From: owner-fegmaniax-digest@smoe.org (fegmaniax-digest) To: fegmaniax-digest@smoe.org Subject: fegmaniax-digest V7 #481 Reply-To: fegmaniax@smoe.org Sender: owner-fegmaniax-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-fegmaniax-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk fegmaniax-digest Tuesday, December 22 1998 Volume 07 : Number 481 Today's Subjects: ----------------- Feberge' Egg? ["JH3" ] Re: A reply to a whole bunch of threads ["Capitalism Blows" ] Re: Bilbo [Gregory Stuart Shell ] Re: Ani D. [MARKEEFE@aol.com] Re: flimsy plastic blasting ["JH3" ] Re: Ani D. [John Barrington Jones ] Robyn Hitchcock, Superstar [Natalie Jacobs ] Culturally Significant? [Joel Mullins ] Re: This is really starting to make me mad [Joel Mullins ] FEGTABZ: The Mailing List ["JH3" ] Re: An Introduction [Tom Clark ] Okay, now I'm officially mad ["JH3" ] Re: XTC [Eb ] Re: Feberge' Egg? [Eb ] RE: Feb Egg ["Partridge, John" ] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 22 Dec 1998 13:13:01 -0600 From: "JH3" Subject: Feberge' Egg? Another long one, I'm afraid. I try not to get involved in these things, but really... Chief Claudinista (I still prefer "Spiderblaster") Eb writes: >Again, my previous point was as much about the QUALITY of these allegedly >culturally relevant songs, as much as the QUANTITY. If Robyn writes a song >which is three abstraction levels removed from a vague anti-consumerism >song (or whatever), I say phooey. Ineffective. And I say awesome, brilliant, another example of why music can still be worth listening to. Maybe that's beside the point, but do you actually think most people base their music-buying/listening decisions on how "culturally relevant" a record is? Come on, man! They base them on how often they've heard the hook, obviously! In the few cases where lyrics actually are part of the hook and help a song rise above the rest of the MTV crap out there, exposure-wise at least, it's just as likely to be an abstract, funny, or otherwise Robynesque lyric as anything else. And "ineffective" at doing what? Making people want to drink more beer? Or just preventing them from using their imaginations? >Precisely the type of distancing gambit which keeps him trapped as a >behind-the-times cult artist with a dwindling fanbase. What the HELL are you talking about? If anything, writing lyrics about "contemporary issues" is going to DECREASE record sales, and worse, in a few years the stuff will all be dated. And writing a bunch of "ooh baby I love you so" tunes will just make him sound like everybody else out there. Are you implying that he should make glossy videos with supermodels in them and churn out the pop confectionery like "So You Think You're in Love" (and I'm not actually knocking the idea, mind you) just so he can sell more records? WHY? So we can all somehow feel "validated" again? BFD, I say. >RH just hasn't stayed current -- he's passe. More importantly, his music is >simply too cold and unfriendly. Both lyrically and *certainly* vocally. The >mainstream doesn't respond to that. No matter *how* happy and bouncy >his melodic hooks are, there's still that Bored Nasal Drone(tm) to deal >with. ;) So all those records that Bob Dylan sold over the last 35 years were just a numbers trick? I don't think so. These days there's no such thing as "passe" in popular music, there's just "what's hot this week". Nobody "stays current" - that's an illusion caused by artists copying each other's latest hit single to make a fast buck. The mainstream just responds to whatever MTV and commercial radio TELL it to respond to. If you don't know all that by now, then you're living in a world so far removed from reality, it's amazing they have Internet service. Here's my opinion, FWIW: Robyn's "reduced appeal" is due to three related things: he no longer exudes as much sex appeal as he used to, he doesn't make videos, and he now records and tours with just an acoustic guitar now instead of a full band. THAT's what keeps him from appealing to "the kids," not his abstract lyrics. As Eddie Tews would say, it's pretty basic. Which reminds me, why AREN'T we seeing clips from "Storefront" on MTV and VH1? >> What's my most frequent posting topic this year? Crowing about >> NMH and Rufus Wainwright, right? See? I dwell on the POSITIVE! (Bayard:) > I'd like to respond to this, but I can't seem to express what I'm feeling > about this remark. I'll try. Putting aside my own feelings about NMH or Rufus, the long & short of it is that it's hypocritical to go on about how Robyn's non-mainstream stylistic/lyrical approach is a bad thing because it causes him to have a dwindling fan base and lack of commercial appeal, and then turn around and "crow" about how great these two acts are when THEIR approach is, if anything, even less commercial - I'd say almost guaranteeing them of never having a top-ten single as long as they live, unless there's a HUGE change in philosophy at MTV. That