From: owner-ammf-digest@smoe.org (alt.music.moxy-fruvous digest) To: ammf-digest@smoe.org Subject: alt.music.moxy-fruvous digest V3 #488 Reply-To: ammf@fruvous.com Sender: owner-ammf-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-ammf-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk alt.music.moxy-fruvous digest Sunday, June 13 1999 Volume 03 : Number 488 Today's Subjects: ----------------- Re: boulder show review / K@ is not listening [kelloggp@nagita.cs.colora] Re: boulder show review - the non-violent approach [katrin@dimensional.co] Criticism: Lyric tags [kelloggp@nagita.cs.colorado.edu (Kellogg Patrick ] Re: location of fans (topic, what topic?) [chad schrock ] concert review [CheesemonkeyGem ] Re: Criticism: Lyric tags [LuCkYDaBeD@aol.com] Re: concert review [LuCkYDaBeD@aol.com] Re: VaBeach concert [chad schrock ] Re: concert review [kelloggp@nagita.cs.colorado.edu (Kellogg Patrick Lay] Re: Criticism: Lyric tags [Christi218@aol.com] Re: Criticism: Lyric tags [glfwarsong@aol.com (GlfWarSong)] Re: boulder show review - the non-violent approach [chad schrock ] Re: Austin Powers Moxy connection [remcoat@aol.com (REMcoat)] Re: hockey, clarenden, and bdays :) [nicole.twn.is@ana.ng.at.tmbg.org (Ni] Criticism: bad lyrics (long) [kelloggp@nagita.cs.colorado.edu (Kellogg P] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: 13 Jun 1999 14:42:15 -0700 From: kelloggp@nagita.cs.colorado.edu (Kellogg Patrick Layne) Subject: Re: boulder show review / K@ is not listening >Shhhhh....we wouldn't want poor Patrick's head to explode trying to grasp >the explanation around that one. :) Oh... it was a toilet paper dispenser. That makes perfect sense now. People bring those to rock concerts all the time for the band to sign. I get it now. BlOOmpF! splat (My head exploded) (jacey7) >I didn't get the impression that patrick was trying to troll at all--he was >posting a review, just like many people do after shows. The personal attacks >that followed afterwards were uncalled for. Sure, it wasn't favorable, which >is what many of us want to hear, but it wasn't purposely malicious. And >frankly, this *is* the forum for those opinions. > >Of course, patrick lost big credibility points after writing: > >"I know you're having fun, but get a life." Ok, you got me. I hate it when people say "get a life", so I feel bad that I did it. It reminds me of a time I went to a Star Trek convention and they people in the back row were slagging the ones in the front. We *all* paid $30 to hear Dr. Bones speak (too bad he died recently, by the way). I was at the concert, too, singing along to KingOfS, so I can't call anybody a geek. Maybe we're all bozos on this bus (Firesign Theater quote). (aprestin) >Hey, if you want a morbid, serious concert experience, I suggest you look >elsewhere. Perhaps the stick lodged in your rectum could use some >jiggling. > >: I counted 176 as the show started. > >And *you're* telling people to get a life? Shades of Dustin Hoffman, >here... "176. Definitely 176 people." Um... not sure how to respond. I think the band is goofy at the expense of good music (i.e. rushing KingOS just to get through it, and the muddy, fast rap of GreenEggs instead of the crisp, solid harmonies of Horseshoes) and I was shocked a that there weren't more people there at the concert since everybody I know likes the band. Two points, two ideas, two opinions that I had. ... and in return you're talking about ass sticks? Saying I'm autistic or retarded? jesus christ (nafio) >A negative opinion of a band (not just one song but of the performance >and the entire way they do things) on a newsgroup dedicated to them is >usually a troll. Not always, but my initial reaction to your post was >"Ignore the troll and he'll go away". Also, considering the crack you >made about songs involving Jar Jar Binks seemed a lot like an attack on >Lawrence's No No Jar Jar filk, cut him some slack for being annoyed. Ok, I should apologize to Lawrence... he put a lot of work into the song, and it was cute. However, I think "filk" music is a lower form of humor than puns. Jokes about Jar Jar, Monica Lewinsky, Al Gore being "wooden" and/or viagra seem awfully easy. That's the feeling I get when a band does a song about their boss set to the tune of "Brazil". It's a cheap laugh. Otherwise, thanks Fiona for making some good points without calling me a troll. Patrick Kellogg kellogg(um)sni.net ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 13 Jun 1999 15:31:48 -0600 From: katrin@dimensional.com (Katrin) Subject: Re: boulder show review - the non-violent approach In article <19990613.120751.