From: owner-fegmaniax-digest@smoe.org (fegmaniax-digest) To: fegmaniax-digest@smoe.org Subject: fegmaniax-digest V6 #73 Reply-To: fegmaniax@smoe.org Sender: owner-fegmaniax-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-fegmaniax-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk fegmaniax-digest Friday, November 21 1997 Volume 06 : Number 073 Today's Subjects: ----------------- Re: velvety [M R Godwin ] Re: fegmaniax-digest V6 #72 [Keith Hanlon ] EP question [Mike Runion ] FanFeg (kinda long. skip to the end for the EP) [Bayard ] Re: FanFeg [Mike Runion ] Re: EP question [hal brandt ] Re: FanFeg [hal brandt ] Re: FanFeg [Tom Clark ] cower in fear ! I have returned. ["Bret" ] Homer [griffith ] Re: FanFeg [Eb ] Re: FanFeg [Eb ] Re: FanEb [Bayard ] Re: FanFeg [Bayard ] Re: Fan [Eb ] Re: FanFeg [Eb ] Re: FanFeg ["jeffery vaska" ] Weenieism... [Mark_Gloster@3com.com] Re: Fan [nicastr@IDT.NET (Ben)] Re: Fan ["jeffery vaska" ] FISH'S GILLS (Robyn content- you decide!) [Hedblade@aol.com] Re: Fan Eb [Bayard ] a cork for my gills [Bayard ] Re: FanFeg [Bayard ] Robyn's Cool Yule [Hedblade@aol.com] Re: FanFeg [Eb ] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 20 Nov 1997 14:22:16 +0000 (GMT) From: M R Godwin Subject: Re: velvety On Wed, 19 Nov 1997, David W. Dudich wrote: > for every Velvet Underground fan who is also a feg you might > be interested to know that Moe Tucker has HER OWN WEBSITE. > go to http://www.spearedpeanut.com/tajmoehal/ It looks good. And it has a note saying that Moe is playing TONITE (20th) with the Kropotkins at the Bottom Line in New York. I can't go (wrong continent) but maybe someone nearer could check it out. - - Mike Godwin ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 20 Nov 1997 09:13:42 -0500 From: Keith Hanlon Subject: Re: fegmaniax-digest V6 #72 Somebody on this mailing list recommended Vinyl Vendors for used records, collectibles, etc. Has anyone sold records to them? They've agreed to take some stuff off my hands, but I feel apprehensive about sending all these records to them, then trusting them to send the cash (over $100). Any info would be appreciated... The Fan/Feg debate: It's all the same - Prince recently said that fan was short for "fanatic." He prefers "friends." Of course, now all the fanatics are calling themselves "friends." Whatever. Lastly... anyone here into Momus? I've been listening to "the Ultrconformist," "Circus Maximus," and "Tender Pervert" non-stop. Lookin' for live tapes. Later, Keith ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 20 Nov 1997 10:09:24 -0800 From: Mike Runion Subject: EP question Could anyone give me the track listing for "Exploding In Silence"? Plus, I received a tape the other day from a Robyn Hitchcock EP with the following tracks: Rain / 8 Miles High / Book Of Love / Calvary Cross. I see Gene H. has this listed as a 7" with the title: Robyn Hitchcock - Live & Shy, November 1986. Can anyone give me info on this (so's I can keep my records straight?) Thanks. Oh yeah, the fegmaps are now fixed. Thanks to woj and John Jones for updating their links to my pages. You guys are pretty quick. See ya, Mike ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 20 Nov 1997 11:36:30 -0500 (EST) From: Bayard Subject: FanFeg (kinda long. skip to the end for the EP) Keith sed: > The Fan/Feg debate: It's all the same [...] I'm not so sure. Here's what www.m-w.com has to say: Etymology: probably short for fanatic Date: 1682 1 : an enthusiastic devotee (as of a sport or a performing art) usually as a spectator 2 : an ardent admirer or enthusiast (as of a celebrity or a pursuit) Over three hundred years later, does this description apply to all who follow the works of Robyn Hitchcock? Note the definition of fanatic: Etymology: Latin fanaticus inspired by a deity, frenzied, from fanum temple -- more at FEAST Date: 1550 : marked by excessive enthusiasm and often intense uncritical devotion - ---the very allegation Eb is always making about this list! While many of us do claim to be inspired by a deity (god walks among us, ya know), even Eddie takes RH to task for supporting President Klingon. There are no deer-in-the-headlights fans here. Some are sexually attracted to RH, some like his style so much they're not inclined to scrutinize him and find flaws, some even enjoy his striking (sometimes tacky) shirts. I would submit that excessive scrutiny and intense critical devotion are what define the fandom of Eb and some of the contributors to _Positive Vibrations._ Now, on to Fegdom. Nick said he thought of everyone on the list as fegs. That makes sense insofar as the list is a community, and those on it are well-informed (from sharing feginfo) and dedicated (just to read all this bs every day ;). But to me, being a feg means something more, and also something more than being a "fan". I think fegs -- serious RH fans -- are a breed apart (and I know you think so too, Nick, from your fegphoto