Blogger # 5

Part 1

The song i chose to use for my social issue is Death Cab for Cutie - Champagne from a paper cup. The song is about a man who clearly isn’t pleased with the way his life is going and resorts to alcohol to pass the time. The opening lyrics: “I think I'm drunk enough to drive you home now” are really what made me decide to choose this piece. Understanding the reference, we assume he means that he is drunk enough not to care anymore. That alcohol has become the escape from reality that allows him to get by the “rough” times. The reason this applies so well to my social issue is that, this seems to be the cause for majority of drunk driving incidents across the world. People think that drinking will solve all of their problems or at least get them by, but in reality it just hurts them or others even more. People attain a confidence boost while drinking which makes them think that they are suitable to drive, until chaos ensues and they cause more problems then they started with before drinking. 

The piece of art i decided to go with is: Painting intoxicated at 100 MPH - by Alexandra Pacula. Her painting is of a bright new york city night with everything at a blur. She states that “My work investigates a world of visual intoxication” it captures moments of enchantment, which are associated with urban nightlife." I chose to go with this piece, simply because of the fact it illustrates what you would see when driving drunk. It shows how discombobulated objects may look when you are intoxicated and how altered your perception really is. 

http://songmeanings.com/songs/view/39158/

http://www.mymodernmet.com/profiles/blogs/painting-intoxicated-at-100

Part 2

In “Death Cab for Cutie” Ben Gibbard the lead singer is very credible when it comes to his work. He is well known for using his past experiences in his songs and has been called “a lyrical genius” from other artists. When it comes to Gibbard’s background, I noticed that he did in fact have a drinking problem. Such a problem that it actually cost him his marriage. In relation to the song, i think he may have been implying that he was drunk enough to stand the unhappy relationship that he was in. That the alcohol provided an escape away from his crappy reality. 

Whether or not he is a credible source on the issue, he has definitely had his instances with it. We go back to when he lost his wife. I imagine that wasn't the most pleasant time and I'm sure he probably resorted to alcohol because of it. When he applies these life occurrences to his songs it really gives people something to relate to. Whether or not people want to listen, they are just naturally drawn to his lyrics essentially making him a credible source.

I couldn't find a source that would specifically state who wrote the song, but it was indeed written by the band itself. There is a music video for the song which contains over 73,000 views. The band being pretty well known, justifies why it has so many views. In the music video we see a car aimlessly driving to nowhere. The camera seems to be blurred as well maybe signifying that he was portrayed to be drunk. In relation to its importance, i think this song relates to a lot of people out there. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NsnKZjdQuDA