-350187.0.petit_chou@juno.com>, petit_chou@juno.com says... > "Killfile"? I guess I'm not all the geek I'm cracked up to be, > cause I don't know what the hell it is. I sincerely hope that it does > not imply that someone has the ability and right to bar you from posting. You may know it by another name - my newsreader calls it the "Bozo bin." All it does is prevent you from seeing a person's posts; it doesn't prevent them from posting. Patrick happily resides in my killfile now, just as he requested. He can disparage my favorite band, insult my friends, and show his cluelessness by ridiculing jokes he doesn't understand, all to his heart's content - anyone who cares to can still read his posts, but I'll never have to. It's a win-win situation. k@ ------------------------------ Date: 13 Jun 1999 15:05:21 -0700 From: kelloggp@nagita.cs.colorado.edu (Kellogg Patrick Layne) Subject: Criticism: Lyric tags Hi, This is a criticism of Moxy Fruvous. I hope this one goes over better than the last one. Scroll down to read or.... don't - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - snip - - - - - - - - - - - - - I *like* Moxy Fruvous. I really do. However, it's not like their music is perfect. No band is flawless, certainly not my own attempts at songwriting. Sometimes a band has a great sound, great talent at playing instruments, but bad lyrics. Some of my favorite bands have terrible lyrics: "Your mouth is my apartment in the evening" Trip Shakespeare "Out on the platform, I saw your hat form" Wang Chung "Leapin' and lurchin', searchin' for the midas touch" Uncle Bonsai So, in the spirit of doing an intervention for someone you love, can I criticize the band? Sure I can... it's easy, anyone can do it... What's up with the little tag lines the boys sing before or after some of their songs? For example, the last line of "Michigan Militia" is "I like to keep it in the refrigerator" I occasionally have played this for friends as their first Moxy song. I love the electric banjo and the politics. However, after the song was finished, a coworker asked: (John) "They keep *what* in the refrigerator?" (Me) "Guns." (John) "Oh... (pause)... why?" (Me) "Um, to keep the powder dry and the action quicker." (John) "Oh... (thinking the song is stupid)... I see." I get the feeling that the band repeats the harmonies simply because THEY CAN. Because they have the parts already in their heads, and they can end the song on a full four-part hit. However, it makes for a really odd ending. To put a stronger word than "odd" I'd say it's a horrible ending, and the song would be a lot better without it. Fade out instead. Play a chord. Anything but end the song with a prepostional phrase. "You Will Go To the Moon" also has an annoying tag... "orbiting rondel". They played this song for John Glenn to wake him up on the space shuttle. I imagined he sat bolt upright in his bunk and thought "What th'?" as the shuttle resonates with four-part harmonies ringing out "ooooorbitiiing". "Those kids today and their music, " Glenn grumbled, putting on his space suit, "I'm getting too old for this." Rondel? Whatever happened to humming the first note quietly before starting the song? Or buy a pitch pipe. Patrick Kellogg kellogg(@@@@@)sni.net ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 13 Jun 1999 17:31:20 -0400 From: chad schrock Subject: Re: location of fans (topic, what topic?) Trace wrote: > chad schrock wrote: > >Lori Martin wrote: I'm in a Trace/Lori sandwich! > >> Is it (the Vault) bigger than a Unitarian church? ;) > > > >no. smaller. much smaller. > > > >and **much** more smoke filled. > > Not to mention the lack of those nice comfy pews. Oh yeah, wear comfy shoes, since you'll be standing up the entire time. - -- chad at radix dot net ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 13 Jun 1999 22:00:01 GMT From: CheesemonkeyGem Subject: concert review angie said: >Thank you for your honest review of the concert ...and many others have said the same thing--that is, "review of the concert". am i the only one that feels what patrick said was not a review of the concert, but mostly negative comments of the band? a negative concert review would go more like this: "hmm, the bass line was a little off, oh, dave didnt look all that into it, gee, a few songs sounded dull and uninspired" and the like. and what patrick said was stuff like "the band is too chummy with the geeky fans and the name is dumb". this doenst sound like a concert review to me! It doenst matter one way or the other if patrick doenst like the name of the band or if he feels that theyve trapped themselves in the "novelty band corner". If he thinks this, let him. My point is that there is a difference between a negative concert review and negative comments about a band. While im sure we can all agree that constructive criticism is a good way to express negative feelings about a show or a band, it seemed like patrick's "review" was more like attacking and "trolling" (whatever the