Fegmaniax Digest Volume 2 Number 30 Today's Topics: ------- ------ sorry Meeting Robyn Someone else meets Robyn... Meeting Robyn More Vera Lynn etc. Knick knack paadywack No RESPECT yipyipyipyipyipyip The Lizard sorry (acoustic vs production value) The Lizard Waffle The Lizard The Lizard Thatcher's Iron Sledge the spectre transcription Wafflehead Trains and more Wafflehead and Other Stuff In Search Of Vera Vera Lynn/Other Junk Knick knack paadywack Vera Lynn/Other Junk parsley [][][][][][][][][][] Date: Tue, 26 Apr 1994 19:22 EST From: 213170596@ucis.vill.edu To: fegmaniax@gnu.ai.mit.edu Subject: sorry sorry to keep this debate going (its rather stupid), but I got Live Death before Respect came out and I'll tell you i can't even listen to AOL and When I Was Dead on Respect. Not even close. I was so disappointed. The Respect versions are neat in their ownb right, but as tuneful songs, they leave me fully unfulfilled..... (heh?!, like that one???..) laterall timB [][][][][][][][][][] Date: Tue, 26 Apr 94 20:38:34 EDT From: John Hanlon Subject: Meeting Robyn To: fegmaniax@gnu.ai.mit.edu Well, ok, this isn't exactly MY story about meeting Robyn, but belongs to a friend of mine. (My story consists of standing off to the side while my friend Ben chatted with RH and got him to sign his cd copy of "Black Snake Diamond Role" after a gig in Trenton, N. J.) My friend Dierdre was waiting in line with her mother to see a movie. She noticed this older man smiling at her, and smiled back. Dierdre's mother immediately said "Dierdre, did you see that? That man was flirting with you!" To which Dierdre nonchalantly replied, "Oh, mom, that's just Robyn Hitchcock." And it was. [][][][][][][][][][] From: LJ Subject: Someone else meets Robyn... To: fegmaniax@gnu.ai.mit.edu Date: Tue, 26 Apr 1994 21:11:19 -0400 (EDT) Another alleged Robyn-meeting tale, but this old friend of mine told me that he went to see Robyn circa. 1985 or so in St. Louis and that he and his friend had arrived early and were the only ones sitting in the audience {it was a very small venue}. Anyhow, Robyn came walking down the aisle towards them like he was going to say hello or something, and the guy my friend was with said, "Look Daddy, it's the man with the lightbulb head!", and so Robyn only kind of grunted and gave them a dirty look and walked by. Hmm, I have never forgotten that stupid story! lj [][][][][][][][][][] Date: Tue, 26 Apr 1994 21:13:02 -0400 (EDT) From: Doug Davis Subject: Meeting Robyn To: fegmaniax@gnu.ai.mit.edu Oh, all right, I suppose I'll contribute my little story to this thread. Not an actual meeting, and not so pleasant an encounter, either, but... It seems that my own band was playing in Chapel Hill during the QE tour (Robyn's QE tour, you see, not mine) on the same night that the Egyptians were playing at the Cat's Cradle, a local club. My band was playing at a local restaurant/music venue called the Hardback Cafe, one of those kind of places where the band must wait to set up until the last of the diners have left. Of course, the last diner that night was none other than Robyn himself, accompanied by one of the must stunningly beautiful young ladies I can remember having seen. So, he stole our crowd made us wait. What a cad. I report, however, that not only did he eat the parsley, he's a lousy tipper. So there. [][][][][][][][][][] Date: Tue, 26 Apr 1994 19:08:45 -0700 (PDT) From: Rohith Sood Subject: More Vera Lynn etc. To: fegmaniax-digest@gnu.ai.mit.edu For those of you that don't already know, Vera Lynn seems to be a popular image among British songwriters. "Vera" from The Wall by Pink Floyd is also about Vera Lynn, and the Kinks' Arthur album, which I just bought last week also has a reference. BTW, Arthur is a very interesting album. It really reminds me of Yellow Submarine. I only wish the mastering for CD didn't make the album sound like mush! As for Respect, I have really grown to like it (although I've only heard Robyn's last 4 albums). The guitar solo on AOL is a real highlight for me. It sounds like it's done on an Infinite guitar, a nifty device popular with the Edge of U2 and the new Pogues album. I was also wondering what songs Robyn played on 120 Minutes on MTV last year. All I saw was a shortened and altered lyric version of the Yip Song done during the credits of the year end show. Later, Rohith Sood P.S.