From: owner-fegmaniax-digest@smoe.org (fegmaniax-digest) To: fegmaniax-digest@smoe.org Subject: fegmaniax-digest V12 #196 Reply-To: fegmaniax@smoe.org Sender: owner-fegmaniax-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-fegmaniax-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk fegmaniax-digest Saturday, May 31 2003 Volume 12 : Number 196 Today's Subjects: ----------------- '80's singers nobody cares about anymore... ["Rex.Broome" ] Re: Outlaw Blues [Barbara Soutar ] Re: Whoops! ["Maximilian Lang" ] Re: Outlaw Blues [grutness@surf4nix.com (James Dignan)] RE: Spring mix swap ["Timothy Reed" ] Re: Bunnymaniax [Marc Holden ] Re: Spring mix swap ["Michael Wells" ] No longer thirty-something... [joe.cushley@btopenworld.com] gnatmaniax, again ["Natalie Jane" ] reap [grutness@surf4nix.com (James Dignan)] just glad that people read [Jill Brand ] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 30 May 2003 18:39:39 -0700 From: "Rex.Broome" Subject: '80's singers nobody cares about anymore... Eb: >>And really, Hot Hot Heat's resemblance to the Cure is >>isolated within the singer's vocal style. The music on the tune reminded me of the Cure circa, ironically enough, "Hot Hot Hot" and that Kiss Me X3 album. But a little more on the honest side of that stuff, a little more Gang of Four. I'd concede that there'e more Cure that doesn't sound like that tune than Cure that does. Anyhow I kinda liked it. ___________ Jeff D: >>It sounds much more like a singer-songwriter album that a Bunnymen >>record. It reminds me of _What are You Gonna Do With Your Life?_ Hmmm. Wonder if I'd like it. I liked McCulloch on WAYGDWYL but I ultimately feel burned by it as a Bunnymen record. Although I guess it's fair that he gets to do a Bunnymen record as a solo guy since the rest of them made a Bunnymen album without *him*. Bottom line is that I kinda feel like I've already gotten screwed into owning a Mac solo record without deciding I wanted one. "Flowers" was pretty damned good, though. I guess my perception of "Bunnymen-sounding" falls more along Jeff's lines (a good helping of Will's guitar) than Jason's (a more scrappy "band" sound as heard on the first few LP's). While I can see both perspectives, I do hear WAYGDWYL as distinct from the other two "reunion" records so I'd guess that's how I'd hear this one. Undecided, but thanks for the input. - -Rex "and hey, there's the cover of the Liz Phair record, and apparently her guitar has a wang bar on both sides" Broome ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 30 May 2003 19:15:35 -0700 From: Barbara Soutar Subject: Whoops! Double whoops. I misspelled Daniel Lanois in a previous post and then I accidently sent a letter for my friend Karla to the feglist. Oh, and despite being Canadian I am no longer a user of cannibis. I am VERY tolerant of people using it around me, but find it makes me lie around like a fat cat, purring and eating. It's now becoming legal to possess it here but too late for me! Barbara Soutar Victoria, British Columbia ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 30 May 2003 19:28:47 -0700 From: Barbara Soutar Subject: Re: Outlaw Blues Catherine said: >Back in the mid 70's, on his "Rock of the Westies" album, Elton John did a >song called "I Feel Like a Bullet (in the Gun of Robert Ford)". It's one of >my favorite old songs of his... check it out for a bit of nostalgia. > Thanks, I will listen. I tend to like the kind of wordplay involved in that album title. Barbara Soutar Victoria, British Columbia ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 30 May 2003 22:36:37 -0400 From: "Maximilian Lang" Subject: Re: Whoops! >From: Barbara Soutar >To: FEGMANIAX DIGEST >Subject: Whoops! >Date: Fri, 30 May 2003 19:15:35 -0700 >Oh, and despite being Canadian I am no longer a user of cannibis. I am VERY >tolerant of people using it around me, but find it makes me lie around like >a fat cat, purring and eating. It's now becoming legal to possess it here >but too late for me! Wait, what, where? I am on my way. Any property for sale? Max _________________________________________________________________ MSN 8 helps eliminate e-mail viruses. Get 2 months FREE*. http://join.msn.com/?page=features/virus ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 31 May 2003 17:45:23 +1200 From: grutness@surf4nix.com (James Dignan) Subject: Re: Outlaw Blues >Back in the mid 70's, on his "Rock of the Westies" album, Elton