If you’ve been following this blog for a while, you might have noticed recent posts about the band Twenty One Pilots and the intriguing stories surrounding their albums: Blurryface, Trench, Scaled and Icy, and the upcoming Clancy.
The band’s narrative, known as ‘Dema-lore,’ weaves riddles involving the Bourbaki group and André Weil—topics I find irresistible.
Perhaps surprisingly, this narrative echoes the challenges faced by many early-career mathematicians, which I’ll explore in this post.
For those new to ‘Dema-lore,’ Twenty One Pilots have provided a 4-minute summary to introduce the Clancy era. I recommend watching it to get a sense of the story:
Twenty years ago, Peter Woit and Lee Smolin critiqued the prevalence of groupthink in physics, particularly in string theory, through their influential books ‘Not Even Wrong’ and ‘The Trouble with Physics’:
Groupthink is prevalent across various niche topics in mathematics as well. Keeping the concept of groupthink in mind, rewatch the clip, focusing solely on the narrative.
I am trapped
Stuck in a cycle I have never been able to break
I want to believe this is the last time, but
I don’t know for sureI’ll start with what I do know
I am a citizen of an old city
Well, they say it’s old, but there’s just no proof
I can feel my friends rolling their eyes
I’ll keep it simpleI am a citizen of Dema
a circular cement city in the lower portion
of an otherwise wild and green continent, Trench
We aren’t allowed to go out there
Most haven’t seen it. But I have
As a new Ph.D. student in mathematics, your advisor might direct you to a niche topic they specialize in. Despite their assurances of its importance, you may feel compelled to explore other areas, feeling trapped by the narrow focus.
I am an escapee
Getting better at it with every attempt
But they always find me
Well, he does
Nico
Or, Blurryface is what he calls himself
He’s the leader of the nine Bishops
who govern the cityTheir authority comes from two things
a miraculous power and a hijacked religion
One feeds the other
A cycle
It’s called Vialism
And all you really need to know
is that it teaches that self-destruction
is the only way to paradise
It also conveniently allows you
to become an available vessel for the Bishops to use
If you attempt to branch out, you might find yourself pulled back by the influential figures within your original niche, making it difficult to gain recognition or support in new areas.
I am a citizen
I am an escapee
And I am an exception to the ruleOkay this is what happened recently
I tricked Nico into taking me outside the walls
I created a fiery diversion
I escaped
I wandered
grew weak
and was tracked down
But this drag path was different
I saw them. They watched me. The Banditos
Legends, only stories of a group that lived out hereShortly after being back inside the walls
my new people got me out
They needed me for something
They brought me in, taught me their colours
But the cycle was too strong
I was recaptured. Back inside
Imagine you’re a gifted mathematician, not just in your advisor’s niche but broadly. Despite the odds, you’re invited to a prestigious conference to discuss your findings, drawing attention from other fields.
However, the initial support is too weak to prevent your recapture into the old niche, where you’re continually expected to perform and align with the established norms.
I guess word got around, I became known in Dema
The Bishops didn’t like this
but decided to use it to their advantageThey made me entertain the people
Lie to them
They made me perform for them
Despite the constraints, your growing reputation might lead to increased recognition and responsibilities, such as becoming an editor of a journal or organizing major conferences. Yet, this recognition comes with strings attached, tethering you to the old narrative.
Then Nico was betrayed
And I escaped
Again
This time
I found myself at a new place, washed up on an islandAnd there, I was given a gift
thought to be extinct
I now had the same exact miraculous power
they wielded from their towers
Secretly, you continue to explore other mathematical topics, gradually establishing a new field where your innovative work attracts others, making you a central figure in this new domain.
I am a citizen
I am an escapee
I am an exception
I am returning to Trench
I am Clancy
This story may resonate beyond academia, reflecting the dynamics in many professional environments marked by power struggles and the pursuit of autonomy.
Regarding the new ‘Clancy’ album, there’s speculation about how much it will adhere to this narratives or whether Twenty One Pilots might set aside the lore to focus on music that resonates with them personally.
Such as this pearl, performed for the first time yesterday at their show in London.
Tyler, if you’re reading this, could you shed some light on the mysterious figure photoshopped into the doorway in that 1938 Bourbaki meeting photo? Thanks!
Previously in this series:
- Bourbaki and TØP : East is up
- Bourbaki = Bishops or Banditos?
- Where’s Bourbaki’s Dema?
- Weil photos used in Dema-lore
- Dema2Trench, AND REpeat
- TØP PhotoShop mysteries
- 9 Bourbaki founding members, really?
- Bourbaki and Dema, two remarks
- Clancy and Nancago