From: owner-shindell-list-digest@smoe.org (shindell-list-digest) To: shindell-list-digest@smoe.org Subject: shindell-list-digest V7 #301 Reply-To: shindell-list@smoe.org Sender: owner-shindell-list-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-shindell-list-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk shindell-list-digest Friday, December 9 2005 Volume 07 : Number 301 Today's Subjects: ----------------- [RS] Hazel's House [Roxy ] [RS] Re: Hazel's House and By Now [John McDonnell ] Re: [RS] Re: Hazel's House and By Now [Rongrittz@aol.com] Re: [RS] Re: Hazel's House and By Now [Chris Foxwell ] [RS] Meaning What? [B Gallagher ] [RS] By Now [Janet Cinelli ] [RS] Shindizzle [Bernadette Marian ] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 9 Dec 2005 11:14:01 -0500 From: Roxy Subject: [RS] Hazel's House As far as I can see, the only possibly ulterior motive to be found in here is Richard's hanging out in the kitchen so he can get at the crumb cake. LOL Hazel's House- Richard Shindell (Vuelta album) Theres a two-lane county road in northern Jersey Winding up a hill beside a lake Just before the road winds to an end Is Hazels house Long white picket fence around the front yard A wagon wheel someone made into a gate Flagstone steps will lead you to the front door Of Hazels house And Hazel will will have seen you from the window Shes waiting for you as you climb the steps She says, Thank God, we were starting to get worried. Come on in. Its New Years and the place is overflowing Cousins, aunts and uncles gather round How long has it been? Its good to see you. How youve grown. And the uncles all have one eye on the Rose Bowl One by one they slink back to the den Everybody else heads for the kitchen You go with them She always has the crumbcake at the ready Today is no exception - there it is The order of the universe intact At Hazels house And no one seems to know that this is heaven They say we only know it by and by That someday all will be revealed Well, here it is: Theres a two-lane county road in northern Jersey Winding up a hill beside a lake Just before the road winds to an end Hazels house Go on in ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 9 Dec 2005 12:51:11 -0500 From: John McDonnell Subject: [RS] Re: Hazel's House and By Now Hi All, Since we're on the question of interpretation, got a question from a lister who's having trouble posting. She asks: >>On Sparrow's Point, the last song, "By Now," I detect a sinister undertone in the narrator's voice, when he picks up the girl, Maryanne, in the North Woods. First, he seems truly concerned for her welfare, but then seems to want to seduce her. What do you think?<<< My response was that I found a more sinister undertone in the song, as I thought the driver was going to kill Maryanne, not seduce her (she doesn't stand a chance). Anyone else? As for the Hazel' House review at Folkwax--let's just say I wouldn't want to spend a holiday at that guy (or gal's) house. Little tense, I'm guessing. I understand that RS is in favor of "hermeneutic plurality," as he put it, but the awkward conversations and the ulterior motives just aren't there--are the uncle's going to HH just to see the Rose Bowl? Is the crumb cake THAT good. I don't see it either, and I think if anyone is going to read to much into a song, it is I--remember, think the taxi driver in LFOTD is a hierophant. As for Big Muddy, I don't think RG's question--historical document vs ageless retelling are mutually exclusive--even back in 1967, pete Seeger was ostensibly setting it in 1942. This is a great conceit, since we have the WWII "Greatest Generation" contrasted with the Vietnam Vets who were reviled upon their return (and i know some Vietnam vets who resent the adulation afforded WWII vets). Any "push on" was probably necessary in 1942, but was not seen as such for the Vietnam War. So, you have the historical document and the ageless retelling--since it's come round again, but let's not forget there was Desert Storm in between, in which there was no "push on" into Baghdad, as many hawks wanted. Each war, however, still appears to be a rich man's war and a poor man's fight. In my spirit of reading into things, I tend to be inclusive. Does that in some way reduce the effect of the song?--i.e, oh here we go again, another anti-war song with same liberal sentimentality, and just an unfocused, vaguely held notion that we should all just get along. Whereas, if the song is one or the other (historical document vs. ageless retelling) it has more power or effectiveness. I had always thought of it as an ageless retelling, but only because, I think, I have no personal context for the Vietnam war, and only came to know the song years later. Whether it is a historical document, though, I think may be overshadowed by its timeliness (and, therefore, timelessness). John McD. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 09 Dec 2005 13:30:36 -0500 From: Rongrittz@aol.com Subject: Re: [RS] Re: Hazel's House and By Now >> My response was that I found a more sinister undertone in the song, as I thought the driver was going to kill Maryanne, not seduce her (she doesn't stand a chance). Anyone else? << Oh, Maryanne's clearly a goner. As our list-buddy John Clereigh once suggested, the only reason the narrator wants to know "what time are you expected?" is so that he can know how much time he has before the authorities start looking for the body. I recall a lister once opining that he read nothing sinister into the character, and that it was just a kindly old gent giving a young girl a lift. I mentioned that opinion to Richard, who just grinned, shook his head, and said "Oh, poor misguided soul." RG ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 9 Dec 2005 13:40:39 -0500 From: Chris Foxwell Subject: Re: [RS] Re: Hazel's House and By Now On 12/9/05, Rongrittz@aol.com wrote: > > I recall a lister once opining that he read nothing sinister into the > character, and that it was just a kindly old gent giving a young girl a > lift. I mentioned that opinion to Richard, who just grinned, shook his > head, and said "Oh, poor misguided soul." Ha! That's great. In true Richard style, the song allows for a benign interpretation possible, if you really really want to see it...but, c'mon. Uh uh. - --Chris - -- "We were born in a dark age out of due time (for us). But there is this comfort: otherwise we should not know, or so much love, what we do love. I imagine the fish out of water is the only fish to have an inkling of water." - --J.R.R. Tolkien ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 09 Dec 2005 14:50:05 -0500 From: B Gallagher Subject: [RS] Meaning What? > I don't believe this is what the song is about at all! > I thought it was a pretty straight forward song about > fond memories of visits to his aunt's house. On > reflection, he now realizes just how special those > visits were. Sometimes it's the simple things in life > that mean the most. > I just can't figure out how he came to this > conclusion. Anyone else agree with this reviewer? > Janet Janet, I'm guessing you have not played the label side to discover the hidden message... - ----------- > > Seems strange that the writer (in my opinion) reads way too much into > "Hazel's House," but doesn't grasp Richard's obvious (and ripped from the > headlines) motive for singing "Waist Deep in the Big Muddy" . . . you know, > while that damn fool GWB keeps yelling to push on. > > RG - ------------------------------ And what does the George Washington Bridge have to do with the "Big Muddy"? The GWB spans the Hudson, not the Mississippi. BafflemBart ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 9 Dec 2005 17:05:05 -0800 (PST) From: Janet Cinelli Subject: [RS] By Now When I first listened to "By Now", I too thought it was about a nice man giving a girl a lift home. But when I heard all the sneaky questions being asked, I got the chills and thought out loud, "Oh my God, he's gonna kill her!" Creepy, creepy song, one I don't like to listen to when I'm alone in my car, especially at night! As for that review of Vuelta on Folkwax, he mentions this list when he talks about Che Guevara Tee shirt: >> The track is bookended by street noise and a voice that calls something indistinguishable, over which great Web discussion will no doubt ensue on the Richard Shindell Digest.>> Did we discuss this? I think we got a translation of what was said in the beginning of the song but now that I think about it, I'm not really sure that we did! Whenever I wear my Che Guevara tee shirt, it never fails to get someone's attention. The last time I wore it,I got a couple of compliments on my very clever tee shirt. That always gives me an opportunity to mention Richard and his music. Janet Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 9 Dec 2005 20:19:31 -0500 From: Bernadette Marian Subject: [RS] Shindizzle Yo BammaBart, Wuzz up? ur shindizzle is fo shizzle. My 13 yr old homey sayz ur postin' is off da hook! I'm down wit' RS' rhyme Fishin' we be geese, BammaMama and Wangsta A-unit Translation: Hello Bart, How are you? Your subject line is surely good. My 13 year old daughter says that she thinks your posting is very funny. I would like to hear Richard Shindell rap to "FIshing" We are leaving now, (signing off) Loser Mother, Bernadette and Aliza who is pretending to be a gangster - ---Just kidding about the wanna be part, she is a pop girl with a folk twist. She was (almost) willing to give up watching the Red Sox, in what would have been the 7th game of the World Series, to see RS. Good thing the Series didn't go 7 games or I would have had an extra ticket to the Iron Horse and she would have been at a friend's house in front of the TV !! P.S This summer I heard Jake Armerding sing, in folk style, the rap classic, "I like Big Butts" ( originally performed by Sir-Mix-A-Lot). Quite a laugh from the audience as he had introduced the song as being a perfect folk song....Ron G have you done the guitar tabs for that one? ------------------------------ End of shindell-list-digest V7 #301 ***********************************