From: owner-fegmaniax-digest@ecto.org To: fegmaniax-digest@ecto.org Reply-To: fegmaniax@ecto.org Errors-To: owner-fegmaniax-digest@ecto.org Subject: Feg Digest V4 #245 Fegmaniax Digest Volume 4 Number 245 Friday December 6 1996 To post, send mail to fegmaniax@ecto.org To unsubscribe, send mail to majordomo@ecto.org with the words "unsubscribe fegmaniax-digest" in the message body. Send comments, etc. to the listowner at owner-fegmaniax@ecto.org FegMANIAX! Web Page: http://remus.rutgers.edu/~woj/fegmaniax/index.html Archives are available at ftp://www.ecto.org/pub/lists/fegmaniax/ ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's Topics: ------- ------- Re: Robyn and other vulgarities no borders--a column by Michael Moore (non-Robyn content) Re: Robyn and other vulgarities Re: Robyn and other vulgarities Dave Re: FROM RANDI: re: film - who else is going Tuesday questions on the filming Whoever posted that phone number US tour Re: Robyn and other vulgarities Different word, same hidden meaning... Mountain Stage show directions to NYC Dumb Question Re: Dumb Question FROM RANDI: Driving from Toronto to New York for the film ------------------------------ From: headfx@ix.netcom.com Date: Thu, 05 Dec 1996 17:56:26 -0500 Subject: Re: Robyn and other vulgarities Critica@aol.com wrote: > >AOL flung this message window at me that said "'Robyn Hitchcock' and other >vulgarities are not acceptable room names." Yet another typical example of why AOL sucks!!! -Ner ------------------------------ From: headfx@ix.netcom.com Date: Thu, 05 Dec 1996 18:12:07 -0500 Subject: no borders--a column by Michael Moore (non-Robyn content) This was E-mailed to me by a friend. I thought it was very interesting so I am passing it on to all my fellow fegs. >----- Forwarded message follows ----- >Banned by Borders > -- By Michael Moore > >On November 9, as I write this, I was supposed to have been at the Borders >bookstore in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, speaking and signing copies of my >book Downsize This! Random Threats from an Unarmed American. It was to have >been the final stop of my forty-seven-city tour. But on October 30 I was >told that the book-signing had been canceled. The Fort Lauderdale Borders >had received a memo from its corporate headquarters in Ann Arbor, Michigan, >banning me from speaking or signing at any Borders store in the country. > >When I was growing up in Michigan, the original Borders was a store that >actively championed free expression. In fact, when I was publishing the >Michigan Voice, Borders would carry my paper when other establishments would >not. Now, Borders is a huge nationwide chain, and its "liberal" views have >earned it the reputation as the "Ben & Jerry's of the book chains." > >So why was I banned from Borders? My book was doing well. It has been on >the New York Times best-seller list for a month and was the number two >best-selling Random House book for the entire Borders chain. I've been >banned, I found out, because I made the mistake of uttering a five-letter >word, the dirtiest word in all of corporate America -- "union." > >Back in September, on the second day of my tour, when I arrived at the >Borders store in downtown Philadelphia, I found nearly 100 people picketing >the place because Borders had fired a woman named Miriam Fried. She had >led a drive to organize workers at the store into a union. The effort >failed, and, a few weeks later, Miriam was given the boot. > >When I found this out I told the Borders people that I have never crossed >a picket line and would not cross this one. I asked the demonstrators if >they wanted to take the protest inside. They thought it was a good idea. >I had no desire to cause a ruckus, so I asked Borders management if it was >O.K. to allow the protesters in. They said yes. So we all came into the >store, I gave my talk, I gave Miriam the microphone so she could talk, >everyone behaved themselves and it was a good day all around -- including >for Borders, which ended up selling a lot of books, breaking the record for >a noontime author at that location. (The record had been held by George >Foreman, and I now like to tell people only Ali and I have beaten Foreman.) >I also announced that I would donate all my royalties for the day to help >Miriam out. > >Although Anne Kubek, Borders' corporate V.P. in charge of labor relations, >had approved my bringing the protesters inside, upper management decided >that she had made a mistake -- and they were going to take it out