- I just bought an old promo poster for QE from a store here in Grunge City. A strange picture of RH that makes my roommates look at me funny! [][][][][][][][][][] Date: Tue, 26 Apr 1994 23:23:23 -0500 (CDT) From: AaRrOoNn LlOoWwEe Subject: Re: Knick knack paadywack To: bj835@cleveland.freenet.edu Cc: -feg:;@gnu.ai.mit.edu Sorry about the non-Robyn content here, but.... I had to clarify. Barney is *not* some "moronic lady in a furry purple dinosaur suit," but a rather large black man in a furry purple dinosaur suit, believe it or not. He graduated a few years ago from the high school I attended, in Decatur, Illinois. This is the man in the suit, not the voice of Barney. Don't get me wrong, Barney *is* detestible. Rotting kids' minds all to hell. And for what? Aaron **************************** @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ * C. Aaron Lowe | "I'm all lost in the supermarket; @ * "Waiting for the Great | I can no longer shop happily. @ * Leap Forwards" | I came in here for the special offer -- @ * st3cr@jetson.uh.edu | A guaranteed personality " --The Clash @ **************************** @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ [][][][][][][][][][] Date: Tue, 26 Apr 1994 23:32:50 -0500 (CDT) From: AaRrOoNn LlOoWwEe Subject: Re: No RESPECT To: GOOSENMK@ctrvax.vanderbilt.edu Cc: -feg:;@gnu.ai.mit.edu Hey -- I'm confused as to why you all are referring to Wafflehead as being "Barry White-esque" or something like that. I don't think this is intended. Robyn calls it a parody of Captain Beefheart. Would this not be a more apt comparison? Aaron **************************** @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ * C. Aaron Lowe | "I'm all lost in the supermarket; @ * "Waiting for the Great | I can no longer shop happily. @ * Leap Forwards" | I came in here for the special offer -- @ * st3cr@jetson.uh.edu | A guaranteed personality " --The Clash @ **************************** @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ [][][][][][][][][][] Date: Tue, 26 Apr 1994 23:34:45 -0500 (CDT) From: AaRrOoNn LlOoWwEe Subject: Re: yipyipyipyipyipyip To: hollie satterfield Cc: -feg:;@gnu.ai.mit.edu Can someone repost the Spectre transcription, what with the recent discussion of "Respect," it could provide good conversation fodder, as well as bringing fresher to our minds Robyn's exact comments on "Vera Lynn," etc. Thanks Aaron **************************** @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ * C. Aaron Lowe | "I'm all lost in the supermarket; @ * "Waiting for the Great | I can no longer shop happily. @ * Leap Forwards" | I came in here for the special offer -- @ * st3cr@jetson.uh.edu | A guaranteed personality " --The Clash @ **************************** @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ [][][][][][][][][][] Date: Wed, 27 Apr 1994 01:01:04 -0300 (EDT) From: Bayard Catron Subject: Re: The Lizard To: Sid Glenn Cc: fegmaniax@gnu.ai.mit.edu On Tue, 26 Apr 1994, Sid Glenn wrote: > Just wondering if this song has any meaning or, as a friend put it "maybe > he just wanted to make a song that rymed". I should hope that Robyn would not be so contrived! Actually, it's about Jim Morrison (or so I have read.) Supposedly BSDN houses a Margaret Thatcher song as well, but I'm not sure which one is her tribute (though "Do Policemen Sing?" has some very Thatcherlike vocals.) I'd like to hear his Nixon treatment. He's always tried to stay out of politix, I think. More interested in rock icons (The Lizard, The Man Who Invented Himself {Syd of course.