From: owner-fegmaniax-digest@smoe.org (fegmaniax-digest) To: fegmaniax-digest@smoe.org Subject: fegmaniax-digest V13 #7 Reply-To: fegmaniax@smoe.org Sender: owner-fegmaniax-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-fegmaniax-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk fegmaniax-digest Friday, January 9 2004 Volume 13 : Number 007 Today's Subjects: ----------------- Re: Feelm [Marcy Tanter ] Re: exobrains, ad campaigns, gherkins and marauding chickens ["Gene Hopst] Re: Feelm ["Gene Hopstetter, Jr." ] Re: Feelming Kutcher ["Gene Hopstetter, Jr." ] Re: Feelm [Christopher Gross ] Re: reap [Jeff Dwarf ] In an old age pensioner's cake... [jlewis@gator.net] Return of the King ["Iosso, Ken" ] RE: In an old age pensioner's cake... ["Matt Sewell" ] RE: Return of the King ["Iosso, Ken" ] RE: Return of the King ["Jonathan Fetter" ] New Eclectic Method montage posted ["Jay Lyall" ] RE: It's All Over the Place, Baby Blue ["Bachman, Michael" ] caretaking the legacy [Eb ] Re: winter wonderland blues, and some record reviews [jlewis@gator.net] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 09 Jan 2004 08:25:26 -0600 From: Marcy Tanter Subject: Re: Feelm At 06:15 AM 1/9/2004 -0800, Jeff Dwarf wrote: > > "Cheaper by the Dozen," playing in the same complex. > > But am I nuts, or does that new Ashton Kutcher film > > actually sound somewhat interesting? > >Only to see Bonnie Hunt and Steve Martin playing off >one another. Too bad it's in one of the movies Martin >does to, as John Cleese put it, to buy a few >paintings. I can't bring myself to see this one--the original is totally different and I can't bear to see how they wrecked it for this remake, Steve Martin or no Steve Martin. Marcy ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 09 Jan 2004 08:47:22 -0600 From: "Gene Hopstetter, Jr." Subject: Re: exobrains, ad campaigns, gherkins and marauding chickens > From: "Stewart C. Russell" > > (who may be out of a job tomorrow) Well, just get your brain back from the chicken and you'll be fine. You'll probably get promoted, too. I can help you with the chicken, if you want. He stole something of mine years ago and I'd like to get it back. I'd like him to stop following me, too. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 09 Jan 2004 08:49:12 -0600 From: "Gene Hopstetter, Jr." Subject: Re: Feelm > From: Eb > Subject: Feelm > > But am I nuts, > or does that new Ashton Kutcher film actually sound somewhat > interesting? "Dude, Where In Time Is My Car?" ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 09 Jan 2004 08:58:02 -0600 From: "Gene Hopstetter, Jr." Subject: Re: Feelming Kutcher > From: Steve Talkowski > Subject: Re: Feelm > > Apparently, Cameron Crowe saw Kutcher on the cover > of People magazine and was like, "who is this idiot - i want him OUT of > my film (Elizabethtown)" But that's already old news... Apparently, also, Kutcher blew it with The Soderbergher the same way: http://tinyurl.com/2byk6 Which is fine with me. I'd prefer not see Kutcher involved with directors I respect. I think Soderbergh can work miracles with actors I usually don't like (um, Julia Roberts, etc.), but I don't think Kutcher is worth the effort. And of course the film industry is keen to hear my important opinions ;-). I think the ones to watch from That 70s Show are Topher Grace (he nailed it in Traffic) and of course it couldn't hurt to have Laura Prepon gracing the big screen a lot. I can't imagine the Coen brothers or Altman are ringing Kutcher's agent, either. But I bet John Woo and McG are. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 09 Jan 2004 11:11:08 -0500 (EST) From: Christopher Gross Subject: Re: Feelm On Thu, 8 Jan 2004, Eb wrote: > >It was breathtaking, but had like 4 endings. > > Right...I said essentially the same thing. And I think the worst part > of the whole film might have been that near-final "Wizard of Oz" > scene in which Frodo-Dorothy lies recuperating in bed, and all > his/her happy friends dramatically come through the door, one by > one.... Ick. Treacle. I'm probably alone here, but I actually liked the way ROTK ended. First there was a false, Hollywoody ending full of joyful reunions and public honors and bowing and the general impression that everything is going to be perfect now. Then -- surprise! -- there's the *real* ending, full of