old man shoes

What's the connection with old man shoes and "scientific experiments," if any, between "Walking in my old man shoes, with my scientist heart
I got a fever and a beaker and a shot in the dark" in Wherefore Art thou, Elvis and "In my old man shoes, and how you'd understand that.
Are you hiding in a basement, mixin' up the medicine?" in Angry Johnny?

Well, this one's going to bug me. I never realized this one. I know Brian likes to reuse/reference past lyrics (even the really old ones... I love making those connections) but this is one I haven't picked up on.

Angry Johnny just takes a lot from Bob Dylan's "Subterranean Homesick Blues":

"Johnny's in the basement mixing up the medicine
I'm on the pavement thinking about the government
The man in the trench coat, badge out, laid off
Says he's got a bad cough, wants to get it paid off"


My interpretation of "old man shoes":
Brian has always said his dad was/is the most hard working man he knows. "old man shoes" could be making reference to the fact that, even if Brian had these big dreams and thought he'd get out of there one day, the reality is that he's still living in NJ (when this song was written) and working in something that he doesn't like. he realizes his situation is not that different from his dad's when he was younger, and he feels like he's following in his steps and just "walking in my old man shoes".


and about the connection... don't know, i had never thought about it

I always just thought he had a pair of old man shoes. I have a pair of loafers I love and my friends have called them old man shoes before. He wears old man hats sometimes too...

I thought he said in an interview that he actually likes and wears 'old man shoes'.

thebiglebowski wrote:

I always just thought he had a pair of old man shoes. I have a pair of loafers I love and my friends have called them old man shoes before. He wears old man hats sometimes too...

Donnie, you're out of your element! Dude, the China man is not the issue!

No but in all seriousness It could be both the deeper idea of following in the hard working footsteps of his father or the general love for vintage stuff and possession of older style shoes and hats. I have no idea myself, but they both seem legit.

the good thing about these songs is that any interpretation is valid

loazis wrote:

I thought he said in an interview that he actually likes and wears 'old man shoes'.

No way man... I've seen every Gaslight inverview and I've never ever ever heard that! Just messing with ya.