Errors-To: owner-ecto@ns1.rutgers.edu Reply-To: ecto@ns1.rutgers.edu Sender: ecto@ns1.rutgers.edu From: ecto@ns1.rutgers.edu To: ecto-request@ns1.rutgers.edu Bcc: ecto-digest-outbound@ns1.rutgers.edu Subject: ecto #502 ecto, Number 502 Tuesday, 23 March 1993 Today's Topics: *-----------------* Ancient Roman Calendars Re: Some Notes Re: Catching up... it's spring, and the flutterbys are fluttering Thanks... KorrecTion Re: it's spring, and the flutterbys are fluttering Crash Test Dummies Re: Mylene Farmer videos - anyone else? Belly review rambling incoherencies hard to understand butter-flutter-hutter-putter Re: hard to understand ======================================================================== Date: Tue, 23 Mar 93 13:53:15 +0100 From: Ulrich Grepel Subject: Ancient Roman Calendars Mitch mitches: > WRT the Bard, it occurs to me that today is the Ides of March, which _Julius > Caesar_ warned us to beware of. I looked up Ides in the online OED, and > discovered that the Ides of a month is some number of days (which I forget) > > Go figure. I don't think Julius warned us to beware of it, he was warned... Anyhow, I looked in my Digital Webster and found the following: ides \'uEdz\ n pl but sing or pl in constr [MF, fr. L idus] (12c) :the 15th day of March, May, July, or October or the 13th day of any other month in the ancient Roman calendar; broadly: this day and the seven days preceding it and about the nones: nones \'noEnz\ n pl but sing or pl in constr [ME nonys, fr. L nonae, fr. fem. pl. of nonus ninth] (14c) 1: the ninth day before the ides according to ancient Roman reckoning 2 often cap: 4NONE (Please excuse me if there are some unusual special characters, but that's some phonetic special chars used in the Digital Webster.) The interesting thing I didn't know before is that it's not always the fifteenth of a month! Uli ======================================================================== Date: Tue, 23 Mar 93 07:01:06 MST From: dbx@teton.atmos.colostate.edu (Doug Burks) Subject: Re: Some Notes [This message seems to have been strangled in the electronic jungle on its first transmission. I apologize if you're seeing it for the second time.] To Bob Lovejoy and all Ectophiles, On Sunday, they'll be at WMMR for a taping to be aired a week later. Whenever these segments are aired, I'll be taping. Doug, if I send the tapes to you, can you handle the dubs? Please e-mail me... I can do so very, very easily. This goes for anyone else who captures stops on her radio tour. Let's record all of them! Just send the tapes to me, and anyone who does will get their choice of _two_ free tapes from the dubbing project! As usual, I'll keep everyone informed when tapes are added to my list. Doug Burks _O_ dbx@olympic.atmos.colostate.edu |< She really is!! ======================================================================== From: Ulrich Grepel Subject: Re: Catching up... Date: Tue, 23 Mar 93 15:04:57 MET Jens writes: > Continuing the discussion on laser harps, Ulrich writes: > > > I don't think you would need that type of expensive equipment. Think about > > something like the scanner checkouts in the supermarket. They use a rotating > > laser beam, something like Jarre's laser harp uses too. Now if you take > > quick and short 'shots' of the beam, you just have to measure time to find > > out what shot got reflected. You won't be able to see any difference on TV or > > video, but you also won't be able to do that with your multi-beam-thingy. > > Ahh, but this cheapskate (:-)) harp cannot tell the position of the > player's hand along the "wires", only which wire is touched (and if > you watch Jarre, you'll notice that he moves his hands as though the > harp could measure this). "My" harp could do that! And there could be > a visible diffence too, how about 12 different colors, repeating for > each octave (I'm guessing here, I don't know how many strings a harp > has per octave). > As every 'complete' instrument there should be eleven strings (or colors) per octave. Not twelve, since that includes the first and final note twice. I suggest something that's a little bit cheaper. Think about virtual reality and data gloves. This technique might degrade the lasers to just a show effect again, so you won't have to spend that much money on it... ======================================================================== Subject: it's spring, and the flutterbys are fluttering Date: Tue, 23 Mar 93 6:56:05 PST From: "Gary Nichols" jeffy@syrinx.umd.edu writes: >ObHappy: _Foxtrot_ contains