The verse about being whipped in the face was a reference to the Marlon Brando film “Reflections In A Golden Eye”, which Nicky says was one of Richey’s favorite movies. He also lifted the “Learn to live without clutter” line from the film.
“So see, so see Marlon J.D.”
Maybe J.D. doesn’t stand for James Dean and I’m way off. But assuming it does, Dean and Brando were briefly mirror images of each other: two 1950s film icons, sex symbols, beloved actors. But their lives took two different paths. James Dean died young and beautiful in an auto accident, he’s frozen in time forever as he was in “Rebel Without A Cause”. Marlon Brando lived a long life, lost his good looks and due to his erratic behavior lost the same favor he had with people in the 1950s. And although Brando is thought of highly as one of the greatest actors to ever live, Dean’s brief career was untarnished and gets to be viewed in the “what might have been light”. For all we know it would have been Dean embarrassing himself at Michael Jackson’s 2001 Madison Square Garden concert if he had lived. But he left the world at the top of his game and for a lot of people (including Richey unfortunately) that is desirable compared to declining in later life as all humans do.
The verse about being whipped in the face was a reference to the Marlon Brando film “Reflections In A Golden Eye”, which Nicky says was one of Richey’s favorite movies. He also lifted the “Learn to live without clutter” line from the film.
“So see, so see Marlon J.D.”
Maybe J.D. doesn’t stand for James Dean and I’m way off. But assuming it does, Dean and Brando were briefly mirror images of each other: two 1950s film icons, sex symbols, beloved actors. But their lives took two different paths. James Dean died young and beautiful in an auto accident, he’s frozen in time forever as he was in “Rebel Without A Cause”. Marlon Brando lived a long life, lost his good looks and due to his erratic behavior lost the same favor he had with people in the 1950s. And although Brando is thought of highly as one of the greatest actors to ever live, Dean’s brief career was untarnished and gets to be viewed in the “what might have been light”. For all we know it would have been Dean embarrassing himself at Michael Jackson’s 2001 Madison Square Garden concert if he had lived. But he left the world at the top of his game and for a lot of people (including Richey unfortunately) that is desirable compared to declining in later life as all humans do.