He was an accomplished instrumentalist and composer, who played keyboards, guitars, drums, bass and cellos, as well as singing vocals. His talents also extended to producer. He toured with Eddie Money before winning the Yamaha songwriting competition with his progressive rock group Giraffe. Producer Patrick Leonard was impressed with Gilbert's performance at the competition and invited him to join him in forming a new band which became Toy Matinee. During this time, Gilbert worked on the projects of several established pop musicians, including Madonna, Michael Jackson and produced Keith Emerson's album Changing States.
The lone Toy Matinee album was released in 1990 but effectively shelved by the record company, so Gilbert assembled a new backing band to promote the album, eventually getting two successful singles released: "The Ballad of Jenny Ledge" and "Last Plane Out".
Later, Gilbert was part of a songwriting collective (called "The Tuesday Music Club") that met at producer Bill Bottrell's studio in Pasadena, California. After he began bringing his then girlfriend Sheryl Crow to the sessions, the result was Crow's debut album, Tuesday Night Music Club. Gilbert co-wrote many of the songs on that album, including 1995 Grammy Record of the Year "All I Wanna Do." Crow later acrimoniously split with most of the musicians in the collective and only Bottrell was involved in her follow-up album. Meanwhile the remainder of the collective worked with singer-songwriters Susanna Hoffs and Linda Perry on two more albums.
Gilbert continued to work in television and movie soundtrack work as well as studio work and producing and eventually released his first solo album Thud(1995) as well as partially reforming Giraffe to perform the Genesis masterpiece "The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway" at Progfest 94. Gilbert's manager sent a copy of the recording to Tony Banks and Mike Rutherford who were searching for a new Genesis front man to replace Phil Collins. His manager was coming to Gilbert's home to tell him that he had managed to get him an audition when he discovered him dead.
Gilbert's second solo album, The Shaming of the True was released posthumously. The album was largely incomplete, but Gilbert's estate asked Spock's Beard drummer Nick D'Virgilio to complete it based on the extant tapes and Gilbert's notes. A live album (composed mostly of songs from Thud), and a compilation of Giraffe material that Gilbert had been working on and an "industrial" album with Gilbert's latest group, Kaviar have also been released in the years since his death. His estate has promised two more posthumous studio albums and a live performance from Gilbert's promotional group for Toy Matinee.
Discography:
N.R.G. - No Reasons Given (1984)
Giraffe - The Power Of Suggestion (1987)
Giraffe - The View From Here (1989)
Toy Matinee - Toy Matinee (1990; remastered & rereleased 2001)
Sheryl Crow - Tuesday Night Music Club (1993)
Kevin Gilbert - Thud (1995)
Giraffe - Giraffe (1999)
Kevin Gilbert & Thud - Live at the Troubadour (1999)
Kevin Gilbert - The Shaming of the True (2000)
Kaviar - The Kaviar Sessions (2002)
Kevin Gilbert - Nuts (2009)
Kevin Gilbert - Bolts (2009)
Kevin Gilbert - Performs Toy Matinee Live (2010)
Kevin Gilbert - Toy Matinee Acoustic Rehearsal (2014)
Staring Into Nothing
Kevin Gilbert Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A thousand screaming voices, screaming out my name and I am lonely
Someone said "Hey Johnny do you still love me?"
I said "Baby don't you ever use that word around me ‘cause I don't want to hear it anymore."
Take a look in my eyes
Go on take a look in my eyes
You're staring into nothing at all
You're staring into nothing at all
Nothing at all
I'm not what I seem ‘cause I am not real
Pretending to care, pretending to feel
Here I am again with everything that I could want and I am empty
With the blanket of approval and the slaps upon my back and I am empty
Someone said "Hey Johnny, do you feel happy?"
And I said "I don't need anybody's ten cent therapy. Can't you see I'm on top of the world."
Take a look in my eyes
C'mon take a look in my eyes
You're staring into nothing at all
Nothing at all
You're staring into nothing at all
Oh, nothing at all
I'm not what I seem ‘cause I am not real
Pretending to care, pretending to feel
I'm not what I seem, ‘cause I cannot feel
I can't go on pretending I'm real
The curtain parts again
Revealing politicians and thieves
The champions of nothing
We perform in silhouette
Lit from behind by blinding sheets of light
In the halo of nothing
The show was second hand
Derived from what we thought you'd need to see
The story of nothing
But everyone was entertained
And no one could remember how it was
Before there was nothing
Radio Announcer:
In a related story Johnny Virgil. The young singer whose concert dates were breaking attendance records this summer says he's quitting the business. At a press conference held this morning at the Hyatt Regency Virgil's manager stated that the singer was suffering from exhaustion and would be unable to complete the rest of his scheduled appearances on his tour. Fans were said to be disappointed but enthusiastic about a refund being offered by Stanley Company, tour sponsors. Stanley Beer offers a free twelve pack of their special Johnny Beer in exchange for untorn Johnny Virgil concert ticket stubs.
