From: owner-ecto-digest@smoe.org (ecto-digest) To: ecto-digest@smoe.org Subject: ecto-digest V4 #439 Reply-To: ecto@smoe.org Sender: owner-ecto-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-ecto-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk ecto-digest Wednesday, December 16 1998 Volume 04 : Number 439 Today's Subjects: ----------------- Today's your birthday, friend... [Mike Matthews ] Re: A new confession: I was wrong about Happy! ["Xenu's Sister" ] The Sugarcubes ["Tim" ] Re: shooting stardom [Michael Colford ] Re: More about 'The Keep', more about Happy ["C. K. Coney" Happy ["C. K. Coney" ] Re: Cocteau success --> Happy ["C. K. Coney" ] Defending Fiona ["Xenu's Sister" ] Re: shooting stardom ["C. K. Coney" ] Re: So, how do we make Happy famous? ["C. K. Coney" ] A bit on Happy wrt fame. (Re: More about 'The Keep', more about Happy ["] Re: Defending Fiona ["C. K. Coney" ] Re: So, how do we make Happy famous? [Old Spice ] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 16 Dec 1998 03:00:04 -0500 (EST) From: Mike Matthews Subject: Today's your birthday, friend... i*i*i*i*i*i i*i*i*i*i*i *************** *****HAPPY********* **************BIRTHDAY********* *************************************************** *************************************************************************** ********************* Damon Harper (damon@pobox.com) ********************** *************************************************************************** -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- - -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Damon Harper Tue December 16 1975 COOL BANANAS Laura Clifford Tue December 17 1957 Sagittarius Dirk Kastens Tue December 17 1963 Sagittarius Milla Wed December 17 1975 Sagittarius Chris Schernwetter Tue December 17 1974 Sagittarius Sherry Haddock Sat December 17 1960 Sagittarius Tracy Benbrook Tue December 18 1973 Sagittarius Mark Lowry Mon December 22 1969 Capricarius Uli Grepel Wed December 25 1968 Steinbock Joseph Wasicek Sat December 25 1976 Brown Eagle Stuart Castergine Mon December 30 1963 You Are Here Marvin Camras Sat January 01 1916 Tapehead Jeanne Schreiter Tue January 03 1967 Capricorn John Sandoval Wed January 04 1967 Capricorn Paul Cohen Tue January 05 1954 Capricorn Tony Garrity Mon January 08 1962 Pool of Life Greg Bossert Tue January 09 1962 OfTheTimes Troy J. Shadbolt Thu January 14 1971 Capricorn Chris Sampson Wed January 15 1964 Void where prohibited - -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 16 Dec 1998 03:32:16 -0600 From: "Xenu's Sister" Subject: Re: A new confession: I was wrong about Happy! At 11:45 AM 12/14/98 -0800, Eponine wrote: >MWABT will be set aside to be re-evaluated in a >new light at a later date!) Don't hurry with this, there's plenty of time, and you have so much to listen to anyway. It's probable that once you hear more (or most, or all) of Happy's previous work you'll be able to understand the direction she's been working towards since day one. She's not there yet. MWABT isn't it, but it's a huge step there. Each album builds on her vision, teaches her more, and paves the way for the next step. Each "real" album (Warpaint on) is a powerful, wonderful entity unto itself, but they're only pieces of the puzzle. I think the earth will tremble and the planets will explode if Happy should ever actually get all the way **THERE**. I hope no one gets hurt. :-) (Not to put any pressure or anything on Happy!) Anyway, don't try to take MWABT in its entirety again, not for a long long time. However, every now and then you might put it on and play one or two cuts, then take it out of the CD player. In particular, I can't see anyone going without listening to these songs when the album is in their possession: "Tragic" "Looking Over Cliffs" "Winter" "Serenading Genius" (Those are my very very favorite songs on the album) Then later, very electronic, but not so much as others: "The Chariot" "Ra Is A Busy God" "If Wishes Were Horses, How Beggars Would Ride" (Truly wonderful, once your mind gets used to and lets the electronics fade into the background and you can focus on her voice and the lyrics.) Then later still, *the* most "electronic" cuts: "Many Worlds Are Born Tonight" (a song she did live for a couple of years before the album got recorded, and so a lot of us will refer to this track by its working title, "Jork") "100 Years" (which really didn't do anything for me until I really paid attention to the lyrics and saw it live. Now I think it's great.) Then way later still: "Roy (Back From The Offworld)" "Proof" (Those come last simply because they're my least favorite on the album, not because I think they're the killer tracks. Though "Roy" does have a truly lovely violin solo and goosebump-inducing Happy-ese vocals in the middle, and live, this song *rocked* quarries.) (Happy-ese: when Happy isn't singing actual lyrics but rather using her voice as