From: owner-fegmaniax-digest@smoe.org (fegmaniax-digest) To: fegmaniax-digest@smoe.org Subject: fegmaniax-digest V10 #5 Reply-To: fegmaniax@smoe.org Sender: owner-fegmaniax-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-fegmaniax-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk fegmaniax-digest Saturday, January 6 2001 Volume 10 : Number 005 Today's Subjects: ----------------- Re: SXSW ["Russ Reynolds" ] Re: Got the time... ["Russ Reynolds" ] Re: fegmaniax-digest V10 #3 ["Irish Airman" ] Re: SXSW [steve ] That's enough of your Seuss... ["matt sewell" ] Re: SXSW [recount dracula ] re: credits [Griffith Davies ] abc order ["Andrew D. Simchik" ] Re: vh1 top 100 albums [Jeff Dwarf ] Re: vh1 top 100 albums [Jeff Dwarf ] Re: vh1 top 100 albums [Bayard ] Re: vh1 top 100 albums [Tom Clark ] RE: vh1 top 100 albums ["Bachman, Michael" ] Re: Granny awards [The Great Quail ] Re: SXSW ["J. Brown" ] Re: vh1 top 100 albums [grutness@surf4nix.com] Amazon selling Soft Boys bootleg??? ["Ben" ] Usenet post of the week ;) [Eb ] Older Than Tomorrow [Jeff Dwarf ] Re: vh1 top 100 albums [Jeff Dwarf ] Since it's a slow day............. ["Randy R." ] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 05 Jan 2001 05:20:00 -0800 From: "Russ Reynolds" Subject: Re: SXSW > Can anyone who's been to SXSW give advice on how to best insure getting > into the Soft Boys show? Walk in backwards so they think you're walkin' out. - -rUss ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 05 Jan 2001 05:41:19 -0800 From: "Russ Reynolds" Subject: Re: Got the time... ...click click clickin' in my head > Not only that, but not everyone recognizes daylight savings time either. > > e.g., IIRC the state of Arizona does not. If you've ever been to Arizona in the summer you'd know why, too. This subject brings to mind an early years David Letterman guest, a farmer who refused to observe daylight savings time. The line of questioning went something like: "so, you never set your clock ahead in the summer?" ""nope." "So when it's 10:00 to everyone else it's..." "nine o'clock" "but how do you..." "If they say 'be there at ten o'clock' I just subtract an hour and I know to be there at nine." (long pause) "how much time do we have left, Hal?" To this day I have no idea whether that was an actual dull guest or just a subtle bit that went nowhere. - -rUss ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 05 Jan 2001 09:45:31 -0500 From: "Irish Airman" Subject: Re: fegmaniax-digest V10 #3 Jeff Dwarf sent in this link for those of us with the ultimate celebrity crush: >http://www.jesus.com Hmmm-could someone forward this link to Tori Amos? Id only be interested if it were a threesome. JH3 wrote >Hmmm, maybe I should just quit while I'm behind... Ahead dear, definiatly ahead--and thanks for the extra recs. >I'd say the obvious Terry-compatible >recommendations would be Stephen Duffy/Lilac Time, Lloyd Cole's solo >albums, Damn you, Id forgotten about Lloyd Cole. Now Im got to download some more tracks. How -will- I every listen to it all? "Russ Reynolds" wrote: >Wishful thinking, I'm sure, but this fan would LOVE to hear them do a >rousing version of "Younger Than Yesterday". Im too young to know that song, but deja vu tells me Id melt instantly if they did that it. Is there a solo acoustic version of RH(RH content!) doing Dark Green Energy anywhere? Does anyone remember the name of the time-travel song by Murray Attaway? Can one become music if one listens to enough of it? K _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 5 Jan 2001 08:52:43 -0600 From: steve Subject: Re: SXSW >>Can anyone who's been to SXSW give advice on how to best insure getting >>into the Soft Boys show? Russ Reynolds: >Walk in backwards so they think you're walkin' out. Shit, why didn't I think of that! Anyway, Marcy sez that the Soft Boys show has not yet been confirmed as an official event. And there's nothing on the Austin Music Hall site. - ------------------ Best hockey team name? The Austin IceBats, but I see there's also the IceRays, CottonKings, and Jackalopes. (For those who are wondering, a Jackalope is a Jackrabbit with antlers). - - Steve __________ We're all Jesus, Buddha, and the Wizard of Oz! - Andy Partridge ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 05 Jan 2001 15:13:53 -0000 From: "matt sewell" Subject: That's enough of your Seuss... Calling Dr Seuss/American election fans... This very funny poem was written by none other