From: owner-shindell-list-digest@smoe.org (shindell-list-digest) To: shindell-list-digest@smoe.org Subject: shindell-list-digest V3 #184 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 Thursday, June 7 2001 Volume 03 : Number 184 Today's Subjects: ----------------- [RS] Swept Away [RockinRonD@aol.com] [RS] Ride Em [RockinRonD@aol.com] [RS] worn out vinyl [jcolb ] Re: [RS] SOTW: The Grocer's Broom [Loracevoll@aol.com] [RS] silent flautists [Lee Wessman ] [RS] Updated Tour Schedule ["Michaela O'Brien" ] Re: [RS] silent flautists [Rongrittz@aol.com] [RS] Many and varied ["Gene Frey" ] [RS] Oh, the games people play. [Rongrittz@aol.com] Re: [RS] Many and varied ["Brian Williamson" ] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 7 Jun 2001 08:43:56 EDT From: RockinRonD@aol.com Subject: [RS] Swept Away In a message dated 6/7/2001 2:06:36 AM Eastern Daylight Time, RonG writes about "Grocer's Broom": > << I recall hearing it (Grocer's Broom) shortly after he'd written it, at > the Turning Point in May of '99 (RonD and sharon were there . . . they > remember)>> I remember I started crying right after the first verse and tried very hard to hide the tears through the rest of the song. This, to me, is one of Richard's most touching and sensitive songs. It hits home to me because it conjures images of my father. He wasn't a grocer, but he worked very hard his whole life and never complained, getting up very early, coming home late. And I remember when he finally retired, how happy I was that he could finally take it easy. I learned to play this song pretty well (thanks to RonG's great chord site) but I hardly ever play it, even just for myself. I get too emotional and I have a hard time singing the chorus, so I've never dared play it out. I can understand how it might be a "passover" song given the strength of SNP, but it will always resonate in my heart as one of Richard's greatest tributes to ageing, much like the great John Prine's "Hello In There." And that's not a comparison I make lightly. Ron ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 7 Jun 2001 08:48:29 EDT From: RockinRonD@aol.com Subject: [RS] Ride Em In a message dated 6/7/2001 5:26:06 AM Eastern Daylight Time, Tom asked: <<> Oh, one of the things I am trying to write about are all the outdoor > games we > used to play. Anyone care to help me compile a list?>> I remember "Johnny on the Pony." My back still aches! RonD ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 07 Jun 2001 08:52:03 -0400 From: jcolb Subject: [RS] worn out vinyl > So, like, here's a question. Has anyone ACTUALLY ever "worn out a record?" > Just wondering. ;-) > Yes. Elton John's Greatest Hits, purchased with money from my paper route, back in junior high school. Most of the actual vinyl records that were damaged were way more prone to have succumbed to my teenage (or, years ago, alcohol or substance-impaired...and yes, I gave that up years ago...) less than pristine handling habits. Putting pennies on top of the tonearm on my Capehart all-in-one stereo instead of buying a new needle does tend to wear on that vinyl a bit. (Of course, about my mid twenties I went to the opposite extreme and purchased an AR turntable, good stylus and cartridge and bought, like, those rice paper liners and loose outer protective sleeves for all my "keeper" vinyl.) I remember reading years ago in Stereo Review that it was also bad for an album (or single, whatever) to be played repeatedly because it heated up the vinyl and deteriorated the grooves. Now, that could be audiophile bs but I did always remember that! Token rs comment: will write about the grocer's broom later! jim colbert somewhere near port matilda pa ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 7 Jun 2001 09:50:12 EDT From: Loracevoll@aol.com Subject: Re: [RS] SOTW: The Grocer's Broom Ron said: > > And has Richard ever written a better line than "Where silence sits playing her flute"? And Nancy replied: > Playing a tune for nowhere? .... We're exactly on the same page here. The whole concept of that song "A Tune for Nowhere" has that same unbelievably lyrical twist to it that Ron was talking about with the "Grocer's Broom" line. Maybe