Fegmaniax Digest Volume 4 Number 63 Send posts to fegmaniax@nsmx.rutgers.edu Send subscribe/unsubscribe commands to majordomo@nsmx.rutgers.edu Send comments, etc. to the listowner at owner-fegmaniax@nsmx.rutgers.edu FegMANIAX! Web Page: http://remus.rutgers.edu/~woj/fegmaniax/ Archives are available at http://archive.uwp.edu/pub/music/lists/fegmaniax/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's Topics: ------- ------- Re: Gormenghast RH literary influences; Lysander Let me guess... covers list SXSW Article Homer/Andy Metcalfe...the saga continues Re: Let me guess... colombian robyn ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 1 Apr 1996 16:18:04 +1200 (NZST) From: james.dignan@stonebow.otago.ac.nz (James Dignan) Subject: Re: Gormenghast >From: jpartridge@accel.com >Date: Fri, 29 Mar 96 11:55:31 EST >Subject: Re: Mr. Pye's cones - a lit connection? > > I had a chance back in '86 to ask Robyn about his interest in Mervyn > Peake which had struck me as a somewhat unique taste since Peake never > got that popular in the States (as far as I know...). Robyn said that > in fact The Gormenghast trilogy was hugely popular in England during > the 70's - that in fact there were rock bands with names like > "Fuschia" (Titus' sister) being formed all the time. Given that Gordie > Sumner also sung (metaphorically that is) the praises of Mervyn > Peake's stuff, I guess it couldn't have been too eclectic a taste. This comment from jpartridge remins me that a.partridge, i.e., Andy, from XTC has also waxed lyrical (if you'll excuse the pun) about Gormenghast. I believe it's also an inspiration for the early Split Enz track "Titus" James ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 1 Apr 1996 16:53:09 +1200 (NZST) From: james.dignan@stonebow.otago.ac.nz (James Dignan) Subject: RH literary influences; Lysander >The neat song in its >Shakespearean angle, however, is "Lysander". I've previously mentioned my >non-Feg fiancee Megan, and will now add that she's a "theatre person" with a >BA in theatre arts from Berkeley, where she did a lot of directing. She >knows her Shakespeare. Lysander, as many of you probably know, is the name >of one of the princes in "A Midsummer Night's Dream". The reference, when >juxtaposed with the content of Robyn's "Lysander", has always mystified me. > One night, I decided to run the song past my live-in Shakespeare expert, and >see if she got it. I played it for her, laid out the lyrical content, and >she said, "Oh, yeah, that totally makes sense". For some reason I never >asked why, assuming that her greater familiarity with the play made her >correct. seems we have more than Mr Hitchcock, the Go-Betweens and various other musical groups in common, Rex... I've done the same sort of thing as this, running Lysander past my partner (a lecturer in Theatre Studies here at Otago U. and theatrical director). She more or less said the same thing. Surely another literary influence, though not as obvious from any one song, is Mr Raymond Hitchcock... >In two subsequent live performances, I've heard Robyn explain that "lysander" >was the name of a model of RAF airplane during WWII, and that the song >basically concerns such a plane, miniaturized and painted pink and bedecked >with mooseheads, which "circles your heart / Like (it) circled the world" >etc... The Lysander was a small plane with a reputation of being one of the less likely to bring its pilot back in one piece. They looked more like what we'd consider to be a light plane than the usual WWII fighter, with a single wing above the fuselage attached by wing struts. Then again they definitely weren't fighters or bombers. I think they were used mainly for reconnaissance and one-off missions. Wonder who the moosehead bedecked plane had "painted on my tail fin"? James James Dignan, Department of Psychology, University of Otago. Ya zhivu v' 50 Norfolk St., St. Clair, Dunedin, New Zealand pixelphone james.dignan@stonebow.otago.ac.nz / steam megaphone NZ 03-455-7807 * You talk to me as if from a distance * and I reply with impressions chosen from another time, time, time, * from another time (Brian Eno) ------------------------------ From: RxBroome@aol.com Date: Mon, 1 Apr 1996 00:04:50 -0500 Subject: Let me guess... woj sez: >the colombian radio station mundo diners will be broadcasting a hour long special program about robyn this sunday. May I assume that this is an April Fool's Day prank geared at getting innocent Fegs to foolishly request a tape of this very odd event? Of course, I could be wrong. Rex ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 1 Apr 96 09:48:00 -0800 From: Russ Reynolds Subject: covers list I believe someone on this list was compiling a list of tunes by other artists that Robyn has covered. Bayard, perhaps? A. How's that coming along? 2. Would it be to much trouble to forward a copy to me? -Russ rreynolds@ksjo.com ------------------------------ Subject: SXSW Article Date: Mon, 1 Apr 96 13:46:22 -0800 From: Tom Clark fegs, Found this out on the net somewhere: ------------------------- Afterthoughts on the '96 South by Southwest Music and Media Conference By Thor Christensen Dallas Morning News [useless non-Robyn related stuff deleted] - Best Music-Celeb Sightings: Robyn Hitchcock taking a Rorschach test given by a journalist in the Hyatt lobby. -------------------------- I can see it now: "Crab, prawn, two crabs having sex, another crab, penis..." fyi - it's raining in Silicon Valley today. yuck. -tc ************************************* * Tom Clark * Apple Computer, Inc. "Do you really serve the Devil * tclark@apple.com If it's all God's plan? * tclark@netgate.net Good and evil need each other * tclark@eworld.com Honey I'm your man" * http://www.netgate.net/~tclark -Robyn