an...as a...oh, what?...LSD trip?...no, uh...alien spacecraft?... no...hmmm....the Diva in The Fifth Element?...close, but...not instrument, there's no instrument like what she does...um, er, um...oh hell, sings without lyrics, though that sounds so...so...blah! When you get there, you can tell *me* since you have such a wonderful way with words.) Since my first couple of listens were so overwhelming, what I did (well, what I do anyway with each new Happy - and Kate - album) is put it on in the background and play it over and over and again, at low volume, without paying much attention to it. That sounds disrespectful to the artist's vision, but for me, it lets me get very familiar with the general feel of the music and vocals, without the pressure of having to "like" or "dislike" or judge it at all. Once it's very familiar to me in a vague sort of way (oxymoron, I know) then I listen to it, *REALLY* and then I don't listen to it for a while. Then I listen over and over again, low volume, while doing something else. Just do the same thing all over again. Sooner or later the album has dug a niche (or hole) into my psyche and only then do I sit down and learn the lyrics, then listen to it over and over while paying very close attention to all the details. It's a Process, and I'm pretty weird about it, but it works for me. I feel I should be as familiar with the work as humanly possible before I can really, truly, honestly judge what I think of it. Now, don't think I do this with just any old album. I only do this with albums that I know in advance are going to be part of my life forever, forever important to me. It's vital when the artist is as important to me as Happy (and Kate) is. I don't always end up seeing eye to eye with the artist ("Proof" - what was she *thinking*?) but there have also been times when *I* was the one unenlightened, even with all those listenings, and it just took me a while to see the error of my ways. ("Cohabitants" on Equipoise is a PRIME example. God I used to hate that song. Now it's one of my favorites. There will be a few jaws on the floor when I say that "The Wretches Gone Awry" is another one I didn't like, and now I'm head-over-heels, besottedly in love with it. Go figure. What was *I* thinking?) More later... Vickie ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 16 Dec 1998 23:44:07 +0000 From: "Tim" Subject: Re: So, how do we make Happy famous? - ---------- >From: jfrancis@villagenet.com >To: ecto@smoe.org >Subject: Re: So, how do we make Happy famous? >Date: Wed, Dec 16, 1998, 3:58 AM > > 3. Wear tight fitting, extremely short, low-cut outfits. > Bend over often and jiggle alot. > Say "kootchie, kootchie" following every sentence. But Collette only had one hit, and now she does Weight Loss commercials. Perhaps *not* the best example for Happy to follow.... ;) ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 16 Dec 1998 23:43:40 +0000 From: "Tim" Subject: The Sugarcubes - ---------- >From: desmond in a tutu >To: this collective heart >Subject: Re: Bjork's success --> Happy >Date: Wed, Dec 16, 1998, 4:53 AM > >as with success, so with failure. the critics in britain are fickle and >their benevolent faces shine for but a short time.... Ah, yes, the downside. But I think that backlashes occur most often when hype is built around hype itself or the personality of the artist. For example, Tori is often criticised as being "kooky" and suckling pigs, but critics often aren't specific about what they have against their music. Happy seems nice and down-to-earth, which makes it harder for her to rise, but also makes it less likely that the music industry would turn on her like a pack of savage dogs. >?!?!? guitar-pop? "birthday"? 'splain yourself! "perfect guitar-pop" is >shiny, shimmery and in 4/4. Does perfect mean normal? Certainly not! By my definition, perfect guitar-pop means timeless and totally unforgetable guitar-based songs within the pop genre. Songs you can hear and instantly recognise without waiting for the chorus. I group Birthday in with other "classics" like "How Soon Is Now" (The Smiths), "Christine" (The House Of Love), "Love Song" (The Cure), Can't Be Sure (The Sundays), "Fool's Gold" (Stone Roses), "Linger" (The Cranberries)... More recently stuff like Radiohead's "Fake Plastic Trees", Manic Street Preachers' "A Design For Life", Spiritualised's "I Think I'm In Love", Geneva's "Tranquiliser" and finally, my personal (and ignored) favourite from this year, Puressence's "All I Want" >i, for one, wasn't. einar rules! the world needs more mind-fucks like >einar. i'm proud to have shared a urinal with him. I theoretically approve of Einar - although sometimes he does jarr a bit. I was merely portraying the commonly held opinion. >superior to the latter 'cubes records, perhaps, i don't think any of >bjork's solo records have come close to _life's too good_. or even the >pre-cubes bads like