kind of inconsistency just perpetuates the commonly-held idea that people who write about popular music are fashion-hounds who do nothing but flap their collective jaws over whatever the flavor of the month happens to be. I honestly hope that's not true in your case. And PLEEEEASE don't tell me how Rufus W. and NMH are more "emotionally honest" and "lyrically compelling" and "resonant" than Robyn because they write lyrics about traveling carnivals or the notches on women's spines or whatever. I for one don't care, quite frankly. (And I actually *like* Rufus...) (Bayard again:) >np. _Go 2_ (come on JH3, admit it, you just like the cover!) Hey, it just takes a while. Play it again - you have to get past the outdated keyboard sound and vocal mannerisms. Hooks, I tellya! It's chock-full of HOOKS! John H. 3 (And yes, I do like the cover.) ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 22 Dec 1998 11:08:07 PST From: "Capitalism Blows" Subject: Re: A reply to a whole bunch of threads i'm genuinely interested in a kind that you think would function well. offlist, if you prefer. (hell, not at all, if you prefer...) "supposedly" is the key word, here. i touched on this yesterday, but, what they mean by "freedom" is, more less, "don't tax me, don't tell me i can't smoke dope, and don't touch my guns." but is wage slavery freedom? is getting cancer (an industrial disease if ever there was one) freedom? do you think the people of vietnam felt very "free" when we came down and killed three million of them, made half the population refugees, defoliated the country, and then slapped a twenty-year embargo on them for having had the audacity to request reparations for a war they supposedly won? (this was the "left-wing liberal" carter administration that did this last, by the way, because, in the words of carter, "the destruction was mutual.") the people of ontario passed a no-fault single-payer auto-insurance scheme. it was struck down by *u.s.-based* insurance companies for being a restraint on trade. how "free" would you say the people of ontario felt then? the multinational coroporation is probably the most totalitarian institution ever devised. and when multinational corporations --which are accorded all the "rights" we accord to actual living beings-- control decisions on production, distribution, and allocation, then human beings are NOT free. who called them left-wing? certainly the kronstadt sailors never did. certainly the poum and cnt never did. i think you've got it completely backwards. what are the differences, say, between the soviet union and nazi germany? not semantic differences: actual, tangible conditions. there aren't very many, right? yet, one is called a right-wing dictatorship, and one is called a left-wing dictatorship. why? is it completely arbitrary? or is it political? why should we analyse a society from the inside out? why should we say, "well, let's see, according to president truman, the soviet union has a leftist government. and, ok, it's also a dictatorship. ergo, it's a left-wing dictatorship," rather than, "ok, the soviet union is a murderous totalitarian empire with a small bureaucratic-military elite living high on the hog. ergo, it is a right-wing dictatorship"? i'm not trying to be sarcastic. this is a question that really has bugged me quite a lot. yes, i'm aware that the public school and media systems are nothing but propaganda. but still, can't people think for themselves at least a *little* bit? can't they use some *very* basic logic? of course, i really don't give a fuck *what* we call it, or how we label it. what really matters is speaking/acting out against lies and injustices. but it *would* be nice --and most likely helpful-- if we were able to communicate. if there were actually such a thing as a political discourse in this country. you had The Dude over?! ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 22 Dec 1998 14:35:40 -0500 (EST) From: Aaron Mandel Subject: flimsy plastic blasting speaking of XTC (well, bayard was), has anyone gone out and bought the box set? just what will i be getting if i plunk down $40 for a bunch of alternate versions -- exact replicas of the studio tracks with 'live' sound, or some fabulous new experience that i've missed out on due to XTC never touring and me not being able to listen to the BBC? a ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 22 Dec 1998 13:43:02 -0500 (CDT) From: Gregory Stuart Shell Subject: Re: Bilbo On Tue, 22 Dec 1998, Michael R Godwin wrote: > > 'The Hobbit' came out in 1978, followed by 'Lord of the Rings', then 'Return > > of the King', which concluded what was left out of LotR. I think 'The > > Hobbit' was the best of the three but I recommend them all, in order of > > course. > > I was so surprised at this that I checked it out at www.imdb.org. It turns > out that TH and ROTK were US-TV productions - they certainly never made it > to the UK or I would have heard