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 #251 Fegmaniax Digest Volume 4 Number 251 Sunday December 15 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: 1974 Re: Re[2]: film stuff 12/11 AM Re[2]: film stuff 12/11 AM Re: wide release of film Re: 1974 Re: 1974 1974; 1996 Re: 1974; 1996 Demme more? A Little Help Here? I was walking up 14th st., when... I got a message for you (a funny footnote to the filming) Re: A Little Help Here? ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 13 Dec 1996 14:41:55 -0700 From: gondola@deltanet.com (E.B.) Subject: Re: 1974 All you guys are posting these elaborate "1974 theories," relating it to Irish politics and Robyn's childhood experiences, etc., etc. Meanwhile, everyone ignored my comments about what Robyn HIMSELF said about the song/year in concert. No I don't want a cookie, Eb ------------------------------ Subject: Re: Re[2]: film stuff 12/11 AM From: guambat@juno.com (Cardinal Fang) Date: Fri, 13 Dec 1996 17:46:30 EST On Fri, 13 Dec 1996 16:50:55 -0500 Paula_Carino@usccmail.lehman.com (Paula Carino) writes: > I wonder if people are feeling possessive of Robyn and >nervous that he > will become huge as a result of the movie. Just a guess. The chances of this happening are about as great as me suddenly and spontaneously changing into a miniature action figure with a detachable light bulb head. This hearkens back to all the lovely (and I mean it) Fegs! who speculated that the Warners contract would FINALLY bring Robyn some media recognition and mass appeal that he undoubtedly deserves. Remember this? Truth is, Robyn will never be the next Hootie. It's just not in the cards. I think he's finally gotten the idea that since he'll never reach a wide audience with his music, he can definitely count on a very small, but doting crowd who eagerly gobbles up everything that he puts out--even if they have 2 or three copies of it already. Hence all the Robyn saturation: Y&O & other Rhino Rereleases Virgin Sampler (with Statue on it) I Something You 7" Moss Elixir Mossy Liquor Greatest Hits forthcoming Rhino compilation #2 film soundtrack cd forthcoming new CD (which he alludes to in the advance release for Mossy) forthcoming book of short stories Who knows what else we can expect for the next couple of years! And you know what? I can't wait!!!! No one expects the Spanish Inquisition! Cardinal Fang guambat@juno.com ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 13 Dec 1996 15:58:50 -0800 From: Nick Winkworth CC: Paula_Carino@usccmail.lehman.com, hssmrg@bath.ac.uk Subject: Re[2]: film stuff 12/11 AM On Fri, 13 Dec Paula sighed: > I'm disappointed by everybody's disappointment. I can't speak for everyone else, but my "disappointment" is not to do with the end product - for heaven's sake, nobody has a clue about even what _sort_ of film it will be (except that there will be some concert footage). It's rather that we have no indication of what will make the film _special_. There could be nothing worse than to have Robyn come across as "just another singer/songwriter". (Though frankly I have enough faith in Jonathan Demme to believe that this will _not_ happen). I hoped that people were there would see something of Demme's extraordinary vision and maybe get some indication of how he plans to project Robyn's personality and talent to a wide audience who have no knowledge or interest in him (other than they may have enjoyed other Demme films) Don't get me wrong, concert films are wonderful things - but mostly for people who already know and love the artists involved. What Demme did with "Stop Making Sense" was to _make_ fans from people who were not so before. Many people went because it was simply a great film, not just because of the subjects, but they came away with an appreciation of the uniqueness and talent of David Byrne and the band. (...and that turned out to be a big factor in the huge success of Talking Heads) > I wonder if people are feeling possessive of Robyn and nervous that he > will become huge as a result of the movie. In my case at least, just the opposite is true. When I first saw Robyn in a Cambridge folk club waaayyy back in 1976* I _knew_ he was going to be a big star. There's nothing I would like better than to be able to say nyah-nyah-told-you-so to all those who have scoffed over the years! Seriously though, many Fegs I have spoken with agree that even though it would be a shame not to be able to see Robyn in those small intimate venues again we'd all like to see out faith vindicated and damn it, he deserves it. It also feels good to see someone make it in the music biz on their own terms, without compromising their artistic integrity. There are precious few of those about. -Nick *Oh God, I hope I'm not older than Mike Godwin! ;-) ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 13 Dec 1996 19:01:18 -0500 From: Alex Tanter Subject: Re: wide release of film I would be infinitely pleased if it were to happen, but....I cannot imagine the cinema-going public racing to see a film of Robyn Hitchcock. Other than his fans and some other curious types, if this film is given a wide-release, I can't imagine it making much money or even giving Robyn a lot of exposure. I've heard a lot of reports saying that movie attendance is down, so what could WB or whatever studio it is, do to get people in to see a concert film of someone who, to most of the public, is