melancholy and loss and "some wounds can't be healed," and elevating ordinary life over epic adventure. Jackson acted like he was going for an old-fashioned happy ending, then he subverted it. I was a little worried during the (deliberately?) treacly false ending, but after seeing the real ending, I felt he made the right decision. And of course it was true to the book, which was a plus in my opinion. One of my favorite scenes was when the four hobbits returned to the Shire and went to their favorite alehouse, happy to be there but still realizing that they don't quite fit in anymore. I thought Return of the King was definitely better than The Two Towers, but a couple of my coworkers (people whose judgement I respect -- one's even a Buffy fanatic!) preferred TTT. What do the Fegs think? - --Chris ______________________________________________________________________ Christopher Gross On the Internet, nobody knows I'm a dog. chrisg@gwu.edu ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 9 Jan 2004 08:14:11 -0800 (PST) From: Jeff Dwarf Subject: Re: reap Eb wrote: > On the other hand, there's one HAPPY reap to report: > John Edwards' repulsive "Crossing Over" show has > been cancelled. I just wanted to "acknowledge" this. Wayne Brady lost his afternoon talk thingy too. I guess Ellen DeGeneres really is kicking everyone's ass. We may not want lesbians marrying in the country, but in afternoon talk shows, except for Oprah, well, that's the place for 'em. ===== "Life is just a series of dogs." -- George Carlin __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Hotjobs: Enter the "Signing Bonus" Sweepstakes http://hotjobs.sweepstakes.yahoo.com/signingbonus ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 9 Jan 2004 11:56:09 -0500 (EST) From: jlewis@gator.net Subject: In an old age pensioner's cake... ...I'm not taking the PATH train for just anyone's sake tonight... see you at Maxwell's, folks. If anyone wants to say hey, I'll be the short guy with a long beige toggle-button coat and a purple sweater. I'm not even gonna specify that I wear glasses, cause on this list I doubt that says much. Jon Lewis (also reveling in City Of Women lately) ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 9 Jan 2004 11:10:41 -0600 From: "Iosso, Ken" Subject: Return of the King Last movie was great but about a half hour too long. Too many moments of "I love you old friend, you are a true and worthy comrade" "And you too, let us march together to battle" or long liquid stares. In the end I thought they should have given the ring to Sam. He was physically and emotionally much better prepared for the job. I know it was partly the weight of the ring that brought Frodo down but geez. Sam loved life. He loved food and women (although that part up on the rock was the first time they ever mentioned female hobbits at all) and his friends and his home and he was willing to do everything in his power to save them. Where's JRR? I want to talk to him! Ken Iosso - -----Original Message----- From: Christopher Gross [mailto:chrisg@gwu.edu] Sent: Friday, January 09, 2004 10:11 AM To: Squidmaniax! Subject: Re: Feelm On Thu, 8 Jan 2004, Eb wrote: > >It was breathtaking, but had like 4 endings. > > Right...I said essentially the same thing. And I think the worst part > of the whole film might have been that near-final "Wizard of Oz" > scene in which Frodo-Dorothy lies recuperating in bed, and all > his/her happy friends dramatically come through the door, one by > one.... Ick. Treacle. I'm probably alone here, but I actually liked the way ROTK ended. First there was a false, Hollywoody ending full of joyful reunions and public honors and bowing and the general impression that everything is going to be perfect now. Then -- surprise! -- there's the *real* ending, full of melancholy and loss and "some wounds can't be healed," and elevating ordinary life over epic adventure. Jackson acted like he was going for an old-fashioned happy ending, then he subverted it. I was a little worried during the (deliberately?) treacly false ending, but after seeing the real ending, I felt he made the right decision. And of course it was true to the book, which was a plus in my opinion. One of my favorite scenes was when the four hobbits returned to the Shire and went to their favorite alehouse, happy to be there but still realizing