of them. In contrast, Bakshi's 'Lord of > the Rings' received a UK release and was well publicised You can get a copy of TH or ROTK at amazon.com, or if interested I could probably get one to ya. I am looking for a copy of 'Last House on the Left' ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 22 Dec 1998 14:43:25 EST From: MARKEEFE@aol.com Subject: Re: Ani D. In a message dated 98-12-22 11:06:41 EST, you write: << Lastly (for now), what's the problem with Ani DiFranco? I think she really speaks for herself, on her own terms. This is good. Also, having her own record label is a good idea, too, no? >> Well, I wouldn't want to go so far as to say that there's something *wrong* with Ani Difranco -- all these aspects you mentioned are very cool -- but I can tell you what I strongly dislike about her: her voice. It just bugs the shit outta me. There's nothing *wrong* with that. It's totally subjective. But it does stand in the way of my appreciating (or even ever bothering to listen to/read) her lyrics, which is a huge part of her appeal for most people. I think she's just one of those artists who's going to alienate some people with her looks, others with her politics, others with her sexuality (the hardcore straight folks and the hardcore lesbians who are pissed at her for "not being one of them"), and still others with certain aspects of her music (e.g., vocals, music style). She puts herself out there, so she's going to take some flak. But, objectively, I think Ani's cool. Anyway, it didn't seem like you were being rhetorcal, so there're my two cents on "what's wrong with Ani Difranco." - ------Michael K. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 22 Dec 1998 14:17:06 -0600 From: "JH3" Subject: Re: flimsy plastic blasting Aaron Mandel asks: >speaking of XTC (well, bayard was), has anyone gone out and bought the >box set? Well, me, but that's no surprise. >just what will i be getting if i plunk down $40 for a bunch of >alternate versions -- exact replicas of the studio tracks with 'live' >sound, or some fabulous new experience that i've missed out on due to XTC >never touring and me not being able to listen to the BBC? A fabulous new experience, of course! Okay, I'm kidding. The sad fact is, these guys are broke, trying to operate their own label, and they need a quick infusion of cash to keep things rolling along. The BBC stuff was already there, mastered and everything, and it was the only back-catalogue material they had the legal rights to re-release. I don't blame them, but the fact remains that if you have Drums & Wireless and/or BBC Live 1980, and if you don't like the stuff from the Barry Andrews era, you could probably skip it. But otherwise, don't! These versions are uniformly awesome, if you ask me - especially the Barry Andrews stuff. It's just unfortunate that they didn't have any non-LP material to include, like Robyn did on "The Kershaw Sessions." John H. Hedges ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 22 Dec 1998 12:12:43 -0800 (PST) From: John Barrington Jones Subject: Re: Ani D. >In a message dated 98-12-22 11:06:41 EST, you write: > ><< Lastly (for now), what's the problem with Ani DiFranco? I think she > really speaks for herself, on her own terms. This is good. Also, > having her own record label is a good idea, too, no? >> > > Well, I wouldn't want to go so far as to say that there's something >*wrong* with Ani Difranco -- all these aspects you mentioned are very cool -- >but I can tell you what I strongly dislike about her: her voice. Yikes. Hey, Michael--this is one thing I _like_ about Ani. On the first half of her body of work, her voice sounds kind of bland, so I would listen to the lyrics, which I really dug. Nowadays, her voice has really developed, and I love to hear it, and I focus on IT, which is cool, because now her lyrics suck--its like she reached the end of her old lyric ideas notebook. Her new funky jammy direction is great though- something else to focus on instead of the lyrics. One of my favorite songs of this year is PULSE, the last track on her little plastic castles album. Nice and jammy, and I'm a big sucker for Jon Hassell's trumpet work. He could pop up on any song and make me dig it. - -*-#-*-#-*-#-*-#-*-#-*-#-*-#-*-#-*-#-*-#-*-#-*-#-*-#-*-#-*-#-*-#-*-# John B. Jones Email: lobstie@e-z.net ICQ: 8301543 AOL IM: Lobstie House of Figgy-- http://web.syr.edu/~jojones/hitchcock.html "I must I must I must have more thoughts than this." -Soul Coughing - -*-#-*-#-*-#-*-#-*-#-*-#-*-#-*-#-*-#-*-#-*-#-*-#-*-#-*-#-*-#-*-#-*-# ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 22 Dec 1998 15:23:03 -0400 From: Natalie Jacobs Subject: Robyn Hitchcock, Superstar > RH just hasn't stayed current -- he's passe. The same can be said of any number of middle-aged musicians, including, I suspect, many whom you have great regard for. What's so important about being "current" or in the mainstream, anyway? Robyn seems to be