Califone is the musical project of former Red Red Meat frontman Tim Rutili. Its regular and rotating contributors include many former members of Red Red Meat and some members of other Chicago bands, such as Tortoise. Their music is less rooted in blues-rock than Red Red Meat and is more directly inspired by experimental music and early American folk music as can be found on Harry Smith's Anthology of American Folk Music.
Califone's current lineup includes Joe Adamik (drums), Jim Becker (banjo, violin), Ben Massarella (percussion), and Tim Rutili (vocals, guitar, keyboards). Each member is a multi-instrumentalist.
Tim Rutili has collaborated with a number of other artists as well. He joined up with Modest Mouse frontman Isaac Brock and others in 2002 to release the album Sharpen Your Teeth under the band name Ugly Casanova. Some members also toured with Freakwater and served as a backing band to record the album Thinking of You in 2005. In 2006, Tim Rutili teamed up with Wil Hendricks and Michael Krassner under the name The Unseen Hand to record the soundtrack for Rank, a documentary about bullriding. In the same year Califone worked with animator/musician Brent Green on a series of performance art pieces featuring animation, live music, and spoken word. They are also featured on the soundtrack for the movie Stranger than Fiction.
Porno Starlet vs. Rodeo Clown
Califone Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Watching her own body fake and writhe
Mascara around her cataract eyes, bruises on her knees
She goes home to a rodeo clown
Pissing on his hands for luck
Dragging from the balls of a bull
Concussion barrel sings
Make you mean, half a lie
Save a peace, a peace for home
Unbroken streak, sleepwalk through
Starting to believe your own eyes
The plans are tearing in the wind
A steamboat lands on a flypaper bed
Sink down into you
Powder moth, save my page
Sad decoration, horse sized pill
Save a peace, a peace for home
Unbroken streak, sleepwalk through
The porno starlet hovers in the eaves
Watching her own body fake and writhe
Mascara around her cataract eyes, bruises on her knees
The lyrics to Califone's song Porno Starlet vs. Rodeo Clown are complex and mysterious, leaving much room for interpretation. The song features vivid imagery and haunting vocals, creating a sense of unease and uncertainty. The opening lines describe a porno starlet watching herself perform, as if from a distance. She is aware of the falseness of her performance and the toll it takes on her body – she has bruises on her knees, a detail that highlights the physical nature of her work. The juxtaposition of her profession with that of a rodeo clown – a figure associated with humor and entertainment – is jarring.
The second half of the song veers into more abstract territory, with lines like "Make you mean, half a lie" and "Starting to believe your own eyes." It's unclear who is speaking or what they mean, adding to the song's sense of mystery. The final lines repeat the opening ones, creating a circular narrative. The starlet is still "hovering in the eaves," still watching herself, still aware of the performative nature of her life.
Line by Line Meaning
The porno starlet hovers in the eaves
The singer in the pornography film watches her body perform from a distance
Watching her own body fake and writhe
Observing her body engage in fake and unenjoyable movements
Mascara around her cataract eyes, bruises on her knees
Physical marks on her body from the industry's rough treatment
She goes home to a rodeo clown
After the shoot, the starlet returns to finding comfort in her partner, a rodeo clown
Pissing on his hands for luck
A bizarre ritual for good fortune and success
Dragging from the balls of a bull
Harsh treatment of bulls in rodeos (which the clown may have partaken in) is implied
Concussion barrel sings
The device used in rodeos to prevent concussions creates an eerie noise when knocked over
Make you mean, half a lie
The starlet is forced to behave in ways that are untrue to her actual desires and interests
Sugar and milk baked into your steel
A metaphor for the falsity that has become ingrained in the artist's life and self
Save a peace, a peace for home
An attempt to hold on to some sense of normalcy and safety amidst a chaotic and dehumanizing lifestyle
Unbroken streak, sleepwalk through
Continuing to go through life without true awareness or consciousness
Starting to believe your own eyes
A moment of questioning one's own perception and reality within a fabricated environment
The plans are tearing in the wind
The starlet has no control over her own life and future
A steamboat lands on a flypaper bed
A nonsensical and chaotic image further emphasizing her life's disarray
Sink down into you
A desire to escape the current lifestyle, possibly by retreating into one's own consciousness and self
Powder moth, save my page
The need to hold on to something amidst the chaos, even if it's just a book or a written page
Sad decoration, horse sized pill
The emptiness of her life and relationships, along with the heavy burden of prescription drug addiction
Save a peace, a peace for home
Reaffirming the need for stability and normalcy in her life
Unbroken streak, sleepwalk through
Continuing to live life without awareness or true consciousness
The porno starlet hovers in the eaves
Repeating the same scene as in the beginning, emphasizing the character's stuck and cyclical lifestyle
Watching her own body fake and writhe
Continuing to observe and endure the fake and unpleasant practices within the pornography industry
Mascara around her cataract eyes, bruises on her knees
The same physical marks remain, with no end in sight.
Lyrics © ROUGH TRADE PUBLISHING, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Temistoclas Hugo Rutili
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind