From: owner-fegmaniax-digest@smoe.org (fegmaniax-digest) To: fegmaniax-digest@smoe.org Subject: fegmaniax-digest V9 #44 Reply-To: fegmaniax@smoe.org Sender: owner-fegmaniax-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-fegmaniax-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk fegmaniax-digest Monday, February 21 2000 Volume 09 : Number 044 Today's Subjects: ----------------- RE: Philosopher's Stone ["Daniel Gackle" ] Re: wilhelm grebo [dmw ] I don't believe it! ["Matt Browne" ] Kimberley lost! ["Matt Browne" ] RE: Philosopher's Stone [overbury@cn.ca] Riccarton to New Brighton, Belfast to Hoon Hay [digja611@student.otago.ac] credits, Bush [digja611@student.otago.ac.nz (James Dignan)] Storefront DVD [Plpalmer@ix.netcom.com] RE: Philosopher's Stone [Michael R Godwin ] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sat, 19 Feb 2000 23:18:24 -0800 From: "Daniel Gackle" Subject: RE: Philosopher's Stone > I came across a passage stating that Joseph, who was presumed to be an > alchemist, "...would not be long in finding the Philosopher's Stone." I > thought it was just some other odd phrase that Robyn came up with (like > "railway shoes", etc.), but sure enough it refers to Hi, [first post to the list here, big Robyn fan for years...] The "Philosopher's Stone" is basically the central symbol in alchemy. Alchemy was the art of transmuting one substance into another, and the Philosopher's Stone was believed to be capable of transmuting anything into anything, so it was highly coveted. It's a bit like the Holy Grail, really -- God only knows what the thing is, but if you get one, hot damn... The "Philosopher's Stone" made a comeback recently, apart of course from RH's scintillating rendition, in the children's mega bestseller "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone", which in an incredibly offensive act of dumbing-down was changed by its US publisher to "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" on the grounds that (a) Americans don't know or care about alchemy; and (b) a book with the word "philosophy" in its title wouldn't sell. I tried to get into alchemy once but the old alchemical texts were (deliberately) written in such an obscure style that they are absolutely impossible to follow. However, the language and symbolism are mesmerizingly ornate and I bet some people on this list would dig it. Example: "An Anonymous Treatise on the Philosopher's Stone", http://www.levity.com/alchemy/anon_tre.html. OK... how was that? ... a bit long really... - - Daniel who is sorry but he's already got one ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 20 Feb 2000 11:05:19 -0500 (EST) From: dmw Subject: Re: wilhelm grebo On Fri, 18 Feb 2000, fartachu wrote: > when we last left our heroes, Eb exclaimed: > > >Oh my, my, my...even a dEvOUt KaTe fAn like *Woj* gets it wrong? > > > >It's "CloudBUSTING," not -bursting. > > gimme a break -- i just drank three quarts of dark mountain kolsch! %) it were my typos, anyway -- the wojster just quoted me, and i'm not a devout anything at all. i'd love to hear the shriekback cover sometime, though. - -- d. - - oh no, you've just read mail from doug = dmw@radix.net - get yr pathos - - www.pathetic-caverns.com -- books, flicks, tunes, etc. = reviews - - www.fecklessbeast.com -- angst, guilt, fear, betrayal! = guitar pop ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 20 Feb 2000 17:07:25 +0000 From: "Matt Browne" Subject: I don't believe it! OK, don't fall off your sofa. Kimberley's just been interviewed on UK TV (BBC 1), because apparently he's written one of the potential UK entries into the Eurovision song contest this year. Christ! The song's called "Only The Women Know" or something and is performed by a bunch of people called Six Chix... And... Er... Well... It's vile! Never mind. I gather he wrote "Love Shine A Light", which won the contest for the UK in 1998 - performed by Katrina and the Waves of course. Anyone lucky enough to be living outside the UK probably won't know the Eurovision song contest. It's a notoriously naff annual competition where people from all sorts of European countries get to perform a bad song in which the line "I love you" is frequently rhymed with "Yes I do". The countries judge each other's song. It's obligatory for anyone not winning to get in a strop and blame it on political tensions between the countries. - -- Matt Browne ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 20 Feb 2000 17:11:34 +0000 From: "Matt Browne" Subject: Kimberley lost! "Only The Women Know" got second place, so another song will be representing the UK this year. Thank God! Actually, they all sound the same to me..! The winning song has a good name: "Don't Play That Song Again". Quite. http://www.bbc.co.uk/eurovision/ - -- Matt Browne ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 20 Feb 2000 13:31:37 -0500 From: overbury@cn.ca Subject: RE: Philosopher's Stone Daniel said: FF00,0000,0000> The "Philosopher's Stone" made a comeback recently, apart of course from RH's > scintillating rendition, in the children's mega bestseller "Harry Potter and the > Philosopher's Stone", which in an incredibly offensive act of dumbing-down was > changed by its US publisher to "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" on the > grounds that (a) Americans don't know or care about alchemy; and (b) a book with > the word "philosophy" in its title wouldn't sell. FF00,0000,0000> It's "Philosopher's Stone" here in Canader, and I'm feeling