making a living. By all accounts, he's doing quite well for himself. I'd love it if he had massive international fame and "Storefront Hitchcock" outdid Spielberg at the box office, but his appeal is - and *always has been* - too limited for that. He may have an odd borderline hit here or there, a la "Balloon Man," but I think for the most part it's not gonna happen. It's not a matter of not staying current - and I'm not sure how you do that, anyway. It's just the way he is. I heard that Natalie had had success with singing "Senses Working >Overtime" to another big baby, so later on at lunch I tried that. "Uh >yeah, great lyrics," said SayerEb. My question: is there any way to >combat such heresy? They aren't even willing to give the discs a chance! I've found that, when dealing with anti-XTC folks, that XTC's eclecticism is your best weapon. E.g., if they like jazz, hit them with "The Man Who Sailed Around His Soul", if they like punk, throw "Red" at them, etc. However, in this case I can think of no XTC songs that sound anything like Creedence, so I think you might be stuck. Maybe you could dig up that bluegrass version of "Complicated Game"... n. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 22 Dec 1998 14:25:46 -0800 From: Joel Mullins Subject: Culturally Significant? Are Robyn's songs culturally significant? Who the fuck gives a shit?! The man is a genius! An A+ artist who only slips up every once in awhile by releasing something of A- quality. I'd much rather listen to Robyn sing about tendrils than listen to Pearl Jam or Hootie or some other artist sing about the problems of the world. All I hear about is society's problems, and all people ever say is how they want to make things better, and there's plenty of people singing empty songs about peace and love and atomic energy. Even Eb (sorry, I couldn't resist) is entitled to his opinion. But I don't see why some people think that art should say something important. A song or a painting or whatever doesn't have to *say* anything. Why can't it just be? Life's way too short. Let's stop looking around endlessly for some deeper meaning and just enjoy what we have. Balloon Man makes me smile. What more could I ask for? - --Joel ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 22 Dec 1998 14:40:10 -0800 From: Joel Mullins Subject: Re: This is really starting to make me mad > Remember a couple of weeks ago I posted something about Robyn appearing on > VH1's "Midnight Minute"? Well, it happened again - this time with a > different song, "Sally was a Legend." It's not even in Robynbase... > Yeah, I saw it too. But I was lucky enough to see the entire thing. Unfortunately, I was at a friend's house and was unable to throw a tape in and record it. Ya know, that's probably the only time I'll ever see Robyn on VH1. - --Joel ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 22 Dec 1998 13:54:13 -0500 From: "Runion-1, Michael" Subject: Re: XTC Bayard piped in... >> ppppps. Oh! What I really wanted to say... every year around this time, I have a few friends up to the mountain; this year they were the ones who always fill the cd changer with ccr, dylan and neil young. Unfortunately, it was already full of XTC when they arrived, and they acted as though they were being tortured. "Take that bullshit out and get the Credence," one said (he's a sort of combination of Sayer, Eb, and someone who hates XTC.) I heard that Natalie had had success with singing "Senses Working Overtime" to another big baby, so later on at lunch I tried that. "Uh yeah, great lyrics," said SayerEb. My question: is there any way to combat such heresy? They aren't even willing to give the discs a chance! I'm asking you b/c I know you are top XTC advocates. BTW, these guys do listen to some new music (at least SayerEb does.) I guess it's a lost cause. << Yep, it probably is a lost cause. It's a rare person that, in the midst of a party situation, surrounded by people of like mind, will actually sit, listen, and make any attempt whatsoever to enjoy, soak in, and relish something new. I myself find it hard to do most of the time. A similar situation: a black co-worker of mine was rummaging through my discs the other day making the most twisted disgusted faces, saying "Who the hell are these people?" I calmly tried to explain the wonder and fascination I have for artists I had with me that particular day: Julian Cope, Belle & Sebastian, & Vic Chesnutt. Needless to say I came far from succeeding, and shouldn't have even bothered. She picked up the Vic disc, started reading the lyrics outloud, and couldn't help but just start laughing hysterically. I started to fume and explain calmly that Vic, to some, is regarded as one hell of a songwriter. Chalk it all up to different strokes, different upbringings, different environments, etc. She then tried to pawn off on me "some Culture!"