Kasher has a very close relationship with Conor Oberst of Bright Eyes. They grew up in Nebraska together, went to the same Catholic high school, Creighton Prep. It is rumored that Tim taught Oberst to play guitar. In the Bright Eyes song, "Nothing Gets Crossed Out" Oberst sings, "yeah Tim I heard your album and it's better than good. When you get off tour I think we should hang and black out together." (referring to the album Black Out by The Good Life, released in 2002 on Saddle Creek Records.) Furthermore, Oberst later sang backup on the song "Staying Alive," from Cursive's 2003 effort The Ugly Organ.
Kasher temporarily disbanded Cursive after the departure of guitarist Steve Pedersen (who left to pursue a law degree at Duke University. He now leads the Saddle Creek band Criteria). He married and moved to Portland, Oregon. According to interviews, Kasher went through a bitter divorce in 2000, which led to the regrouping of Cursive, as well as providing the inspiration for The Good Life album Black Out, and Cursive's Domestica.
The Good Life was originally planned to be a solo project. Kasher wanted to experiment with different types of lyrics and melodies. He released Novena on a Nocturn on Better Looking Records. He then recruited Ryan Fox, Roger Lewis and Stephanie Drootin into the band and released Black Out, Lovers Need Lawyers EP and Album of the Year.
Kasher created a another record with Cursive which was released in August 2006, entitled Happy Hollow. In 2009, Cursive released their latest effort, 'Mama, I'm Swollen'. The Good Life, despite a near breakup in late 2005, returned to the studio to release the album, 'Help Wanted Nights' in September 2007.
Under his own name, Tim Kasher recorded a song called "Stranger Than Strangers" which was released on a compilation CD called "My Favorite Songwriters." He released the solo album 'The Game of Monogamy' in 2010, and a follow-up disc of songs from that session called 'Bigamy', in 2011.
Split Identities
Tim Kasher Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And the first one kept me occupied
The second one was suicide
I shot myself in the heat I made a massacre
Of making you believe I'm a two-timing sleaze
Don't trust the boy with the thunderbolt face
He's got guilt pouring down his face
Just when things are getting interesting
It's cold outside the cigarettes sizzles well
This bottle's too freezing to hold
I'll try to slide on up to her but this night keeps getting slippier
And I've had too much to drink
I should care a can of mace
To blind myself when I get this way
My eyes sting I think I'm seeing two of you
I think I'm getting sick of you
I should split I'm crackin' like a whip
Too tortured to see these split identities
This basement's too dark my thoughts are getting lost
I wish it was easy, to be easy
Don't trust what you cannot touch
Because if it feels like love
You just drank too much
More wine, I wanna be safe fuckin' valentine
I want to see those black casts floating in my eyes
The lyrics of Tim Kasher's song Split Identities speak of a man's remorse and regret over his actions. The first verse mentions meeting someone twice, with the first encounter keeping him occupied, while the second encounter led to his downfall. He shot himself metaphorically, making a massacre of his attempt to make the other person believe he was a two-timing sleaze.
In the second verse, he warns not to trust the boy with the thunderbolt face, who has guilt written all over his face. He laments about his excessive sweating and how it ruins the moment when things start to get interesting. He talks about being drunk and seeing double while wishing he had a can of mace to blind himself when he gets this way. He concludes that he's cracking like a whip, and the basement is too dark, and he is losing his thoughts.
Overall, the song portrays a man's self-destructive tendencies and how he is aware of his flaws but finds it hard to control himself.
Line by Line Meaning
Two times, I met you two times
I met you twice
And the first one kept me occupied
I was busy with the first meeting
The second one was suicide
The second meeting was disastrous
I shot myself in the heat I made a massacre
I made a mess through my recklessness
Of making you believe I'm a two-timing sleaze
I made you think I was unfaithful
Don't trust the boy with the thunderbolt face
Don't trust me, I have an untrustworthy appearance
He's got guilt pouring down his face
I feel guilty for my actions
And sweat stings, why do I gotta smell up everything
I'm sweating and causing an unpleasant smell
Just when things are getting interesting
Things were just starting to get exciting
It's cold outside the cigarettes sizzles well
It's chilly outside and smoking feels good
This bottle's too freezing to hold
The bottle is too cold to hold
I'll try to slide on up to her but this night keeps getting slippier
I'm trying to approach someone but the night is getting more difficult
And I've had too much to drink
I've had too much alcohol to drink
I should care a can of mace
I should carry pepper spray
To blind myself when I get this way
To incapacitate myself when I'm feeling out of control
My eyes sting I think I'm seeing two of you
My eyes hurt and I'm seeing double
I think I'm getting sick of you
I'm starting to lose my patience with you
I should split I'm crackin' like a whip
I should leave because I'm losing control
Too tortured to see these split identities
I'm too confused to see things clearly
This basement's too dark my thoughts are getting lost
I can't focus because it's too dark here
I wish it was easy, to be easy
I wish things were simpler
Don't trust what you cannot touch
Don't trust something intangible
Because if it feels like love
Just because it feels like love
You just drank too much
Doesn't mean it's real, you're just intoxicated
More wine, I wanna be safe fuckin' valentine
I want more wine, I want to feel safe like on Valentine's Day
I want to see those black casts floating in my eyes
I want to see floaters in my eyes from drinking too much
Contributed by Emily W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
ImTryingHere
this man's mullet makes me question my understanding of time and space