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 #188 Fegmaniax Digest Volume 5 Number 188 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: Sydmania more orphaned songs voodoo right outside your home Kilofeg - something to be working towards Re: Feg Digest V5 #185 The Dastardly Pry "Eye" tour video ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 3 Aug 1997 13:23:46 -0400 (EDT) From: Bayard Subject: Re: Sydmania > Yes, I thought of that joke while typing my post, actually. But I've never > fully bought that notion. Again, I think that's a case of RH being the > Middle Man. REM sounds like the Byrds, so they sound like Robyn Hitchcock, > etc. IMHO your definition of "influence" is too confining-- there's a lot more to influence than just a signature sound. An artist may influence someone in a great many ways, even influence him or her to get into music in the first place! (does RH sound as much like Dylan as you'd expect, considering that he's the sole reason RH isn't teaching English?) [...] > of mining the same sources over and over. Mix it up! Write more songs on > piano. Write some songs with specific production ideas in mind, instead of > just writing them on acoustic guitar, handing them over to a producer and > hoping he doesn't pull a Paul Fox/Steve Hillage. I think after those experiences he most likely takes more control over the production (cf. the mossy albums). Also, as I recall he had a particular production in mind for certain songs, including "oceanside". As for how he writes songs, i think that's pretty much hard-wired. (hmm.. didn't he produce the first issuance of _fegmania!_?) Try some more guitar > STRUMMING, instead of the usual up-and-down picking. Mix in a few new > genres, and do it CONVINCINGLY, not just some burlesque farce like the > oft-disparaged "Mellow Together" and "Ye Sleeping Knights of Jesus." Write > something with some genuine aggression/dissonance -- boy, I would LOVE it > if RH would try to rethink some of the musical ideas of Can of Bees as a > fully mature writer. Write something with a heavy rhythmic bent, instead of > just the usual easy jangleflow. Write something topical, to place RH in the > real world for once. Try sampling sometime, why not? Try some rapid-fire > lyrics, in a rap-influenced vein. Mix it up! But he has done all those things. (well, maybe not sampling, but plenty of digital effects in concert with the egyptians.) Why not wish for something totally new and unexpected and good? That's what I'd wish for if I could have a Robyn wish. > I dunno, maybe I just wish RH was Elvis Costello. ;) better than wishing he was Syd Barrett, i suppose. =b ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 3 Aug 1997 14:17:22 -0400 (EDT) From: Bayard Subject: more orphaned songs I remembered a few more tracks I wanted to find for this year's rarities compilation: 'mother loves you... mother drugs you'... someone (peter?) posted about this, i don't think anyone knew the sure title. grooving on an inner plane: Qrys, are you atill with us? I'd love to get a tape of this performance complete with audience participation. hey joe: when did he play this? (i think he's going a little overboard on the hendrix covers lately.) 'don't even think about it': what's this? any feedback will be much appreciated! =b ------------------------------ From: "Eddie Tews" Subject: voodoo right outside your home Date: Sun, 03 Aug 1997 14:01:40 PDT robyn played Hey Joe during the soundcheck for the sacramento show. i didn't have my recorder on me at the time. i was just wandering around the venue, and was very surprised to hear the song emanating through an open door and down a hallway. i was wondering what Don't You Even Think About It was as well. i wasn't even sure it was a robyn song, although it sure sounds like one. glen, you were there too. what do you think? bayard stated that cobain was on the downward slope, and i'm afraid i just can't agree. IN UTERO may not be quite as good as NEVERMIND, but it sure is amazing. ditto UNPLUGGED and the few materials i've heard from the '94 tour. also, in one of his last interviews, he stated that he was going to take nirvana in very different directions, indicating that something like AUTOMATIC FOR THE PEOPLE was in order. i, for one, was extremely excited to hear what was coming next. and as much as i love the foo fighters, i agree with eb on this one: kurt left a massive void. legalized murder: that's an interesting thought glen. of course there's no shortage of young black men being falsely accused. but, i wouldn't be at all surprised if this song was at least partially inspired by mumia. what years was robyn living in DC? i've got a couple of tapes of mumia's commentaries from inside prison, if anyone's interested. they're very good. not only is this list very informative, but it's also great for the vocabulary! my two favorite new words: dictaphone and kilofeg. i've