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 V5 #186 Fegmaniax Digest Volume 5 Number 186 Sunday August 3 1997 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: syd and nanc-- er, robyn Re: Grateful Bones Re: Various Re: Grateful Bones Re: Grateful Bones Re: Grateful Bones Re: I just flew in from the coast. . . . Re: 70s Quiz Don't don't don't!!!!! Re: Grateful Bones Re: I just flew in from the coast. . . . Re: Grateful Bones Re: Innocent Innocence A Robyn Hitchcock Alphabet Sydmania/gf Re: Sydmania/gf Re: Innocence Re: Sydmania/gf ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 1 Aug 1997 14:20:01 -0700 From: Eb Subject: Re: syd and nanc-- er, robyn >1 first to mess up his hair with really vile thick goop (what was this >again? some sort of wax?) > >2 first to wear pale makeup > >3 first serious acid casualty > >4 first to lose sanity > >If these are really his "innovations", it's not wonder he's >romanticized... he's the beginning of punk, goth and alternative! (; Aww, I give poor ol' Syd more credit than that. I think a lot of what made him special is that while other psychedelic heroes were singing about wild sex, Vietnam, politics, abandon, hedonism, etc., Syd had this charming, intimate, child-like fantasy quality. The innocence of his songwriting was such a jarring contrast to the crazy feedback and dissonance of his musical surroundings. That's what strikes me about him the most. And it's worth noting that Robyn DOESN'T have that innocent quality, for better or worse. Eb ------------------------------ From: Mark_Gloster@3com.com Date: Fri, 1 Aug 1997 14:29:27 -0700 Subject: Re: Grateful Bones The Hal1997 wrote: >All you need to be a "Deadhead" is to listen to the music >and enjoy! No tie-dye, nitrous, patchouli oil or obsessive behavior >required! Can I wear tie-dyed nitrous patchouli oil obsessively while listening to Robyn Hitchcock, and not be a deadhead? Actually, the odor and concept of patchouli oil (aquavelva for the politically savant) makes me somewhat ill. It has that fungus-on-steroids kind of smell. Yea, I'm sure I just stomped on somebody's toes. I wear cushy tennis shoes though, I hope I didn't hurt any felines. Okay, now I _am_ dizzy from looking at the rotating shark guy. This is probably affecting my ability to write clever prose via the internet. -Markg rubrshrk@tigermonkey.com mark_gloster@3com.com "The Greatful Dead. Now _there's_ a band that had one great album in them!" -a friend who shall remain nameless. (He said the same about Chicago.) np: Glass Flesh. ("She Doesn't Exist"- Vic Chesnutt) ps. Hey, sales dropped off for Glass Flesh since Eb has been mute about putting down the idea. Maybe he could post something so Bayard and I can start getting orders again for that brilliant tribute CD by those (us) wacky, zany musical fans of Robyn Hitchcock. Thanks Eb, it did help last time. ;-) ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 1 Aug 1997 14:32:11 -0700 From: Eb Subject: Re: Various >This ex-Mother of Invention formed his own band, taking another >Mother with him for the first album: > >Name him:____________________________ > >Name the other Mother:_______________ > >Name the band:_______________________ Little Feat...um, Roy Estrada and some other dude? Otherwise, I'm striking out on your quiz. I know the "Uninspired" song is by Traffic, though. >In the event of a tie, please state your favourite 70s record, which will >be awarded marks for memorableness, weirdness and star quality:: John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band. > 4 first to lose sanity >George III and several barmy Plantagenet kings were good at this. But >if you want to stick to rock'n'roll, Roky Erickson is up there.... As well as Brian Wilson, obviously. Incidentally, I am supposedly loosely descended from the Plantagenet clan. Figures.... >There also happens to be a bonus track on SKYLARKING. > >I think it's called "Dear God". Not quite true. "Dear God" wasn't on the early pressings on the record, but later it REPLACED "Mermaid Smiled." It wasn't really a bonus track...it was a substitution. Eb ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 1 Aug 1997 14:48:56 -0700 From: Eb Subject: Re: Grateful Bones >ps. Hey, sales dropped off for Glass Flesh since Eb has >been mute about putting down the idea. Maybe he could post >something so Bayard and I can start getting orders again >for that brilliant tribute CD by those (us) wacky, zany >musical fans of Robyn Hitchcock. Um, um, um...I'm drawing a blank. ;) Wrist deep in Fork Songs, Eb ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 1 Aug 1997 18:25:14 -0500 From: nicastr@idt.net (Ben) Subject: Re: Grateful Bones >The GQ wrote: >I would kill to hear Bob Weir cover a Robyn tune! How about this... what Dead tune(s) (if any) do you think would be cool for Robyn to cover? I think Robyn actually may be a closet Deadhead... has anyone else seen the picture of Robyn, Bob, and Jerry together backstage at an REM show? ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 1 Aug 1997 18:29:28 -0500 From: nicastr@idt.net (Ben) Subject: Re: Grateful Bones >On 8/1/97 11:45 AM, hal brandt stated emphatically: > >>> Am I the only Deadhead on the list? >> >>Nope! I'm listening to Dick's Picks 8 as I type! >> >>Swirling and Twirling, >> >>hal > You can count me as one of the DeadFegs as well. It seems that most of the people discussing this either love 'em or hate 'em....? Oh well. ------------------------------ From: Mark_Gloster@3com.com Date: Fri, 1 Aug 1997 15:43:08 -0700 Subject: Re: I just flew in from the coast. . . . T.G. Quail hunted and pecked and hunted and pecked and hunted and pecked until his beak was sore and his hummahummahumma- thingy was in a bunch thusly: >Well, I am back, relatively able to type, and I have been trying to catch >up on old Feg mail. As Jay once told me, it is, indeed, impossible.... >[and he cleverly tapped on...] We missed you, T.G. Here's a brief update. As always, everybody on the list is beautiful, strong, and well above average. Even for the list. I'm not a mathematician. Woj, of course, has digests full of fegwellwishes for you, so you may sample from his virtual smorgasbord of birdseed for your eyes. (ow!) Maybe this brief synopsis can help you decide whether to go back through them. Susan came back from the secret great lakes black hole. Perhaps you saw some of the scuttlebut about it in alt.conspiracies.xfiles.black.holes.ojeez.i.dont.have.a.life I hope that her alien contact suits her well. I also hope she wasn't replaced by a podsusan. Meanwhile, Terry continued to post innocent notes that somehow caused other people's heads to explode. Could we have that many potential candidates for drummer in Spinal Tap? Eb continued to softly rock our world with his polite, sesquepedalien postings about all things feg. We found some of the old faithful returning to the flock this week with in-depth examinations of pertinent topics like Beatles, Oranges and Lemons, and whether musicians who are now dead are making better music than they would if they were alive. Hell, Zappa's still churnin' 'em out- I didn't know he was a Scientologist. Tom, Nick, Russ, Glen and I met for lunch to drink to the health of TGQ, but we forgot to do that, so we have to do it again. In our own charming way we are probably doing that even right now. I think I've kept some of the alt.binaries.pictures.avian.bondage posts that you asked me to download for you. (I sure hope I didn't send this to the whole list. Gawd, wouldn't _that_ be embarrassing!) 8^D -Markg ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 1 Aug 1997 21:01:03 -0500 (CDT) From: Mississippi Malcolm McDowell Subject: Re: 70s Quiz I was a baby in the 70s (and I don't reckon they were more memorable, either :)) but I can give this a shot. On Fri, 1 Aug 1997, M R Godwin wrote: > 2. "You've got to keep your backstage passes 'cause the promoter has the > muscle" > > Name of song: And So It Goes (and so it goes and so it goes and so it goes..... > Name of singer: The Abominable Showman > 4. Two members of the Crazy World of Arthur Brown went on to 1970s hit > groups. I only remember that one of them (I think) went on to be a psychologist. > 5. 'I used to be disgusted'. 'Oh, why is that?' How can you say that I'm too old..... > Name of song: Red Shoes > > Name of singer: Elvis the King > 6. 