hell THAT means, i dont even know. i'm just getting an image of lots of big, fuzzy blue hair). - -jen, lover of All Things Cheese (as an appetizer last nite we ordered this thing where brie cheese was baked inside a phyllo pastry crust and served with sliced baguette and fresh fruit. I thought i had died and gone to cheese heaven.... === The World's Shortest Pessimistic Poem: Hope? Nope. - -Robert Zeal _________________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 13 Jun 1999 22:09:59 GMT From: LuCkYDaBeD@aol.com Subject: Re: Criticism: Lyric tags Ok, the tag on Michigan Militia isn't pleasing to me, but it isn't exactly annoying either. To me, that's how the group decided to write that song. Who knows why the put the tag on. As for the YWGTTM tag, I like it. I think it is a great way to start the song. Like a small introduction the the song. maria thinking patrick is getting better at displaying his critisim more tactfully ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 13 Jun 1999 22:22:25 GMT From: LuCkYDaBeD@aol.com Subject: Re: concert review In a message dated 6/13/99 5:03:24 PM Central Daylight Time, Jen the Cheesemonkey writes: > am i the only one that feels what patrick said was not > a review of the concert, but mostly negative comments > of the band? I was just going to pont that out! Okay, not "just", but I was going to try to find his original post and look it over. I just did, and I agree with you wholeheartedly there Jen. To me it looks like 90% band critism and 10% review. Although, he did say the band looked low on energy and they rushed through KoS early in the post. Then, it is just comparing between BnL and MF about their bad aspects. That doesn't sound like much of a review to me. But, you know, to each his own. maria ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 13 Jun 1999 17:55:46 -0400 From: chad schrock Subject: Re: VaBeach concert Heybun@aol.com wrote: > > If you're going to the VaBeach concert and have an extra day or > need a place to sleep there is a BEAUTIFUL state campground > right on the Cheasapeake Bay. Does it also come with mosquitos that carry off small children and pets like the campgrounds at Assatauege and Chincotueage? :) (Well, it's not so bad during the day with the on-shore breeze, but when the wind changes direction, watch out for those blood suckers.) > Has anyone checked out the website for The Abyss? Doesn't > look like the usual Fruvous venue I''ve been to... I was actually thinking about some of the clubs that I've been to in London and DC when I was looking at it. (Which could be good or bad, since I really don't remember much of those trips, especially the London clubs....) This show could be interesting, to say the least. - -- chad at radix dot net we *won't* go there... ------------------------------ Date: 13 Jun 1999 16:22:48 -0700 From: kelloggp@nagita.cs.colorado.edu (Kellogg Patrick Layne) Subject: Re: concert review jen says > ...and many others have said the same thing--that is, > "review of the concert". > am i the only one that feels what patrick said was not > a review of the concert, but mostly negative comments > of the band? a negative concert review would go more Wow, I think you got me on this one. I hadn't thought of that. Maybe I should have distanced the evening's performance with my opinions of the band as a whole. You got a point. Here's some unorganized thoughts, just about the night: - - Mary Cutrufello really rocked. Straight-ahead rock and roll that reminded me of Bruce Springsteen in a way. I would see her again... definitely beer drinking music. - - I thought that last Thursday's concert was a lot like the live album. Parallels: "Lowest Highest Point" vs. "Hockey News Vacuum"... same rap-over-drum-beat. A couple of (what I consider) novelty tunes, a couple "serious" tunes, some new stuff. My point was that it didn't really surprise me... though I could say that about a lot of bands (Madonna?) that basically do the same thing live as they do on record. - - The sound was great. Clear. They were having keyboard problems, and I think they dropped a song entirely because of it. BJ was on the set list. - - Did Moxy make fun of the couple that brought the sign? It was kinda harsh... "Honey, I think we should only use one color... I'll do it myself". And when somebody heckled "Nice try" to a joke that didn't quite work, someone (Murray?) said "I don't knock the sailors cocks out of your mouth while you're working". Um, wow. That's crankier and meaner that anything I've said on the board. Was it homophobic? I dunno, it sure was a slam. Patrick Kellogg kellogg(eat)sni.net ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 13 Jun 1999 22:18:24 GMT From: Christi218@aol.com Subject: Re: Criticism: Lyric tags In a message dated 99-06-13 17:33:04 