been thinking about this for two days straight now, so i may as well get it off my chest. i would just LOVE to hear robyn cover Jukebox Hero. i know it sounds ridiculous at first. but sleep on it, then see what you think. i just feel like, with his voice, he could turn it into a god damn knockout. there's nothing wrong with Holy Grail (though i prefer Life of Brian.) but, given that it features two warplanes copulating in midair under the opening credits, and that one of its three main sets is a bomber; one might've expected robyn to name Dr. Strangelove as his favorite movie. i know it seems like i'm always picking on you for your listening habits, eb. it's nothing personal. in fact, i think it's primarily a function of volume --during suzie's sabbatical, you're certainly the most frequent poster, and as often as not you're talking about your listening habits. that said, i think it's pretty closed-minded to dismiss GLASS FLESH simply because you don't like the concept. it would be one thing if you didn't know anything about it. but you do know how much we all love it. for someone who has 15,000 cd's in his database, you'd think that you could at least give it a shot. it's not a novelty record. it's a great fucking album. and though i surely never would have purchased it were it based on any other artist, it definitely stands on its own. i'm going strictly from memory again, (yes, i am the laziest son of a bitch on the planet. and, though i'm not especially proud of that fact, i'm not ashamed enough of it to try to change my ways.) but, i was just thinking that of the songs that play a prominent role in every tour, a hell of a lot of them come from QUEEN ELVIS and EYE: Devil's Coachman, Madonna of the Wasps, Freeze, Glass Hotel, Clean Steve, Queen Elvis. that's almost as many as all the others put together --Trains, Airscape, Queen of Eyes, Only the Stones, Egyptian Cream, I Got a Message, Acid Bird, Yip Song, I Am Not Me, Balloon Man-- and these are spread out pretty evenly over his whole career. i don't know that it means anything. but it's interesting that all these songs were not only released in a one year period, but also that that one year period was right in the middle of the a & m years, which, as we know, everyone (except eb, quail, and myself) despises. listening to all my cd's in alphabetical order, i just passed DREAMBOAT ANNIE (yes, i'm almost to robyn.) every year there are a few albums which surprise me by how well they've held up over many years. this year, this is the one so far. kitchener s. jones' fave flicks: 1. Brazil, 2. Blue Velvet, 3. A Clockwork Orange, 4. Total Recall, 5. A Hard Day's Night, 6. Taxi Driver, 7. The Outlaw Josie Wales, 8. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, 9. Bringing Up Baby, 10. The Cook, the Thief, His Wife, and Her Lover [note: cook is a great movie, but has anyone seen greenaway's A Zed and Two Noughts? it's about twin brothers who like to make time lapse movies of dead animals decaying. it's pretty interesting.] glen santa rosa uber alles' fave flicks: 1. Bedazzled, 2. Amadeus, 3. Being There, 4. Blues Brothers sydney of the wasps coatsworth's fave flicks: Holy Grail, Godfather I & II, Alien/Aliens, Terminator/T2, Harold & Maude, Star Wars, All That Jazz, Somewhere in Time, A Fish Called Wanda, Wizard of Oz bayard's fave flicks: 1. Birdy, 2. Empire of the Sun, 3. Raiders of the Lost Ark, 4. The Empire Strikes Back, 5. Barton Fink, 6. Dead Poets Society, 7. The Bank Dick, 8. What's Up Tiger Lily?, 9. Falling Down, 10. The Graduate [fave tv: 1. Twin Peaks, 2. Seeing Things, 3. Mr Bean, 4. X files] [another note for those of you scoring at home: this list was sent in well after the deadline, so was not included in the tabulations. but, on the theory that everyone wants to know bayard/gandalf's fave flicks, it seemed necessary to include it here.] ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 03 Aug 1997 16:29:08 -0500 From: LSDiamond Subject: Kilofeg - something to be working towards Yeah, can't you see it? Every thousandth Feg we find/meet could receive the Kilofeg Award... Hmm.. How about a fish ramming through a large glass bubble? LSDiamond Bad Cop, no doughnut... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Have you been exceptionally bad lately? Come serve your penance at http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/1542/penance1.html You'll never commit THAT sin again! ------------------------------ From: CooperTJ@aol.com Date: Sun, 3 Aug 1997 19:08:16 -0400 (EDT) Subject: Re: Feg Digest V5 #185 In a message dated 97-08-03 11:15:23 EDT, you write: << Date: Fri, 1 Aug 97 07:57:00 -0800 From: Russ Reynolds Subject: Re: XTC Dolph spoke: >not to mention those who like _Black Sea_ best, a group which includes >at least myself and ex-Zappa guitarist Mike Keneally you, me & Mike seem to be in the minority, Dolph. But I have NEVER tired of "Black Sea". I'm surprised nobody's mentioned "Drums & Wires" either. But then the CD reissues of both BS and D&W have sub-par bonus tracks added right in the middle, so perhaps not many people have heard these two brilliant albums in their true form. >> I agree with Russ and his assessment of the mid-period XTC. I have great memories of the vinyl versions of Drums & Wires (extremely well-reviewed and out there at the time) and Black Sea (seemed very commercial and appealing (albeit political)--XTC opened for the Police touring to support it). The bonus tracks seem out of context and dilute the impact of the album. I hate to note it here, but I feel the same about some of the Feg-God's reissues. Less is more sometimes. Tim Cooper ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 03 Aug 1997 20:17:06 -0400 From: mrrunion@tng.net (Runion, Michael R.) Subject: The Dastardly Pry Hey all, I received some rather cool stuff in the mail this weekend, among which were photocopies of the setlists from the two Atlanta shows back in February. Now, one of the setlists was written on the back of a letter that Robyn had hand-written and presumably faxed a few nights before. (Now, I sorta feel guilty here...like I'm prying into Robyn's personal life and all...but I can simply blame it on you lot, since I can hear you all psychically screaming for me to continue with this post.) Here's what I can make of it. If there's interest, I can try and scan it and post it somewhere: "Minx - V. brief fax to say hope the film & the Keegans were wonderful - and the gig was fine, I think, though I missed your assessment - what a dry thing to miss! Ron Sexsmith turned up and sent you his...regards? More dryness, shucks! Vaughn & I out of Nashville pronto, but I may not call till Athens. Have called Jefferson but not heard back. Oh yeah! Cones 11, T-shirts 3. Thank you, PJ! They went for it. Sleep well, darling, or happy wake-up!" It's signed "Byns" or something like that, and it has a little sketched guitar with a glowing heart above it. There's also a phone/fax number. Anyway, just thought you all might be interested. If anyone can help decipher this letter (PJ? Minx?), have at it. Jefferson is obviously Mr. Holt, REM's ex-manager. Mike shamelessly-prying Runion p.s. I particularly like the line "They went for it". Sorta puts Robyn in a more realistic perspective. He really is just a rock'n'roll guy that wants to sell some "merch"! ******* Mike Runion email: mrrunion@tng.net ******* * Virtual Cone Museum * * http://www.spacecoast.net/users/mrrunion/cones.htm * * Globe Of Fegs * * http://www.spacecoast.net/users/mrrunion/fegmaps/ * ********************************************************* "Wait a minute! Time for a Planetary Sit-In!" - Julian Cope ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 03 Aug 1997 20:33:08 -0400 From: mrrunion@tng.net (Runion, Michael R.) Subject: "Eye" tour video Okay, the other item I received was a really great VHS tape. On it is a sorta homemade video of one of the "Eye" tour gigs (does anyone else have a copy of this?). Wonderfully enough, it's apparently the whole show. The taper must have used a tripod, since the frame is really steady. Robyn in seen from the right side, so you get a good side shot of him and his guitar. I don't know the generation of this tape. The video is a bit grainy, but the sound is quite good considering (most likely mono)...it's definitely far superior than what I was expecting. Anyway, here's the setlist. If anyone can possibly match this gig to a date, I'd be more than appreciative. I only know it's from the "Eye" tour, presumably 1990. Setlist: Sometimes I Wish I Was A Pretty Girl I Often Dream Of Trains Clean Steve Wax Doll The Devil's Coachman Chinese Bones Wey Wey Hep Uh Hole Queen Elvis Bass (a bit missing...battery must have run out and been changed) My Wife And My Dead Wife Beautiful Girl Glass Hotel I Got A Message For You Chinese Water Python Aquarium September Cones Before one of the encores, Robyn does this ventriloquist-type bit with a tea-bag and a cup of really hot water, talking about the tea-bag killing itself in order to make Robyn's life better or something. There's also a funny bit near the beginning with Robyn adjusting the guitar mike and talking anotomically about the guitar...if it had legs, this area would be the spleen, etc. Does this ring a bell with anyone? And yes, I fully expect to get major requests for copies of this. Here we go again. Ugh :) Mike warming-up-the-VCRs Runion ******* Mike Runion email: mrrunion@tng.net ******* * Virtual Cone Museum * * http://www.spacecoast.net/users/mrrunion/cones.htm * * Globe Of Fegs * * http://www.spacecoast.net/users/mrrunion/fegmaps/ * ********************************************************* "Wait a minute! Time for a Planetary Sit-In!" - Julian Cope ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- The End of this Fegmaniax Digest. *sob* .