From: owner-avalon-digest@smoe.org (avalon-digest) To: avalon-digest@smoe.org Subject: avalon-digest V4 #123 Reply-To: avalon@smoe.org Sender: owner-avalon-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-avalon-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk avalon-digest Thursday, April 22 1999 Volume 04 : Number 123 Today's Subjects: ----------------- [AVALON] covers cover ["mark shanahan" ] [AVALON] Velvet Goldmine' [Martin Wilkinson ] Re: [AVALON] New Ferry Cover ["Richard" ] Re: [AVALON] New Ferry Cover [jspellman@banet.net] [AVALON] Were You Fooled Part 1 [flangebracket@email.com] [AVALON] Were You Fooled Part 2 [flangebracket@email.com] [AVALON] Bravo! Bravo! (I loved the joke!) ["Gregory A. Koetting" Subject: [AVALON] covers cover just wanted to say thanks again to all who sent me a gif of the 'new' ferry cover (we hope). what a bunch of mensches (sp?) on this list! thanks again!! found this on the imusic ferry bulletin board and thought maybe someone might need a good chuckle today (in a kind of -- well, rather *wicked* way ...): >Mon Apr 19 15:50:22 PDT 1999 >204.235.196.33 >Anonymous >I am still amazed that there is this type of support. Glasgow Ranger >is right about success inb past and uk and europe are different, but >I think success will not speed up the process. Ferry is like say ... >Boston or John Fogarty..it takes a long time. success would not >affect speed. In the UK the decline maybe the record firm not >promoting or radio changing there like it is here. if there is no >outlet that fits then no airplay. forget mtv how about vh1 ? They are >the avenue now for Ferry. The thing I am curious about though is the >disc of standards. Is this like TAXI in that it is a stop gap for the >record co, while the stuart collaboration or production of this >material is ongoing. It is wait and see. look forward to all your >comments . cheers for now well, i sure thought it was funny ... in a really sickening kind of way ... thanks/peaces ms _______________________________________________________________ Get Free Email and Do More On The Web. Visit http://www.msn.com - -------------------- To unsub, mail majordomo@smoe.org with: unsubscribe avalon ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 21 Apr 1999 19:53:59 +0100 From: Martin Wilkinson Subject: [AVALON] Velvet Goldmine' My Birthday! There is an "offer" in "What's On TV" at £13.99 inc postage. Tel. 01282 610444 quote ref. 022A19 - -----Original Message----- From: Richard Sent: 17 April 1999 23:36 To: avalon@smoe.org Subject: [AVALON] Re: Velvet Goldmine If anyone is interested 'Velvet Goldmine' is released on video to buy (in the U.K.) this Monday (19 April). Richard - -------------------- To unsub, mail majordomo@smoe.org with: unsubscribe avalon - -------------------- To unsub, mail majordomo@smoe.org with: unsubscribe avalon ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 22 Apr 1999 00:54:24 +0100 From: "Richard" Subject: Re: [AVALON] New Ferry Cover As I said earlier, I think that if this is a genuine representation of Bryan's new album / album cover then any e-mail to the official Ferry / Roxy sites is unlikely to elicit a response if this has been leaked. However, to be fair I think I should point out that earlier mail I sent to Bryan's official website did produce a response. This is a link to Bryan's main office and my query was answered. Regards, Richard - ---Original Message----- From: Decophile To: avalon@smoe.org Date: Wednesday, April 21, 1999 3:00 AM Subject: Re: [AVALON] New Ferry Cover >-----Original Message----- >From: Richard >To: avalon@smoe.org >Date: Tuesday, April 20, 1999 6:43 PM >Subject: Re: [AVALON] New Ferry Cover > > >>I e-mailed the Ferry website yesterday to ask for clarification but haven't >>had a reply. If this is a leak then I'm not optimistic they will want to >>respond but we'll see. >> >>Richard > > >Good luck. I`ve never received a response from either the Roxy or Ferry >sites. I get the impression they simply exist to retain the domain name. I >mean, here are supposedly official sites that over the months it`s been up >has never amounted to anything more than what they started off as: an e-mail >link that never gets a response. >The Manzanera site looked promising for awhile, but even it went stagnent. >No e-mail response from it either, BTW. > >Gene > >Gene > > > > > >-------------------- >To unsub, mail majordomo@smoe.org with: >unsubscribe avalon > - -------------------- To unsub, mail majordomo@smoe.org with: unsubscribe avalon ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 21 Apr 1999 22:17:16 -0400 From: jspellman@banet.net Subject: Re: [AVALON] New Ferry Cover Richard wrote: > As I said earlier, I think that if this is a genuine representation of > Bryan's new album / album cover then any e-mail to the official Ferry / Roxy > sites is unlikely to elicit a response if this has been leaked. However, to > be fair I think I should point out that earlier mail I sent to Bryan's > official website did produce a response. This is a link to Bryan's main > office and my query was answered. > > Regards, > > Richard > What was your