}) Bayard "I can hear it raining..." [][][][][][][][][][] Date: Wed, 27 Apr 1994 01:08:52 -0300 (EDT) From: Bayard Catron Subject: Re: sorry (acoustic vs production value) To: 213170596@ucis.vill.edu Cc: fegmaniax@gnu.ai.mit.edu Your message, though it prolongs an old argument, brings to mind a new (?) point. I was just thinking today, as I listened to the WXRT live compilation sent to me by mattless, (specifically, Robyn's acoustic Railway Shoes with double bass). It's live and really nice to listen to. Personally I find Perspex and Respect too shiny and packaged in their production. AOL on Respect has a neat, hitech sound but all that instrumentation removes me as the listener from Robyn's message, feeling etc. To be honest, though, I never was crazy about AOL in the 1st place.. just thought it was something he made up quickly for mt. stage. Just one man's opinion. I, for one, will say no more about it! I simply cannot advocate enough Robyn's raw, solo sound. I can't believe I've missed seeing him solo, *twice*. Never again! Apologies to those who honor _Respect_, especially those who are named AAron. Bayard Catron "Love is the distance between reality and pain." Washington DC -Robyn Hitchcock On Tue, 26 Apr 1994 213170596@UCIS.VILL.EDU wrote: > > > sorry to keep this debate going (its rather stupid), but I got Live Death > before Respect came out and I'll tell you i can't even listen to AOL and > When I Was Dead on Respect. Not even close. I was so disappointed. > The Respect versions are neat in their ownb right, but as tuneful songs, > they leave me fully unfulfilled..... (heh?!, like that one???..) > > > laterall > timB > [][][][][][][][][][] From: John Jenks Subject: Re: The Lizard To: fegmaniax@gnu.ai.mit.edu Date: Wed, 27 Apr 1994 01:43:39 -0400 (ADT) Bayard Catron wrote: > Supposedly BSDN houses a Margaret > Thatcher song as well, but I'm not sure which one is her tribute "Brenda's Iron Sledge" is the Thatcher song I believe. >(though > "Do Policemen Sing?" has some very Thatcherlike vocals.) "Our law and order's never never never never gonna break down". Always my favorite part of that song. johnj [][][][][][][][][][] Date: Wed, 27 Apr 94 09:43:54 GMT From: S.Roberts@astronomy.cardiff.ac.uk (Simon Roberts) To: owner-fegmaniax@gnu.ai.mit.edu Subject: Waffle I'd like to put my waffles on the table. Wafflehead is one of my favourite "cuts" from Respect. I think it is judged unfairly by some fegmaniacs because they're not taking it in its own light. As its at the end of the album the listener is expecting some more uplifting harmonies and melodies with a hook like an anchor. With no expectations and an open mind I think Wafflehead slithers up from its syrup and stands on its own to crusts. It employs a crafty use of sounds (Are they all vocal? Or is that pouring water in there?) to build up a haunting atmosphere (particularly enhanced by the hum-harmonies) which supports the clever sexual/food allusions. I think for what it is its very successful thus deserving its album appearance. I don't hear any Beefheart connection. Barney [][][][][][][][][][] Date: Wed, 27 Apr 94 09:51 BST From: andyh@cogs.susx.ac.uk (Andy Holyer) To: sid@dew.org Subject: Re: The Lizard Cc: fegmaniax@gnu.ai.mit.edu > > Just wondering if this song has any meaning or, as a friend put it "maybe > he just wanted to make a song that rymed". > I always assumed it was about Jim Morrison (who died in the bath - allegedly :-) -&. [][][][][][][][][][] Date: Wed, 27 Apr 94 09:56 BST From: andyh@cogs.susx.ac.uk (Andy Holyer) To: sid@dew.org, bayard@unix1.circ.gwu.edu Subject: Re: The Lizard Cc: fegmaniax@gnu.ai.mit.edu > > On Tue, 26 Apr 1994, Sid Glenn wrote: > > > Just wondering if this song has any meaning or, as a friend put it "maybe > > he just wanted to make a song that rymed". > > I should hope that Robyn would not be so contrived! Actually, it's about > Jim Morrison (or so I have read.) Supposedly BSDN houses a Margaret > Thatcher song as well, but I'm not sure which one is her tribute (though > "Do Policemen Sing?" has some very Thatcherlike vocals.) I always assumed that Brenda's Iron Sledge was about Thatcher ("The ones on top are comfortable..."). If you can find the cartoon on the 12" that makes the meaning very clear (well, it does to me anyway). -&. [][][][][][][][][][] Date: Wed, 27 Apr 94 12:42:04 BST From: smeats@lincoln.gpsemi.com (The Suburbs of your Mind) To: fegmaniax@gnu.ai.mit.edu Subject: Thatcher's Iron Sledge I reckon Brenda is the T word. What I'm wondering is : who is the song Trash about (Invisible Hitchcock) ? I think we should be told. "Cleo Lane caught a plane out of Gatwick in the rain." Yip yip a doodee yip. sm I prefer East Midlands. I'm running out of bandwith. [][][][][][][][][][] Date: Wed, 27 Apr 94 08:23:51 EDT From: woj@remus.rutgers.edu (uffda!) To: fegmaniax@gnu.ai.mit.edu Subject: the spectre transcription AaRrOoNn LlOoWwEe sez: >Can someone repost the Spectre transcription, what with the recent >discussion of "Respect," it could provide good conversation fodder, as well >as bringing fresher to our minds Robyn's exact comments on "Vera Lynn," etc. rather than reposting this, i'll just point out that it is archived on fegmania.wustl.edu and can be ftped anonymously from there. if i recall correctly, it's in pub/fegmaniax/interviews. +w [][][][][][][][][][] Date: Wed, 27 Apr 1994 08:05:07 -0500 (CDT) From: GOOSENMK@ctrvax.vanderbilt.edu Subject: Wafflehead To: fegmaniax@gnu.ai.mit.edu Aaron writes: ->Robyn calls it ["Wafflehead"] a parody of Captain Beefheart. Would this not -> be a more apt comparison? I really don't see the Beefheart thing here--I don't ever remember the good Captain growling "Come over here, baby" in a low, low, low octave voice. To me, it sounds like Barry White on hallucinogenics. If a Beefheart parody is what Robyn was aiming for, it went right over my head. Later, Miles [][][][][][][][][][] Date: Wed, 27 Apr 1994 10:20:42 -0400 (EDT) From: Jordan M Anderson To: fegmaniax@gnu.ai.mit.edu Subject: Trains and more Good morning- I was wondering if someone a bit more familiar with London-area geography could post the lyrics (complete with correct locales) to Trams... It would be greatly appreciated. About Wafflehead: You have to love the panning slurps, though. Everytime I think about it I have to laugh. -Jordan [][][][][][][][][][] Date: Wed, 27 Apr 1994 10:08:03 -0500 From: "Chuck Tomlinson" To: fegmaniax@gnu.ai.mit.edu Subject: Wafflehead and Other Stuff First of all, does anybody else keep seeing AOL in recent threads and think of "America On-Line"? It's caught me a few times. The "Wafflehead" discussion was beaten to death about a year ago. It comes off a bit like a novelty song stuck on the end of the album to me, but performed live it was truly inspired and the satirically sexist lyrics are even more amusing. To pull the discussion to hopefully something new, I was browsing through Jim Greer's book about REM last week, and it described a party at Mike Mills' house after REM's "Out of Time" was finished. Robyn was wandering around the party, as he was staying at Peter Buck's house around the time of "Perspex Island"'s recording. Robyn told Greer that he usually spent lots of "up in his room playing guitar, as I am often want to do..." (paraphrased). The thing that caught my eye was Robyn being referred to as a "professional eccentric." It's too bad to see that "eccentric" label constantly promoted, especially in a book published as recently as last year (I believe). Chuck [][][][][][][][][][] From: jturner@rpms.ac.uk (Captain Lockheed) Subject: In Search Of Vera To: fegmaniax@gnu.ai.mit.edu Date: Wed, 27 Apr 94 16:37:05 BST All this talk about Vera Lynn caused something to lodge at the back of my mind, and when I got home last night to hear 'Silver Machine' taking off from the radio in my kitchen, it made itself known. I can confirm, to those of you who doubted, that Vera Lynn is most certainly a singer. I saw her sing in the strangest of