snuh ([info]snuh) wrote,
@ 2009-02-27 05:17:00
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vanity plays

What level of ego is sufficiently necessary to distinguish our individuality - how much is too much? Societal mores teach us that we should put others ahead of ourselves, but for a myraid reasons, that proves to be an irrelevant task for those with an inflated sense of self. These are the special people the universe and our theme revolves around, the silly solipsistic amongst us.

In Greek mythology, Narcissus was cursed to fall in love with his own reflection in a pool of water. Luckily, not bound by spell, modern day narcissists freely decide to indulge in affairs of their heart. For the self-absorbed, there's never been a better time to be alive. With our technology, one can construct virtual shrines to self-worship on the web, sites where a thousand pictures say one word - "Me".

Here's a collection of tunes of the preoccupied, egocentric and vain - they'll enjoy it 'cause it's about them.

"Vanity keeps persons in favor with themselves who are out of favor with all others." - William Shakespeare

"Because that's what narcissism is all about; looking in the mirror everyday and thinking, 'Damn, I'd like to shag myself.'" - Eddie Izzard

"A man's own vanity is a swindler that never lacks for a dupe." - Honore de Balzac

"The vain being is the really solitary being." - Berthold Auerbach

"Vanity plays lurid tricks with our memory." - Joseph Conrad

"If there's anything more important than my ego around, I want it caught and shot now." - Douglas Adams

"Self-love seems so often unrequited." - Anthony Powell

ABC: Vanity Kills

The (English) Beat: Best Friend

Carly Simon: You're So Vain

The Fall: Spoilt Victorian Child

The Rolling Stones: 19th Nervous Breakdown

New York Dolls: Personality Crisis

Robyn Hitchcock: Uncorrected Personality Traits

The Verve Pipe: Myself

Nirvana: On A Plainweb hit counter

(28 comments) - (Post a new comment)


[info]stiobhan
2009-02-27 03:06 pm UTC (link)
Hey, good to see you back!

Laughed at the last quote.

One more tune came to mind:

Alice Cooper -- I'm the Coolest

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[info]snuh
2009-02-27 08:25 pm UTC (link)
Thanks - the self-possessed love all the attention they can muster, even negative. I should be back to a regular posting schedule now, glad people are still around!

Alice Cooper: I'm the Coolest

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(Anonymous)
2009-02-27 05:17 pm UTC (link)
A couple of suggestions that sort of fit your post...
I Want To Be The Boss - 10cc
I'm Mandy,Fly Me - 10cc
Can't Always Get What You Want - The Rolling Stone
Madman Across The Water - Elton John
My God - Jethro Tull

Michael..

(Reply to this) (Thread)

[info]snuh
2009-02-27 08:22 pm UTC (link)
Hmmm, it's a hard theme, not sure those are applicable, but here's a few others:

The Specials: Hey Little Rich Girl

The Flaming Lips: Ego Tripping At The Gates Of Hell

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[info]moxxyie
2009-02-27 08:27 pm UTC (link)
What a perfect Friday entry.

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[info]snuh
2009-02-27 08:28 pm UTC (link)
Is it a Friday-styled mix?

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[info]moxxyie
2009-02-27 10:53 pm UTC (link)
Yes, just at the start of a weekend - the days where vanity flourishes and is greatly indulged in.

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[info]snuh
2009-02-28 06:34 am UTC (link)
What do you plan indulging in?

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[info]moxxyie
2009-02-28 09:26 am UTC (link)
Prancing around the mirror and stroking it lovingly.
And thinking everyone digs my sparkling self (when they secretly despise me).

Good times.

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[info]moxxyie
2009-02-28 09:32 am UTC (link)
On a more thoughtful note:

I think your entry particularly rings true with American/western culture and societal mores.

I'm influenced by both Eastern and Western cultural influence on the individual's role and purpose in life/society, and it has frequently been proven to be a conflicting and exacerbating condition to deal with.

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[info]snuh
2009-02-28 04:31 pm UTC (link)
What do you find to be the difference between Eastern and Western culture on the individual's role?

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[info]snuh
2009-02-28 04:30 pm UTC (link)
Why would someone despise a person as lovely as yourself? Especially when you're stroking it.

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[info]retrofire
2009-02-27 11:24 pm UTC (link)
What a great post - everything about it is like poetry - brilliant.

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[info]snuh
2009-02-28 06:36 am UTC (link)
Why, thank you! I feel bad being gone so long, it's fun getting back in the groove. How have you've been?

