tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955844379699946887.post389428430116040296..comments2024-03-17T15:56:13.160+00:00Comments on <b>Dr Tony Shaw</b><br>: Michelle Shocked and the Meaning of 'Anchorage'Dr Tony Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07565448709541046337noreply@blogger.comBlogger36125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955844379699946887.post-78930279033964414812021-08-22T20:48:50.938+01:002021-08-22T20:48:50.938+01:00This whole topic reminds me of something I've ...This whole topic reminds me of something I've thought about for a long time. Have you ever wondered what they would say about you if someone wrote your biography? I'm pretty sure they would get it all wrong. It would be more about them than about you. Warren Buffett once said about stock market prognosticators, "Forecasts of the future tell you more about the forecaster than they tell you about the future." I think the same thing applies to biographers, art critics, music reviewers, etc. In fact I guess it applies to all of us regarding everything we say and believe. Or something...<br /><br />Hey, I located my old blog. Not sure why my name doesn't link to it anymore. I think Google bought Blogger a few yrs ago and something changed maybe. Doesn't matter, I wasn't really cut out for blogging anyway. http://mildreddavenport.blogspot.com/Mildred Davenporthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02855464250864621672noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955844379699946887.post-24128343386906373072021-08-22T19:00:36.947+01:002021-08-22T19:00:36.947+01:00Heh heh. Cheers, and it's a shame about your l...<b>Heh heh. Cheers, and it's a shame about your lost blog.</b>Dr Tony Shawhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07565448709541046337noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955844379699946887.post-45607026570309145302021-08-22T17:42:52.700+01:002021-08-22T17:42:52.700+01:00As you can imagine, I've received many complim...As you can imagine, I've received many compliments in my life, but that's the first time I've ever been praised for my sanity. <br /><br />I used to have my own Blog on here about vintage movie posters but it seems to have disappeared into the ether. Anyway, thanks, keep on bloggin' Doc.<br />Mildred Davenporthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02855464250864621672noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955844379699946887.post-49321980891054043242021-08-22T10:06:08.934+01:002021-08-22T10:06:08.934+01:00Thank you for your sanity Mildred.<b>Thank you for your sanity Mildred.</b>Dr Tony Shawhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07565448709541046337noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955844379699946887.post-39294027046877659842021-08-22T07:17:32.194+01:002021-08-22T07:17:32.194+01:00I couldn't plow thru all the previous comments...I couldn't plow thru all the previous comments but suffice to say that yes of course her friend in Anchorage was suffering from melancholia. It's so obvious it barely needs mentioning. And Leroy tells her to keep on rocking because he's no doubt wishing that's what he'd done. In any case, it's a fantastic song.Mildred Davenporthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02855464250864621672noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955844379699946887.post-27407896002242239512020-10-16T14:34:02.022+01:002020-10-16T14:34:02.022+01:00No she was just travelling the country with anothe...No she was just travelling the country with another band she knew and they stayed at mine so she came with them.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955844379699946887.post-59750878360910718372020-10-16T12:11:12.844+01:002020-10-16T12:11:12.844+01:00Ah, she was on the canal there?<b>Ah, she was on the canal there?</b>Dr Tony Shawhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07565448709541046337noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955844379699946887.post-11916120562333430962020-10-15T22:29:06.142+01:002020-10-15T22:29:06.142+01:00Yes, Beeston, Notts, England.
Yes, Beeston, Notts, England.<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955844379699946887.post-20139269146513954962020-10-15T21:11:30.676+01:002020-10-15T21:11:30.676+01:00Beeston? Beeston, Notts, England?<i>Beeston? Beeston, Notts, England?</i>Dr Tony Shawhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07565448709541046337noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955844379699946887.post-71934992446357919712020-10-15T20:51:34.184+01:002020-10-15T20:51:34.184+01:00Michelle Shocked stayed at my house in Beeston one...Michelle Shocked stayed at my house in Beeston one night.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955844379699946887.post-88457724310829263452020-08-11T17:25:32.609+01:002020-08-11T17:25:32.609+01:00Once a cultural product is out there its 'mean...<b>Once a cultural product is out there its 'meaning' no longer belongs to the author but to the world for individual interpretation.