John did a >song called "I Feel Like a Bullet (in the Gun of Robert Ford)". It's one of >my favorite old songs of his... check it out for a bit of nostalgia ;) > >Catherine > >>Wondered who Robert Ford was, so used that handy item called the >>internet to look it up. Turns out that he's the guy who killed Jesse >>James. When I looked at a photo of him, I found there was minimal >>resemblance but perhaps when the song was written it was true. Anyway, >>it's fun to settle these things after wondering about them. "Robert Ford, a gunman, in exchange for his parole, Took the life of James the outlaw, which he snuck up on and stole" - "Frank and Jesse James" (Warren Zevon) People should be taught the classics James (who now has less gaps in his early Bowie collection, and an unofficial CD of one of Eno's more famous rarities) 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, 31 May 2003 03:18:12 -0400 From: "Timothy Reed" Subject: RE: Spring mix swap Busted on a couple of counts. First, not all these bands are northeast, 'cept I first heard them in the northeast - Pearl Harbor, Producers, Bangles for starters - and AAS for one are definitely not power pop, but I've been listening to them a lot lately. Anyway, Zumpano are from the Northeast US city of Vancouver and still tour/record. I've only heard that one song of theirs. True Love are from New Jersey and play tight Producers-style pop. They're better than their peers at Arlene's Grocery in NYC and appear frequently as Richard Lloyd's live backing band. To hear them live you gotta come to NY though I've got an excellent live disk kicking around somewhere. www.trueloverocks.com Oh God, the Producers still tour. www.theproducers.org. Tim ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 31 May 2003 01:56:07 -0700 (PDT) From: Marc Holden Subject: Re: Bunnymaniax Odd to see this title (Bunnymaniax) on Jason's post--we (Jason and a friend, and myself and a friend) just spent part of the evening watching someone in a rabbit costume. We had been talking about seeing the Flaming Lips/Liz Phair/Starlight Mints show in San Diego, but didn't get everything squared away until after it sold out. I already had the weekend off from work and decided to drive out to California anyway. We stopped at Lou's Records, somewhere in north San Diego County, and accidently caught part of an in-store Jack Johnson was doing there. We got down to 4th & B pretty early, found a great parking spot, and managed to get some tickets that had just been released (the venue decided to open the balconey for the night's show). As we headed around the corner back to the car, Liz Phair arrived. She asked that we not look at her arms, because she was recovering from contact with poison oak--"I look awful". That explained the arm coverings Natalie had mentioned. She was very nice and signed my Exile in Guyville LP. We went for a walk in the area, and when we came back, Wayne Coyne was hanging around, not too far from my car. We talked for a while, and he signed/drew on my Fight Test CD single. He was also very pleasant, and made me glad I talked to him. The show was great from start to finish. We sat in the front row of the balcony, and had a good view of the audience member in the rabbit suit. The Starlight Mints were really enjoyable--nice visuals, good sense of humor, and they seemed to be very influenced by the Pixies, which I think is a good thing. Liz Phair sounded great, but the set was entirely too short (30 minutes). I would have really enjoyed another hour or so--too bad things didn't get started until after 9 pm. The last time I saw the Flaming Lips was on the Music Against Brain Degradation tour, with Robyn H. and Sebadoh, and I had not been entirely impressed by them. Tonight was, as Wayne had predicted when I mentioned the earlier tour, "about a hundred times better". What a great show. I don't even want to try to describe it, just go see it if you can. I'm totally wiped right now--I've had about 3 hours sleep each of the last 2 nights, and the drive across the desert kicked my ass. We head up to Anaheim tomorrow, to my friend's house and are considering seeing the next tour stop at the Pallium in Hollywood, in the evening. Chatter at you later, Marc ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 31 May 2003 07:06:57 -0500 From: "Michael Wells" Subject: Re: Spring mix swap Subject: Spring mix swap John gets it together before the rest of us and does his post, causing extreme guilt on my part for not having it done sooner. Anyway my disc is from swapmaster Je2frey himself, and it's a doozy: 1. (0:04 silence) 2.Tom Verlaine - "The Hawk" 3. The Wrens - "Boys, You Won't" 4. John Doe - "Sueltame" 5. Diesel Park West - "All Come to Meet Her" 6. Tom Newman - "Will You Be Mine in the Morning" 7. Jenny Tooney "Masonic Eye" 8. he Aislers Set - "Emotional Levy" 9. The Ladybug Transistor - "The Automobile Song" 10. The Negro Problem - "2 Inch Dick Mobile" 11. 