manifesto.) Having met more listmembers than perhaps anyone else, I can attest to the truth of the axiom "fegs are the best." The Grateful Dead had their followers, those not content to just listen to the CD's. That may be b/c the Dead were a live phenomenon. RH is a live pheom as well, but more than that, he is intelligent, mysterious, multitalented, a true renaissance man in a time that (IMO) really needs a renaissance. I'm all for maintaining critical distance, but why dwell on the negative? I guess what I'm trying to say (you're still reading this? geez) is, if you don't want to lump yourself in with us that's fine by me. But don't disparage fegs or fegdom. Don't poke fun at someone who drives thousands of miles to get to an RH gig or fegathering or taping party. Don't ask someone "why?" who has bought all RH's output over and over on various formats and reissues. It's a feg thing. You may not understand. Mike sed: >>Plus, I received a tape the other day from a Robyn Hitchcock EP with the following tracks: Rain / 8 Miles High / Book Of Love / Calvary Cross. I see Gene H. has this listed as a 7" with the title: Robyn Hitchcock - Live & Shy, November 1986. Can anyone give me info on this (so's I can keep my records straight?)<< I always thought this was called "The Green EP: LIVE! Nov 86", but only from people's lists. =b ps. I don't mean to downplay the Dead, just citing another community occupying a deadicated/loyal cross section of a group's fandom. pps. i don't want to imply the existence of a "feg elite" but do want to give special mention to feg scholars eddie tews, john b. jones, mike runion and of course woj, for furthering the cause! ;) keep the feg! ppps. that was a pretty self-indulgent rant. i rationalized it by balancing it against the tipping thread. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 20 Nov 97 10:35:54 EST From: KeN SaBaTiNi Subject: Treatise on tipping On Wed, 19 Nov 1997 03:25:21 -0500 Alex Tanter said: (on tipping) >I think the >whole thing should be done away with. Pay people a decent wage for serving >tables and forget tipping. If I pay $50 for a dinner for two, there's >plenty of room there to pay the server 15% without my having to add another >15% on top. You started out with the solution to your problem (complaint). The key here is SOMEONE paying the server that 15%--or better yet, paying them an hourly wage that is livable. I'm not sure of the origins of tipping in the food service industry--probably part custom and in part due to an assumption that a tip (or bonus) as part of a compensation system is a motivator for the worker. What matters is that tipping is still a necessary part of earning a living for waiters and waitresses. "WHY CAN'T THEY LIVE ON MINIMUM WAGE LIKE EVERYONE ELSE?" you might ask. Precisely because they aren't paid the standard minimum wage! They are paid much less. I worked as a waiter during my summers of college and when I last did this in . . . 1989, I was paid about $2 and hour. It was actually something like $2.16, but it was about half of what the minimum wage was at the time. You see, because tipping has become customary in the job of waiter/waitress, the government has created an exception for the standard minimum wage law--or rather, there is a separate minimum wage for wait staff. This is why it never paid off to work as a waiter when there were few or no customers--folding napkins or cleaning silverware or whatever for $2 an hour? Not me. > I don't always tip--if the service hasn't been good I either >tip low or not at all. Just because someone is a waiter doesn't mean he >deserves a tip. If he provides good service, that's different. Ok, Mr. Pink (wasn't he the one who gave that tipping speech in Tarrentino's pre-Pulp Fiction movie--who's title escapes me). This is wrong. Until people are paid on a different system, tipping is simply part of the deal when you decide to go to a restaurant. The acceptable range is between 10% and 15%, depending on the waiters performance. In only the extreme cases of outright poor service is a zero tip really acceptable. You really have to go into a restaurant with the idea that a 10-15% tip is part of the deal of having your food and drink served for you by another person. This waiter is not paid a livable wage by the restaurant without it. Is this right? Is it the best system for the owner and worker and customer? Probably not. A few places have tinkered with the system and even fewer have moved to a salary-type system where tipping is no longer used, but with very few exceptions, the system has remained the same for waitpersons. Remember that part of your tip is often shared with bus boys, food servers (in places that have these), and bar tenders. When I last worked as a waiter in the summer of 1989 (at "America" in Washington DC) we had to pay out 10% of our tips to food runners and another 5-10% to the bartender. Each of these people were paid a higher hourly wage as well. The bartenders really make out the best in the tipping business, at least when the ratio between effort and rewards are concerned. >should we tip Robyn for giving us a great show [. . .] >why don't we tip cashiers [. . .] >tip the people who pump the petrol for our cars? Why is it that >certain industries have tipping and some don't? In my work, I get a >commission that's built into what the client is charged. Maybe they should >be tipping me. I know these were rhetorical but . . . Robyn is paid by the show, which is negotiated with the club owners. Cashiers are paid at least what the guvment decrees as a livable minimum wage (now about $5, right?)