that they don't quite fit in anymore. I thought Return of the King was definitely better than The Two Towers, but a couple of my coworkers (people whose judgement I respect -- one's even a Buffy fanatic!) preferred TTT. What do the Fegs think? - --Chris ______________________________________________________________________ Christopher Gross On the Internet, nobody knows I'm a dog. chrisg@gwu.edu ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 09 Jan 2004 17:12:18 +0000 From: "Matt Sewell" Subject: RE: In an old age pensioner's cake... Heheheh! *adjusts glasses* >From: jlewis@gator.net I'm not even >gonna specify that I wear glasses, cause on this list I doubt that says >much. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Subscribe to MSN 8 today for a better internet experience and save over 25% on the usual price! ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 9 Jan 2004 09:55:48 -0800 From: "Rex.Broome" Subject: It's All Over the Place, Baby Blue Michael B: >> Hey Rex, Maybe if you bough a Susanna Hoffs Model 350SH >>Rickenbacker instead, you would have got the panties! They pack Neko Case's panties with the Susanna Hoffs guitar? How does Jay Roach feel about that? Eb: >>Before the film, I caught trailers for "The Mask 2" and a remake of >>"Walking Tall" (a crap film to begin with). Damn, this seriously >>exasperates me. Eb, you'll probably find this as amazing as I did: when I saw ROTK, at a theatre in the small-ass college town of Frostburg, MD (yeah, in my corner of WV you have to cross the state line to see *any* films), there was a total of exactly *one* trailer (Spider-Man 2) on the front of it. Also no other ads and not even so much as a slideshow running when we entered the theatre. Everyone else there knew each other and could be heard, I kid you not, swapping hunting stories until the film rolled. Differ'nt world. Matt: >>I've not heard their version of It's All Over >>Now, Baby Blue, though... is it anything like the Elevators'? >>The electric jug makes that version I reckon... That's a good one, too, but it does bug that Roky sings one of the verses with the wrong second half... err, that is, I think the vagabond appears in two verses, maybe in place of the painter? I forget what gets switched out, but something gets sung twice and something gets lost. Wonder how that happened? By the way, I got hit on recently for quoting that song, and happening to be wearing a Dylan t-shirt at the time. (I'm getting hit on a lot all of the sudden, dunno why.) But it was especially funny because I'd just been joking with my friend about what a crappy dresser I am, and sarcatically cited the Dylan shirt as "a total chick magnet", and then she saw this whole thing go down minutes later (so I have a witness). The interested party on this occasion was either not a grandmother, or was and simply chose not to disclose that fact, and the incident occurred not in a redneck bar but a haunted mansion. I'm gonna come right out and say that my life had been kinda weird lately. - -Rex, not willing to swear his reference to who Hoffs is married to is still correct, or ever was ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 09 Jan 2004 10:00:56 -0800 From: "Natalie Jacobs" Subject: winter wonderland blues, and some record reviews Yeah, so there's been a "winter storm" in Portland and the city has ground to a standstill... maybe 4-5 inches of snow and some freezing rain would be nothing in Michigan, but here it's a city-wide emergency. My classes were supposed to start on Tuesday, but now they've been cancelled for a fourth day in a row. Meanwhile my street remains unplowed, and my one attempt to take the car to the store met with repeated disaster - I got stuck in the snow four times and good Samaritans had to push me out. Next time I'm taking the bus... but I'm not sure if that would be much of an improvement. Needless to say, I am very, very, very bored... My TV is non-functional, so I've mostly just been listening to music, playing my guitar and knitting. I thought maybe this scarf I've been working on wouldn't be finished by the end of winter, but at this rate, I may well have a scarf of Dr. Who-like proportions by the end of today. >Ah. So that's how it is. I was briefly considering making Neko this >year's fantasy crush, just to change things up, but I can't compete