Genesis' longest song, their epic "Supper's >Ready." It is from this song that Happy drew the word "flutterby" which >she then used in "Terra Incognito." maybe... "Supper's Ready" would not be the first usage in history of the word "flutterby". I have seen it numerous times in stories and poems (none of which I can name, of course. Damn this old used brain! I'm takin' it back for a new one one o' these days...). However, it is not the case, as I had previously believed, that the roots of the word butterfly are related to flutterby. According to Webster's, it apparently comes from Old English: "butere" and "fleoge", which, you guessed it, mean butter and fly, and the joining of the words comes from the twelfth century belief that witches (in the shape of butterflies) came and stole cream and butter.... (it's a wonder our ancestors survived with their strange beliefs... (of course, people will be saying this about me in the next century)) aaaaaaanyway... enough babbling (I do lots of it, too!), you get the point. But this thread of thought leads me to the following question: Is there a particular reason or target to Happy's common use of baby talk in her lyrics? Is she doing it as a tribute to someone (like Carol Burnett pulling her ear for her daughter after every performance)? Or does she just talk that way sometimes? I mean, sometimes the usage fits the song well, as in "Terra Incognito", but others, it's just there. Perhaps it helps make the transition from one word to another easier to say as in "eatie the food" vs. "eat the food" (try and say it, you have to pause between "eat" and "the" but not between "eatie" and "the"). Maybe this is in a FAQ somewhere that I can't get to... (no out-of-company-direct-ftping....) By the way, I'm hurt that noone tore apart my analysis of "Closer". OK, I'll do it!!! It was hogwash!!! After Jessica dug up that info about Happy's childhood and parents (Many Thanks, Jessica!!), it is obvious to me that she has the correct angle on the story... gary ======================================================================== Date: Tue, 23 Mar 93 09:40:48 est From: ajs@jloda.cci.com (Alan Sodoma) Subject: Thanks... Many thanks to all the people who wished me a happy birthday! On Thursday, the 18th, I went out with a bunch of good friends for a bunch of beer and and checked out a band, The Great Train Robbery. That was fun. On Friday, my good buddy Pete and I headed out to Syracuse for a weekend of male-bonding at the Carrier Dome for the 1st and 2nd rounds of the NCAA b-ball tourney. Tonight, Tuesday, I head out to my parents house to see what keen presents I get this year! :-) Only 2 years 'til 30!!! My Mom and Dad can't believe it. Of course, they're only 45! To Steve Fagg: Yea, I AM the Alan Sodoma who works at NT-NAS in Rochester, NY! Everybody calls me Al, which I prefer (for no real reason) over Alan. Long hair? I had hair that was about 3 inches past my shoulders. That's not too long, but compared to what I have now, it is. I got it cut off a couple weeks ago. I went from semi-long, curly hair to short, straight hair. There were many people who walked right by me and didn't even know it was me! That was kinda fun, but I want my hair back!!!! Oh well, at least I get out of the shower quicker. :-) Al ======================================================================== Date: 23 Mar 93 11:09:54 EST From: Mike Mendelson Subject: KorrecTion point of bullshit (as we used to joke about RR in college): > offers of assistance--Vickie, of course, and the aforementioned > palindrome man, Mike Mendelson (then known as...Christine, wasn't it? > for reasons really not worth going into, eh? ;-). I did the initial > (and mistake-riddled) Well, close... Charlotte. She really does exist... some people here have even met her. -mjm P.S. Jeff, thanks for quoting those kate poems... did you really do it from memory? Awesome. Sometimes, I just leaf through Kate's lyrics and weep. I wonder if that would happen if I had never heard the music? ======================================================================== Subject: Re: it's spring, and the flutterbys are fluttering Date: Tue, 23 Mar 93 11:53:08 EST From: Angelos Kyrlidis Gary writes: >But this thread of thought leads me to the following question: Is there a >particular reason or target to Happy's common use of baby talk in her lyrics? Now THAT's something I have meant to ask for a while now, (maybe I did and I forgot). And it's more than the 'eatie the food', it's also 'I steppie in between the