Ok, this song is 100% about Owsley Stanley. He made the best LSD and was the Dead's soundman for several years in the late 60's and in the 70's. Some of these posts are way off however. The "Day Glow Freaks who used to paint the face have joined the human race" are the former hippies who have gotten jobs and stopped tripping (look at the old footage of San Fran in '68...they've all got flowers painted on their faces). "You're obsolete, look at all the white men on the street" 'White Men' are the coke dealers. No one was dropping anymore by the mid 70's, but rather doing blow. Hence, Owsley was obsolete. And the running out of gas thing is apparently a true story....He got caught 'cas his car ran out of gas. Now the idea of Owsley creating something new ie "crossing a diamond with a pearl" I don't really see. I think it just refers to the good LSD he was making. The Acid derivative he created was a big failure and was responsible for nothing but bad trips, so I don't see that experiment being eulogized in song.
Peace,
Munch Johnson
I have a slightly different take on this. It seems to me that this song is pretty obviously about Owsley Stanley, but on the surface only. There are plenty of drug references for those who think that's the only meaning. I believe it's actually a song about Wernher Von Braun, disguised as a song about Owsley Stanley and I'll explain why.
Firstly, Charlemagne was an ancient 'King of Europe'. A more recent pretender to that throne was Hitler and his pet project was the V2 rocket program, headed by Von Braun, which was hellbent on gaining control over Europe for the...
I have a slightly different take on this. It seems to me that this song is pretty obviously about Owsley Stanley, but on the surface only. There are plenty of drug references for those who think that's the only meaning. I believe it's actually a song about Wernher Von Braun, disguised as a song about Owsley Stanley and I'll explain why.
Firstly, Charlemagne was an ancient 'King of Europe'. A more recent pretender to that throne was Hitler and his pet project was the V2 rocket program, headed by Von Braun, which was hellbent on gaining control over Europe for the third Reich. The allied and particularly the American rocket programs were many years behind Von Braun's technology. Kerosene and its derivatives were initially used as rocket fuel.
Following the Nazi defeat, Von Braun was expatriated to America with a 'clean slate' (Operation Paperclip) where he became head of NASA and the Appollo space program.
'Get along, get along Kid Charlemagne.'
Given Fagen's familial heritage, it seems to me that he's hiding this controversial subject matter (America's expatriation of Nazi scientists like Von Braun) behind yet another of his faded hipsters (Owsley Stanley).
Ok, this song is 100% about Owsley Stanley. He made the best LSD and was the Dead's soundman for several years in the late 60's and in the 70's. Some of these posts are way off however. The "Day Glow Freaks who used to paint the face have joined the human race" are the former hippies who have gotten jobs and stopped tripping (look at the old footage of San Fran in '68...they've all got flowers painted on their faces). "You're obsolete, look at all the white men on the street" 'White Men' are the coke dealers. No one was dropping anymore by the mid 70's, but rather doing blow. Hence, Owsley was obsolete. And the running out of gas thing is apparently a true story....He got caught 'cas his car ran out of gas. Now the idea of Owsley creating something new ie "crossing a diamond with a pearl" I don't really see. I think it just refers to the good LSD he was making. The Acid derivative he created was a big failure and was responsible for nothing but bad trips, so I don't see that experiment being eulogized in song. Peace, Munch Johnson
Agreed
Agreed
I have a slightly different take on this. It seems to me that this song is pretty obviously about Owsley Stanley, but on the surface only. There are plenty of drug references for those who think that's the only meaning. I believe it's actually a song about Wernher Von Braun, disguised as a song about Owsley Stanley and I'll explain why. Firstly, Charlemagne was an ancient 'King of Europe'. A more recent pretender to that throne was Hitler and his pet project was the V2 rocket program, headed by Von Braun, which was hellbent on gaining control over Europe for the...
I have a slightly different take on this. It seems to me that this song is pretty obviously about Owsley Stanley, but on the surface only. There are plenty of drug references for those who think that's the only meaning. I believe it's actually a song about Wernher Von Braun, disguised as a song about Owsley Stanley and I'll explain why. Firstly, Charlemagne was an ancient 'King of Europe'. A more recent pretender to that throne was Hitler and his pet project was the V2 rocket program, headed by Von Braun, which was hellbent on gaining control over Europe for the third Reich. The allied and particularly the American rocket programs were many years behind Von Braun's technology. Kerosene and its derivatives were initially used as rocket fuel. Following the Nazi defeat, Von Braun was expatriated to America with a 'clean slate' (Operation Paperclip) where he became head of NASA and the Appollo space program.
'Get along, get along Kid Charlemagne.'
Given Fagen's familial heritage, it seems to me that he's hiding this controversial subject matter (America's expatriation of Nazi scientists like Von Braun) behind yet another of his faded hipsters (Owsley Stanley).
@epjmunch215 Agree with you, disagree with Denonymous who appears to have his own agenda.
@epjmunch215 Agree with you, disagree with Denonymous who appears to have his own agenda.
@epjmunch215 You are correct! The "DayGlo refers to a brand of paint that was often used to "paint the face".
@epjmunch215 You are correct! The "DayGlo refers to a brand of paint that was often used to "paint the face".
@epjmunch215 Owsley moved to Australia sometime in the 90's and died there in a car wreck in 2011.
@epjmunch215 Owsley moved to Australia sometime in the 90's and died there in a car wreck in 2011.