with >this kind of Kansan-level attachment, so please have at thee and don't fret >about me. What?? What about Lucinda Williams?? She's going to be devastated... she'll write a whole album about your defection... Speaking of which, I went back to Ann Arbor for Christmas and, throwing my burgeoning respect for the RIAA to the winds, I went to the WCBN library and burned a whole mess of CDs. In case you were absolutely dying to know, here's what I thought of them... Gastr del Sol - Upgrade & Afterlife I wasn't expecting to like this, but I did - despite some self-indulgent bits, there's some really pretty stuff too the John Fahey cover at the end, featuring minimalist violinist Tony Conrad, is hypnotically beautiful. Fruit Bats  Echolocation On the other hand, I was expecting to like this mellow folky stuff a lot better than I did four songs into it I got bored and turned it off. It needs more  more  SOMETHING. More drums? Less repetitiveness? I don't know. Sonic Youth  Confusion is Sex An early SY record. Kinda thought this would be more "rocking" than it turned out to be, but it's pretty good anyway, in a noisy, ominous sort of way. Nice Stooges cover. Lucinda Williams  Car Wheels on a Gravel Road The songs are so "classic" sounding that they skirt clichi I mean, a song called "Drunken Angel"? Puh-leeze. She's a good enough songwriter so it never gets banal, but I almost feel like I don't really need to listen to this. John Fahey  The Transfiguration of Blind Joe Death This is the inspiration for one of my favorite O'Rourke records, "Bad Timing," but Fahey is much more alien-sounding and austere, sort of like an Appalachian hillbilly with ergot poisoning (in a good way). Okkervil River  Down the River of Golden Dreams Like a cross between Jeff Tweedy and Will Oldham, with lots of horns and strings and vintage keyboards. The only problem is, most of the songs sound exactly the same. Still, it has its moments. Uncle Tupelo, The Long Cut + Five Live EP I think all these tracks are extras on the UT re-releases. The live songs rock. I wish Jay Farrar would still cover "Suzie Q." Iron & Wine, The Sea & the Rhythm EP More hushed and beautiful acoustical tunes from Sam Beam, his big beard, and his 4-track. I feel like this guy can do no wrong. I can't wait for his next album. . . Clem Snide, The Ghost of Fashion This is OK, except that the music (mildly twangy pop) is kind of bland and the vocals all have the same sneering tone to them. I don't feel much inclined to listen to it again, though I probably will. Ben Gibbard/Andrew Kenney  Home Vol. V Ben from Death Cab for Cutie and Andrew from American Analog Set each do three originals and a cover from each other's bands, all acoustic. Ben's songs are wonderful and Andrew's songs are nearly as good. Lovely and sweet. anyway, back to knitting... n. _________________________________________________________________ Get reliable dial-up Internet access now with our limited-time introductory offer. http://join.msn.com/?page=dept/dialup ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 9 Jan 2004 12:22:48 -0600 From: "Jay Lyall" Subject: Re: Return of the King How about this - Frodo leaves because he can't bear the burden of being a false hero - praised for destorying the ring when Sam and himself know that he failed to do so and it was Gollum's mis-step that saved the world...... - ---------------------------------------- Jay Lyall - Houston, Texas "Those who are willing to lose some of their essential liberties in favour of security deserve neither and will lose both." - Thomas Jefferson http://www.clark04.com - ----- Original Message ----- From: "Iosso, Ken" To: "'Christopher Gross'" ; "Squidmaniax!" Sent: Friday, January 09, 2004 11:10 AM Subject: Return of the King > Last movie was great but about a half hour too long. Too many moments of "I > love you old friend, you are a true and worthy comrade" "And you too, let > us march together to battle" or long liquid stares. > > In the end I thought they should have given the ring to Sam. He was > physically and emotionally much better prepared for the job. I know it was > partly the weight of the ring that brought Frodo down but geez. Sam loved > life. He loved food and women (although that part up on the rock was the > first time they ever mentioned female hobbits at all) and his friends