Hitchcock ************************************* Stop the hegemony! Join "EvangeList," Guy Kawasaki's (un)official Apple listserver of good news about Apple, Macintosh, and third-party developers. To subscribe to EvangeList, send an email to: listproc@solutions.apple.com> and include in the body of the message the text: Subscribe Macway ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 1 Apr 1996 22:50:02 +0100 From: redsfan@dircon.co.uk (Mark McKeown) Subject: Homer/Andy Metcalfe...the saga continues On March 19th, Woj wrote: >>>Some of the songs (for the next record) have backing musicians on it. >>>An >>>english band named 'Homer' plays on several tracks, including >>>DeCherico >>>Street. is homer not the new band of andy metcalf? or did i >>>just imagine >>>reading that somewhere? To which I responded on March 20th: >>The answer is no. Homer is a jingly jangly band that I have had the >>>>Opportunity to see around town a few times in the recent months. Their >>sound >>is very enjoyable. They opened for Robyn at both the Borderline gig back in >>December and the third gig at the 12-bar club in January. >>This description is from their web page: >>http://www.foresight.co.uk/homer/index.html >>Homer features members and ex-members of Ringo, The Sundays, The Blue >>Aeroplanes and The Lazy House. Parts of Homer have gigged or toured with the >>Blue Aeroplanes, Lemonheads, Trash Can Sinatras, The Bible, Boo Hewerdine, Del >>Amitri, Robyn Hitchcock, They Might Be Giants, The Auteurs, etc. so you may >>recognise some faces. To which 101356.2516@compuserve.com responded on March 22: >Yes... but Ringo, the Sundays and Lazy House all featured Andy Metcalfe, as >does Homer - although he doesn't always gig with them as much as he used to. >Anyone who went to Robyn's gig at the Jazz Cafe about a year ago would have >seen Homer, featuring Andy, as the backing band; they also (as Ringo, >which was >only one member different from the current Homer line-up and >had mostly the >same songs) supported Robyn on the London date of the _Respect_ tour. >Andy's >also their manager, and produced (but didn't play on) their first >single, >'Lucky Thirteen'. Which, in its original pressing is already trading at 15 >times its sale price. >If you're going to be a smartarse, at least do it right... To 101356.2516@compuserve.com & the list, Very strange how someone could misread my message so profoundly. There was no effort on my part to be a smartarse. Thought I was passing on some valid info that might turn people on to a good band. Didn't know of Andy's involvement. All the better. Maybe you could change your insult to bad information passer or something more appropriate. I have a suggestion. Since you know so much, why don't you give everybody your name so they can give you a slap on the back and tell you how smart you are. It is replies like yours that turn me off so much to special interest music groups, college radio, record swaps and (what the hell) I might as well lump in the whole music biz in general. For the record, I shot an email to Homer to ask them about Andy's current involvement in the band and whether he would be appearing w/Homer on the next Hitchcock offering. Their reply: >Hello Mark > >Andy was playing in the acoustic combo which was the pre-cursor of Homer in >94/early 95. I'm sure he'll have some involvement down the line, but there >are no definite plans at the moment. Homer have indeed recorded a few >tracks backing up Robyn Hitchcock for his upcoming record, but Andy isn't >on these. Sorry to disappoint you, but check out Homer anyway - they're a >cool combo. > >Regards, > >Tim Keegan Awaiting the last word.... Now I'm being a smart arse. -- mark mckeown Mark McKeown Reds News: The Reds opening day game with 16 Wellington Court the Montreal Expos was postponed today when Mayfield Road home plate umpire John McSherry collapsed London W12 9LU during the first inning and died minutes England later from a massive heart attack. McSherry, Home: 011 44 181 743 0164 a Major League umpire since 1971, has had Work: 011 44 181 742 2422 a series of health problems. The game Internet: redsfan@dircon.co.uk will be played in its entirety tomorrow at 2:05pm ET. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 1 Apr 1996 20:24:22 -0500 From: greybeard loon Subject: Re: Let me guess... Also sprach RxBroome@aol.com: >woj sez: >>the colombian radio station mundo diners will be broadcasting a hour >>long special program about robyn this sunday. >May I assume that this is an April Fool's Day prank geared at getting > innocent Fegs to foolishly request a tape of this very odd event? nope, you may not assume. ;) earlier last week, i received a note from a luis mattea (think that was his name) with a colombian e-mail address saying that he was looking for robyn hitchcock information for this radio program they were producing. it was to be aired this past sunday. he mistook me for positive vibrations, so i referred him to aidan merritt. never heard back from luis, but i'm hoping to at some point, and will request a copy of the tape if i get the chance. i must admit it would have been a good april fools though. woj ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 1 Apr 1996 21:11:26 -0500 From: greybeard loon Subject: colombian robyn Also sprach me: >never heard back from luis, but i'm hoping to at some point, bite my tongue! if i had only read mail sent to me before sending that last note to feg, i would have seen the note from luis that he sent last night. seems that the colombian broadcast went very well with excellent listener response. maybe the next whfs/robyn south american jaunt should be to medellin? woj ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- The End of this Fegmaniax Digest.