kukl and i-forget-the-other-one. "Stick Around For Joy" I rarely listen to, and "Here Today, Tomorrow, Next Week" probably less. "Life's Too Good" is a great record, but I find that the whole doesn't add up to the sum of its parts. Each song is interesting and worthy, but they all sort of fade to the background, perhaps because of how absolutely brilliant "Birthday" is (I'm biased - its one of my favourite songs ever), and so doesn't have the cohesiveness of Debut, nor its sense of purpose (well, beyond subversion anyway). I don't have any of the albums from Kukl or Tappi Tikarass so I can't comment on them. Happy now? Or shall we meet for a joust at high noon? ;) Tim ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 16 Dec 1998 07:39:49 -0500 (EST) From: Michael Colford Subject: Re: shooting stardom On Tue, 15 Dec 1998, desmond in a tutu wrote: > however, in the freak chance that one way or another happy and the charts > align, i can't imagine that the harmony would last more than a song or two. While i agree, unfortunately with what woj is saying, it could still happen. Stranger things have happened for sure. Who would have thought that Kate bush would have a Top 40 single one day? And although she was never able to duplicate that success in the States, she is (or was) certainly an alternative favorite. Given the proper exposure, etc., I can see Happy being bigger in Alternative circles (although those circles are really becoming more and more mainstream). > i don't recall laurie anderson having a follow-up to "o superman".... woj! How about "Language is a Virus?" or "Sharky's Day?" Well, I guess you're right, they weren't as big as "O Superman," but still big alternative songs. > i don't think promotion is the big unknown in the equation. you can promote > some things all you want but they still won't become popular. promotion > will increase the fold by including those who are receptive to this sort of > thing, but you still have to have material which is compatible with the > mainstream for it a breakthrough. I don't know about that. You address Tori in your post, but I never would have thought her songs would be played on commercial radio. In fact, when some of her stranger stuff hits the airwaves, I still think to myself, "I can't believe pop radio is playing this!" That being said, I have never heard Happy on the radio, and I have trouble imagining it. I do think there are station who would play her in the Boston area, but they haven't. Guess I better work a little harder at requesting her stuff! I think it might help if Happy did some soundtrack work. Huge amounts of people discovered Jane Siberry through her work on The Crow (and to a lesser extent, the Wim Wenders films.) I think lots of Happy's music would lend itself marvelously to film, and given the right film, could expose her music to a great many people. > for me, a new happyfan is worth *so* much more than a top ten hit. everyone > who has happyvangelized knows the joy of seeing (or reading about) music > that is dear to you touch someone else in a similar way. *that's* what this > is all about. eponine's epiphany is what this is all about. yeah, it > doesn't pay the rent (that's why compact discs cost $15 instead of $5! ;) > ), but getting caught up in the charts doesn't feed the heart either. Excellent point, woj, and as long as Happy has a creative outlet for her work, it is hopefully worth it for her. (Maybe if she toured more, she could build a grassroots following!) Hopeful, but happy, as long as Happy keeps recording and enjoying it, Michael n.p. The Hanging Garden soundtrack n.r. The Hours by Michael Cunningham - -------------------------------------------------------------------- Michael Colford | Reading Public Library Head of Technical Services | Reading, Massachusetts colford@noblenet.org | *North of Boston Library Exchange* - -------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 16 Dec 1998 08:35:45 -0800 From: "C. K. Coney" Subject: Re: More about 'The Keep', more about Happy Eponine wrote: > Anyway - I got off on a tangent there, I think - someone mentioned Fiona > Apple Me again! > , and I think hers is an interesting case-in-point. No, she can't > sing. But I happen to love her CD 'Tidal'. Having said that, though, I > realize that a lot of what went into marketing her had to do with her > extreme youth and her cover-girl style beauty. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Jewel to me is an example of a natural beaut, not Fiona. > Not that this is RIGHT, > just that it IS. I persosnall think that Happy is beautiful, but not in > the same fashion model/movie star way that Fiona is. This is my cynical > opinion, that sexism DOES still exisit in the post-Lilith music world, > because the suits at the record labels are still looking for the pretty, > sweet young things. Then how do you explain the huge success of Celine Dion, who has a largish nose and thin, angular face. She has some good angles (from a photographer's standpoint) but believe me, a heck of a lot of airbrushing goes into her cd covers! And then there's Barbra Streisand. Well, I could go on but you see my point here. Heck, what are we doing talking about looks anyway? > I don't know if I can imagine Happy ever being as "big" as Tori Amos, > say, but then again, would Happy WANT to be that big? Whoa...well, if she wants to be poor or living "paycheck to paycheck", that would certainly be her perogative. This is starting to come around full circle to the "superstardom" issue again...ain't it funny?! Ya know, I don't know what level of record sales constitutes stardom or superstardom...but there have been oh so many wonderful artists who have been superstars and not lost any integrity...and as a former "hippie chick" myself I go way back too, so I have tons of examples (Beatles, Aretha, Neil Young, CSN & Y, The Clash, etc etc etc). I also am one who still likes both REM and U-2, even now that they've achieve worldclass fame and fortune (I had promo copies these bands' first records and saw them live in tiny venues, oh, yes, Talking Heads as well.). > Sorry for rambling. Just the point I wanted to make is that I feel > Happy has a much larger potential audience out there, not just us. She > just needs more - and the right kind - of exposure. I mean, who would > have thought that Loreena McKennit, 39 years old and a well-kept secret > with the oft-cited "small but devoted cult following", would suddenly > "break" as she did last year with 'The Book of Secrets'? It can happen > for Happy, too!! I definitely think Happy will "chart". As for Lorenna, does anyone know about her charting and record sales? I still run into folks who don't know a thing about her music! Amazing! Carol ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 16 Dec 1998 09:55:40 -0800 From: "C. K. Coney" Subject: Re: Bjork's success --> Happy All this talk of the Sugarcubes confuses me. Did they achieve anything beyond cult status? Did they all make a decent living making music? And thus spawned the even more famous Bjork? I think S-cubes had less of a prominence in the music biz/charts/press than Cocteau Twins and Dead Can Dance, and these two fave former-bands of mine have disbanded after many years of trying to make musical art with integrity (and with a decent living as a hoped-for by-product.) (Yes, it's official that DCD has broken up as we've come to know them. Hope ya'll got to see them during the "Spiritchaser" tour!) Anyway, I see your point about Laurie Anderson and her big hit "Oh, Superman". However, that song didn't make her a "one hit wonder". It was a major introduction to her work for the masses, and from that point on she "clicked" with enough folks that she's been able to sell records and fill (and sometimes sell out) good-sized venues when she tours. I think she's able to make a decent living from what she does, but I'm only speculating, of course...I have no "ins" to her career story. (But with Cocteaus I do know some things, and I know former members aren't living on their laurels or royalties.) Back to Happy...she can have it *all* and on her own terms, I do believe that. And if she has to fly off to Britain to make connections or wear sexy outfits (hey, she looked nice in Philly!), well, I say, "you go, girl." 'Cause ultimately the music is what it's all about, and her music continues to give much pleasure (whether you like acoustic or electronic era Happy, there's still *that voice*!) Her music has real staying power. She's definitely an artist who has a way of capturing a very devoted following once she gets a person "hooked", unlike the "flavors of the year", like, dare I say, Fiona or Jewel. Anyway, Woj...I *know* that you more than most want Happy to have success on her terms. I'm sorry if I led you to feel that you needed to defend yourself...I was just making the point that *I* felt she could achieve success far beyond cult status. It's not a "hope" but a "belief" for me. If my brother who has 10,000 cds with 9 out of 10 being a jazz album liked Happy enough to buy 4 of her cds, well, that says something about the potential here. I visualize her having great success and making a nice living off her art. Sometimes I go so far as to see her treating her cats to lobster every now and then...yes, cats in lobster bibs! (Yeah, I know I have a weird imagination when I do my visualization exercises.) So on that note I'll end my stream-of-consciousness posting (whew)...but I am curious if anyone can tell me more about the mainstream success of the Sugarcubes. I think I blinked and missed it! Carol desmond in a tutu wrote: > i lied. one last thing. > > also sprach Tim: > > >3. Bjork was broken in the UK first, a place where success can be more > >closely linked to critical acclaim than in the US where it hardly matters. > > as with success, so with failure. the critics in britain are fickle and > their benevolent faces shine for but a short time.... > > >The Sugarcubes had a lot to do with it - Birthday was, is and always will be > >one of the most perfect guitar-pop songs ever. > > ?!?!? guitar-pop? "birthday"? 