quite smug about that right now. FF00,0000,0000> OK... how was that? ... a bit long really... Only token Robyn content. You'll fit right in! FF00,0000,0000< I'm 5'7" myself. Welcome to the Globe of Fegs, Daniel! - -- Ross Overbury Montreal, Quebec, Canada ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 21 Feb 2000 16:19:45 +0100 From: digja611@student.otago.ac.nz (James Dignan) Subject: Riccarton to New Brighton, Belfast to Hoon Hay > BTW, what is the correct, NZ pronunciation of "Christchurch?" I >knew aNZer who said he was from "." He was from >Christchurch. exactly what you'd expect it to be. Christ as in the big guy, church as in the place people go to talk to him. Emphasis on the first syllable, the -t- often disappearing. What you probably heard was the frequent abbreviation "Ch-ch" (think steam train sound effects here...). By contrast, we have Auckland, emphasis on the first syllable which is pronounced AWK or Orc), the second syllable having a schwa for its vowel (AWK-l'nd, not Ock-LAAND, as foreigners insist on calling it). Hamilton, pronounced like its namesakes in Scotland, Canada and Bermuda, Wellington, pronounced like the duke(or, if you speak true newzild, siomething similar to Wulinktn), and Dunedin, probounced dun-EEE-d'n. Maori place names - the best rule of thumb is th pretend they';re Japanese. You won't be too far off (except that 'wh' is pronounced like a soft 'f', much to the embarrassment of foreigners visiting Whakatane). Email me provately if you want to work out how to pronounce Ngaruawahia, Waikouaiti, or Taumatawhakatangihangakouauo- tamateaturipukakapikimaungahoronukupokaiwhenuakitanatahu. > A new quark was discovered yesterday by physicists at the >University of Wyoming. This new quark, tentatively named 'goth' And only yesterday I heard that scientists have finally worked out what constitutes the 'dark matter' that takes up 90% of the universe's weight... cat hair. James 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, 21 Feb 2000 16:25:37 +0100 From: digja611@student.otago.ac.nz (James Dignan) Subject: credits, Bush >>Here's an idea -- an Oscar for Best Opening Credits, No Matter How >>Bad the Movie Is. Previous winners: "Seven," "The Island of Dr. >>Moreau," "Austin Powers," and "Mission Impossible." Oh, yeah, and a >>Lifetime Achievement Award to the James Bond movies. (Hey, here's a >>cool thread. Any takers?) The Avengers? eXistenZ? Contact? (NB- the last wasn't quite a clunker in the same league as the first couple, but the opening scenes were way cool). >is the pop will eat itself tune of this same name a cover? can't figure >out from allmusic. also, isn't kate bushes' _cloudbursting_ about reich? I think no, although I'vve heard the suggestion before, due to a mishearing of 'organon' as 'orgone'. Organon is a philosophical framework used in the teachings of the classical Greek philosophers. James flag now flying - San Marino (two horizontal bands, white over light blue) 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: Sun, 20 Feb 2000 21:26:27 -0700 From: Plpalmer@ix.netcom.com Subject: Storefront DVD I was in a used CD store last week and picked up a copy of Storefront on DVD. But, while I was there, I also got a DVD magazine called Circuit that has Robyn Hitchcock performing live in a Burbank parking lot. I don't have a DVD player, so I haven't watched it yet. Also, here's the set list for the first set from Largo last night: Mexican God Devil's Coachman Wax Doll Victorian Squid I Wish I Liked You Glass Hotel Trams Of Old London Sounds Great When You're Dead I Feel Beautiful Autumn Is Your Last Chance Sally Was A Legend Insanely Jealous Peter ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 21 Feb 2000 18:05:54 +0000 (GMT) From: Michael R Godwin Subject: RE: Philosopher's Stone On Sat, 19 Feb 2000, Daniel Gackle wrote: > The "Philosopher's Stone" made a comeback recently, apart of course > from RH's scintillating rendition, in the children's mega bestseller > "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone", which in an incredibly > offensive act of dumbing-down was changed by its US publisher to > "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" on the grounds that (a) > Americans don't know or care about alchemy; and (b) a book with the > word "philosophy" in its title wouldn't sell. Daniel, welcome! I have a very strong recollection of having read one of those Carl Barks comics years ago called something like "Uncle Scrooge and the Philosopher's Stone" - the ageing but still money-mad duck was keen to add such an object to his money bin. But maybe that was in the 50s when Americans were more cultured (-: > I tried to get into alchemy once but the old alchemical texts were > (deliberately) written in such an obscure style that they are > absolutely impossible to follow. However, the language and symbolism > are mesmerizingly ornate and I bet some people on this list would dig > it. Example: "An Anonymous Treatise on the Philosopher's Stone", > http://www.levity.com/alchemy/anon_tre.html. Peter Ackroyd has written quite a good novel "The house of Doctor Dee" about one of history's top alchemists. All that E W Tillyard "Elizabethan World View" great-chain-of-being stuff uses similar patterns. Every star sign links to a particular stone, a particular colour, an element, a metal, a special flower etc etc. Over to you, Katherine! - - Mike Godwin ------------------------------ End of fegmaniax-digest V9 #44 ******************************