David J Eliade - Part 2

TWO DAVID ELIADES:


Extract from LFG post (October 23 2007):
Speaking of privacy, we're about to print up special Fucked Up privacy face-masks in response to this. Get in touch with Octavio St Laurent, our privacy expert to get your own pair (for both of your faces).





DAVID ELIADE #1 - The Masked Man:

David Eliade: Visuals, spiritual and political guidance. Eliade is the "fifth Beatle", so to speak, and manages Fucked Up from behind the scenes. He has designed their logo, records, and influenced most of their lyrics. (From Wikipedia):

David Eliade #1 uses a mask (and sometimes other people), to conceal his true identity. You can read more about him in Part 1

Two Faces of David Eliade - an artists impression, by Brian Walsby


DAVID ELIADE #2- The Man Behind The Mask:

David Eliade #2 is a fictional character who appears in a number of Fucked Up songs. He may be related to his namesake, but comes across as a lesser being; maybe a Clark Kent to David Eliade #1's Superman, but lacking the comfort of knowing his alter-ego.

Forbidden Fruit: Original Sin
Alternatively the relationship might be considered akin to Father and Son; not the traditional family relationship, but one where the Father is omnipresent and the Son is a manifestation of the Father, that gets sacrificed and resurrected.
Or something.

Alternatively the David Eliade character appearing on Fucked Up records and  merchandise can be viewed as a form of commodification, whereby David Eliade, the ideas man becomes a concept used to market Christmas records and rock operas.

Alternatively the first David Eliade might just be an idea, and the second version might be the idea coming to life.




David: Despairing child. 


Alternatively they might be twins... There are lots of other alternatives once you get going, but leaving them aside, the rest of this page considers the available information regarding this David's character.

In the material released prior to the "David Comes To Life" LP,  David Eliade is portrayed as a despairing individual, someone who craves the reassurance of religious faith, but can't make sense of it.

He is represented in pictures by different individuals and seems to be an everyman character, for anyone that has questioned fundamental things, such as the point of life, etc.

David was a boy, just a letch - A simple means of birth, oh so sick - Another wasted life, like so many before - But David wanted better, so much more. (''David Comes To Life'' lyric, 2006)
David: Despairing adult.

Damian Abraham: "I'm still wrestling with the same problems, I hope that someone can look over the entire catalog of the band, and what would begin to emerge, hopefully, would be this image of a band that's constantly questioning. We're not trying to provide answers for anyone, because we're just as flawed as anyone else. I think that's what we're trying to portray in David, too. He's not a smart person. David's a dumb person like everyone in this world is dumb. Everyone here is capable of making incredibly stupid decisions. It is questioning the God above, questioning the God below, but also questioning the world that needs the God in order to function." (NPR Interview May 30 2011)




It's an abomination to the old gods that we have finally made our own - It delivers us divinity, let's celebrate him one and all - It's the First Noel, put the mask up on the mantel, stare into the hollow eyes... ("David Christmas" lyric).

David: A Letch wasting life.

Josh Zucker: We had this David Eliade character for a long time in the band. We wrote the songs "David Comes To Life" and "David Christmas" and "David's Plan", which have been like more and more this story about this amorphous character. (Quote from "David Comes To Life" LP Preview Video) 












Let them try to tell us that he is kind and understands - Well I don't believe in fairy tales, or take stock in an invisible man - The only thing that makes this life seem worse is having stood before the pearly gates and having seen St Peter first - Let them trudge through life so convinced of his love - I stare into that starry night and see the terror that looms above. ("David's Plan" lyric) 


David: smiling brightly. For a moment.
Damian Abraham: David Eliade fills a void that we need filled. He's more than just a person, he's an idea and as such he fills all the roles we need him to fill. (Interview Extract MIXTAPE 4 SIDE ONE 2011)

Jonah Falco: We made David a character in case we needed a character to base the rest of our lives around... It gave a point to all the meandering and silly tangents that we’ve been involved in over the years. (Extract from Now Toronto article Nov 10 2011)


I was born when God was looking away. Life couldn't be this hard, I must be a mistake. When she left me, I thought I'd seen my last day. I was so close to the end, I was just a letch. Another wasted life, pushed to the edge. ("Do All Words Can Do'' Lyric)

David, literally not looking on the bright side.


David: Miserable again.
DAVID ELIADE - A LIFE IN LYRICS

He Wasted a Lifetime
In the lyrics for the song "David Comes To Life" ("Hidden World" LP), we are told that his is 'another wasted life', this is repeated in "Do All Words Can Do" and could mean his life has been squandered, or that it's barren, or both. The 'wasted life' theme is repeated in the lyrics of "Crusades", a song referencing systems of control and zealotry, perhaps hinting that his life as been wasted by an acceptance of these.

He's Just a Letch
This reference precedes the 'wasted life' description in both songs. Most commonly associated with themes of desire and lust, an interesting alternative use is attributed to De Quincy: Some people have a letch for unmasking impostors, or for avenging the wrongs of others.

He's Forever Going on About God 
Paradoxically David seems to blame God for his problems, whilst doubting his existence.

He's not Bright
Described variously by adjectives such as 'dumb' and 'dim', he needs illumination or maybe illuminationism, which is perhaps why he sought employment in a light bulb factory.


David, wondering why his cup is half empty and whether the ornamental knight on horseback lamp has anything to do with the Parsifal reference in the Jade Tree Profiles picture below?




Twins:
Gemini, which is Latin for twins, has taken on many identifications and meanings through the ages. Gemini is most commonly understood to represent the twin brothers Castor and Pollux in Greek mythology who were fraternal twins, born of the same mother, but having different fathers. The Tarot card associated with Gemini is "The Lovers", which portrays Adam and Eve. Adam and Eve are thought to have been created at the end of the age of Gemini—the inseparable figures being an allusion to the beginning of mankind. (Cropped From Wikipedia)