From: owner-fegmaniax-digest@smoe.org (fegmaniax-digest) To: fegmaniax-digest@smoe.org Subject: fegmaniax-digest V14 #200 Reply-To: fegmaniax@smoe.org Sender: owner-fegmaniax-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-fegmaniax-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk fegmaniax-digest Friday, August 19 2005 Volume 14 : Number 200 Today's Subjects: ----------------- Re: more upbeat news [Jeff Dwarf ] Re: Pussies and Moving Pictures ["Gene Hopstetter, Jr." ] RE: Pussies and Moving Pictures ["Michael Wells" ] Re: Random [The Great Quail ] RE: Pussies and Moving Pictures [Dr John Halewood ] I ride tandem with RE: Random [Dolph Chaney ] Re: Pussies and Moving Pictures [Tom Clark ] reap [Eb ] Re: reap [Tom Clark ] Re: fegmaniax-digest V14 #197 [M R Godwin ] Re: REAP [Aaron Mandel ] Re: Pussies and Moving Pictures [Jeff ] Re: REAP [Jeff ] Re: REAP [Capuchin ] Dancing About Architecture [Tulloch ] DCFC [Jill Brand ] Pie finally and just say no to Wal-Mart. ["Bachman, Michael" ] Re: Pie finally and just say no to Wal-Mart. [Benjamin Lukoff Subject: Re: more upbeat news Tom Clark wrote: > On Aug 15, 2005, at 3:28 PM, Jason Brown wrote: > >> Of course, the question then becomes: why was Bea > >> Arthur at the Pamela Anderson roast? > > I'm guessing there some PETA connection between Bea and > > Pam. > Plus it seems to have become a tradition ever since > Jeffery Ross cracked the he "wouldn't fuck so-and-so > with Bea Arthur's dick!" a few roasts ago. Sandra Bernhard, after she very seductively sang a Heart song (Magic Man, I think) to Jerry Stiller. The only funny thing Ross ever said, though it was mostly funny because of Bea Arthur having the good comic timing to look stone-faced rather than laugh. I thought of that, but the latest batch of Comedy Central roasts are NOT from Friar's Club. It's not like Bea Arthur was there for the Denis Leary roast or Jeff Foxworthy's. The PETA connection exists: . "I'm against picketing, but I don't know how to show it." -- Mitch Hedberg . ____________________________________________________ Start your day with Yahoo! - make it your home page http://www.yahoo.com/r/hs ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 18 Aug 2005 10:27:54 -0500 From: "Gene Hopstetter, Jr." Subject: Re: Pussies and Moving Pictures > From: The Great Quail > Subject: Re: One too many Ass for the paddock > > Eddie inquires, > >> what is with you fucking pussies (as dancin' machine hopstetter >> might put >> it)? i thought *everybody* knew that *Caress Of Steel* is the >> bad-assed-est rush album of all times? > > Oddly, I just had this argument with my brother in Allentown. I > said that > *clearly* Moving Pictures was their masterpiece, and he just > snorted and > pointed to his "Caress of Steel" shirt. I argued my point with great > finesse, to which he just shook his head and said, "Pussy." Sigh. OK, they're both masterpieces. But here is why "Caress of Steel" is better. The transition from "Permanent Waves" to "Moving Pictures" was not so big -- the band was in a groove and cranking out the good LPs; they had momentum. But the transition from the first record to "COS" was godlike. Just imagine, if, after their first record, Kiss released "Fragile" or "Discipline." Could you imagine? "COS" is proof of that kind of transition, and I can't think of many other bands who've done such a thing. Plus the playing on side 2 is VERY intimate and expressive, but confident. However, it's a proven scientific fact that "Hemispheres" is better than "Moving Pictures." But hey, it's all good. You guys come to my house, bring your Rush LPs, I'll supply the beer, and we'll rock it the fuck out, Canadian-stylee, all night long. You're invited too, Wells. A finer air-guitar and -drums band you'll never see again. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 18 Aug 2005 12:28:37 -0400 (EDT) From: Christopher Gross Subject: Important Monkees news The book _The Monkees: The Day-By-Day Story of the 60s Pop Sensation_ was the one-billionth item added to OCLC's WorldCat database. http://www.oclc.org/worldcat/default.htm - --Chris ______________________________________________________________________ Christopher Gross On the Internet, nobody knows I'm a dog. chrisg@gwu.edu ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 18 Aug 2005 11:33:18 -0500 From: "Michael Wells" Subject: RE: Pussies and Moving Pictures > The transition from "Permanent Waves" to "Moving Pictures" was not so > big -- the band was in a groove and cranking out the good LPs; they > had momentum. But the transition from the first record to "COS" was > godlike. Just imagine, if, after their first record, Kiss released > "Fragile" or "Discipline." Could you imagine? Well, first off "COS" was their third album; the transition from "Fly by Night" was not such a large stylistic jump. Plus I don't think you can rate an artist's 'best' work simply by differences with the immediately preceding work. It would be insane to downplay the excellence of "Moving Pictures" simply because it was part of a run of spectacular albums. > However, it's a proven scientific fact that "Hemispheres" is better > than "Moving Pictures." But "A Farewell to Kings" is better than both, so there you go. > You're invited too, Wells. A finer air-guitar and -drums band you'll never see again. Or at least a more handsome one. At some point I could play (for real) most everything that Alex had done on acoustic, including large chunks of "COS" but it's been years. Michael "break out the skull bong, and let's talk about it" Wells ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 18 Aug 2005 12:42:39 -0400 From: Steve Talkowski Subject: Re: 3.5 minute chunks of dull On Aug 18, 2005, at 3:25 AM, Capuchin wrote: > Yesterday, I downloaded the complete works of Death Cab For Cutie. > I deleted it about an hour later. It was ungodly amounts of dull > in three and a half minute chunks. > > Am I missing something? If you recall I placed special emphasis on The Decemberists, which are who I'm primarily excited to see for the second time. Honestly, I'm not all that familiar with DCFC or Stars, but heard a few from the latter that seemed enjoyable. - -Steve ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 18 Aug 2005 11:48:24 -0400 From: The Great Quail Subject: Re: Random James, > Trent Reznor could do a pretty fine and evil take on "Intruder"? Have you ever heard Primus' version? Not very "evil," but pretty interesting. More like Les Claypool is planning on getting in your house and dressing like a duck-monster before dancing in your underwear. Eb writes, > And "San Jacinto" still raises the hair of my neck, every time I hear > it. So do those *amazing* swirling vocal harmonies which end "The > Family and the Fishing Net." And, darn it, why can't PG write chord > progressions as interesting as "Wallflower" anymore? My thoughts exactly! (Er, I mean, "me too!") - --Quail ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 18 Aug 2005 17:47:49 +0100 From: Dr John Halewood Subject: RE: Pussies and Moving Pictures Gene Hopstetter, Jr. [gene@hopstetter.com] rambled > OK, they're both masterpieces. But here is why "Caress of Steel" is > better. > > The transition from "Permanent Waves" to "Moving Pictures" > was not so > big -- the band was in a groove and cranking out the good LPs; they > had momentum. But the transition from the first record to "COS" was > godlike. Just imagine, if, after their first record, Kiss released > "Fragile" or "Discipline." Could you imagine? I hate to point this out, but they released 'Fly By Night' between their first album and 'Caress of Steel', and I think you'll find a few examples of how the development was going on that album... cheers john ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 18 Aug 2005 12:15:39 -0500 From: Dolph Chaney Subject: I ride tandem with RE: Random >From: The Great Quail >Eb writes, > >> And "San Jacinto" still raises the hair of my neck, every time I hear >> it. So do those *amazing* swirling vocal harmonies which end "The >> Family and the Fishing Net." And, darn it, why can't PG write chord >> progressions as interesting as "Wallflower" anymore? > >My thoughts exactly! (Er, I mean, "me too!") Gotta say, I listened to SECURITY the other morning, and I need to backpedal on my criticisms a little bit. There are few 1-2 album openings by an established major-label artist as gutsy and risky as 10 minutes 30 seconds of "The Rhythm Of The Heat" and "San Jacinto." Many of the album's textural choices would only have occurred in the '80s, but only on the upbeat material ("I Have The Touch," "Kiss Of Life," and arguably "Shock The Monkey") does that translate to feeling dated. "Lay Your Hands On Me" and "Wallflower" are clearly arranged like dramatic 80s ballads, but as Eb says, the writing is of such quality that the songs transcend the setting. - -- Dolph ("mmmmmmmm, delicious crow!") ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 18 Aug 2005 10:19:19 -0700 From: Tom Clark Subject: Re: Pussies and Moving Pictures On Aug 18, 2005, at 9:33 AM, Michael Wells wrote: > >> However, it's a proven scientific fact that "Hemispheres" is better >> than "Moving Pictures." >> > > But "A Farewell to Kings" is better than both, so there you go. Yes! Finally someone willing to recognize the brilliance of that album. - -tc, whose shining moment of 1978 was figuring out the bass line to "Xanadu" ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 18 Aug 2005 13:38:33 -0700 From: Eb Subject: reap [Before my time, though I can remember seeing newspaper ads for Madame Wong's shows.... Eb] Esther Wong, 88; 'Godmother of Punk' Whose Venues Showcased Pop, Rock Acts in '70s, '80s By Myrna Oliver, Times Staff Writer Esther Wong, the unlikely "godmother of punk" who showcased such groups as Oingo Boingo at her Madame Wong's clubs in Chinatown and Santa Monica in the late 1970s and '80s, has died. She was 88. Wong died Sunday at her home in Los Angeles of natural causes. She had suffered from emphysema. At first slow to accept punk rock, new wave and other 1970s music, the colorful and sometimes controversial Wong came to be one its most ardent patrons in Los Angeles. Her Madame Wong's restaurant on Sun Mun Way in Chinatown, which she opened in 1970 with her now-deceased first husband, George Wong, originally featured Polynesian bands. But when that music attracted smaller and smaller crowds, she was persuaded in 1978 to book rock musicians for one month. The switch immediately increased her nightly crowd from as few as a dozen to about 350, and she declared the restaurant a stage for rock, punk and new wave bands. "Before, I didn't think I'd ever like rock music," she told The Times in 1979. "Now I can turn it on, and it doesn't bother me." At Madame Wong's, which closed in 1985, and Madame Wong's West in Santa Monica, which operated from 1978 to 1991, she proved a staunch supporter of new and local groups. Besides Oingo Boingo, her stages presented the Police, X, the Motels, 20/20, the Knack, the Know, the Textones, the Go-Gos, the Plimsouls, the Nu-Kats, the Bus Boys, Plane English, the Naughty Sweeties and others. She opened the Santa Monica club, she once told The Times, because there were too many worthy groups seeking bookings for her Chinatown club alone to accommodate. And she closed each club as new wave and then other forms of rock lost popularity. Wong chose the groups by listening to audition tapes  although she had to give up playing them in her car. "I got a very bad temper," she told The Times in 1980. "When there's a bad tape, I throw it outside the window. One day I almost hit the Highway Patrol car that was right next to me." A no-nonsense businesswoman, Wong was disparaged by some bands for her temper. She once stopped a show until two members of the Ramones cleaned up graffiti they had written on the bathroom walls. She limited clientele to those over 21, eliminating the huge younger rock audience, to the distress of several bands. She all but banned female singers, calling them "no good, always trouble." And she regularly patrolled her establishment during performances, sniffing for marijuana smoke. Wong could be jealous and vindictive  refusing to book or rebook any group that played at a rival Chinatown venue, the Hong Kong Cafe. But she was also beloved by many of the bands as a favorite patron or godmother, not only for giving them a venue but for her payment policy. Each group split the entire admission fee. "I like it because you get paid by your popularity," Gary Valentine of the Know told The Times in 1979. "That's the place we've made the most money in L.A." Jeff Green, co-manager of the Naughty Sweeties, also praised Wong in the heyday of her clubs, telling The Times in 1980: "Quirky she is, but she offers the best opportunity in this city to groups who can attract paying fans. Sure, she's difficult at times, but a lot less difficult than other local club owners." Born and educated in Shanghai, Wong grew up traveling the world with her importer father. She moved to Los Angeles in 1949 to escape the Communist regime and worked for two decades as a clerk and trainer of clerks for a shipping company before opening her restaurant. Wong is survived by her second husband, Harry Wong; a son, Frank Wong; a daughter, Melinda Joy Braun; six grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren. A memorial service is scheduled for 3 p.m. Saturday at Douglass & Zook Mortuary Colonial Chapel, 600 E. Foothill Blvd., Monrovia. The family has asked that any memorial donations be sent to the Cedars-Sinai Hospice Fund, 200 N. Robertson Blvd., Suite 102, Beverly Hills, CA 90211. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 18 Aug 2005 14:14:18 -0700 From: Tom Clark Subject: Re: reap On Aug 18, 2005, at 1:38 PM, Eb wrote: > [Before my time, though I can remember seeing newspaper ads for > Madame Wong's shows.... Eb] > > Esther Wong, 88; 'Godmother of Punk' Whose Venues Showcased Pop, > Rock Acts in '70s, '80s > By Myrna Oliver, Times Staff Writer > > Esther Wong, the unlikely "godmother of punk" who showcased such > groups as Oingo Boingo at her Madame Wong's clubs in Chinatown and > Santa Monica in the late 1970s and '80s, has died. She was 88. Downtown L.A. Madam Wong's, someone puts a tape on - a couple of songs advertising the place next door Madam finds out she'll sure get sore Out come the coolies, swinging their lead get those rockers, take their heads those poor souls must pay the price they wind up in tomorrow's fried rice Graham Parker - "Manoeuvres" - -tc ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 19 Aug 2005 01:07:02 +0100 From: M R Godwin Subject: Re: fegmaniax-digest V14 #197 I went to a tribute gig for Eric Roche on Tuesday night and was absolutely stunned by Aziz Ibrahim and hoodie Dalbir Singh Rattan. Did you catch them last year in Oxford, Matt? Great guitar sounds like John Martyn or Syd Barrett playing raga rock - digital delay, sound on sound, envelope sweeping, you name it... Oh, and Martin Taylor was superb as usual, while Gordon Giltrap (a name from the past who I hadn't heard of for decades) was excellent too. - - Mike Godwin PS Who is Eric Roche anyway? (Clip from Oxford gig guide for 2004) October 28 (back to top) Aziz Aziz Ibrahims duo with Dalbir Singh Rattan, Birminghams first punk rocker of the tabla, and Aziz himself on psychadelic guitar, deserves the worlds attention. Aziz has played every style from raga to rock, and now his self-named Asian Blues. He was guitarist with the Stone Roses, and guests on his own recordings include Talvin Singh and Paul Weller. book on 01865 813800 Time: 5.45 pm Price: #Cost: #3 (#2 concessions) (under-10s free) Venue: Modern Art Oxford Website: www.ocmevents.org Quoting fegmaniax-digest : > End of fegmaniax-digest V14 #197 > ******************************** ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 18 Aug 2005 22:40:02 -0400 (EDT) From: Aaron Mandel Subject: Re: REAP On Thu, 18 Aug 2005, Capuchin wrote: > Yesterday, I downloaded the complete works of Death Cab For Cutie. I > deleted it about an hour later. It was ungodly amounts of dull in three > and a half minute chunks. > > Am I missing something? Yeah-- most of their music. There's much more than an hour of Death Cab For Cutie. I thought the first two (Something About Airplanes and We Have The Facts And We're Voting Yes) were unusual and interesting; there's always something, usually a bassline, pulling forward while the rest of the song kind of sways in place. In that sense, they remind me of Unrest. After those records, the background of stasis remained but the momentum was usually missing. Oops. The pre-first album tapes (You Can Play These Songs With Chords) and post-second album EP (Forbidden Love) are also good. If you heard one of the three most recent records, on the other hand... they have their moments, but I doubt I would have noticed without expecting to like them. a ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 18 Aug 2005 22:40:39 -0500 From: Jeff Subject: Re: Pussies and Moving Pictures When did I get sub'd to the Rush list? ;-) On 8/18/05, Dr John Halewood wrote: > Gene Hopstetter, Jr. [gene@hopstetter.com] rambled > > OK, they're both masterpieces. But here is why "Caress of Steel" is > > better. > > > > The transition from "Permanent Waves" to "Moving Pictures" > > was not so > > big -- the band was in a groove and cranking out the good LPs; they > > had momentum. But the transition from the first record to "COS" was > > godlike. Just imagine, if, after their first record, Kiss released > > "Fragile" or "Discipline." Could you imagine? > > I hate to point this out, but they released 'Fly By Night' between their > first album and 'Caress of