question? And I'd love the answer, pleaseif you would. I was never answered by Virgin or any of the sites. I wonder if fans of the Stones or Elton John or Blondie or anybody else lives in this dark cloud of uncertainty? The cruel hoaxes. The rumors, lies and jokes. Where are you flangebracket? Jim - -------------------- To unsub, mail majordomo@smoe.org with: unsubscribe avalon ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 21 Apr 1999 22:53:11 -0400 (EDT) From: flangebracket@email.com Subject: [AVALON] Were You Fooled Part 1 Flangebracket Speaks! Were You Fooled? A Heartfelt Apology to my Fellow Avalonians. OK! OK! I admit it! To all of you who have speculated on the origins of the Pastiche cover, let me set your minds at rest. PASTICHE IS A HOAX!!!!! I hope that you understand that I was merely being playful, and that there was no malice in my posting, but I have too much respect for the contributors to this group to string out this teasing any longer. Please don't be too angry, it was just meant as a bit of fun, and I hope that you will accept it in the spirit it was intended.If I thought any of you were truly upset then I would feel very contrite indeed. I hope that this speedy retraction will save me from a deserved flaming! I'm deliberately revealing this now before the conspiricy theorists get to work. My only excuse is that I was overcome by devilish intent, and that the angst of waiting 5 years for a release had become too much, forcing me to make my own! The Sting.... I deliberately left a number of clues and red herrings for you to follow. The whole cover was created and upped to the net in less than an hour and a half, using proprietary software, and my pseudonymous trail was then covered. The message left on the web site was intended to imply that some subterfuge had taken place in the acqisition of the images. The cover art was shamelessly stolen from a Solpadeine MAX advertising campaign (a brand of headache remedy here in the UK.) The picture was reversed and stretched to CD size. It was stumbling upon this picture (on a postcard!) that sparked the idea for the whole spoof. The subject matter of the picture (soft-focus woman in compromise/harness/bondage/S&M) is a repeated theme of Ferry/Price, e.g. 'Slave to Love'. The font used for 'Bryan Ferry' is a very retro one called Avenida LET and was supposed to evoke a 'Thirties feel. The 'Pastiche' font is called Cobb (although presumably not named after Michelle) and it was not my intention to imitate Bryan's handwriting in any way, it simply looked right. In fact, I have no idea what the Ferry scribble looks like (other than his autograph). The album title is again Ferry-esque, e.g. like Bete Noir, but was also chosen for its implied deeper meaning. I liked the irony inherent in the title. As some have suggested, Pastiche was indeed a pastiche! The songs were not chosen to create a 'set' they were simply the first old songs that came into my mind. Three of them had been released/announced before. Of the others, all of them are genuine old songs by Porter, Gershwin and the like. The exception is 'Pastiche'. I deliberately used this to appear as if it were self-penned, as Bryan is inclined to add one of his own songs to the end of his cover albums, e.g. 'Another Time, Another Place', 'Because You're Mine', etc. 'The Sunshine of your Smile' is another genuine oldie, written in circa1919 I believe. It was a hit in the UK in circa1981 for Mike Berry, a Sixties pop singer who, bizarrely, was also a member of the 'Are You Being Served?' cast! I thought that someone might do their homework on this song and in so doing add to its credibility. The big clues should have been in the choice of songs, which are generally rather too familiar to be redone again, although I, like Richard, would love to hear BF crooning 'Night and Day.' And as someone else observed, yet another version of 'Summertime?' Hopefully not. I thought perhaps that BF in his most theatrical mode might theoretically be able to pull off 'Anything Goes!' I am surprised that no one made more of the fact that the same 3 authors (Gershwin, Porter and Coward) each have 2 songs which would appear unlikely in the normally eclectic Ferry's selections. The biggest clue of all, (and designed to stick out like a sore thumb!) should have been 'The Sun Has Got His Hat On.' The thought of Our Hero, the master of melancholy, singing this cheery ditty, even as a postmodernist lament, should have been too much for credibility (or should that be veracity?) to bear! I couldn't look at the finished cover without an outbreak of schoolboy sniggering! In fact, I almost used the song "Yes, We Have No Bananas!" but I thought this might be streching the point too far! All of the other elements were intended to have that ring of plausibility about them. We knew that BF had been working with an orchestra, why not call it the BF Orchestra? As someone has noted, the back layout does lack professionalism and I thought this might be a give-away. (Continued in Part 2) - ----------------------------------------------- FREE! The World's Best Email Address @email.com Reserve