From: owner-basia-digest@smoe.org (basia-digest) To: basia-digest@smoe.org Subject: basia-digest V4 #42 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 Sunday, February 14 1999 Volume 04 : Number 042 Today's Subjects: ----------------- Re: Bios and the like... [Joanna Lee & Larry Churchill ] Re: Bios and the like... ["Ashoke S. Talukdar" ] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sat, 13 Feb 1999 00:08:46 -0800 From: Joanna Lee & Larry Churchill Subject: Re: Bios and the like... Hi, Everyone! Haven't posted in awhile, but I've been lurking. Following my random, disjointed thoughts/reactions to various postings over the past couple months... My top 5 of 1998: 1) Basia, Clear Horizon (of course!) 2) Lucinda Williams, Car Wheels on a Gravel Road 3) U2, The Best of (the B-sides disc) 4) Barenaked Ladies, Stunt 5) KFOG Live from the Archives Vol. 5--This is a benefit (for food banks) CD available only in the Bay Area. It features mostly acoustic, all live performances by such artists as Shawn Colvin, Sarah McLachlan, Wallflowers, Cowboy Junkies, Hootie & the Blowfish, etc. including a killer live version of "All for You" by Sister Hazel. Ashoke, I got an extra copy of this CD for you at Christmas and will send it to you with my photo of me, Basia, Danny and Larry! I'm sure you'll let us know the website address to view the photos. Did any of you X-Files fans notice a "Basia Moment" (sort of) in the "holiday" show late last year? The episode that featured Ed Asner & Lily Tomlin as residents of a haunted house? Early on when Scully & Mulder have just entered the house and are speculating about the possible occupant(s), Scully utters a line that contains both "yearnings" and "mortal coil" (which, as all you diehard fans know, is in "Third Time Lucky.") I was going to go back and watch it again to get the exact words, but the video has long since been erased...I though for SURE someone would comment on it within a week of the show! Ray, thanks SO MUCH for the translations of the interviews! It is great to hear what is going on with Ms. B currently, even if she is all leaving us hanging... Diane Warren wrote "From a Distance," which Bette Midler recorded. I seem to recall that she won a Grammy for it for "song of the year" or "record of the year." It became the "theme song" of the Persian Gulf war. I can't stand Celine either. Mariah is OK. I love Alison Moyet; actually I love one song of hers, "Love Resurrection" from about 15 years ago now? To be honest I only ever bought the extended version of that song on that black stuff...what's it called...oh yeah, vinyl, and don't know any of her other stuff except that one "hit" she had with Yaz. What is she up to these days? From 1/27/99, Leslie: >My goodness, who is "adscully?" I mean on ebay (this is a hypothetical >question, ya don't have to reveal yourself if you don't want to ) My guess is an X-Files fan who wants Scully promoted to Assistant Director, hence "adscully." Anyone agree with me on this one, or am I just way out there? That's all folks! This mailing list is so much fun. Joanna (who is trying to hook up with Ashoke for sushi in San Diego in a couple weeks) ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 14 Feb 1999 06:48:59 +0900 From: "Brian Cundieff" Subject: Re: The Sweetest Weekend (37 KB. Yikes!) From: Ray Navarra Date: Tuesday, February 09, 1999 13:09 >Q: Do you still like eating toasts, cheese with butter and jam for breakfast? > >A: Often, but not always. > >Q: Which means, something has changed. The interviewer sure seems to be taking her breakfast menu a bit seriously, eh? Or has Basia, in the past, made some kind of pledge to never eat anything besides toasts, cheese with butter and jam for breakfast? ;-) I was glad the questions eventually got better. >Q: It must have been "Titanic"? > >A: "Titanic", must have, you're right. "Titanic", and after that "Boogie >Nights". Because someone has come up to see me and I could find a moment. >Apart from that, I really don't havetime for anything. Actually, I was hoping to hear what she thought of those movies. Maybe a comment about Celine sounding too much like Edyta Gorniak. >Q: Do you still do yoga? Wow! I had no idea. Too bad the interviewer didn't get her to talk more about this facet of her life. >And our cursings are very crude and they sound so cruel, oh. >I really can't take our vocabulary. Ray! How about teaching us some of that evil Polish vocabulary?! ;-) >Q: So you're loaded. > >A: Yes, I'm a little