EDT, kelloggp@nagita.cs.colorado.edu writes: *huge snip* > "You Will Go To the Moon" also has an annoying tag... "orbiting > rondel". They played this song for John Glenn to wake him > up on the space shuttle. I imagined he sat bolt upright > in his bunk and thought "What th'?" as the > shuttle resonates with four-part harmonies ringing out > "ooooorbitiiing". "Those kids today and their music, " Glenn > grumbled, putting on his space suit, "I'm getting too > old for this." Um, I think you could be wrong on that little piece of information. /me uses FDC's groovy new search engine *g* - ----------------------- Moxy on Shuttle wake-up call! (Thanks to Colin Crisanti and Doug Sheppard for this info) On Thursday, August 14, 1997 the Shuttle Discovery crew was graced with "You Will Go to the Moon" for their morning wake-up call. Click here for NASA's website: http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/ Click here for the shuttle archives: http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/shuttle/archives/sts-85/wakeup/ The voice of Capcom is none other than Canadian astronaut Marc Garneau (who is, unless I'm mistaken, the first Canadian to fly on a shuttle mission). And nasa.gov tells us that it's Marc who chose Fruvous for the wakeup music. :-) A .wav file of the song is also available there. - --------------- This was the link on the page for the crew that was on that mission: http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/shuttle/archives/sts-85/crew/ Kent Rominger, pilot Curtis Brown, commander Robert Curbeam, mission specialist Stephen Robinson, mission specialist Jan Davis, mission specialist Bjarni Tryggvason, payload specialist. Background on Marc Garneau (Capcom) http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/garneau.html Christine. - --Chrissy_K on irc ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* You know how you always see single shoes on the side of the road and always think "What kind of idiot loses a *shoe* right in the middle of nowhere??" Well, ask yourself no longer... ;P - MC ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ------------------------------ Date: 13 Jun 1999 22:58:32 GMT From: glfwarsong@aol.com (GlfWarSong) Subject: Re: Criticism: Lyric tags Then again, maybe Trace knows why the band wrote the tag on. :) maria ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 13 Jun 1999 18:33:21 -0400 From: chad schrock Subject: Re: boulder show review - the non-violent approach petit_chou@juno.com wrote: > > Killfile me. It's not like I'm going to spam the place. > Uh-oh. "Killfile"? I guess I'm not all the geek I'm cracked > up to be, cause I don't know what the hell it is. I sincerely > hope that it does not imply that someone has the ability and > right to bar you from posting. Nothing of the sort, my fair Heather. A killfile is something that a newsreader (person) uses to avoid having to see certain posters and/or subjects. (If you use Netscape, look under "Edit -> Mail Filters" to apply a type of killfile for your mail.) For instance, I killfile certain posters to this newsgroup, becasue I don't care to read anything that they might babble about. I have no idea if they even post anymore, my newsreader (program) doesn't even show me anything that they might have posted. > That would be a tragic thing, and I say that with all seriousness. > I don't think you should be barred from anywhere (that I know of > at least). That would happen if someone canceled his posts. Those of us on the newsgroup probably wouldn't see his posts, but the mailing list people would. > Well, Patrick, I'm sorry you had a bad experience at a show (or > the show was unsatisfying, or whatever your complaint was). > Fruvous isn't for everyone, and that's okay. And going one step beyond that, not every show is as good as any other show. (huh?) Hmmm... Let me try that again. Each and every show is very different from any other show. Some more than others. Of the shows that I have been to, there have been some that were incredible and others that were lacking. (For example, I would like to take the three FruCon shows and edit them together into one show. Seperately, the three shows were 'eh' TO ME, but there were some great parts to each of them.) > Heather Moore, who, it should be noted, would kill to see > *ANY* Fruvous show especially one near where you live, huh? :) (Someone check the alingment of the planets. I posted something on-topic. Eek.) - -- chad at radix dot net I'm listening to the "No Mega CD" right now. How ironic.... Especially the "Free Ontario" song by Robert Priest. ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 13 Jun 1999 22:39:34 GMT From: trace@frumail.org (Trace) Subject: Re: Criticism: Lyric tags On 13 Jun 1999 15:05:21 -0700, kelloggp@nagita.cs.colorado.edu (Kellogg Patrick Layne) wrote: >For example, the last line of "Michigan Militia" is >"I like to keep it in the refrigerator" > >I occasionally have played this for friends as their first Moxy >song. I love the electric banjo and the politics. >However, after the song was finished, a coworker asked: > >(John) "They keep *what* in the refrigerator?" >(Me) "Guns." >(John) "Oh... (pause)... why?" >(Me) "Um, to keep the powder dry and the action quicker." >(John) "Oh... (thinking the song is stupid)... I see." I always thought it was meant to underscore the theme of the song, and that letting the song end in that way highlights the oddities inherent in the content. This song isn't about normality. Normal people (my opinion of course) don't keep guns in their refrigerators for any reason. The unusual end tag seems satisfying to me in its abnormality. It also leaves me with the feeling that the ranting in the song could just keep going, which is appropriate since the issues in the song are ongoing sources of debate. Finally, the fact that the last tag is a repetition of an earlier one is amusing to me since it echoes my own opinion that proponents of gun rights seem to rely on the repetition of the same excuses to justify gun ownership. Yeah yeah, it's a constitutional right, can't be refuted. Whatever. [ If there are any gun rights ppl on this ng, don't bother responding to that. I'm only stating my opinion as part of analyzing the tag line and I *don't* wish to engage in an endless debate on the constitutionality of guns. I'll just apologize upfront ] >"You Will Go To the Moon" also has an annoying tag... "orbiting >rondel". They played this song for John Glenn to wake him >up on the space shuttle. I imagined he sat bolt upright >in his bunk and thought "What th'?" as the >shuttle resonates with four-part harmonies ringing out >"ooooorbitiiing". "Those kids today and their music, " Glenn >grumbled, putting on his space suit, "I'm getting too >old for this." > >Rondel? Whatever happened to humming the first note quietly >before starting the song? Or buy a pitch pipe. Well, they have a pitch pipe. As for comments about the tag line here, I can't really respond since I'm not sure what you don't like about it. It connects to the "orbitting rondel" line in the middle of song. In any case, it never bothered me, so I guess I'll just leave it at that. - -- Trace trace@frumail.org AMM-F: You must be this insane to ride ----- - -Veronica J Gruneberg ------------------------------ Date: 13 Jun 1999 23:31:39 GMT From: limezinger@aol.commmmmmmm (i am the message centre) Subject: Re: Friendship Festival, 7/3/99 >So, I'm thinking about Ft. Erie and thought I'd start the toll(just because >I'm bored and need something to do!) >Who's going? i'm going, as well as my fruhead mum and fruhead 9 year old sister, amy (who most likely has met more of you than i ). sarah http://members.aol.com/limezinger linnellgirl@tmbg.org * icq #26873712 * mstie #77216 "i'd love to stay here and be normal, but it's just so overrated" - blur ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 14 Jun 1999 00:04:08 GMT From: Mindy J Munson Subject: Re: concert review >- Did Moxy make fun of the couple that brought the sign? > It was kinda harsh... "Honey, I think we should only > use one color... I'll do it myself". And when somebody > heckled "Nice try" to a joke that didn't quite work, > someone (Murray?) said "I don't knock the sailors cocks > out of your mouth while you're working". Um, wow. > That's crankier and meaner that anything I've said on > the board. Was it homophobic? I dunno, it sure was > a slam. Yipe! did Murray say that??? I'd have to get a boot first but thats very uncharacteristic of him. The first thing might have been just their way of joking around. The last thing I seriously doubt was homophob because it seems to be against everything they believe. fruchild, *canoodle!* ___________________________________________________________________ Get the Internet just the way you want it. Free software, free e-mail, and free Internet access for a month! Try Juno Web: http://dl.www.juno.com/dynoget/tagj. ------------------------------ Date: 14 Jun 1999 00:59:26 GMT From: remcoat@aol.com (REMcoat) Subject: Re: Austin Powers Moxy connection >Yes, there was that guy from Buffy, seth green!!!! buffffaaaaay rocks Rest in Peace, Mister DeForest Kelley. Oi. Corey H. Orange (formerly Mandy80sFolkie) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "...and who are you?" "We're the Monster Sqaud." {http://www.geocities.com/BourbonStreet/Square/6393 ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 14 Jun 1999 00:47:45 GMT From: nicole.twn.is@ana.ng.at.tmbg.org (Nicole the Wonder Nerd) Subject: Re: hockey, clarenden, and bdays :) On Sun, 13 Jun 1999 20:51:01 GMT, someone