Vertimus

Regarding the bland visuals and lackluster photos of this era, that started about the time of Honeymoon, when LDR began posting unflattering photos and short clips of herself on social media, clearly by intent. I don’t think she wanted to be known or perceived as a sex symbol any longer, even if that was something that had interested her for a decade or more. Sometimes beautiful women aren’t taken seriously, especially if they’re artists. The ‘this is what I really look like on a day to day basis’ approach was probably also intended to appease certain factions on the Left, such as Kim Gordon of Sonic Youth, who trashed LDR in her book. Some on the Left are anti-glamour and feel female glamour is just a tool used by Madison Avenue, something that is used to manipulate women and hold them down. The early lines of ‘Hope’ clearly express that she isn’t a glamour girl anymore (assuming the song is intended to be autobiographical), or perhaps is only when she absolutely has to be (I.e., magazine covers to promote albums). She seems to want the world to know that she’s on the pretty side of average looking, but not more than that.

Regarding the use of the NR name, since his work was deeply rooted in traditional Americana and ‘clean,’ ‘innocent’ images of America, and since names can be trademarked and licensed, I still feel it’s possible that the trust that guards the Rockwell estate filed an injunction to stop the use of the name in the album and title song (assuming there is a title song). The problem would not be the NR name most likely, but the name with the word ‘Fucking’ between first and last, which, to their way of thinking, defiles the Rockwell image. I know a Rockwell granddaughter denied the family trust took any action, but it’s possible she doesn’t know, or, more likely, simply doesn’t want to get publicly involved. So it’s better to feign ignorance. Or it may be that the terms of the agreement, assuming there was one, barred anyone on either side in discussing it publicly for a specified period of time. From the moment I heard the name, I expected trouble. People like Elizabeth Taylor successfully sued to have others prevented from using her name for commercial purposes, and that was without an expletive between Elizabeth and Taylor. I may be wrong, but that’s my personal suspicion behind what appears to be a delay. If so, then the title song would have to be dropped or lyrically reworked and re-recorded, and if the graphics were finished or in process, they would have to be done completely over. And if the title song was dropped, then perhaps she had to write something to replace it, assuming she didn’t want to use something in her back catalogue. The time it’s taken to complete the poetry book may also be partially responsible. There could easily be more than one reason. Look at how often things go wrong in our own lives, despite foresight and careful planning.