--same thing for petro pumpers. Does anyone still do full service at gas stations? In your work, you are likely salaried, with a possible bonus system or annual raise for acceptable performance. I don't think we should be tipping these people in general, nor should we be tipping anyone who is paid the min wage or above and decides to put a tip jar on their counter (e.g., ice cream stores, copy shops, etc.). >ps--why don't we tip Woj for maintaining this site.....???? Well we do, don't we? I mean what is the purpose of the monthly $7 Feg list service charge we've all been mailing to Woj all this time? I'm proud to say that I've never been late on a payment too--so Woj has never had to act on the threats. "Threats" is an ugly word. Let me grab his original letter . . . "failure to meet your Feglist obligations of seven US dollars per month for more than two months in a row results in non-compliance status. As a non-complier, anything can happen to you. You will be referred to our Account Collections Officer, Mr. Louigie Fercotti. Repeated non-compliance may require the services of Dinsdale." I may have said too much. Ken ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Ken Sabatini Being a genius is easy. Dept. of Psychology All you have to do is say, "everything is wrong." University of Georgia You'll always be right. Athens, GA -some Ren & Stimpy side character ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 20 Nov 1997 13:35:46 -0800 From: Mike Runion Subject: Re: FanFeg Bayard wrote all that feggy stuff, to which I say... Wonderful rant, Bayard. I think you summed it all up perfectly. Here's my far-too personal take...bear with me. I don't think Robyn is the best musician in the world (whatever that means). I don't think he's produced that many stupendous albums. His live shows are occasionally 'samey'. His stories do sometimes get tiring and old. Prior to November 1996 I've never driven more than a hour to see any concert, certainly not 9 hours to Atlanta, GA. Why did I suddenly do this? I don't know. But...inexplicably Robyn sits comfortably near the top of my personal musical pantheon. I enjoy and savor every bit of art that cones out of him, no matter how crappy at times. I can't get enough of his live tapes, even though I may only listen to some of them once. And despite how crazy my wife and many of my friends think I am (except for my Deadhead/Phish loving pal Troy!), I can very well imagine driving even further for a show...or spending a load of cash to fly to some godforsaken dust-bowl town for the worldwide feg gathering, the one where Robyn's gonna play in the park to us all and we're all gonna take over the local bar and get trashed til dawn...when is the date for that again?). Robyn truly is a sort of rennaissance man, someone completely separated from the odd musical times we find ourselves in at the moment. Maybe it's not even Rock & Roll, maybe it's not even Alternative. That's what makes it so great. This list is a wonderful thing, and fegs in general are indeed the best. A rabid fan? I'm not so sure. A foaming-at-the-mouth-and-growling feg? Most definitely. Question for Eb: I submit that you are probably the most knowledgable guy on the list when it comes to 'musicology', and I envy your ability to hear and absorb almost everything new that comes out (or so it seems). I often wonder though, does it make it more difficult to latch onto something and totally "love" it, allowing it to sink in and somehow become part of you? I know it my personal case it would. If I buy more than 2 disks a week I begin to feel overwhelmed and don't give the music the time or attention it might deserve. I'd truly like to know how you handle the onslaught (and anyone else out there in the same boat). Thanks. - -- Mike Runion Cocoa, FL, USA /******************************************************************\ | VCM: http://www5.palmnet.net/~mrrunion/cones.htm | | Fegmaps: http://www5.palmnet.net/~mrrunion/fegmaps | | Spoken Word Tape: http://www5.palmnet.net/~mrrunion/wordtape.htm | \******************************************************************/ "Wait a minute. Time for a Planetary Sit-In!" - Julian Cope ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 20 Nov 1997 11:40:54 -0700 From: hal brandt Subject: Re: EP question Mike Runion wrote: > > Could anyone give me the track listing for "Exploding In Silence"? Relativity 88561-8074 (1986 US) This Side: Only The Stones remain Egyptian Cream The Fly Other Side: Heaven My Wife & My Dead Wife Listening To The Higsons (all tracks are from "Gotta Let This Hen Out") /hal ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 20 Nov 1997 11:55:48 -0700 From: hal brandt Subject: Re: FanFeg Mike Runion wrote: > I enjoy and savor every bit of art > that cones out of him If that was a typo, it was a beautiful accident! /hal ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 20 Nov 97 11:05:49 -0800 From: Tom Clark Subject: Re: FanFeg On 11/20/97 1:35 PM, Mike Runion wrote: >I can very well imagine driving >even further for a show...or spending a load of cash to fly to some >godforsaken dust-bowl town for the worldwide feg gathering, the one where >Robyn's gonna play in the park to us all and we're all gonna take over >the local bar and get trashed til dawn...when is the date for that >again? Whether we can get the man to play for us or not, this is definitely something that needs to get planned soon. I'm envisioning, say, next spring, somewhere around Chicago... Susan? Jay? Bueller? Anyone around there wanna organize this? - -tc ******************************************* Tom Clark Apple Computer, Inc. tclark@apple.com http://www.netgate.net/~tclark "Do you really serve the Devil If it's all God's plan? Good and evil need each other Honey, I'm your man" -Robyn Hitchcock ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 20 Nov 1997 13:41:30 +0000 From: "Bret" Subject: cower in fear ! I have returned. After losing my job, both my domain names (including fegmaniax.org) and a lot of other things, I have returned to the list. while this may not mean a lot to you, it means a great deal to me. so, on with the goodies! nice to be back! - --Bret (does anyone have a job for a tcp/ip network engineer ?) ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 20 Nov 1997 12:36:42 -0800 (PST) From: griffith Subject: Homer I just checked out KCRW's site, and they played 'Overcoming Grim Realities' by Homer on Monday night. It is listed as being on the single 'There There There'. Does anybody have any further details? griffith = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Griffith Davies griffith.davies@csun1.csun.edu ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 20 Nov 1997 13:09:16 -0700 From: Eb Subject: Re: FanFeg >I guess what I'm trying to say (you're still reading this? geez) is, if >you don't want to lump yourself in with us that's fine by me. But don't >disparage fegs or fegdom. Don't poke fun at someone who drives thousands >of miles to get to an RH gig or fegathering or taping party. Don't ask >someone "why?" who has bought all RH's output over and over on various >formats and reissues. It's a feg thing. You may not understand. You're right. I don't understand placing ANY one musical artist head and shoulders above all others. Eb ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 20 Nov 1997 13:22:53 -0700 From: Eb Subject: Re: FanFeg >Robyn truly is a sort of renaissance man, someone completely >separated from the odd musical times we find ourselves in at the moment. See, I don't buy this at all. He'd like to sell records. He has label pressures. He submits to commercial-leaning producers. He has written "singles." He's a lot more part of the industry/scene than many substantial indie artists. >Question for Eb: I submit that you are probably the most knowledgable guy >on the list when it comes to 'musicology', Well, probably. But when it comes to the '60s/early '70s, I'll tip my hat to the elder Godwin. >does it make it more difficult to latch onto >something and totally "love" it, allowing it to sink in and somehow >become part of you? Perhaps. But after years of hearing album after album (you don't even KNOW how much music I absorb...), your brain adapts to accelerate the metabolism of the "latching process." ;) Eb This week's recommendation: Flowchart/Cumulus Mood Twang ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 20 Nov 1997 16:57:13 -0500 (EST) From: Bayard Subject: Re: FanEb Eb offers this bit of wisdom: > You're right. I don't understand placing ANY one musical artist head and > shoulders above all others. You don't understand someone having an opinion, or you don't understand someone having an opinion that differs from yours? Just b/c you don't have a favorite musical artist doesn't mean nobody ever could, or should. =b ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 20 Nov 1997 17:59:02 -0500 (EST) From: Bayard Subject: Re: FanFeg > >Robyn truly is a sort of renaissance man, someone completely > >separated from the odd musical times we find ourselves in at the moment. > > See, I don't buy this at all. He'd like to sell records. He has label > pressures. He submits to commercial-leaning