who looked like CheesemonkeyGem whispered: >ps. i apologize to anybody who just read this who >really doenst give a shit about my >less-than-captivating story of me trying to get ID. Just puzzled... I have a photo ID[1] that has my birthdate and "Age 21 in 1998" writ large upon it. Does Canada not have such? It seems like a far simpler solution than the Byzantine system of valid/invalid ID that you describe. - --nicole twn [1] A California' driver's license, but (in CA, anyway), you can get a California Identification Card that looks (and acts) exactly like a driver's license except that it says "Identification Card" instead of "Driver's License" (and you don't get to drive with it). ------------------------------ Date: 13 Jun 1999 18:36:26 -0700 From: kelloggp@nagita.cs.colorado.edu (Kellogg Patrick Layne) Subject: Criticism: bad lyrics (long) Here's another thing about Moxy that has bothered me. No, I'm not always a bitter person, and I try not to criticize all the time. It's just that I've often told friends that I dislike some of Moxy Fruvous' lyrics, and I thought the people on this board could relate. Plus, I'm trying to be more intersting than simply posting "ThE BaNd RoX!!!!!!" (scroll down to read) - - - - - - - - - - - - - snip - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - I've collected some bad lyrics, they way some would collect limericks. Here's some of my favorite bad rhymes, often sung by bands that I really like: Eddie Money ("Take Me Home Tonight") "I feel a hunger... it's a hunger!" (snotty comment) Really, Eddie? Was it a hunger? Live ("Century" from _Secret Samadhi_) "I can smell your armpits/ You stole my idea/ This puke smells like beer/ And everyone's here" (snotty comment) Gross. They're making a point about rock concerts, but I really don't want to hear about it. Matt Wilson ("Descender" from _Burnt, White, and Blue_) "He built a dome underneath the lake/ I think you know what I mean" (snotty comment) Yes, Matt, I know *exactly* what you mean. Patrick Kellogg ("Blood Is the Ricochet") "Static flow and fear of night/ Here is where I'll ever wait" (snotty comment) What was I thinking when I wrote that? Dreadful, simply dreadful. I was trying to do "soft rhymes" in a song, like rhyming night/wait or flow/rose, playing with alliteration. And I could argue that the lines refer to a midnight tryst, and if you "really" knew what the song was about, you'd like the dark Gothic vibe. "You just don't understand." However, that doesn't forgive the fact that the lyrics suck. Trust me, they sound even worse when sung by me. Ok, now for Moxy Fruvous. There's a lot of MF lyrics I find pretty bad, but they are often in humorous songs "...from the Fruvous quill comes a story of love and illin'". Here, they're trying to be funny, kind of a white-boy rap that Barenaked Ladies also does. (leaving aside whether isn't kinda racist to do bad rap with an exaggerated accent...) Instead, the Moxy lyrics that bother me are the ones that don't quite fit. The ones that seem forced and detract from the song. The ones that make the band seem less than polished, like a political folk quartet (like The Foremen or Mark Russell). "Horseshoes" from _wood_ Look straight at the coming disaster Realize what you've lost You keep handing out horseshoes Horseshoes have gotta be tossed. (snotty comment) This is the lyric that reminded me to write this post. Since the lyric is in the chorus, it's repeated over and over again. The four-part harmony just makes it sound even worse... tight and nasal. Somewhere, there's somebody who loves this song. "Oh, man... you don't get it... they're *horseshoes" and they've just *gotta* be tossed." Yeah, yeah, it's a metaphor for loss, for decay, but it strikes me as trying to be profound without actually being profound. There's probably a fan that's brought a horseshoe to a concert for them to sign. "Lazlo's Career" from _wood_ Everyone has a groovy time with Lazlo. We know the effervesence will be near. We have lots of friends back in Ontario. (Our home) But right now, there is no better place than here for Lazlo's career. (snotty comment) Who is Lazlo? Who is B.J.? Some fan who is in the pocket of the band might convince me that the song would mean more to me if I knew Lazlo personally. If I did, the song would probably be deep. Instead, it sounds like a personally letter from somebody I don't know to somebody I've never met. The "groovy" and "effevesense" lines are typical Moxy: they probably looked good on paper, but sound terrible when sung. "River Valley" from _Bargainville_ Is your favourite place controlled by developing ambitions? Do you think you'll have some power signing a petition? Are you fine with your surroundings? Are they gonna crumble? I'm living in the river valley, come and join me for a