3-Dec-91 22:48:55-GMT,21211;000000000001 Received: from athos.rutgers.edu by aramis.rutgers.edu (5.59/SMI4.0/RU1.4/3.08) id AA02739; Tue, 3 Dec 91 17:30:16 EST Received: by athos.rutgers.edu (5.59/SMI4.0/RU1.4/3.08) id AA24606; Tue, 3 Dec 91 17:30:10 EST Date: Tue, 3 Dec 91 17:30:10 EST Message-Id: <9112032230.AA24606@athos.rutgers.edu> Errors-To: owner-ecto@athos.rutgers.edu Reply-To: ecto@athos.rutgers.edu Sender: ecto@athos.rutgers.edu From: ecto@athos.rutgers.edu To: ecto-request@athos.rutgers.edu Subject: ecto #71 ecto, Number 71 Tuesday, 3 December 1991 Today's Topics: *-----------------* Sadness in Filmland (non-Happy post) Gads... Happy Gift Contribution Miscellany II I/II: will the sequellae never cease? Pain ======================================================================== Date: Mon, 2 Dec 91 03:40 CST From: vickie@chinet.chi.il.us (Vickie Ann Mapes) Subject: Sadness in Filmland (non-Happy post) Vickie here. This is something I posted in the movie newsgroups. It has nothing to do with Ecto or Happy or even Kate, but since films have popped up as topics every now and then, I wanted to send it on to Ecto. Klaus Kinski died the other day. He was a brilliant actor (though it's true that he appeared in many stinkers) and appeared as one of my favorite characters in one of my favorite films, Fitzcarraldo. For those who have never seen the film Fitzcarraldo, it's the story about a mad, gentle, passionate dreamer named Brian Feeney Fitzgerald. The film is set near the turn of the century, I'm not sure of the date. Fitz lives in the small town of Iquitos in South America. His greatest love is Opera and his greatest dream is to build a grand opera house in Iquitos and bring the great Caruso there for the grand opening. He's tried various schemes to make money for the opera house such as ice-making, and building a railroad through the jungle, but all have failed. He comes up with a plan to make a fortune as a rubber baron by claiming an isolated area full of rubber trees, unreachable because of deadly rapids upstream. Fitz sails a big boat down a parallel river to an area just south of his land, to a point where the two rivers almost meet. He enlists the aid of the local Indians to help him clear a path between the two rivers, then haul the ship up a mountain and down into the other river. This is the basic plot but there's much more to the film. It's a slow-moving, dreamy, beautiful film about following your dreams, doing what you think is right, even in the face of powerful resistance, struggles and other people telling you you're crazy. It's a wonder to behold! +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ This post contains spoilers for the film _Fitzcarraldo_. *sniff* Though it happened a few days ago, I've been behind on news and I just found out that Klaus Kinski died recently of natural causes. I'm very upset. Though I haven't seen very many of his films, he's starred in some of my favorites. Fitzcarraldo, especially, is on my all-time favorite list, but I also love Nosferatu and Aguirre: Wrath of God. Tonight I watched my copies of Fitzcarraldo and Burden of Dreams. I wish I had Aguirre on video, but I don't. I don't think Nosferatu has ever been released, please someone correct me if I'm wrong. I first saw Fitzcarraldo in the theater, then again when it was released on video. Both times it was German with English subtitles. However, the version I have was taped from television. It was on the Lifetime channel and aired on two different nights. I didn't write the date on the label, but I didn't edit out some of the commercials on the second night and there are ads for the Royal Wedding (Andy and Fergie) Specials, whatever year that was, 1985 or 1986. The Lifetime version is in English with no subtitles. Now, I hate dubbed films, but not this one. Why? Because strangely enough, it's clear from this version that it was very definitely originally _filmed_ in English! The dialog was re-looped in English and German, but all the major characters, except for the cook (the one who brought his two girlfriends on board), originally spoke English. It was a joy to watch this film again. Jason Robards was originally to play Brian Sweeney Fitzgerald, but Klaus Kinski stepped in when Robards became ill. I very much like Jason Robards, but now I can't imagine anyone but Kinski playing that role. He brought to the role a perfect mixture of insanity, brilliance, inspiration and gentleness. Burden of Dreams is Les Blank's documentary of the filming of Fitzcarraldo, and is a brilliant film in it's own right. The documentary chronicles the enormous troubles that Werner Herzog and his cast and crew went through to get the film made. Burden of Dreams should only be seen *after* viewing the film Fitzcarraldo. I salute Werner Herzog for one of my favorite films, Klaus Kinski for one of my favorite characters and Les Blank and Maureen Gosling for showing the effort behind it all. Magic moments for me in Fitzcarraldo (spoilers below) Fitzcarraldo in jail, the