From: owner-loud-fans-digest@smoe.org (loud-fans-digest) To: loud-fans-digest@smoe.org Subject: loud-fans-digest V8 #205 Reply-To: loud-fans@smoe.org Sender: owner-loud-fans-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-loud-fans-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk loud-fans-digest Monday, October 26 2009 Volume 08 : Number 205 Today's Subjects: ----------------- Re: [loud-fans] CHOMP reissue [Markwstaples@aol.com] [loud-fans] from the Pernice book (I just got to this part of the book today) [Markwstaples@a] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 25 Oct 2009 14:00:32 EDT From: Markwstaples@aol.com Subject: Re: [loud-fans] CHOMP reissue I'm halfway through Pernice's book now, and, if the protagonist lights another cigarette, I'm going to have to call the American Cancer Society. I can sum up Pernice's artistic statement, either in book or in music, from the opening lyric from the first track on CHAPPAQUIDDICK SKYLINE: "I hate my life." No chirping birdies or fluffy bunnies for him. We mind very much if you smoke, er, try too hard to be a writer, - --Mark, who also decided to get over his original hesitation to finish FIGHT CLUB (but not his annoying way of ending e-mails in third person asides), and, I have to say that, it's great writing, but nihilism is sooo 1990s to me--maybe it's just me--I have more hope at my core I guess *Oh, and next album for me to buy will be a new debut from the Athens group Supercluster (a generational musician's collective with Vanessa from Pylon and others from bands like Casper and the Cookies) In a message dated 10/24/2009 6:57:37 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time, richblath@yahoo.co.uk writes: Anyone else read either of these? ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 25 Oct 2009 22:57:03 EDT From: Markwstaples@aol.com Subject: [loud-fans] from the Pernice book (I just got to this part of the book today) I don't know, but this passage makes me feel like Pernice is inferring through his fiction that people that like or would cover Game Theory are, as Douglas Coupland once said of his sexual orientation, him quoting WILL AND GRACE, "gayer than a clutch purse at the Tonys." (remember it is ME who wrote this, and I've been open about gay relationships I've had in the past on here, so you know I have no malice in my heart towards non-heterosexuals). But, I smell a stereotype. From my time on this list, I think I'm quite the exception in the Scott Miller fan base, not the rule. Stephen make me feel like I'm Stone Cold Steve Austin in comparison. Also, using GT as the pretentious band's set material, it makes GT guilty by association out as a band who would be covered by real jackasses, when I think quite the opposite (what does this say about the bunch who played on the tribute CD?). Also, remember the setting is late 1996, at the height of the "we-don't-give-a-shit-about-how-we-look,-and-we-premeditated-looking-this-way-for-at-leas t-an-hour-this-morning" period. (see Eggers' A HEARTBREAKING WORK OF STAGGERING GENIUS for further documentation of this appearance attitude during the "slacker" era) - --Mark, whose best friend growing up ironically is named Stephen, and he went to FIT in New York to study fashion design Lou Barlow from Sebadoh was headlining, playing solo acoustic, so I was okay with suffering through the four opening acts. One of them was Jocelyn's friend Stephen's band. They were called the Coughins. They all smoked onstage and went to great lengths to look like they couldn't give a shit how they looked. They embraced the crappy-playing-equals-pure-art-and-unmolested-genius myth. Stephen graduated from Pratt, but was doing production at Redbook because it was easy money. Jocelyn said that he'd designed some nice Vera Wang bridal knockoffs, and too bad they were counterfeits. I wasn't too impressed, since Stephen had merely copied Vera's design. Jocelyn said it still wasn't easy to do. She suggested I try banging out a Cezanne. Stephen put us on the Coughins' guest list. The whole band probably only got two guests, so I was grateful. I liked Lou Barlow's songs a lot. I wasn't alone. When dangerously full, Brownies held about two hundred and fifty people. All three nights sold out in about twelve seconds. After the Coughin's set of Game Theory B-sides, Jocelyn and I went outside to have a smoke an and wait for Stephen. It was one of the first nice nights of April, when you think you might actually live to see the summer.... (several paragraphs later): Stephen finally came outside. He'd changed into a ratty white T-shirt that said "Be All You Can Be." His hair was wet, and his face was red. He was hyper and effeminate. "Hey you!" He hugged Jocelyn. Then he hugged me. I wasn't into it. I don't like people who I'm not fucking touching me. "How were we? Be honest." "You looked like you were having a good time up there." It was the most positive thing I could come up with. "Really? Thanks." He was still breathing heavy from the gig. "I agree," Jocelyn said. "You guys were amazing." "Thanks, you guys." He group-hugged us. "Nice set," someone leaving the club said. "Thank you soooo much." "Was it good for you?" Jocelyn asked. Stephen turned into Willona, the lusty neighbor on the TV show Good Times. "Sister, it's always good for me." Jocelyn slapped him on the arm. "No, there were some bumps, you know? But on the whole, I think it was---no, I know it was our best show yet. Each one gets better." Stephen moved his hand in small increments from the left side of his body to his right, mimicking the Coughins' evolution as a band. "And as long as that keeps happening, you know?" "Something good's got to happen," Jocelyn said. "Improvement's what you want," I said. "That's what I keep telling Jeremy, but he's so"---Stephen clinched his fists---"he wants everything to happen yesterday. He's like a child. But you know what? I'm not going to think about his issues tonight. This is me not thinking about it. It was our best show yet, and I'm going to enjoy it." "You go, girl," Jocelyn said. The Coughins were never going anywhere, and at least two of the three of us knew it. ------------------------------ End of loud-fans-digest V8 #205 *******************************