Father John Misty Explains How His ‘Bedding Taylor Swift’ Song Lyric Is Actually About Him Not Wanting People to Virtually Bed Taylor Swift

Father John Misty. Photo: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for FYF

Father John Misty’s recently released “Total Entertainment Forever” opens with the lyric, “Bedding Taylor Swift in the Oculus Rift/ After mister and the missus finish dinner and the dishes.” But unlike the last time somebody name-checked Swift in song, FJM wants to be clear that his reference isn’t really about Taylor Swift at all. It’s about virtual reality. And our society. And progress. And the uncertain arc of all civilization. Per a characteristically involved explanation from FJM, the idea of “bedding Taylor Swift in the Oculus Rift” is just a microcosm of how that might all go bad. As he explains to Exclaim!, “[I]f you don’t think that this virtual reality thing isn’t going to turn into sex with celebrities, then you’re kidding yourself.”

The fact of the matter is, I don’t want that to happen to Taylor Swift. That is the worst thing I can think of; that is so horrible. But again, this plays into progress, where like, the internet was supposed to be this new democracy, a utopia of information where everyone had a voice and we were all interconnected, and we would experience true democracy — and it turned into pornography, followed only by outrage. The tools represent some kind of technological advancement, but if we can’t act like more than angry ecstasy freaks with the most advanced technology in the world, then how much have we really progressed?

And if you don’t think that this virtual reality thing isn’t going to turn into sex with celebrities, then you’re kidding yourself. That face recognition stuff? I mean, there are people working on it right now.

Yikes. Got it.