</b>Dr Tony Shawhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07565448709541046337noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955844379699946887.post-89534504287708555612020-08-10T22:31:46.178+01:002020-08-10T22:31:46.178+01:00The thought that Le Roy might have been intended t...The thought that Le Roy might have been intended to mean "the king" is absurd. Sometimes in literature class I questioned the legitimacy of interpretations. But Dr. Shaw types absolutely push the bounds of what an author intended. Sometimes these unintended coincidences by the author are simply foisted onto a work of art to vindicate the ego of an intellectual interpreting said art. And certainly this, he claims, is also art. As to "Anchorage" the picture is real, and it is painted with words. Words have connotations, and there is ambiguity in what these words say. Michelle has been often intentionally ambiguous. If Michelle were a Superhero, she'd be "Riddler". And I digress.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955844379699946887.post-41028406127119731402019-12-17T14:51:13.371+00:002019-12-17T14:51:13.371+00:00I appreciate all of the rich thought and feelings ...I appreciate all of the rich thought and feelings the various writers have conveyed about this song. I just wish to say that every time I hear this song it makes me cry. This song is so honest and human. It conveys the rich suchness of the situation and the great humility and authenticity of the individuals. I'm not concerned whether this song is feminist or not only just how authentic it is. Everyone has issues with their life and the path they are on. Her saying that she thinks she is a housewife is honest and it's hard to tell if she is judging herself based on her previous notions when she was a kid growing up.But my whole being feels this song and those involved and it makes me emotional.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01031960219475045216noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955844379699946887.post-38116757926620667902019-07-12T13:42:08.233+01:002019-07-12T13:42:08.233+01:00What if both choices, seen from the two women'...What if both choices, seen from the two women's different points of view seem enviabpe? Both are happy of their lives but are curious of the other life? When you choose one way in a crossroad you maybe keep asking yourself "what if I had choosen the other way?". It is the old gold topic , "Is it better to be a famous punkrocker that gathers no moss and got no safe harbour or is it better to settle down and be satiisfied to be anchored down in a place far from everything? I always get touched by Leroy saying "keep on rocking girl" that imho seems likes saying " go on with your Life because this Is YOURS Life, so Just be happy to be yourself without indulging too much in the wild past when everything was still to be decidedAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955844379699946887.post-61730566163165948612019-06-24T15:08:23.449+01:002019-06-24T15:08:23.449+01:00The song is one of my favs. I Think it tells the s...The song is one of my favs. I Think it tells the story of forgotten friendship and how their lives evolved since. To me it is a nostalgic song, how things have changed since Kelly’s marriage with Leroy having startend a family en Chells supposed Freedom. <br />I send You all my love, Gina drom the NetherlandsAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955844379699946887.post-79153986981611923072019-03-02T04:52:35.872+00:002019-03-02T04:52:35.872+00:00This is the only song that brings tears to my eyes...This is the only song that brings tears to my eyes every time I listen to it. EVERY TIME. And for a long time I could not figure out why. The "Shell" narrating realizes that perhaps her carefree life in New York is not giving her fulfillment. She recites the life of her friend in Alaska, which confirms what she is fearing: that she really is alone in the big city, and yearns for more, in a motherly way. She envies her friend in Alaska, who is enjoying domestic life with a husband, children, and all the "trappings" that go with it. The song is incredibly melancholic. And her friend, and the husband Leroy, tell her to keep on rocking, so they can dream of living the life of "Shell", vicariously, knowing that they would never really give up being "anchored". That happiness comes from domestic bliss: "the largest state in the union."MARKO727https://www.blogger.com/profile/16627270983303839549noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955844379699946887.post-18916802281244862562018-12-24T14:51:35.509+00:002018-12-24T14:51:35.509+00:00I think Chris Carrigan has it right. The mood is n...I think Chris Carrigan has it right. The mood is neither blissful domesticity nor bitter desperation. It's a beautiful, elegiac song about how carefree youth is replaced by the responsibilities of work and parenthood. Although the friend recognises she is anchored down, and a part of her envies Chel,it is also clear that at this point she would not switch places with Chel and give up the stability (and love) of marriage and children. To me the reference to her wedding day shows that she sees Chel as part of her past. She's nostalgic and wistful but ultimately accepts that her life has moved on.