From: owner-fegmaniax-digest@smoe.org (fegmaniax-digest) To: fegmaniax-digest@smoe.org Subject: fegmaniax-digest V11 #173 Reply-To: fegmaniax@smoe.org Sender: owner-fegmaniax-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-fegmaniax-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk fegmaniax-digest Sunday, May 26 2002 Volume 11 : Number 173 Today's Subjects: ----------------- robyn in Toronto confirmed [*twofangs / rand* ] B7, PI [grutness@surf4nix.com (James Dignan)] i'll tell ya about my drugs [*twofangs / rand* ] rap in grey [drew ] jewels for me [drew ] robyn in winnipeg [invader woj ] off topic- hp scanner [mike hooker ] Re:Who'd a thunk... ["Russ Reynolds" ] Re: i'll tell ya about my drugs [Jeff Dwarf ] record review [Jason Thornton ] Re: rap in grey [Jeffrey with 2 Fs Jeffrey ] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sat, 25 May 2002 14:43:41 -0400 From: *twofangs / rand* Subject: robyn in Toronto confirmed Hey, Just got a phone call from a friend who took a peak at "Now Magazine" - a free T.O. publication involving arts, entertainment and politics. Let me quote the ad: *Soft Boys 'n' Egyptians vocalist Robyn Hitchcock Wed July 24 @ Horseshoe $12.00 in advance* I'm going to get "Elixirs and Remedies" and make it a full Robyn-fest provided Robyn wants to do it. (haven't heard back from him yet) Cheers! fading back into yesterday before tomorrow comes, Randi Toronto, Ontario, Canada *what scares you most will set you free* ~ Robyn Hitchcock *by endurance we conquer* ~ Sir Ernest Shackleton ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 26 May 2002 07:23:07 +1200 From: grutness@surf4nix.com (James Dignan) Subject: B7, PI >(sigh) Where's Paul Darrow when you really need him.* last seen playing the part of a sleazy 'pay-by-the-hour' hotel owner, in the weird and occasionally wonderful "The strangerers" (IIRC by the same writers as Red Dwarf) >maybe it's because PI was the first Robyn album I bought, but the >production doesn't bug me as much as it does a lot of people. that's >not to say that i don't agree that it's too slick at some points -- but >i think that it's not that fatal a flaw (though "vegetation and dimes" >and "ride" could have easily been replace by "Dark green energy.") ditto. I had known about the soft boys (and heard UM), but not really known much about them, when I first stumbled across a RH album - PI - shortly after it came out. I was hooked. It's only in more recent times that it's slid down the rankings of my Robyn favourites. I suspect it's possibly a good album to wean people onto Robyn with, if they're not used to the strangeness and quirkiness of typical Hitchcock fare. 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: Sat, 25 May 2002 16:15:27 -0400 From: *twofangs / rand* Subject: i'll tell ya about my drugs *jon - I must say I find "tell me about your drugs" to be a wicked little tune. Granted - I used it as inspiration for an audio visual presentation that garnered me an award and a chunk o' money ... but I commune with that song. Maybe it's having Crohn's Disease which forces me to take at least 50 pills a day ... but that song just takes the edge off it all. If I showed you my interpretation of the song you'd like it more I bet. It's funny, you find it blustery and repetitive. I think it needs to be that repetitive to work. I see the lyrics as a poem ... the music as *finally, some rocking out!* The words and music go so well together ... imho What does 'blustery' mean to you - the music, not the lyrics? Good G-d, I don't know what song "Rabbit Train" is. Shame on me ;-} *jason - thanks for the tip - I do want both "One Nil" and "One All" so I'll check out the site as soon as I press send on this email *kay - I'm razor ready Hhhmmm - Robyn talk, Robyn list ... thought that just went with the territory ;-} I'm glad I missed a phase of no Robyn - I kinda get sleepy when that happens. But heck - I'm back and I vow to always have some Robyn content in my posts. ( G-d what have I just said?! :-} ) *jeff - I did some quick research on Paul Fox ... He played synth on the Pointer Sisters album "Break Out" - 1990 - remember the songs "Jump (for my love)" & "I'm so Excited" ... yuck ... Synth player on Natalie Cole's 1990 release "Dangerous" Drum programmer on "Emotional" - Jeffrey Osbourne's 1990 release All Music Guide quote: "You Should Be Mine (The Woo Woo Song)" (by Jeffrey Osbourne) has the perky, '80s synth overload matched with threadbare lyrics." Did Robyn not read this?! I can't wait to ask him :-} Maybe Robyn was too busy with Cynthia ... being in love ... breaking up ... getting engaged ... breaking up ... that he let A&M suggest the producer. Or maybe A&M forced Paul Fox on RH&E. Here's a quick bio courtesy the AMG: ********************************************************** Though better known as a producer, Paul Fox entered the music industry as the guitarist in the noted U.K. punk outfit the Ruts, who scored a British Top Ten hit in 1979 with "Babylon's Burning." Their debut LP The Crack appeared later that year, but the group's rise was cut short in the wake of frontman Malcolm Owen's drug-related death in mid 1980. They continued on under the name Ruts DC before disbanding in 1981 after the release of the album Animal Now, at which time Fox became a sought-after session player, appearing on recordings from the Pointer Sisters, Rod Stewart and Natalie Cole. His production career began with XTC's 1989 album Oranges and Lemons, followed in 1991 by Robyn Hitchcock's Perspex Island. In 1992, Fox enjoyed his most successful year to date, helming not only 10, 000 Maniacs' smash Our Time in Eden but also the Sugarcubes' swan song Stick Around for Joy. Texas' Ricks Road and the Straitjacket Fits' Blow followed in 1993, and a year later he returned with They Might Be Giants' John Henry and Phish's Hoist. Albums from Edwin McCain, Semisonic and Grant Lee Buffalo appeared in the years which followed. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide ********************************************************** Paul Fox played keyboards on Edie Brickell & New Bohemians 1990 release "Ghost of a Dog" He also produced the Wallflowers's debut in 1992 ... He was credited with "keyboards, synthesizer, producer, programming, loop" in 1995 on 'Anubian Lights' debut album "Eternal Sky" (maybe he was always into electronic ambient music and punk rock and r&b - - but hell - what *was* he doing on "Perspex" in 1991?) Can't wait to find out. we all get hit by forces that we just don't understand, Randi Toronto, Ontario, Canada *what scares you most will set you free* ~ Robyn Hitchcock *by endurance we conquer* ~ Sir Ernest Shackleton *I wouldn't be me if she wasn't her* ~ Robyn Hitchcock ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 25 May 2002 14:45:24 -0700 From: drew Subject: rap in grey > From: Jeffrey with 2 Fs Jeffrey > > On Fri, 24 May 2002, Natalie Jane wrote: > >> my tendency to hate the songs that everyone else loves... I hate the >> Chalkhillian favorite "Wrapped in Grey," also.) > > Well, good we agree on something then. Far too somber, funereal, > tedious - > yeah, I know, there's that title - but it just doesn't do much for me. > Even though i love its distant cousin "The Last Balloon." Weird -- to me, "The Last Balloon" is much more somber, funereal, and tedious, perhaps because there's no uplifting chorus. > From: glen uber >> The Yip Song, > > I liked it from the first time I heard it. I like it even more now > that I > realize the lyrics are so ironic given the tone of the music. The tune > is > almost like a child's lullaby, but the lyrics are an elegy to a dying > man. I think it's brilliant! "Lullaby"? You could sleep to it? :) I like it even less hearing it live and solo -- it just does not work. I'd get bored singing it by the second bar. >> Lady Waters and the Hooded One, > > I don't know how I forgot this one in my first post. I always skip this > song and consider it one of the low points of that era of Robyn's > career. Love it. Such a disappointment when that dirge "The Black Crow Knows" cuts in right afterwards. Drew ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 25 May 2002 15:12:48 -0700 From: drew Subject: jewels for me > From: "Jonathan Fetter" > Most of JfS. I un-like it so much that I can't think of particular > songs that > I don't care for other than "NASA Clapping" and "Cheese Alarm." Is > "Viva Sea- > Tac" on there too? All of these songs seem gimmicky--hear them once, > that's > enough. I wasn't sure about JfS when it came out but I'm a believer now. The more "gimmicky" songs make up for it, to me, by the energetic performances -- "NASA Clapping," in particular, is one of the most exciting guitar performances I've ever heard on a Robyn record, thanks mostly to Kimberley of course. Everything from "NASA Clapping" through to "Guildford" is exhilarating to me. And I have yet to get sick of "Gene Hackman" -- I'm not sure why. > From: grutness@surf4nix.com (James Dignan) > >> I'm not sure why I never liked Star Trek all that much. I think it's >> something to do with the fact that a quasimilitary group