children praying on their knees, one boy plays violin. The river scene using the Drums of Makebuko: Burundi (this piece of music is the first track on the original WOMAD album.) The music's from the wrong continent, I know, but it works for the tense mood. This music is used immediately before and immediately after the umbrella is pulled from the water, then Fitz plays Caruso in answer to the drums. This entire sequence is awesome! The huge trees crashing into the water as the Indians block the river. The ship in the fog (used on the cover of the videobox) The ship out of control in the rapids. The opera company in the canoes, then performing on board the ship. Too many more to name. My eulogy... "Goodbye Klaus, thank you for bringing Brian Sweeney Fitzgerald to life." Vickie katefans@chinet.chi.il.us ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Still on movies, I'm right now half-watching another well-loved film, Hope and Glory. I had to type in this immortal line from it... "Men are fighting and dying to save all the pink bits for you ungreatful little twerps." Wonderful film!! ======================================================================== Date: Mon, 2 Dec 91 11:17:09 EST From: Laura Clifford Subject: Re: Sadness in Filmland (non-Happy post) More similarities on Ecto - Klaus' obit is on my refrigerator. He was my FAVORITE actor and I had always hoped to meet him someday... although my favorite Klaus film is Aguirre. Nosferatu was also filmed in both English and German. Also catch Herzog's Woyczek with Kinski. Vicki - Klaus wrote his autobiography a while back - wild stuff. Still in mourning.... Laura ======================================================================== Date: 2-DEC-1991 13:32:40.87 From: MTARR@eagle.wesleyan.edu Subject: Gads... Hi! Well, back from Thanksgiving to an e-box stuffed FULL of nothing but Ecto!!! Made for some wonderful plasmic residue on the keyboard, I can tell you... Klaus, has KaTe's "RM/CITW" been released in Deutschland? If so, I may have a proposition for you. ;) And woj is right- Sharrock's "Kate" is so much of a variation on the end-bit of WH that you can't really tell what it is until almost the end. It would be interesting to put them in order on the tape, aKTually, because the a cappella version does something interesting to the end bit as well. And I believe my track runs just under 5 minutes, including priceless introduction- I'll time it exactly this evening and get back to you. To whomever wanted to know: "Wrong Century" is SCREAMING to be fiddled with. :) And the idea for a "fuzzy blue" drink is a good one- the liqueur is called Blue Curacao, and it looks like the funky milk Luke and his family drink in "Star Wars". Don't mix it with a fuzzy navel, however: the resulting combination of orange juice and blue liquid most closely resembles toxic waste (which is, actually, the name of the drink). Tastes fine, but it's nowhere near fuzzy blueness! Oh- another note to Klaus: I got my large poster of the Dust-Through-Fingers shot at World Of Music on Sonnenstrasse in Muenchen- presumably they'd have it at a WOM closer to you (isn't there one in Koeln?), or at least it'd be available for order. I made a tape of _warpaint_ for a friend who gave me a stack of tapes- along with most of my KaTe-STuff and Peter Gabriel's German stuff and _Rainbirds_. I'll be anxiously awaiting her reaction, which will probably be good- she has good taste in music. :) +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Meredith Tarr "We let the weirdness in..." mtarr@eagle.wesleyan.edu -Kate Bush +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ======================================================================== Date: Mon, 2 Dec 91 18:53:31 +0000 From: Steve Fagg Subject: Happy Gift Contribution My contribution would be "No Man's Land" from June Tabor's 1977 "Ashes & Diamonds" album. Allowing for a brief spoken introduction from yours truly it would probably be best to allow just over 8mins on the tape. When's the deadline? -- Regards Steve Fagg ( S.L.Fagg@bnr.co.uk +44-279-429531 Ext 2437 ) BNR Europe Ltd., London Road, Harlow, Essex, CM17 9NA, UK ... not really into pets ... *** Vita? Nole me vitae dicere! *** (Pace centurians everywhere) ======================================================================== Date: Mon, 2 Dec 1991 13:09:25 -0600 From: Brian Bloom Subject: Re: Gads... Yeah, Wrong Century already has a cool plunky beat (and by coincidence is my favorite Happy song, so far...) So I'll turn my attention to it and see if I can't come up with some wacked out mix of it (It'll be a bit of a challenge, cuz I don't have the equipment that Drukman used for his Kate Rape tape) I still have *no* idea what I'd call the mix though.... __ ____ __ ____ __ __ (__==__) /\ \ / \_\ / /\ / \ \ / |\ / /\ (oo) ( moo.) / \_\ / /\ |_| / / /| /\ \ \ / ||/ / / /-------\/ -' / /\ | |\ \/ /_/_ / / / \ \/ \ \ / |/ / / / | U.T.