Feature: Reduction in Force Decodes “Images of Heaven”
Punk Head: “Images of Heaven” deals with illusion, longing, and the idea that almost can still be enough. When you revisit this song now, which idea/emotion feels truer to you than before?
Reduction in Force: Let’s focus on the idea that “almost can still be enough.” This is powerful. We all want something to be exactly as it is supposed to be, but nothing is. Life is one big tradeoff. There’s nothing wrong with that. You just need to come to grips with the fact that life isn’t pure. Approach things with purity, sure, but understand that the end result will be anything but that. And, that is a critical FEATURE of life not a bug. If we could all “will” perfection into existence that would mean that we could bend reality to our will. Sounds great, but there are a few BILLION of us out there that would like the exact same thing. That’s just not going to work. Best understand that compromise is the best we can hope for. And, it’s this mash up that creates a rich life for all of us.
Punk Head: The original carries a very specific early-’80s futurism. What parts of that optimism felt impossible to preserve but strangely relevant again?
Reduction in Force: Interesting. It’s not just that the 80’s futurism existed but that I was at a very impressionable age at the time. Also, I’m not sure optimism is the right word. I would choose the term - larger than life. Everything felt that HUGE. Like all was possible - not just in a good way but also in an awful way - it was surreal. We had “We Are The World” juxtaposed against “Escape From New York” working against “Footloose” and then “Never Ending Story” plus “War Games” and oh “ET.” These were larger than life worlds that extended their world view to be more than one person could even get their head around. Images of Heaven was early, but it did have that surreal vibe to it. You knew it had the word “Heaven” in it but you weren’t sure exactly whether it was “good” or “bad.” Peter Godwin definitely used ambiguity to his advantage. It was just another example of that ambiguity set in ‘larger than life.’ That was a cornerstone of the 80’s existence. Plus, personally, I watched way too much Twilight Zone. Yikes.
Punk Head: The phrase “unkept promises from our youth” hangs heavy here. What promises feel most unfinished when you hear this song now?
Reduction in Force: To my point above, life is not nearly as glamorous as 80’s art would have us to believe. This is exactly why the 90’s grunge era was so relevant and effective. It stripped all of the artifice and showed life in all of its unglamorous glory. That said, the truth is a muddled middle road. Unglamorous, yet honest. There is no purity. There are no ‘larger than life’ worlds. Nihilism, the 90’s counter punch, is just an empty alternative. Sadly, life is mostly a grind. Find what you love. Protect and preserve it. That is the joy life provides.
Punk Head: The lyric video offers a very personal idea of heaven. Is heaven something we earn, something we remember too clearly, or something we invent when the world doesn’t deliver?
Reduction in Force: My favorite question. It is exactly as you image it would be. Heaven is what you love. There is no guilt in love. Directly engage with life and learn as much about yourself as possible. This exercise will tell you what you want in this world. As you learn more about what that is, focus your attention on this as much as possible. Do what you have to do to survive. Aside from that, focus on what you love. At some point, this focus will lay out how you should live your life. Everyone’s heaven in the afterlife is awesome. Better yet, figure out how to make your life in this one be just as awesome.
Punk Head: What does “human music” mean to you now, in an era of algorithms, perfection, and constant digital noise?
Reduction in Force: Ugh. It hurts that we have to use the term “human” music. To me there is no other type of music, but Suno and the rest of the AI music crew seem to say otherwise. Music is HUMAN expression - full stop. It is disheartening that certain humans seem very comfortable to outsource the best human emotion delivery mechanism ever created, music, to AI.
Music is mood, meaning and musician. Mood means the music itself. The notes . . . the vibe. Meaning is the actual purpose of music. It’s the lyrics or any other musical mechanism to deliver the emotional content to the listener. Musician is exactly that. The HUMAN that creates the mood and the meaning. AI can only create ONE of the three. Human music to me means just MUSIC. There is no other type of music. AI is fine for a hobbyist to play with in their bedroom, but to release it out into the wild without any disclaimers — that’s just crazy talk.