molecules'... This is part of what annoyed me the first time I listened to EQP. Is it a Happy in-joke? Cause she surely doesn't strike me as the type of person who would talk like that. Then it could be in character for the songs, although the cohabitating thing wouldn't probably talk like that, unless it's that unexpected element that adds to the discomfort of the lyrics. But in 'Runners'? The floor is open for further discussion. Angelos 'It's no use to face the future, count to 20, close your eyes This year, next year, thermonuclear, merrily up on high' - Tom Robinson ======================================================================== Date: Tue, 23 Mar 1993 08:44:09 -0800 (PST) From: Neile Graham Subject: Crash Test Dummies I was delighted to see Yngve mention the Crash Test Dummies on ecto (is this the first time or have I missed something?) While they don't have a female lead singer (though there is a woman in the band who does backing vocals) and their sound isn't ethereal at all, they seem perfect ecto fodder, I mean, the title of their first album is even _The Ghosts that Haunt Me_! They're a good band--music that I've grown to enjoy, I really like the lead singer's voice (deep & sexy :) ) and I particuarly love their witty lyrics. I, too, have been waiting to see what they come up with next. And any band that uses Dore illustrations from "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" for their cover, well, that's pretty cool. On the Canadian theme I should mention that Jim and I went to hear Spirit of the West play here in Seattle last week. They drew a good crowd even though only a couple of their (not very recent) recordings are available here. While I miss their more folky early records (_Tripping Up the Stairs_ is still my sentimental favourite) I really like their more rocking recent material, _Go Figure_, their most recent, being my second favourite. While their lyrics seems sometimes a little too simplistically political, they always make a good point, and both versions of the song "Political" are great. P.S. I'm dying to hear Gogh van Go. Trying to talk my parents into locating and bringing a copy down. P.P.S. Did someone say there really *is* a new Martha and the Muffins? I thought there was, but when I went to the store I discovered that it was a new duo called M&M not M+M. Anyone?? Damn I wish _Danseparc_ would be released on cd!! --Neile (Just another pre-paid announcement by the committee to spread knowledge about Canadian bands.) ======================================================================== From: depeche@binkley.cs.mcgill.ca (S. A. Ezust) Date: Tue, 23 Mar 93 12:05:12 EST Subject: Re: Mylene Farmer videos - anyone else? [In message "Mylene Farmer videos - anyone else?" on Mar 23, Ulrich Grepel writes:] | | Hi, | | has anyone else here seen the videos of Mylene Farmer? She's a French singer | and her videos are more like small movies she did the soundtrack for. Several I was once in a bar and what I think now was one of her mini-movies was playing. It looked like a battle during the 18th or 19th century, with people skewering each other with bayonets and (what might have been) Mylene jumping over bodies and kicking people in the balls, and falling into the mud. I couldn't hear the soundtrack though, so I had no idea whether it was a music video, and I didn't know who Mylene Farmer was either. Much later, when I saw a video of one of her songs which had similar scenes and the same girl in the old victorian outfit... It was a beautiful and haunting video though, and I have been looking for it for a long time!!!! Does this description sound like one of the videos on your tape??? For which song is it? Do they play music for the entire 15-minutes or is there dialogue, or what?? | P.S.: If there's someone out here who knows better than me: Are there any | other tapes availlable from Mylene? I wanna know too!!!! | P.P.S.: Ok, I received a mail order catalog before I was able to send this | out. As it goes, there is another tape from Mylene, called _L' autre_. Of | course I already have ordered it... Her _ansi soit je_ album is much better than _l'autre_, musicwise. But I have no idea what the videos are like. -- | Alan Ezust depeche@binkley.cs.mcgill.ca Montreal, Quebec, Canada | |------------- McGill University School of Computer Science ----------------| Chew your gum and close your eyes and nothing can annoy you. - E.Ka-Spel an Ezust depeche@binkley.cs.mcgill.ca Montreal, Quebec, Canada | |------------- McGill University School of