and > his home and he was willing to do everything in his power to save them. > > Where's JRR? I want to talk to him! > > Ken Iosso > > > -----Original Message----- > From: Christopher Gross [mailto:chrisg@gwu.edu] > Sent: Friday, January 09, 2004 10:11 AM > To: Squidmaniax! > Subject: Re: Feelm > > On Thu, 8 Jan 2004, Eb wrote: > > > >It was breathtaking, but had like 4 endings. > > > > Right...I said essentially the same thing. And I think the worst part > > of the whole film might have been that near-final "Wizard of Oz" > > scene in which Frodo-Dorothy lies recuperating in bed, and all > > his/her happy friends dramatically come through the door, one by > > one.... Ick. Treacle. > > I'm probably alone here, but I actually liked the way ROTK ended. First > there was a false, Hollywoody ending full of joyful reunions and public > honors and bowing and the general impression that everything is going to > be perfect now. Then -- surprise! -- there's the *real* ending, full of > melancholy and loss and "some wounds can't be healed," and elevating > ordinary life over epic adventure. Jackson acted like he was going for an > old-fashioned happy ending, then he subverted it. I was a little worried > during the (deliberately?) treacly false ending, but after seeing the real > ending, I felt he made the right decision. And of course it was true to > the book, which was a plus in my opinion. > > One of my favorite scenes was when the four hobbits returned to the Shire > and went to their favorite alehouse, happy to be there but still realizing > that they don't quite fit in anymore. > > I thought Return of the King was definitely better than The Two Towers, > but a couple of my coworkers (people whose judgement I respect -- one's > even a Buffy fanatic!) preferred TTT. What do the Fegs think? > > > --Chris > > ______________________________________________________________________ > Christopher Gross On the Internet, nobody knows I'm a dog. > chrisg@gwu.edu ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 9 Jan 2004 12:26:03 -0600 From: "Iosso, Ken" Subject: RE: Return of the King Isn't that what he did? Condemned to eternity with Bilbo, Gandalf, and those depressing elves. What's a guy gotta do for a decent hobbit ale around here! And is Gollam (sp?) an ubermensch? Able to walk around practically naked through any atmospheric conditions, be beaten, climb mountains, swim freezing waters, and live on just the occasional bit of raw fish for centuries. Ken Iosso - -----Original Message----- From: Jay Lyall [mailto:jlyall@swbell.net] Sent: Friday, January 09, 2004 12:23 PM To: Squidmaniax! Subject: Re: Return of the King How about this - Frodo leaves because he can't bear the burden of being a false hero - praised for destorying the ring when Sam and himself know that he failed to do so and it was Gollum's mis-step that saved the world...... - ---------------------------------------- Jay Lyall - Houston, Texas "Those who are willing to lose some of their essential liberties in favour of security deserve neither and will lose both." - Thomas Jefferson http://www.clark04.com - ----- Original Message ----- From: "Iosso, Ken" To: "'Christopher Gross'" ; "Squidmaniax!" Sent: Friday, January 09, 2004 11:10 AM Subject: Return of the King > Last movie was great but about a half hour too long. Too many moments of "I > love you old friend, you are a true and worthy comrade" "And you too, let > us march together to battle" or long liquid stares. > > In the end I thought they should have given the ring to Sam. He was > physically and emotionally much better prepared for the job. I know it was > partly the weight of the ring that brought Frodo down but geez. Sam loved > life. He loved food and women (although that part up on the rock was the > first time they ever mentioned female hobbits at all) and his friends and > his home and he was willing to do everything in his power to save them. > > Where's JRR? I want to talk to him! > > Ken Iosso > > > -----Original Message----- > From: Christopher Gross [mailto:chrisg@gwu.edu] > Sent: Friday, January 09, 2004 10:11 AM > To: Squidmaniax! > Subject: Re: Feelm > > On Thu, 8 Jan 2004, Eb wrote: > > > >It was breathtaking, but had like 4 endings. > > > > Right...I said essentially the same thing. And I think the worst part > > of the whole film might have been