loaded, even if, you know, those are totally different >muscles that you use for Polish and you know, my spelling is a little rigid >at the beginning. But I don't forget. Again, not questioning the translation... In American slang, the term "loaded" has connotations that make this passage quite funny. Basically, it means extremely drunk. So, at first, I was picturing Basia stumbling around a room, falling over furniture, etc. >A: Yes, I count the months. As I told him before, if we don't work on it >(because it's work too) we might miss the opportunity. But he's travelling >too much. He's travelling all the time. It's only been a year since he's >started to be at home... really be there, but always there's something, or >I do something somewhere. Anyway, so far we didn't succeed. Dang, Kevin! Straighten up those priorities, mah bruthah! >Sometimes I really have no problem >talking to anyone, whether it's a total stranger in any country, if it's in >Japan or Poland. I've always made contacts easily. Hey, there's hope for me, yet! Now if she'll just tour here.... >For me the private life and my family life is so much important that I >couldn't go through all those job things if I didn't have something to hold >on in my private life. I really love my normality, being anonymous, the peace, >the very normal life. This is one of the reasons I think a lot of us connect so strongly with her music. >A: Yes. There are some people, but the biggest shock, maybe because she hasn't >had anything in common with my kind of music - this person - was Liza >Minnelli. Once I was in Paris and she has invited me to her hotel and we got >to know each other and she's even told me that she'd like to do a duet with >me. It was incredible. Hmmmm.... Uhhh. Interesting combination, but there are dozens of people I'd rather she sing duets with. >I don't remember when Sammy Davis Jr died, >but she was his friend and she said "Oh God, Sammy won't believe when I tell >him I met him". Can you imagine this? A little Jaworzno girl. It was >incredible. The mental image I'm enjoying right now of Sammy using his Rat Pack vocabulary to express his admiration for Basia is absolutely hysterical. >Q: How do you rate the chances of Edyta Gorniak? [Her first single is now >released in Europe, "When You Come Back To Me" - R] I braced myself when I read this question. It was like, "Here we go again." Poor Edyta. >A: She's done an album, yes. I didn't hear this album, I've really got to >listen to it, because I don't even know how does she sing in English. I've >only heard her once in a song with Carreras in the television, it's the only >song I've heard. So her entire opinion of Edyta, all this Mariah Carey business, is based on hearing ONE SONG?! Basia, I'm so disappointed. Give her a chance, for crying out loud! >A: No, there was never such a moment. It's a big record company, but the >kind of music I make doesn't make anyone exploit me, because it's very hard >to put this kind of music into the radio anyway. Mixed blessing, eh? Sounds like she's satisfied with it, though. >The music simply >doesn't match, stylistically doesn't match any radio station. In my first year of college, I volunteered at the school's radio station, doing a four hour jazz show once a week. Each week, I made a point of playing at least two Basia songs (in addition to "New Day for You," which I always played as my shift ended). Sometimes, I went to a lot of trouble to find good "segue" music to go between whatever else I was playing and Basia. But it is absolutely possible! In that situation, though, I had almost complete freedom to play anything I wanted to. That's probably pretty rare in commercial radio. And I, for one, am quite happy that her music doesn't sound like Top 40. >A: Well, recently I went out of debts again, because you know, the debts come >and go and it's like this all the time. Everytime when I do something new >I'm in debt and I have to buy it out, selling the CDs. When I make a video >I'm in debts again and everything's always like borrowing money and giving it >back. Gosh, I guess I'm pretty ignorant of the music business. I always thought that when an artist signs with a record company, the company takes responsibility for all the expenses. Interesting. >Whoo...! I hope you enjoy it. (If you don't, I'll probably kill you, because >I've spent about four hours translating it) ;-) Well, I doubt there's any danger of you needing to commit homicide today. Great interview. Thanks a