From: owner-fegmaniax-digest@smoe.org (fegmaniax-digest) To: fegmaniax-digest@smoe.org Subject: fegmaniax-digest V7 #171 Reply-To: fegmaniax@smoe.org Sender: owner-fegmaniax-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-fegmaniax-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk fegmaniax-digest Thursday, April 30 1998 Volume 07 : Number 171 Today's Subjects: ----------------- Re: Jamming, gallinules and stuff [M R Godwin ] Rich Imperalist Tidbits [Ed.Doxtator@ssa.co.uk] Another freakin' NMH post [griffith ] Re: A nugget or two of friendly advice [Bayard ] Re: Comic Strips [Christopher Gross ] WOW! ...That's just about all they could say: WOW! [Nick Winkworth ] Re: the requested self-indulgence [Eb ] SF Gig Report [Tom Clark ] Re: A nugget or two of friendly advice [nicastr@idt.net (Ben)] Re: the requested self-indulgence [nicastr@idt.net (Ben)] Re: i knows a proggie when i smells one [sdodge@midway.uchicago.edu (amad] Re: WOW! ...That's just about all they could say: WOW! [Gary Assassin Subject: Re: Jamming, gallinules and stuff Gallinule section I'm a bit fuzzy about whether gallinules and gallinaceous birds are one and the same. In the UK we have two gallinules, the moorhen and the coot, both small freshwater birds with big palmate feet which can actually walk on lily pads. The moorhen has a red and yellow nose bit, the coot is a bit larger (sort of small duck size) and has a white nose bit (there is probably a technical term for the nose bit). In India they have a much bigger gallinule, chicken size, but recognisably the same thing - maybe similar to the NZ bird? Dark Star section I used to worry about jamming bands a lot. I think the key to them is that jamming is usually good fun for the musicians, but there is no guarantee that it will be much fun for the audience. And if a jamming band says otherwise, it is probably using a structured or semi-structured format to ensure that the highs and lows appear in the right places. Jams probably won't work in the rigid 1.5-2 hour slots which are assigned to most bands who don't have the status of the Dead. On Thu, 30 Apr 1998, Sean Hennessey wrote: > Actually, though I'm no whizz whatsoever at odd times, my band covered > 'Bike' and never had any trouble with it. It's purely natural and easy as > long as you're following the vocals rather than anything else... > > That said, Syd was still one of the most natural, 'innocent' and > imaginative songwriters I've ever heard... No doubt you have heard about his song "Have you got it yet?", where every time the Floyd thought they had learnt a line, he changed it... Both Syd and Peter Green (another favourite of mine) broke down because they wanted to incorporate more improvisation into their bands, but everyone else (musicians, management, audiences) wanted them to keep pumping out the hits. A critic recently said that Pete's 1970 album "The End of the Game" was a trance dance record ahead of its time... The best jamming bands I have seen were all in the early 70s: Global Village Trucking Company, Traffic and Gong (the old Daevid Allen-Steve Hillage lineup). I think they probably became extinct at about the time when Nick Lowe produced Wreckless Eric's "Whole Wide World". - - Mike Godwin PS There is a hilarious bit in 'The Five Pennies" where Danny Kaye (as Red Nichols) says to Louis Armstrong(?): "When you jam, it doesn't happen every time. But if you wrote the notes down, it would be guaranteed to happen exactly the same every performance!", thus inventing non-improvisational jazz (a concept similar to decaffeinated coffee). ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 30 Apr 1998 17:03:06 +0100 From: Ed.Doxtator@ssa.co.uk Subject: Rich Imperalist Tidbits Ben sez: >My point was that one of the things I enjoy most about the Dead's music (their improvisational skills) does require some musical knowledge to appreciate, >or for that matter to dislike. Sorry, gotta disagree. The theoretical knowledge argument is one of those gorgeous bits of sophistry that make me laugh and cringe at the same time: "If you can't understand the technical aspects, then you can't understand the expression." This is a fallacious arguement. The Dead do nothing for me, they groove me not in the slightest. They don't touch me, they don't speak, sing, or make me wanna dance. That's the point. I don't care if it's 1 chord or 11,000 chords. If it don't make me groove, then don't waste my time. Mebbe one day I'll hear a Dead tune that'll re-vamp my opinion of them. I haven't listened to a lot of their stuff. But I don't feel an overwhelming need to cos, as I say, they don't make me groove. Choice of music is personal, description of what makes music good is rational, extrapolated out of that personal choice. Just because something is interesting or good technically, doesn't mean much to me. Anyway, that's just me. Look after yerselves... - -Ed, Doc, taking this way too seriously... (Spell-checked by