...Babyface, TuPac, a Kenny G Christmas album. Now, before you huff as I did, she waxed lyrical about TuPac lyrics for about 10 minutes, and I was hard pressed to disagree with her. There's two kinds of people...those that like music, and I mean seriously like it, and those that it does next to nothing for. We can be worlds apart aesthetically, but at least we should be able to respect each other when we're comrades of the first kind. Those of the second kind are hopeless. Don't even bother... But yeah, it is mega-frustrating. Mike (who catches shit almost daily from his fellow "space" workers for his weirdo taste in music) Mike Runion SGS Quality 853-9177 SGS-6400 ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 22 Dec 1998 15:06:38 -0600 From: "JH3" Subject: FEGTABZ: The Mailing List Dear Fegs: There's now a new e-mail list for Robyn Hitchcock Guitar-Tab Obsessives: FEGTABZ@alternatech.net. (Don't ask me why I had to spell it with a "Z". You know, legal complications, etc.) Basically the purpose here is to compile as many Hitchcock guitar tabs as possible over the next few months, adding them to Bayard's Big Database and posting them on the WWW as soon as they're completed and/or agreed upon, assuming they haven't been already. Ross Overbury is in charge of the compiling; I'm just in charge of keeping the list working. (He'll probably do a better job.) To subscribe, send a message to MDaemon@alternatech.net, with no subject line, and just this in the body of the message: SUBSCRIBE fegtabz It's that easy! NOTE: You can only subscribe yourself, i.e., the address in your "From" or "Reply-To" field. If this address is wrong, well, c'mon, fix it! Get with the program! Maaaan, I *hate* that... BTW: If you're on the "announce" list because people don't post enough guitar tabs on fegmaniax, this list is for you. OTOH, nobody posts them on the announce list either, do they? Also, lurkers are welcome... I think. Ask Ross about that. John H. Hedges ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 22 Dec 1998 13:34:29 -0800 From: Tom Clark Subject: Re: An Introduction On 12/21/98 3:18 PM, she.rex wrote: >(TC fans call themselves Timbos, in case you're interested.) Well, around here TC fans call themselves Mark, Nick, Russ, Glen, Quail, lj, woj, the list goes on... - -tc "If I may be so bold..." p.s. Welcome Ms. Rex! ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 22 Dec 1998 15:41:56 -0600 From: "JH3" Subject: Okay, now I'm officially mad I just got a reply from the folks at VH1 about my request for a "Midnight Minute" schedule: >Since it’s only 60 seconds of airtime, the name of the >artist is not included on our master schedule. Unfortunately I do not >see a repeat of Robyn Hitchcock's segment, or another one from this >artist on the schedule through January 24. Sorry to disappoint you. >Thanks for watching VH1. Grrrr... Thanks indeed. Well, at least they replied. I should look on the bright side: At least I don't have to sit through any more "Divas" reruns for at least a month. John "Mister Teevee Toonz" Hedges PS: Five posts in one day - I've tied my record... ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 22 Dec 1998 13:54:50 -0800 From: Eb Subject: Re: XTC Bayard: >> "Off the deep end"? Robyn's lack of sales/fame is NOT purely a case >> of his record labels dropping the ball. That's simply the enduring >> rationalization/wishful thinking of the Zealous Fan in Denial > >Didn't say it was PURELY a case of that. I said it had something to do >with it. Very well. >Now you're naming a bunch more factors >that RH probably couldn't do much about if he wanted to. That's the way >his voice sounds, etc. Right...so? I didn't say he was STRIVING to have these shortcomings. >And I think he is approachable more often than not. Spoken like a true Feg.... >Hmm, with all these new theories the "Robyn's out b/c he refuses to >write songs about current events" hypothesis is looking less crucial to >me. Must've been a case of Music Industry Fan in Denial. ;) Just about ALL of you are *fatally* oversimplifying in your responses. Being "culturally relevant"/"topical"/whatever does NOT mean you have to write songs about the current presidental administration, prime minister, etc. Beck is culturally relevant and topical, and he doesn't write political songs. Etc. What it DOES require is being more willing to write songs that look beyond your own Weird Little Universe, a universe which often has only tenuous connection to reality. >> Now, I do think that "Airscape" might have been a more successful single, >> if a major label had been behind it. But there, we're talking about RH's >> best radio single ever... > >Don't forget "Queen of Eyes," too. Ehhh...great song, but not quite radioworthy. A bit rushed for airplay, I think. And not quite polished enough. >ps. To "reverse enginneer" your argument, would you say those top-grossing >"grossout" bands you reposted recently are having great success in part >b/c of their topical, relevant songwriting? No, those acts