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The White Rose Emporium
On: The Fixx

I started this page with the intention of bringing to your attention the themes in the music of The Fixx which I've found to be pertinant to Pagans and those with similar points of view. I had to qualify my theories by saying that I'd never been able to get a definitive answer about whether those themes were coming from a Pagan point-of-view or something similar. But The Fixx went on an intensive tour in 1998, promoting their new album Elemental, and I was lucky enough to not only see them live three times in a month, but to spend some real quality time with these talented musicians, including lead singer and primary lyricist, Cy Curnin. And, lucky me, the last time I visited with them, I finally had a chance to ask Cy what his point of view was on matters religious and spiritual, and had him clarify for me some of the themes in the songs The Fixx have put out in the last 15+ years.

For those who may be unfamiliar with The Fixx (or may have forgotten that you were familiar with them), you may recall the song "One Thing Leads to Another" from back in the 80's. If you had MTV back then, you might recall a video with blond-haired singer Cy Curnin rushing through bare tunnels and some images of barking Dobermans. While this has cemented the band in video music history, I don't think either is the best illustration of The Fixx, their music or their videos. But that was their biggest and best remembered hit up to this point.

Better, for our purposes here at least, to remember a later single (and a personal favorite) called "Secret Separation". The lyrics go like this:

We are passengers in time
Lost in motion, locked together
Day and night, by trick of light
But I must take another journey
We must meet with other names

You touched my heart so deeply
You rescued me now free me
Don't watch me cry just see me go
I'll take away the strongest feelings
You will ever know

There will be no more isolation
In our secret separation
You touched my heart so deeply, you rescued me
Now free me

We are passengers in time
Lost in motion, locked together
Day and night, by trick of light
But I must take another journey
We must meet with other names
If you hold me you will hurt me
Be brave

There will be no more isolation
In our secret separation
You touched my heart so deeply, you rescued me
Now free me

We are matching spark and flame
Caught in endless repetition
Life for life we'll be the same
I must leave before you burn me
I am the stranger who deserts you
In another life

There will be no more isolation
In our secret separation
only to love you
You touched my heart so deeply, you rescued me
Now free me
I'll bear one precious scar that only you will know

Mind you, that while this particular set of lyrics was not written by the band members themselves, as most of the rest of their lyrics are (it was written by Jeanette Obstoj, a talented lyricist and poet), it was selected by them to record and to use as one of the first singles on a major album release. And when concepts of reincarnation and real soulmates make it into the Top 40, it's a triumph for all of us. I sometimes think that beyond just being great lyrics, the best thing about having these themes in the music is that it brings these ideas to people who might otherwise never know of them. If you're not so familiar with the concept of reincarnation and all that that would mean, then "Secret Separation" takes that and makes it into an incredibly romantic song. And only if you really start to pay attention to the lyrics does it beg further examination. If the concept intrigues you, why not investigate it further? Thus goes one of the best routes of self-discovery that many a Pagan has taken.

Recently, in a discussion among a number of loyal Fixx fans, we brooched the very topic that I had been so interested in having Cy answer for me: what were the religious/spiritual beliefs that set the stage for such tremendously spiritual music? I was extremely surprised to discover that a number of Christians were seeing Christian themes and values in the very same lyrics that I was certain came from a nature-oriented view, if not a true Pagan/pagan one. One fellow even said that he thought the "precious scar" was a circumcision scar, by which Christians would be able to recognize each other. This really drove me to want to get an official answer from Cy as to whether what I was seeing in the lyrics was really there. His answer: a slightly qualified, slightly ambiguous yes!

Indeed, the fellow with the idea about the circumcision scar was a good bit off. According to Cy, the "precious scar", isn't a physical scar at all, but rather a scar of the heart, of the emotions, caused when those two soulmates are torn apart from each other. A scar that truly only the two of them would know in each other. Thus it was confirmed that "Secret Separation" is truly the immensely romantic and spiritual song that I believed it to be, made all the more poignant to me by seeing the man who's sung those lyrics for 12 years talk about it, hands clasped together over his chest to demonstrate the physical place that is the focus of both pain and joy.

But we can't be entirely esoteric creatures, can we? What about the infamous Pagan zest for life? The Fixx has a statement on that as well:

Sense the Adventure

Are you locked in the paranoia
You should enjoy the sense of doubt
Breaking down the walls of institution
I'm going to let my paganism out

A god of light
Baron of evil
Supposed to show me hallowed ground
But these our monsters we created
To civilize our primal shouts

Sense the adventure
Let those feelings out
Sense the adventure
Let the pagan out

Not just because you have your answers
It should not mean my views are seen in vain
An earthly bid for resurrection
Will never soothe the human pain

Sense the adventure
Let those feelings out
Sense the adventure
Let the pagan out

No war of rights to battle angels
Will ever justify these ends
Please recognize yourself in others
A generation makes amends

Are you locked out in no direction
You could escape to feed the mind
To an untrodden field of vision
Sensitivity will find

Sense the adventure
Let those feelings out
Sense the adventure
Let the pagan out

Not exactly a ringing endorsement of so-called "civilized" or "organized" religion, is it? How many of us have known the need to voice that "primal shout"? And how many of us knew the dominant faiths of this modern world were not for us because they would condemn us for doing so? The only reason I won't label Cy a Pagan/pagan is because he does indeed seem to have a dislike for iconography and anthropomorphizing, particularly when it seems to him to have detracted from the more basic (dare I say Elemental?) aspects of spirituality. I get the feeling that he's more inclined to see Mother Ocean than Mother Goddess. His description of his beliefs when I asked him: "more organic". We'd already had a conversation about our mutual love of the beach, so I knew he wasn't talking about gardening (though the conversation did drift there pretty quickly). I was again struck by the titling of the new album, thinking to myself what better description for what he was talking about than "elemental". Core, basic, simple, stripped of the trappings of ritual and iconography. Reverence for the spirit of the planet which is our home and our ultimate Mother, an eye toward the power and commonalities which link us all together living on this Earth, an ability to see the miracle in humanity and the natural world around us: themes which he has expressed in dozens of songs over the years. Here was a man I could happily call a brother-in-faith.