EbSpell-Rite, a subsidiary of EbDynamics, Inc. Starring Phil Collins as Iambic Pentameter) ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 30 Apr 1998 09:57:10 -0700 (PDT) From: griffith Subject: Another freakin' NMH post I just received and e-mail from Blue Rose Records. NMH are (or should that be 'is') playing two shows in the UK near the end of May. Both shows feature Richard Davies (no relation to me - damn) and some "new" band called Tim Keegan and The Homer Lounge (finally - a RH connection to NMH - OK it is a stretch). griffith = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Griffith Davies hbrtv219@csun.edu ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 30 Apr 1998 12:58:44 -0400 (EDT) From: Bayard Subject: Re: A nugget or two of friendly advice On Fri, 1 May 1998, Danielle wrote: > (Ben, if you want Eb to at least listen to you, run a spelling and > grammar check before you hit send. He's not only a button-pusher, as > Susan said. He's an *anal* button-pusher.) I disagree with this. (well, i dunno about the anal part.) Insofar as "button-pusher" seems to be a euphemism for "troll" (Internet denizen who lays down bad-vibe mines in the hopes that a hapless newbie will get mad and respond, and a fight/flamewar/ridiculing of the newbie will ensue.) I don't think Eb means to push buttons, I think he just lacks certain filters most of us have built-in. Which is not to say I condone remarks like "The Dead? I thought we were talking about GOOD music" or "you godforsaken deadheads". I just don't think he actually meant to hurt people's feelings. (Well, until things got going with Ben. Who is to be commended, I think, for keeping his end of the discussion relatively insult-free, it seems to me.) One more thing, and I just gotta say this. Could we try and keep our ism's off the list? I mean, attacks based on a person's age are just plain wrong. I don't care much for the generalization about Tori's male fans either (though I'm not one.) petulant, pedantic, presumptuous =b np: darling buds, _crawdaddy_ ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 30 Apr 1998 13:21:52 -0400 (EDT) From: Bayard Subject: avian tidbits On Thu, 30 Apr 1998, M R Godwin wrote: > Gallinule section > I'm a bit fuzzy about whether gallinules and gallinaceous birds are one > and the same. In the UK we have two gallinules, the moorhen and the coot, > both small freshwater birds with big palmate feet which can actually walk > on lily pads. The moorhen has a red and yellow nose bit, the coot is a bit > larger (sort of small duck size) and has a white nose bit (there is > probably a technical term for the nose bit). In India they have a much > bigger gallinule, chicken size, but recognisably the same thing - maybe > similar to the NZ bird? i looked up gallinule and found this: Etymology: New Latin Gallinula, genus of birds, from Latin, pullet, diminutive of gallina : any of several aquatic birds of the rail family with long thin feet and a platelike frontal area on the head; especially : one (Gallinula chloropus) widespread in the New World, Eurasia, and Africa that has a largely red bill, red frontal area on the head, and a white band on the flanks ...They are different. and I'd like to extend my apologies to several of the birds on the list, I did not really intend to blow anyone's cover (What makes you think I wasn't talking about John Partridge?) > Both Syd and Peter Green (another favourite of mine) broke down because > they wanted to incorporate more improvisation into their bands, but > everyone else (musicians, management, audiences) wanted them to keep > pumping out the hits. A critic recently said that Pete's 1970 album > "The End of the Game" was a trance dance record ahead of its time... is this a good first PG purchase for a feg, Mike? which one should I get? (and no offece meant but i thought Syd broke up b/c of too many acid hits... am i misunderstanding you?) =b Speaking of Mr Partridge, I'm re-making him a DAT of some robyn stuff-- do any of the DAT-fegs want to make me a clone of the Queen Elvis outtakes (or even all the demos from that one?) My time is tight but I could make a DAT for you in trade. (Have you been able to get those lyrics off your mac John?) ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 30 Apr 1998 13:27:37 -0400 (EDT) From: Christopher Gross Subject: Re: Comic Strips On Thu, 30 Apr 1998, someone claiming to be Jon Fetter wrote: > For a fairly good/odd modern comic, there's one that's about a cat > and a dog (and their owners) that's drawn in a rather rough, simple style > with Herriman-style humor. Can't remember the name, though. That sounds like "Mutts," by Patrick McDonnell. A great strip, yesh. - --Chris ______________________________________________________________________ Christopher Gross On the Internet, nobody knows I'm a dog. chrisg@gwu.edu ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 30 Apr 1998 11:07:38 -0700 From: Nick Winkworth Subject: WOW! ...That's just about all they could say: WOW! I've got about ten minutes to give you a mini report on San Francisco Feg activities of the past couple of days. I'll type fast. Others will tell you more, I've no doubt. Storefront Hitchcock (4/28) After a delightful dinner at the table of "Mr. Feg", about eight of us strolled the one block distance to the Castro Theater, expecting to be among the first there. Were we ever surprised to see a long line stretching from the door, down Castro St. and round the corner! (and yes, it *was* the right theater!) The Castro is a large theater - and still has an organ that rises out of the floor in front. (There must be very few of these old places left which have not been split into 23 small "screens") Nevertheless the place was packed. Clearly fans, not industry types, too. There could be no doubt that this is home territory for Robyn. Robyn and Peter S (the producer) said a few words before the film. Robyn said that he was pleased that it was premiering in SF - his favorite North American city. As far as the movie itself goes, I was absolutely delighted. Jonathon Demme has done an awesome job of capturing Robyn's Stage performance in a incredibly faithful way. No falseness. No "movieness". Just Robyn being himself. The song selection was great. The stories were good and the simple set worked better than I could ever have imagined. I vote Jonathon an honorary Fegmaniax membership. He's clearly a fan - and I have to say he seems to "get" what Robyn is all about better than any of Robyn's record producers. I'm really looking forward to the soundtrack album - which Robyn proudly told us will be a double vinyl album with a gatefold sleeve! Something he's wanted to do since "Blonde On Blonde". The movies' reception was terrific. Several songs earned applause in the middle of the movie! Robyn, Deni and Peter took to the stage afterwards for a Q&A. Robyn was clearly on a high - pleased with the film's reception and the good turnout - relaxed and very much "on form". I'll let someone else report what was said. So, is this going to "convert" a new audience? Wrong question, I think. This is as good a record of Robyn at his best, doing what he does, as you're likely to see. For anyone who is new to Robyn and amenable to his music, it's a great introduction. For the rest of them, I don't care. This will suit me just fine. Great American Music Hall (4/29): Having seen the movie, many of us felt as if we had just seen one of Robyn's best shows. Well, we hadn't counted on this one! What a show! The word "epic" was very much in evidence afterwards. Robyn was obviously still on a high from the previous night: relaxed, joking and reacting to the audience. The song selection was perfect - including many songs he has not played for years (Chris has the set list). There were lots of stories - all original and spontaneous - and Deni was on A+++ form. Just amazing! There was one new song, which interestingly was the only slight disappointment of the evening. But this was more than redeemed, however, by the fact that it was performed on **piano**! (also used for several other songs) What happened after that, caused Jeme to levitate about three feet off his chair - but I'll let someone else recount that story... Fegs: Once again, I am overwhelmed by what a great bunch of people are on this list. We had a great showing for both events and I met loads of new people, but it really felt like a meeting of old friends who had known each other for years. Thanks to Chris, Mark, Donne, Tom, Russ, Anita, Carrie, Jeme, Karen, Eddie, Jon, Steven, Sidney, Cynthia, Chris(2) and several others I've missed. You made both events even more enjoyable and memorable. Special thanks and kudos to Chris Franz to having the guts to make a restaurant reservation in the name of "Mr. Feg" ...in The Castro. (If you know SF, you'll understand) Yes, lots of photos were taken and I'll get them up on the site as soon as they are developed and scanned. Bayard's Birthday: Or "Never make a suggestion to Eddy. Even in jest!" As part of the group's collective effort to create a suitable birthday gift for Bayard, those of us who retired to a nearby bar after the show decided to tape a rendition of "Happy Birthday" for him. Tom joked that we should get the rest of the bar to join in, and before you could blink, Eddy was on his feet rounding up the hapless patrons, standing on a chair explaining who Bayard is and why they would like to sing to him. The only thing more amazing than the fact that they actually did so, is the fact that he was not beaten to pulp or ejected from the bar. I am pleased to report that this amazing act of chutzpah is also captured on film, as well as audio... I'll let you know when it's viewable. Gotta go. I'm sure others will post more. ~N PS Did I say "amazing" enough? PPS Special prize to anyone who can tell me where the title of this message comes from. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 30 Apr 1998 14:27:43 -0500 From: "JH3" Subject: Hats Without Men I lost the message from Glen (?) which mentioned the headless-hat motif in Robyn's artwork, etc. (such as the picture sleeve for the "Man Who Invented Himself" 45 and the "Raymond Chandler" video - black & white version), but this almost has to be an homage to Hans Richter, the German Dadaist/surrealist filmmaker who directed "Ghosts Before Breakfast" (1927?) which, like the RCE video, features many shots of floating hats. (Sorry if this is all common knowledge.) There have been many interpretations of what the floating hats mean, but the most common is simply that they represent ghosts, i.e. the ineffable, which (I suppose) would make it an appropriately Robynesque image. One difference: In the Richter film there are always three hats, whereas in the Robyn video there's only one. Maybe they couldn't afford the extra fishing poles? BTW, one reason I have great respect for Robyn's artwork is that I've always found it very difficult to draw or paint hats properly. And I too have the "loaf of bread" T-shirt - I've only worn it a couple of times, so there are no coffee or tomato-sauce stains on it. Yet. From Bayard: >I mean, attacks based on a person's age are just plain wrong. As a wise man once said, "young people scream but the old they just get in the waaaay..." Happy Birthday, B! May your underwear never shrivel! - -John H. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 30 Apr 1998 12:28:22 -0700 From: Eb Subject: Re: the requested self-indulgence Ben wrote: >>I *could* talk about my own musical skills, but I really think it would be >>self-indulgent and pointless. > >I'd be interested in hearing it. I think it would make me and others >respect your opinion more. Well, hopefully, my writings (here, and webwise) might have accomplished this, but very well. And it seems apparent that like most chord-counters, you place minimal emphasis on the ability to appreciate lyrics, historical context and various other textural/conceptual intangibles as a component of music criticism (not to mention verbal eloquence), but never mind that for now. Just understand that most of the below information has little bearing upon whether or not my opinions carry weight...in my opinion. I heard almost nothing but classical music in my home, as a child. I resisted music lessons for awhile, but finally started studying clarinet in 5th grade. Played clarinet from about 5th grade through 10th grade. Played in junior-high concert band, as first chair. Played in marching, pep and concert bands in high school for two years, playing a variety of musical styles. The marching band was very active, and nationally acclaimed. A case full of sweepstakes trophies. We marched in the televised Hollywood Christmas Parade, and we made a major weeklong trip to Florida for a national competition. I was the best player in those clarinet sections also, though someone else was given first chair because she was older and was the drum major (besides, the band director was terminally horny and blatantly favored women, and even was accused of sexual impropriety later). Quit band after sophomore year, almost entirely due to clashes with said director. I took classical piano lessons from about, er, 6th grade to 9th grade. I had a great piano teacher (youngish, hip, black, jazz/pop background) who after three years, told me that I had moved beyond what he could teach me in the classical field. He had taught other students for much longer. The hardest classical piece I played under his teaching was Beethoven's "Sonata Pathetique." Played in recitals, and even briefly performed in a small Mouseketeer-esque sort of group which I *really* don't want to discuss. Somewhere in there, I also took saxophone lessons for about a year. Quit the lessons after awhile, mostly because the parents didn't want to buy me my own saxophone (I had been renting). After that, I tried another piano teacher whom the first teacher recommended, but she was older and stodgy and dull and I didn't click with her at all. That experiment ended within a few months. I never resumed formal lessons, but by the time I had quit the first piano teacher, I had started learning songs on my own, through buying pop sheet music. My most important acquisition was a large book of Beatles music, "Beatles Complete." 