Team Switzerland Project- Exclusive dissection of "Shooting the Moon" with OK Go

November 5, 11:18 PMTwilight Parents ExaminerKimberly Sherman

Previous Next

Comment Print Email RSS Subscribe

Subscribe

Get alerts when there is a new article from the Twilight Parents Examiner. Read Examiner.com's terms of use.

Email Address   Include other special offers from Examiner.com Terms of Use

For this week’s Team Switzerland Project post, a special treat for Twilighters is in store-- my exclusive chat with Damian Kulash of OK Go, and his dissection of “Shooting the Moon,” as featured in the New Moon soundtrack.

I’ll be honest. For the first 15 minutes of the interview, we shot the breeze about mythical creatures on Wikipedia and the fact that Damian’s grandfather has a unique claim to fame: He’s the inventor of the modern-day fish stick. For the record, Damian loves fish sticks. “I don't eat them much because I'm not six anymore,” he quips. “But come on. Anything breaded and fried is delicious.”

After amusing ourselves with all things nonsensical, I gained greater perspective of the brains behind the band made famous by its “treadmill video,” and suddenly the once confusing lyrics of “Shooting the Moon,” seemingly disjointed in the highly-anticipated movie, now flourished. Though definitely not an overtly obvious choice, the song fits perfectly into the puzzle that conjoins the Twilight Saga.

Shooting the Moon lyrics
All of the Astronauts - Champagne in plastic cups
Waiting for the big hero to show - outside the door he stands
His head in his hands - and his heart in his throat
What can he tell 'em now? - Sorry I let you down
Sorry it wasn't quite true - But don't get hung up on it
Just soldier on with it - Good luck with shooting the moon
Shooting the moon - Shooting the moon - the moon Shooting the moon

All of the principals - generals admirals
and the podium lit with the spotlight - crowd buzzes quietly waiting expectantly
like it's opening night
What can he tell 'em now? - Sorry I let you down
Sorry it wasn't quite true - But don't get hung up on it
Just soldier on with it - Good luck with shooting the moon
Shooting the moon - Shooting the moon - the moon Shooting the moon

Damian says that, during the movie, New Moon, the song plays during a montage of two characters falling in love, and his explanation is haunting, really. “It reads like a love song; a sad song of trying to be honest,” he says. “They use the song as a prism of trying to be hopeful and optimistic and to like life in the face of a lot of evidence that things aren't so great.”

So where does the mention of astronauts and champagne in plastic cups fit into the romantic challenges between Edward and Bella? For those not savvy in the idea of moon landing conspiracy theories, Science@NASA explains:

All the buzz about the Moon began on February 15th, 2001 when Fox television aired a program called Conspiracy Theory: Did We Land on the Moon? Guests on the show argued that NASA technology in the 1960's wasn't up to the task of a real Moon landing. Instead, anxious to win the Space Race any way it could, NASA acted out the Apollo program in movie studios. Neil Armstrong's historic first steps on another world, the rollicking Moon Buggy rides, even Al Shepard's arcing golf shot over Fra Mauro-- it was all a fake!

Though Damian doesn’t subscribe to the theory that man never landed on the moon, his choice of subject and method of tackling the conspiracy makes for a beautiful story.

“Imagine if you were the human that the world looked to, like the glammed hero who set foot on the moon and changed the geo-politics of the era; that singular human who was a huge part of history… and it was all a lie,” says Damian. “The song was written from the point of view of an astronaut who wants to be the beacon of hope but still tell the truth.”

 Quirky topic? Yes. Beautiful explanation? Absolutely.

Much like the unconventional videos completely choreographed and recorded by the band, which snagged a "Best Short-Form Music Video" Grammy in 2007.

Why, asks Damian, would they pay someone to make a video when it looks like too much fun to just do themselves? The original backyard dance video, set to “A Million Ways” was such a hit, and the band knew they couldn’t duplicate it. So they came up with a second video, the now famous, Grammy-winning  “Here It Goes Again,” (if over 48,500,000 views counts as famous). They waited several months before deciding even to reveal it.

“It took eight days of rehearsal and one day of shooting,” reveals Damian. “Once we had a list of 10 or 20 moves we wanted to try, we lined a bunch of treadmills together and hurled ourselves at them, just to see what would happen.” Damian gives props to his sister, “she’s an incredible dancer,” who choreographed the video along with the rest of the band, including Tim Nordwind, Dan Konopka, and Andy Ross.

New Moon fans entranced by the clever aura of “Shooting the Moon” will feast come January 12, 2010 with the release of OK Go's “Of the Blue Colour of the Sky.” “The new record we just made is more emotional. It's dancier and sadder and more melodic than anything we've made before,” eludes Damian. “There are a few distorted guitars and a few songs that are blocky, boy-rock. The songs are much more groove.”

As far as being included into the highly coveted New Moon soundtrack, Damian, speaking for the entire band, is humbled. “Mostly we're really flattered to be chosen for something that could clearly be so good.”

Check out the archives for more background and inspiration behind the Team Switzerland Project.