prowling >> the universe being incredibly bland is not my idea of an idealized >> future. > > It was always too white-bread, comfortable, middle-America in space (no > offence intended) for me, if you know what I mean. I know exactly what you mean and I agree. >> I never liked either as much >> as I liked Doctor Who. Unfortunately, as I get older and watch some >> of those old episodes, I see that the theory of Doctor Who was always >> much more potent than the practice. > > true. But a lot of that is the creakiness of the sets and acting - i.e., > typical 60s/70s television. I can and do forgive that. It's the thinness of the plots and flimsiness of the storylines that are starting to grate. Maybe I've just seen them too many times. > Also remember it was originally aimed at the > younger age group. Of course, and it worked like gangbusters for me at that age. > A friend of mine recently pressed a book into my hands and said 'read > this > - - no, really'. It was a Doctor Who novelisation, or more accurately, > one of > the "New Adventures", a story written in the Doctor Who universe after > the > series ended. I hate those. I haven't read a single one of them that was better than tolerable. I think the problem is that they tend to be _too_ focused on being well-written and literary, and end up seeming either pretentious or unfocused or both. The new companions are deadly dull and very self-consciously Complex and Solid, and the Doctor's character never seems quite right to me. I really wish there were some good ones but I have yet to find them (and I've read almost all the ones that the fans rave about). > From: Jill Brand > If I don't like a song by someone I otherwise adore, I don't assume that > it is inherently bad. I just may not like it. Same here -- although some songs I dislike _are_ inherently bad :), I don't actually think any of Robyn's songs are what I'd consider "bad songs." I honestly can't think of a single one I'd label that way. > From: Jeff Dwarf > > i think that it's not that fatal a flaw (though "vegetation and dimes" > and "ride" could have easily been replace by "Dark green energy.") Not on my version, please! For a while "Vegetation and Dimes" was one of my favorite songs on there. I actually don't dislike the production so much as the opening songs on both sides, and when I skip those, I really enjoy the album. "Earthly Paradise" is one of Robyn's most gorgeous, wonderful songs. > From: "Michael Wells" > > Blakes7 ! Courtesy of Terry Nation, the finest space opera ever. Best > storylines, worst sets, worst acting, worst special effects, worst > 'location' shooting, pretty much worst everything. But Lord, what > scripts. 100% agree with you -- but it's important to note that the "worst acting" goes hand in hand with "best characters." Blake's 7 is the perfect antidote to Star Trek in my book -- every protagonist is a criminal and you never get a chance to forget how ruthless each one of them is, in their own way. And Jacqueline Pearce as the Best Villain Ever. I think she might have been able to have Darth Vader for lunch if she had her wits about her that day. Khan would have been kissing her spiked heels in minutes. > Michael "if you think fegs are scary, wait til you meet the Blakes7 fan > club" Wells Well, yes, there is that. Drew ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 25 May 2002 20:36:23 -0400 From: invader woj Subject: robyn in winnipeg another confirmed canadian date. see for more details. >From: woaca >Date: Fri May 24, 2002 12:25 am >Subject: Robyn in Winnipeg >To: RobyhHitchcockClub@yahoogroups.com > >Hi, >I just bought tickets for Robyn's gig July 30 at the West End >Cultural Center here in Winnipeg! (Manitoba, Canada. ;-) >I also found used "Remain in Light" and "Black Snake Diamond Role" >CD's today as well! >AND, my wife agreed to come with me to see him!!! >Does life get any better than this???? > >Mike ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 25 May 2002 21:35:58 -0400 From: mike hooker Subject: off topic- hp scanner hi, i'd like to be able to provide scans of artwork i get with trades. i was given a HP scanjet IIcx, along with the scsi cable. is it worth bothering trying to use it with a pc? i have an adaptec ap-10 scsi card, and an older future domain scsi card, both have the smaller( scsi2 ?) external port that wont fit the cable i have. do i get a new card, a new cable, an adapter, or a dumpster ? are docs and software available? the HP site doesnt support it under win98. please contact me off line if you can help. thanks much please see