This song is based on a book called "A Book of Dreams" which is the memoirs of Peter Reich. Peter was the son of Wilhelm Reich, a contraversial psychiatrist and inventor who, in 1947, was imprisoned for his work and a year later died of heart failure while serving his sentence. The moment described in the song comes after the death of Peter's father, and some of the elements are actually in the book; such as Peter seeing his father come down in a UFO. It's a fascinating book.
One other interesting point: this is not the only song based on "A Book of Dreams" Kate Bush also wrote a song about Peter and Wilhelm Reich called "Cloudbusting."
Until hearing Patti Smith's spoken introduction on a live recording, I never knew the song was about Wilhelm Reich's son. What a revelation. For many years "Birdland" had already been one of my favorite tracks.
Until hearing Patti Smith's spoken introduction on a live recording, I never knew the song was about Wilhelm Reich's son. What a revelation. For many years "Birdland" had already been one of my favorite tracks.
Few major labels’ legal departments, I'd imagine, would've have been willing to release an LP which told how a prominent (albeit controversial) scientist—a former protégé of Freud—died in his cell: an American political prisoner of the FDA. Particularly, not if the song about his son included an explicit reference to how he became an orphan.
Few major labels’ legal departments, I'd imagine, would've have been willing to release an LP which told how a prominent (albeit controversial) scientist—a former protégé of Freud—died in his cell: an American political prisoner of the FDA. Particularly, not if the song about his son included an explicit reference to how he became an orphan.
Now, the story is (somewhat)...
Now, the story is (somewhat) well-known: but not until the end of censorship of a 1971 Serbian film on the subject: Mysteries of the Organism. Both Smith and William S. Burroughs, however, were crucial in helping to prevent the truth from falling permanently into the “memory hole.”
@GarryNovikoff He was imprisoned in 1956 and died a year later.He was a genius on many levels, his psychoanalysis was far closer to spot on than either Freud or Jung, his political theories were prescient and he even improved some say invented the strobe camera to photograph the movements of cancer cells, as opposed to the structure which of course was also ground-breaking....
@GarryNovikoff He was imprisoned in 1956 and died a year later.He was a genius on many levels, his psychoanalysis was far closer to spot on than either Freud or Jung, his political theories were prescient and he even improved some say invented the strobe camera to photograph the movements of cancer cells, as opposed to the structure which of course was also ground-breaking....
This song is based on a book called "A Book of Dreams" which is the memoirs of Peter Reich. Peter was the son of Wilhelm Reich, a contraversial psychiatrist and inventor who, in 1947, was imprisoned for his work and a year later died of heart failure while serving his sentence. The moment described in the song comes after the death of Peter's father, and some of the elements are actually in the book; such as Peter seeing his father come down in a UFO. It's a fascinating book.
One other interesting point: this is not the only song based on "A Book of Dreams" Kate Bush also wrote a song about Peter and Wilhelm Reich called "Cloudbusting."
Until hearing Patti Smith's spoken introduction on a live recording, I never knew the song was about Wilhelm Reich's son. What a revelation. For many years "Birdland" had already been one of my favorite tracks.
Until hearing Patti Smith's spoken introduction on a live recording, I never knew the song was about Wilhelm Reich's son. What a revelation. For many years "Birdland" had already been one of my favorite tracks.
Few major labels’ legal departments, I'd imagine, would've have been willing to release an LP which told how a prominent (albeit controversial) scientist—a former protégé of Freud—died in his cell: an American political prisoner of the FDA. Particularly, not if the song about his son included an explicit reference to how he became an orphan.
Few major labels’ legal departments, I'd imagine, would've have been willing to release an LP which told how a prominent (albeit controversial) scientist—a former protégé of Freud—died in his cell: an American political prisoner of the FDA. Particularly, not if the song about his son included an explicit reference to how he became an orphan.
Now, the story is (somewhat)...
Now, the story is (somewhat) well-known: but not until the end of censorship of a 1971 Serbian film on the subject: Mysteries of the Organism. Both Smith and William S. Burroughs, however, were crucial in helping to prevent the truth from falling permanently into the “memory hole.”
@GarryNovikoff He was imprisoned in 1956 and died a year later.He was a genius on many levels, his psychoanalysis was far closer to spot on than either Freud or Jung, his political theories were prescient and he even improved some say invented the strobe camera to photograph the movements of cancer cells, as opposed to the structure which of course was also ground-breaking....
@GarryNovikoff He was imprisoned in 1956 and died a year later.He was a genius on many levels, his psychoanalysis was far closer to spot on than either Freud or Jung, his political theories were prescient and he even improved some say invented the strobe camera to photograph the movements of cancer cells, as opposed to the structure which of course was also ground-breaking....