When Kurt Cobain's diaries were posthumously published, I was living in Nottingham. I got a copy at the local Tower Records and carried it with me for years before I wrote this song by translating some of his thoughts into Spanish.
Kurt was one inspirational person in many ways: rebel, anti-rock rock icon, champion of awesome indie bands that were on the fringe of the rock 'n' roll psyche: Vaselines, Pastels, Melvins, Sonic Youth, Daniel Johnston.
My cut-and-paste writing approach to this song includes automated writing and translation, adaptation, and is an homage to Cobain's own approach to songwriting: mixing up all those influences and de-contextualising rock 'n' roll codes to produce a cultural shift. To me, his core contribution was opening a queer space also for the straight male, making him perhaps the first intersectional punk muse.
All of this comes through loud and real in his diaries: the scathing critique of the macho rock 'n' roll clichés, the anger at the music industry, the articulate expression of an original, queer vision with confidence and without fear, even in its contradictions. Perusing his random thoughts and translating them into new words and sounds also gave me an opportunity to explore their relevance in another space, at another time, in another language. I hope there is something in there also for you.
lyrics
Agoté conversación a los nueve años
Soy el rey y la reina de los descastados
No canto, toco ni rimo
Creo que no importa
Mis plumas son mi chocho
Me da miedo si me tocas
No pienso, pero si lo hago, luego voy y olvido
El más allá no puede ser más aburrido
Cojo trozos de otras personalidades
Para hacer la mía como un traje más llevable
No importan las palabras
Nada nuevo es cada día
No hay esfuerzo que te salve del olvido de la vida
Mucha práctica es como demasiado azúcar
La técnica es un pasatiempo para idiotas
La infinitud no existe
El álgebra del universo
Se basa en tus dos manos y tus diez dedos
Mira, amigo, todo ha sido dicho
Nada fue resuelto ni entendido
Ve a tu rollo
Ignora todas reglas
La lengua que te enseñan está muerta, y nada enseña
La tele es el maligno, lo peor que hay en este mundo
Levántate y destrózala, inventa tu futuro
No trabajes para el enemigo
Al menos, sé tu puta y sé tu chulo
Los jóvenes esperan, impacientes en sus sillas
Amigos del ridículo
¡unidos venceremos!
Gracias, oh dios mío, por ponerme en esta tierra
En deuda por mi sed, me siento muy privilegiado
¿Quién será el rey y la reina de los descastados?
Dirán que un perdedor. dirán que un gato atropellado
Gracias por admitir aquello de que te acusamos
Queríamos oírlo de tus propios labios
Alivia saber que marcharás cuando te hayan pagado
Besos del rey y la reina de los descastados
ENGLISH translation:
The King and Queen of all Outcasts
I ran out of words at nine years of age
I am the king and queen of all outcasts
I can't sing, play, rap ot give a fuck
My feathers are my pussy, I shiver if you touch me
I don't think, and when I do, I go and forget it after
The great beyond cannot be any worse than this
I borrow bits from other personalities
To stitch them into one that is easier to wear
Words are meaningless
Nothing is ever new
Nothing you can do will ever save you from life's oblivion
Too much rehearsing is like too much sugar
Great technique is just how idiots kill their time
There is no infinity
The algebra of the Universe
Is based upon your two hands, your ten fingers.
Look, my friend, everything's been said
Nothing was ever explained nor understood
Do your thing
Never follow no rules
They are dry and dead
Like language taught in schools
TV is evil, the worst thing that ever happened
You may get up and smash it
And make up your own stories.
Do not ever work for the master
At least be your own pimp and your own hooker
The youth is waiting, sitting impatiently on their chairs
My dear fellow freaks, united we shall overcome
Thanks, dear God, for putting me on this earth
In debt with my thirst, I feel so very honoured
Who might be the King and Queen of all the outcasts?
They'll say it is just a loser, they'll say it's just a looney cat
Thanks for pleading guilty to all our accusations
We just wanted to hear it said from your own lips
It is good to know that you will get paid before leaving this venue
Greetings from the King and the Queen of all outcasts
Carles Gutierrez-Sanfeliu was born in a small coastal village in the Mediterranean and trained in Literature and Music
before moving first to England, then to south east QLD.
With a musical vision in a perpetual state of flux and migration, Sanfeliu's songwriting shows a keen interest in melody, texture, adaptation and improvisation, all expressed with exquisite pop sensibilities....more
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