|| / \/ |_| \ __ \_\ /_/ / \ /\ \_\ / /| / / * ||----|| / /\ ./_/ \ \ \/_/_\_\/ \ \ \/_// / | / / ^^ ^^ \ \/ |_| \ \_\ /_/\ \ \_\ /_/ /|_/ / Br!an Bloom \__/_/ \/_/ \_\/ \/_/ \_\/ \_\/ brianb@natinst.com ======================================================================== Date: 2 December 1991 13:04:51 CST From: (yertle of salamasond) Subject: Miscellany II I/II: will the sequellae never cease? Chai y'all. (for people who, unlike me, are into Hanukah :-) ) The amount of support expressed in these pages for the development of a "[warm] fuzzy blue" drink thus far has indeed been gratifying. I am especially pleased that people are able to remember the ingredients that I couldn't. Had I been forwarned of how blue curacao actually meshes with the orange stuff, I might have been tempted to stick to the spirit of the holiday weekend just ended, and just pour myself a few fingers of Wild Turkey--straight up. :-) For all that, the notion of commingling blue and orange liqueurs might still have some appeal for people around universities such as Illinois and Virginia. In the aggregate, it may still be worth it to figure how to perfect this drink. (I still wonder sometimes about the consequences, if it ever got back to Happy what kinds of things I've been advocating be invented in furtherance of her music. :-) ) It has come to my attention that the deadline for getting ballots into Rolling Stone's music poll (including, for present purposes, write-in votes for Happy and her music) is December 20. The issue with the ballot is no longer available in stores, but I would assume many of you either subscribe, or had already bought it. Which brings me to a couple of points of information: 1) Could we get away with voting for Happy as "best new artist?" 2) Would it feel right to vote for her as "best rock artist," since it's often ambiguous what genre--if any--she really falls into? Any ideas that anyone has on these points would be welcomed and appreciated. As I was writing the last packet of amorphous verbiage that I laid on you all, on Wednesday afternoon, I was listening to "The Midnight Special" on WFMT. They played a few tracks from the new John Prine album, and it seems quite good. I meant to mention this at the time, but it slipped my mind. In the best case, it will provide a pretext to go over to Tower and get a copy of _Pulse_, featuring Angelos' contribution. (BTW: I've never heard of that publication. Is it something Tower puts out in-house, or what?) A money-saving tip for some lucky Chicago Ectoian: yesterday, as I was scoring some good bargains (including the new Sara McLachlan album) in the used section at Pravda Records, I noticed they had a used promo copy of Laurie Freelove's album, for about 5 or 6 bucks. Locals who don't already own this may do well to go down there and see if they still have it. (I have yet to rework my review from last week into a form suitable for external consumption, as per Vickie's suggestion in today's incoming posts.) To close on a more serious note: Guild Books, a distinguished alternative bookstore in Chicago, is in danger of going under if they don't raise $50,000 by the end of February. Toward this end, they have started a "Friends of Guild Books," membership in which costs $20 and gets you a newsletter, certain kinds of preferential treatments when buying books, and some other emoluments. For years, Guild has offered a variety of literature available few if any other places in the city, sponsored readings and discussions by authors, and been a mainstay in the fight against censorship and other forms of antilibertarianism. To join the Friends of Guild, or for more information, write or visit Guild Books, 2456 N. Lincoln, Chicago, Ill. 60614, or call (312) 525-3667. Mitch Pravatiner ======================================================================== Date: Mon, 2 Dec 91 11:55:34 MST From: dbx@olympic.atmos.colostate.edu (Doug Burks) Subject: Pain Greetings Steve quotes Vickie's question: Does Happy have more of an ability to attract people who have known pain? I think so. I think she can touch deep feelings in people who have been privliged and pampered, but it's the "wretches" she speaks most deeply to. I consider myself one of "the wretches" so I'm not taking shots at anyone. Kate's fans are half and half, I think. Steve answers Vickie's question: I would agree with Vickie, although I also feel obligated to point out that it is not just Happy's ability to write music that deals with painful emotions, but the ultimately optimistic tone of even her darkest works, that is what really appeals to me. When I first sat down to answer this question, both in last Tuesday's post and this one, I thought the answer was obvious and this subject would be easy to address. However, I doubt the answer of 'Yes' deserves the five character high word I originally wrote. First (and most trivially), if I read Vickie's question straight, I would agree that people who have experienced personal pain are drawn to Happy, i.e., 'Yes' (Maybe even five characters high). However, Vickie's context seems to indicate that the question may have been