12 Rods - "Split Personality" 12. Ted Leo/Pharmacists - "The High Party" 13. The Crowd Scene - "Circus Act" 14. Clyde Federal - "Silver Bootstraps" 15. Plasticland - "Coffee Skills" 16. Xiu Xiu - "Hives Hives" 17. The Books - "All Our Base Are Belong to Them" 18. The Caribbean - "History's First Know-it-All" 19. John Vanderslice - "Amitriptyline" 20. The Mamas & the Papas - "Twelve-thirty (Young Girls are Coming to the Canyon)" 21. Pearls Before Swine - "Translucent Carriages" 22. Alexander Spence - "In the Land of the Sun" Replete with artwork and liner notes, it's certainly one of the best mix discs I've ever gotten - thanks Jeffrey, for the disc and organizing the swap! Michael np: this disc ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 31 May 2003 21:00:03 +0100 (BST) From: joe.cushley@btopenworld.com Subject: No longer thirty-something... Welcome to the club James. I was 40 in December. (I'm not sure I've ever written it down like that before...it looks very starnge...) Which means that I'll be 50 on 12/12/12. Robyn was 50 on 03/03/03. I think we ought to alert Eb's mate... The One 'L' song on Luxor has a very Ono/Lennon vibe to me. Crowbar Joe White Teeth on tele stank. What was it 3, 4 episodes on a 500 page book? Pathetic. Just played an 18th Century music critic dissing Mozart on a BBC drama-doc. Some things never change, eh?! ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 31 May 2003 14:09:22 -0700 From: "Natalie Jane" Subject: gnatmaniax, again Yes, actually, I have been going to shows every weekend. This is unusual for me. This was Quasi, the Black-Eyed Snakes, and the Weisstronauts at a shindig for the big TapeOp conference that's going on this weekend. TapeOp is a magazine about home recording and producing that's based in Portland, run by Larry Crane, who may possibly be the biggest dork in existence (at least in physical appearance). Many of the audience members were conference attendees, and thus a little different from the usual hipster types who attend indie-rock shows - generally older, a bit on the geeky side, plenty of greying facial hair on the men, and come to think of it, there were way more men than women. My friends and I thought that the Weisstronauts should have come with a disclaimer reading, "In no way, shape, or form related to or involved with Janet Weiss." They played bland instrumental surf music and I postulated that they were all middle management guys who did this in their spare time. Moving on quickly... The next band was the Black-Eyed Snakes, which is Alan Sparhawk from Low, a small curly-haired guy, playin' the blues. I'm not too keen on the whole white-boy garage-y blues revival thing, but these guys were pretty damn good. They were all dressed in black and there was an extra percussionist called "The Doctor" who looked like Hunter S. Thompson. It was very funny and cool to see Sparhawk releasing all that energy he must have pent up when playing with Low - he was screaming, getting red in the face, knocking his chair over, and generally rocking out. In between songs he made flustered little comments like "This one is short," or "We'll try to put some dynamics in this one." He introduced one song by saying, "We're from Duluth, Minnesota, and the winters are long there, and there's a lot of domestic violence, and this is what happens when a good woman has a bad man." Since it was the TapeOp conference, he described how their new album was made with all the technical details. They did a Bo Diddley song (he's from Duluth too, apparently), and a Howlin' Wolf song, and it was good times. The last time I saw Quasi, a year ago, they had an extra guitarist and drummer, but now they were back to their two-piece grandeur. Sam Coomes's hair is down to his shoulders now and Janet Weiss wore the world's most awful blouse - a pink lace vintage sort of thing embellished with fake-fur epaullettes and duct tape. They started out with my