producers. He has written > "singles." He's a lot more part of the industry/scene than many substantial > indie artists. I don't think Mike meant he was separated from the music business, but from today's musical times. e.g. he may listen to Beck and Radiohead, but he's outside of their time. And as for his position in the "scene", I'd say he's earned it-- he's been working for decades! Besides, his slice of the industry is still too small. RH's position as emisarry from the past is more viable to me than really "retro" bands like Oasis. Though he has his influences (and please note that the people who influenced him have influenced almost everyone in music) his sound is his own. > >Question for Eb: I submit that you are probably the most knowledgable guy > >on the list when it comes to 'musicology', does it make it more difficult to latch onto something and totally "love" it, allowing it to sink in and somehow become part of you? > Perhaps. But after years of hearing album after album (you don't even KNOW > how much music I absorb...), your brain adapts to accelerate the metabolism > of the "latching process." ;) Perhaps your latching is lacking when it comes to RH. Listening to music all the time could easily cause one to become jaded. I know it happened to me-- the only musician (and listserv) I spend time on now is RH. =b ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 20 Nov 1997 15:20:23 -0700 From: Eb Subject: Re: Fan >Eb offers this bit of wisdom: > >> You're right. I don't understand placing ANY one musical artist head and >> shoulders above all others. > >You don't understand someone having an opinion, or you don't understand >someone having an opinion that differs from yours? Just b/c you don't >have a favorite musical artist doesn't mean nobody ever could, or should. Zzzz. Notice how I said "head and shoulders" -- I guess you missed that. There's a connotation there. I do have a favorite musical artist. My favorite artist is the Beatles. However, I rarely listen to their music anymore. I own only about 3.5 album/tapes' worth of bootlegs by them. There are several Beatles songs which I think are howlingly bad. I don't follow most of the solo work. I can recognize that there are other artists who have released albums much better than, say, Beatles For Sale. I don't desperately seek out Beatlemaniacs to "bond" with. I'm not on a Beatles mailing list, either. It's fine if RH is your favorite artist. But I don't respect it when people are so far into RH that they spend all their time tracking down redundant concert tapes and checking to see if he changed a verb when performing x-song live, at the expense of investigating unheard groups which could possibly become new favorites. That's pure Weenieism, in my eyes. Eb ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 20 Nov 1997 16:23:13 -0700 From: Eb Subject: Re: FanFeg >[etc] e.g. he may listen to Beck and Radiohead, but he's outside of their >time. True, but this is hardly unique. There are plenty of other artists who could be described the same way. It's a question of age more than adventurousness, really. If you've been around awhile and stick to one style, sure, you're independent from the current time. It naturally works out that way. And that's why I so admire folks like Neil Young, David Bowie, Peter Gabriel, REM and Elvis Costello (hell, even King Crimson) who are veterans and yet still can make very "timely," forward-looking records. >Perhaps your latching is lacking when it comes to RH. I've latched as much as I'm going to latch. If I listened to RH more often, I suspect that his sameyness would grate on me more. >Listening to music >all the time could easily cause one to become jaded. Let me get this straight...I'm jaded and negative, and yet you're only enthusiastic about ONE artist? Seems like I'm endlessly more positive than you, no? Perhaps your latching is lacking when it comes to everyone BUT RH. >the only musician (and listserv) I spend time on now is RH. Eb ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 20 Nov 1997 16:28:23 -0800 From: "jeffery vaska" Subject: Re: FanFeg and ye bayard is pontificating >> Perhaps. But after years of hearing album after album (you don't even KNOW >> how much music I absorb...), your brain adapts to accelerate the metabolism >> of the "latching process." ;) > >Perhaps your latching is lacking when it comes to RH. Listening to music >all the time could easily cause one to become jaded. I know it happened >to me-- the only musician (and listserv) I spend time on now is RH. yeah, i'd have to agree. like many other fegs (i think) i too spent a couple years working in college radio as a program director. it's not an exageration when i state that i had to listen to somewhere between 25 and 60 cd's a week. oh yeah, i did it for the love of music, i wasn't truly being paid, but it was still my duty to do it. IT DROVE ME INSANE and yet i did it for a year and a