Steel', and I think you'll find a few examples > of how the development was going on that album... > > cheers > john > - -- ...Jeff The Architectural Dance Society http://spanghew.blogspot.com ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 18 Aug 2005 22:45:39 -0500 From: Jeff Subject: Re: REAP On 8/18/05, Capuchin wrote: > > Yesterday, I downloaded the complete works of Death Cab For Cutie. I > deleted it about an hour later. It was ungodly amounts of dull in three > and a half minute chunks. > > Am I missing something? I'm not going to defend DCFC - Aaron did a better job semi-doing so than I could anyway - but man have they become the backlashed band of the moment or what! Two-three years ago, everyone thought they were Jesus on stilts; now all the hipster critics are bending over backwards so far they can kiss their own belt buckles from below to piss on them from a great height. There may have been a decline in the interestingness of their material, as Aaron thinks - but no way is it so precipitous, and no way is the pissiness entirely motivated by whatever decline there is. How *dare* they go out there and be semi-popular among people whose floors they haven't slept on! - -- ...Jeff The Architectural Dance Society http://spanghew.blogspot.com ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 18 Aug 2005 23:14:29 -0700 (PDT) From: Capuchin Subject: Re: REAP On Thu, 18 Aug 2005, Aaron Mandel wrote: > On Thu, 18 Aug 2005, Capuchin wrote: >> Yesterday, I downloaded the complete works of Death Cab For Cutie. I >> deleted it about an hour later. It was ungodly amounts of dull in >> three and a half minute chunks. >> >> Am I missing something? > > Yeah-- most of their music. There's much more than an hour of Death Cab > For Cutie. I skipped around a bit, listening to tracks from each album and EP (including a live record). I actually did try to focus on the early stuff because the dates coincided with when I first started hearing things about the band and I figure whatever made you famous should be at least interesting. No dice. I should mention that I've seen the band play live twice, so far -- once last summer playing before They Might Be Giants at The Bite (an outdoor food festival; this year was The Decemberists and Violent Femmes, a killer combination especially for lovers of the rock violin) and a couple of years ago on the bill with some other regional indie favorites like the All Girl Summer Fun Band. I didn't really get much out of them, but I chalked it up to unfamiliarity and bad sound/low energy. Turns out they just sound bad and have low energy. > I thought the first two (Something About Airplanes and We Have The Facts > And We're Voting Yes) were unusual and interesting; there's always > something, usually a bassline, pulling forward while the rest of the > song kind of sways in place. In that sense, they remind me of Unrest. I certainly got the "swaying in place". > After those records, the background of stasis remained but the momentum > was usually missing. Oops. The pre-first album tapes (You Can Play These > Songs With Chords) and post-second album EP (Forbidden Love) are also > good. If you heard one of the three most recent records, on the other > hand... they have their moments, but I doubt I would have noticed > without expecting to like them. Yeah, I had all of these as well. The whole thing comes off as a high school rock band with slightly better equipment. There's brooding and boredom in spades, but no hint of musicianship or songcraft that I could detect. Loads of image and no substance. Just my take on it all. J. - -- _______________________________________________ Capuchin capuchin@bitmine.net Jeme A Brelin ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 19 Aug 2005 11:31:09 +0100 (BST) From: Tulloch Subject: Dancing About Architecture This letter, in today's Guardian Friday Review, tickled me no end... So, listening to the last track on the new Supergrass album (pop reviews, August 12) is like "sleepwalking in space" according to Adam Sweeting. Really? Has he tried that? Chris Ellicott Via email PS: Writing this was like walking across Salisbury Plain with an otter on a warm spring day. - --------------------------------- Yahoo! Messenger NEW - crystal clear PC to PC calling worldwide with voicemail ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 19 Aug 2005 07:20:50 -0400 (EDT) From: Jill Brand Subject: DCFC Jeme wrote: "Yesterday, I