From: owner-avalon-digest@smoe.org (avalon-digest) To: avalon-digest@smoe.org Subject: avalon-digest V10 #292 Reply-To: avalon@smoe.org Sender: owner-avalon-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-avalon-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk avalon-digest Monday, November 28 2005 Volume 10 : Number 292 Today's Subjects: ----------------- [AVALON] Blondie/Roxy [LeeSullivanart@aol.com] [AVALON] Manzanera Article ["Colette Robertson" ] RE: [AVALON] Bad Trader Warning ["Rob Whiteford" Subject: [AVALON] Manzanera Article From Scotland on Sunday  27/11/05 Remade/remodeled AIDAN SMITH I'M DREADING the new Roxy Music album and I'm thrilled about it. These are complex feelings and I'm trying to convey them to Phil Manzanera, guitarist in Roxy, he of the scary insect-like glasses, who has a solo record to promote but is kindly indulging this fan - no, Roxy have aficionados - and emerging as the first in the band to discuss the reunion. "We're full of trepidation, too," he says. "We want it to be really good and we're aware that recent records by the likes of Paul McCartney and the Rolling Stones have not been well received. We're from the generation behind them but the dilemma for us is the same: rock was supposed to finish for you when you reached your 30s. If you don't die before you get old, what are you supposed to do? "I'm 54 now and I've just been helping out on Dave Gilmour's new album, which will be the 43rd of my career. The 44th should be another Roxy one. I say 'should' because we'll only release it if we're happy with it. We've already recorded nine songs and I'm very excited about them. There were two more obvious routes open to us: re-hash or just give up. But we're intrigued by what artists of 30 years' standing who were once called avant-garde might still have to say. There has to be that risk, that element of danger, if you're going to produce good work, and Roxy have always had a very complicated dynamic." He can say that again. There was Manzanera in those bug specs. Andy Mackay wore breeks of a dimpled Dalek design. Eno (the Brian was added later) favoured feather-boas. Paul Thompson (his name was soon prefaced with "The Great..." by the NME) sported tiger-skin. And of course Bryan Ferry (Brain Fury, Byron Ferrari ... the music mag's nicknames were endless) married fashion with rock like none before or since. No other band looked like Roxy. Crediting your stylists ("Hair by Smile") was unheard of in 1972, a very denim and cheesecloth year, and was tantamount to an admission of homosexuality. And the best way of checking that you weren't gay was to lay on your bedroom floor and study the Roxy cover-girls for a whole afternoon. Other groups didn't sound like them either. When you turned Amanda and Kari-Ann over, the early albums' gatefold sleeves revealed that Mackay not only played saxophone but oboe, while Eno was "synthesiser and tapes". How on earth did you "play" tapes? No matter. It was, as Ferry warbled in 'Do The Strand', a new sensation, a fabulous creation. The timing of the reunion is impeccable. Pop-culture pundits acclaim Roxy as the most influential British band since The Beatles. One of them, Michael Bracewell, is writing a book celebrating a whole movement and calling it Roxyism. These days Roxy get more namechecks than they used to give hairdressers, and from no one more than Franz Ferdinand. Manzanera's three children love FF and he's impressed. "I like their style. I don't think they sound especially like Roxy but the link is there in the things they say, their approach, their attitude. We were an art band influenced by the Velvets and Franz Ferdinand seem to have that baton now. "They're drawing from a wide backdrop of art, the guitarist [Nick McCarthy] has a pop sensibility - we were similarly unsnooty - and Alex's [Kapranos] lyrics really stand out. His take on things is similar to that of a young Bryan Ferry. They've invited me to their London show this month." MANZANERA HAS vivid memories of the first time he encountered the trainee lounge lizard. "I had a different trajectory to Bryan and the rest of Roxy. I was younger, they'd all been to university. They had bank accounts and cars - I was impressed by that - and they seemed like special people. "A scene was already building. Young designers waiting to make their mark like Anthony Price were friends of the band. Anthony made my glasses and now he designs dresses for Camilla Parker-Bowles. Nick de Ville, our art designer - we had one of them, too - is now professor of visual art at Goldsmith's College, and Wendy Dagworthy went from creating the wonderful, way-out costumes for the For Your Pleasure cover to being head of fashion at the Royal College of Art. So you see the Roxy family