than The Cat With The Fat (wa), Salman Rushdie - it's called How The Grinch Stole America: Every Vote down in Voteville liked Voting a Lot, But the GRINCH, who lived West of Voteville, did Not. For Voting was Counting - not just Adding and such But finding out if you Amounted to Much. In this case, the question was, who, in a pinch, Amounted to More? Did the Veep? Or the Grinch? The Veep! What a creep! What a CREEP! CREEP! CREEP! CREEP! He simply could NOT be outdone by the Veep. But the Veep was Experienced. He'd done the big jobs, He was smart. (He was smart-ass.) He knew all the knobs And the levers and buttons that worked the State's Ship And the Grinch? Well, re: knowledge he was not too hip. The President of India? The economy? Pass. He'd never been close to the head of the class. So far the poor Grinch hadn't Amounted to zip, He just hadn't Counted. It gave him the pip. (His father! His eminent Dad! His own blood! Compared to him, Grinchy had proved quite a dud.) And now that he'd actually reached his Big Day Argh! Counting the Ballots could steal it away! And what was a Ballot? Was it silver or gold? Were they counting up treasure? A fortune untold? No! Just some dumb punch-card! They were counting up holes! Oh, the holes! Yes, the holes! Oh, the HOLES! HOLES! HOLES! HOLES! The whole thing depended on Circles of Air - Not to mention the half-holes, and holes that weren't there, But that wanted to be there, and thought that was fair. All they would do was to add up! To Count! And they'd count! And they'd count! And they'd COUNT! COUNT! COUNT! COUNT! And they'd probably end up with a Quite Wrong Amount! "If they go on counting," the Grinch shuddered, "Eep!" "They may just wind up electing the Veep!" "How to stop it?" the Grinch exclaimed with a moan And then he remembered he wasn't alone. There were Grinches all over, big Grinches and small, There were Grinches in Voteville and in City Hall, He knew some news-Grinches, and he could depend On these inky fellows to shape and to bend Their stories to help him win through in the end. But the Grinches who'd give him the edge and the win Were the great Legal Grinches, and Grinches of Spin. So he called on his cohorts. "My friends, we must Grinch This election! 'Nuff Counting! Get to work! Do not flinch! We must Grinch! We must Grinch! We must GRINCH! GRINCH! GRINCH! GRINCH! We cannot be beaten by circles of air Or circles that only imagine they're there. Every day that they Count them, the total will creep Up and up, until it elects that old Veep!" So they Grinched the election. They Grinched, day by day, Until all the options were whittled away. They Grinched it with lawyers, they Grinched it with writs, They split all the hairs and they picked all the nits, And when it came up to the Ultimate Bench They Grinched it away with one final Wrench. They ordered all Voteville to give up its Count, Before it came up with that Quite Wrong Amount. And the Votes down in Voteville? They've run out of steam. 'Tis the season to party, to heal and to dream. Why worry? The Constitution is strong, The judges who judge it can never be wrong, The Veep may have won, but he's lost. And that's that. Voteville accepts the high judges' fiat. There isn't a holler, there isn't a scream, Think of the dollar! Let's play for the team! So everyone okays the Grinch's rigime, And things are probably probably probably probably probably Not as bad as they seem. "Four whole years of Grinchdom!" the Grinch cries with glee "There's Only One Person who Counts now ...That's ME." Cheers! Matt - ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 05 Jan 2001 10:40:52 -0500 From: recount dracula Subject: Re: SXSW when we last left our heroes, steve exclaimed: >Best hockey team name? The Austin IceBats, but I see there's also the >IceRays, CottonKings, and Jackalopes. (For those who are wondering, a >Jackalope is a Jackrabbit with antlers). the former team in new haven was "the beast of new haven", which i think is a candidate for worst hockey team name. (currently, we have the knights. *yawn*) there's an ahl team coming to bridgeport called the sound tigers (as in long island sound, not audio sound). the hartford wolfpack is a pretty decent name. woj ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 5 Jan 2001 09:00:31 -0800 (PST) From: Griffith Davies Subject: re: credits Perhaps my favourite movie of all time, "Boogie Nights" has no opening credits. I just got the DVD for