tumble! (snotty comment) This one reminds me of a bad lyric by Billy Bragg: "Should I vote red for my class or green for our children?" ("From Red To Blue" from _William Bloke_) This is the kind of lyric that makes right-wing people make fun of liberals. Heart-felt? Probably. Bathetic? (Webster's says "insincere or overdone pathos") Definitely. While Billy's agonizing over socialism vs. the Greens, Bob Dornan is ordering more bombers. Boy George said "I'll tumble for ya", and it was a better lyric when he sang it. "Stuck In the 90's" from _Bargainville_ Tell the world it's your lackey Abbie Hoffman was wacky ... don't you know what it's like to be lost? and older..."tears on his shoulder" real men are BOLDER!! (snotty comment) The BOLDER is what gets me here, sung in good old four-part harmony again. Um, yeah. Abbie Hoffman was... um.. wacky. Wacky wacky. And Tim Leary was high. This is a meaningful commentary on the nineties vs. the sixties? Actually, I like this song, it's just that BOLDER makes me giggle. Sorry. "Fell In Love" from _Bargainville_ How many eggs make up a pound? How many ears of corn in the niblets? And how big was the bag? (snotty comment) 12? 4? Pretty big? "The Drinking Song" from _Bargainville_ And we'd drink, two gnarly dudes and some records Much like plates of black food (snotty comment) I'm going to make someone mad here. This is the favorite song of a lot of people, and I'm sure they like the black food line. They've probably cooked an entire meal from the "Johnny Saucep'n" song and served it on black plate. And had the band sign it. However, when I've played this song for people, (I do a mediocre version on acoustic guitar) they sometimes say "what was the food line?" I tell them I didn't write the song so I couldn't be held accountable. It's such a song-stopper. Moxy songs have a mood, a feeling, and then they break the atmosphere by talking about "bloated bellies". Worse, the song tells a story without really telling a story. Some fan could fill me in on the real-world facts behind this song, but that's beside the point. Like people who think Ben Folds Five's song "Brick" is a love song, or that the picture of a guy nailed to a cross is anything but a disgusting image of torture, I think you're a bit off if you put your arms around each other and sway to the beat. (and I've been guilty of it, too) Truly thinking about this song makes me think "Ick. Bummer. Sucks to be him." "Darlington Darling" from _Bargainville_ but you'll never find the right bijou (snotty comment) Couldn't find a better rhyme to the word "two"? Rhyming successive lines, as Moxy often does, is really hard to do. While it gives a song bounce, it tends to force you into choosing a really bad word to complete the sentence. Again, this is the in chorus, so to my ear, it just grates again and again. BEEESHUUUU. "Laika" from _Bargainville_ Now I'm full grown, and I've a spacecraft of my own But there you sit, still upon your Earthly throne Hey darling, throw this space-pup a bone Don't touch that dial, don't hang up that phone Band's playin' hail to the chief It puzzles me so... Don't hang up that phone (snotty comment) Some fan has probably named their dog "space pup". The "BAND PLAYING HAIL TO THE CHIEF" rattles around at the end of the song... another meaningless "tag line". I still can't quite figure out why Moxy like ending songs on a sour note. (pre-emptive strike against criticism) 1) Pat, you just don't get the lyrics I've heard this for They Might Be Giants and Soul Coughing, too. Both bands have fans that read a LOT into the lyrics. Are we all supposed to read the *correct* interpretation of every song, like freshman English students? If I misinterpret the symbolism and inner meaning in the song, will I get a bad grade? Maybe the song doesn't mean anything. Maybe the song means something to the author that you will never, ever understand because they wrote it about private thoughts. The lyrics above just didn't resonate with *me*. Your mileage may vary. 2) Pat, you seem pretty obsessed with the fans Yeah, it's kind of an "easy laugh", and I'm making fun a little bit. Seeing a Moxy concert for the first time made me wonder, so it's fresh in my mind. I'm not one for autographs or bringing posters to concerts, and I really shouldn't make fun of those that do. It's their kind of fun, and I'm being sarcastic and cynical in that hip 90's way. I apologize, but it's fun to do. 3) Pat, get lost... you're posting too much Um, sorry. Actually, I don't have much more to say about the band, and certainly no more criticism. Just a few points. I'll try to cut down on my postings. Take care, Patrick Kellogg kellogg(ump)sni(&#*&$)net ------------------------------ End of alt.music.moxy-fruvous digest V3 #488 ********************************************