OhSuperman

O Superman

O Superman. O judge. O Mom and Dad. Mom and Dad.
O Superman. O judge. O Mom and Dad. Mom and Dad.
Hi. I'm not home right now. But if you want to leave a
message, just start talking at the sound of the tone.
Hello? This is your Mother. Are you there? Are you coming home?
Hello? Is anybody home? Well, you don't know me,
but I know you.
And I've got a message to give to you.
Here come the planes.
So you better get ready. Ready to go.
You can come as you are, but pay as you go. Pay as you go.

And I said: OK. Who is this really? And the voice said:
This is the hand, the had that takes. This is the
hand, the hand that takes.
Here come the planes.
They're American planes. Made in America .
Smoking or non-smoking?

And the voice said: Neither snow nor rain nor gloom
of night shall stay these couriers from the swift
completion of their appointed rounds.
'Cause when love is gone, there's always justice.
And when justice is gone, there's always force.
And when force is gone, there's always Mom. Hi Mom!

So hold me, Mom, in your long arms.
Your petrochemical arms. Your military arms.
In your electronic arms.

I wonder what was happening in Sherman's life when "O Superman" was released and if the song influenced her in any way. Sherman's parents owned an art book that included works by Salvador Dali. Because she viewed this book at an early age, I can assume that Dali had some kind of influence on her.

"In 1981 Sherman was commissioned by the respected magazine Artforum to do a 'centerfold' for one of their upcoming issues. Sherman proceeded to submit a series of images with a cohesive aesthetic look: the camera was placed above Sherman, who was often crouched on the ground or made to look like she was in a state of reverie. This series, as well as an additional series of Sherman in a pink robe, was rejected by Artforum's editor, Ingrid Sischy, who claimed that these photographs 'might be misunderstood'" (from Biography, cindysherman.com).

When I think of Laurie Anderson (this song in particular) I think of Cindy Sherman. Occasionally I can't remember which is which and I confuse one for the other, I'm not sure why. My first year of college I took a sculpture class in which Sherman was introduced as an important contemporary artist. I remember various photos of work she had done with mannequins, in which she had portrayed violent scenes, some sexual. Her work influenced my views of gender and sexuality. I saw her work as a social commentary in the way that her "dummies" were used as props much like how many individuals are used as props in everyday life. If they could be "interchangeable" the way she portrayed then so could individuals. I came out later that year. I took a special liking to her work, even her name "Cindy Sherman" has a certain appeal when spoken. I likened her manipulation of mannequins to my childhood manipulation of G.I. Joe action figures. I found a way to unscrew the back of the figure with a tiny philips-head screwdriver. Inside, there were several rubber bands that held the limbs to the center. I enjoyed interchanging the action figures' limbs. Snake-Eyes arms (which were black) could be joined to Frostbite's body (which was white). I enjoyed mixing colors. Also, I found it interesting to fuse evil characters' limbs to good characters' bodies, perhaps creating a scenario similar to that of "Body Parts," a really bad B-Flick about good people living with the transplanted limbs of serial killers.