this movie for XMAS, and have been watching pieces of it nearly everyday. The deleted scenes are great, and the easter egg is pretty funny. Now I'm very depressed - I just found out that the writer/director Paul Thomas Anderson just over one month *younger* than me. griffith I love the sequence where Dirk, Reed, and Scotty are shopping. Dirk picks up a nice pair of leather shoes. Reed: "Are those lizard?" Dirk: "No. They're italian." ===== - --------------------------------------------------------- Griffith Davies hbrtv219@yahoo.com Yahoo! Photos - Share your holiday photos online! http://photos.yahoo.com/ ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 5 Jan 2001 09:31:19 -0800 From: "Andrew D. Simchik" Subject: abc order At 7:40 AM -0500 1/5/01, fegmaniax-digest wrote: >From: hbrandt > >Andrew D. Simchik wrote: > >> I also don't know why, when "women who rock out" is brought up as a >> category, Joan Jett isn't the first name on the roster. > >Janis Joplin, maybe? Surely "Je" still comes before "Jo"! >From: Bayard > >VH1 Ranks 100 Best Rock Albums > >2. Nirvana, "Nevermind" (1991) >3. The Beach Boys, "Pet Sounds" (1966) This _really_ bothers me. But the rest is just par for the course. Even Pistols 'n' Pansies at number 42. Sheesh. Drew - -- Andrew D. Simchik, drew at stormgreen.com http://www.stormgreen.com/ ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 5 Jan 2001 10:31:02 -0800 (PST) From: Jeff Dwarf Subject: Re: vh1 top 100 albums Bayard wrote: > VH1 Ranks 100 Best Rock Albums > > 23. Michael Jackson, "Thriller" (1982) > 37. Lauryn Hill, "The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill" (1998) > 38. Eagles, "Hotel California" (1976) > 51. Pink Floyd, "Dark Side of the Moon" (1973) > 57. Bee Gees, "Saturday Night Fever" (1976) > 59. Allman Brothers Band, "Live at the Fillmore East" (1971) i know i shouldn't be surprised, and i know i'm a philistine for despising (post-barrett) floyd, but for the love of god, we have to stop middle aged rock journalists from smoking crack....and the eagles are just a fucking warbling human rights violation. "hotel california" is the reason it took me so long to be able to withstand guitar solos over 15 seconds. .....and can't we wait a couple years to see if anyone wants to listen to that lauren hill record in 2003. or maybe i'm just appalled that i have 40 of them. ===== "With [Amnesia] we are definitely having singles, videos, glossy magazine celebrity photo shoots, children's television appearances, film premiere appearances, dance routines, and many interesting interviews about my tortured existence." -- Thom Yorke Yahoo! Photos - Share your holiday photos online! http://photos.yahoo.com/ ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 5 Jan 2001 10:38:32 -0800 (PST) From: Jeff Dwarf Subject: Re: vh1 top 100 albums Eb wrote: > Speaking of Tina Turner, did folks hear that she was the > highest-grossing tour of 2000? Weird!! Has she recorded anything > notable, since Private Dancer sixteen years ago? VH1 sure does kiss > her ass.... she did that song from mad max...wasn't it her "last tour" or something? i kinda suspect that, given her tale of escape from ike and her comeback, no matter how mediocre any product she puts out evermore, her ass shall be kissed by most. and i'm not that sure she hasn't earned it. ===== "With [Amnesia] we are definitely having singles, videos, glossy magazine celebrity photo shoots, children's television appearances, film premiere appearances, dance routines, and many interesting interviews about my tortured existence." -- Thom Yorke Yahoo! Photos - Share your holiday photos online! http://photos.yahoo.com/ ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 5 Jan 2001 14:08:23 -0500 (EST) From: Bayard Subject: Re: vh1 top 100 albums On Fri, 5 Jan 2001, Jeff "S." Dwarf wrote: > i know i shouldn't be surprised, and i know i'm a philistine for > despising (post-barrett) floyd, but for the love of god, we have to > stop middle aged rock journalists from smoking crack....and the eagles not disputing the invalidity of some of the choices, but to be fair, it was not just journalists who were "poled". To wit : [VH1 polled more than 500 journalists, music executives and artists. Wyclef Jean, Britney Spears, Carole King, Jackson Browne, Elvis Costello and Roberta Flack were among the respondents. ] the article does not say what proportion was musicians, etc, alas. Maybe those listed were the only ones. =b "I wonder if Britney has heard DSotM?" ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 05 Jan 2001 11:37:13 -0800 From: Tom Clark Subject: Re: vh1 top 100 albums I know everyone has their own "...why isn't this album included?" gripe, so here's one of mine: You're telling me Jeff Beck's "Blow By Blow" is a worse album than "Like A Prayer"? Geez, - -tc ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 5 Jan 2001 14:47:20 -0500 From: "Bachman, Michael" Subject: RE: vh1 top 100 albums Slotting Lauryn Hill over "Layla", "Dusty in Memphis", "So", "Murmur", "Remain in Light", "Electirc Ladyland", "Tapestry", "Astral Weeks", etc. is embarrassing. The list lost all credibility with me as soon as I saw her at the # 37 slot. I don't have wait a few years, she doesn't belong that high and I wouldn't even put her on. Michael - -----Original Message----- From: Jeff Dwarf [mailto:munki1972@yahoo.com] Sent: Friday, January 05, 2001 1:31 PM To: towing vehicle 'nostromo' Subject: Re: vh1 top 100 albums Bayard wrote: > VH1 Ranks 100 Best Rock Albums > > 23. Michael Jackson, "Thriller" (1982) > 37. Lauryn Hill, "The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill" (1998) > 38. Eagles, "Hotel California" (1976) > 51. Pink Floyd, "Dark Side of the Moon" (1973) > 57. Bee Gees, "Saturday Night Fever" (1976) > 59. Allman Brothers Band, "Live at the Fillmore East" (1971) i know i shouldn't be surprised, and i know i'm a philistine for despising (post-barrett) floyd, but for the love of god, we have to stop middle aged rock journalists from smoking crack....and the eagles are just a fucking warbling human rights violation. "hotel california" is the reason it took me so long to be able to withstand guitar solos over 15 seconds. .....and can't we wait a couple years to see if anyone wants to listen to that lauren hill record in 2003. or maybe i'm just appalled that i have 40 of them. ===== "With [Amnesia] we are definitely having singles, videos, glossy magazine celebrity photo shoots, children's television appearances, film premiere appearances, dance routines, and many interesting interviews about my tortured existence." -- Thom Yorke Yahoo! Photos - Share your holiday photos online! http://photos.yahoo.com/ ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 5 Jan 2001 16:49:16 -0500 From: The Great Quail Subject: Granny awards Yet another classical post, which only Michael Wolfe and Eb will read, but..... I just have to point out again, that the Grammy Awards for classical music mostly suck too, representing lame, insipid choices, all dusty and hidebound as usual. (Though I was impressed to see Messiaen's "Vingt Regards" under "best solo performance," and the Emerson's Shostakovich cycle really does deserve best classical award.) But here's the weird thing -- again, like last year, the notable exception is the Opera category, which has some very risky and cutting-edge choices! I just think that's so weird -- that the *opera* category is always the most hip. I'm really surprised to see that Eminem wasn't there somewhere, though.... - --Q ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 5 Jan 2001 17:30:50 -0500 From: The Great Quail Subject: Re: Granny awards Eb says, >I would've liked to see more specific objections/endorsements. Wozzeck is a pretty sharp choice; so is Billy Budd. And then they added a "lost" Prokoviev opera, which is fairly controversial in theme and dissonant in music. Busoni and Rameau weren't very surprising, but still pretty intelligent picks. The "Solo without an orchestra" category was also pretty canny, with Messiaen, Godowski, and Carter all being "difficult" choices that I was surprised to see. (The Messiaen "Vingt regards" is my #2 favorite non-premiere classical CD of the year.) But as for the rest -- you get kind of tired of Bach, Haydn, Brahms, Tchaikovsky, etc. There's SO MUCH new and exciting music, and the Grammy's usually ignore it, or just pick a few for the "Contemporary" category -- and usually those choices are more guided by commercial interests and label promotion than anything else. I mean, why can't a recent composition score in the "Best Orchestral Performance" category? It's just stale tradition and habit. It's probably not much different from the rock category.... - --Q ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 5 Jan 2001 18:21:52 -0800 (PST) From: "J. Brown" Subject: Re: SXSW On Fri, 5 Jan 2001, recount dracula wrote: > when we