From: owner-fegmaniax-digest@smoe.org (fegmaniax-digest) To: fegmaniax-digest@smoe.org Subject: fegmaniax-digest V10 #101 Reply-To: fegmaniax@smoe.org Sender: owner-fegmaniax-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-fegmaniax-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk fegmaniax-digest Saturday, March 31 2001 Volume 10 : Number 101 Today's Subjects: ----------------- Correction to the long thing: [Capuchin ] Astronomy Domine!!! [MPys2626@aol.com] Re: Astronomy Domine!!! [Dolph Chaney ] Re: hey, wait a minute... [hbrandt ] Re: hey, wait a minute... [ringostr@u.washington.edu] Re: hey, wait a minute... [Bayard ] Re: hey, wait a minute... [Eb ] Re: hey, wait a minute... [recount chocula ] Re: hey, wait a minute... [Bayard ] off-tropic (MS-dawg) [Bayard ] Re: off-tropic (MS-dawg) [Ken Weingold ] All ***'* Children ["In Praise Of Limestone" ] Re: off-tropic (MS-dawg) [Capuchin ] Re: off-tropic (MS-dawg) ["Rob" ] Re: off-tropic (MS-dawg) [Ken Weingold ] Greetings! Nice to Finally Introduce Myself ["Seth Frisby" Subject: Correction to the long thing: I was listening to a lecture on headphones whilst typing that long missive about technology and biology and whatnot. I'm kinda dumb. Please substitute "additive principle" for "Archimedes Priniciple" in that last mail. Think of it as a very long typo. Always reread before posting... Don't be like me. J. - -- _______________________________________________ Capuchin capuchin@bitmine.net Jeme A Brelin ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 31 Mar 2001 07:56:00 EST From: MPys2626@aol.com Subject: Astronomy Domine!!! So they FINALLY give it up...in Detroit...you lucky bahstads! Was it fabulous? Inquiring minds...... m Sleep Well ~ Don't Burst ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 31 Mar 2001 11:59:22 -0600 From: Dolph Chaney Subject: Re: Astronomy Domine!!! At 07:56 AM 3/31/01 -0500, MPys2626@aol.com wrote: >So they FINALLY give it up...in Detroit...you lucky bahstads! AND in Chicago too. 8-) I had spent my commute to work playing THE PIPER AT THE GATES OF DAWN, trying to send vibes to the Soft Boys... "pleeeease... play a Syd thing... pleeeeeeease" And when it did, I think I was the only guy in the Metro bleating out all the lyrics at the top of my fucking lungs. >Was it fabulous? You bet it was. It *all* was. I'll say more when I'm more awake, but yeeHAW, that was fine. dolph ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 31 Mar 2001 11:08:40 -0700 From: hbrandt Subject: Re: hey, wait a minute... > > Someone (not a feg, i think) RuSS: > > This made me think. If a Hitchcock fan who is not a listmember is not > considered a feg, then the assumption is that only we listmembers ARE fegs. Silly assumption, that. But please continue... > And since we are fegmaniacs, does that make us all narcissists? I think the word for narcissistic fegmaniacs is "Fgz". And that term is certainly not all-inclusive. Some of us here on "The List" simply enjoy the music of Robyn Hitchcock. /hal, not a "club-joiner" by nature ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 31 Mar 2001 10:21:47 -0800 From: ringostr@u.washington.edu Subject: Re: hey, wait a minute... - ---------Included Message---------- > Date: Sat, 31 Mar 2001 11:08:40 -0700 > From: "hbrandt" > Reply-To: "hbrandt" > To: "type-type-type" > Subject: Re: hey, wait a minute... > > > > Someone (not a feg, i think) > > RuSS: > > > >This made me think. If a Hitchcock fan who is not a listmember isnot > > considered a feg, then the assumption is that only we listmembers ARE fegs. > > Silly assumption, that. But please continue... > > > And since we are fegmaniacs, does that make us all narcissists? > > I think the word for narcissistic fegmaniacs is "Fgz". And that term > is certainly not all-inclusive. Some of us here on "The List" simply > enjoy the music of Robyn Hitchcock. What the heck are you talking about? I've been on this list for a year and i'm a bit clueless about this statement. > /hal, not a "club-joiner" by nature And so those that are are narcisists? jason ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 31 Mar 2001 13:49:33 -0500 (EST) From: Bayard Subject: Re: hey, wait a minute... i was just using it as shorthand for "feglistmember", but i reckon anyone can be a feg. it's more a mindset than a membership. we are blessed to have many fegmaniax on the list, as well as the "irritant" from the globe of frogs manifesto (hi Eb!!!!!) =b On Fri, 30 Mar 2001, Russ Reynolds wrote: > > Someone (not a feg, i think) > > This made me think. If a Hitchcock fan who is not a listmember is not > considered a feg, then the assumption is that only we listmembers ARE fegs. > And since we are fegmaniacs, does that make us all narcissists? > > -rUss. > > Soft Boys in 7 days. Baseball in 3. ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 31 Mar 2001 11:21:22 -0700 From: Eb Subject: Re: hey, wait a minute... >i was just using it as shorthand for "feglistmember", but i reckon anyone >can be a feg. it's more a mindset than a membership. we are blessed to >have many fegmaniax on the list, as well as the "irritant" from the globe >of frogs manifesto (hi Eb!!!!!) Gosh...you mean I'm actually the fulfillment of sacred Hitchcock *prophesy*? I'm all a-tingle! I must go light some candles in my honor, right now! Eb, busily sprinkling himself with lotus petals ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 31 Mar 2001 14:36:08 -0500 From: recount chocula Subject: Re: hey, wait a minute... >Eb, busily sprinkling himself with lotus petals make sure you get some between your teeth and gums and behind your ears. +w ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 31 Mar 2001 15:10:53 -0500 (EST) From: Bayard Subject: Re: hey, wait a minute... On Sat, 31 Mar 2001, Eb wrote: > Gosh...you mean I'm actually the fulfillment of sacred Hitchcock > *prophesy*? And you thought you were just some annoying guy on the net! Silly Eb... I better check though, 'cos Blatzman might be the True Sacred One... =b "but it's GOOD-annoying" ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 31 Mar 2001 15:16:52 -0500 (EST) From: Bayard Subject: off-tropic (MS-dawg) Does anyone know of a free ftp program for DOS 5? Assistance with this will greatly speed the disseminiation of the new live soft boys stuff to the masses... Come on peeps, let's have those reports on the toronto, detroit and chigago gigs! =b ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 31 Mar 2001 16:06:01 -0500 From: Ken Weingold Subject: Re: off-tropic (MS-dawg) On Sat, Mar 31, 2001, Bayard wrote: > Does anyone know of a free ftp program for DOS 5? Assistance with this > will greatly speed the disseminiation of the new live soft boys stuff to > the masses... Wow, not as easy to find as I had thought! My favorite FTP client is NcFTP, but though it's a command line client, the Wintendo port is only for the win32 shell apparently. Maybe one of the older versions would work in real DOS: . Here's one that I found doing a search: . No experience with it though. Do you have Win 3.11 installed on that DOS partition? I would have thought that it would have come with a command line FTP client. OTOH, if you have a C compiler in DOS, the ncftp source is available. HTH... - -Ken ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 31 Mar 2001 21:44:46 -0000 From: "In Praise Of Limestone" Subject: All ***'* Children Bayard recorded: Philly, 3/20 >Kay was jazzed about the "baby t" and the show. "Eb" introduced >himself >to her. Hey--wait a sec. I thought he said he was Eddie. Are you telling me that we have evil twins on this list;-)? Speaking of whom, Eb quoted and wrote: >>Eb, you lucky woof, Cage, Thompson and soon The SBs. >Well...I *did* see John Cage, but that was quite a few years ago. Errggh. Mea Cavelfauxpa. Went and looked at the whole story on SBSW posted by Marc Holden. So Ray Davies was there. Just last night I was listening to a Kinks tape(must be Jill's subliminal influence) which somehow launched me into full-flown fantasia. Which is--the Soft Boys, a pianist and Davies doing my favorite Kinks song... !!HITCHCOCK TRIVIA PURSUIT!! WIN NO PRIZES!! IMPRESS NO ONE!! The Kinks song in question has a clear relationship to RH. What is the song and what is the relationship? CLUE: I firmly believe that this song, along with The Spinners "Mighty Love" deserves inclusion in the next ed. of the Anglican Hymnal. HAZARD: Theres a slight trick in the wording. Doug wrote: >so what the heck *is* it with '52 vincent? i don't get it. i'm >definitely a richard thompson fan in general, but it's a corny story, >and >not as far as i can see anywhere near his most compelling melody or >most >interesting guitar work. Yeah--but the point is partly that its corny and with the kind of melody you know youve heard before, but just cant quite say where. Its like some old folk song ... a 50s motercycle type old folk song. Funniest Feg comment of the week: Yudt wrote >sorry to everyone if this is way out of topic You know whats really weird? Ever since the tour started every digest has actually had jenuiwine Robyn content. I dont know if I can take it. Im thinking of desubscribing. I mean whats up with all youse? This place is starting to sound