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Andy Partridge described Roads Girdle the Globe as a cynical hymn to the motorcar. The guitars were recorded to be intentionally discordant, like machinery, and the bass, which Andy says is the melody instrument of the song, is revved like a car. He said on writing the song: "I was staying up late one night, and I saw a foreign film on television, which was the main spark to writing 'Roads Girdle the Globe.' It's a Finnish film from 1970, by a filmmaker who also wrote it. His name is Risto Jarva, and the Finnish title of the movie is Bensaa Suonissa. The English title was 'Gas in the Veins.' I think it's a bit of a proto-"Crash" – which I never saw, but you read so many reviews of a film, you almost feel like you've seen it. So it was this early car-crazy couple film – car equals sex, you know. Watching this Finnish film, something clicked in my head: Wouldn't it be greatly cynical to write a hymn to the motorcar? Because a lot of people treat cars like a religion. They have to have the correct car, all they talk about is their car, they watch car programs, they get car magazines…"
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