The Frame

I saw an interview on YouTube a while back with Vennart and he said that this was about family, although I don't think it is about himself as a father, but rather the family he grew up in as a child.

Awhile back Nigella Lawson was on Jonathan Ross' show and he atributed to her a quote something along the lines of "When you begin parenthood you cease to be the picture and become the frame"

I have no idea if Mike Vennart is a parent though

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i can hold you all together you wont fall with the troops that we assembled and the bond we've forged though this sketch is getting old now the cracks don't show

time wont change a thing when i'm gone don't grip the wheel too tightly my son everything you need is done i woulda thought we'd won by now but oh no

i have known no other method so don't presume there's wisdom when all that i am is time now and the cold the fruition in the detail is all that drives me

i am not the picture now i am the frame

I've read that this was a song inspired by the writers son, but I had my own feeling the first time I really listened. The song revolves around and focuses on "I am not the picture now, I am the frame". I was a longtime fan when I first listened to this album and had held off on it for some reason. One night I had decided to go through an intense trip (substance unnamed, but definitely not the one you are thinking of) and thought that it was the right time to finally explore the album. For one reason or another, I had simply not been paying attention to music when Frames came out, so this presented me with an interesting opportunity.

I remember very little from the experience, but the line "I am not the picture now, I am the frame" is a very good analogy to explain the loss of our self-centered (or ego centered nature for those Jung fans). For me personally, it was the idea that at death I become the frame around those that continue to exist. My former existence lacks the importance and immediate relevance that it once had and yet it is still very relevant to the overall presentation of what I create in my life.

Having said that, I actually think that this represents a song written for a child very well. I am personally not a parent, but I recognize that we often lose ourselves in our children, who become the most important figures within our own lives and thus we become the frame around that which is most important. Much of the remainder of the lyrics deal with passing on what we can and the experience of giving the picture up to others while we fade into the edges.