my music trading page: New URL http://hometown.aol.com/mhooker216/myhomepage/index.html being its AOL, its not always up. try it a few times, or ask me for a text list. thanks have fun, mike hooker ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 25 May 2002 21:12:08 -0700 From: "Russ Reynolds" Subject: Re:Who'd a thunk... > I never thought that my little comment about finding Sinister But Happy > would generate such a ROBYN discussion on this list. Hey, speaking of Sinister But Happy, have any other SF Bay Area fegs heard it playing on channel 54 (cable 10) yet? I've heard the intro used as the music bed on two unrelated promo spots in the past six months or so. Somebody in their production department is a Hitchcock fan, obviously. I like Sinister But Happy, in case you're keeping score. - -rUss np: Yardbirds/Ultimate! Dylan/Blood on the Tracks Fountains of Wayne/Utopia Parkway Tubes/Remote Control Hitchcock/Jewels For Sophia ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 26 May 2002 00:22:57 -0700 (PDT) From: Jeff Dwarf Subject: Re: i'll tell ya about my drugs *twofangs / rand* wrote: > *jeff - I did some quick research on Paul Fox ... > > He played synth on the Pointer Sisters album "Break Out" - 1990 - > remember the songs "Jump (for my love)" & "I'm so Excited" ... yuck > ... > > Synth player on Natalie Cole's 1990 release "Dangerous" > > Drum programmer on "Emotional" - Jeffrey Osbourne's 1990 release assuming it's the same paul fox (All-Music doesn't always do a great job of separating people with the same name apart), i'm not sure i'm willing to hold someone's session playing against them. you have to pay your bills, after all. Paul Fox almost has to have been chosen to do PI because of Oranges & Lemons. > All Music Guide quote: > "You Should Be Mine (The Woo Woo Song)" (by Jeffrey Osbourne) has the > perky, '80s synth overload matched with threadbare lyrics." > > Did Robyn not read this?! does Robyn even know who Jeffrey Osbourne is? I mean, I've heard of him, been subjected to that song far too many times, and even _I'M_ not sure who he is.... > I can't wait to ask him :-} > > Maybe Robyn was too busy with Cynthia ... being in love ... breaking > up ... getting engaged ... breaking up ... that he let A&M suggest > the producer. > > Or maybe A&M forced Paul Fox on RH&E. anyone know what Robyn thinks of Oranges & Lemons? ===== "This week, the White House says President Bush meant no disrespect when he referred to the Pakistani people as 'Pakis.' But just to be on the safe side, White House staffers have cancelled his trip to Nigeria" -- Tina Fey, Saturday Night Live's "Weekend Update" "To announce that there must be no criticism of the president or that we are to stand by the president right or wrong is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public." -- Theodore Roosevelt . Yahoo! - Official partner of 2002 FIFA World Cup http://fifaworldcup.yahoo.com ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 26 May 2002 09:33:15 -0700 From: Jason Thornton Subject: record review How much more on topic can this get? http://www.icemagazine.com/digital/dd_182.shtm ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 26 May 2002 18:14:19 -0500 (CDT) From: Jeffrey with 2 Fs Jeffrey Subject: Re: rap in grey On Sat, 25 May 2002, drew wrote: > > From: Jeffrey with 2 Fs Jeffrey > > Well, good we agree on something then. Far too somber, funereal, > > tedious - > > yeah, I know, there's that title - but it just doesn't do much for me. > > Even though i love its distant cousin "The Last Balloon." > > Weird -- to me, "The Last Balloon" is much more somber, funereal, and > tedious, perhaps because there's no uplifting chorus. I think "Last Balloon" earns its somberness etc. (although I disagree re "tedious," obviously) and is simply a much more powerful song. Assuming "uplifting" isn't just a really bad pun ;) the song *sort* of has a chorus - - even though half its lyrics are different each time ("climb aboard, climb aboard..."). I just dig the, y'know, existential despair. but: the usual blather re taste. - --Jeff J e f f r e y N o r m a n The Architectural Dance Society www.uwm.edu/~jenor/ADS.html ::the popularity of the gruesome FACES OF DEATH video series is ::apparently so great that a children's version is in production, ::to be called FACES OF OWIES. np: drill with sander attachment: Rose is going nuts in the bathroom. We *did* just see "Pi" last night, but uh, there's no relation there. ------------------------------ End of fegmaniax-digest V11 #173 ********************************