lot, Ray. - -Brian* ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 13 Feb 1999 08:00:44 -0500 From: jp Subject: Re: The Sweetest Weekend (37 KB. Yikes!) At 06:48 AM 2/14/99 +0900, you wrote: > >From: Ray Navarra >Date: Tuesday, February 09, 1999 13:09 > >>A: Well, recently I went out of debts again, because you know, the debts >come >>and go and it's like this all the time. Everytime when I do something new >>I'm in debt and I have to buy it out, selling the CDs. When I make a video >>I'm in debts again and everything's always like borrowing money and giving >it >>back. > >Gosh, I guess I'm pretty ignorant of the music business. I always thought >that when an artist signs with a record company, the company takes >responsibility for all the expenses. Interesting. > Absolutely not. The poor artist has to pay for everything, one way or another. Artists usually make very little from recording - they make their money from touring and from the publishing royalties on songs they write. Lots of people get part of the money on recordings - all expenses are paid first, the record company gets part of the profit, the songwriters get a few cents for each record sold, the record distributors are paid, and any publicists and producers are also paid. That's why many new bands are hoping to develop the internet as a way to sell recordings directly and to cut down expenses. And sometimes, the artist has to pay recording expenses up front. Gloria Estefan recorded seven Spanish language albums for Sony, and with each album, she tried to convince Sony that the next should be in English to expand her international appeal. They finally let her record one album in both english and spanish, and "Dr. Beat" from that album became her first hit in Europe. Sony agreed to provide $25,000 in advances for her next album, which would be in english with an attempt to get an internationl audience. $25,000 is a very small amount for such an album, so the Estefans provide $45,000 of their own money. The result was "Primative Love" with the hits "Conga", "Words Get In The Way," "Bad Boys," and "Falling In Love." If her husband, Emilio, had not been a regional manager for Bacardi's rum with a six-figure income, we may never have heard of Gloria. (Quiet, Dirk.) un abrazo, juan ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 13 Feb 1999 12:03:21 -0500 From: "Ashoke S. Talukdar" Subject: Re: Bios and the like... Joanna wrote: > >Ashoke, I got an extra copy of this CD for you at Christmas and will send >it to you with my photo of me, Basia, Danny and Larry! I'm sure you'll >let us know the website address to view the photos. > Thank you thank you thank you thank you. See, I told y'all she was ONE cool lady!!! > >I love Alison Moyet; actually I love one song of hers, "Love >Resurrection" from about 15 years ago now? To be honest I only ever >bought the extended version of that song on that black stuff...what's it >called...oh yeah, vinyl, and don't know any of her other stuff except >that one "hit" she had with Yaz. What is she up to these days? > Joanna, I will try to locate a copy of Essex for you. > >Joanna (who is trying to hook up with Ashoke for sushi in San Diego in a >couple weeks) > Yessss!!!! :-D Ashoke. ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 13 Feb 1999 12:16:27 -0500 From: "Ashoke S. Talukdar" Subject: Re: Bios and the like... I don't have any questions. But just introduce yourself. A sentence or two about what you do. And a couple more about how you got interested in Basia. Restrict it to about a paragraph, at most two. Ashoke. ________________________________________________________________ Ashoke S. Talukdar | When the darkness takes you talukdar@morph.ebme.cwru.edu | with her hand across your face Home : 216-381-5872 | Don't give in too quickly Imaging Lab : 216-368-8812 | Find the things she's erased MetroHealth : 216-778-8987 | Find the line, find the face Pager : 216-670-5872 | Through the grain... Cellular : 216-317-7079 | Fax : 216-368-4969 | Suzanne Vega - -----Original Message----- From: Leslie Brown To: basia@smoe.org Date: Friday, February 12, 1999 10:44 PM Subject: Re: Bios and the like... > >Do you have some sample questions in mind? You all know I could just go >on and on if not given any parameters :-D > >--Leslie > >______________________________________________________ >Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com > ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 12 Feb 1999 11:43:36 +0100 (CET) From: Ray Navarra Subject: Look around, it's almost Spring Hey all! Brian wrote: > >And, considering the fact > >she's going out of her head to get pregnant again... do you really think > >she would tour with a baby? > Maybe not, but then how old was her son when she toured with Matt Bianco? > (Or did she?) If she's 39 now, and she really does want a baby, I doubt > she'd put it off until after a potential tour. What, with health risks and > all. I'm afraid, after reading this interview, that the next tour might not happen in next few years. Because the child will surely be more important for her. The worst thing, Sony might press her to tour after the release of the album... what could be the better way to avoid it than _not_ releasing an album this year? Nooo... I must be wrong. Meg got excited: > Here's what excited me the most: > >the depression, when it ever happens, and I'm a typical Libra... > She's a Libra, too! Whee! Hey! I'm a Libra too! > A question Ray: > > "Szla dzieweczka do > >laseczka" at the end of "Yearning" - my song > Can you translate that line for us? (I apologize if you have already done > so on a previous post.) : A girl was going to the forest". It's a line from Polish folk song. Linda wrote: > I found the comments about the Polish people being kind of "parochial" > and in a previous interview being "xenophobic" a little surprising. I > am not Polish but I did not have this impression, esp. from Basia herself > in the "New Day Video" where she says the Polish people are very > very curious and open to other cultures. Basia is not the typical Polish girl. The young people here are now more open, especially the educated ones, but you can still spot the old ladies who, seeing the black man on the street, would start sursing him, using words such as... well, you can probably imagine. Poles always had the way of looking at the world, like "we're the best, kiss our feet". The Poland's biggest poets, like Adam Mickiewicz, used to describe Poles as "the chosen nation". We're too proud and there aren't any reasons for that. *sigh* The religion issue... She didn't really reply the question about religion, did she? There's a "screaming minority" in Poland, of the hyper-devoted Catholics, who will do everything to publicize themselves. They say they're love and what they do - is hate. Can you imagine a priest, who, speaking in the Catholic radio, would slag off and curse at: gays, Jews, Germans, blacks and all non-Catholic people? And then, after the audution, he would leave in his black Mercedes to one of his five houses. Gosh... that's one of the reasons why less and less Poles actually go to the church; in my family nobody does it. It seems I wandered far from the subject. Sorry. But that's of course only one side of the story. The second is, that there are Poles, who only discriminate the discriminating - like me. But we're not seen, because that's normal, and TV doesn't show the normality, because noone's interested in it. It's easier to fill the news programmes with things like "20 skins burned the Romanian's house". > Probably the truth is the > very best and worst of human traits exists in all of us, in all races, beliefs, > etc. Of course you're right, Linda. Leslie "the bananas" asked: > >Sorry, all I can tell you is that she has said in Polish "Jesli nie - > to > >trudno". :) I used the "tough bananas" expression, because, frankly > >speaking, I love it. :) If you don't - tough bananas! > Is that the *literal* translation? ;) Nooo... :) We don't even have such an idiom. The literal translation was: "if not - it's hard". But it doesn't sound right... Tough bananas. > >What is on this CD? BTW, is there a kind soul who would copy the > remixes > >of Drunk On Love for me? Either on CD of MP3s... You can bet you won't > >find the CD in Poland :( > If I can get access to the CD burner, I'll gladly do it for you. It's > the least I can do. i just gotta get beyond the barricades (our last > burner was stolen so they guard that mofo with their lives!) Oh Leslie... I hope you can conquer this castle! ;) > >Oh, this answers my question. I can see that I really managed to turn > you > >into PSB fan, Leslie! :))) > Yeah...it's all your fault! ;) But I'm not ashamed. :) > >Thanks! BTW, I had seen the photo of Kevin on Incognito CD cover... > hmm... > >whatever he looks like, I wouldn't call him "sweetie". ;) > Which cover? Hmm... the album... but which? Somebody said on this list that there was a photo of Kevin on Incognito album