Billy
Daisy engages sensory imagery to build a portrait of Billy at a vital moment in the story of the band. "He smelled like pine and musk. His hair was about half an inch too long, you could see it hanging behind his ears. His eyes were clear, and green as ever." This recollection of the way he smells and look at a particularly transformative point is evidence of the way memory really works sometimes. The smallest of details that mean nothing in the moment have a way of coming back strong when they are remembered much later.
Alcoholism
Billy is trying desperately not to fall off the wagon, but an alcoholic is going to do what an alcoholic is going to do. "I took a taste of it. Not even a sip, but a taste...It tasted like comfort and freedom. That’s how it gets you—what it feels like is the opposite of what it is." The interesting thing about this use of imagery is its specificity. Billy is talking about the taste of tequila. This description won't tell anyone what tequila actually tastes like, but it powerfully conveys what alcoholism feels like.
What is Love?
Daisy riffs for three paragraphs on the subject of love and desire. Her vision of love is painted in imagery. "It thought love was this thing that was supposed to tear you in two and leave you heartbroken and make your heart race in the worst way. I thought love was bombs and tears and blood...I thought love was war." This language is a very damaged conception. She goes on to say that she had no idea love could make you lighter instead heavier and bring peace instead of its opposite. It is a very telling admission.
Fire and Water
Billy also has some philosophical things to say about love that is couched in imagery. "Passion is...it’s fire. And fire is great, man. But we’re made of water. Water is how we keep living. Water is what we need to survive. My family was my water. I picked water. I’ll pick water every time." The imagery here is not really about love, however, as much as it is about the consequences of love. Billy is talking about the difference between a hot fire that eventually burns itself out and the eternity of a serene sea.