'splain yourself! "perfect guitar-pop" is > shiny, shimmery and in 4/4. > > >Everyone was terribly disappointed to find Einar Orn ranting all over The > >Sugarcubes' albums, > > i, for one, wasn't. einar rules! the world needs more mind-fucks like > einar. i'm proud to have shared a urinal with him. > > >Thus, when Debut came out, not only did they have an album that was > >superior to all of Bjork's former band's work, > > superior to the latter 'cubes records, perhaps, i don't think any of > bjork's solo records have come close to _life's too good_. or even the > pre-cubes bads like kukl and i-forget-the-other-one. > > >but was also free of annoying male vocals, > > :P > > woj, feeling snarky ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 16 Dec 1998 10:27:47 -0800 From: "C. K. Coney" Subject: Re: Cocteau success --> Happy Tim wrote: > Happy could conceivably be successfully marketed in a similar fashion to The > Cocteau Twins - as tough,edgy ethereal music. There's that word "success" again, this time used regarding CT. I'll bet folks would be surprised that a band named by AP as one of the 100 most influential bands in rock history never had even close to a million seller album. That doesn't strike me as successful marketing by either of their record companies. Now *former* members ask devoted fans/friends if they know anyone in New York they could stay with so they can afford to come over here and get something going with their new careers as soloists and record producers. Nope, I wouldn't wish CT's "success" on Happy. When all is said and done, it's a "cult success" they achieved. Maybe Happy would be "happy" with that level of success, who's to say? But something in me thinks she can achieve much more than that...some level of "stardom" *with integrity* that lies somewhere between her current cult status and superstardom. "Never say never". Carol ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 16 Dec 1998 09:46:36 -0600 From: "Xenu's Sister" Subject: Defending Fiona At 11:59 AM 12/15/98 -0800, Eponine wrote: >Anyway - I got off on a tangent there, I think - someone mentioned Fiona >Apple, and I think hers is an interesting case-in-point. No, she can't >sing. But I happen to love her CD 'Tidal'. I love it too, but I'm completely flummoxed as to why anyone would say she can't sing. I think her voice is perfect for the songs she sing, and the songs she writes and sings are *great*. Anyone who hasn't heard the entire album has no room to comment on her talent, because they're probably commenting more on a video they saw. Anyone who *has* heard the album and still doesn't think she's talented...well, sorry, they're wrong and their opinion has probably been colored by her media persona (or more accurately, the mistakes she's made in front of the media that were blown way out of proportion.) She's another one who's scarily talented at a young age. >Having said that, though, I >realize that a lot of what went into marketing her had to do with her >extreme youth and her cover-girl style beauty. Not that this is RIGHT, >just that it IS. I agree, and I think a lot of unfortunate things came together at the wrong time to make her an object of ridicule. She made that laughable speech at some awards ceremony (I didn't see it to judge for myself, so see, I myself am relying on "heresay" to declare it laughable). Whatever she said, I'll bet it was something she meant in a very sincere way, but it didn't lend itself to a short soundbite at a podium, in front of millions of people, when she must have been *SCARED TO DEATH*. She made those horrid videos that made her look like last year's heroin chic chick, she did other things and other things happened to her that I didn't really pay much attention to, because I was busy listening, really listening, to her music, and I was/am blown away by it. The only thing I worry about is that, with all the hooha and fame, Fiona won't be able to *focus* on her music and her next album. Everyone has "expectations" now and everyone is sitting on the edge of their seats waiting to see her fall down and go BOOM, which I think a lot of people think she deserves. I think she deserves never having to worry about money again, and musical respect. If she can keep her head on somewhat straight, she will hopefully have a long, awesome career that will one day earn her a place in the "Legends" club. Then again, fame might be the worst thing that could have ever happened to her music. Because she does deserve respect for it. She *does*. I feel the same way about Milla (though their music is completely different, and I like Milla's