"Now try and picture this..."

'Young Saint John the Baptist' (c. 1600) by Caravaggio.

John Squire has entitled Stone Roses songs after famous works of art. Pablo Picasso's Guernica and Jackson Pollock's Full Fathom Five are two such examples. These offer proof that Squire sometimes interprets a painting to embody a particular song. Jackson Pollock held such significant appeal for Squire because his art seemed like the visual equivalent of the feedback and masking of The Jesus and Mary Chain. This intimate relationship between art and song was most evident when Squire based the entirety of his second solo album, Marshall's House, on the paintings of American Realist, Edward Hopper (1882 - 1967) (see also Squire's Nefertiti series of artwork).

"I used to listen to music when I was painting. Recently, in the last few years, I've much preferred to work in total silence. But there's a real connection between the things I love about music and the things I love about paint. I discovered them at the same time and they promoted each other to me."
(John Squire speaking to Radio 4, 2007)

In July 2007, John Squire announced that he was quitting music to concentrate full-time on his art.

A TateShot video feature, in which John Squire examines Cy Twombly's Quattro Stagioni (1993 - 94), illustrates how quickly the guitarist forms a narrative upon perusal of a painting. Motioning towards 'Primavera' (1993 - 94), he muses, "The boats in the Spring piece are a recurring motif in his work. They could be ferrying the dead arcoss the River Styx, or maybe they could be allusions to funeral barges or warships."

How Do You Sleep, the penultimate track of Second Coming, is written about the beheading of John the Baptist and the subsequent presentation of his head on a plate. John Squire commented in a 2002 issue of 'Jack' magazine that he felt a certain affinity with John the Baptist, whom Jesus identified as the greatest prophet of the Old Testament era. Squire perhaps feels more attuned to this 'role', given Ian's attachment to Messianic imagery, a staple of the rock frontman; the shots below from The Face, March 1995 show the most blatant use of religious imagery by the band for a photoshoot. A perceived persecution complex in The Stone Roses' frontman is used by Squire as a put-down on 15 Days, in the lyric, "That crown of thorns suits ya son."

 

 

Top left: Ian in Messianic pose.
Top right: Ian positioned in front of an image of Jesus for The Face, March 1995.
Bottom: The figure with his back to the camera is not John Squire. John, suffering from double pneumonia, was not present, and communicated via telephone. For this shot, Ian grabbed interviewer Ashley Heath, making him pretend to be John for the photoshoot !

How Do You Sleep, I propose, is based on a painting by Fra Filippo Lippi (1406 - 1469), entitled 'The Feast Of Herod: Salome's Dance.'

'The Feast Of Herod: Salome's Dance' (also known as 'Herod's Banquet', c.1452 - 1465) by Fra Filippo Lippi.

The penultimate tracks - This Is The One & How Do You Sleep - on each of the two Stone Roses albums are about John the Baptist, and serve as harbingers to the final, Christ-themed finale - I Am The Resurrection & Love Spreads - on each LP. John the Baptist was beheaded at the request of Salome, King Herod's stepdaughter ("I've seen your severed head at a banquet for the dead"). Salome danced for King Herod on his birthday, and pleased him such that he offered her anything she wanted, even up to half his kingdom. Salome's request for John's head was prompted by her mother, Herodias, who wanted revenge on the prophet who had condemned her incestuous marriage to Herod. Committed to fulfilling his promise, John the Baptist was beheaded, and his head was presented on a plate ("Your shining silver salver") to Herodias. Squire's stinging lyric is partly aimed at former Stone Roses manager Gareth Evans, whose split with the band was far from amicable. In his solo career, Squire would again insinuate that Evans shouldn't be able to sleep at night; the maverick manager is now "the country boy with 33.3 recurring nightmares." Airing resentment towards an old acquaintance, the song has parallels with John Lennon's 'How Do You Sleep ?'.

