From: owner-fegmaniax-digest@smoe.org (fegmaniax-digest) To: fegmaniax-digest@smoe.org Subject: fegmaniax-digest V7 #31 Reply-To: fegmaniax@smoe.org Sender: owner-fegmaniax-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-fegmaniax-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk fegmaniax-digest Tuesday, January 27 1998 Volume 07 : Number 031 Today's Subjects: ----------------- Re: Randomly Generated wOmbaTS [Stewart Russell 3295 Analyst_Programmer <] re: best Robyn concerts so far on tape? ["Matthew Knights" ] Re: you and oblivion [Mark_Gloster@3com.com] Re: permeating cheese- slowly cheesing the world with American rituals [M] Re: Best Rh concerts on tape. ["Capitalism Blows" ] fwd: you and oblivion [Russ Reynolds ] should I leave them by your gate? [Russ Reynolds ] Re: Best Rh concerts on tape. [Russ Reynolds ] Re: fwd: you and oblivion [Bayard ] Re: permeating cheese [Eb ] delurking ["J. Katherine Rossner" ] Hitchcock does Dylan! [Brian James Zahlmann ] introductions/promotions [kenster@MIT.EDU (Ken Ostrander)] Direct me to the cheese [james.dignan@stonebow.otago.ac.nz (James Dignan)] Re: fwd: you and oblivion ["Elizabeth Morgan" ] a diversion into linguistics (WHY???) [james.dignan@stonebow.otago.ac.nz ] Re: Best Rh concerts on tape. [SydneyC33@aol.com] "The 'dignity' of U.S. Geography" chapter one. [Hedblade ] Re: permeating cheese- slowly cheesing the world with American rituals [] Re: I often dream of fegs [Capuchin ] Bob Costas. Way off topic. [Capuchin ] Re: fwd: you and oblivion [Capuchin ] Re: delurking [Capuchin ] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 26 Jan 1998 08:27:28 GMT From: Stewart Russell 3295 Analyst_Programmer Subject: Re: Randomly Generated wOmbaTS >>>>> "Gregory" == Gregory S Shell writes: Gregory> semi-randomly generated word of the Gregory> week - PLANULA Ooh! Good word! If anyone needs words, I've got over 320 million of them filed away here. Maybe I should scan through some Robyn lyrics and dig out the good ones? My word of the day - Poult: a young hen. - -- Stewart C. Russell Analyst Programmer, Dictionary Division stewart@ref.collins.co.uk HarperCollins Publishers use Disclaimer; my $opinion; Glasgow, Scotland ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 26 Jan 1998 09:49:41 -0000 From: "Matthew Knights" Subject: re: best Robyn concerts so far on tape? Dave enthused: >what in IYHO are the best Robyn concerts so far on tape? My favourite Robyn tape is a mystery tape and this post is by way of asking if any fegs could identify it. It's of a late 70's Soft Boys show, somewhere in (Old) England. It was given to me many years ago by a (high) school friend named Andy Godleman who - together with UK FM DJ John Peel - got me into the SB's. The set starts with 'Give it to the Soft Boys' and ends with 'That's when the heartaches begin' (BTW is this an Elvis cover?). During the gig Robyn introduces FOD with these words: "I don't know if any of you have ever lain around long enough to be discovered four days after you've just died in your own flat; or if any of you have ever dropped a pot of ink right over your face, watched it drip down and leave clean creases 'cos you're so furrowed up; or if any of you have never spoken to anyone for 25 years but if you have this one's for you. It's the face of death." Can anyone identify it from this information? I'd be grateful. Matt - eating Kellog's All Bran wondering what is this bowl anyway and why is it so super ? _________________________________________________________________ Matthew Knights mknights@harrywasp.prestel.co.uk `Ton ame est un lac d'amour dont mes desirs sont les cygnes...' _________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 26 Jan 1998 08:36:51 -0400 From: Natalie Jacobs Subject: The conductor's name was Milo James Dignan remarks, >BTW - Robyn's lyrics seem 'classically surreal' to me, much like the art of >Magritte, de Chirico etc. The nonsequiturs often go in a direction you >might expect them to, if that makes any sense. Or am I just opening my >mouth and letting the wind blow my tongue around? Funny, I've been thinking the same thing recently... over Thanksgiving I went to Buffalo to visit relatives, and I went to the Fulbright Gallery, which has lots of stuff by Surrealists and proto-Surrealists like de Chirico (I went around singing "De Chirico Street" through the whole vacation). I had a sampler tape with me that featured "Have a Heart, Betty (I'm Not Fireproof)" on it, and after seeing the Surrealist paintings the lyrics started to sound "classically surreal," e.g. "The foliage is howling without symmetry" - they sound like titles for Max Ernst paintings, a sort of dream-like quality that *almost* makes sense but doesn't quite. "Surrealist music," though, seems to be a different thing altogether... i.e. music that's produced according to Surrealist methods like automatic writing and so forth... Robyn is a bit too lucid for that, though it would be interesting to see him give it a shot (if he hasn't already). n. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 26 Jan 1998 05:34:43 -0800 From: Mark_Gloster@3com.com Subject: Re: you and oblivion >hi, > is there anybody else who thinks you and >oblivion is one of the best things robyn released? >i was just listening to it thru headphones, >something i rarely do. i heard all sorts of cool >stuff. during " stranded in the future" you could >hear a truck pull up, apply its air brakes, then >throttle up and pull away. i thought it was >outside my house till i listened twice. this is a >record i would definetly use to introduce robyn to >a potential feg. i always enjoy it. I tried to send this out yesterday morning, and it didn't work somehow... While I really like Y&O, I consider it a little outside/inconsistent to initiate a potential RH fan. As it shines as an intimate singer/songwriter disc, I like to use instead (go ahead, kill me now) Respect and Queen Elvis (though less singer/songwriter), I Often Dream of Trains, and EYE. I've started using ME too lately. I'm trying to get a frind to do Birdshead for the next Glass Flesh CD. I also like Fiend Before the Shrine a lot. Happies and Ciao. May your preferred football team win today as long as it's the Bronco's - -Markg I think I'll go home soon. Workies is less fun than watching the 26-hour pregame marathon of insights/interviews of the postman for John Elway's cousin's 3rd grade teacher. Don't y'all think it's great that John Elway can go directly from quarterback of the Bronco's to team mascot immediately upon retirement? I can say that, I have an overbite too. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 26 Jan 1998 09:14:27 -0800 From: Mark_Gloster@3com.com Subject: Re: permeating cheese- slowly cheesing the world with American rituals apologies for lack of robyn content. I just think it's vital to educate the masses on the most powerful rituals of American society. >> James, the reason for the Packer-Backers' donning of >>les chapeaux fromages is actually so straightforward that >>it's beautiful in its lack of intricacies: They make a >>lot of cheese up there in Wisconsin! Along this same >>football thread, as a former Denverite (who now hates >>Denver but still carries with him a love for the >>enthusiasm for sports that permeates that city), I must >>say, "HELL YEAH, THE BRONCOS FINALLY WON THE SUPER >>BOWL!!!!" Nothing against the aforementioned Packers; >>they're a great team. . . but they won it last year and >>they'll get another shot at it next year, most likely. >>As Homer Simpson once said, "Woo-hoo! I wanna be John >>Elway!". >I liked Bob Costas' line...that the saddest thing about >Denver winning is that now being a "cheesehead" has lost >its dignity. ;) In all of my memory, Bob Costas has never said anything so humorous. He should hang that on his wall.. About "les chapeaux fromages-" Green Bay used to be a huge center for meat packing. It may yet be, but I think that Wisconsin is only known now inside the US for the Packers football team and the cheese. In fact, 4 out of 5 US students identified the state of Wisconsin as "a large booger" on standardized geography tests (sadly, they also thought that "New Zealand" was "the planet General Lee surrendered to the X-Men in the Civil War.) I seemed to have slipped off the point here. When the fans were wearing meat on their heads, general, specific, and social hygene were a problem. Especially in the early season. That fad never really caught on. The Packers were kind of crappy back then too. Last point: Homer Simpson runs for the final touchdown in that episode as John Elway. He says "In your face, Montana!" Then they show the score 55-10 in favor of San Francisco. It was pretty funny. happies, - -Markg When the world puts cheese on your head and your team loses- make head fondue! (This is not a Clinton joke.) ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 26 Jan 1998 10:18:02 PST From: "Capitalism Blows" Subject: Re: Best Rh concerts on tape. gotta be WHERE ARE THE PRAWNS? Date: Mon, 26 Jan 1998 16:21:21 +2910 From: dlang To: fegs Subject: Best Rh concerts on tape. Reply-To: dlang Attention Fegs I'm sure you must have had this discussion before, but what in IYHO are the best Robyn concerts so far on tape?. I only have 10 or so , but my favourite so far is 10-28-89 malmoe sweden , which I only have as an aud tape, but its a shit hot performance, full of clasic Hitchcock songs and some inspired silly stage announcements by RH. Hows about the more experienced Fegs posting up their top 5 or ten concerts with sources and reasons why they are worth ferreting out. PLLLLLLEEEEEEEASSSSSE! Dave alng (currently listening to Shaki 11-4-77) ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 26 Jan 98 10:37:00 -0800 From: Russ Reynolds Subject: fwd: you and oblivion ======== Original Message ======== hi, is there anybody else who thinks you and oblivion is one of the best things robyn released? i was just listening to it thru headphones, something i rarely do. i heard all sorts of cool stuff. during " stranded in the future" you