circumstances, at an anti-Heroin concert in the mid-80s, on stage with those well-know anti-drug campaigners and war veterans, Hawkwind. She'd been coaxed out of her dotage to sing a couple of her hits, though I can't remember which now. Probably 'We'll meet again'. I remember it being a nice sunny day, though. It would be nice to hear her version of 'Arms of Love'. The Yip Song was introduced as about 'death by lung cancer' , as I recall, at Robyn's recent Jazz Cafe show. wrt Respect: I like it, although I hope, for Robyn's sake, that 'Surfer Ghost' has less of a death feel to it. Ghosts tend to be dead, though, I think. Does anyone have any idea when the rumo(u)red Russian dates are likely to be ? Kick over the statues, Jonathan. [][][][][][][][][][] Date: Wed, 27 Apr 1994 13:04:03 -0500 From: "Chuck Tomlinson" To: fegmaniax@gnu.ai.mit.edu Subject: Vera Lynn/Other Junk In message <9404271537.AA04875@mpcc3> Captain Lockheed writes: > It would be nice to hear her version of 'Arms of Love'. The Yip Song was > introduced as about 'death by lung cancer' , as I recall, at Robyn's recent > Jazz Cafe show. I believe Vera Lynn passed away sometime in the last six months, or has that already been mentioned here? I remember seeing something in the clari.news.music Usnet group. Any new news on how any new RH release will be distributed now that he's not w/ A&M, and he's apparently said the next album won't be on that label. Somewhat related, Michelle Shocked is on tour this spring and is selling CD at shows she's put out herself, as Mercury records rejected the tapes and refused to release it. A press release said they were breaching her contract, so she's doing it her own way. Kind of like Prince putting out his latest single through Bellmark, not on Warner Bros., but at least nobody else is running around changing his or her name to symbols. Chuck [][][][][][][][][][] Date: Wed, 27 Apr 1994 11:06:55 -0700 From: Andy Ruppenstein To: fegmaniax@gnu.ai.mit.edu Subject: Re: Knick knack paadywack AaRrOoNn LlOoWwEe : >I had to clarify. Barney is *not* some "moronic lady in a furry >purple dinosaur suit," but a rather large black man in a furry purple >dinosaur suit, believe it or not.... And just to prove that reality really is at least as weird as Robyn's songs, I read somewhere in the newspapers recently that the Klu Klux Klan denounced Barney precisely because of this. (Moronic as it is, you have to admit there is a certain internal consistency there...) In other fields, I do like Respect, but agree with some that perhaps it is a little too shiny, too polished. But like it nonetheless. Andy / ruppen@qal.berkeley.edu [][][][][][][][][][] Date: Wed, 27 Apr 94 19:06 BST From: andyh@cogs.susx.ac.uk (Andy Holyer) To: fegmaniax@gnu.ai.mit.edu, tomlinso@chemsun.chem.umn.edu Subject: Re: Vera Lynn/Other Junk > > In message <9404271537.AA04875@mpcc3> Captain Lockheed writes: > > > It would be nice to hear her version of 'Arms of Love'. The Yip Song was > > introduced as about 'death by lung cancer' , as I recall, at Robyn's recent > > Jazz Cafe show. > > I believe Vera Lynn passed away sometime in the last six months, or has that > already been mentioned here? I remember seeing something in the clari.news.music > Usnet group. > Well she seemed well enought when she was on the news last week.... [][][][][][][][][][] Date: Wed, 27 Apr 94 13:56:51 CDT From: gokhman@ringer.cs.utsa.edu (Dmitry Gokhman) To: fegmaniax@gnu.ai.mit.edu Subject: parsley >From: Doug Davis >wait. What a cad. I report, however, that not only did he eat the >parsley, he's a lousy tipper. So there. I am not alone! ... Parsley, parsley, more parsley .... - D PS I hope it was flat leaf. [][][][][][][][] End of this Fegmaniax Digest. Archives can be found on fegmania.wustl.edu:/fegmaniax and ftp.uwp.edu:/pub/music/lists/fegmaniax. For administrative questions, subscription requests, and all that boring crud, send mail to fegmaniax-request@gnu.ai.mit.edu. Slipping you the midnight fish...