sleeve, but I don't remember which one. > Introspective. Why not call Basia list > >"Tough Bananas" ? > NO WAY!!! Oh Leslie, we can't call the list "NO WAY". > 2) I've always wondered- does she ever just freak out at the thought of > singing these very personal songs live, or otherwise? Or, did she ever > get scared to write about some personal incident in her life that she > has written about? I mean, a lot of this stuff comes from a pretty > emotional place. I'm always surprised how people can actually write the songs about the most private issues. For some it's a kind of katharsis, of course, like George Michael. But I couldn't write about the pain I went through and then sing about it in public. My lyrics are always the opposite of what I am going through; if I'm lonely and depressed I'd write about being happy; when I'm happy and in love, I'll write about the sadness, being left in the cold, death of the lover etc. I wonder what would psychologists say about it. Ashoke wrote the beautiful essay, which included the paragraph:... > Because, those words, which were merely lyrics devoid of context when I > first started listening to her, have now found a place in each of us, mainly > because, some of the circumstances behind them have been revealed to us and > they cease to be lyrics. Instead they are stories about real people and > evocations of real feelings andas instruments of expression for the purpose > that > guided their creation. But it's interesting that you didn't preceed the essay with the words of Basia, but Suzanne Vega instead. > >A: Very. He's got really great legs, really! I think it's the best part > of > >his body. Really. He's got them greatly built, very muscular and so > much > >slim. He's got very fine legs. > Hey Ray, ya wanna check that Incognito cover again? Does it show Kevin in kilt? :) > >I want ice cream and he would go to the petrol station and bring me the > >ice cream. > Yeeah! That's a man! I wonder if there's anyone who would do this for me. And I am the similar kind of person to Basia in this aspect. The friend of mine said yesterday "I've never met somebody who would be as much altruistic as you are". But it was said ironically. :) Maybe it's good that there's nobody who would do everything I want. > But I think he'll be okay as long as she doesn't make him wear the kilt > to the petrol station at 2 am. What an image: this big black guy in a > kilt with a gallon of Praline Fudge or something. (LOL! Times 5!) Ohhh! People stare bizarrely at me, when I sit in the computer room on Polytechnics, laughing like a mad man. > She knows exactly what's on every chart. everyone; she's very > up-to-date > >with everything. > Party on Pana Trzetrzelewska! ;) Leslie: Mr. = Pan Mrs. = Pani Ms. = Panna So it's Pani Trzetrzelewska! (If there's anything I can do to improve your Polish... :) > >A: Yes, I think so. I'm slowly moving already. I've got the place at > home, > >there in Poland, in Jaworzno, in my family home. > Okay, taking into consideration what Ray said about the Polish > zenophobia (since she is in an interracial relationship and possibly > going to have a biracial child, this would be a consideration I would > think) and how people there just love to talk too much about other > people's business, I have to ask, except for it being her home and all, > why the heck go back to Jaworzno?!?! I doesn't seem to make sense. But I > guess it's easy for me to say. I think that the reason is simply the "yearning" to go home... She doesn't consider England as home. And Jaworzno... probably she would get tired with it in a short time, but that's what I think. People won't treat her as a human being there, I'm afraid; living in a big town, like Warsaw, would be easier, but the small town will do either "oh don't look, it's Basia" thing or "Basia, I love youuuu!" thing. Or maybe they got used to her? I don't know. Living with Kevin there, though, won't be easy. > >A: Yes, and it's so American to talk about your vices, isn't it? > >Q: But they're not honest, and we are honest. > Um, excuse me? Like: Americans say they're great, but they're not honest; Poles say they're hopeless and they are honest, saying that. Lovelove... (-) Ray - -=[ members.xoom.com/obvious ]=-=[ The Future Is Yours mp3 released! ]=- - -=[ Air discography: members.xoom.com/obvious/airdisco.txt ]=- - -=[ Number one this week: George Michael/Mary J Blige "As" ]=- ------------------------------ End of basia-digest V4 #42 **************************