The Meaning of “Clint Eastwood” by Gorillaz

“Clint Eastwood” by Gorillaz includes two voices throughout the song. There is the passive human, content to be glad (for now) with his sunshine in a bag. He knows at this moment in time he is useless but, luckily for him, the future will keep moving ahead to give him plenty of opportunities to be useful. The other voice, the timeless beat of music (or art, expression, ideas, creativity, etc.), has no need for the future or the past – time is for the external, and the Beat only exists, it does not depend on anything else. I’ll just refer to him or her as the Beat.

It’s time to breakdown these lyrics. (Warning: I may be way off in my interpretation.)

“Clint Eastwood” by Gorillaz

Ooo ooo ooo ooo
I ain’t happy, I’m feelin’ glad
I got sunshine in a bag

The passive human is glad but not happy – he accepts his current place in time and space as long as he has his sunshine in a bag.  I’ve read “sunshine in a bag” is a reference to marijuana in a plastic bag (or any other mind-altering drug) but it most likely symbolizes the lukewarm contentment achieved through packaged products and servings of sort-of-happy.

It may seem shallow to fill the void of happiness with a packaged good, but it is a reliable source of glad. Even if you hate your life because you aren’t happy and you feel worthless, you can always rely on a 42-inch Samsung flat-screen television to go on sale after September or a nice bottle of wine from your local grocery store. Those things will probably make you glad for awhile. Packaged glad has a been a reliable source for many people – there is comfort in knowing Bestbuy or any local merchant will be offering packaged Glad for the foreseeable future.

I’m useless, but not for long the future is comin’ on,
It’s comin’ on, It’s comin’ on, It’s comin’ on, It’s comin’ on

At this moment, he’s not concerned about his own uselessness, the future will always exists and any personal goal can be achieved with enough time. Procrastinators and the lazy love the hours of time they have at their disposal to use for future projects – They are rich with Time.

Yeah, ha Ha!
Finally someone let me outta my cage
Now time for me is nothin’ cuz I’m countin’ no age

The Beat lives within everything but can be trapped in cages (our minds or specifically our minds in front of TV, the Internet or any other distraction) for extend periods of time. The Beat has no fear of dying in the cage because it has no age nor any fixed time in existence.
·
Nah, I couldn’t be there, now you shouldn’t be scared
I’m good at repairs (s’all simple), and I’m under your snare
Intangible (aww dawg), I bet you didn’t think so I command you to
Panoramic view (you?),

Writing a song or creating any piece of art can be a frightening experience. Most people doubt their artistic talent and, often, fear any piece of art they create, will just expose them as artistic hacks and represent their failures in life. The Beat is trying to reassure these doubters that the music exists in every beat of the drum. Music and the beat are good at repairing your lack-of-happiness and shouldn’t be seen as something that will break you. Those who doubt the Beat should look at the themselves and their World without limits (take in all 360 degrees) and embrace what can be achieved through the Beat.

Look I’ll make it all manageable
Pick and choose (hmph),
Sit and lose,
All you different crews
Chicks and dudes,
So who you think is really kickin’ tunes?
Picture you gettin’ down in tha picture tube,
Like you lit the fuse

Music and art will not magically appear. People like you and me create all these songs you love. Do you think they doubted themselves? Sure, but they were wrong when they did and eventually overcame that fear. The material to create art is all there – just pick and choose from all the different materials of life and create something.

You think it’s fictional?
Mystical? maybe
Spiritual?
Hero who
Appears in you to clear your view (yeah) when you’re too crazy

Most people fantasize about what they could achieve in life but fear it’s too difficult and they are not talented enough. We all have visions of what we could achieve in life and the Beat reassures us that it can one day exist.

Lifeless,
to know the definition for what life is
Priceless,
To you because I put you on the hype shit

The Beat of music can offer unlimited possibilities of life. Unlike your bags of sunshine, there is no price tag on the Beat, therefore, it can’t be easily purchased at Best Buy.