480 pages of songs. I started playing those songs, and quickly realized that the arrangements as printed were hopelessly square (and sometimes blatantly wrong). I started working out my own ways to play the songs using the guitar chords above the staff, and developed the beginnings of a personal style. Certainly played every song in that book at least once. Bought more sheet music. Started building a record collection, and hearing a variety of music. I had an ability to quickly figure out melodies on clarinet from very early on, and once I started understanding the pop chord vocabulary through the Beatles songs, I started figuring out other songs, which taught me yet more about chords. I got better and better at this. Heard more and more music. Got quicker and quicker at figuring out songs. And at transposing from key to key. And at arranging one song in a variety of ways and styles. I learned to play scale-based solos, and developed my overall improvising abilities. My solo skills grew greatly. Around the time I entered college, I got a Roland Juno-60 synthesizer and amplifier, which I still have. Played that a lot, too. Much later, I picked up an acoustic guitar for cheap, and learned some rudimentary folk guitar. Bought a chord book, and used that to learn various chords and get a sense of the demands of the guitar. I am in no way a competent guitar player, but I do now understand what playing guitar physically requires, and have a feel for the fretboard. At this point, piano is definitely my main instrument. I can figure out most songs *very* quickly, to the point of it being like a novelty parlor trick. It's not like I've hung out with professional musicians much, but I've never personally encountered someone who can unravel songs as speedily as I can. I know that it's a special innate gift, and I'm very grateful for it. I also have huge hands (I can comfortably span an eleventh on the piano, and uncomfortably span a twelfth), and this is another natural advantage. I can tell you the chords, the key and the time signature of what I'm playing, too -- it's not an "idiot savant" thing, though there are certain aspects of my talent which are somewhat unexplainable/instinctual to me. Often, I can play through a song for someone on demand, at proper speed with minimal mistakes, and he/she won't believe that I hadn't played the song before. Certain songs, I can figure out in my head without even touching an instrument. When I really seriously work on a tune, the chords and melody are EXACTLY right, down to 7ths, 9ths, inversions, bass notes, whatever. No missteps. If you ask me to transpose it to another key, that doesn't take me long at all. I'm not satisfied with my understanding of the jazz vocabulary yet, but I'll get there. I have never really joined a band, but I did play keyboards on a Sugarplastic demo recently. Maybe I'll get lucky and they'll invite me to play on the next album. Umm, I dunno what else to say. I find this post deeply annoying, hate myself for writing it and wish it would end. Eb ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 30 Apr 98 12:26:55 -0700 From: Tom Clark Subject: SF Gig Report So I guess I'm the first to report on last night's gig at the Great American Music Hall in San Francisco. Allow me to sum it up in two words: Holy Shit! This was the best performance I've ever seen from him. He was obviously riding on a high from the movie the previous evening and from being back in SF. He was happy, smiling - looked like he was really enjoying himself. OK, on to specifics. He played acoustic all evening, alternating between the Baby Jesus and Hail Mary picks - which he likened to playing the guitar with a leek or a furniture van, respectively. The only time he didn't play acoustic was when he was at the PIANO (!!). This was the first time (I think) I'd seen him play piano and it was wonderful. After four or five acoustic numbers - I'll let Chris or Eddie post the set list - - he moved over to piano and played a new song ("I Left You" ??) which was quite eloquent and somber. After that he started "Flavour Of Night" and the lovely Deni Bonet entered stage right. I thought Jeme was gonna bubble out of his seat when she appeared. Wow - what a highlight! As if performing a varied selection of his own material wasn't enough, Robyn convinced Deni to take on Pink Floyd's "Astronomy Domine". The two of them moving up and down their respective fretboards in unison was a thing of beauty (Robyn remarked earlier "Watching us play together makes you want to get married..."). In the middle of the number, Robyn took off the guitar and told Deni to keep playing while he moved over to the piano. Forget it, GAME OVER - that just put me over the top. Deni was clearly following Robyn's lead throughout, but she knew exactly when it was time for her to take off with her own improv. I can't say enough about how magical it was, so I'll stop here. Let me take a moment to echo Nick's sentiments about the feg-collective in attendance. These have got to be the coolest people I know. Hanging out afterward with Chris, Eddie, Jeme, Nick, Karen, and Cynthia (and the flower guy...) was the most fun I've had in a long time - I wish we could do it more often. I'll shut up now. Still glowing, - -tc ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 30 Apr 1998 15:46:26 -0500 From: nicastr@idt.net (Ben) Subject: Re: A nugget or two of friendly advice >>From Ben, in response to Eb: >> The only thing I have said is that you are regularly >> pompus >Is this an abbreviation? Does