could hear a truck pull up, apply its air brakes, then throttle up and pull away. i thought it was outside my house till i listened twice. this is a record i would definetly use to introduce robyn to a potential feg. i always enjoy it. feeling very mellow, Mike Hooker ======== Fwd by: Russ Reynolds ======== How many has it scared off? If taking a bunch of material that was not good enough for any of his legitimate albums and slapping it all together on one disc creates one of the best thing's he's ever released it doesn't say much for the rest of his work. Black Snake Diamond Role--now THERE'S an album. - -rr ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 26 Jan 98 10:49:00 -0800 From: Russ Reynolds Subject: should I leave them by your gate? I heard a tape once of Hitchcock singing a verse of Dylan's "Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands"...has anyone ever heard him do this whole song? It's one of my favorites. -russ ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 26 Jan 98 11:16:00 -0800 From: Russ Reynolds Subject: Re: Best Rh concerts on tape. ======== Original Message ======== On Mon, 26 Jan 1998, Ben wrote: > 10/17/92 Powerhaus Club, London - The Soft Boys meet The Egyptians plus > Peter Buck, need I say more? Wasn't this the day of the SF Earthquake? Coincidence or Mistake? You decide! Well, it was my birthday, anyway. J. ________________________________________________________ J A Brelin Capuchin ________________________________________________________ ======== Fwd by: Russ Reynolds ======== same date, wrong year. the quake was in 1989 and it was Willie Mays' fault. So it's much more coincidental that the only two Wild CARD teams in to win Superbowls were both quarterbacked by ex-stanford (CARDINAL) quarterbacks. Of course Plunkett played for the Stanford Indians, but they were also referred to as the Cards. - -rr ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 26 Jan 1998 14:51:10 -0500 (EST) From: Bayard Subject: Re: fwd: you and oblivion On Mon, 26 Jan 1998, Russ Reynolds wrote: > How many has it scared off? If taking a bunch of material that was not good > enough for any of his legitimate albums and slapping it all together on one > disc creates one of the best thing's he's ever released it doesn't say much > for the rest of his work. Easy there, russ. i'd be more inclined to say the songs, like those on _invisible hitchcock_, didn't fit with the "legitimate albums," not necessarily that they were not good enough. In my humble opinion, Ghost Ship, surgery, mr rock 'n' roll, birdshead, and you've got are among his best. now admittedly, these are not all the best VERSIONS of these songs, and this album does not have the instrumental variety of _invisible hitch_, but I think it's a quite charming collection of odds and sods. But then, I'm a pretty serious RH fan. For converting would-be new fans, hmm, I don't know if any one RH album would be right-- they vary widely, it would depend on the taste of the target individual. Perhaps the old standby, the mixed tape, would serve-- a mix of tracks from underwater moonlight, trains, eye, element of light, and maybe fegmania. I must disagree with my chum mr gloster, (about whom i like everything else!) about the a&m albums being the right jumping off point for a new feg-- i personally feel RH (or his producer) lost his way on these efforts. but what do i know, i'm just a crazy feggie. one thing i noticed though, when going over lyrics with capuchin & company, is perpex island is pretty nifty when you get to know it. it IS a pretty "adult", "suit and tie" sort of record as RH has said, but the song order is very well chose and it ends with three phenomenal slow songs, and features some absolutely awesome bass playing! > Black Snake Diamond Role--now THERE'S an album. we've already wrung this one out a couple times, so i don't want to get into another opinionated album thread; i'll just say i like this one too. one of only 2 reissues i got (not counting y&o.) speaking of which, i think the compiler of y&o is on this list. take a bow mr. neill! =b ps. congrats to elway, i'm not much of a football head but i appreciate a non-boring game! ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 26 Jan 1998 13:34:36 -0700 From: Eb Subject: Re: permeating cheese >>I liked Bob Costas' line...that the saddest thing about >>Denver winning is that now being a "cheesehead" has lost >>its dignity. ;) >In all of my memory, Bob Costas has never said anything >so humorous. He should hang that on his wall.. Really? Ouch. Personally, I think Costas is absolutely wonderful. I was a huge fan of his Later interview show, before he left it to the remarkably plastic, soulless Greg Kinnear. I think Costas is a very, very funny, quick-witted man. The ever-negative, cynical Eb PS You mean you guys TAPE Hitchcock concerts?? ;) ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 26 Jan 1998 13:33:30 -0500 From: "J. Katherine Rossner" Subject: delurking >From: james.dignan@stonebow.otago.ac.nz (James