even more), because she's got the "model/actress" tag hanging on her, and yet she's amazingly talented. I still think her album "The Divine Comedy" is a classic that will last the ages. Milla lucked out a bit more because even though her face is *everywhere*, and even though she's been in some major films, she never had that "superstar" fame thing going. Most people still don't know who she is, wheras Fiona's name can evoke instant scorn from a wide variety of people. > I personally think that Happy is beautiful, Happy's beautiful, no doubt about it! >but not in the same fashion model/movie star way that Fiona is. >This is my cynical opinion, that sexism DOES still exisit in the >post-Lilith music world, because the suits at the record labels are >still looking for the pretty, sweet young things. True, but it always helps when the pretty sweet young thing has talent up the ying yang, the way Fiona does, and the way Kate did. (Kate still does have talent, I mean that she was once a pretty sweet young thing who got labeled as an airy-fairy airhead sexpot at the beginning of her career that *to this day* colors how many people in England and Europe think of her, and btw, I'm *not* equating Fiona's music or talent to Kate's. The only person in the world who comes anywhere near Kate, to me, is Happy). I haven't read that many intereviews with Fiona, but I did read one thing that I loved. She said that she'll be *glad* when she's old and doesn't have to worry about what people thinks she looks like. I can't remember exactly what it was, but that she looked forward to being old and fat and happy. (I'm sure she has a different idea of what fat is than I do, but I still liked the sentiment). I wish Fiona all the best. She's young, and her immense talent hasn't always translated to being or acting like a mature adult. She's a kid, to me. I'll grant her the benefit of the doubt, knowing that most of us have done and said really stupid things, but most of us don't have dozens of cameras and tape recorders in our face while we do and say them. Most of us make our mistakes in private or in front of a small group of friends or family, not in front of millions of people watching around the globe. And most of us don't have anywhere *near* the talent that Fiona Apple does. Vickie np: Ecto ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 16 Dec 1998 10:49:32 -0800 From: "C. K. Coney" Subject: Re: shooting stardom Goodness, look at the time & I'm not getting *any* editing done! :-) Michael Colford wrote: > You address Tori in your post, but I never would > have thought her songs would be played on commercial radio. In fact, when > some of her stranger stuff hits the airwaves, I still think to myself, > "I can't believe pop radio is playing this!" Excellent point! > That being said, I have never heard Happy on the radio, and I have trouble > imagining it. I do think there are station who would play her in the > Boston area, but they haven't. Guess I better work a little harder at > requesting her stuff! Yes, and Samson has to work a little harder! As well as all the rest of us who want to see Happy succeed, if only for the totally selfish reason that we want to have *more Happy albums* to enjoy for ourselves! > I think it might help if Happy did some soundtrack work. Huge amounts > of people discovered Jane Siberry through her work on The Crow (and to > a lesser extent, the Wim Wenders films.) I think lots of Happy's music > would lend itself marvelously to film, and given the right film, could > expose her music to a great many people. Yes, exactly! Jane is a good example! Now...Happy's music not only lends itself to film, but also to video games! Instead of pushing "Timelapse" at her shows, why not produce the music for that game? (Or am I missing something?) A successful game could become a movie, like Mortal Combat. Then there would be *that* music opportunity. (Do I hear a collective groan out there?) If that work pays Happy's bills, then she can do work that meets all the needs of original ectophiles who want the folkie/acoustic/heart songs...then again, it may be possible Happy has moved beyond all that, it may be "in her past", in which case we all have those cds (thank goodness for cd durability) from the early days to treasure for our lifetimes. Another thing having to do with Jane...didn't she get a major feature article in either Mondo 2000 or Wired? (I've subscribed to both & can't remember which one did the feature.) As soon as Happy's (Samson's) publicity machine kicks in, they would be well advised to go after these smart, cutting-edge, techno-oriented types of publications, in order to reach the savvy tecno-heads (who btw have money to spend 'cause many make handsome salaries). Michael, you're "Head of Technical Services" somewhere. How do people in the land of geekdom find new music to listen to? Carol (whose hubby is a total geek...and whose