Gary Lenaire featuring Luke Easter: Vainglorious Hypocrisy

There's a can of worms to be opened and a dead horse to beat if you want to analyze the lyrics
Cool song, some FAST THRASH right there, although I don't still understand why the guitar tone is what it is (oh well, I'll just add volume and it's ok).

Oh boy... Here are the lyrics:

So vain you probably think these words are about you
You belittle others to think yourself big though you're looking up at us all
Snowflake we know you can’t take it like you dish it out
Glass jaw a tiny slap can knock you to the ground

All that you see is yourself in a mirror
Take all the credit so you feel superior
Burn down the friendships you made through the music
Entrusted power you learned to abuse it

One by one you alienated
One by one we let you go
One by one the future you fated
All but one can see that you lost control

Seemed so sincere once a upon a time
Said you see at 50 though you’re blind
Blind.
Something tells me you’re not what you believe
Something may deceive

All that you see is yourself in a mirror
Take all the credit so you feel superior

One by one you alienated
One by one we let you go
One by one the future you fated
All but one can see that you lost control

Together we were greater than any one of us, a fact that you can’t hide
A solo act of second best is the role you must abide
You thought you were the golden boy but found to be a toy
In the song of sincere you command the second fiddle
For this ten finger encore I give you my two middles

Sounds very similar to earlier Tourniquet.  I've read the lyrics and realise it could prove rather 'interesting' so I won't comment on that!

Now I'm convinced that it's not merely a coincidence that Ted released the title track at the same time (same day, I think) that Luke Easter released his EP album, and that Ted announced Ripper Owens as the vocalist the day after Gary & Luke released this tune. The odds of that happening by accident are extremely remote.

This situation is sad...

wow! those lyrics are brutal man

Am I reading into this too much? this line:

Said you see at 50 though you’re blind


sounds like a reference to Pathogenic Ocular Dissonance.

"You see at twenty what we do at fifty" Is this a knock at Ted Kirkpatrick??!?!?

petrafan007 wrote:This is totally ridiculous and pathetic. 

That about sums up my opinions as well...

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Is this a one song deal or are they working together on more material?

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Enjoyable song musically, only God knows the hearts of Gary, Luke and Ted!  If this song is in reference to POD then Gary has been holding onto this for years, it makes you bitter.  Why after all these years, is there more than meets the eye... two sides to every story......shouldn’t write a song about it if this is true, it’s very hurtful and sad.

Sure the song could be about anyone, and not necessary about any certain someone but just a jab at certain type of persons in general. And I think if someone would ask Gary about it he would say it's not about any certain person.

However, there's the line about burning down friendships made through music. So there's the music connection. And unless that "see at 50" is a general saying I find it quite unlikely it's just a coincidence he happened to use that phrase. And he is clearly aiming this to someone who said that.

And then there is the line about only one not seeing the truth. That all have been alienated, all have left, except one. There is only one person who is still with Ted from those who have been part of the band. Aaron.

Sure, I guess it's possible this has nothing to do with Tourniquet, and if it isn't then Gary's sense of choosing words and being discreet isn't all that great

Unlucky for Luke, he's now part of two songs that are infamous of being accused of talking bad things about people connected to Tourniquet (Caixa de Raiva is rumored to be about Guy Ritter - Luke has dismissed this rumor though).

Oh well, I love them all though. Gary, Luke, Guy, Erik, Victor, Aaron, Ted, Steve, Vince, Mark Lewis, Devino - all of them.


To petrafan007 above, Gary was really good friends with Luke when they both were in the band. Should Gary not being a Christian anymore not keep contact with his old friends? Should Luke reject being with him just because of religious differences?

My Awesome Timothy wrote:Enjoyable song musically, only God knows the hearts of Gary, Luke and Ted!  If this song is in reference to POD then Gary has been holding onto this for years, it makes you bitter.  Why after all these years, is there more than meets the eye... two sides to every story......shouldn’t write a song about it if this is true, it’s very hurtful and sad.