'It was the third of September, a day I'll always remember' > > Why: was that the day Billy Jo McAllister jumped off the Tallahachie Bridge or the day Jeannie Riley socked it to the Harper Valley PTA or what? > > 9. Name the guitar soloists and bands for these songs: > > 'Reeling in the years' > > Band: Steely Dan > '(Sometimes I feel so) Uninspired' > > Soloist: Don Henley (alternately, Steve Miller) > Band: Eagles, Steve Miller Band, Boston > 'Goodbye to love' > > Soloist: Bryan Ferry > Band: Mick Jagger's larger bankroll > 10. Who connects Robyn Hitchcock with Mott the Hoople? > > Name of person: does this have something to do with Mick Ronson? That boy sure do get around. Or is it that Robyn doesn't need television when he's got Marc Bolan? > Special bonus question: Why were the housewives all complaining to the > manager? > Reason: "Jesus of Cool" changed to "Pure Pop for Now People", causing riots throughout Walmarts and Woolworths everywhere. > In the event of a tie, please state your favourite 70s record, which will > be awarded marks for memorableness, weirdness and star quality:: > Favourite 70s record: "Country Life", "Fear", "This Year's Model", "Low", "Small Change", "Blood on the Tracks", er......sorry, this is getting out of hand :). There were a lot of good records in the 70s. As per the Robyn/Dead thing........just listen to the alternate version of "Wey Wey Hep uh Hole" on the Ryko set. That bassline outDeads Dead. I was also under the impression that Robyn considered Andy Partridge more art than heart (Jay, didn't he tell you something like that?) but I could be wrong. Finally- a second to Eb's opinion on Syd Barrett (oh finally we agree on something, someone check to see if hell froze over) and a caveat: this sort of innocence is -extremely- rare and since the post-Beatles era almost unknown. Jonathan Richman is the only really good example of something similar I can think of, and maybe even he's not really, since his innocence is quite a bit more studied (though certainly affecting in its own way). Love on ya, Susan ******************************************************************************* "The worship of the beautiful always ends in an orgy"- Benjamin Disraeli, "Lothair", lxxvii ******************************************************************************* ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 1 Aug 1997 19:10:44 -0700 From: Eb Subject: Don't don't don't!!!!! >Please? I got three orders from fegs the week you said it was >stupid or pointless or just a bad idea. I believe I just said that the concept of mailing-list tribute collections didn't interest me...not nearly as harshly worded as you state above. And I even said I was curious about the Chesnutt track. But here, I'll try to help... DAMN IT! Do NOT buy this Glass Flesh album! If you buy it, you'll really tick me off! Hoo boy, I am just FUMING thinking about people who might send a check, cash or money order to Mark to buy this disc!! I will take it as a PERSONAL AFFRONT if you do buy this thing!! Darn you! WAAAAH! Better? :) >>Wrist deep in Fork Songs, >Owww! That must hurt. I'm sure Mr. Dignan can relate.... Eb, who today just sent off a money order himself, to buy Tiny Tim, Claudine Longet, Wild Man Fischer and Tyrannosaurus Rex albums...no, I ain't kidding PS Of course, those three orders can be attributed to the general GF discussion on the list at the time, not just my own comments. ------------------------------ From: "Glynyrd Skynyrd" Date: Fri, 1 Aug 1997 22:44:41 -0800 Subject: Re: Grateful Bones CC: tclark@apple.com, fegmaniax@ecto.org A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, Mark_Gloster@3com.com wrote: > "The Greatful Dead. Now _there's_ a band that had one great > album in them!" > -a friend who shall remain nameless. (He said the same about > Chicago.) > The funny thing is, both bands kept releasing that one album over and over. Come to think of it, so did AC/DC and ZZ Top. Or, to put it another way: "If you own one album, you own them all." Regarding Chicago: Same album, different Roman numeral. In all fairness, though, I think that AMERICAN BEAUTY is one of the great albums of all time and "Box Of Rain" remains one of my all-time favourite songs. Truckin' On, --g "I'd trade it all for just a little more." --Montgomery Burns *************** Glen Uber glen@metro.net http://metro.net/glen/ *************** ------------------------------ From: "Glynyrd Skynyrd" Date: Fri, 1 Aug 1997 22:44:41 -0800 Subject: Re: I just flew in from the coast. . . . A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, Mark_Gloster@3com.com wrote: > Tom, Nick, Russ, Glen and I met for lunch to drink to the health of > TGQ, but we forgot to do that, so we have to do it again. In our own > charming way we are probably doing that even right now. Jee Zuss, Mark...You know me toooooooo well ;) n.d.: Saranac Pale Ale Sinister but happy, --g "I'd trade it all for just a little more." --Montgomery Burns *************** Glen Uber glen@metro.net http://metro.net/glen/ *************** ------------------------------ From: "Glynyrd Skynyrd" Date: Fri, 1 Aug 1997 22:54:38 -0800 Subject: Re: Grateful Bones A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, Ben wrote: > How about this... what Dead tune(s) (if any) do you think would be > cool for Robyn to cover? "Friend Of The Devil", of course... It Sounds Great When You're The Dead, --g "I'd trade it all for just a little more." --Montgomery Burns *************** Glen Uber glen@metro.net http://metro.net/glen/ *************** ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 1 Aug 1997 23:16:24 -0700 From: Eb Subject: Re: Innocent >Finally- a second to Eb's opinion on Syd Barrett (oh finally we agree on >something, someone check to see if hell froze over) and a caveat: this >sort of innocence is -extremely- rare and since the post-Beatles era >almost unknown. Jonathan Richman is the only really good example of >something similar I can think of, and maybe even he's not really, since >his innocence is quite a bit more studied (though certainly affecting in >its own way). While we're on the "innocent" tip, let me again plug the new Athens, GA band Of Montreal. We're talking BIG-TIME innocence here. Honest! Maybe that's also why I have a soft spot for '60s folks like Tiny Tim, the Lovin' Spoonful, Claudine Longet, the Shaggs, Mary Hopkin and Donovan. Innocence IS rare today, but I can think of some other post-Beatles candidates besides Of Montreal: Victoria Williams, Daniel Johnston, The Vaselines, Marc Bolan (early days), Beat Happening, Pond, Supergrass (at times), Shonen Knife (early days...though some say they were insipid rather than innocent ;P), Pianosaurus, Blinker The Star and Redd Kross. Especially those first two. Some of these acts vary in tone from song to song, but I've felt "innocence" from all of them at one time or another. And yeah, I also find Richman's innocence rather "studied." I've never bought his act at all. Not a fan. [insert Grateful Dead hatred here], Eb np: Yoko Ono/Fly ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 2 Aug 1997 09:01:47 -0400 From: chichi@io.com (Zelda Pinwheel) Subject: Innocence >Finally- a second to Eb's opinion on Syd Barrett (oh finally we agree on >something, someone check to see if hell froze over) and a caveat: this >sort of innocence is -extremely- rare and since the post-Beatles era >almost unknown. Jonathan Richman is the only really good example of >something similar I can think of, and maybe even he's not really, since >his innocence is quite a bit more studied (though certainly affecting in >its own way). Daniel Johnston...The Shaggs...Hanson : ) ------------------------------ From: dsaunder@islandNet.com (Daniel Saunders) Subject: A Robyn Hitchcock Alphabet Date: Fri, 1 Aug 1997 23:01:18 -0800 *A* is for Arms of Love *B* is for Beautiful Queen *C* is for Clean Steve *D* is for De Chirico Street *E* is for Egyptian Cream *F* is for Freeze *G* is for Glass Hotel *H* is for Heliotrope *I* is for I Am Not Me *J* is for Jewels for Sophia *K* is for Knife *L* is for Lobsterman *M* is for My Wife And My Dead Wife *N* is for Never Stop Bleeding *O* is for Only The Stones Remain *P* is for The President *Q* is for Queen of Eyes *R* is for Raymond Chandler Evening *S* is for Sinister But She Was Happy *T* is for Ted, Woody and Junior *U* is for Ultra Unbelievable Love *V* is for Victorian Squid *W* is for When I Was Dead *X* is for ? *Y* is for the Yip Song *Z* is for Zipper In My Spine These were chosen just based on how many recordings I have of each song. I'd be interested to see other people's Robyn Hithcock alphabets (anyone have an X?). -- Daniel Saunders Have a day. :-| ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 2 Aug 1997 15:54:43 -0400 (EDT) From: Bayard Subject: Sydmania/gf I wrote: > >If these are really his "innovations", it's not wonder he's > >romanticized... he's the beginning of punk, goth and alternative! (; Eric wrote: > Aww, I give poor ol' Syd more credit than that. I think a lot of what made > him special... Sheesh, Eebie, the one time i didn't mean to be ironic, and you thought i was. sorry. I didn't mean to put Syd down, I was just smirking at music in general. I *do* think Syd is where it all began. That was my point. I'm still waiting for a tape of his stuff that will convince me he's better than RH, though. "Late Night" and Terrapin" are the works cited as absolute genius. But is Syd as as varied and accomplished as RH in his