hubby learns about new music mostly from "guess who") ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 16 Dec 1998 10:56:33 -0800 From: "C. K. Coney" Subject: Re: So, how do we make Happy famous? Tim wrote: > ---------- > >From: jfrancis@villagenet.com > >To: ecto@smoe.org > >Subject: Re: So, how do we make Happy famous? > >Date: Wed, Dec 16, 1998, 3:58 AM > > > > > 3. Wear tight fitting, extremely short, low-cut outfits. > > Bend over often and jiggle alot. > > Say "kootchie, kootchie" following every sentence. > Geez, I thought you were referring to Charo (showing my age). Or Ginger Spice (showing my teenage brain trapped in an aging body). Of course neither of these "artists" (heh, heh) are any kind of example for Happy, or anyone, to follow! Carol P.S. Well, then again, there's Shania Twain. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 16 Dec 1998 10:06:12 -0600 From: "Xenu's Sister" Subject: A bit on Happy wrt fame. (Re: More about 'The Keep', more about Happy At 11:59 AM 12/15/98 -0800, Eponine wrote: >I don't know if I can imagine Happy ever being as "big" as Tori Amos, I can't imagine it either. >say, but then again, would Happy WANT to be that big? I interviewed her on my radio show back in 1989, and I don't know what her *current* feelings are on the matter, but this is what she said back then: (this is cut and paste, I hope it shows up ok on everyone's screen) - ----------- On "Fame & Fortune": I had asked her what her feelings were concerning Kansas City (getting lots of airplay on my show and selling tapes) and her plans for the future such as "making mega-bucks" & such (it was a joke!) "I feel great about what's happening in Kansas City because my immediate goal is to express myself. Obviously that's happened successfully. Everyone can interpret what I say in their own way, that is another one of my immediate goals. An ultimate goal, a long-term goal would be...yes, to be heard on many levels. I'd like to spread to the masses and Kansas City is an excellent start as far as I'm concerned. I do want to make "mega bucks" and for very specific reasons. There are a lot of things that I've wanted to do in my life that I cannot do unless I'm in the power to do them, unless I'm in some type of powerful position to do them. I'll clarify that. I want to give money away. I really, really want to do that. I'm not a philanthropist or anything but I really want to support animal rights groups, I want to support Amnesty groups. All these things...I'm very touched by people reaching out. It's one of the things I want to do. Unfortunately, in today's society money seems to be the most immediate way of reaching out and helping. Now, I don't like that fact, I don't necessarily believe in that but that's the way it seems to be going these days. And if that's the case, fine, I'll play by that. Now, that's not the only reason I'm into music, obviously. Music is me, it's what I do. If I didn't make any money at it I'd still be doing it but it really is a good tool for me to be able to help on a large scale." - ---------------------- I'd bet her thoughts haven't changed that much, though I'd also bet she had hoped to be making "mega-bucks" long before now. There's only so much struggling a person can take. Blank tapes or cat food? year after year gets *really* old! (Don't think I'm quoting Happy directly there, it's just my own perception of what it must be like. When I first "met" Happy she was a waitress in an Italian restaurant. In the time I've known her she's also worked in a gift shop and a housewares store ("Spatula City," she joked to me once). She doesn't have a day job now, but one could only be a record company bankruptcy away (sorry Samson, may you stay healthy and strong for many many decades!) What do I wish for Happy? Let me get on my horse and say that first and foremost, I wish that she'd never have to worry about money again, either in her personal life (rent, kitty food) or in her professional life (buying equipment, making albums). I wish that she were well enough known that people *she* admires and respects admire and respect her, and that she were regularly called upon to do big benefits such as Amnesty and Tibetian Freedom. And that she was being fought over by important, interesting artists wanting her to sing on their records. I wish that she were well-enough known so that potential fans wouldn't ever have to jump through hoops to discover her. I wish that she would always be a regular on critic and fan's best of lists. I wish that she could call up anyone she ever wanted to work with and have that person go "Yes, I know your work, I'd love to work with you!" I wish that she always stays happy and healthy, doing what she wants to do in whatever way she wants to do it. I wish that I never see her name in a "H**** R***** SUCKS" thread in alt.music.alternative.female, or in a "H**** R***** is just a Kate wannabe" thread