Computer Science ----------------| Chew your gum and close your eyes and nothing can annoy you. - E.Ka-Spel ======================================================================== Date: Mon, 22 Mar 93 13:38:25 EST From: Laura Clifford Subject: Belly review My friend Nancy wrote this up for the show we both saw this past Saturday. Do go see Belly if you get a chance - they were really terrific! Laura ----BEGINNING OF FORWARDED MESSAGES---- Received: from SPCHP11.BBN.COM by CC7.BBN.COM ; 22 Mar 93 13:10:18 EST Date: Sun, 21 Mar 93 9:09:04 EST From: Nancy Everson To: 4AD-L%JHUVM.BITNET@pucc.princeton.edu Subject: Belly at the Paradise, March 20 Resent-Date: Mon, 22 Mar 93 13:16:15 EST Resent-From: everson@BBN.COM Resent-To: lclifford@BBN.COM I saw Belly last night at a sold out show at the Paradise in Boston. This was my third time seeing them (last April and last October were the other two times), and I think they've really hit their stride. They were great last night. Lots of energy, and no low spots. There wasn't anyone walking out early, as there had been in October. The band was working really well together, and they all pay attention to one another, like they really like being in a band together. I think that their current bass player really affects the dynamics of the band. She's wonderful -- more energy than 10 five-year-olds, always with a wide smile on her face, as she danced up and down the stage. Watching her made me starting thinking things I last thought when I saw Linda Hamilton in "Terminator II", like what sort of workouts I should start doing, and what sort of changes in my diet and lifestyle I would need to make to get muscles like that... Plus she's a really good bassist. Tanya joked with the audience, pointing out the new zit on her nose (which I couldn't see from 14 feet away), and commenting about how she always throws up before shows in Boston. The set was solid: Low Red Moon, Dream On Me, Full Moon Empty Heart, Gepetto, Angel, White Belly, Star, Sexy S (written as "Sadie" on the set list), Feed the Tree, Slow Dog, and Dusted for the main set. The first encore started with just Tanya and an acoustic guitar for a wonderful rendition of Untogether, then she switched to electric and started out with Stay, and the band came back to join her. The second encore was "Trust in Me". I think Feed the Tree got the biggest cheer as it started, since it's being overplayed on the local "alternative" station (at least I assume it is, since I don't listen to it myself). It's a shame, now that the alternative stations are all over Belly, as it were, the college radio station that was raving about Belly before the first single even came out didn't even get a promo copy of "Star". Anyway, I really enjoyed the show, and I hope all of you have a chance to see them on this tour! -nancy everson@bbn.com P.S. I figured I should at least mention the opening band, Apollo Landing. Their singer is a Sarah "Velocity Girl" Shannon wannabe, without the talent or backing band that Sarah has. (But maybe I'm just still bitter that V. Girl wasn't the opening act here.) ----END OF FORWARDED MESSAGES---- ======================================================================== Date: 23 Mar 1993 11:13:03 -0600 From: "Julianne Dunphy" Subject: rambling incoherencies rambling incoherencies First, my apologies for my mailer which insists on placing my subject heading as the first line of text. UGHHHHH!!! Weird... Anyway, I was in LA 2 weeks ago and had a chance to pop into Tower in Westwood. They had Bel Canto _White Out Conditions_ (which I snagged---excellent!) and one lonely copy of _Rhodes I_. I was excited but a bit disgruntled to find no _Equipoise_'s. Interesting.... While I was there (visiting UCLA) I got my graduate student host hooked on Happy. I love it! Another interesting conversion is the bio prof I work for. For a while there, he was walking around singing, "Ecto... Ecto....Ecto..." It was hilarious. He borrowed my copy of _Ecto_ for awhile, thus getting his wife hooked too. So, any chance of Happy taking her radio tour out of the east and into the midwest at all? I know there are tons of fans out here in Illinois who would love to see her! 8-) Oh, one more thing, last weekend, I got the DJ to play "The Big Sky" at the reception for a wedding I was in. It was great, everyone loved dancing to it. Then about an hour later, he played it AGAIN! It must have been a mistake, but hey, we loved it! Later, Julianne ======================================================================== Date: 