Dignan) > It's >nearly 20 years since I tried learning Welsh... Glas is an odd word, BTW, >it can be translated as blue or green IIRC "glas" in Anglo-Saxon can mean either gray or green. (OK, Dave--which language stole from the other?) **** >From: Capuchin >Subject: Re: Best Rh concerts on tape. > >On Mon, 26 Jan 1998, Ben wrote: >> 10/17/92 Powerhaus Club, London - The Soft Boys meet The Egyptians plus >> Peter Buck, need I say more? > >Wasn't this the day of the SF Earthquake? Right day, wrong year--the earthquake was '89. (And I think the Oakland fire was 10/19/91...) **** OK, maybe I ought to say hello. I've been lurking for a while--just getting to know Robyn Hitchcock's music (yes, I'm going to see The Movie if it ever appears) thanks to a friend. Not much to say, yet, but one thing--those of you who actually *want* to get into the "what is folk music?" debate might check out the perennial threads thereon, in the folk music mailing lists and rec.music.folk. (I tend to be on the pedantic side about this one: if we know who wrote it, it ain't folk music. But there are a lot of contemporary [and mostly acoustic] singer-songwriters that I love.) Just out of curiosity: Even conceding "folk" to mean a lot of that singer-songwriter stuff (as opposed to just Ancient Tradition), what difference does it make whether or not RH fits that label? I mean, lists and groups that define themselves as being about "folk music" have to worry about what to include. This list is talking about one guy, and his music, and (so far as I can tell) anything that people who like that guy and his music like--isn't that enough? For whatever it's worth, this folkie-type would say that quite a lot of the RH I've heard sounds like much of the above-mentioned "contemporary folk" (acoustic, singer-songwriter, whatever) music; some of it doesn't, at all. Just in terms of sound, I probably like "Eye" best of the RH discs I've heard; on the other hand, some of his other and less-folkish stuff has more interesting lyrics. The song that first hooked me was "Uncorrected Personality Traits", which I really don't know how to classify! Anyway, if the man describes his own music as folk, I'm not going to argue. Katherine, preparing to crawl back into the woodwork - -- Ye knowe ek, that in forme of speche is chaunge Withinne a thousand yere, and wordes tho That hadden pris, now wonder nyce and straunge Us thinketh hem, and yet they spake hem so. - Chaucer ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 26 Jan 1998 16:41:33 -0600 (CST) From: Brian James Zahlmann Subject: Hitchcock does Dylan! Does anyone out there have or need a copy of the CD "Rob, Bob, & Albert," which brings to us a recording of Robyn's show (both acoustic and electric [with Homer as backup] sets) of Dylan covers at the Albert Hall? I'd like to hear some reviews. I'm interested also in trading live audio (video?) tapes [Robyn, Captain Sensible/Damned, Dylan, Suede, etc.] In reponse to the lads what were yapping about Robyn's plausibly oxymoronic, sensible nonsequitors, might it be that Robyn & Fegs have a certain understanding of All, or every part being instrinsically necessary for every other part not only to exist but also to be defined and thus nothing seems illogical or nonsequential? ~Wednesday (and I still haven't developed an intellectual opinion of museums in this opinionated museum of intelligence.) ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 26 Jan 1998 18:34:18 -0500 From: kenster@MIT.EDU (Ken Ostrander) Subject: introductions/promotions >>this is a record i would definetly use to introduce robyn to >>a potential feg. i always enjoy it. > >I've started using ME too lately. i'm always trying to slip some robyn in somewhere on a mix tape or at parties; but i've given _moss elixer_ to a few friends to check it out recently. one song that everyone seems to like is 'beautiful queen'. not that i care about charts or singles anymore, but wouldn't it be nice if someone at the label really tried to promote sales even a little? KEN ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 27 Jan 1998 12:29:51 +1300 (NZDT) From: james.dignan@stonebow.otago.ac.nz (James Dignan) Subject: Direct me to the cheese Thanks for everyone who replied about the Green Bay/Cheese business (including one reply in Welsh!). To answer the comments raised in those emails: a) Dunedin's local cheese is called Evansdale, very nice, a bit like a cross between Brie and Gouda. b) A packer is someone who makes or uses cardboard boxes or packing materials. I have seen large envelopes with "made in Green Bay" on them in small letters. So they could have worn cardboard boxes on their heads c) Alternatively, a Packer is an Australian millionaire renowned for trying to change various sports to make them more commercial., As far as I know, he hasn't entered American Football (known here as Gridiron) - yet. d) A pullman is also a type of railway coach e) Well done Denver. Well done Stevenage. Now let's see if South Africa can beat the Aussies tonight... ObRob: Has Robyn ever mentioned sport in any of his songs? James ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 26 Jan 1998 15:57:12 PST From: "Elizabeth Morgan" Subject: Re: fwd: you and oblivion Russ wrote: >How many has it scared off? If taking a bunch of material that was not good >enough for any of his legitimate albums and slapping it all together on one >disc creates one of the best thing's he's ever released it doesn't say much >for the rest of his work. > >Black Snake Diamond Role--now THERE'S an album. I'm one of those people who love every album Robyn's ever put out. You & Oblivion is a particular favorite of mine. I've used it on a number of friends with great success. I believe that "You've Got", "Fiend Before the Shrine", and "Ghost Ship" are some of the best songs Robyn's written. Keeping Still, Elizabeth ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 27 Jan 1998 13:02:56 +1300 (NZDT) From: james.dignan@stonebow.otago.ac.nz (James Dignan) Subject: a diversion into linguistics (WHY???) >But Gorky's are an outsider to even this world. They come out of the >Welsh-medium public schools, set up after all the protests that Welsh >kids were losing their language in English-only schools. So there are >now all these well-funded bilingual schools filled with equal parts kids >from Welsh-speaking families and kids from English-speaking familes (whose >parents want their kids to grow up bilingual, and have also noticed how >much better grades all the kids in these well-funded schools are getting...) >And on the playgrounds and in the halls, a new language has grown up. >Call it creole Welsh, or English-with-Welsh-words. *That's* what Gorky's >writes in. this is interesting stuff, although veering so close to offtopic that I am expecting to see Robyn Hitchcock mentioned. It parallels to an extent what is happening in New Zealand, where a goodly proportion of reggae through rap to hip hop music is either in Maori or has a strong Maori flavour to it. We also have what are known as Kohanga Reo ('language nest') schools, where primary aged children learn as much, if not more, in Maori than in English, and I would expect that some form of creolisation of the languages is not only likely but inevitable. There has always been a reasonable element of cross-pollinisation in the languages: many Maori words and phrases have long been accepted wholesale into English, especially where no direct equivalent was avauilable (e.g., Tapu = sacred, mana = prestige, kai = food), and many others are gaining more widespread recognition (e.g., tangata whenua = native peoples (literally people of the land), karakia = prayer, kaha = strength) and many modern Maori words are little more than a form of pidgin (e.g., the days of the week: Maanei, Turei, Wenerei...) Um.... which mailing list is this again? James (I MUST write on topic!) PS - could "Crazy Meirion" be a reference to Wales's weirdest town, Portmeirion? James Dignan___________________________________ You talk to me Deptmt of Psychology, Otago University As if from a distance ya zhivu v' 50 Norfolk Street And I reply. . . . . . . . . . Dunedin, New Zealand with impressions chosen from another time steam megaphone (03) 455-7807 (Brian Eno - "By this River") ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 26 Jan 1998 17:38:18 EST From: SydneyC33@aol.com Subject: Re: Best Rh concerts on tape. Capuchin writes: << On Mon, 26 Jan 1998, Ben wrote: > 10/17/92 Powerhaus Club, London - The Soft Boys meet The Egyptians plus > Peter Buck, need I say more? Wasn't this the day of the SF Earthquake? Coincidence or Mistake? You decide! >> Sorry Jeme. Mistake. The earthquake was in 1989, but it was STILL your birthday... Coincidence or Mistake? You decide! ;) Sydney n.p. Autumn Is Your Last Chance (which is what I originally *thought* Eddie meant by, "ALC Robyn...please" Silly me. :) ) ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 26 Jan 1998 22:03:33 EST From: Hedblade Subject: "The 'dignity' of U.S. Geography" chapter one. In a message dated 98-01-26 03:15:43 EST, you write: << I liked Bob Costas' line...that the saddest thing about Denver winning is that now being a "cheesehead" has lost its dignity. ;) Eb >> As a resident of the Windy City (close proxy to "cheeseland" for those not familiar with Midwestern U.S. geography) I can tell you in no uncertain terms there never was, nor will there ever be ANY "dignity" in being a Cheesehead (TM). ;) Cheezing On And Off... Jay H. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 26 Jan 1998 22:16:17 -0500 From: woj Subject: a note from Robyn got the following from antwoman this evening: >Robyn has asked if this message from him can be 'circulated' > >Apologies ofr the mouldy gig at the 12 Bar. The people upstairs wouldn't shut >up, so I shut down. Normal service will be resumed ASAP. Love, Robyn anyone who was at the 12-bar care to explain? +w ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 26 Jan 1998 22:06:13 -0600 (CST) From: amadain Subject: Re: permeating cheese- slowly cheesing the world with American rituals > >I liked Bob Costas' line...that the saddest thing about > >Denver winning is that now being a "cheesehead" has lost > >its dignity. ;) Ok, all this cheesehead stuff compels me to comment, since I have been seeing one for a few months now. No, not a hat, a person who -calls himself that-, though he also owns one :). Wearing the hat is actually a self-deprecating sort of comment on the insult "cheesehead" (read beer-swilling, braut-gorging, semi-literate dairy-fed goon from Wisconsin, which is what non-Wisconsonite midwesterners mean by the term). It's a Wisconsin-ite "yeah, I'm a cheesehead, and who the hell are YOU?", basically. Being a cheesehead never -had- dignity, essentially, which is the point of the joke :). It concerns more than being a Packer fan, which is merely one small segment of the overall cheesehead identity thang. > that Wisconsin is only known now inside the US for the > Packers football team and the cheese It's also heavily industrial, and produces much of the nation's toilet paper (I kid you not). Love on ya, Susan loving consort to a man who actually wears his now and then :) ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 26 Jan 1998 20:11:18 -0800 (PST) From: Capuchin Subject: Re: I often dream of fegs On Wed, 21 Jan 1998, Natalie Jacobs wrote: > "Capitalism Blows" channels, > >the only > >other feg i could recognize in the class was jeme, who was performing > >all sorts of crazy antics, although he didn't have a yoyo. > > I was the one sitting in back daydreaming See, here's where we all figured out you were lying (or at least just making things up. You can't daydream through my 'antics'. It's just not possible. (And Eddie, I, of course, did have a yoyo. It was just in my pocket.) J. ________________________________________________________ J A Brelin Capuchin ________________________________________________________ ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 26 Jan 1998 21:07:28 -0800 (PST) From: Capuchin Subject: Bob Costas. Way off topic. On Mon, 26 Jan 1998, Eb wrote: > Really? Ouch. Personally, I think Costas is absolutely wonderful. I was a > huge fan of his Later interview show, before he left it to the remarkably > plastic, soulless Greg Kinnear. I think Costas is a very, very funny, > quick-witted man. I had always dismissed Bob Costas as just another sportscaster until one night on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. He told a story that night about riding on a bus with a bunch of hockey players early in his career. This is the part I remember: The players all had these knives that they used to carve the edges of their sticks before a game. Goldie lifted me up, pinning me to the wall inside the bus, and put his knife to my throat. Now, I knew he wasn't going to kill me. He wasn't that stupid. But I also don't think he fully appreciated the _dynamic_ of the situation. The bus could swerve... I could sneeze... So I said "Now Goldie, can't we settle this amicably?" OK, so maybe it was in the telling and I don't remember verbatim how the story ended, but I realized that either this was rehearsed or he was a very, very smart, articulate, and funny guy. And even if it was rehearsed, it's a pretty nice piece of writing. So I stayed up and watched Later. This was probably the first episode (hyped with the Tonight Show appearance). And Bob explained his love of baseball. He talked about being a kid and going to games with his father and being in touch with something American... And while I couldn't really relate to him on any level at all, I could appreciate him and his point of view. He's done a few stupid things since to lower my opinion, but I still think he's super bright and even if I hated him, I'd respect him for that. Sorry. J. ________________________________________________________ J A Brelin Capuchin ________________________________________________________ ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 26 Jan 1998 20:56:16 -0800 (PST) From: Capuchin Subject: Re: fwd: you and oblivion On Mon, 26 Jan 1998, Bayard wrote: > On Mon, 26 Jan 1998, Russ Reynolds wrote: > > How many has it scared off? If taking a bunch of material that was not good > > enough for any of his legitimate albums and slapping it all together on one > > disc creates one of the best thing's he's ever released it doesn't say much > > for the rest of his work. > Easy there, russ. i'd be more inclined to say the songs, like those on > _invisible hitchcock_, didn't fit with the "legitimate albums," not > necessarily that they were not good enough. This is the point I was going to make. Invisible Hitchcock. IH is an amazing album. I mean, really good. It's surprisingly cohesive for what it is and the songs are mostly really good. (I'm not a big fan of improvisational rambling that isn't live in front of me. I don't think, no matter how hard you try, you're going to capture the spirit of a live improvization on tape. The whole point is that it's happening NOW. Right