Date: Sun, 30 Jul 1995 16:21:01 +0100 From: "A.M. Hodkinson" (amh17@LE.AC.UK) Subject: Re: "like a rolling stone" lyrics question On 25 Jul 1995, JfryBlair wrote: > > gjongene@inter.NL.net (Jan Jongenelen) asked: > > > >Who can tell me who or what is meant by: > > >"Napoleon in rags" > > Can't help you with the rest, but I read somewhere years ago that 'Napoleon in rags' refered (specifically) to Andy Warhol and (more generally) the assorted Factory hangers-on. It was to do with the 60s art-house trappings of style triumphing over content and Warhol and his friends attempting to conscoiusly generate a subculture incorporating art (his own work), films (his own and his 'in-house' actors like edie sedgewick etc.) and music (exploding plastic inevitable/velvet underground). It's probably been stated before, but I'll just include it as a suggestion.
Date: Wed, 02 Aug 95 05:41:00 0500 From: Robert Shuman (rshuman@usa1.com) To: Karl.Erik.Andersen@nbr.no Subject: Napoleon in Rags RE: Napoleon in Rags In 1965, thirty years ago, when I was a student at Brandeis, I went to the village with a friend who knew people there. We met a black guy (about 30-40 years old?, hard to know because I wasn't thinking of it at that time) in some apartment who talked 'rag' and claimed he was "napoleon in rags" and talked me out of a great 6 foot orange scarf I was wearing. This is who I always thought the lyric referred to. Bob Shuman (shumans @aol.com)