last left our heroes, steve exclaimed: > > >Best hockey team name? The Austin IceBats, but I see there's also the > >IceRays, CottonKings, and Jackalopes. (For those who are wondering, a > >Jackalope is a Jackrabbit with antlers). > > the former team in new haven was "the beast of new haven", which i think is > a candidate for worst hockey team name. (currently, we have the knights. > *yawn*) there's an ahl team coming to bridgeport called the sound tigers > (as in long island sound, not audio sound). the hartford wolfpack is a > pretty decent name. My favourite is the Brandon Wheat Kings out of Manitoba in the Western Hockey League, Another great WHL name is the Regina Pats, Pats is not Short for Patriots but for Patricias! I love how Seattle and Portland play in the WHL against teams from Kamloops, Moose Jaw, Swift Current, Kelowna, and Medicine Hat. Jason Wilson Brown - University of Washington - Seattle, WA "The whole Bush family, from Texas, should be boiled in poison oil." -Hunter S. Thompson ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 6 Jan 2001 15:41:44 +1300 From: grutness@surf4nix.com Subject: Re: vh1 top 100 albums >From: Eb >Subject: Re: vh1 top 100 albums > >>45. Sly & the Family Stone, "Stand!" (1969) >>56. Kraftwerk, "Trans-Europe Express" (1977) >>77. James Taylor, "Sweet Baby James" (1970) >>79. Pearl Jam, "Ten" (1991) >>87. Cream, "Disraeli Gears" (1967) >>93. Simon & Garfunkel, "Bookends" (1968) >>95. Tina Turner, "Private Dancer" (1984) >>98. Jackson Five, "ABC" (1970) >>99. "The B-52s" (1979) >>100. Madonna, "Like a Prayer" (1989) > >These albums kinda stand out for me, as "Mmmm...maybe they shouldn't be in >there." (And I say that, despite owning three of them.) I'd have to say I';m with Eb on this one, with the possible exception of Disraeli Gears. And that''s despite me being a big Simon & Garfunkel fan. So... what biggies are missing? Dare I point out there are no Robbie Williams ones there? ;) More to the point, I'd have kinda expected What's the Story morning Glory to be on the list, possibly The Notorious Byrd Brothers, and maybe more from the heavy end of the spectrum (no Van Halen?). Personally I'd add Aqualung and Another Green World, but I know they're not to everyone's taste. James (hm... I seem to have 43 of them, including 16 of the top 20...) James Dignan, Dunedin, New Zealand. =-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-= -=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.- .-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=- You talk to me as if from a distance -.-=-.- And I reply with impressions chosen from another time =-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-. (Brian Eno - "By this River") ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 5 Jan 2001 21:57:20 -0500 From: "Ben" Subject: Amazon selling Soft Boys bootleg??? http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00002EQ4X/sr=1-4/ref=sc_m_4/104-8081 277-8307950 Amazon.com has Rout of the Clones listed for sale, has this CD been issued in an official version now??? Amazon.com Sales Rank: 62,567 (?!?!?!) ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 5 Jan 2001 19:16:49 -0700 From: Eb Subject: Usenet post of the week ;) So I'm scurrying about, madly fielding details for this cruise, when I discover that my ferrets, who I'd shut in the bathroom for some unsupervised play-time (it's the most ferret-proof room in the house) had *devoured* my diaphragm. Nothing but the ring left. Arrgh -- one more thing to do! I would have put it out of reach if I'd noticed it, because I'm well aware that all ferrets simply *love* to chew on anything rubbery, from shoe soles to remote control buttons. But that leads to the question of why? Why on earth are ferrets crazy about rubber? What, exactly, in their carniverous past does this evoke for them? It's not like they'd exactly have had access to gym shoes, electronic controls, or birth control devices in the wild, now is it? I realize that they've been domesticated for a very long time, but that *still* doesn't explain this particular weasel-fetish. [signature deleted, mercifully] ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 6 Jan 2001 01:07:36 -0800 (PST) From: Jeff Dwarf Subject: Older Than Tomorrow "Russ Reynolds" wrote: > Wishful thinking, I'm sure, but this fan would LOVE to hear them do > a rousing version of "Younger Than Yesterday". the whole album? or just "My back pages" and a few other