As I gave you a kiss
The apple in your mouth slipped in mine

 

Left: Margaret Medlyn as Salome, in the 2003 Antony Ernst production. Squire's lyric here is perhaps imagining a carnal Salome. Ernst portrays Herod as a fat, bejewelled clown whose idea of vice is to suggest that Salome share an apple with him. The apple, of course, has religious connotations with Adam and Eve, and the passage of sin.
Right: The Dance of the Seven Veils is given a symbolist treatment.

 

Left: Detail of 'The Feast Of Herod: Salome's Dance.'
Right: John and Ian, 1995.

Lyrics can be attributed to specific details of the painting.

 

Left: "The orchestra played the sweetest serenade..."
Right: "May all their ghosts come back to haunt you...". An apparition looms eerily above Herod's head.

When the angel of death comes
Knock-knocking and banging at your door

The night the Hebrews were set free from slavery in Egypt, God sent the angel of death to claim the first-born of every household. The Lord promised, however, that death would 'pass over' (hence, Passover festival) His chosen people if they put the blood of a lamb on their doorposts:

"Then they are to take some of the blood and put it on the sides and tops of the doorframes of the houses where they eat the lambs. That same night they are to eat the meat roasted over the fire, along with bitter herbs, and bread made without yeast. Do not eat the meat raw or cooked in water, but roast it over the fire-head, legs and inner parts. Do not leave any of it till morning; if some is left till morning, you must burn it. This is how you are to eat it: with your cloak tucked into your belt, your sandals on your feet and your staff in your hand. Eat it in haste; it is the LORD's Passover.

"On that same night I will pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn - both men and animals - and I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I am the LORD. The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are; and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt."
(Exodus 12: 7 - 13)

'The Angel of Death' (1869) by Jules-Élie Delaunay (1828 - 1891). In the Roman Catholic Church, Saint Michael has four main roles or offices. He is the Christian angel of death, carrying the souls of all the deceased to heaven, where they are weighed in his perfectly balanced scales (hence Michael is often depicted holding scales). At the hour of death, Michael descends and gives each soul the chance to redeem itself before passing, thus consternating the devil and his minions. St Michael is the special patron of the Chosen People in the Old Testament and is guardian of the Church; it was thus not unusual for the angel to be revered by the military orders of knights during the Middle Ages. Last, he is the supreme enemy of Satan and the fallen angels. Click here to view 'St. Michael's Victory over the Devil', the sculpture above the main entrance to St. Michaelis Church in Hamburg, Germany.

Salome is on her knees ("Get off your knees the party's over"), presenting the head of John The Baptist on a plate; there is commotion behind her, as one woman expresses disgust at what has taken place.

 

Left: Detail of Salome presenting the head of John The Baptist on a plate.
Right: The Stone Roses were certainly familiar with the story of Salome; at one point, serious consideration was given to entitling their debut LP, 'Bring Me The Head Of James Anderton On A Plate.' Sir Cyril James Anderton CBE (born 24th May 1932) is a British former police officer, who served as Chief Constable of Greater Manchester from 1975 to 1991. Anderton frequently courted public controversy with his outspoken views on policing and morality. As a professed Christian who claimed to speak with the supreme being regularly and who characterised himself to be an instrument of divine judgement, Anderton came to be known as 'God's copper' (and was immortalized in the Happy Mondays' song, 'God's Cop'). This led to the press and the public questioning his mental health and capability to perform his job appropriately. He was often in conflict with the city's political leadership during the 1980s, particularly over his views on homosexuality and AIDS: he declared that homosexuality should be illegal, castigating homosexuals and those with AIDS as "swirling in a cesspit of their own making." The Stone Roses took great pleasure in seeing the Chief Constable's descent from power. In one photoshoot, Mani can be seen holding up a newspaper with the satirical headline, 'SOUPER COP ANDERTON ARRESTS A TRAIN !'.

Bibliography:

Forty, Sandra The world of art (London: Parkgate books, 1999).

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Paul McAuley

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