your name now at http://www.email.com - -------------------- To unsub, mail majordomo@smoe.org with: unsubscribe avalon ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 21 Apr 1999 22:55:02 -0400 (EDT) From: flangebracket@email.com Subject: [AVALON] Were You Fooled Part 2 continued If you were fooled.... Don't feel too bad as, although I say it myself, it was a pretty credible spoof! Some of the big fish in this pond were undoubtedly hooked, and others simply wished too hard that it was true. I sincerely hope that nobody's credibility has been affected by this bit of fun. I'm particularly concerned about Martin Stockman, who despite noticing all of the main clues, still wanted to believe. As Martin is by far my favourite poster, and repeatedly brings entertaining, intelligent and insightful comment to the table, and indeed has worked so hard on our behalf, I hope that he has not been too damaged by the experience. Sorry Martin. C'est la vie. To Han, Richard and Jim Spellman - Sorry Guys, I hope you didn't waste too much of your time on fruitless research. And now the plaudits.... Hats off to Colleen Matan, the well known anagram, who was more doubting than Thomas and, despite suffering question marks against her veracity was unswerving in her cynicism. She even recognised me as a lurker. Should be some grovelling apologies on their way to you soon I feel Colleen! Good work also Decophile, love the website too! On a personal note..... I never cease to be impressed with the dedication shown by the contributors to this group. Your knowledge of and commitment to BF is remarkable. Such unfailing loyalty to an artist who is so parsimonious with his releases, (With only 2 'proper' album and 1 covers release in 14 years, BF makes Michael Jackson's output appear prodigious) and who so frequently flatters to deceive, deserves great respect. I do wish that BF would rediscover the freshness and vitality of his early RM output, and the clean production of the late 70's and early 80's rather than descending into the overproduced, multitracked melange that characterises his more recent work, albiet with an occasional diamond in amongst the detritus. Although I feel that Ferry reached his creative peak in 1984/5 with Boys and Girls (a magnificent album that BF called his 'meisterwerk'), and that most of his best work is long ago and far away, I suspect the occasional nugget still remains in what has been a rich creative v! ein. And of course the guy can still put on a GREAT show! Despite my somewhat disparaging comments abouut his recent work, I will remain a Ferry-phile, and still await his new releases with interest. Perhaps, like Christmas, the fun is in the expectation. As for a Roxy reformation, my opinion is that RM were of a time and a place and could never repeat the enormity of their achievements. Anything new would be a shallow reflection of the past. Let the memory linger on..... Enough of this heresy..... Flangebracket is simply a pseudonym and his persona will soon disappear into the vapor(sic), perhaps to JV style fame/notoriety. Flangebracket's alter ego will remain among you however in a different guise, and as an occasional contributor. I offer you a solemn pledge that this is my first and last attempt at satire, and will not be posting another spoof. Consider me to be laughing with you, and not at you. I like you all far too much to do otherwise...... Flangebracket - ----------------------------------------------- FREE! The World's Best Email Address @email.com Reserve your name now at http://www.email.com - -------------------- To unsub, mail majordomo@smoe.org with: unsubscribe avalon ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 22 Apr 1999 03:05:32 -0400 From: "Gregory A. Koetting" Subject: [AVALON] Bravo! Bravo! (I loved the joke!) I really thought this whole Pastiche thing was VERY well executed, thought out and really clever... Even now, I think that what was created as a hoax would not vary too far from the real thing... I swallowed the hook, that's for sure- And I have to say the cover was magnificent- way too close to call- and yeah we all know that Ferry wanted to do the old songs, but wow! (I did think that the Bryan Ferry Orchestra was a little peculier, but then again, not without possibility!) Again, bravo- the best hoax I've seen in a long time! greggie/atlanta "Stay tonight.. We'll watch the full moon rising...." - -the inimitably romantic David Sylvian from his lullaby "Darkest Dreaming" - -------------------- To unsub, mail majordomo@smoe.org with: unsubscribe avalon ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 22 Apr 1999 08:13:51 +0100 From: "Martin Stockman" Subject: Re: [AVALON] Bravo! Bravo! (I loved the joke!) I'll do the decent thing. Pass me my gun.... ...or perhaps Colleen would like to pull the trigger... - -------------------- To unsub, mail majordomo@smoe.org with: unsubscribe avalon ------------------------------ End of avalon-digest V4 #123 **************************** ======================================================================== For further info, mail majordomo@smoe.org with: info avalon-digest