highlights. cuz really, i don't think we need them to do "Mind Gardens." ===== "With [Amnesiac] we are definitely having singles, videos, glossy magazine celebrity photo shoots, children's television appearances, film premiere appearances, dance routines, and many interesting interviews about my tortured existence." -- Thom Yorke Yahoo! Photos - Share your holiday photos online! http://photos.yahoo.com/ ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 6 Jan 2001 01:14:26 -0800 (PST) From: Jeff Dwarf Subject: Re: vh1 top 100 albums grutness@surf4nix.com wrote: > So... what biggies are missing? Dare I point out there are no Robbie > Williams ones there? ;) More to the point, I'd have kinda expected > What's the Story morning Glory to be on the list, possibly The > Notorious Byrd Brothers, and maybe more from the heavy end of the > spectrum (no Van Halen?). Personally I'd add Aqualung and Another > Green World, but I know they're not to everyone's taste. no Byrds, no Neil Young (okay, Deja Vu, but that's CSNY), no Kinks, no Band, ..., no Ricky Martin. and i'm kinda shocked that Zeppelin iv (or Runes or Zoso or whatever) didn't make it, even though I, II, & Physical Graffiti did. I'd've picked _Houses of the Holy_ though. > James (hm... I seem to have 43 of them, including 16 of the top > 20...) > > James Dignan, Dunedin, New Zealand. =-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-= > -=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.- > .-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=- You talk to me as if from a distance > -.-=-.- And I reply with impressions chosen from another time > =-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-. (Brian Eno - "By this River") ===== "With [Amnesiac] we are definitely having singles, videos, glossy magazine celebrity photo shoots, children's television appearances, film premiere appearances, dance routines, and many interesting interviews about my tortured existence." -- Thom Yorke Yahoo! Photos - Share your holiday photos online! http://photos.yahoo.com/ ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 6 Jan 2001 14:49:41 -0800 From: "Randy R." Subject: Since it's a slow day............. From: http://www.tvguide.com/live/transcripts/ts001219gl.asp Geddy Lee December 19, 2000 TV Guide Online: Tonight we are talking with musician Geddy Lee about his new solo album, My Favorite Headache. Hi Geddy! Thanks for joining us tonight!! Lee: Good evening and hello. I am ready. LOL! Question: How long have you really wanted to do a solo project? Lee: Well, to be quite frank, I've never been much interested in doing a solo project. This project came about strictly because I knew there would be a 3,4, or even 5 year hiatus from Rush. For me to go that long without making music is just too long. Question: "The Angel's Share" sounds like it was written with Neil and his recent tragedies in mind. Were you thinking specifically of him when you wrote it? Lee: No, actually I wasn't. I was thinking about, really, the history of the concept of angels and how often the existence of angels on human life that come up in human folklore. These are the things that got me writing about it in my music. Question: My question is what does "Slipping" mean? It seems to me that it is a little personal can u fill me in on it? I think it is a great song on the CD plus the CD is so awesome. Lee: Well, first of all thank you so much for the kind words. And secondly, "Slipping" is a bit of an apology for things that have gone on in my life and a confession about my fallibility. And in spite of all my best intentions, sometimes, I screw up. And I thought this was something that most people could relate to. Question: Geddy, I've been a student of your techniques since the 70's and you never stop getting better - who influenced your style in the past and who do you admire now? Lee: Well, again, I thank you for the kind compliments. I always feel like I have lots of room for improvement in my playing. I can be very lazy about practicing. Once again I thank you. My influences early on were Jack Bruce, Jack Cassidy who played with Jefferson Airplane for those who don't know. And John Entwistle. Through the years I've been also influenced by Chris Squire, Jeff Berlin, Jaco Pastorious through a small degree. And more recently, my pal, Les Claypool, from Primus. Also I find the bass player of Radiohead writes very interesting bass parts. Question: Hey Geddy, I'm an