From: owner-loud-fans-digest@smoe.org (loud-fans-digest) To: loud-fans-digest@smoe.org Subject: loud-fans-digest V8 #206 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 Tuesday, October 27 2009 Volume 08 : Number 206 Today's Subjects: ----------------- Re: [loud-fans] from the Pernice book (I just got to this part of the book today) [Michael Zwirn Subject: Re: [loud-fans] from the Pernice book (I just got to this part of the book today) That wasn't the impression I got from talking to Joe Pernice - he described the band was "playing a set of Game Theory b-sides" as a musical comment (not literally covering Game Theory, but from the narrator's perspective, wimpy indie-pop), and that the main conclusion is that the band is going nowhere commercially. Reading anything into it that's vaguely homophobic is probably a misapprehension of Joe himself, although the narrator is certainly heterosexist. And, for that matter, sexist, and a heavy drinker and smoker to boot, and a rather unpleasant and misguided kinda guy. Just like many of the characters in Pernice's songwriting, they seem to reflect angrier, less thoughtful, less articulate and worldly versions of himself in his younger days... On Oct 25, 2009, at 10:57 PM, Markwstaples@aol.com wrote: > 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. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 26 Oct 2009 22:22:19 EDT From: Markwstaples@aol.com Subject: Re: [loud-fans] from the Pernice book (I just got to this part of the book to... The protagonist makes Daria look like a zippy, zany, laugh-a-minute gal. He needs seratonin, nicotine gum and a clue. I didn't read anything homophobic here. I read into it that Pernice had an idea in his mind when writing that your typical Game Theory listener/coverer circa 1996 was/is a pompous, vain, superficial flaming queen scenester (sort of like how people have in their minds what a Deadhead is like, or a Metallica fan is like, and he went with this notion in creating this character in his fiction, Stephen). It's just my opinion, and I can be wrong (but there is a reason why I made straight As in literature all through high school and college--I pick up on stuff some miss). It doesn't really matter--he can think whatever he wants--it's a free literary world. It just sort of rubbed my kitty fur backwards. - --Mark, whose childhood friend Stephen back in the nineties when this book is set used to work sewing bridal and pageant dresses--creepy similarity--but "my" Steve was into Talk Talk and Andreas Vollenweider In a message dated 10/26/2009 7:43:29 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time, michael@zwirn.com writes: Reading anything into it that's vaguely homophobic is probably a misapprehension of Joe himself, although the narrator is certainly heterosexist. And, for that matter, sexist, and a heavy drinker and smoker to boot, and a rather unpleasant and misguided kinda guy. Just like many of the characters in Pernice's songwriting, they seem to reflect angrier, less thoughtful, less articulate and worldly versions of himself in his younger days... ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 26 Oct 2009 22:56:09 EDT From: Markwstaples@aol.com Subject: Re: [loud-fans] from the Pernice book (I just got to this part of the book t... God, I realize how (pompous?) this sounds. Let me state further that I sucked in math. I'm one of the few people at Wade Hampton High School who failed Algebra II--twice. English is the one thing I was consistently good in, especially literature, so, I trust my instincts when I discern this or that when I'm reading. - --Mark In a message dated 10/26/2009 10:22:58 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time, Markwstaples writes: there is a reason why I made straight As in literature all through high school and college--I pick up on stuff some miss). ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 26 Oct 2009 21:40:56 -0700 (PDT) From: Gil Ray Subject: Re: [loud-fans] from the Pernice book (I just got to this part of the book today) Wow. Game Theory is the subject of the year in the literary world! Too bad no CD reissue tie-ins.... Gil - --- On Mon, 10/26/09, Michael Zwirn wrote: > From: Michael Zwirn > Subject: Re: [loud-fans] from the Pernice book (I just got to this part of the book today) > To: loud-fans@smoe.org > Date: Monday, October 26, 2009, 4:33 PM > That wasn't the impression I got from > talking to Joe Pernice - he described the band was "playing > a set of Game Theory b-sides" as a musical comment (not > literally covering Game Theory, but from the narrator's > perspective, wimpy indie-pop), and that the main conclusion > is that the band is going nowhere commercially. > > Reading anything into it that's vaguely homophobic is > probably a misapprehension of Joe himself, although the > narrator is certainly heterosexist. And, for that matter, > sexist, and a heavy drinker and smoker to boot, and a rather > unpleasant and misguided kinda guy. Just like many of the > characters in Pernice's songwriting, they seem to reflect > angrier, less thoughtful, less articulate and worldly > versions of himself in his younger days... > > > On Oct 25, 2009, at 10:57 PM, Markwstaples@aol.com > wrote: > > > 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 #206 *******************************