like, (oh fate worse than death) ... a typical listserve;-)(And we are -Fegs-, we are not typical(we may be geeks, but we aint typical;-), right all)? And may I point out--the Great Scot shares this sentiment: >All this yapping about some obscure bunch of English misfits... can >we get >back to some serious political carping please... And as Unca points out: >Heck, I think Eb was even reduced to arguing with himself. No no no, read the above. He was arguing with his evil twin. Quail part 2'd: >Why does our List master feel the >need to invent a girlfriend? Ladies, is he really so hot that you >would all start swamping him with flowers, chocolates, and nude >pictures if you didn't think he was taken? My God, the ego of the >man. Its not ego Quailman. Frankly, rumor isnt enough. I strongly advise the wearing of a wedding ring at the very least. Now Im old and all used up(how old are you Nick, Im 46)and can therefore restrain myself(besides--you wouldnt -want- to see a nude photo), but as for the youngins, well -- really Woz, a wedding ring at least. Oh--and Quail, when LJ said: "So then where's my fucking wooden Jesus?!" I think she -was- welcoming you home. Think about it;-) Eb: >Are the tickets extra-pricey, all around the country? 16.50 each in Philly at the boxoffice, which seemed like a good deal to me. Russ: >And since we are fegmaniacs, does that make us all narcissists? No, we're just trying to reconcile our parents to us by becoming both at once, but in alternating cycles of hi's and go blow's. Whew--I think I actually got thru everything. Kay _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 31 Mar 2001 14:24:50 -0800 (PST) From: Capuchin Subject: Re: off-tropic (MS-dawg) On Sat, 31 Mar 2001, Ken Weingold wrote: > Do you have Win 3.11 installed on that DOS partition? I would have > thought that it would have come with a command line FTP client. > OTOH, if you have a C compiler in DOS, the ncftp source is available. How soon we forget... Recall that there was NO networking support in MS Windows 3.1 and when 3.11 came around, there was no real TCP/IP support. Microsoft didn't start shipping an FTP client standard until the CDROM edition of Windows 95 (it was an 'add-on' the floppies didn't contain) and didn't start including TCP/IP in the default install until mid-1996. Recall Microsoft Windows 3.1 was released in 1990 and it was mid-1995 when Bill Gates said "We estimate that only about TEN PERCENT of Windows users will need TCP/IP." After all, MSn was NETbui over PPP. J. - -- _______________________________________________ Capuchin capuchin@bitmine.net Jeme A Brelin ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 31 Mar 2001 23:05:13 +0100 From: "Rob" Subject: Re: off-tropic (MS-dawg) On 31 Mar 2001, at 15:16, Bayard wrote: > Does anyone know of a free ftp program for DOS 5? Assistance with this > will greatly speed the disseminiation of the new live soft boys stuff to > the masses... > I *think* that Phil Karns ka9q tcp/ip suite will do this. It's what I used to use when I first started on the net before I had Win 3.1, but that was a looong time ago. Demon's public ftp server still has it somewhere, but a quick search gives this http://people.qualcomm.com/karn/code/ka9qnos/ which is probably a better bet. - -- Rob ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 31 Mar 2001 17:06:05 -0500 From: Ken Weingold Subject: Re: off-tropic (MS-dawg) On Sat, Mar 31, 2001, Capuchin wrote: > On Sat, 31 Mar 2001, Ken Weingold wrote: > > Do you have Win 3.11 installed on that DOS partition? I would have > > thought that it would have come with a command line FTP client. > > OTOH, if you have a C compiler in DOS, the ncftp source is available. > > How soon we forget... > > Recall that there was NO networking support in MS Windows 3.1 and when > 3.11 came around, there was no real TCP/IP support. Heh. It took me forever to go from 3.0 to 3.1. Best thing about 3.1 was the addition of Minesweeper. :) But even in 3.1, I never got into TCP/IP until probably 1995. It was all Telemate (communications software) before that. In '95, it was Trumpet Winsock. Fun fun fun. But back then I never thought about command line FTP in DOS (only UNIX and VMS), so I never looked into it. - -Ken ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 31 Mar 2001 18:18:18 -0500 From: "Seth Frisby" Subject: Greetings! Nice to Finally Introduce Myself Hello all, I'm sorry to say that i've been lurking for over a year and thus I probably know you all much better than I care to admit(maybe i'll admit it later)and you don't know me at all..For some reason the list scared me