uncommon 17 year old fan here in south Carolina. I would like to THANK YOU so much for this album and all the others over the years. my question is how did you team up with Jeremy from O.L.P. for home on the strange? Lee: Well, Jeremy is someone I've wanted to work with. I'm very familiar with his playing. He's also from my hometown of Toronto. During the making of My Favorite Headache. We found we needed a shot of spontaneity. We had a weekend off, and we decided to use that time to see if we could write something fresh. We were successful. That was the song "Home of the Strange". The only person I considered was Jeremy. I contacted him. Happily he had two days before he went on tour with Our Lady Peace. We were able to record the song virtually live. Of course, we added lots of things afterwards. The bass and drums were very much a live situation. Question: Hey Geddy how's life been treating you? I noticed that you've been using Fender Jazz Basses recently. Do you plan to bring your Wals or Rickenbackers back into the fold? Lee: Life has been treating me exceptionally well lately. Thank you for asking. I have been using Fenders. I have been using only one Fender. My old '72 Fender Jazz. Which I've been using since way back during the "Moving Pictures" days. I'm completely in love with that bass and will probably continue to use it. Recently, I was at the Experience Music Project in Seattle. They have a really fine bass guitar collection there. I found an early 60's 4000 Rickenbacker. I have to say I was quite taken with it and I'm looking for one right now. But I say that without knowing how it will sound. It will be fun to track down anyway. Question: Geddy, your voice has evolved so much in the past 20 years - have you ever had vocal training? Lee: Yes I have very early on in my life. I saw in a choir in public school. This was the only vocal training I ever had. Of course, when I started playing in a rock band, I broke every rule I ever learned in public school. Question: Okay...so what does the greatest bassist ever play on bass when he goes into a store to buy a new one??? Lee: Jeez, what does the greatest bassist play when he goes to try out a bass. Old Who songs. And particularly, "My Generation". Then I'll try "YYZ"! Question: The new CD is wonderful! I would like to know which song(s) from the new CD are the most personally reflective for you? Lee: I would say that "Slipping" and "Present Tense". Question: Any plans for a tour to support this new release? Lee: At the moment I am at a bit of a logjam with scheduling and because I plan to start writing with Rush in January, I may be unable to tour, but I would like to try and see if I could do something, perhaps in the Spring. Question: Rush has often been classified by critics as "progressive rock." So has Pink Floyd, King Crimson, and Yes. Would you say that these three bands made a significant impact on Rush's music? Lee: Certainly I would say those bands were influential in our approach to music. Also bands like Genesis in their early days. Jethro Tull and Led Zeppelin. I would say The Who are probably a more fundamental influence on our sound. Because we always wanted to maintain a hard rock attitude. Question: I heard that your grandmother pronounced your name "Geddy", and your real name is Gary. My husband and I, however liked the name "Geddy" so much that we named our son Geddy. Go Geddy! Lee: Well, I would say that that is almost true. It was actually my mother who has a very thick accent. When I was quite young she called me Gary, but my friends thought it sounded like Geddy so they called me Geddy. When I was about 14 or 15 and joined the Musician's Union, I joined as Geddy. I'm honored to have yet another child named after me. Question: Are there any artists out there that you would like to work with on future projects? Lee: It's hard to say. There are so many talented people around. I have great admiration for Tom York in Radiohead. Writing is very personal. Sometimes it's hard to just put two strangers in a room together to write. There has to be some sort of personal connection as well as musical respect. Which is why I choose to work with Ben Mink on this project. Besides the fact that he makes me laugh so much. Question: I saw that you used Matt Cameron on drums. Did you know him before, or did you just call him up for the album. What made you choose him? Lee: I did not know Matt previously, and yes I did just call him