artistic pursuits? I don't think he ever got the chance to be. Not to say, objectively, that RH is the be-all and end all of music, or any other art form (except for eddie and any mega-fegs too shy to step forward!) ..but sadly, SB never got to his full potential, which indeed could have been better than Robyn or anyone else. And yeah, the innocence is nice. BTW, your prejudice re. fan compilations is refreshing! AFAIK it's not even actually based on anything! (or didn't you like the Chalkhills tape(s)?) Odious Fritter didn't like a lot of _GF_, but I assume he listened to it first! And you never even said what it was you disliked about the idea, you hoser! (grin.) =b ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 2 Aug 1997 13:52:21 -0700 From: Eb Subject: Re: Sydmania/gf >I'm still waiting for a tape of his stuff that will convince me he's >better than RH, though. I'd take The Madcap Laughs and The Piper at the Gates of Dawn over almost anything by RH (ALMOST...I guess I'd rank about three RH albums higher than Madcap, and two higher than Piper...something like that). But of course, those albums' virtues are not entirely due to Syd, especially in the latter case. >But is Syd as as varied and accomplished as RH in his >artistic pursuits? I don't think he ever got the chance to be. Well, that's part of what fuels his legend, isn't it? Talent cut short always breeds hype. And that unusual purity/innocence IS a major part of the legacy, I think. >BTW, your prejudice re. fan compilations is refreshing! AFAIK it's not >even actually based on anything! (or didn't you like the Chalkhills >tape(s)?) Odious Fritter didn't like a lot of _GF_, but I assume he >listened to it first! And you never even said what it was you disliked >about the idea, you hoser! (grin.) I don't see much point in going into it, and pissing off everyone who worked on the thing. And no, I didn't buy the Chalkhills tape either. Eb ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 2 Aug 1997 13:56:58 -0700 From: Eb Subject: Re: Innocence >Daniel Johnston...The Shaggs...Hanson : ) I cited the first two names in my own response.... I don't quite get that feeling from Hanson, however. All the input from professional musicians and Top 40 songwriters-for-hire on that album sort of waters down the "innocence" for me. But I still say I've heard LOTS of records this year which I liked less than Hanson's. Approximate infinite universally, Eb ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 2 Aug 1997 17:44:21 -0400 (EDT) From: Bayard Subject: Re: Sydmania/gf On Sat, 2 Aug 1997, Eb wrote: > I'd take The Madcap Laughs and The Piper at the Gates of Dawn over almost > anything by RH (ALMOST...I guess I'd rank about three RH albums higher than > Madcap, and two higher than Piper...something like that). But of course, > those albums' virtues are not entirely due to Syd, especially in the latter > case. You're not saying why you like these albums, though. You're stating opinions and not backing them up with ideas; the point of this is lost on me (maybe it's just me). Is it just his innocence, sometimes great songwriting ability, and image that make him great? He had a remarkable imagination, that's for certain. His musicianship was pretty mediocre at best, IMHO ... (Interesting aside: RH has gotten *more* innocent since the soft boys!) > >But is Syd as as varied and accomplished as RH in his > >artistic pursuits? I don't think he ever got the chance to be. > > Well, that's part of what fuels his legend, isn't it? Talent cut short > always breeds hype. Seems like the cut-short aspect is a lens that makes the talent seem greater than it was, sometimes. (Not sure if that's true in this case). Lennon and Cobain were on a downward slope musically when they died, IMHO; in death their legendary status grew all the more, whereas Dylan is a fairly spent musician at this point (or so i hear.) > >BTW, your prejudice re. fan compilations is refreshing! AFAIK it's not > >even actually based on anything! > I don't see much point in going into it, and pissing off everyone who > worked on the thing. And no, I didn't buy the Chalkhills tape either. It didn't bother me that you posted that, but if it's pointless to go into it, is it any less pointless to just throw out a comment that doesn't say much at all, but seems randomly negative? =b np:Stereolab DC 6-28-96 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- The End of this Fegmaniax Digest. *sob* .