that near-final "Wizard of Oz" > > scene in which Frodo-Dorothy lies recuperating in bed, and all > > his/her happy friends dramatically come through the door, one by > > one.... Ick. Treacle. > > I'm probably alone here, but I actually liked the way ROTK ended. First > there was a false, Hollywoody ending full of joyful reunions and public > honors and bowing and the general impression that everything is going to > be perfect now. Then -- surprise! -- there's the *real* ending, full of > melancholy and loss and "some wounds can't be healed," and elevating > ordinary life over epic adventure. Jackson acted like he was going for an > old-fashioned happy ending, then he subverted it. I was a little worried > during the (deliberately?) treacly false ending, but after seeing the real > ending, I felt he made the right decision. And of course it was true to > the book, which was a plus in my opinion. > > One of my favorite scenes was when the four hobbits returned to the Shire > and went to their favorite alehouse, happy to be there but still realizing > that they don't quite fit in anymore. > > I thought Return of the King was definitely better than The Two Towers, > but a couple of my coworkers (people whose judgement I respect -- one's > even a Buffy fanatic!) preferred TTT. What do the Fegs think? > > > --Chris > > ______________________________________________________________________ > Christopher Gross On the Internet, nobody knows I'm a dog. > chrisg@gwu.edu ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 9 Jan 2004 13:55:42 -0500 (EST) From: "Jonathan Fetter" Subject: RE: Return of the King Gollum was driven by his lust for the ring. I guess he was able to put up with nearly anything in his searching to get it back. I think that's how Tolkien indirectly explained Gollum's tenacity. The ring also prolonged his life, much as it did for Bilbo. Don't mean to complain, but can we continue marking emails that contain spoilers with the word "spoiler" or some appropriate synonym. I haven't had a chance to go see tRoK yet. Jon > And is Gollam (sp?) an ubermensch? Able to walk around practically naked > through any atmospheric conditions, be beaten, climb mountains, swim > freezing waters, and live on just the occasional bit of raw fish for > centuries. > > Ken Iosso ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 9 Jan 2004 13:29:20 -0600 From: "Jay Lyall" Subject: New Eclectic Method montage posted I like the Queen/Nirvana/Eurythmics around minute 13 http://www.eclecticmethod.net/mix/ - ---------------------------------------- Jay Lyall - Houston, Texas "Those who are willing to lose some of their essential liberties in favour of security deserve neither and will lose both." - Thomas Jefferson http://www.clark04.com ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 9 Jan 2004 14:23:34 -0500 From: "Bachman, Michael" Subject: RE: It's All Over the Place, Baby Blue Michael B: >> Hey Rex, Maybe if you bough a Susanna Hoffs Model 350SH >>Rickenbacker instead, you would have got the panties! Rex: >They pack Neko Case's panties with the Susanna Hoffs guitar? How does Jay Roach feel about that? Muffed, err miffed probably. Michael B. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 9 Jan 2004 11:29:43 -0800 From: "Rex.Broome" Subject: RE: It's All Over the Panties, Baby Blue Me, Michael: >>>>They pack Neko Case's panties with the Susanna Hoffs guitar? How does >>>>Jay Roach feel about that? >>Muffed, err miffed probably. It's official: 2003, the Year of the Offensive Udders, has ended on the Feglist. Welcome to the Year of the Groin. - -Rex ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 9 Jan 2004 13:30:18 -0600 From: "Iosso, Ken" Subject: RE: Return of the King Sorry, I wasn't familiar with "spoiler" convention. ne: dill pickle potato chips np: Strokes Room on Fire Ken Iosso - -----Original Message----- From: Jonathan Fetter [mailto:hydra@voicenet.com] Sent: Friday, January 09, 2004 12:56 PM To: Iosso, Ken; 'Jay Lyall'; Squidmaniax! Subject: RE: Return of the King Gollum was driven by his lust for the ring. I guess he was able to put up with nearly anything in his searching to get it back. I think that's how Tolkien indirectly explained Gollum's tenacity. The ring also prolonged his life, much as it did for Bilbo. Don't mean to complain, but can we continue marking