closer to "Have people who are attracted to Happy's music experienced personal pain?" In this case, the answer may be closer to 'No' than 'Yes'. Many people, especially outside Ecto: the Mailing List, were strongly attracted to Happy's music via _Warpaint_. Here her lyrics are much more subdued on the subject of personal pain, broadening into areas of politics and new age philosophy. _Warpaint_ strongly exemplifies the strengths of Happy's music beyond the subject of personal pain, such as her voice and musicianship, which also show up on the first four albums. nEven if you look at the pure question of people who have experienced pain, the answer is not clear-cut. There are many different kinds and sources of personal pain, and Happy's lyrics don't directly address many of them, depression or romantic heartbreak, for example. People who have experienced any kind of pain can get something out of Happy, since she examines the effects of and dealing with pain rather than specific problems. However, it hits most closely and clearly for a type of pain I can't easily describe, pain caused by the foundering of your life's foundation. I've skirted a frontal attack on this description in recent weeks, so I might as well finally plow through this mess and nail it down. Once I began to listen to Happy's lyrics, I felt an immediate, instinctive, and intensely personal empathy, bypassing any leavening of reason or intellect. Happy gives voice to a part of my life, heart, and soul which had lain dormant and silent, locked away for years. Happy hits the nail precisely in describing the feelings of spending close to two years debating whether life was worth it, the complete crumbling of your assumptions about life, the incessant arguments with yourself, the fantasy worlds you construct. (She has a much better imagination than I do, though!) Fortunately for her, Happy found an easier way out than I did, using her music making for a firm grasp on life. After two attempts, I merely realized that I couldn't kill myself (a very desolate feeling). While not a very positive reason, it eventually forced me to deal with my problems, while were (and still are) largely self-inflicted. Let's take an example from one of Happy's songs. I remember reading Kiri's puzzlement about the lyrics of "Beat It Out". I wanted to scream "Can't you see it? It's obvious!", but only to fail to find a way to describe "it" right away. Maybe even Happy can't face it, dismissing it as simply an exercise of her deepest voice. To put it simply, I can't listen to this song anymore. It is the most painful, agonizing song I've ever heard, and Happy's cold controlled vocals only make it more so. She describes the feelings when the internal torment grows to an unbearable level and you simply rage. With no external target, you take it out on yourself, trying to beat out the demons which torment you. The self-flaggelation is physical, mental, and spiritual. "Beat It Out" paints the desolation during and after such an attack perfectly. There is no way out. Just because Kiri didn't catch in "Beat It Out" what I catch doesn't mean that she hasn't experienced personal pain or isn't attracted to Happy's lyrics by the pain. (I'm not even saying that my interpretation is right, though I don't think I'm way off base). I'm just saying that hers was different than mine. Steve posits that part of the attraction is that Happy shines a light of optimism and hope through the darkness of her songs. I certainly won't argue that, and totally agree with it, to a point. I still would have felt a kinship with her music even had she left out the optimism. Her lyrics just hit my soul's bulls-eye with a very deadly aim. (Maybe too deadly. Once awakened, my ancient demons ripped off the age old scabs, making the last few months a bit rough. They will force me to re-write the truce with my past on better terms. With any luck, I'll come out of the mess stronger). I certainly appreciate the touches of optimism, and her lyrics would lose a valuable aspect without them, but I don't think they answer Vickie's question. In closing, I've editted and re-arranged this note too many times, and it still looks like a mess, but I hope that what I'm trying to say comes through, even if I'm not sure exactly what that is. Emotions don't translate well into words. Doug Burks _O_ dbx@olympic.atmos.colostate.edu |< She really is!! ======================================================================== To join ecto, please send electronic mail to the following address: ecto-request@athos.rutgers.edu To have your thoughts included in the next issue, send mail to: ecto@athos.rutgers.edu To subscribe to "Ecto", the printed fanzine, send $8 to: Ecto PO Box 11291 New Brunswick, NJ 08906 Ecto is issued 8 times/year, and will include photos and as much material from non-net members as we can get! Donations above the subscription cost are welcomed - all money goes to bringing you better issues! Your "humble pseudo-moderator" -- jessica (jessica@athos.rutgers.edu)