...and it was Guy who left at the time of POD.  Gary stayed on for quite a while after that.

Airola wrote:To petrafan007 above, Gary was really good friends with Luke when they both were in the band. Should Gary not being a Christian anymore not keep contact with his old friends? Should Luke reject being with him just because of religious differences?

I deleted my posts because I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions publically. I will let Luke respond if he feels like it, but I apologized to him because I don't know the whole story. TO answer your question, no he doesn't have to reject Gary. My issue is if someone had shown me those lyrics---there is no way I could have, in good conscious, contributed my vocals to it ---ESPECIALLY knowing the songwriter is an unbeliever and I'm a believer...and especially that last line...but most importantly, how the lyrics seem to be obvious about another brother. That's my two cents.

C'mon, guys... Nobody could seriously think that those lyrics are just about anyone in general. It doesn't take a literary critic to understand that they're aimed at a particular individual.

Sir Shred A Lot wrote:C'mon, guys... Nobody could seriously think that those lyrics are just about anyone in general. It doesn't take a literary critic to understand that they're aimed at a particular individual.

Well, maybe we notice how we are craving for a new controvery and want to use some wishful thinking to deny that lust in us

Oh boy it used to be crazy back in the day! There even was the "Uncensored Tourniquet" board for a while for everyone to let everything out and I recall even Ted came there to defend himself. I kinda feel that if this really is a jab against Ted, it might even be the roughest thing there ever was what comes to Tourniquet controversies. Even if it isn't a jab against him, I feel the way it really looks like it is makes it to the top of the TQT controversy list.

But really, IF this isn't about him, I cannot understand why Gary wouldn't have seen how this could interpreted as such

Musically, this reminds me of how much of the early Tourniquet sound was because of Gary.

Lyrically... yikes!!

This is tragic. There is no way this can't be anything but directed at Ted. Lyrics are not ambiguous enough. 
It's pointless of Gary to attack ''hypocrisy" by telling someone else where to go. Doesn't do his cause well. In any case, Gary's lyrics on the one hand imply he wish the old band were together but his bitterness is still strongly present.  And why does he care? He's an atheist now. Of course his lyrical stance wouldn't fit within the Tourniquet christian lyric sphere.
 I wish all involved in Tourniquet could just get along, but I'm worried now that Luke might have taken sides by being involved with this song and its lyrics.  I had assumed that when Luke left it was simply because of career direction and nothing more, but it' doesn't appear so. Surely he'd be aware these lyrics refer to a certain someone...
Personally I would've loved the classic TQT lineup get back together - Gary, Guy, Ted, Erik and Victor but still appreciate a great deal Ted's version since the mid 90s. (with the exception of Antiseptic Bloodbath with didn't grab me).

As a reunion doesn't seem possible it would've been best if any songs referring to past band associates from either side didn't happen (ie this song and Caixa De Raiva). Why keep any ill feelings in public view for decades through the music?! Immature.


Pity as i like this song musically and Gary's style and vocals are stellar.

I just feel dirty listening to this song. Doesn't sit well in my spirit. I can't see how anyone could truly enjoy this without thinking of Tourniquet. I mean, you would think that Gary would want to attract Tourniquet fans to listen to it, not push them away. To me, the whole thing just feels like a child who never grew up still complaining about old bitter hurts and unforgiveness.

"To me, the whole thing just feels like a child who never grew up still complaining about old bitter hurts and unforgiveness."

Exactly!

Pathetic!

No wonder these guys were let go.  Not soon enough!

Guys, Geezer Butler wrote a song about Tony Iommi when he was in G/Z//R too

it's fine.

It's a GREAT song. I love it.

I'm a HUGE Gary Lenaire fan... I read his book too.

jaydeecrawson wrote:Guys, Geezer Butler wrote a song about Tony Iommi when he was in G/Z//R too

it's fine.

Equally pathetic.  But at least GZR's music was pretty good when he left Sabbath.  The rest can't say that.

Who left Ted and improved?  Get real.

This is idiotic. Grow up.