies he feels he has no happiness (the cherries), and sets up the final phrase. "I wanna knock down some pins" is especially significant. Anyone having the experience of getting consecutive gutter balls should be able to sympathize with this. It is that feeling, of failure, of inability to act or achieve anything that this song is about. The integration of brilliant music (which includes a cello in the instrumentation), vocal delivery, and poetry that make this piece and the album so enjoyable and worthwhile to me.
Mike Knott taught me to trust my inner voice before the "editor" steps in. His creativity would be impossible without this trust. It is this, aside from secondary lessons on poetics, music, and life which stands out for me. He also gave a fine example of how to connect with people in art by using things which are familiar to them and building on that. The album as a whole was profound to me on other levels through the lyrics, but as a whole it had the effect of changing my views on individuality and communication.