here. Recording takes that away and there goes the intimacy and spontaneity. That's just my opinion. Live albums and recordings are cool for the interesting variations of lyric and melody and all that... as well as Robyn live in particular which gives you stories and new material and early versions of things to come. However, extended jamming just doesn't make the conversion from immediate to delayed without losing all of its bite. So yeah, please note I'm talking about jamming and not just improvized lyrics, whole songs, or melodic adjustments.) Anyway, Invisible Hitchcock is good because it covers a fair span of Robyn's career and is just full of odds and ends. You & Oblivion is interesting and good, but most folks that don't know Robyn immediately shy away from it. I also get the impression (and please tell me if I'm way off... not that I need to say something like that around here) that while IH is various outtake tracks from earlier recording sessions, Y&O is all fairly fresh rerecordings of songs that may not be so fresh. Yes? So we're getting all of these old odd bits recorded in Robyn's current mode, filtered through his current worldview, and with all of his current style. It's just not the same kind of album. > But then, I'm a pretty serious RH fan. I'm glad no one's doing a "I'm the biggest fan." kind of mating dance. That would make me sick. I'd probably leave the list. Yipes. > For converting would-be new fans, > hmm, I don't know if any one RH album would be right-- they vary widely, > it would depend on the taste of the target individual. Absolutely. > Perhaps the old > standby, the mixed tape, would serve-- a mix of tracks from underwater > moonlight, trains, eye, element of light, and maybe fegmania. So why did you write this? I have to laugh because you said it depends on the person and then go on to say that you'd build a particular mix tape. And not just some wide-spanning mix tape, but one that focuses entirely on one aspect of Robyn. I think that while these are all fantastic albums, they all have a certain 1970s tinge to them that I can't quite place. The A&M albums make me think of typical 1980s modern rock (But yeah, I'd probably toss Element of Light in there, but not fegMANIA!). And Moss Elixir as well as all the new things coming forward have a real adult edge to them. Robyn's becoming a 90s contemporary adult artist. I'm probably going to firebombed for that, but it's how I feel. Sinister But She Was Happy? It's very straightforward. It's obviously written by a man that understands the world on a much deeper level than, say, Queen of Eyes. The Soft Boys have occassionally insightful lyrics, but really they go from teenage banality to rampant silliness. And I love them for it. Early 80s Robyn is very introverted, introspective, and lonesome. I think that's how lots of deep-thinking people felt in the early 80s. I wouldn't know because I had to worry about elementary school. I was way too busy getting a turn on the tire swing and winning dictionary races to feel left out of the growing greed. The A&M stuff (and most of Element) are just love songs and story tunes and lyrical prosepoems. Nothing too much in any particular direction. You have Airscape and One Long Pair of Eyes and She Doesn't Exist and all those that have this amazing ability to hit you with a word or phrase that is so utterly beautiful that you don't hear the next verse. The new stuff is more open. It is, to me, the obvious evolution of the feelings of a man that has gone through the stages mentioned. Anyway, while there are exceptions and cross-overs and bleeding through previous and subsequent albums and all, I have no trouble drawing lines. Again, this is all just me. I just see the differences. So this friend of mine was over. She's young. I have lots of young friends. Anyway, she's maybe 19 and she asked about a poster I have of Robyn framed on my wall. So I put in Robyn Hitchcock's Christmas Party. She said "Nice... very VH-1". I almost fainted. But then I thought about it. It's mellow, adult music. Even if it is quirky and has a much better sense of humor (and melody... and lyric... and music in general) than anything on VH-1. I guess I'm thinking of Craig Kilborn's line "VH-1, the music channel for people who don't like music." > I must > disagree with my chum mr gloster, (about whom i like everything else!) > about the a&m albums being the right jumping off point for a new feg-- i > personally feel RH (or his producer) lost his way on these efforts. Remember that our friend Mr. Gloster is a huge Boingo fan (as am I) and probably hangs around with like-minded people. The A&M albums are good 80s modern rock. They're upbeat and fun and accessible, I think. Maybe not his best work on a big grand scale, but that's all in how you define best. I would say most people I know identify with the A&M albums better than any others in total. But as I get older and as I meet older people, this changes. > but what do i know, i'm just a crazy feggie. one thing i noticed though, > when