favorite recent song of theirs, "It's Raining," and also played some of my other favorites like "The Happy Prole," "California," "Our Happiness is Guaranteed," "Birds," and "In the First Place." But the bulk of the set was either very old stuff or very new stuff, because I didn't recognize most of it. My friends and I particularly liked a new one called "Good Times," with an ominous keyboard part that gave way to Sam and Janet singing together virtually a capella. As usual, they were great to watch - Janet, as has been stated many times before, is a fantastic drummer, powerful and skillfull at the same time, and Sam did his whole keyboard-humping routine, nearly knocking out some of the keyboard's patch cords. At one point, Sam switched to guitar and Janet played his keyboard - I didn't know she could play, but she was pretty competent. They ended with a Led Zeppelin cover sung by Janet, which was very cool. The one distraction during all of this was the big girl next to me with the Sleater-Kinney tattoo who insisted on taking flash photos literally every 30 seconds or so. I was ready to take her camera away and smash it. If she worships Quasi so much, maybe she should've shown them some respect by not constantly popping bright lights in their faces - I could see Sam squinting as she snapped away. And of course, it was a digital camera, so she never ran out of film. Grrr... at least she stopped about 2/3 of the way through the show. After the show, I gave a tinfoil bird to Alan Sparhawk. He said he would put it on their van's dashboard and it would guide them home. He seemed as flustered off-stage as he was onstage, and after an exchange of "Thank you," "That was a good show," etc., he didn't seem to know how to end the conversation, and just stood there looking at the bird, so I thanked him again and went to join my friends who were getting Quasi's setlists from Sam. I gave him a Thoth and he said he still has his tinfoil devil with the champagne goblet I gave him at that Jonathan Richman show. I said they were like action figures, "you can collect them all." He examined the Thoth and said "Oh, this is... Thoth?" I cheered his esoteric knowledge. So one more show - the Fruit Bats - next week, and then no more live shows till I see Spoon on July 13th. So don't worry. :) n. _________________________________________________________________ MSN 8 helps eliminate e-mail viruses. Get 2 months FREE*. http://join.msn.com/?page=features/virus ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 1 Jun 2003 11:11:50 +1200 From: grutness@surf4nix.com (James Dignan) Subject: reap Mickey Most, 64 James 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, 31 May 2003 22:09:13 -0400 (EDT) From: Jill Brand Subject: just glad that people read I'm not much of a SF/fantasy reader, but I've made that point before. However, I don't dismiss them as invalid forms of literature; it's just that they generally don't do much for me. I do get a bit rough around the edges when things that I like are dismissed out of hand, which is why I came to the defence of White Teeth, which I read WAAAAAYYY before it was trendy (I'm a middle-aged teacher/mother/PTO person - Zadie Smith is not the talk of school committee meetings, believe me). I think it spoiled me for fiction for a good two years after I read it. Zadie Smith writes beautifully, and the depth of her knowledge about, well, any subject that I can think of is astonishing. In White Teeth, she spends about, I don't know, about 30 pages (more maybe?) on the crew of an army tank during WWII and their subsequent actions; my father (a WWII veteran) could not get over how a 24-year-old woman could capture the mood and essence of war and occupation (and racial tensions) the way that she does. Her new book deals with a Chinese-Jewish Londoner who has divided the world into two categories: Jewish and Goyish; he spends most of his life on that preoccupation, and his (of course Smith's) defense of it (since there is always something for everybody, he has decided to write something for noboby, since no one could possibly care about this) is hilarious. Anyway, I think that SF/fantasy buffs sometimes get very defensive for the same reason that Kinks fans get defensive. Both know that the majority of their critics knows nothing about that which they are attacking. Robyn? Jill ------------------------------ End of fegmaniax-digest V12 #196 ********************************