Laurie Anderson The Salesman Lyrics

The Salesman Lyrics

Now the book is called Stories from the Nerve Bible and what I mean by the Nerve
Bible is the body. And parts of the body appear and disappear throughout the
book, adding up to a kind of self-portrait although not a very naturalistic
one. And I used the word Bible in the title of this book because the first
really strange stories I remember hearing were Bible stories. And these stories
were completely amazing: about parting oceans, and talking snakes. And people
really seemed to believe these stories. And I'm talking about adults. Adults,
who mainly just did the most mundane things imaginable: mowing their lawns and
throwing potluck parties; they all believed in these wild stories. And they
would sit around and discuss them in the most matter-of-fact way. So in a way I
was introduced to a special local form of surrealism at an early age and so
there was always a question in my mind about what's actually true and what is
just another art form. Now I've always been intere! sted in trying to define
what makes up the late twentieth century American for example and so, as an
artist, I've always thought my main job was to be a spy, to use my eyes and
ears, and find some of the answers. For example, I like to hang around the
banks of phones in airports, one of my favorite listening posts and eavesdrop
on conversations. Now I usually travel on the same schedule as salesmen and
after lunch these guys call into the main office and I just stand there at the
phones, listening in and taking notes for my portrait of the American salesmen.


� Oh Frank? Listen, Frank. You know, I hate to say this about Brad. I
mean we both know he's got a heck of a job. Ya, ya. Oh you're so right. But you
know, we both know that Brad isn't pulling his weight. You know what I mean? And
I'm not saying this just because we're both up for the same Safeway account.




So this book is really a collection of voices and stories as well as portraits
of people that I've met along the way.