Now, despite having a strong confirmation that I was indeed interpreting his message correctly, I have to say that, regardless of the precise personal beliefs of the band, we have in the music a statement that is clearly in line what what so many Pagans believe for ourselves and champion in our lives.

Among the other themes the band has addressed in their music: the environment, the danger of the "modern" world to our continued existence and myriad statements on the interaction between man and nature and man and his world.

If you have never before listened to The Fixx, you may want to do so. (Trust me, you do!) Stop by your local music store and pick up the band's latest album, Elemental. Pay particular attention to "Ocean Blue". Here are the lyrics for you:

I like to hear the waves crash against the shore
It's the only place that I feel better
I watch them roll for hours they take me far away
That's where I feel secure, it's where I want to stay.

Ocean blue, senses and soul renew
Ocean blue, forgive all the wrong I do.

Life goes by so fast it's never really ours
A year, a week, a day, minutes into hours
Mother of creation temple of the womb
Take me in your waters darling, I'm coming home.

Ocean blue, senses and soul renew
Ocean blue, forgive all the wrong I do.

I know your force has power over the land
I feel it wash away right where I stand
Rolling in all virtue, power and in command
Take me in your waters darling, I'm coming home.

Ocean blue, I know I'm made of you
Ocean blue, forgive me all the wrong I do.

I'll tell you that this song has really hit me like no other that I can remember. Here I was in the midst of moving to be close to my Mother sea, and I hear this spectacular ode to precisely the same qualities of Her and feelings about Her that are the root and core of the need to be by Her. This has really pressed me onward in my need to know more about the ocean person in The Fixx's lead singer and primary lyricist Cy Curnin. Spurred on by this need, and knowing I had a good chance to meet them again soon, I took advantage of my last few days at the shore prior to my impending move, and collected some seashells to give to him, knowing that with touring schedules being what they are, that he'd be unlikely to have the leisure to spend lengthy amounts time at our beloved ocean in the near future, and that he might appreciate having some touchstone to remind him of the serenity and power of that place. Of course, if you guessed, you'd have been right that I didn't have to give him a word of explanation for him to know that was precisely what I'd intended them to be. While it turns out that he'll have a little more time by the sea than I'd expected (they even did a few dates in Hawaii in July...), he both understood and appreciated the deep meaning of the simple gift.

When I look back at this experience, I've got a lot of memories which I will always hold dear to my heart, starting with the knowlege that sometimes beachy souls can really talk to each other without words (or with the most beautiful of words) and ending with the deep pleasure of knowing that the beautiful, meaningful lyrics of Cy Curnin come from a spiritual point of view that I can welcome with open arms and a glad heart. In fact, he says, they come "from the edge of Alpha", that space where the soul floats free and sees all that there is to see. You don't have to look hard to see that. It makes me glad.

Now, I can listen to Elemental with even greater joy, and look even more forward to future albums by this long-lived band, including their new anthology 1011 Woodlands, due out soon. I'll also be even more eager to meet up with the guys on the road during the remainder of their tour.

Please support the band by buying Elemental and requesting that your local radio station play the singles from the album. If you can catch them on tour, then by all means do! It's a fabulous show, primarily at small clubs and some music festivals (and ticket prices usually in the $5 range), so you'll get a great chance to hear a wonderful band in a rather intimate setting (and potentially get to meet them yourself!). So, if that old album is sitting in a closet somewhere, collecting dust (Shame on you!), then by all means pull it out and listen to it. And read the liner notes. And, if you like, check out the lyrics to the older songs and get some up to date news on their (FABULOUS) tour via these websites:

Note: the terminology I use on this page (i.e.: Pagan) is further detailed in my discourse on names and labels, also on this site. If you're not familiar with the Pagan/magical community, you may want to check that out to familiarize yourself with what such words are generally assumed to mean, and how I myself use them. Language is an immensely interesting thing when you realize that we all assume that our words carrying our exact meaning to others when, in fact, there are so many variables in using a single word that it's a true miracle that we understand each other at all. To provide the context for my use of words such as "Pagan", I've delved into the tricky subject at some length. Before judging the content of any page on this site, I highly encourage you to read the names and labels page to ensure that you are interpreting my writings from an appropriate linguistic point of view. In addition, due to a large, long-lived body of misinformation about Pagan and similar belief systems, those not familiar with these beliefs may wish to learn a few basic things about them to aid in interpreting this page in the correct context -- please feel free to browse the rest of this site for what information is provided. (A good place to start are the Pagan and Wicca newsgroup FAQs, which are linked in the classroom--writings & lore section of this site.)

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