2.16 Machina related questions and answers

'The Everlasting Gaze' : c.o.g.

In the song 'The Everlasing Gaze', the vocal solo towards the end of the song 
contains the following line: "But underneath the wheels ie the skull of every 
c.o.g."

There are several likely explanations of the meaning of 'cog'. The most obvious 
is its dictionary definition "a subordinate but vital person or part". ie: We 
are all pions in this world, but each of us plays a role in its overall 
function.

Note, however the spelling of 'cog'. The periods between the letters suggest 
that 'cog' could be an acronym for something else. Here are some suggestions:

1) c.o.g. - Chards of Glass (Like the official website's 'chards' 
            poems/writings by BC)
2) c.o.g. - Child of Glass
3) c.o.g. - Child of God




Pronunciation/Meaning of "Machina"

[Update: June 8, 2000]
At this point, it has become quite clear that the proper pronunciation of the 
title is "Ma-shee-na". The fans, media and the band alike all use this 
pronunciation.

Here are some of the ways people have said it should be pronounced (in the 
past):
-Ma-shee-na
-Ma-keen-a
-Maw-keen-a
-Mawk-in-a
-Mawk-en-a
-Makh-ee-na

[Historical perspective #1: February 17, 2000]
At a recent promo show in Atlanta, Georgia, the question was asked of 
Billy, "How do you pronounce 'Machina'". His answer is transcribed below:

BC: "Umm... I say Ma-shee-na. You [may] say Ma-Key-Na... To-May-To, To-Mah-To, Po-
Tay-To, Po-Tah-To.
Q: "What does it [Machina] mean? Is it English? Latin?"
BC: "It's Latin
Q: "What does it mean, 'Machines of God'?"
BC: "It mean... Umm. [Snaps his fingers a few times, trying to figure out a good
    answer] To penetrate the rock, but not be the rock"
Q: "Did you just make that up?"
BC: "Yes I did." [Laughter]

Explanation: Without the context of the conversation, this quote is tough to 
follow. What it means is that Billy pronounces it Ma-Shee-Na, but anyone can 
pronounce it any way they like; just like the never-ending 'Tomato' 
and 'Potato' debate.



The meaning of the word 'Machina'

Here is one possibility:

Webster's Online Dictionary:
 Main Entry: new Latin, a god from a machine, translation of Greek theos ek 
            mēchanēs
 Date: 1697
 1 : a god introduced by means of a crane in ancient Greek and Roman drama to
     decide the final outcome
 2 : a person or thing (as in fiction or drama) that appears or is introduced
     suddenly and unexpectedly and provides a contrived solution to an
     apparently insoluble difficulty


The meaning of the Machina album:

The album is classified as a "concept" album, in which there is an underlying 
tone or theme that guides(ed) the creation and execution of the album in its 
entirety. While the band's intended meaning of the album was only recently 
divulged (January 2001), there were countless discussions on the newsgroups and 
discussion boards all over the internet. If you are interested in what the band 
had to say  about the meaning of Machina, the story/article that Billy wrote 
explaining it, can be found here (mirror of old official site content):
http://www.spfc.org/news-press/articles.html?content_id=1413

What is the tour called:

There were 2 tours related to the release of Machina/the machines of God. The 
first one was an autograph tour with the occasional musical stop, 
called 'Resume the Pose'. The second, main, tour was called 'The Sacred And 
Profane Tour', which took them all over the world, from Japan to Africa, Europe 
and North America.