at first, there was talk about traffic rules and racial tension and other "interesting" talk, because of it (I obviously didn't read the thread to closely because i was trying to figure out if it was correct list) but it soon evolved back into what it truthfully is: a list with a bunch of people who get into lot's of fun quasi-political, music musing, and other kinds of "discourse"....now for me..My name is Seth and I'm up in Vermont going to school at Vt college in a program called New College. Where most of the work is self directed (Anthropolgy) and where the school campus is set up on the internet..pretty wacky but fun... Very happily got see the Boys this Monday in Boston and of course loved the noise I heard there by dint of the energy, craftmanship, and joy I saw up there on stage. Plus they played almost everything I wanted! Normally I'm not a demanding concert goer but c'mon its the Soft Boys of course i'm gonna have some preconceived wishes..and hell everyone in the audience was happy too...last time I saw Robyn in Boston he had to tell two chatty people to quiet down because it was an acoustic set..and they retorted "yeah but aren't you talking?" which the illogic seemed to fluster Robyn and Grant..I mean don't argue with the performer...has anyone else seen similar? If you were at the Boston show this week you might remember me as the tallish Jesus lookin' long haired and bearded fellow sitting on the bar stage left with the green girl's scout t-shirt (yup it was cheap) Anyways its been fun and strangely educating to read this list and hopefully I'll be able to teach you all something too(but don't hold me to it)...oh and let's see I think I'll leave with one cd recommend...I think many of you would enjoy (I don't think it's been mentioned) the Kingsbury Manx self titled debut, its far superior to many of the hordes of Brian Wilson popsters and it none too garish to the ear. Both gentle and adventureous..mix in some 71' Floyd, Gomez like eclecticism, a brave pop sensibility and a sense of beautiful languid patience and you've got one of the better cd's I've heard in a while... Cheers! Seth"Ultimate"Frisby _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 01 Apr 2001 08:51:31 +0930 From: the minister of misinformation Subject: Pres shrub's environmental record -FWD from Luna We told you Shrub would be a disaster, but would you listen, ooooh, nooooo ! Well now he's showing his true colours .Fegs, write, write write, deluge the bastards with messages deploring the actions on Global warming and all the other shit he's trying to pull ! Commodore Lang Statement by Senator Barbara Boxer On President Bush's Environmental Record March 22, 2001 In an interview with the New York Times, President Bush said "Prosperity will mean little if we leave future generations a world of polluted air, toxic lakes and rivers and vanished forests." [New York Times, 4/4/00] Well, after 60 days of the Bush Administration prosperity is in trouble, air quality is in trouble, lakes, rivers and forests are in trouble and our drinking water is in trouble too. Let's look at President Bush's environmental record after only 60 days in office. He wants to drill in a wildlife refuge. He backed down on a promise to the American people to curb the greenhouse gas, C02. He moved to block efforts to protect a third of our national forests from roads and logging. He repealed the rule that requires mining companies not to destroy the environment or endanger public health. Now in a stunning announcement, the Bush Administration repealed tough scientific based standards for arsenic in drinking water. I've been in elected office for 25 years and I have never met one person who defends high levels of arsenic in our drinking water. The arsenic standard that the Bush Administration has put into effect as of now, is a standard set in 1942. It ignores years of scientific research. And it does not come close to meeting the world-wide accepted standard of 10 parts per billion. Every one of our trading partners in the European Union has this 10 parts per billion standard that he is repealing. Yesterday, Christie Todd Whitman said the 10 parts per billion standard wasn't based on science and it was done too quickly. Well, here is the 10 parts per billion rule as published in the Federal Register. It is 92 pages long and is based on at least 5 years of Congressionally mandated studies. Let's be clear. We believe that George W. Bush has declared war on the environment. But, we are here today to tell him that we will fight him in that war -- regulation by regulation, legislation by legislation, standard