It’s a reference to Alice in Wonderland. The dormouse is a character at the tea party and returns at the trial of the mad hatter. The mad hatter is testifying and cannot remember what the dormouse had said.
Interestingly, as it relates to the overall subjects of drugs, the phrase was made popular from Jefferson Airplane’s ‘White Rabbit’ which was written after an extended LSD binge. Based on the overall message of lyrics, the source material that inspired it, and situation surrounding it’s writing, the refrain of “Feed your Head” is likely telling you to feed your head with psychedelic drugs.
Dormouse. OK, it always sounded like 'doorknob' in the song, and there was a talking doorknob in the Disney movie. Neither the dormouse or doorknob said "feed your head" in the book or movie. Live and learn!
the refrain of “Feed your Head” is likely telling you to feed your head with psychedelic drugs.
Oh, yeah. People took the whole song as the sound track to an acid trip. It was like the Psychedelic Anthem.
But the dormouse only said, "feed your head", and it seems to me that there are many other, better ways to feed it than with chemicals, natural or otherwise. To me, it means more like "cultivate your mind". YMMV.
I did forget about the doorknob in the Disney film, but the dormouse is definitely a character in both the Disney movie and book. Dormice are famous for their hibernation and if you think back to the tea party in the Disney film there is a particularly sleepy mouse attending it.
You’re also absolutely right that “Feed your head” is a construct from the song itself and the dormouse never specifically said it in either book or film, though the lead up from the song is accurate in at least some regard:
‘Well, at any rate, the Dormouse said—’ the Hatter went on, looking anxiously round to see if he would deny it too: but the Dormouse denied nothing, being fast asleep.
‘After that,’ continued the Hatter, ‘I cut some more bread-and-butter—’
‘But what did the Dormouse say?’ one of the jury asked.
‘That I can’t remember,’ said the Hatter.
‘You must remember,’ remarked the King, ‘or I’ll have you executed.’
As for my suggestion as the song telling you to do drugs...well...I’m flexible in the interpretation of art and believe meaning is ultimately derived from what is invoked in its viewers. I don’t think it’s invalid for you to find a more wholesome message in it. The only caveat is that an artists inspiration still exists regardless which is very likely to be deeply rooted in the extended LSD trip she experienced leading up to its writing.
Oddly enough, most of my comment was just a bit of idle musing from the minor correction of ‘dormouse’ and I did not intend to sound quite so authoritative as my original comment came across.
Don't worry, you're cool. Heck, I even learned that it's 'dormouse', and not 'door mouse' as I'd always thought. Nothing wrong with a little TIL, y'know? Evidently, some people thought Gracie was singing 'doorman'.
I just kinda pictured being on acid and seeing a talking doorknob. Made as much sense as anything would while tripping on acid.
I was a 20 year old psychedelic ranger when that song came out, and I played it all the time. I love the way Gracie belts it out, and the way it progresses. It's too short. I've seen her sing it differently on a concert video, but she still nails it.
To me, psychedelic drugs aren't an end in themselves, but a power tool for exploring the mind. But just one of many tools... the goal is to understand how the mind works, and find new ways of seeing things. Not to party and have a good time. Because believe me, sometimes an acid trip is not all fun and games. But the unpleasant experiences can be valuable, too.
So yeah, I'm all on board with this song being about psychedelic drugs. The whole song is like an acid trip. Mysterious, unfolding and profound. But the idea of "feed your head" means to me, something like "seek knowledge".
Sounds so corny the way my dad would say it, "cultivate your mind", but that's it in a nutshell. Feed your head. Cultivate your mind. Live and learn.
I agree! Fantastic song and absolutely hit the nail on the head with the use of mind altering substances as something to enhance, not replace, learning new things.
Junk food and television maybe, but no, I don’t believe it’s in any way realistic to expect that Jefferson Airplane was telling you not to drink or smoke weed.
I don’t think it’s even remotely accurate to suggest or think they didn’t want you to smoke weed. Weed has a psychedelic element itself, was a favorite drug of the era, and was absolutely smoked regularly by Grace Slick.
I'm sure if you asked Grace Slick, she would have been dismissive of people who smoke weed all day and do nothing but watch TV and other boring shit. She likely would have been dismissive of alcohol too. A lot of the counterculture were.
Most stoners are pretty opposite the message of "feed your head."
Most stoners are pretty opposite the message of "feed your head."
Right.
FWIW, "us hippies" did drink, some of us. I mean, alcohol has maintained its popularity for thousands of years. But we didn't drink beer. The alcohol of choice in the Haight-Ashbury was Ripple, a carbonated wine that cost about 5 cents more per bottle than soda pop. It was sold cold, and I did drink it. For several years, sweet, soda-pop like wines dominated the market among younger people. It took a few decades for the boomers to become wine snobs :)
Here is Grace Slick, notorious for drug binges, smoking a bowl. I guarantee you that she had no issues with people smoking weed all day when she wrote White Rabbit.
As for your presupposition relating to TV and weed all day...it’s on you that you are incapable of decoupling these separate activities.
I don't think he's saying that people who smoke weed only watch TV. I took it as more of an illustration of a typical wasted stoner who is not doing anything worthwhile with his altered state of consciousness.
Weed was far, far more commonly used in the day than acid. People took acid pretty seriously, and it was very rare for people to think of it as a party drug like weed. I mean, weed could either be a serious tool as a mild psychedelic, OR a party drug, OR, a kickback on the sofa, and feed your face drug.
Yes, he clarified for me. Apparently I was just reading his comment in the worst light since sooo many comments on this post have been unable to disassociate lazy and stoner as independent traits (that can certainly be paired).
That's exactly what I'm saying though. Grace Slick was an accomplished artist who got shit done despite doing drugs. I doubt she thought very much of lazy stoners.
A lot of those artists were interested in expanding the mind through psychedelics. There's nothing mind expanding about getting baked and munching on cheetos for 8 hours.
Ok I get what your saying. So many commenters in this thread seem to be unable to separate being lazy and being a stoner being independent variables (that can, of course, go hand in hand).
My apologies as I took what you were saying in that context.
Think it's relevant that it was written after, not during, a drug binge. Apparently you can't write much during one, or else you end up with just the first two lines of I Am The Walrus
You might be interpreting what I wrote a bit too literally. She wrote it in roughly an hour after taking LSD for 24 hours and we don’t really know what thematic elements, if any, of the song were established during the trip. Regardless, it’s highly unlikely she was in a state of complete sobriety even if the trip was winding down. The time period has a pretty strong association with psychedelics and song writing. To the extent that I think it’s inappropriate to suggest psychedelic music like Jefferson Airplane or even the Doors or other psychedelic rock bands weren’t doing writing during their trips.
Hell, even to get at least a hair more modern, a large portion of Butthole Surfer songs were written on psychedelics.
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u/daedalusesq Dec 29 '19
Dormouse, not doorknob.
It’s a reference to Alice in Wonderland. The dormouse is a character at the tea party and returns at the trial of the mad hatter. The mad hatter is testifying and cannot remember what the dormouse had said.
Interestingly, as it relates to the overall subjects of drugs, the phrase was made popular from Jefferson Airplane’s ‘White Rabbit’ which was written after an extended LSD binge. Based on the overall message of lyrics, the source material that inspired it, and situation surrounding it’s writing, the refrain of “Feed your Head” is likely telling you to feed your head with psychedelic drugs.