Chosen by Monk
It’s very rarely that we feature cover versions, and when we do it is because they offer up something a little bit special – and, it has to be admitted that this re-interpretation of a prog rock classic by a band more known for their hardcore anti-establishment stance does indeed fall into that “little bit special” category.
What makes it even more so is the fact that it has the endorsement of two of its key creators, with one of them, David Gilmour, so impressed by Ice T’s appellant lyrical re-imagining of the song’s themes of detachment and isolation updated to an even more detached and isolated world than that against which the original was penned that he actually wanted to be part of the process by playing on it…
Ice T says of his version:
“For me, ‘Comfortably Numb’, is an introspective song—it’s me acknowledging that I’m older now. I’m telling the younger generation, you’ve got two choices: you can keep the fire burning or you can give up. It’s me trying to make sense of what’s happening, but also pointing out that we’re all in a place where we don’t have to face reality. We’ve got flat-screen TVs and popcorn, and we can just sit back and watch the chaos of the world like it’s a TV show. It doesn’t feel real until it shows up at your door. I’m a little numb, too—we all are.
David Gilmour added his endorsement of the new interpretation:
Body Count’s version of ‘Comfortably Numb’ is quite radical, but the words really struck me. It astonishes me that a tune I wrote almost 50 years ago is back with this great new approach. They’ve made it relevant again. The initial contact from Ice-T was for permission to use the song, but I thought I might offer to play on it as well. I like the new lyrics, they’re talking about the world we’re living in now, which is quite scary. Ice-T and Body Count played in London recently, sadly I couldn’t make it, but if another opportunity came up to play with them, I’d jump at it.
- Body Count’s new album, ‘Merciless‘, is due to be released on 22 November.