You like it? Gun smokin’
Righteous with one toke and
Psychic among those,
Possess you with one go

Has the beat convinced you? Get out there with guns blazing (or whatever else you need to blaze) and focus your mind on achieving this dream.

I ain’t happy, I’ m feelin’ glad
I got sunshine in a bag
I’m useless, but not for long the future is comin’ on

I ain’t happy, I’ m feelin’ glad
I got sunshine in a bag
I’m useless, but not for long, the future (that’s right) is comin’ on,
it’s comin’ on, it’s comin’ on, it’s comin’ on, it’s comin’ on

We’ve covered this part.

The essence, the basics,
Without that you make it
Allow me to make this
child-like-in-nature.
Rhythm, you have it or you don’t
That’s a fallacy.
I’m in them, every sprouting tree,
every child of peace, every cloud and sea.

Music is not something you have or don’t have like a Samsung flat-screen television. It exists in life and in all of us. We can find inspiration in all parts of nature and from that, we can create timeless rhythms.

You see with your mind,
you see destruction and demise
Corruption in disguise(that’s right)
From this fuckin’ enterprise,

Your eyeballs collect all the information and send it to your brain for processing. Your mind provides context to all that you see but these external visuals can be misleading. Once you expand your mind past the bag of sunshine (or light), you will see how many of these things and products we buy are expensive happiness-replacements that do more bad than good.

Now I’m sucked into your lives
Through Russel not his muscles but percussion he provides
With me as a (say what) guise
Y’all can see me now cuz you don’t see with your eyes
You perceive with your mind
That’s the inner (fuck em)

Your eyes will only reveal the World reliant on time and matter. Rather than rely on the ticking clock of Time, Gorillaz will exist through Russel (Russel Hobbs is Gorillaz’s drummer and percussionist) and the immortal magic of music. His muscles may be strong but it’s still just a part of his body and the human body relies on time to exist. The beats he creates can be guides to timeless music.

Bust a few rhymes (mmm mmmm) so mother fuckers remember
What the thought is
I brought all this, so you can survive when law is lawless (right here)
Feelings, sensations that you thought was dead (yup)
No squealing, remember that it’s all in your head

Gorillaz will create musica and thoughts via their minds. The passive human should begin to do the same. Stop relying on the future and start relying on the thoughts in your brain – they will help you survive regardless of your environment. Stop worrying about your inabilities and start embracing the power of your mind. You may find it’s substantially more powerful than you first thought.

I ain’t happy, I’m feelin glad
I got sunshine in a bag
I’m useless, but not for long the future is comin’ on

I ain’t happy, I’ m feelin’ glad
I got sunshine in a bag
I’m useless, but not for long my future is comin’ on
it’s comin’ on it’s comin’ on it’s comin’ on it’s comin’ on
My future is comin’ on,
it’s comin’ on, it’s comin’ on, it’s comin’ on, it’s comin’ on
My future is comin’ on,
it’s comin’ on, it’s comin’ on, it’s comin’ on, it’s comin’ on
My future is comin’ on,
it’s comin’ on, it’s comin’ on,
My future is comin’ on,
it’s comin’ on, it’s comin’ on,
My future is comin’ on,
it’s comin’ on, it’s comin’ on,
My future

Rather than waste time waiting for the future to take you away to a magical happy place, follow the Beat’s advice and take control over your own future.

BONUS INTERPRETATION: Why is the song called Clint Eastwood?

I’ve read the beat is a reference to Clint Eastwood’s “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly”. The title may be more of a reference to how the actual person, Clint Eastwood, battles his mortality. Rather than be satisfied with growing old and letting time take control over his body, Clint Eastwood has never stopped creating art. Directing movies eat ups a good amount of time and energy;  Clint could be out spending all of the money he has acquired in his career rather than worrying about locations or storyboards or cameras. Clint is 80 years old and continues to produce art because it makes him happy. Eventually, he will cease to exist as a human. However, the beat of his art will exist long after the beat of his heart.

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