have become successful via other strategies, which are completely irrelevant to Robyn's realm. >(he's a sort of combination of Sayer, Eb, and someone who hates XTC.) "Sayer"? Leo? Huh? Eb ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 22 Dec 1998 13:54:50 -0800 From: Eb Subject: Re: Feberge' Egg? JH3: >do you actually think >most people base their music-buying/listening decisions on how "culturally >relevant" a record is? Come on, man! They base them on how often they've >heard the hook, obviously! And also, how that hook is presented. The production, the arrangement, the voice.... Also, are you REALLY implying that we'll inevitably like something if only we hear it enough times?? >>RH just hasn't stayed current -- he's passe. More importantly, his music is >>simply too cold and unfriendly. Both lyrically and *certainly* vocally. The >>mainstream doesn't respond to that. No matter *how* happy and bouncy >>his melodic hooks are, there's still that Bored Nasal Drone(tm) to deal >>with. ;) > >So all those records that Bob Dylan sold over the last 35 years were just a >numbers trick? I don't think so. Well, firstly, I would NEVER call Bob Dylan's voice "bored." And he came to fame in a far different era, when rock ruled the sales charts. Robyn is operating in a very different sphere. Also, Robyn is a pop artist, while Dylan is a rock artist. Rock is more forgiving toward peculiar voices -- what counts is that the passion and edge are there. >These days there's no such thing as "passe" >in popular music, there's just "what's hot this week". Nobody "stays >current" - that's an illusion caused by artists copying each other's latest >hit single to make a fast buck. The mainstream just responds to whatever MTV >and commercial radio TELL it to respond to. Yeah, yeah...we have no free will, we are zombies. Been there, done that. So how come the new Hole and REM albums aren't selling well, despite garguatuan promotion? How come the Marilyn Manson album didn't sell like expected? He's been crammed down our throats mercilessly in the media.... >Putting aside my own feelings about NMH or Rufus, the long & short >of it is that it's hypocritical to go on about how Robyn's non-mainstream >stylistic/lyrical approach is a bad thing because it causes him to have a >dwindling fan base and lack of commercial appeal, and then turn around and >"crow" about how great these two acts are when THEIR approach is, if >anything, even less commercial - I'd say almost guaranteeing them of never >having a top-ten single as long as they live, unless there's a HUGE change >in philosophy at MTV. It's not a question of sounding "commercial" -- it's a question of sounding current. Robyn is still making "current" '80s college-radio pop, but oops, it's 1998. Eb PS TIMBOS??? Eek. ;) ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 22 Dec 1998 14:23:55 -0800 From: "Partridge, John" Subject: RE: Feb Egg Bayard said: > Robyn writes a lot of songs about the > "real" world. > He often does so using what Nabokov might call "dream logic", > which you > might feel obfuscates the whole point of writing "on topic" songs, but > Robyn's not "point-less" as often as you assert. . . . > Now, the "straightforwardness" is another issue, and yes, > this is a rare > trait in RH's work, which I don't feel is a bad thing. Not > at all. It's > an integral part of Robyn's unique style. "Dream logic" I think aptly captures the compelling but opaque psychology of Robyn's songs. (I took great pleasure in the Nab reference, complete with "real" in quotation marks - well played, Bayard.) And I also feel that Robyn's indirectness adds immense emotional and artistic depth to his songs. Borrowing clumsily from cognitive science notions and a bit from "Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain", I would say that my left hemisphere wrestles briefly with the "nonsense", gives up, and my right hemisphere has free reign to intuit and tunnel as much as it likes (where, for example, a turnip in a silver box sits image-wise adjacent to a burning tire rolling down a frozen highway). I come back to Robyn's songs more frequently by far than any other artist's. Precisely those tendencies that alienate a mainstream audience make him one of my favorite songwriters. John Fowler in The French Lieutenant's Woman wrote something which somehow feels relevant. It goes like this (quoted from failing memory): "A character is either real or imaginary? If you think that, hypocrite lecteur, I can only smile. You do not even think of your own past as quite real. You tinker with it, dress it up, romanticize it in a word and then put it away on a shelf. Your book. Your romanced autobiography. We are all in flight from the real reality. That is a basic definition of homo sapiens." (My apologies to all the Fowler fans for butchering some really elegant prose.) ------------------------------ End of fegmaniax-digest V7 #481 *******************************