up. And I chose him because of his incredible tone and attitude as a drummer. I've always been fond of his playing in Soundgarden. When I was talking to Adam Casper, who produces the Foo Fighters and has worked with Matt before. He suggested Matt would be ideal for this material. And both Ben and myself totally agreed with him. Question: Geddy, how big of a thrill for you was it to sing "O, Canada" at the All Star game a few years back? Lee: It was a tremendous thrill. And I'd never do it again. I was far to nervous beforehand and it's so hard to hear yourself sing through the echoing of the stadium. I think it was the slowest version of "O Canada" every performed. Question: You've called yourself a "wine freak" when did you pick up on this hobby?? Lee: I've been interested in wine for 10 or 15 years, but I should say I've always resisted collecting a serious level. I collect so many things that I get very easily carried away with my hobbies About 6 years ago I gave in and now I'm a complete wine geek. Question: Do you ever read through the fan groups online, such as the old NMS or the Hemispheres group? Lee: Very rarely. I find it a little uncomfortable to read so much complimentary writings, I guess. And also there's sometimes a lot of gossip and rumors that I find a little odd. But I intend on paying attention to the guestbook on my website and I hope that that becomes an interesting source for discussion and hopefully some humor as well. Question: Geddy - is there any chance your children will follow in your footsteps? Lee: Well, unlikely for my son who's 20 already and although he loves music, he has not much interest playing. Although when he was very little he was a fine piano player till he stopped practicing. My daughter is another story altogether. She is a ham and very confident. I wouldn't be surprised at all if she did something in the arts. She's also a very good lyricist already. Question: The members of Rush have a reputation of being very private, yet you've put yourself out there with this current media blitz..what changed your mind about "being out there"? Lee: Well, I think that over the last 15 years we have been increasingly doing more press and I think quite honestly, due to the things that have gone down in the last number of years, there is a lot more interest in covering myself and the band. I don't know whether this is the result of a 500 channel universe and all sorts of online magazines. But also because I do not have a tour forthcoming, I have so much more time to pay attention to interview requests. Where usually, I'd be heavily involved in preparing the live Rush production and rehearsing for the tour. And also it was an opportunity for me to make contact with the fans once again and I enjoyed that experience. Question: What are your thoughts about the Napster controversy? Lee: Well my feeling is that I don't think anyone has any object to fans swapping music when it's on a small and personal scale. But I think the threat of mass downloading of one's music put it in a whole other category. For that to happen it's ethical to seek permission of the artists involved. I think far too much has been said about this and I've always suspected that sooner or later Napster would just make a deal with the record companies as they appear to be doing now. Question: Geddy, did you play keyboards for Doug and Bob McKenzies "12 Days of Christmas"? Lee: No I didn't. Question: Hey, Geddy, I think all your fans are asking you this, but I really want to know, when is Rush's latest album gonna show up? Lee: As soon as it's made. I would expect not before this time next year. Question: What are you and your family doing over the holidays? Lee: We're staying home and eating and drinking a lot. I'm looking forward tremendously to a completion of all these promotional activities and making some time to spend with my family and friends. I have too much wine waiting to be drunk. Question: What other promotional stuff are you doing for MFH? Lee: I'll be doing a few more webchats. I've got a few more radio interviews to do. I'm sure I will be kept busy by my good friends in the Atlantic Records publicity department throughout the coming months. TV Guide Online: Thank you Geddy!!! We had a great time and please come back soon to talk with us again!!! Lee: Thank you for having me. It was my pleasure ------------------------------ End of fegmaniax-digest V10 #5 ******************************