A few hours ago @HoarselyCry contacted me in the toilets of The Wrong Arms with news of a photo. Had I seen it? What did I make of it? Questions were asked that I was unready to answer, partly because it was after midnight where I live. After some discussion and a collaboration on the #InTheNameOfTheMozziah hashtag, @HoarselyCry tweeted and I retweeted. And I went to bed. Not alone, but to sleep, without euphemism.
As usual.
Looking in over my breakfast of organic Weetbix, I observed the expected underwhelming response. As I had already noted to @HoarselyCry, my most recent blob post had received no comments (despite posing a highly relevant question to what may laughingly be called the readership), so I didn't expect much action in The Wrong Arms over this.
I mean, the Dramatically Deluded Dozen barely breaths more than Victoria Woods or Prince.
Sorry, that was in bad taste. I should leave those kinds of asides to TRB.
Anyway, having gone to bed, rested and peacefully slept, I woke up with a flash in my tiny mind's eye. Ping pong:
Ra Ra Rasputin last inhaled in December 1916, poisoned and shot several times to make sure. In April, 1999, the popular music combo Electronic (featuring Bernard Sumner and Johnny Marr) released a phonographic album called Twisted Tenderness, which features a poor quality image of Russia's notorious mad monk on the cover, making the sign of benediction (you've probably seen The Pope do it, too). At some point either before or after the publication of said recorded music anthology, the English seminal artiste known as Morrissey was photographed making a similar gesture.
It turns out the guitar player Marr and singer/lyricist Morrissey had also previously been in popular music band together. Since then, it has been documented that the two have repeatedly made public acknowledgement of each other's existence by way of visually replication. Sources allegedly close to being Morrissey call this public, but otherwise private, game ping pong.
This shared gesture of benediction, I humbly suggest, is an example of ping pong. Just who pinged and who ponged is as yet unknown.
Thanks, Comrade, for finding this ping-pong example. I've looked at the picture before, but didn't know what to make of it, until I realised it looked similar to a hand sign seen in old religious images and used by religious figures like priests, the Pope, etc. That's how I figured it must be the benediction one.
ReplyDeleteBenediction: the invocation of a blessing; especially : the short blessing with which public worship is concluded
I wonder if you have more ping-pong examples. You say there are more to be found?
Nath
Just plow through some of the recent TWOM posts by moi and you'll find some.
DeleteIt is no secret that Morrissey is influenced by his Catholic background and generally uses iconography of the aforementioned to his liking for his own reasons. He has donned the priestly drag, mentions religion numerous times, and wears the always in fashion rosary around his neck. So it doesn't surprise me that he would also give the sign of benediction, every Catholics favourite words "Go in peace to love and serve the Lord" Amen, Indeed.
ReplyDeleteWhen it comes to hand signs however they can always be interpreted in various ways, what may be a blessing to some could be more to others, myself included. The definition that you give harps is the Christian definition of the fingers spelling out the name of Jesus "icxc" and is a blessing however there are much older and pagan symbolism behind it as well. When I see the picture of Morrissey first I notice the right eye covered leaving the left exposed (left being the side of mysticism) the hand to me says "As above, so below" I will give you a link if you are interested in such things. My principal theory with this ping pong game is one saying to the other there is no me without you, there is no you without me.
http://www.thebabylonmatrix.com/index.php?title=911:Occult_symbolism_V#As_above.2C_so_below
I hadn't noticed the eye and I love your interpretation. Thank you.
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