The song "Staring Into Nothing" by Kevin Gilbert is a powerful yet melancholic portrayal of a celebrity's inner life. The lyrics describe the lonely and empty existence of a famous musician who is trapped in superficiality and artificiality. The first verse sets the stage for this theme with the singer being on a stage with bright lights on his face and a thousand screaming voices calling out his name. The crowd's adulation is not enough to dispel the singer's feeling of loneliness. He is also disillusioned with love and rejects it if anybody dares to mention it to him.
The chorus "Take a look in my eyes/You're staring into nothing at all/Nothing at all" emphasizes the emptiness and hollowness of the singer's being. He is not real and lacks the capacity to feel genuine emotions. He pretends to care and feel but is merely a facsimile of what is expected of him. The second verse further cemented this theme with the singer having everything he could want in life, including the blanket of approval and the slaps on his back, and yet he is empty inside. He even refuses to acknowledge the gravity of his situation and denies his need for therapy.
The final part of the song shifted to a broader perspective, with a curtain parting to reveal politicians and thieves performing in silhouette. The performers are illuminated from behind by blinding sheets of light and are described as champions of nothing. The story of their performance is derived from what people thought they needed to see, leading to a story about nothing. Yet, everyone was entertained and could not remember how it was before there was nothing. The song effectively blends personal and societal critique, delivering a message about the emptiness of fame and the postmodern condition.
Line by Line Meaning
Here I am again with the bright lights on my face and I am lonely
Despite the attention and the spotlight, I can't escape feeling lonely.
A thousand screaming voices, screaming out my name and I am lonely
Even though the crowd is chanting my name, I still feel very much alone.
Someone said "Hey Johnny do you still love me?"
Someone asked me if I still love them.
I said "Baby don't you ever use that word around me ‘cause I don't want to hear it anymore."
I told them never to use that word again because it hurts me to hear it.
Take a look in my eyes
Look into my eyes.
Go on take a look in my eyes
Don't be afraid, look into my eyes.
You're staring into nothing at all
You're looking at me but not really seeing me for who I am.
Nothing at all
There's nothing there, nothing real.
I'm not what I seem ‘cause I am not real
I am not what people see on the surface, because deep down I am not real.
Pretending to care, pretending to feel
I am just pretending to care and feel anything.
Here I am again with everything that I could want and I am empty
Even though I have everything I could want, I still feel empty inside.
With the blanket of approval and the slaps upon my back and I am empty
Even though people approve of what I do and congratulate me, I still feel empty inside.
Someone said "Hey Johnny, do you feel happy?"
Someone asked me if I'm happy.
And I said "I don't need anybody's ten cent therapy. Can't you see I'm on top of the world."
I dismissed them and said I don't need therapy, because I appear to be on top of my game.
Oh, nothing at all
Again, there's nothing real behind the surface.
I'm not what I seem, ‘cause I cannot feel
My exterior doesn't match my interior, because I cannot feel anything.
I can't go on pretending I'm real
I can't keep pretending to be real when deep down I'm not.
The curtain parts again
The metaphorical curtain is lifted again on life, revealing what's going on.
Revealing politicians and thieves
Behind that curtain, we see the politicians and the corrupt people.
The champions of nothing
They are the false champions of a society that ultimately values nothing.
We perform in silhouette
We act like empty caricatures of real people.
Lit from behind by blinding sheets of light
Our 'performance,' such as it is, is illuminated by blinding light.
In the halo of nothing
We keep performing in nothingness with no sense of purpose or intrinsic value.
The show was second hand
The whole thing is derived from what people think they want to see, not what's real or authentic.
Derived from what we thought you'd need to see
We create the performance based on what we think will be popular, not what's important or genuine.
The story of nothing
The whole facade is about nothing, even if it seems like there's substance to it.
But everyone was entertained
Despite the emptiness, everyone still buys into the spectacle and is entertained.
And no one could remember how it was
Even as society continues down this path of emptiness, no one remembers what it was like to have something real and meaningful.
Before there was nothing
It seems like society has always been this way - consumed with appearances and lacking substance.
In a related story Johnny Virgil. The young singer whose concert dates were breaking attendance records this summer says he's quitting the business. At a press conference held this morning at the Hyatt Regency Virgil's manager stated that the singer was suffering from exhaustion and would be unable to complete the rest of his scheduled appearances on his tour. Fans were said to be disappointed but enthusiastic about a refund being offered by Stanley Company, tour sponsors. Stanley Beer offers a free twelve pack of their special Johnny Beer in exchange for untorn Johnny Virgil concert ticket stubs.
An announcement of a musical artist quitting the business, for reasons that may be related to the pain and emptiness outlined in the song's lyrics, and the compensations offered to fans who may be let down by this announcement.
Contributed by Aaron K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.