going over lyrics with capuchin & company, is perpex island is > pretty nifty when you get to know it. it IS a pretty "adult", "suit and > tie" sort of record as RH has said, but the song order is very well chose > and it ends with three phenomenal slow songs, and features some absolutely > awesome bass playing! It's a damn fine album. I've always contended that. > > Black Snake Diamond Role--now THERE'S an album. > we've already wrung this one out a couple times, so i don't want to get > into another opinionated album thread; i'll just say i like this one too. > one of only 2 reissues i got (not counting y&o.) speaking of which, i > think the compiler of y&o is on this list. take a bow mr. neill! I'm not afraid to say it. I never listen to Black Snake Diamond Role. Ever. I can't even really say I have a deeply informed opinion on the album. It just doesn't fit in with what I wnat to hear most of the time. I guess I drag it out occassionally just to be complete and run it through a couple of times while doing dishes, but mostly it stays safely in its drawer. But then again, I've said that before. What do I know? Apparently nothing. > ps. congrats to elway, i'm not much of a football head but i appreciate a > non-boring game! Can you believe I actually forgot this was going on? Sunday I got up and cleaned up my apartment and washed the dishes and played with the cat and read for a while. I played a ridiculously long game of Civilization (and I don't even like video games). Finally I turned on the TV to get the first few minutes of the post-game show. I'm just upset that I missed the commercials. But I guess I didn't really have a stake in them this year. J. ________________________________________________________ J A Brelin Capuchin ________________________________________________________ ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 26 Jan 1998 21:17:50 -0800 (PST) From: Capuchin Subject: Re: delurking On Mon, 26 Jan 1998, J. Katherine Rossner wrote: > >From: james.dignan@stonebow.otago.ac.nz (James Dignan) > > It's > >nearly 20 years since I tried learning Welsh... Glas is an odd word, BTW, > >it can be translated as blue or green > IIRC "glas" in Anglo-Saxon can mean either gray or green. (OK, Dave--which > language stole from the other?) OK. I've been thinking about this for days and days now. Why is it that this list has such an incredibly high percentage of folks that speak Welsh and other ancient Anglo languages? I can honestly say that it's never come up before in my life. Never have I met a person outside of, say, the welsh that spoke Welsh. And now there are like SIX on this list alone. Am I the only one surprised by this? Just curious, anybody here know Swahili? > OK, maybe I ought to say hello. Yeah, ok. Hello. > if we know who wrote it, > it ain't folk music. But there are a lot of contemporary [and mostly > acoustic] singer-songwriters that I love.) Yeah, I almost ran with this one... but I didn't REALLY want to discuss folk music. I just wanted to blow off some opinions. > Just out of curiosity: Even conceding "folk" to mean a lot of that > singer-songwriter stuff (as opposed to just Ancient Tradition), what > difference does it make whether or not RH fits that label? None whatsoever. Oh wait, was the rhetorical? > This list is talking about one guy, and his music, > and (so far as I can tell) anything that people who like that guy and his > music like--isn't that enough? I laughed out loud when I read this. It's too true. I just wrote an entire post about Bob Costas. The world is a very strange place. > For whatever it's worth, this folkie-type would say that quite a lot of the > RH I've heard sounds like much of the above-mentioned "contemporary folk" > (acoustic, singer-songwriter, whatever) music; some of it doesn't, at all. Yup. > Just in terms of sound, I probably like "Eye" best of the RH discs I've > heard Do you have I Often Dream Of Trains? Call me silly, but I'm sure you'll love it. > on the other hand, some of his other and less-folkish stuff has more > interesting lyrics. The song that first hooked me was "Uncorrected > Personality Traits", which I really don't know how to classify! Hrrm. Well, that's on IODOT, but that doesn't necessarily mean you've heard the whole album. > Anyway, if > the man describes his own music as folk, I'm not going to argue. You haven't been here very long, have you? We'll argue with anyone about anything. > Ye knowe ek, that in forme of speche is chaunge > Withinne a thousand yere, and wordes tho > That hadden pris, now wonder nyce and straunge > Us thinketh hem, and yet they spake hem so. - Chaucer I love that this has so much more meaning now than it did then. I wonder if Chaucer was thinking about that when he wrote it. J. -- who doesn't have anything clever in his .sig at all. ________________________________________________________ J A Brelin Capuchin ________________________________________________________ ------------------------------ End of fegmaniax-digest V7 #31 ******************************