I have a completely "other" take on this, having just watched Phair's self-produced "Guyville redux" documentary about the album and Chicago music/art scene at the time. Johnny is both John the Baptist AND actor John Cusack. The actor is a friend of hers from her teen years, and Phair was/is also friends with a Cusack ex-girlfriend (4+ years) -- a woman who years later is likely referring to Cusack in the documentary. She refers to a "John's" movie career taking off, all while he was living too fast and getting eaten up by the entertainment industry. So Phair's friend says she listened to a certain song on the album and was relieved someone else saw how "John" was a mess, or in danger, or similar. The Bible stuff is poetic license, like maybe Salome is the beautiful "Hollywood life", seducing men only to destroy them. And maybe random drug-addled additions that are neither about Cusack or Salome, but Phair herself. But she has said most of the songs on the record are not biographical, but about others she knew... so I think it's mostly her girlfriend's song for Cusack.
@mnielsen34 That's very interesting. I always assumed "the business" was the music industry. You're saying this ex-girlfriend of Cusack's is in the Guyville Redux documentary?
@mnielsen34 That's very interesting. I always assumed "the business" was the music industry. You're saying this ex-girlfriend of Cusack's is in the Guyville Redux documentary?
I have a completely "other" take on this, having just watched Phair's self-produced "Guyville redux" documentary about the album and Chicago music/art scene at the time. Johnny is both John the Baptist AND actor John Cusack. The actor is a friend of hers from her teen years, and Phair was/is also friends with a Cusack ex-girlfriend (4+ years) -- a woman who years later is likely referring to Cusack in the documentary. She refers to a "John's" movie career taking off, all while he was living too fast and getting eaten up by the entertainment industry. So Phair's friend says she listened to a certain song on the album and was relieved someone else saw how "John" was a mess, or in danger, or similar. The Bible stuff is poetic license, like maybe Salome is the beautiful "Hollywood life", seducing men only to destroy them. And maybe random drug-addled additions that are neither about Cusack or Salome, but Phair herself. But she has said most of the songs on the record are not biographical, but about others she knew... so I think it's mostly her girlfriend's song for Cusack.
A link to my extended discussion of the entire Exile In Guyville album: markingtime4now.wordpress.com/2013/05/20/liz-phairs-guyville-20-years-later/
A link to my extended discussion of the entire Exile In Guyville album: markingtime4now.wordpress.com/2013/05/20/liz-phairs-guyville-20-years-later/
@mnielsen34 That's very interesting. I always assumed "the business" was the music industry. You're saying this ex-girlfriend of Cusack's is in the Guyville Redux documentary?
@mnielsen34 That's very interesting. I always assumed "the business" was the music industry. You're saying this ex-girlfriend of Cusack's is in the Guyville Redux documentary?