spreads far and wide." I'm pleased to report that Manzanera still has those mad specs. He recently loaned them and his entire For Your Pleasure rig out to Jarvis Cocker because the ex-Pulp frontman had, along with Radiohead's Jonny Greenwood, won parts as rock musicians in the new Harry Potter movie and they wanted to look outri. The Roxy family has indeed scattered and it's always been reckoned that Eno has drifted too far from the possibility of a reunion. "I try never to repeat anything," the sonic wizard told Scotland on Sunday earlier this year. But Manzanera remains optimistic that while Eno wanted no part of Roxy's festivals tour in the summer, he can be lured back for the album sessions. "Eno was never designed to be in a rock band but if there's something creative going on... "He's given us some songs for the new album and we hope that when we resume recording in the new year he'll come into the studio and twiddle a few knobs. He's a very cool guy and I understand his philosophy. But this is going to be different." A remade and remodelled Roxy, hopefully. Manzanera got Eno - and Mackay and Thompson - to play on his new solo record, 50 Minutes Later, which includes a track called 'Technicolor UFO' describing how it all began for him. Born in Cuba during the revolution, he moved to London in time to bluff his way, under age, into the UFO Club for Pink Floyd's Technicolor Dream, a seminal Swinging Sixties moment. True to his psychedelic influences, he prefers early Roxy - their sound later became "too smooth" - and so was thrilled to get the chance on the summer tour to perform the likes of 'The Bogus Man' for the first time in 23 years and also 'Pyjamarama', the great, lost second Roxy single they'd only ever played live once before. "We can't be ground-breaking any more, but we can hopefully still be interesting, still be Roxy Music," he says. Go for it, you crazy dilettantes. You always looked like the resident band at a cocktail bar on some far-off space-station 200 years from now. Your best may be yet to come. Cheers, Colette ___________________________________________________________________________ To unsubscribe, mail majordomo@smoe.org with: unsubscribe avalon ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 27 Nov 2005 12:13:33 EST From: LeeSullivanart@aol.com Subject: Re: [AVALON] Blondie/Roxy In a message dated 27/11/2005 15:12:37 GMT Standard Time, opd@tordan.com writes: Not a word about the warm-up band, though. Wasn't it ex-Stranglers Hugh Cornwell? If so, how was he, if you watched it? Hi Ole Sadly - I wanted to see him - events got in the way. Cambridge's car parks were either full or far away; Doors opened at 7:30pm and Blondie were onstage by 8:45! Debbie H thanked him midway through the Blondie set. This seems to be the Modern Way; my memory of gigs in the 70s & 80s is that support bands were completely ignored by everybody! For those interested, DH appeared to be wearing a fairly ordinary purple flower print dress overlaid with a black corset plus in-ear monitor pack and other, unidentifiable dangly things hanging from it; generally she looked (and moved) very well for a gal of 60. That's another modern phenomenon - when I was a lad, ladies of that age definitely didn't look like that. Lee S ____________________________________________ Easily distracted? Displacement activity a problem? Me too. Going to: _www.leesullivan.co.uk_ (http://www.leesullivan.co.uk/) and _www.roxymagic.com_ (http://www.roxymagic.com/) won't help either. ___________________________________________________________________________ To unsubscribe, mail majordomo@smoe.org with: unsubscribe avalon ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 27 Nov 2005 18:58:28 -0000 From: "Rob Whiteford" Subject: RE: [AVALON] Bad Trader Warning Judy, Colleen is spot on. I don't know Daniel personally but he has been on this list a long time and contributed to more than just "trade" stuff. He signed off with a troubled sounding message and maybe he's just got too much going on y'know? Sometimes you just have to take time to get it back together and forget stuff like mailing lists. Give him the benefit of the doubt even if you never see your CDs again. If it turns out he or a member of his family are very ill and/or in hospital then you won't feel good about what you've said below. Especially if someone is daft enough to tell him. Rob Judy wrote "I hope that anyone in contact with him will convey my sincere belief that he is a rat b*st*rd thief." Judy ___________________________________________________________________________ To unsubscribe, mail majordomo@smoe.org with: unsubscribe avalon ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 27 Nov 2005 20:13:46 -0000 From: "rmfyp" Subject: [AVALON] Bad