relatively obscure? The show scheduled at the Orpheum in Boston had to be moved due to the fact that they didn't sell enough tickets and Boston is big, huge Hitchcock country! If they can't fill the Orpheum, I don't see how they can see many movie tickets. Thoughts, fellows? Marcy ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 13 Dec 1996 16:11:34 -0800 (PST) From: "Dot, the Itchy God." Subject: Re: 1974 On Fri, 13 Dec 1996, E.B. wrote: > All you guys are posting these elaborate "1974 theories," relating it to > Irish politics and Robyn's childhood experiences, etc., etc. Meanwhile, > everyone ignored my comments about what Robyn HIMSELF said about the > song/year in concert. we're really sorry . could you post those again? this might solve the whole thing yes, i would love a cookie, .chris ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 13 Dec 1996 16:48:36 -0800 (PST) From: "Dot, the Itchy God." hello-- for my millionth post this week (i should go hide soon, lest i be found out), i will post the address for one of the few places to get tabs on the next. and the address bob... http://capella.ae.poznan.pl/ftp/music/ i have looked quickly at this and it seems to have a fair amount of stuff. so, have a go before your laywer gets there first. .chris ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 13 Dec 1996 20:22:04 -0600 (CST) From: Truman Peyote Subject: Re: 1974 On Thu, 12 Dec 1996, E.B. wrote: > Well, in Los Angeles, RH went into a long explanation about how all the > good intentions and achievements of the '60s finally dissipated for good in > 1974, and left culture in a big void. No good music, etc., etc. > > Personally, I've always thought 1976 was the real nadir of pop music. After > all, 1974 had The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway, Red/Starless & Bible Black, > Diamond Dogs, Walls And Bridges, Country Life, Taking Tiger Mountain, Fear, > Planet Waves/Blood On The Tracks/Before The Flood, Grievous Angel, Starting > Over and maybe a couple of other neat things. But alas, I digress. You missed "Sticky Fingers" :). I don't think you can call '76 a nadir exactly, more of a cauldron. Stuff was brewing that exploded in '77- not just the obvious punk explosion, either- but the return of excellent power pop (a la Nick Lowe, Graham Parker, et al) and the beginning of Bowie's Berlin period, as well as the start of the Indie Revolution (linked to, of course, both punk and the return of excellent power pop :)). Aside from that, there was some excellent soul/R&B music being made and produced by one Curtis Mayfield, and there was a fellow named John Cale who was perhaps at his creative peak around that time. And let us not forget this one Cambridge folkie, Robyn something. There, you can stop pouting now :). ObRobyn: Thought you guys might find this amusing, what with all the movie speculation. A visitor, upon observing the signed picture on my refrigerator, said "Who is that? Antonio Banderas?" :). Love on ya, Susan ------------------------------ From: RxBroome@aol.com Date: Fri, 13 Dec 1996 21:37:10 -0500 Subject: 1974; 1996 1974 is also the year when Clean Steve lent Robyn a pound. That was a lot of money then-- Robyn was extremely poor. I must echo Paula's accolades for the straight-performance appraoch to the film. Most rock films suck bigtime due to all the cheeseball effects and split screens, extraneous intervies and "arty" footage (take "Rattle and Hum"-- please! NOW, dammit!!!); post MTV it's only gotten worse. Let's just have Robyn perform, eh? Or have our attention spans atrophied to the point where that's not enough? We don't seem to require the mothership to land when we go to concerts in person... Happily, one of the only directors ever to, by eschewing all the geegaws, make a rock film that stands up to repeated viewings is... Jonathan Demme. Let's see what happens. Rex ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 13 Dec 1996 21:43:18 -0600 (CST) From: Truman Peyote Subject: Re: 1974; 1996 On Fri, 13 Dec 1996 RxBroome@aol.com wrote: > Happily, one of the only directors ever to, by eschewing all the geegaws, > make a rock film that stands up to repeated viewings is... Jonathan Demme. > Let's see what happens. > > Rex I must disagree violently on this last point. There are a LOT of "rock films" that stand up to repeated viewings. How about "Gimme Shelter", for starters, or "Performance", or "Don't Look Back", or "The Last Waltz", or "A Hard Day's Night" or even "Quadrophenia" (which I love, although I have to admit it is a bit of an acquired taste)? Not to mention all of those wonderfully energetic Frank Tashlin 50s teen exploitation flicks like "The Girl Can't Help It", which are really fun and entertaining if not exactly everyone's cup of tea. Generally, I think "rock films" tend to work when you have charismatic, energetic performers (emphasis on performers here, as opposed to musicians- you really need more than just music to make it fly), and don't work when you don't (part of the reason "Rattle and Hum" didn't work, IMHO, is because U2 aren't really SHOWMEN, and no amount of "arty" smoke and mirrors can hide that fact). Since our Robyn is very much a performer, I'm sure Demme will be able to capitalize on that to make a compelling film. Love on ya, Susan ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 14 Dec 1996 09:52:16 -0500 From: "Hal 'n' Carey" Subject: Demme more? RxBroome@aol.com wrote: > I must echo Paula's accolades for the straight-performance appraoch to the > film. Let's just > have Robyn perform, eh? We already have a concert film where Robyn just performs ("Gotta Let This Hen Out") I am really hoping Demme shows more of the multi-faceted elements of Robyn, documentary style, instead of just concert footage. In addition to live performance, his history dating back to the Soft Boys should be revealed as well. Robyn's story is a continuing journey, the subtext of which seems to be a prerequisite for "getting it." Through interviews and background info, a truer picture of Robyn the man emerges which makes Robyn the artist more fascinating. This film should attempt, in some way, to get potential new fans up to speed. Someone suggested a Robyn animation sequence which would be fantastic and hopefully not cost prohibitive. Let's hope Demme doesn't underestimate the richness of his chosen subject matter. Other great rock films not yet mentioned IMHO: The Grateful Dead Movie Frank Zappa's "Baby Snakes" The Monkees "Head" Most horrible rock film: Paul McCartney's "Give My Regards To Broad Street" hal ------------------------------ From: Fidgetor@aol.com Date: Sat, 14 Dec 1996 14:11:27 -0500 Subject: A Little Help Here? Hi fegs! I've been lurking for a while, but I received a tape recently (thanks J.I.) of a show Robyn did in Germany a couple of months back with a few new songs. I figured out "1974" from it being mentioned here, but there's one that sounds like it should be called "I Dream of (sounds like Antwerp???)" Any body want to help me out? Also, Tim (Keegan, I presume from other posts) is on it. But just who is he? Thanks for help. Jude ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 14 Dec 1996 14:46:21 -0500 From: WISNIEWSKI Subject: I was walking up 14th st., when... -- Kay Lord Wisniewski Wis@Worldnet.Att.Net Hello all. Observations not previously noted about the filming: 1-Robyn's hair It started out looking completely unnatural--sorta moussed or something--combed, every strand in place, Im happy to report thou, that by about the third song it started to reassert its independence-- and by the end was a proper mess. I admire his cowlicks. -Robyns makeup Scary. Like seeing his face under a layer of plastic. Again thou, chaos came to the rescue--and he ended up sweating most of it off. -Robyns eyes Blink factor unusually low. Eyebrows looked"neatened"(i.e.--slightly plucked and gelled). -Robyns voice and guitar playing stellar -Robyns body Posture excellent. No sign of stomack, in fact, looked quite thin. When he waLked on camera thou, he was obviously suckin it in. This is going to work. Most of his songs dealt with life as an aging baby-boomer--which I think may be Demme's tactic for selling him to middle America. All us aging hippies out there will eat it up with a spoon. Death of parents, dealing with getting older(but still having some thunder left in you), the feel of time changing, memory and experience--all this got touched on in the songs and sayings. And touched on with wit, sensitivity, and grace. He may not be the next Hootie,--but roll together Hiatt, Reed and Young--with Monty Python of course,--and there you have radio play. He was very self-assured, and came off like he wanted to make the most of all this. And I think he just might. If any of you are in NY over the holidays --I recommend the Macantoch exhibit at the Met. Off on another self-created whirlwind K ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 15 Dec 1996 00:02:22 -0800 From: txc@echonyc.com (Tom X. Chao) Subject: I got a message for you (a funny footnote to the filming) A friend of mine who works on 14th Street saw me on the sidewalk after the filming. I told him about it and suggested that he try to skip out of work and catch the afternoon show. A day later he sent me this anecdote. I hope he makes it into the film! TXC >So, I'm standing outside the window....of the RH show...kinda indiscreet, >off to the side....during the afternoon taping. He plays a (great) >song.....then starts rambling about nothing much tho pretty hysterical. I >stick around...me in the freezing cold....staring at the back of Mr. >Hitchcock....thru a furniture store window. He plays another song...not as >great...but good...The song ends and Mr. Hitchcock reels around and looks >right at me...A half a second passes and he turns back to the audience and >says (imagine an English accent): "Thot fewlo hos rimayned rahthaw constont >ut thair...Puhawps he es trahwing ta ubsawb hour souwls". Then he begins to >contemplate if I'm a winner or a loser....on winners and losers in the US >of A....and something about the US of A's hegemony....and seems to >conclude that it's all the fault of Hollywood. Or something like that. Would >have stuck around...but my lunch hour was nearly up and aw whas rahthah >uhngrey. > >Chris ------------------------------ From: Terrence M Marks Date: Sun, 15 Dec 1996 02:06:16 -0500 (EST) Subject: Re: A Little Help Here? The song it "I Dream of Antwoman". One of his finer ones. I believe the chords in it are A7 and D7, but I haven't checked yet.. Terrence Marks Second Student in the Tendo Kasumi School of Philosophy -Seeking enlightenment through normalcy. normal@grove.ufl.edu ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- The End of this Fegmaniax Digest. *sob* .