[Jandek] Jandek/Richard Thompson connection?

[BlackMonk]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Danen D. Jobe" <djobe at uark.edu>
To: <jandek at mylist.net>
Sent: Saturday, July 23, 2005 12:39 PM
Subject: [Jandek] Jandek/Richard Thompson connection?


>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Sharif Mansour <stampid.mouse at gmail.com>
>
>> 3) Allah and God are one and the same, so when Jandek sings about/to
>> God he is referring to the same entity.
>>
>
> Yes and no.  Muhommad rewrote the Old Testament as he believed God was 
> telling it to him.  There are some pretty major changes.  The more 
> Universalist mindset (that is kindly working its way through many 
> religions right now) would say the two Gods

Three Gods. The Christian interpretion of the Old Testament and the Jewish 
understanding are very different.

are the same but more extreme sects of any group (and I live in Arkansas - 
you want Christian extremists you can have 'em!) would say they were VASTLY 
different and the similarities are a deception to make you THINK they're the 
same.
>
> And hey - am I the only one noticing a similarity between the cover and 
> title of Jandek's "Raining Down Diamonds" with Richard and Linda 
> Thompson's "Pour Down Like Silver?"  Here's a link to the cover of the 
> latter:
> http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B00000063R.01._SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg
>
> Could Jandek be a Sufi?  I stayed once in a Sufi monastery in New Mexico 
> and found them to be VERY forward thinking.  They also view music as a 
> pathway to God.

That's not uncommon. There's a fairly well known Chassidic story about a man 
who, after the rabbi asked he what he thought of the service, said "I have 
to admit I didn't understand a word." The rabbi said "Maybe that's my fault" 
and began to sing a niggun (wordless melody). The man's face lit up and he 
said "Thank you, now I understand."

> Admittedly, they wear turbans and not caps but the connection seems so 
> close.  Listening to "Spiritual Song" again I'm lead to think >that if 
> Jandek is a Muslim he is probably a Sufi.

In the 80s, Richard Thompson said he was still a Muslim, but not strictly a 
Sufi. I suspect both men are spiritual, intellectually curious people who 
explore various beliefs and are affected by them without commiting 
themselves to any specific sect.