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955844379699946887.post-16360887727130618002018-04-07T12:18:45.587+01:002018-04-07T12:18:45.587+01:00I love the web!! I heard this song many times as a...I love the web!! I heard this song many times as a teenager when it was released, and only now, nearly 30 years later, did I come back to it, watch the video. The Wikipedia entry does not seem to have been changed since 2010, so maybe that is the “official” story. I come down in the side of the commenters here but have enjoyed the thread :-)Patrick Taaffehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13769984479436457614noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955844379699946887.post-79377937083427777402018-03-25T13:56:58.686+01:002018-03-25T13:56:58.686+01:00Uh?<b>Uh?</b>Dr Tony Shawhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07565448709541046337noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955844379699946887.post-29060615666233831672018-03-23T07:52:19.406+00:002018-03-23T07:52:19.406+00:00Okay, what is this?Okay, what is this?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955844379699946887.post-33573273742434819592016-06-09T19:51:54.490+01:002016-06-09T19:51:54.490+01:00I have listen to this song since it came out. I ch...I have listen to this song since it came out. I cherish it as it has taken so many different meaning as my own life went from travelling the world with friends to being a house wife with 4 grown kids. I now, email those friends left to their own destiny and country. I feel and agree with all the analysis before me . isn't that what songs are for .....to relate, learn and enjoy!!<br />Bina<br />Toronto, CanadaAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09807308107501502934noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955844379699946887.post-27219284094125571212016-06-05T17:05:34.282+01:002016-06-05T17:05:34.282+01:00Over-analysis is my religion!<b>Over-analysis is my <i>religion</i>!</b>Dr Tony Shawhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07565448709541046337noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955844379699946887.post-68278600909197397152016-06-05T11:47:27.462+01:002016-06-05T11:47:27.462+01:00Great song, great artist. Why overanalyse or analy...Great song, great artist. Why overanalyse or analyse at all? Just enjoy!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955844379699946887.post-49879749505150566892015-11-13T01:26:42.181+00:002015-11-13T01:26:42.181+00:00I was cleaning up my iTunes library and for some r...I was cleaning up my iTunes library and for some reason this song came into my head.<br />It was like the letter, an old friend that I hadn't had contact with for years and years.<br />So I searched it out and actually Apple Music doesn't have much of Michelle Schocked (it must be a commercial thing or a stance by Schocked .. maybe someone know this) I found it on YouTube.<br />I listened to the whole cassette over and over on my walkman when it came out in the 80s and loved the edgy twang and her songwriting. I agree with other contributors in that although you may choose to view any work in isolation, I think it makes sense to put the wrapper of context around each song which is the whole album.<br /><br />In my mind it is a melancholic song. Positive, with a hint of sadness over happy times and dreams unfulfilled. Of life taking you in directions you would not have predicted. I think she repeats Leroy because she loves him and he is also on the same journey. Maybe he would prefer to a be a rocker than slaving his arse off in Alaska to get enough money for the family. I don't buy the self centred feminist interpretation. It's a song about people, family , the anchor of responsibility, old friends, happy memories and the journey of life.<br /><br />I am glad to have this old friend back in my music collection and won't let her drift away like I have in the past.<br /><br />Chris Carrigan<br />Gold Coast AustraliaChris Carrigannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955844379699946887.post-83530334237515878822015-05-04T16:51:21.935+01:002015-05-04T16:51:21.935+01:00Interesting discussion. I read it as Dr. Shaw rea...Interesting discussion. I read it as Dr. Shaw read it. For me, what clinches it is "what was the name of that love song you played/I forgot how it goes." <br /><br />And as I was reading the detractors posts I thought to myself "they've obviously never been married." <br /><br />Then I remembered that in 1988 Shocked hadn't been married either.... Maybe it's her (negative) perspective of the choices her friend made. Or maybe it's just about choices. In any case, a brilliant song in its ambiguity. <br /><br />I've been a fan since 1988 and I'm also disappointed lately with some of her comments. It's too bad.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com