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[info]retrofire
2009-02-28 01:05 pm UTC (link)
It's good to have you back - especially with such a sophisticated, well done post. I hope your life is going well and that you are having some good adventures. I hope your family is doing well.

Somehow the economic crisis has translated into me having more work than ever before even though there have been no layoffs. My daughter is no longer well enough to live on her own and is coming home. I'm having the basement fixed up (home equity line of credit) so she can have her own space. When she left I took over her room and I don't want to give it back. I am excited about it but it's going to be a ton of work moving all her stuff back here plus paperwork with medicaid and that crap. All this when I am meant to be sitting on a fine cushion doing delicate things.

Yes, we waited for you - but where is carless sam?

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[info]snuh
2009-02-28 04:38 pm UTC (link)
It's good to have you back - especially with such a sophisticated, well done post. I hope your life is going well and that you are having some good adventures. I hope your family is doing well.

"Sophisticated"? Hey, that beats a lot of other things people have called me, I'll take it! Life is going well as can be in our depressed economy. A lot more friends have lost their jobs, it's getting even rougher out there.

Sorry about your daughter, there's a lot of people moving back home with their parents, so at least you're not alone. Hopefully, her health soon returns.

I think Sam just can't pull himself away from his cats!

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Files down?
(Anonymous)
2009-02-28 11:10 am UTC (link)
I've long enjoyed your blog, but have recently found that the file links don't seem to work ('server error' is the message I'm getting) - is everything okay?

(Reply to this) (Thread)
Re: Files down?
[info]snuh
2009-02-28 04:28 pm UTC (link)
Hmmm, works fine here.

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[info]sixbucksamonkey
2009-02-28 04:34 pm UTC (link)
Sweet mix. Sorta thought I'd see Ringo on there, what with him being "The Greatest" and all... =D

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[info]snuh
2009-02-28 04:42 pm UTC (link)
Hey - you've been hiding out on me! You know, I wanted to post that, but if you look on the main page, I already did a few weeks ago in another post.

Now, I have to figure out how to make more time for here while making my way through 2000 tumblr posts a day. Can you get everyone there to post less?

(Reply to this) (Parent)
Thanks,
[info]mcouture
2009-02-28 06:54 pm UTC (link)
For writing about one of my favorite subjects, me. I like to hide my vanity behind a thin cloud of self-deprecation. Funny, I was just listening to "I'm the Coolest" about two weeks ago. Etymologically speaking, vanity is related to "emptiness."

(Reply to this) (Thread)
Re: Thanks,
[info]snuh
2009-02-28 10:43 pm UTC (link)
You're being too rough on yourself, the ability to honestly reflect precludes you from being a vain person. We all act that way at times, but I was thinking of a type of person that's so vacant, all they can see is themselves and are bewildered by people expressing objections to their abhorrent behavior. The pathology is broad, so many things can factor into possessing such a personality, I find often it's insecurity and a lack of parental love during development - people tend to overcompensate.

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[info]bowied
2009-02-28 10:00 pm UTC (link)
I love your blog.

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[info]snuh
2009-02-28 10:44 pm UTC (link)
Why thank you! Stop more more often.

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[info]terry
2009-03-01 02:04 am UTC (link)
Would The Beach Boys "Hang On To Your Ego" or The Kinks "I'm Not Like Everybody Else" fit the theme? In any case, I'm glad to hear more Brian Jones era Rolling Stones.

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[info]snuh
2009-03-01 06:33 am UTC (link)
I downloaded the Beach Boys tune, but it's really about preserving your ego, not about egotism. The Kinks tune doesn't seem to be about vanity, either. But I can oblige your Rolling Stones request by going off theme, since they're fun to listen to.

The Rolling Stones: Out Of Time

The Rolling Stones: The Under Assistant West Coast Promotion Man

The Rolling Stones: Heart Of Stone

The Rolling Stones: Route 66

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[info]flaregun
2009-03-02 05:26 am UTC (link)
Welcome back stranger - I thought you nailed the subject earlier with your 'Mirror' post, so I guess the underlying subject matter for me is the egocentric and vain lead singer of the Stones, also found on the Carly Simon track. So, do I win a donut or something? Or how about throwing on Old Habits Die Hard by Jagger from the Alfie Soundtrack? either way - good to have you back on the block.

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[info]snuh
2009-03-03 08:45 am UTC (link)
Thanks!
Mick Jagger And Dave Stewart: Old Habits Die Hard

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