emails that contain spoilers with the word "spoiler" or some appropriate synonym. I haven't had a chance to go see tRoK yet. Jon > And is Gollam (sp?) an ubermensch? Able to walk around practically naked > through any atmospheric conditions, be beaten, climb mountains, swim > freezing waters, and live on just the occasional bit of raw fish for > centuries. > > Ken Iosso ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 9 Jan 2004 12:05:22 -0800 From: Eb Subject: caretaking the legacy >It's official: 2003, the Year of the Offensive Udders, has ended on >the Feglist. Welcome to the Year of the Groin. Firstly, it started long before 2003. Secondly, it's "Oppressive," not "Offensive." Eb ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 9 Jan 2004 15:05:46 -0500 (EST) From: jlewis@gator.net Subject: Re: winter wonderland blues, and some record reviews spracht Natalie: > > Gastr del Sol - Upgrade & Afterlife > I wasn't expecting to like this, but I did - despite some self-indulgent > bits, there's some really pretty stuff too the John Fahey cover at the > end, > featuring minimalist violinist Tony Conrad, is hypnotically beautiful. Glad you liked that record. It's my second favorite Gastr... the Mirror Repair EP being tops in my book (not a minute too long, and perfectly sequenced). Speaking of avant pseudo-rock, I'm very suprised to say that the new David Sylvian record (Blemish) is stunning, and way, way out, with wildly angular free improvising from the instrumentalists (the guitarist sounds like Derek Bailey). The boldest thing I've ever heard from him or his cronies. Nice contrast between his smooth Bowie-as-baritone stylings and the skeletal freak-jazz behind it. This is all my recollection from hearing the thing in the store, but I liked it all the way through. Jon Lewis np: Liszt, Annees de Pelerinage Book 1 > > Fruit Bats  Echolocation > On the other hand, I was expecting to like this mellow folky stuff a lot > better than I did four songs into it I got bored and turned it off. It > needs more  more  SOMETHING. More drums? Less repetitiveness? I don't > know. > > Sonic Youth  Confusion is Sex > An early SY record. Kinda thought this would be more "rocking" than it > turned out to be, but it's pretty good anyway, in a noisy, ominous sort of > way. Nice Stooges cover. > > Lucinda Williams  Car Wheels on a Gravel Road > The songs are so "classic" sounding that they skirt clichi I mean, a song > called "Drunken Angel"? Puh-leeze. She's a good enough songwriter so it > never gets banal, but I almost feel like I don't really need to listen to > this. > > John Fahey  The Transfiguration of Blind Joe Death > This is the inspiration for one of my favorite O'Rourke records, "Bad > Timing," but Fahey is much more alien-sounding and austere, sort of like > an > Appalachian hillbilly with ergot poisoning (in a good way). > > Okkervil River  Down the River of Golden Dreams > Like a cross between Jeff Tweedy and Will Oldham, with lots of horns and > strings and vintage keyboards. The only problem is, most of the songs > sound > exactly the same. Still, it has its moments. > > Uncle Tupelo, The Long Cut + Five Live EP > I think all these tracks are extras on the UT re-releases. The live songs > rock. I wish Jay Farrar would still cover "Suzie Q." > > Iron & Wine, The Sea & the Rhythm EP > More hushed and beautiful acoustical tunes from Sam Beam, his big beard, > and > his 4-track. I feel like this guy can do no wrong. I can't wait for his > next album. . . > > Clem Snide, The Ghost of Fashion > This is OK, except that the music (mildly twangy pop) is kind of bland and > the vocals all have the same sneering tone to them. I don't feel much > inclined to listen to it again, though I probably will. > > Ben Gibbard/Andrew Kenney  Home Vol. V > Ben from Death Cab for Cutie and Andrew from American Analog Set each do > three originals and a cover from each other's bands, all acoustic. Ben's > songs are wonderful and Andrew's songs are nearly as good. Lovely and > sweet. > > > anyway, back to knitting... > > n. > > _________________________________________________________________ > Get reliable dial-up Internet access now with our limited-time > introductory > offer. http://join.msn.com/?page=dept/dialup ------------------------------ End of fegmaniax-digest V13 #7 ******************************