on me. >On the following Tuesday I was scheduled to speak at the new Borders store >in New York's World Trade Center. When I arrived, I was met by two Borders >executives. They had flown in from Michigan just to stop me from speaking. >The executives, flanked by two security guards, explained that I could come >into the store and sign books, but I would not be allowed to talk to the >people who had come to hear me. They said that the "commotion" I had caused >in Philly raised "security concerns." I couldn't believe I was being >censored in a bookstore. > >The Borders manager told the assembled crowd that I would not be speaking >because "Port Authority police and fire marshals have banned all daytime >gatherings at Borders." When I heard this, I stepped forward and told the >people this was a lie, that I was forbidden to speak because of my support >for the workers in Philly. Under protest, I signed the books of those who >stayed -- beneath a big banner celebrating "Banned Books Week." > >On October 13, I spoke to a large crowd in a Des Moines auditorium. After >the speech I went out front and started signing books. "What store are these >from?" I innocently asked. "Oh, these are from the local Borders," I was >told. Well, I thought, they don't mind if I make them some money -- as long >as it's not on their premises! Then someone slipped me an anonymous note. >It read: "We are employees of the Des Moines Borders. We were told that we >could not work the book table tonight, that only management was working the >table, because they said they wanted to 'protect us' from you." > >An hour later, I went out to the parking lot and saw some people standing >there in the dark -- the employees from the Des Moines Borders! They said >they were hiding out there because they had spotted Borders' regional >director with another man inside. "He flew in to spy on you, or us, or >both," they told me. "He saw us so we may not have jobs on Monday." >(Bookstore employees afraid they might be fired for attending a public >speech at the Herbert Hoover High School auditorium!) The executive had >not introduced himself to me -- or his colleague, who employees believe is >a unionbusting "consultant" hired by Borders. > >I wished the workers well, and the next night they held their first union >meeting. The previous week, the Borders store in the Lincoln Park section >of Chicago had become the first Borders in the country to vote in a union >(United Food and Commercial Workers). Recently, workers in Des Moines signed >enough cards to hold a union election. It is a victory that should inspire >not only Borders workers but underpaid employees everywhere. That's why I >am not in Fort Lauderdale as I write this. Borders is "protecting" its >workers from me. > >Well, they're really going to need protection now. First, I am donating my >royalties from the next 1,000 sales of Downsize This! to the organizing >drive at Borders. Second, I am asking each of you to support the Borders >workers in your city. Bring up the union when you're in the store and thank >that kid with the nose ring and green hair for helping to revive the labor >movement in America. > >Note to Borders Executives: If, after this column is published, you >retaliate by removing my book from your shelves, or hiding it in the "humor" >section or underreporting its sales to the New York Times list, I will come >at you with everything I've got. You sandbagged me in Philly, and the only >decent way for you to resolve this is to give Miriam Fried her job back and >let the workers form their union without intimidation or harassment. > >Copyright (c) 1996, The Nation Company, L.P. All rights reserved. >Electronic redistribution for nonprofit purposes is permitted, provided this >notice is attached in its entirety. Unauthorized, for-profit redistribution >is prohibited. For further information regarding reprinting and syndication, >please call The Nation at (212) 242-8400, ext. 226 or send e-mail to Max Block. > >christian a. gregory >driver@nervm.nerdc.ufl.edu > > >----- End of Forwarded message ----- ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 6 Dec 1996 01:15:04 -0600 (CST) From: Truman Peyote Subject: Re: Robyn and other vulgarities On Thu, 5 Dec 1996 headfx@ix.netcom.com wrote: > Critica@aol.com wrote: > > > >AOL flung this message window at me that said "'Robyn Hitchcock' and other > >vulgarities are not acceptable room names." Maybe they'd accept it if you just took out one of the "c"s, like on the Warner's webpage ;). Love on ya, Susan proud owner of her very own bottle of "Sparkling Eno" powder supposedly it provides "Fast Refreshing Relief From Stomach Upset" what I want to know is......does he get any of the royalties? ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 06 Dec 1996 08:39:36 GMT From: Rob Collingwood Subject: Re: Robyn and other vulgarities In message <23415701802787@metro.net> Jewish Wry writes: > At 23:38 04.12.96 -0500, Critica@aol.com wrote: > > >AOL flung this message window at me that said "'Robyn Hitchcock' and other > >vulgarities are not acceptable room names." > > What if someone wanted a chat room devoted to either the Scunthorpe or > Arsenal football clubs? Would those names be allowed? > > SHEESH!!! > It may be an urban myth, but I've heard that AOL refuse to allow anyone with a Scunthorpe address to join. -- Rob Collingwood Warrington, Cheshire, England rob@nimbus.demon.co.uk ------------------------------ Subject: Dave From: guambat@juno.com (Curious George) Date: Fri, 06 Dec 1996 08:58:25 EST Hey der, fellow fegophiles and dat crazy email bomber guy. Me gotta question. If Uncle Bobby be in New York City next week, whatta da chances he be gettin' on dat crazee Dave Letterman show again? Any rumors or conspiracy theories? I'ze goin now -- Good Bye y'all! Curious George, otherwise known as Curious Jorge %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% "Look at the size of that boy's head -- it's like Sputnik" - Charlie's Father in So I Married An Axe Murderer ------------------------------ From: Ross Overbury Date: Fri, 6 Dec 96 9:44:42 EST Subject: Re: FROM RANDI: re: film - who else is going Tuesday > Hi, > > If you've already perused #243, then you know that someone asked if "Ros" > was the person coming from Canada for the film. > > Well, I don't know who Ros is, (hi Ros if you are reading this,) but my > name is Randi (in case y'all didn't notice). [snip] > > Randi Hi Randi, I'm Ross. Marcy Tanter knows me from fegmaniax and from the Emily Duckinson AOL chat room. I occasionally contibute tabs, pedantry and middle aged crankiness to the list. I'm quiet right now because I'm in a sulk over not being able to attend the NYC shoot. There's a grand total of 4 canucks on the list. -- Ross Overbury Montreal, Quebec, Canada email: rosso@cn.ca ------------------------------ From: Critica@aol.com Date: Fri, 6 Dec 1996 10:06:22 -0500 Subject: questions on the filming Hi all-- Did anyone think to ask Eric/Steve either of these questions: 1) approximately how many people will be at each filming? 2) is it being held outside, as was originally mentioned on the list, or inside? I'd appreciate answers or even just blind speculation. See you folks on Wednesday morning! --Becky ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 6 Dec 1996 12:01:15 -0500 From: mlang@inch.com (Matrix) Subject: Whoever posted that phone number for the Demme filming deserves a medal. Seriously, let's all buy them a large gift... I will be there, goatee, glasses long black scarf with my generic looking drummer. steve ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 6 Dec 1996 17:11:46 +0000 (GMT) From: M R Godwin Subject: US tour Has the tour finished? Billy Bragg appeared on a TV pop quiz over here this week, which was presumably recorded within living memory. - Mike Godwin and the Green Plastered Leg ------------------------------ From: Jewish Wry Subject: Re: Robyn and other vulgarities Date: Fri, 6 Dec 1996 10:01:08 -0800 At 08:39 06.12.96 GMT, Rob Collingwood wrote: >It may be an urban myth, but I've heard that AOL refuse to allow anyone >with a Scunthorpe address to join. >-- Maybe someone on America On Hold could check this for me. Are there any chat rooms devoted to the discussion of Shiite Moslems or Shiitake Mushrooms? How about Shih-tzu dogs? While you're at it, are there any Alfred Hitchcock rooms? Robyn content: If Robyn were into computers, he probably wouldn't be able to use AOL. --g ************************ Glen E. Uber "Never bite off more glen@metro.net than you can chew." http://metro.net/glen/ --Mama Cass ************************ ------------------------------ fegmaniax@ecto.org (strs prst skrs krk) From: Jewish Wry Subject: Different word, same hidden meaning... Date: Fri, 6 Dec 1996 10:08:46 -0800 At 09:44 06.12.96 EST, Ross Overbury wrote: >from the Emily Duckinson AOL chat room. ^^^^^^^^^ I guess if you can't have a Hitchcock room, you can't have a Dickinson page either, eh? --g ************************ Glen E. Uber "Never