23 Mar 93 12:36:36 EST From: Mike Mendelson Subject: hard to understand Vickie treatises: > Yes, Laura mentioned this too. When Happy was giving me the list of > radio stations, she said "Boston won't play me because I'm too weird" This is senseless. What is *weird* about Happy? Musically, I mean. Kate Bush is *way* weirder than Happy.... do they play that in Boston? Or does this mean HR the person is weird? And if so, how would they know? I think Happy's music is certainly as straightforward, musically, as many popular bands. Is it the lyric content? Too intense? There are so many other intense and depressing lyrics out there... When I was in college I wrote a song (I write songs every now and then) and when I showed people the lyrics they got worried that I was really depressed or on the verge of some mental disorder or something because of the lyrics. First of all, I don't have to be depressed to write a depressing song. Second, everyone gets depressed or whatever, and writing a song about it is usually a positive thing. PBS, during money week, ran a superb Paul Simon special, called Born at the Right Time (highly, highly recommended... I taped it... come over and we'll watch!). In it, there's a scene where he's giving a song-writing seminar in South Africa. He says, "don't be afraid to write bad lyrics or music.... you can always edit later... and when you get writer's block, or feel like there's nothing to write about, all that means is that you have something to write about, you just don't want to express it... what you need to do is to look into your mind and identify the things you want to write about; then, if you don't like them that way, think of some other angle or perspective to write about those things... there is always something to write about" (this is a *very* loose paraphrase). Every single song I've ever heard by Todd Rundgren is depressing. Michael Penn writes songs about depressing things, but in a more upbeat kind of way. And World Party (I just discovered I really like them--- errr him) writes great, happy-sounding songs, about depressing things (I'm Way Down Now, Put the Message in the Box, (more so the former than the latter, but still...)). Well, what's the problem with Happy? (I know I'm asking the wrong group.) -mjm ======================================================================== Date: 23 Mar 93 13:02:26 EST From: Mike Mendelson Subject: butter-flutter-hutter-putter Jeff: > ObHappy: _Foxtrot_ contains Genesis' longest song, their epic "Supper's > Ready." It is from this song that Happy drew the word "flutterby" which > she then used in "Terra Incognito." Actually, I'm pretty sure that "flutterby" is an earlier form of what we now call "butterfly", thus not at all originated by Genesis, but I am rusty on my historical linguistics. A classic case of cross-syllabic metathesis? Also, someone mentioned needing to run out and buy *new* Pursuit of Happiness. Is this TPOH and do you mean they are coming out with a third album? -mjm ======================================================================== Subject: Re: hard to understand Date: Tue, 23 Mar 93 13:08:22 EST From: Angelos Kyrlidis Mike M writes: >Vickie treatises: >> Yes, Laura mentioned this too. When Happy was giving me the list of >> radio stations, she said "Boston won't play me because I'm too weird" >This is senseless. What is *weird* about Happy? Musically, I mean. >Kate Bush is *way* weirder than Happy.... do they play that in Boston? Senseless indeed. I think the main problem is record company support. WFNX is a commercial radio station. The only non major label stuff they play is local alternative rock. And Happy is not local (she's local enough to me :-) ). I remember Kevin complaining about Kurt St. Thomas, the music director, and saying that he wanted a BMW or something in order to play Happy. I am sure that if the DJs had the chance to listen to Happy they would play her music. There are some major KaTefans on the staff there, and they do play KaTe all the time. Heck, they even played Ween's 'Push th' little daisies' 4 times in a row. The issue isn't weirdness, the issue is $$$$. Angelos 'Corresponding disasters every night on the TV Sickening reality keeps gripping me in its guts'- Tom Robinson ======================================================================== The ecto archives are on hardees.rutgers.edu in ~ftp/pub/hr. There is an INDEX file explaining what is where. Feel free to send me things you'd like to have added. -- jessica (jessica@ns1.rutgers.edu)