downloaded the complete works of Death Cab For Cutie. I deleted it about an hour later. It was ungodly amounts of dull in three and a half minute chunks. Am I missing something?" I don't think so. I've tried to like them, but they kinda sorta make me fall asleep. I read that the Decemberists were great at Summerstage. Of course, that was on the D's message board. I assume that if Colin had stood there and drooled for an hour the reviews would be the same. Jill ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 19 Aug 2005 08:56:26 -0400 From: "Bachman, Michael" Subject: Pie finally and just say no to Wal-Mart. My copy of Obliteration Pie showed up yesterday. I'll give it some spins over the weekend! Other great news: The township I live in successfully fought off an attempt by a developer to put in a Wal-Mart. It would have gone in adjacent to our high school. We raised a $750,000 defense fund to stop it, but the developer changed the plans over to a single family home development after they saw our determined opposition. It made the front page of our county newspaper today. Michael B., living in a Wal-mart free zone in Clarkston, MI USA ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 19 Aug 2005 07:08:12 -0700 (PDT) From: Capuchin Subject: Re: Pie finally and just say no to Wal-Mart. On Fri, 19 Aug 2005, Bachman, Michael wrote: > My copy of Obliteration Pie showed up yesterday. I'll give it some spins > over the weekend! I listened to this over at Michael Wolfe's house tonight at dinner. I must say, I really liked it. Some of the best production of his recent work. The songs were good and Michael and I had a lively debate over the merits of Funkytown and Robyn's cover. > Other great news: The township I live in successfully fought off an > attempt by a developer to put in a Wal-Mart. It would have gone in > adjacent to our high school. We raised a $750,000 defense fund to stop > it, but the developer changed the plans over to a single family home > development after they saw our determined opposition. It made the front > page of our county newspaper today. > > Michael B., living in a Wal-mart free zone in Clarkston, MI USA Hey, great for you guys! So far, we've done an OK job of keeping them out. There's only one in the city. A plan to put a second one in another part of the city is being fought heavily by the locals and a couple of city commissioners. Here's a letter Sam Adams wrote against a proposed Wal-Mart here: (And yes, he misused "compliment" when he should have written "complement".) This "single family home development" sounds better for your local businesses, but I'm afraid it'll probably mean a bunch of identical boxes that demean your community in a whole different way. Good luck and good work. J. - -- _______________________________________________ Capuchin capuchin@bitmine.net Jeme A Brelin ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 19 Aug 2005 09:33:10 -0500 From: Sumiko Keay Subject: Re: Pie finally and just say no to Wal-Mart. Mine arrived yesterday too -- I am also planning on listening to it over the weekend. Good job keeping out Walmart! My town has a gigantic Walmart -- what a blight it is. Sumi ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 19 Aug 2005 10:46:55 -0400 From: The Great Quail Subject: Re: Pussies and Moving Pictures Gene writes, > However, it's a proven scientific fact that "Hemispheres" is better > than "Moving Pictures." I cannot argue -- and adding "Farewell to Kings" and "Permanent Waves" produces a Holy Quartet of Awesomeness. >But hey, it's all good. You guys come to my > house, bring your Rush LPs, I'll supply the beer, and we'll rock it > the fuck out, Canadian-stylee, all night long. You're invited too, > Wells. A finer air-guitar and -drums band you'll never see again. Yes! Set the date Gene, and let the Power Air Trio commence! And we can welcome Tom Clark as guest air-bassist on Xanadu. - --Quail ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 19 Aug 2005 09:49:59 -0700 (PDT) From: Benjamin Lukoff Subject: Re: Pie finally and just say no to Wal-Mart. On Fri, 19 Aug 2005, Sumiko Keay wrote: > Mine arrived yesterday too -- I am also planning on listening to it > over the weekend. > > Good job keeping out Walmart! My town has a gigantic Walmart -- what > a blight it is. I bet the residents love the prices, though. ------------------------------ End of fegmaniax-digest V14 #200 ********************************