bite off more glen@metro.net than you can chew." http://metro.net/glen/ --Mama Cass ************************ ------------------------------ From: jill@naxs.com (Jill Sunderlin) Subject: Mountain Stage show Date: Fri, 6 Dec 1996 13:39:16 -0500 Hi all, First off -- this post was written by two of us (Brad and Jill) at several different times, so if it sounds like there are two different people writing, well, there are. A longer version of this was posted to another list, ecto, with descriptions of all the musicians that played -- this is the shorter Robyn and Donovan only version. If anyone wants to know more about any of the other musicians just let us know and we'll send you a copy. Mountain Stage is taped in Charleston, WV--about three hours from our house in Abingdon, Virginia which is in the mountains of southwest Virginia, close to Tennessee. Mountain Stage used to be taped at 3 pm on Sundays as it was broadcast live to the West Virginia public stations -- sometime recently this changed and they're now taping it at 6 pm Sundays for broadcast at a later time. The taping we were at with Donovan and Robyn should be airing sometime on or after December 15th. The headliner was Donovan, not Robyn, and the crowd was definitely a Donovan crowd--the folks in front of us had a teen aged daughter who was dressed in black velvet flaired pants carrying a copy of a mildewed Donovan compilation. The parents were in jeans and flannels--the mother havinglong hair as well as the father. The flairs amused my husband Brad greatly because of Robyn's line in "My Wife and My Dead Wife": "I turn around and my dead wife's upstairs She's still wearing flairs She talks out loud but no one hears" I guess when he wrote the song he didn't expect for flairs to come back. And they have, at least with the eighth grade set! Since she used to be with the Mountain Stage band Deni Bonet played on the intro song--she's really gotten better over the past years! (a note from Jill -- Deni and I went to West Virginia University at the same time, and were going to share an apartment in Ohio one summer except I decided not to take the job we were going there for, and Deni went ahead with it. Both Brad and I have heard her play a lot, with Stark Raven, and then as a Twister Sister and with the Mt. Stage band. I like her playing with Robyn better than any I've heard over the years.) Anyway, Donovan was the first one on. He's pretty short and looked very peppy, bouncy and spritely. His guitar was shiny green and had a deer decal on it. He had on black jeans, a black vest and a brown sweater. He looked pleased to be on stage and merry about life in general. His set was: Hurdy Gurdy Man, ?, a new song called Nirvana that included a story about how a young fan said that it was a good song about Kurt Cobain but about whom Donovan claimed not to have been thinking, First there is a mountain. . . , a new one with Poe's words El Dorado, Be mine (a new one), Sunshine Superman, Sleep (a new one) and he ended with Barabajackel (spelling on this one? I've only got it on tape and I wrote the label so it's probably misspelled!). Next was Holly Palmer, then Dan Bern, Slim Dunlapp -- the ex lead singer from some "R"band (we're having memory lapse) and then Julie Adams sang a Tim O'Brian song "Deep in the woods." Finally Larry Groce introduced Robyn in almost the same words that he'd used last time Robyn played Mountain Stage! It even included an REM reference ("he appeared on our show a few years ago with REM") which once again elicited another irritated glance and a roll of the eyes from Robyn. (The same reaction as last time.) Robyn had on blue jeans, a large black belt, and a shirt with orange hand outlines and greenish grey blobs. Deni Bonet wasn't on stage with him at first. The first song was Ghost ship--good but the audience seemed a little puzzled. Next was "I something you". He intro'd it with some patter about being young and having lots to say and then getting older and having less and less to say. "You might put on lots of weight but the stuff inside is pretty much gone. So, when I wrote this, there wasn't much left." . . Robyn introduced the next song as "The obligatory folk rock bit" in refernce to previous guitar/harmonica songs by both Donovan and Dan Bern, and pulled out his harminica and played The wind cries Mary. After this he referred to the introduction Larry Groce gave Donovan by commenting, "I too am an ambassador from the 60's and I plan to go back after this..." which led to "1974". Then