half. hearing everything NEW that comes out gets really OLD quite fast. i did hear all the new and cool stuff, but when i finally put my foot down and quit that gig, i was very happy to just listen to robyn and javanese music for months (which i essentially did). i found my personal comfort zone again with this stuff. and then again, having a favorite artist is a good thing - if anything it can display that one has some inkling of passion. i dread the idea that we could be ambivalent/luke warm to everything (and i guess i should say that i'm not acussing anybody here of being like this...). i know a few professional radio people who like everything about the same - they have lost their taste buds so to speak... oh well, i just can't concentrate worth beans today...ta-ra!...jv np: japanese tv commercials on vinyl - by the way, huge ryuichi sakamoto tour is being put together these days - should be wicked cool. - ----------------------------------------------------------------- vaska & co. design - "cultured by design" www.cultureddesign.com seattle, washington - usa ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 20 Nov 1997 17:16:43 -0800 From: Mark_Gloster@3com.com Subject: Weenieism... So, Mr. E. Flat Gondola, I think your characterization of the appreciation of many fegs as freakish, vampiristic, or whatever, is unfortunate. There are people whose communication skills, or story telling talent, or facial expressions seem so interesting to me that I would take note. Now I might be so abashed that I could be unable to share this with all the other listmembers, but I think it's cool that people have something in common to care about and think about during these times of barrages of jaded commentary. As you measure it, most of us listmembers are eentsy-beentsy weenies. How can such a big strappin' giant sausage of an email person tolerate our tiny beef and beef by-productness? - -Ima Weenie Shark I ps. I think Andy's bass playing kicks thick, chunky patootie with alacrity. And so does Nick's. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 20 Nov 1997 22:19:45 -0500 From: nicastr@IDT.NET (Ben) Subject: Re: Fan >It's fine if RH is your favorite artist. But I don't respect it when people >are so far into RH that they spend all their time tracking down redundant >concert tapes and checking to see if he changed a verb when performing >x-song live, at the expense of investigating unheard groups which could >possibly become new favorites. That's pure Weenieism, in my eyes. > >Eb I definitely wouldn't call Hitchcock's gigs "redundant". Sure, he dosen't mix things up night to night as much as, say, the Grateful Dead did, but he does change things around enough to the point where the shows are never redundant. A lot of rock artists play almost the exact same thing every night. If RH shows were like this I doubt there would be much interest by fans in collecting the tapes. Also, the tapes don't take away from my listening to other artists, maybe they would if you were constantly trading and what time you had to listen to music was taken up by them, but I don't think anyone is that obsessed. If anything, hearing a fair amount of RH shows has led me to checking out some of the artists he covers, such as Roxy Music, Psychedelic Furs, Van Morrison and others that I may have not gotten in to if I didn't listen to his shows. It's a good way to find out who influenced an artist you like without breaking into their home and stealing their record collection. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 20 Nov 1997 19:39:06 -0800 From: "jeffery vaska" Subject: Re: Fan woops, sent it to the wrong place first time around... >>>Eb offers this bit of wisdom: > >>It's fine if RH is your favorite artist. But I don't respect it when people >>are so far into RH that they spend all their time tracking down redundant >>concert tapes and checking to see if he changed a verb when performing >>x-song live, at the expense of investigating unheard groups which could >>possibly become new favorites. That's pure Weenieism, in my eyes. hmmm...you know, i'm not into that myself, but some people are. i generally don't involve myself with their conversations either, but it IS somewhat apropos that people discuss his lyrics in this manner. when i was studying british romanticism (for two and half years solid) we would sometimes look at two or three versions of the same poem, each with differing words in order to derive perhaps a better understanding of the poets intent. now robyn gets pretty goofy at times, but i have always viewed robyn as a link to that kind of poetic tradition. you may not like it, but their approach is somewhat pertinent. Eb, i'm sorry but the disrespect may be going a bit too far... tschus...jv - ----------------------------------------------------------------- vaska & co. design - "cultured by design" www.cultureddesign.com seattle, washington - usa ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 20 Nov 1997 23:00:37 -0500 (EST) From: Hedblade@aol.com Subject: FISH'S GILLS (Robyn content- you decide!) Hi feggies, This is old, I know, but John Chandler needs his props for offering up this one: << fondling the fish's gills too much." >> I move to make this the universal cry when anyone gets a bit too heady about Robyn or anyone / thing. All those in favour? Blinking On And Off, Jay ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 20 Nov 1997 23:19:28 -0500 (EST) From: Bayard Subject: Re: Fan Eb On Thu, 20 Nov 1997, Eb wrote: > >> You're right. I don't understand placing ANY one musical artist head and > >> shoulders above all others. > > > >You don't understand someone having an opinion, or you don't understand > >someone having an opinion that differs from yours? Just b/c you don't > >have a favorite musical artist doesn't mean nobody ever could, or should. > > Zzzz. Notice how I said "head and shoulders" -- I guess you missed that. > There's a connotation there. I noticed. Just b/c you don't have a musical artist that stands head and shoulders above others doesn't mean it's wrong or weird for others to do so. It probably stems from your listening to too much music. > I do have a favorite musical artist. My favorite artist is the Beatles. > However, I rarely listen to their music anymore. Wouldn't it be more accurate then to say that the Beatles are the band which you hold in the highest regard? Your favorite would be whatever you listen to the most, no? My favorite band used to be Pink Floyd, and I think they're probably more important to music history than RH. But these days RH is _much_ more interesting. Thus, my fav! > It's fine if RH is your favorite artist. But I don't respect it when people > are so far into RH that they spend all their time tracking down redundant > concert tapes and checking to see if he changed a verb when performing > x-song live, at the expense of investigating unheard groups which could > possibly become new favorites. That's pure Weenieism, in my eyes. Fair enough. What do you call it when someone posts reams of text, most of it openly hostile or thinly veiled flamebait, the rest of it about himself, to a list dedicated to his #1 b+ artist, the guy he compares to everyone he likes better, like Vic Chesnutt, Beck, and Elvis Costello? His weapons of choice are the cute little barbs "Zzzzz", , and :p. Oh, and get this-- he's a really nice guy in real life but just likes the sound of his angry e-voice! That's TROLLING, in my eyes. =b ps. Yes, I'm talking about you Eb. :-D And I still like you. I know you're relieved. pps. There's a segment called "Tips on tipping" on the news right now. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 21 Nov 1997 00:13:40 -0500 (EST) From: Bayard Subject: a cork for my gills j. hedblade blinked on and remarked: > I move to make this the universal cry when anyone gets a bit too heady about > Robyn or anyone / thing. All those in favour? what are you trying to say, jay? (: ok ok, i'll pipe down. you win, big E. =b ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 21 Nov 1997 00:03:06 -0500 (EST) From: Bayard Subject: Re: FanFeg On Thu, 20 Nov 1997, Eb wrote: > >[etc] e.g. he may listen to Beck and Radiohead, but he's outside of their > >time. > > True, but this is hardly unique. I thought the point was made in two previous posts, but if you still don't see what makes RH unique I can bore you with more evidence offlist-- going through it all again here would be preaching to the converted. > >Perhaps your latching is lacking when it comes to RH. > > I've latched as much as I'm going to latch. If I listened to RH more often, > I suspect that his sameyness would grate on me more. Like I said, your latch is rusty. This sameyness thing has got to be a product of all that music you're inundated with. Is this your job? Are you a music critic? Cool gig but seems like it could have an impact on how you spend your free time. (Segue to next snippet:) > >Listening to music > >all the time could easily cause one to become jaded. > > Let me get this straight...I'm jaded and negative, [...] Sorry if I pegged ya wrong-- I was just callin' 'em as I saw 'em. >and yet you're only enthusiastic about ONE artist? ahh-ah... not so fast. What I said was: > >the only musician (and listserv) I spend time on now is RH. ..That means he's the only guy I research and such. I listen to loads of stuff, just not as much as i used to-- i used to always be listening to music; in the car, in the shower, going to sleep, etc. (This was back in school when I had people's music collections everywhere to draw from. Now the feglist serves this purpose.) Now I mostly listen to CD's at work, (finally got a new machine with cd rom!) and at home I listen to my tapes as I copy them for people. > Oh, you probably thought I was being narrow minded. Better than closed minded, eh? ;) > Seems like I'm endlessly more