#annotatedconoroberst

[annotatedconoroberst]

"If I go to heaven I'll be bored as hell, like a little baby at the bottom of a well." - "Milk Thistle," Conor Oberst, Conor Oberst

Possibly referring to Jessica McClure, who became famous in 1987 at the age of 18 months when she fell into a well in her family's backyard. Rescuers worked for 58 hours to free her, causing a worldwide media circus with around-the-clock coverage. Her story was later made into a TV movie, and Scott Shaw's photo of her being rescued (above) won a Pulitzer Prize.

[annotatedconoroberst]

"Did you forget that yellow bird? / How could you forget your yellow bird?" - "We Are Nowhere And It's Now," I'm Wide Awake It's Morning, Bright Eyes

"And I never thought this life was possible / You're the yellow bird that I've been waiting for" - "Poison Oak," I'm Wide Awake It's Morning, Bright Eyes

The references to the "yellow bird" in I'm Wide Awake It's Morning are probably references to this Simon Joyner song, "Came A Yellow Bird." Conor Oberst has talked about how much he loves Joyner, even calling him his "favorite songwriter in the world."

From "Came A Yellow Bird": "And the yellow bird folded her wings together / And I dragged her down with me"

Other suggestions: A canary in a coal mine, used to test the air; the yellow bird in Perry's dreams in Truman Capote's In Cold Blood.

[annotatedconoroberst]

Conor Oberst on "Fevers and Mirrors"

Q: Was there a specific plan in mind when you went into the studio to record Fevers?

Conor: A lot of times on our older records, if a keyboard part was lagging behind or there was an off-note from a guitar we'd just say 'fuck it' and leave it but with this, anything we left we had decided to leave it that way, you know. But for the most part we just played it again and again until it was as perfect as we could get it, which was a lot different than our other records. As far as the the general sound, like we wanted to sound really good and big and well orchestrated but at the same time maintain some intimate closeness. We didn't want it to sound like a big studio record, but like you were in the room with us. That's what we tried to do. There's boundaries that are hard to overcome with sound equipment. I'm happy with how it came out, it's the best recording we've done.

[annotatedconoroberst]

"I'm sweating out my secrets in the temazcal" - "Temazcal," Monsters of Folk, Monsters of Folk

A temazcal is a type of sweat lodge that originated with pre-Hispanic indigenous people in Mesoamerica and continues to be used today in indigenous cultures in Mexico and Central America. It is used to cleanse the body, mind, and spirit.

[connyxoberst]

Tumblr Crushes:

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[annotatedconoroberst]

"Call it luck or you can call it fate / But either way it's how it happens / Not the way that you imagined / Or go out with a bang like Hemingway" - "Common Knowledge," new song

"Go ask Hunter Thompson. / Go ask Hemingway's ghost / It all catches up with you / Once you get just a little too old" - "Roosevelt Room," Outer South, Conor Oberst & the Mystic Valley Band

Both Hunter S. Thompson and Ernest Hemingway committed suicide in their 60s during chronic illness by shooting themselves in the head. Thompson once traveled to Ketchum, Idaho to investigate the reasons for Hemingway's suicide.

[annotatedconoroberst]

"You woke up purged as a wailing infant / in Krung Thep, Thailand" - "Cleanse Song," Cassadaga, Bright Eyes

Krung Thep is the Thai name for Bangkok.

[annotatedconoroberst]

"There were many talents you possessed that I wished myself to have / But the way your eyes would gloss over / Well I never envied that" - "Reinvent the Wheel," Four Winds EP, Bright Eyes

Many writers have speculated that "Reinvent the Wheel" is about Elliott Smith, who died in 2003. Conor Oberst has said that Smith was a huge influence on him, and he has covered "The Biggest Lie" in concert.