Deni came out and was introduced as "The Human Pumpkin Girl" and he told the dead horse story "You wake up after having gone to bed with someone and you're alone in a five by seven room and there is a skylight and you're not sure how you got there and there is a door that slowly swings open and you see a severed horse's head. It's been dead for a couple of days. That's a good way to look at the songs I play. . ." and they played DeChirico Street. Next he told a Billy Bragg story that talked about having a social conscience and ended with "you can only be happy when you don't mind blood on your hands. . ." and did "Filthy Bird" with Deni on harmony oohs and violin. Then he played "Lets go thundering". Deni left and he said, "She'll be back soon after she's gone." This led to "I'm in love with a beautiful girl." Which was the end of his set -- all played on acoustic guitar. As always, Larry Groce and all the rest came back on stage for the final everybody jam thing that irritated Robyn so much last time we saw him (dark looks and many head shakes at Larry). This time, however, he seemed pretty happy to be singing and playing harmonica behind Donovan, and kept looking at Donovan like he was afraid he might not be doing it right. Robyn had commented at some point during his set something like: "when I first started playing guitar, or even before I played guitar, I used to sit on my bed and strum along with my Donovan records). They sang "Season of the Witch." At the end Donovan put his arm around Robyn and gave him a big hug. Robyn got the goofiest look on his face, and looked VERY pleased and happy as they exited the stage. And that was that. As the show is no longer live they said it will be edited down to fit the radio space allotted for it (the taping ran 2 1/2 hours, not the two allowed for the show). So who knows what will be missing when it airs. jill and brad ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 06 Dec 1996 14:05:56 -0500 From: Alex Tanter Subject: directions to NYC Ok, all you NY fegs.....we're thinking about driving to the city to the filming on Tuesday and I'm terrified about driving in the city. We'd probably come down the Merit Parkway (in hopes of seeing David Letterman, of course!) and over the GWB. Now, where do I go from there? The biggest thing is: where would we park? The place is 25 W. 14th St. (I think it's 25). Thanks for any info! Marcy ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 6 Dec 1996 14:37:18 -0400 From: lj lindhurst Subject: Dumb Question Robyn DID write "Chain Mary to the Bed", didn't he? If so, does anyone know around when he wrote it, or any background about this song? I am OBSESSED with this song now! And I keep playing side 3 of the Unhatched Crablings over and over again- the whole thing is a very nice compilation. If you didn't get your tapes yet, you've got a treat in store. woo woo Maxwell's tonight and the movie next week... lj ------------------------------ From: Terrence M Marks Date: Fri, 6 Dec 1996 15:15:37 -0500 (EST) Subject: Re: Dumb Question On Fri, 6 Dec 1996, lj lindhurst wrote: > Robyn DID write "Chain Mary to the Bed", didn't he? If so, does anyone > know around when he wrote it, or any background about this song? Yep. Believe that it was a concert standard in 1991 Eye tour. > > I am OBSESSED with this song now! And I keep playing side 3 of the > Unhatched Crablings over and over again- the whole thing is a very nice > compilation. If you didn't get your tapes yet, you've got a treat in > store. Personally, I like "Cherry Red Daughter" and "Consider me Gone" more, but yeah...CMTTB rocks. I thought I saw... TErry ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 06 Dec 1996 13:28:21 -0800 From: HARVEY SPIEGEL Subject: FROM RANDI: Driving from Toronto to New York for the film Hi again, I may have a place to stay in NY at "127 W79th Street" Does anyone know how close/far that is from the "shoot?" I just noticed the note from Stacy in Texas... if anyone knows of anywhere cheap to stay please please please let me know as well... e-mail me privately at < spiegel.all@sympatico.ca > Any help is really appreciated. I'm going to be arriving in NY on Sunday around lunchtime. If anyone has some time and feels like e-mailing me about anything neat going on Sunday or Monday...feel free... I hope that I get to meet some fegs while in NY - let me know what is up! Take Care Everyone! Randi :) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- The End of this Fegmaniax Digest. *sob* .