For more than twenty years he has been releasing, to only marginal commercial and critical success, playful and transgressive albums on labels in the United Kingdom, the United States, and Japan. In his lyrics and his other writing he makes seemingly random use of decontextualized pieces of continental (mostly French) philosophy, and has built up a personal world he says is "dominated by values like diversity, orientalism, and a respect for otherness." He is also known in certain circles outside the U.S. as a producer. He is fascinated by identity, Japan, the avant-garde, time travel and sex. Live Momus shows are rare but when he does perform he often sings the crowd favourite 'maf' from the Stars Forever LP.
He wears a patch over his right eye because he lost the use of it after contracting acanthamoeba keratitis from a contact lens case washed with Greek tap water.
Nick Currie currently resides in Osaka, Japan.
The Age of Information
Momus Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ladies and gentlemen, we are now entering
The age of information
It's perfectly safe
If we all take a few basic precautions
May I make some observations?
Your reputation used to depend on
What you concealed
Now it depends on what you reveal
The age of secretive mandarins who creep on heels of tact is dead:
We are all players now in the great game of fact instead
So since you can't keep your cards to your chest
I'd suggest you think a few moves ahead
As one does when playing a game of chess
Axiom 2 to make the world new:
Paranoia's simply a word for seeing things as they are
Act as you wish to be seen to act
Or leave for some other star
Somebody is prying through your files, probably
Somebody's hand is in your tin of Netscape magic cookies
But relax: if you're an interesting person
Morally good in your acts
You have nothing to fear from facts
Axiom 3 for transparency:
In the age of information the only way to hide facts
Is with interpretations, there is no way to stop the free exchange
Of idle speculations
In the days before communication privacy meant staying at home
Sitting in the dark with the curtains shut unsure whether to answer the phone
But these are different times, now the bottom line
Is that everyone should prepare to be known
Most of your friends will still like you fine
X said to Y what A said to B
B wrote an E-mail and sent it to me
I showed C and C wrote to A:
Flaming world war three
Cut, paste, forward, copy
CC, go with the flow
Our ambition should be to love what we finally know
Or, if it proves unloveable, simply to go
Axiom 4 for this world I adore:
Our loyalties should shift in view
According to what we know
And who we are speaking to
Once I was loyal to you, and prepared to be against information
Now I am loyal to information, maybe I'm disloyal to you
My loyalty becomes more complex and cubist with every new fact I learn
It depends who I'm speaking to
And who they speak to in turn
Axiom 5 for information workers who wish to stay alive:
Supply, never withhold, the information requested
With total disregard for interests
Personal and vested
Chinese whispers was an analogue game
Where the signal degraded between brain and brain
Digital whispers is the same in reverse
The word we spread gets better, not worse
Better, not worse
X said to Y what A said to B
B wrote an E-mail and sent it to me
I showed C and C wrote to A:
Flaming world war three
Cut, paste, forward, copy
CC, go with the flow
Our ambition should be to love what we finally know
Or, if it proves unloveable, simply to go
Momus's song "The Age of Information" appears to be a commentary on how the introduction and proliferation of technology has changed the way people interact with and perceive information. The lyrical content delves deep into the idea of how people no longer need to keep things hidden or keep secrets because technology has made everything transparent. The song focuses on the idea of remaining cautious and taking basic precautions while also embracing a new way of life where privacy is not guaranteed, and information is freely and extensively shared.
The first part of the song highlights the idea that one's reputation is no longer tied to what they conceal but rather to what they reveal, suggesting that transparency is key in the age of information. The second part talks about how paranoia is simply seeing things as they are, and one should act as they wish to be seen instead. The lyrics also note that anything and everything can be shared and that the only way to hide information is through interpretation.
The song also touches on the idea that loyalty is never static and can change depending on the information known, and how it can be challenging to keep up with the constant influx of new information. The last part of the song highlights the importance of supplying information, regardless of how it may affect one personally.
Overall, "The Age of Information" is a thought-provoking commentary on the impact of technology and how it has changed the way people interact with information.
Line by Line Meaning
This is a public service announcement
Attention, attention, I have an important message to share
Ladies and gentlemen, we are now entering The age of information
Hey everyone, we're living in a time where information is readily available
It's perfectly safe If we all take a few basic precautions May I make some observations?
Don't worry, everything is fine as long as we're careful. Can I say a few things?
Axiom 1 for the world we've begun: Your reputation used to depend on What you concealed Now it depends on what you reveal
In the past, it was better to hide things, but nowadays it's better to be transparent and honest
We are all players now in the great game of fact instead So since you can't keep your cards to your chest I'd suggest you think a few moves ahead As one does when playing a game of chess
We're all involved in the spreading of information, so be mindful about what you share and how you share it
Axiom 2 to make the world new: Paranoia's simply a word for seeing things as they are Act as you wish to be seen to act Or leave for some other star
If you're worried about people knowing the truth about you, it's probably because you have something to hide. Act in a way that you'd be proud of, or leave if you can't handle the truth
Somebody is prying through your files, probably Somebody's hand is in your tin of Netscape magic cookies But relax: if you're an interesting person Morally good in your acts You have nothing to fear from facts
Someone might be looking at your private information, but if you're a good person and have nothing to hide, you have nothing to worry about
Axiom 3 for transparency: In the age of information, the only way to hide facts Is with interpretations, there is no way to stop the free exchange Of idle speculations
In this era, with so much access to information, the only way to keep things a secret is to interpret the information in a misleading way. There's no way to stop people from speculating about what they read
But these are different times, now the bottom line Is that everyone should prepare to be known Most of your friends will still like you fine
Things are different now and we have to accept that we might be known by others. Don't worry, most people will still like you for who you are
X said to Y what A said to B B wrote an E-mail and sent it to me I showed C and C wrote to A: Flaming world war three Cut, paste, forward, copy CC, go with the flow
Information spreads quickly and easily nowadays, and sometimes it can lead to misunderstandings or fights. We should be careful about what we share and how we share it
Our ambition should be to love what we finally know Or, if it proves unloveable, simply to go
When we learn new things, we should strive to accept them and love them. But if we can't, we should move on and let it go
Axiom 4 for this world I adore: Our loyalties should shift in view According to what we know And who we are speaking to
We should be loyal to the truth and adapt our loyalty according to what we know and who we're talking to
My loyalty becomes more complex and cubist with every new fact I learn It depends who I'm speaking to And who they speak to in turn
As we learn new things, our loyalty becomes more complex and depends on who we're talking to and what they know
Axiom 5 for information workers who wish to stay alive: Supply, never withhold, the information requested With total disregard for interests Personal and vested
If you're in the information industry, it's important to always provide the information people want, regardless of personal interest
Chinese whispers was an analogue game Where the signal degraded between brain and brain Digital whispers is the same in reverse The word we spread gets better, not worse Better, not worse
In the past, information would degrade as it was shared between people, but now with digital communication, it actually improves as it's spread. Cool, right?
Contributed by Addison J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Aldo Charles
on Morality Is Vanity
I’ve been listening to this song last two weeks.