positive than you, no? uh, ya lost me. > Perhaps your latching is lacking when it comes to everyone BUT RH. Nah. He just resonates somehow. I think others here might know what I'm talking about. I like some of the bands you really like too. I can't imagine going to their lists and saying "I'd put (Robyn Hitchcock album x) above anything but (fav other band album y)", though. =b ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 21 Nov 1997 01:11:08 -0500 (EST) From: Hedblade@aol.com Subject: Robyn's Cool Yule Feggies, <<>>I had started working on one to listen to at work. I am calling it "Robyn >>Hitchcock's Christmas Party." because on the most recent KCRW show he >>jokingly referred to that as the title of his next studio LP. >> FYI- Robyn said this during my interview with him at the House of Blues show at the start of the Spring tour as well. In fact, the way in which he said it at the time struck me as it being a title that simply jumped out of his mouth at the moment (i.e. it wasn't rehearsed as some answers / show stories seem to be these days). Seems an interesting or funny idea occurs to him and he recycles and builds on it until something new strikes his fancy. Which leads to this question... Does anyone, anywhere have Robyn Christamas songs? I've got to believe at some point he's done one or made one up at a live show. My brother Jock (Yes, his real name) collects rock and roll holiday music, and I'd like to find a nifty little Robyn chestnut for him. Just curious. Even a spoken word dealy ABOUT Christmas would be nice. Check your tapes. Blinking On And Off, Jay np = IVY Apartment Life ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 20 Nov 1997 23:30:02 -0700 From: Eb Subject: Re: FanFeg Bayard wrote: >I noticed. Just b/c you don't have a musical artist that stands head and >shoulders above others doesn't mean it's wrong or weird for others to do >so. It probably stems from your listening to too much music. Listening to too much music...hmm, so that's like a vice? Somehow, if you sample a wide variety of music, it ruins your overall perspective? Boy, I could not disagree with that more. Or is it just that you can't be a true music fan unless there's one artist whom you fawn over, obsess on and ruminate about every day?? Uhhh...nope, I'm still not biting. >> I do have a favorite musical artist. My favorite artist is the Beatles. >> However, I rarely listen to their music anymore. > >Wouldn't it be more accurate then to say that the Beatles are the band >which you hold in the highest regard? Your favorite would be whatever you >listen to the most, no? No, I don't agree with that at all. Anyway, there is no artist I listen to most. If anyone, it's probably Brian Eno, but that's only because I listen to him when I can't sleep or get headaches. >Oh, and get this-- he's a really nice guy in real life but just likes the >sound of his angry e-voice! That's TROLLING, in my eyes. Nope. It's not trolling -- just not being afraid to express a dissenting opinion. And for the record, I expressed VERY similar sentiments at the Largo show. Sydney's just more tolerant of opposing views than some of the rest of you. A sense of humor helps, too. >pps. There's a segment called "Tips on tipping" on the news right now. Ha! Personally, I'm still getting over that story about the dog who chewed off the foot of the comatose woman. Did that story go global, or does no one know what I'm talking about? >I thought the point was made in two previous posts, but if you still don't >see what makes RH unique I can bore you with more evidence offlist-- going >through it all again here would be preaching to the converted. No point. There's no way you could convince me -- after all, I have heard the music. He's distinctive, yes. Unique, nah. It's just a question of putting together a variety of old pieces in an interesting way. >Like I said, your latch is rusty. This sameyness thing has got to be a >product of all that music you're inundated with. Interesting how you deem it impossible to find Robyn samey by any legitimate criterion. A bit fanatical, perhaps? >> Seems like I'm endlessly more positive than you, no? >uh, ya lost me. Well, I'm willing to rave about dozens of artists. You seem willing to rave about just one. And yet you're trying to portray me as Mr. Jaded, Mr. Underwhelmed, Mr. Bored With Everything. Hmm. >I can't >imagine going to their lists and saying "I'd put (Robyn Hitchcock album x) >above anything but (fav other band album y)", though. I don't understand at ALL why you keep harping on this point. Apparently, you think it's somehow morally unethical or logically unsound to compare the music of two different artists. I can't imagine why. Help, anyone? And "reams of text"? I think my comment about the Largo show is the only post I've ever written here which I would call "long".... Eb ------------------------------ End of fegmaniax-digest V6 #73 ******************************