it have anything to do with Steve Miller? >(Ben, if you want Eb to at least listen to you, run a spelling and >grammar check before you hit send. He's not only a button-pusher, as >Susan said. He's an *anal* button-pusher.) > >(Hmmm. Perhaps that was badly phrased. Oh well.) > >> It's the half-assed comments like these that betray the fact that you can't >> help but sink to making remarks you consider clever put downs, and everyone >> else files next to the rest of the egotistical jabs you turn out on a >> regular basis. >Aw, gee, Ben, this moral superiority tactic you've got going isn't very >entertaining. I've had arguments with *Quakers* which were more >underhanded. Go on, try to have some *fun* with the flaming! (The >'writing this post in 12/8' sig wasn't bad, Eb.) It's easy once you know >how, and it can be even more exciting and wholesome than a good game of >Twister. > >Failing that, how about an imaginative contribution from a member of the >Surreal Posse? Quail? Or have the rabbits quashed you utterly? > >Whimsically, >Danielle, very fond of a good pointless battle of wits or an interesting >discussion, but not particularly fond of that most boring of threads, >the totally content-less 'serious' argument Sorry, Danielle, but I'm not going to use name calling, although it may be entertaining to you. So shut up, you stupid bitch. :) (JUST KIDDING!!!! Hehehe, funny, right? Uhh... put down the chainsaw, Danielle....) ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 30 Apr 1998 16:02:51 -0500 From: nicastr@idt.net (Ben) Subject: Re: the requested self-indulgence >Ben wrote: >>>I *could* talk about my own musical skills, but I really think it would be >>>self-indulgent and pointless. >> >>I'd be interested in hearing it. I think it would make me and others >>respect your opinion more. > >Well, hopefully, my writings (here, and webwise) might have accomplished >this, but very well. And it seems apparent that like most chord-counters, >you place minimal emphasis on the ability to appreciate lyrics, historical >context and various other textural/conceptual intangibles as a component of >music criticism (not to mention verbal eloquence), but never mind that for >now. Just understand that most of the below information has little bearing >upon whether or not my opinions carry weight...in my opinion. Your attempts to portray me as a souless "chord counter" are becoming infuriating. I don't know what I can do to make you believe me, but you are totally mistaken in making this generalization. It seems that you believe musical competence equals an inability to appreciate other qualities in music, which is just rediculous. But I have addressed this several times before, it seems that I lack the skills to make my point clear, or you are only haring what you want to hear in my posts. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 30 Apr 1998 14:50:45 -0500 From: sdodge@midway.uchicago.edu (amadain) Subject: Re: i knows a proggie when i smells one >She presented her "credentials" (a poor choice of words, I know) so I >assumed she was telling the truth. You never said anything as >straightforward as that. Well, I wouldn't say credentials but I can't think of another word either :). Anyways, I wasn't trying to get in anyone's face with that, just saying that there seemed to be an assumption that people who didn't appreciate the Dead were people who were ignorant about improvised music, which I wanted to provide a sort of counterpoint (ooh! music term!) to. It seems also that that's not really what you were trying to get at (it was a perceived lack of knowledge on Eb's part specifically) so I apologize to you. >presented that you did know what I was talking about, said that it (meaning >the Dead's improv skills) didn't impress you, and I would have not been >nearly as compelled to explain why found it impressive. Instead you danced I think that what -Eb- was getting at and the reason he didn't bring up his own training and/or background is as he says, that he would think it self-indulgent and pointless in this context (though he has discussed that topic before when asked). I think also that he thinks it has no point because he agrees with the notion just clearly distilled in Mr. Ed Doxtator's post, namely that what really matters is not the technical skill presented but whether or not it moves you. And I know it's one of his pet peeves of the universe when he perceives someone as trying to justify a particular band's existence by talking about their technical skill, which is I think why he got so riled up. Love on ya, Susan ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 30 Apr 1998 16:09:51 -0400 (EDT) From: Gary Assassin Subject: Re: WOW! ...That's just about all they could say: WOW! Spinal Tap? > PPS Special prize to anyone who can tell me where the title of this > message comes from. > ------------------------------ End of fegmaniax-digest V7 #171 *******************************