From: owner-basia-digest@smoe.org (basia-digest) To: basia-digest@smoe.org Subject: basia-digest V2 #109 Reply-To: basia@smoe.org Sender: owner-basia-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-basia-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk X-To-Unsubscribe: Send mail to "basia-digest-request@smoe.org" X-To-Unsubscribe: with "unsubscribe" as the body. basia-digest Monday, June 30 1997 Volume 02 : Number 109 Today's Subjects: ----------------- newbies [ZZsaZZsa@aol.com] RE: newbies [Robert Merchant ] Re: Q's [Samurai27@aol.com] Re: Q's [Phil Hall ] Re: Q's [combee@techwood.org (Ben Combee)] Nicholas? [combee@techwood.org (Ben Combee)] another "newbie" introduction [William T Peche ] Re: another "newbie" introduction [rrumsby ] RE: newbies [Phil Hall ] Re: another "newbie" introduction [Phil Hall ] Re: another "newbie" introduction [Phil Hall ] Re: Roach [William T Peche ] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 29 Jun 1997 01:59:46 -0400 (EDT) From: ZZsaZZsa@aol.com Subject: newbies Hi everyone, I guess it is time to introduce myself since I have been lurking here for a few weeks now! My name is Sheryl and I have been a Basia fan since 1988. A friend in college had the "Time and Tide" cassette and played it for me one night. I don't remember how I found out she is Polish, but being mostly Polish myself....I got a little kick out of that. I have been a fan ever since. You know how in celebrity interviews they sometimes ask......"If you were stranded on an island and could only take three things with you.....what would you take?" My answer would be, "a discman, batteries and Time and Tide.......duh!" :-) I saw Basia once in concert a few years ago.......best concert I ever saw. I can honestly say she is my favorite vocalist. As for hearing her in restaurants and stores.......It is funny that I often don't even realize there is music playing until she comes on. And yes, for some weird reason when it happens in a restuarant, I have to interrupt dinner, point upward and "announce" it to the person I am eating with........"Hey, that's Basia!" I am sure you all can relate! I wish she would tour more often and come out with a new CD soon. One great thing about her, though, is that I *never* get tired of her music. Sheryl ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 29 Jun 1997 12:09:30 -0700 From: Robert Merchant Subject: RE: newbies Sheryl said: I wish she would tour more often and come out with a new CD soon. One great thing about her, though, is that I *never* get tired of her music. I feel the same way. I've wondered just what rare quality it is that lets you listen to some Music without ever getting tired of it, while some other albums can scarcely be listened to More than a couple of times. I only know of a couple of other albums like this, and they Have Yet to stand the test of time like T&T has (released in 8/87 - almost 10 years ago). - -- Bob ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 29 Jun 1997 16:46:19 -0400 (EDT) From: Samurai27@aol.com Subject: Re: Q's Well I am of course her biggest fan. I began listening to her back in 1990 on a local Jaz station in NY, WQCD CD101.9 in NYC. I have all her albums, her Vedio of songs, and an authographed lithograph which I have framed. I recently sent her a letter which I hope she respons back. My only regret is I never got a chance to see her in concert. She was in New York a few years ago and I missed it and I have never forgave myself. I want to let you in on a little story. I recently went to a wedding in Conn and had a conversation with a cousin of mine. I am Polish American and this is that side of the family. Well My cousin proceeds to tell me she had this Polish band and singer at a Polish American dance a few years ago and it was Basia. I almost died when she told me this. My relatives have been back and forth at least four time to Poland and they have sponsored polish families her in America. Well thats my story. Gets get moving on the stories. Best regards Denis with one N. ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 29 Jun 1997 17:34:56 -0400 (EDT) From: Phil Hall Subject: Re: Q's On Sun, 29 Jun 1997 Samurai27@aol.com wrote: > I want to let you in on a little story. I recently went to a wedding in Conn > and had a conversation with a cousin of mine. I am Polish American and this > is that side of the family. Well My cousin proceeds to tell me she had this > Polish band and singer at a Polish American dance a few years ago and it was > Basia. I almost died when she told me this. My relatives have been back and > forth at least four time to Poland and they have sponsored polish families > her in America. Well thats my story. Gets get moving on the stories. > > Best regards Denis with one N. > Well it is a known fact Basia lived in Chicago in 1980, and performed there with her band, and had some arrangement with some kind of Polish-American organisation. So when you say "a few years ago" and it was really QUITE a few years ago - and the wedding occurred in Chicago - there is no reason to doubt it. If you are lucky, someone in your family may have some photos or even video/film of her when she was just starting out. These would be worth seeing! Phil ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 29 Jun 1997 17:28:25 -0500 (CDT) From: combee@techwood.org (Ben Combee) Subject: Re: Q's Samurai27@aol.com writes: > Hi guys I have not received any mail in over three days. Is there something > wrong with the service? No, we've just been quiet. Work progresses on the video, although I am waiting to see if I can get a better copy of the early stuff. - -- Benjamin L. Combee (combee@techwood.org) ...if the highlight of your day is prowling through signatures looking for pithy quotes or neat phrases, then consider a career with the IRS or NSA... ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 29 Jun 1997 17:31:59 -0500 (CDT) From: combee@techwood.org (Ben Combee) Subject: Nicholas? See the mail list archives at www.yak.net/basia for a few articles on Nick. Basia gave a bit more info in her interview with Lauren Hutton, and she claims the song "Perfect Mother" is a bit autobiographical. - -- Benjamin L. Combee (combee@techwood.org) ...if the highlight of your day is prowling through signatures looking for pithy quotes or neat phrases, then consider a career with the IRS or NSA... ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 29 Jun 1997 18:09:36 -0500 From: William T Peche Subject: another "newbie" introduction Phil Hall wrote: > Well one thing that should be done here is for the newbies to > introduce > themselves to the list, and in addition give a thumbnail outline of > how > they became interested in Basia and her music. Denis (with one 'n'), > Bill, > and the others hopping on board lately could really liven things up > with a > minimum of effort. With Denis and Sheryl having introduced themselves, I guess it's my turn. Can't remember exactly the year when I started hearing and liking Basia, but it was probably a year or so before she went on tour to promote the London Warsaw New York album. I remember going to the Riverside Theatre in downtown Milwaukee with a friend who really didn't care one way or another about Basia. Somehow we lucked out and got to sit up front (within the first 10 rows). Wasn't as lucky for the second concert, however, when she promoted TSI. After the first concert, I checked to see if she had put out a music video, and was pleasantly surprised that she had. Hearing her interviewed on the video convinced me more than ever that she (not just her music) was special. Being a teacher of 2 foreign languages, I think I might be better able than some to appreciate Basia's work. Since English is not her native language, it just amazes me how well she writes lyrics, and she has come up with quite a few songs at that. We all bemoan the fact that she hasn't had an album in a while, but I'd think it would take longer to write them when it's not your native tongue. BTW, does anyone know how long she's been living in England (with constant exposure to English)? Phil had mentioned that the "newbies" might liven things up on this mailing list. In that light, I'm wondering how some of her songs have "spoken" to you guys, especially "Yearning," "Simple Pleasures," and "The Prayer of a Happy Housewife," all from TSI. These songs seem very introspective to me, and I'd like to know what some of you others think of them. BTW, Phil, could you please inform us newbies who this "Roach" guy is that you keep talking about? Thanks! Bill ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 29 Jun 1997 19:37:31 -0400 From: rrumsby Subject: Re: another "newbie" introduction William T Peche wrote: > BTW, Phil, could you please inform us newbies who this "Roach" guy is > that you keep talking about? Thanks! > Oh no Pandora's box is about to be opened.................. bfn Bob R paterson nj may the swartz be with you ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 29 Jun 1997 22:02:11 -0400 (EDT) From: Phil Hall Subject: RE: newbies On Sun, 29 Jun 1997, Robert Merchant wrote: > Sheryl said: > I wish she would tour more often and come out with a new CD > soon. One great > thing about her, though, is that I *never* get tired of her > music. > > I feel the same way. I've wondered just what rare quality it is that > lets you listen to some > Music without ever getting tired of it, while some other albums can > scarcely be listened to > More than a couple of times. I only know of a couple of other albums > like this, and they > Have Yet to stand the test of time like T&T has (released in 8/87 - > almost 10 years ago). > > -- Bob > I have a few albums I've been listening to longer than Basia's, but only because they came out before she got out of middle school. But it is true she has fans from a broad age range, and when that occurs there is usually a classic element that defies definition. If I were to put her appeal to me into one word, I guess I would say SENTIMENTALITY. There just aren't that many musical artists in this age of cynicism and worldly know-it-allism that can grab yer heart strings, and I guess good ole vulnerable Basia stands at the fore in that dept. Of course, it helps to have landed a genius composer/arrangers (Danny White) to add a little up-tempo kick to the mix. I really don't know why they haven't the mass appeal that Burt Bachrach/Hal David/Dionne Warwick did in their day, except that I would guess they haven't done film scores. Phil ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 29 Jun 1997 23:11:00 -0400 (EDT) From: Phil Hall Subject: Re: another "newbie" introduction On Sun, 29 Jun 1997, William T Peche wrote: > > Being a teacher of 2 foreign languages, I think I might be better able > than some to appreciate Basia's work. Since English is not her native > language, it just amazes me how well she writes lyrics, and she has come > up with quite a few songs at that. We all bemoan the fact that she > hasn't had an album in a while, but I'd think it would take longer to > write them when it's not your native tongue. I could never understand why she left Joseph Conrad out of the mix in _Copernicus_, unless his work isn't appreciated in Poland. My favorite author during the '70's when I could stay awake long enough to read more than a page and 1/2 of ANY book, I especially wondered, after discovering Basia much later, if they had the same twang when they spoke. I then learned somewhere that Joe's own wife (an English woman, if I'm not mistaken) regarded his spoken English as abominable. Fortunately such is not the case with our Basia, whose lilting and thoughtful adopted English I find almost as mesmerizing as her music, which of course is really why we're here. As to why Basia has'nt produced an album in such a long while, I would not hesitate to say I think it's a case of "Paralysis by analysis". The hunger is (happily for her!) now shifted to we poor fans. She has often remarked over the agony of performing, the agony of writing, the agony of studio work. God knows I would not wish such an existence on anyone. I wish her a long and relaxing retirement, if that is what she has chosen......but I wish she would at least give us the long-anticipated 1998 release we have all hung in for! > > BTW, Phil, could you please inform us newbies who this "Roach" guy is > that you keep talking about? Thanks! > > Bill > > Well, if he hasn't been kidnapped by space aliens, Roach is in Australia on some sort of sabbatical or something. I happen to know people there who have computers and email and such so if he really wanted to communicate with us he could, but I guess it's too much agony. At any rate Jeff Lohr aka Roach is, (if Denis with one n is arguably Basia's #1 fan,) UNarguably Basia's #1 Geek. He's the one with all the disk serial numbers, sales figures, and opinions. He also came up with the projected 1998 release of Basia's next album, by deduction. The guy is brilliant, a savant, but obviously on crack. Or so he would have us believe. Phil ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 29 Jun 1997 23:31:43 -0400 (EDT) From: Phil Hall Subject: Re: another "newbie" introduction On Sun, 29 Jun 1997, rrumsby wrote: > William T Peche wrote: > > > BTW, Phil, could you please inform us newbies who this "Roach" guy is > > that you keep talking about? Thanks! > > > > Oh no Pandora's box is about to be opened.................. > > bfn > Bob R > paterson nj > may the swartz be with you > Hey Jeff - are yer ears ringing yet? Phil ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 29 Jun 1997 23:34:55 -0500 From: William T Peche Subject: Re: Roach Phil Hall wrote: > Well, if he hasn't been kidnapped by space aliens, Roach is in > Australia > on some sort of sabbatical or something. I happen to know people there > who > have computers and email and such so if he really wanted to > communicate > with us he could, but I guess it's too much agony. At any rate Jeff > Lohr > aka Roach is, (if Denis with one n is arguably Basia's #1 fan,) > UNarguably > Basia's #1 Geek. So how did he get that moniker "Roach"? Bill ------------------------------ End of basia-digest V2 #109 ***************************