by standard, confrontation by confrontation. We know that exposure to unsafe levels of arsenic causes all kinds of cancer. Lung cancer, skin cancer, and bladder cancer. We know that it causes other severe health problems, including damage to the central nervous system and cardiovascular disease. We know that it can cause reproductive problems and birth defects. Studies conducted by the National Academy of Sciences have shown that 1 in every 100 people who drink water containing arsenic at the old standard may develop cancer. That's a risk factor 10,000 times higher than the amount allowed by EPA in food. Congress recognized the undeniable health threats posed by arsenic several years ago, passing the Safe Drinking Water Act Amendments of 1996. This legislation, which passed unanimously by the Senate, called upon EPA to update its standard for arsenic in drinking water by January 2001. EPA followed through with this task by setting a new drinking water standard in January at 10 parts per billion. This standard is based on a decade of sound, peer-reviewed science and will improve drinking water for 13 million people once fully implemented. We need this standard. But instead, the Bush Administration has ignored the science. That is why my colleagues and I are announcing several steps that we plan to take to ensure that this standard is not repealed by the Bush Administration. First, we are asking Acting EPA General Counsel Anna Wolgast to defend Administrator Whitman's cancellation of this new standard. Second, we are prepared to use the Congressional Review Act to overturn the Bush Administration's repeal of this new standard. Third, I have drafted legislation with Chuck Schumer that would set the same standard for arsenic levels in our drinking water at 10 parts per billion, recommended by EPA in January. I understand that Bill Nelson is working on similar legislation. As a long time supporter of efforts to reduce arsenic levels in drinking water, I urge Administrator Whitman and the Bush Administration to reconsider their proposal to withdraw this standard. President Bush, we will NOT stand by while you turn back the clock on our public health standards. But rest assured: If you won't do what is in the best interest of the American people, we will. Handwritten letters are the most effective. To find out who your lawmakers are and their contact information visit: http://www.vote-smart.org/index.phtml You can also send email comments directly to the President at: president@whitehouse.gov The online comment section for the White House seems to have been eliminated. We suggest sending an inquiry to the webmaster at the site listed below. Ask why you can no longer comment online other than to the President's direct email. There is also no longer an (800) number given for calling the White House. http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/ ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 31 Mar 2001 18:49:57 -0600 From: steve Subject: Re: Pres shrub's environmental record -FWD from Luna On Saturday, March 31, 2001, at 05:21 PM, the minister of misinformation wrote: > We told you Shrub would be a disaster, but would you listen, ooooh, > nooooo ! Well now he's showing his true colours .Fegs, write, write > write, deluge the bastards with messages deploring the actions on Global > warming and all the other shit he's trying to pull ! Well, I *hope* that no Feg voted for Bush because they thought he was a "different kind of Republican". I, a lifelong Texan, told them time and again that every word that came out of his mouth was a FUCKING LIE. And I told you he was nothing more than a figurehead for the various Republican interests. That's why they're cutting off press conferences - he looks like a boob every time he opens his mouth. It won't directly effect Commodore Lang, but wait until it becomes obvious that the Federalist Society is running the "Justice" Department and the federal courts - it won't be pretty. When Republicans talk about principle, remember this - the only principle they really believe in is the exercise of power. I regret that I'm not articulate enough to express the true depth of my contempt for Bush. - - Steve __________ Is this thing on? Sent via OS X Mail. ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 31 Mar 2001 20:00:06 -0500 From: Eric Loehr Subject: !!HITCHCOCK TRIVIA PURSUIT!! WIN NO PRIZES!! IMPRESS NO ONE!! At 09:44 PM 3/31/01 -0000, Kay wrote: >!!HITCHCOCK TRIVIA PURSUIT!! WIN NO PRIZES!! IMPRESS NO ONE!! >The Kinks song in question has a clear relationship to RH. What is the song >and what is the relationship? >CLUE: I firmly believe that this song, along with The Spinners "Mighty Love" >deserves inclusion in the next ed. of the Anglican Hymnal. >HAZARD: Theres a slight trick in the wording. > My guess would be God's Children, from the movie Percy, written by Raymond H. Hmm...maybe not though...no trick in the wording? (of the title anyway)... Eric ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 31 Mar 2001 20:23:46 -0600 From: David Librik Subject: Soft Boys, Chicago, 30-March-2001 Soft Boys in Chicago, Friday March 30th - show report I saw the re-formed Soft Boys last night in Chicago at the Metro. John Wesley Harding and his band, the Radical Gentlemen, opened for them. This note is the whole story of my trip. If you just want to read about the show, skip down to HERE BEGINNETH THE SHOW REVIEW. I drove up from Normal, Illinois to Chicago Friday afternoon, a trip of about two and a half hours. I had whanged my leg earlier in the month, and this was my first long road trip ... a medical sacrifice made necessary by the occasion. Stretching out at a truck stop along the way, I asked a bunch of truckers what they were watching on TV, and was told that a maniac with a gun had shut down the Dan Ryan expressway. I decided to take a longer route. (Dunno what happened with the maniac. Maybe they elected him mayor.) Most of my driving time was spent trying to find somewhere to park. (I hate visiting Chicago.) Here's a hint for all you out-of-towners going to shows at The Metro: stop across the street at Wrigleysville Hot Dogs, and the store manager will happily take your ten bucks for a night's worth of extremely convenient parking. I went first to the Gingerman, the bar next to the Metro, but I couldn't spot anyone I knew. Working down the list of dining suggestions, I went next to Goose Island, where I spotted Eddie Tews in the back with three other people: Ed 'Doc' Doxtator, Carissa, and Doc's non-feg friend whose name I've forgotten. Doc and Carissa are the human incarnations of energetic goofiness and I highly recommend that everyone meet them and buy them a beer. Eddie I didn't get to talk to very much; he seemed a bit preoccupied -- maybe too much travelling and concern for his tape recordings? After a beer, scrounging leftover food, and amusingly disgusting nose-food stunts by Carissa, we set off for the Metro, where the line was LONG. (I guess I shouldn't be surprised by this. The Soft Boys Story has been pretty successful with big-city newspapers. Matador has captured the imagination of editors and reporters, I guess, and a lot of people have heard of the "legendary brilliant Soft Boys and their lost classic album." I am ecstatic, of course, since I've always wanted Underwater Moonlight in the hands of every pop music fan ... but it does make getting into shows a little more difficult.) We met Dolph, bearer of tickets, in the line, and there also met Aaron, Rose, Dave Witzany, Rae, and other people who will no doubt write me nasty e-mail for forgetting them. Dolph's wife Becca met us in the auditorium. Eddie had a bit of trouble with his recorder and the wankers at the front door, and I had a bit of trouble deciding what SB's merch to pick up (I went with a dark blue crab T-shirt, but there was also a cool white button with a crab on it that said "The Soft Boys" that I probably should have picked up, as well as lots of CDs -- bring cash if you go to a show). We positioned ourselves down by the stage, and short folks like myself got up in front. John Wesley Harding and the Radical Gentlemen opened, and they played a lot of good catchy rock songs (including one that can be described as "Waterloo Sunset, Part II") but none I recognized from the few early-90s JWH CDs I own. Interesting but useless fact: the bassist for this band is Chris Von Sneidern, mid-90s pop star in San Francisco. Between bands, Carissa brought out balloons, and we inflated them, decorated them, and wrote song requests on them. HERE BEGINNETH THE SHOW REVIEW, FOR ALL YOU BUSY TYPES WHO SKIPPED THE FUN STUFF. The short review is: this was one of the most exciting shows I've seen in years. The band was full of energy, playing off each other, clearly delighted be stepping back to late adolescence and rocking out. Of course, I was also full of energy, going bananas because I finally got to hear a band whose music I'd loved and collected for years -- my fellow fegs and Matthew Seligman (who we stood in front of) can both attest to my muppetlike bouncing up next to the stage. If you like the Soft Boys you should make a real effort to travel to one of these shows, even if you have