in rec.music.gaffa. Finally, I wish that she gets whatever *she* would wish. (And let me just add that I wish all of those things for Kevin Bartlett too, though I don't think he'd have to worry much about alt.music.alternative.female or rec.music.gaffa) Vickie (riding that horse) ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 16 Dec 1998 11:37:46 -0800 From: "C. K. Coney" Subject: Re: Defending Fiona Hi, Vickie...aren't we goofin' off today?!!! Xenu's Sister wrote: > At 11:59 AM 12/15/98 -0800, Eponine wrote: > > >Anyway - I got off on a tangent there, I think - someone mentioned Fiona > >Apple, and I think hers is an interesting case-in-point. No, she can't > >sing. But I happen to love her CD 'Tidal'. > > I love it too, but I'm completely flummoxed as to why anyone > would say she can't sing. I think her voice is perfect for the > songs she sing, and the songs she writes and sings are *great*. > Anyone who hasn't heard the entire album has no room to > comment on her talent, because they're probably commenting > more on a video they saw. I was the one who brought her up originally, and I don't think I said she couldn't sing. I did say she sings off key...and she does. Not all the time, but enough to bother me and make me not like her cd, which I had for awhile. I don't know, there was probably something else pesky that bothered me too. I did think she was borderline "derivative", like someone who knew what she liked and listened to greats like Billie H. and managed to sponge it up and squeeze it back out. I listened to it *a lot* because folks whose musical taste I respect were into her. (Funny, but they don't talk about her anymore.) I guess it amounts to this: she's not my cup of tea. However...I'd listen to her again 'cause it's you, Vickie, pitching her music so enthusiastically...but the cd has moved on out of my collection. However, I do promise I'll give her a listen at a listening station if she comes out with another one. How's that? :-) > I feel the same way about Milla (though their > music is completely different, and I like Milla's even more), because she's > got the "model/actress" tag hanging on her, and yet she's amazingly > talented. Well, chock me up as one who thinks her talents are limited to the stage and screen departments. I liked her in Fifth Element and thinks she's a lovely model, but not a very good singer/songwriter. Oh, I know I'm blowing a few minds here (Neile, Vickie...sorry if you're wincing and saying "ouch"). She's definitely not my cup of tea...and believe me, I listened a lot.I just don't "get it". Hmmm, that brings to mind Cat Power. Well, it's not that I don't like a variety of things...I've got hugely ecclectic tastes that spread over most every genre except for country western (with the exception of Patsy Cline, whose grave I even visited, before she became a fad). Maybe it's just that in the singer/songwriter category I have to narrow it down in my own mind, therefore my "pickiness". Maybe I should post to this list a sale of all the cds I never listen to that I heard about on ecto-list...I could use a few bucks this time of year! :-) Carol P.S. I *never* bought into the Fiona "hype", and I saw her award acceptance speech and actually admired her as a gal with some real hootspah (excuse spelling.) And I've never minded her videos, which are actually pretty cool (speaking as a longtime film and videomaker). Speaking of videos, I can't stand the latest Alanis one. But the song ain't half-bad...for Alanis. Hmmm, maybe the video is "colored" by my dislike of Alanis. P.P.S. Since I don't like Alanis folks won't be surprised when I confess that, egads, I don't like Imogene Heap. Didn't like Uriah Heap all that much either. :-) Now Yes...that band was another story...until a housemate circa 1973 played Yes constantly and drove me crazy & ruined them for me. Lucky for us that didn't happen to Happy or we wouldn't have that awesome medley on "The Keep" (coming full circle again.) On another note I gotta say that "Ashes to Ashes" will go down as one of my all-time favorite covers by *any* artist. Carol (off on way too many tangents) ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 16 Dec 1998 17:55:09 +0000 (GMT) From: Old Spice Subject: Re: So, how do we make Happy famous? I got it too! I even read it in the right melody, the _first_ time! - --charley - ---Xenu's Sister wrote: > > At 11:25 PM 12/15/98 -0500, Jeffrey C. Burka wrote: > > >"Oh Albany, My Leotard"? > > > >Oy. > > > >jeff > >(wondering how many people out there are actually obsessed enough with > >a certain someone to understand this...) > > > > I got it, I got it! It's a Kate Bush reference! > > What do I win? > > Vickie > _________________________________________________________ DO YOU YAHOO!? Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com ------------------------------ End of ecto-digest V4 #439 **************************