Trader Warning I can sympathise with Daniel. I have done quite a few trades on Avalon but have to admit that sometimes I've got it wrong. Even as recently as the past few weeks I suddenly realised that I hadn't provided stuff from a long time ago that I should have!! I know it can be frustrating if you're waiting for something but give Daniel the benefit of the doubt, if there is a family crisis or illness it is difficult to put your mind to dealing with whatever trade is going on - call me naive but I can't honestly see someone on this list trying to shaft another member. Cheers, Bryan ___________________________________________________________________________ To unsubscribe, mail majordomo@smoe.org with: unsubscribe avalon ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 27 Nov 2005 23:34:41 -0000 From: "Rob Whiteford" Subject: RE: [AVALON] Bad Trader Warning Sounds like a good song title this thread. Maybe the cool ruler can turn it into something? Bad Moon Rising cover version? ___________________________________________________________________________ To unsubscribe, mail majordomo@smoe.org with: unsubscribe avalon ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 27 Nov 2005 19:00:20 -0500 From: "Arnold Schulberg" Subject: [AVALON] New Tree Offer: A Pleasant Peninsula I am offering to burn 5 copies of "A Pleasant Peninsula", a "Country Life"-era boot of very fine quality. This is an audience recording from a Flint, Michigan concert on March 16, 1976. In addition to Bryan, Phil, Andy, Paul and Eddie, the bassist is Rick Wills. Track listings: Sentimental Fool The Thrill of It All Love Is the Drug Bittersweet Out of the Blue Whirlwind Both Ends Burning The "In" Crowd Do the Strand/Editions of You A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall At least three people must agree to re-offer to the list. The usual rules apply. Please contact me off-list. Arnie ___________________________________________________________________________ To unsubscribe, mail majordomo@smoe.org with: unsubscribe avalon ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 28 Nov 2005 03:09:56 EST From: Chandla911@aol.com Subject: [AVALON] Brian Eno's Stop The War gig - London Astoria It was great (if tickets were a little undersold)! Brian played with BOTH Rachid Taha AND Nitin Sawhney line-ups (so I think we can kiss goodbye to the lie that he does not enjoy playing live with bands) AND gave a humanitarian speech. Nitin Sawhney played three pieces with Brian, Leo Abraham and [indistinct] Robinson. Nitin introduced them all and said he had met them all for the first time the day before. The set was quite incomparable considering the few hours they had known each other. Rachid Taha's set was just short of two hours with Brian looking magisterial at the back (next to a re-appearing Leo Abraham) with a keyboard plus other toys, singing backing vocals and either playing a theremin we couldn't see or...he really was cutting a rug with some smooth dance moves. He was truly in his element. A bit like watching your dad do the disco at your birthday party, but he's one of the coolest dads around. Not so cool but just as welcome was Mick Jones of the Clash and BAD who joined on guitar for the last 30 minutes and co-lead vocals on Rock The Cazbah. Brian claimed that the war effort in Iraq has so far cost $200 bn, a sum which could have ensured clean water for every citizen on the planet or could have been spent on retro-viral vaccines for all known HIV patients (see UN and WHO sites for corroboration). Instead it's been spent shoring up the invasion and destruction of a country that did not have the weapons of mass destruction Bush and Blair claimed. He also thanked the first of the three acts, Imogen Heap, who opened the set with a solo set. Brian said he feels Imogen is "close to being a genius". High praise indeed. Best wishes Richard Mills n/p Tekitoi - Rachid Taha ___________________________________________________________________________ To unsubscribe, mail majordomo@smoe.org with: unsubscribe avalon ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 28 Nov 2005 03:25:02 EST From: Chandla911@aol.com Subject: [AVALON] PS to Brian Eno Stop The War gig post The whole gig was filmed by a full film crew with swing arm camera hoist, etc. Should make for a great TV show or video release... Best wishes Richard Mills n/p Tekitoi - Rachid Taha ___________________________________________________________________________ To unsubscribe, mail majordomo@smoe.org with: unsubscribe avalon ------------------------------ End of avalon-digest V10 #292 ***************************** ======================================================================== For further info, mail majordomo@smoe.org with: info avalon-digest