to drive five hours with a gimp leg! Carissa snagged the "official" set list -- note that this is NOT the same as the true set list, since they were playing fast and loose. Hopefully Eddie or someone else can post the real list, including the encore songs. This is the list we nabbed, though: Sideways Q. of E's Reptile Bells of Rhymney [I requested this one by writing it on one of Carissa's balloons and tossing it up on stage. I think this is the only one of our requests that they played. To me, this is the definitive version of the song, and I've used it to introduce people to Idris Davies' poetry.] Pervert Mind Is Connected [a new song] Kingdom Of Love Destroy You [dedicated to George W. Bush] Evil Guy [!!!! a Queen Elvis outtake !!!! what's the story?] Leppo [alas they did not play this one, but they did play The Face Of Death later on] Moonlight Sudden Town [another new song] Jealous SET OFF IN A LITTLE BOX PROBABLY MEANING "ENCORE": Human M. Astro [they played Astronomy Domine by Syd Barrett! My life is now complete!!] Train [this is Train Round The Bend by the Velvet Underground] Kennedy [Mr. Kennedy, a third new song] Further encore songs included "Rock and Roll Toilet," with the new couplet: "I'd rather die that get an honest job / I'm gonna rock 'n' roll till the toilet clogs!" which are certainly words I intend to live by, The Face Of Death, and a new one called The Pulse Of My Heart. So we got all of Underwater Moonlight except for Positive Vibrations (maybe they didn't have a sitar) and I Got The Hots (though we did request that one). It seems like the band is re-learning (or, in the case of Matthew Seligman, learning) the older stuff as the tour goes on. Matthew, who I got to see best, really looked like he was enjoying being in a rock band again. He decorated the stage with our balloons. It was enlightening to me to see how simple his bass-lines were -- a lot of the stuff I had assumed was bass-guitar work was actually Robyn hitting the low strings (e.g. the intro to Insanely Jealous), but what he did play was rock-solid and invigorated the music -- like John Entwistle in The Who. Robyn started the show looking very tall and old, like one of those mighty rainforest trees, and as the show went on he got more and more menacing (Old Pervert worked better now than at age 30) until he was just wonderfully creepy -- perfect. Kimberly Rew was, of course, having a blast; the muppet analogy is right on. He looks like a happy Soft Boys fan playing air guitar (facial expressions, singing along to himself, hair shaking, big grins) except it's real guitar and it's got that old Soft Boys harsh counterpoint that the Egyptians missed. Morris I couldn't see: his head was behind a cymbal, but he sounded lick-for-lick accurate to me. There were several new songs which you probably want to hear about. Eddie made a tape (I hope) so they may be going out over the networks soon. What's interesting to me is how they sounded like Robyn's current work -- Mr. Kennedy starts like Beautiful Queen. When the SB's reformed last, in 1994, Robyn wrote a "new Soft Boys song" called Zipper In Your Spine; it really did sound like '79 all over again both musically and lyrically. It was a real throwback that wasn't really done justice by the acoustic K Records solo single it was released on (try to get a copy of the SB's Mark Radcliffe show to hear Zipper in its full glory). But, on the other hand, that didn't go anywhere -- it wasn't Robyn's current style or direction. The new songs I heard tonight (Mind Is Connected, Sudden Town, Mr. Kennedy, Pulse Of My Heart) could easily be on the next Robyn Hitchcock CD, and I hope this means that they'll be there with Kimberly, Matthew, and Morris. HERE ENDETH THE SHOW REVIEW. MOVE ALONG, THERE'S NOTHING TO SEE HERE. After the show I boosted Carissa over the fence and she snagged the set list above. Later she got Morris to autograph it. Whee! It takes forever to get out of the Metro because coat check and merchandise buying takes place in the same little room, but patience and a sense of humor (and a plastic cow with a chicken's head) will finally see you out the door. After a final drink and chat at Goose Island, me and my leg (which was hurting pretty bad by this point, thanks for asking) drove on back down to Normal, accompanied by Soft Boys tapes and positive vibrations. The summary: (1) Go see the Soft Boys -- it's really them, oozing with all the energy and loathing that made them loveable. (2) FEGS ARE THE NICEST PEOPLE. - - David Librik ------------------------------ End of fegmaniax-digest V10 #101 ********************************