Indovina and Human Drama began their career in New Orleans in the early 80s as The Models, releasing two singles along with compilation appearances. A mid-'80s move to Los Angeles and the discovery of an already existing Australian band also named The Models set the stage for Indovina and company to begin their new incarnation.
The newly renamed Human Drama became a member of the "Scream scene" of the mid-'80s, which sprang up around the short-lived Los Angeles underground goth/metal club that brought Guns N' Roses and Jane's Addiction to the world. Human Drama contributed a song, "Wave of Darkness", to the 1987 Scream Compilation LP, which led to a major label deal with RCA.
1989 saw the release of the debut Hopes Prayers Dreams Heart Soul Mind Love Life Death EP and the full length Feel LP. Both releases featured a electric guitar-oriented approach. Indovina felt that RCA wasn't properly promoting the band, and the band and label parted ways.
Moving to the independent Triple X label, the next Human Drama release was 1992's The World Inside. Stylistically different from the first two releases, Indovina moved Human Drama into a quieter, more strings-based sound. This album is widely regarded as Indovina and Human Drama's most important work. The LP earned the band critical raves and a near fanatical following, especially in Mexico. A solo performance of various cover songs by Indovina at the album's release party predicted the next Human Drama album. Released in 1993, PinUps was an open tribute to David Bowie's album of the same name, a collection of remakes of various sources of inspiration.
A move to New York city accompanied a temporary co-release stint on the Projekt label, resulting in two additional mid-decade releases, 1994's Human Drama EP and 1995's Songs of Betrayal, which was later re-released as two separate discs with additional tracks.
The next Human Drama release would be a live album. 1997's Fourteen Thousand Three Hundred Eighty Four Days Later, featuring many of the early Feel-era songs, along with some new cover song choices.
1999 brought Solemn Sun Setting, which saw a merging of the two "different" Human Drama styles, before the following year's career overview, Best of Human Drama...In a Perfect World.
The final Human Drama album, 2002's Cause and Effect, continuing themes from Solemn Sun Setting, was an unexpected goodbye from Indovina and company, for both the band and their fans.
In 2004, Human Drama recorded their final track, the Beatles "Let It Be", which was given to fans who attended the band's farewell performance in Los Angeles. When asked why he chose "Let It Be" as their final recording Indovina answered, "I strived my entire career to write a song as good as that, but since I couldn't, I decided to record it as a salute to, what is in my opinion, the best song ever written".
Indovina has since moved on with his next project, Sound of the Blue Heart.
Mr. Storyteller
Human Drama Lyrics
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Of this love that never dies
Explain to me again my friend
Where all I have given lies
Look me in the eye
As you reassure
The path you direct me to
Once Mr. Storyteller
This tale you tell was mine
But for arms warm and loving
Was a stranglehold of lies
The lyrics of Human Drama's song Mr. Storyteller paint a picture of a protagonist who is in search of clarity and understanding of a love that seems to be at a standstill. They call out to a "Mr. Storyteller," perhaps an older, wiser individual who may have been in a similar situation before. The singer asks for another explanation of the everlasting love that they have been hoping for. They are questioning where they fit in this love story, as it seems that all they have given has not been enough.
The singer asks for reassurance from Mr. Storyteller, as they ask them to look them in the eye and guide them towards the path of love and truth. This may suggest that the singer is struggling to navigate and understand their emotions and the actions of the person they love. The final lines of the song suggest that the singer has been let down by this love, as they were met with a "stranglehold of lies" instead of the "arms warm and loving" that they had hoped for.
Overall, the lyrics of Mr. Storyteller depict a search for understanding and resolution in a complicated relationship. The singer is seeking guidance and reassurance from someone who may have experienced the same thing before, as they try to make sense of their own feelings and where they fit in this love story.
Line by Line Meaning
Tell me again if you will
Please recount the story to me one more time
Of this love that never dies
Tell me about this eternal love
Explain to me again my friend
Clarify this for me once more, my dear friend
Where all I have given lies
Show me where all the things I have given are
Look me in the eye
Stare straight into my eyes
As you reassure
Comfortingly convince me
The path you direct me to
The direction you suggest I take
Leads to love and truth
Makes me experience affection and honesty
Once Mr. Storyteller
Formerly, oh Mr. Narrator
This tale you tell was mine
The story you tell, my story it did unfold
But for arms warm and loving
Except for loving and comforting limbs
Was a stranglehold of lies
It was a suffocating deceitful embrace
Contributed by Madison P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.