Richard writes his best lines around flutes.... .....Carol ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 7 Jun 2001 09:09:37 -0700 From: Lee Wessman Subject: [RS] silent flautists So what, exactly, IS Silence playing on her flute? I just never got anything from that line and wondered if it was just me being a victim of public education. For that matter, the overall song never moved me very much. It's a very accomplished bit of songcraft, I'll grant you that. The visual images are distinct and tender. The melody and rhythm of the song are appropriate to its lyric; a bit old, a bit tired, a bit sad. But by RS standards, the song seems somehow flacid. It feels like a song written late at night in a rocking chair while recuperating from something. Maybe I'll like it more when I'm older. But I'm already pretty old. - -lee ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 07 Jun 2001 13:26:12 -0400 From: "Michaela O'Brien" Subject: [RS] Updated Tour Schedule Hi all, At last - some new dates. RICHARD SHINDELL - Tour Schedule http://www.richardshindell.com 7/20 Lake Champlain Ferries, Burlington, VT, 802-864-9804 7/22 Waterloo Village Folk Fest, Stanhope, NJ, 201-507-8900 7/27 Music at the Mountainside, Point Pleasant, PA, 215-297-9300 7/28 The Acoustic Cafe, Bridgeport, CT, 203-335-3655 8/19 Clearwater Festival, Asbury Park, NJ, 732-872-9644 8/22 Baldwin's Station & Pub, Sykesville, MD, 410-795-1041 8/24 The Turning Point, Piermont, NY, 845-359-1089 8/26 Club Passim, Cambridge, MA, 617-492-7679 9/20 Towne Crier Cafe, Pawling, NY, 845-855-1300 9/21 Memorial Hall Theater, Shelburne Falls, MA, 413-625-2526 9/22 Peterborough Players Theater, Peterborough, NH, 603-827-2905 9/23 Contois Auditorium, Burlington, VT, 802-864-5888 9/25 Rosendale Cafe, Rosendale, NY, 845-658-9048 9/27 Four Corners Grill, New London, NH, 603-526-6899 9/28 Me & Thee Coffeehouse, Marblehead, MA, 781-631-8987 10/20 Brookdale Perf Arts Ctr, Lincroft, NJ, 732-224-2411 Take care, Michaela ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 07 Jun 2001 13:31:47 EDT From: Rongrittz@aol.com Subject: Re: [RS] silent flautists >> But by RS standards, the song seems somehow flacid. << Point taken. As moving as the sentiment is, it IS a song that I'm likely to skip. Actually, it's the first of TWO that I usually skip, because I've STILL never heard "Merritt Parkway" all the way through. It's like Neil Young said about the song "Don't Let It Bring You Down" . . . "it sorta starts out slow, then fizzles out altogether." RG ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 07 Jun 2001 13:49:55 -0400 From: "Gene Frey" Subject: [RS] Many and varied Hey you guys, I have never really liked 'The Grocer's Broom,' and I have really tried to. It's a very noble sentiment, and there are a couple of lines that are interesting, but I think it is a bit over-written, and pretentious. This is one of the very few in Richard's catalog that feels this way to me. I can imagine most of the characters in Richard's songs actually speaking the dialogue he puts in their mouths. Not here. As far as 'Where Silence sits playing her flute' being one of Richard's best lines, I must also respectfully say 'nope.' There are twenty on 'Sparrow's Point' alone that are more real, powerful, and evocative, to my mind. How about: When my father died from money My mother lived in spite We laughed when nothing was funny, And how we wept when nothing was left >>Manhunt, kickball, stickball, dodgeball, kill the guy with the ball, baseball, tag football, steal the bacon, tag, boxball, red light green light 123, simon says, jacks, jumprope, hide and go seek, hopscotch, twenty questions, tug of war, red rover, kick the can, statues<< Anyone else remember 'I Declare War' or 'Saloogie?' Chinese Handball? Catch Flies Up (aka Automatics)? Or were they limited to my little town of South Ozone Park, Queens, NY (just about four miles south of Paul Simon's). I guess 'Statues' was what we called 'Freeze Tag.' Gene F. _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 07 Jun 2001 14:17:55 EDT From: Rongrittz@aol.com Subject: [RS] Oh, the games people play. >>Manhunt, kickball, stickball, dodgeball, kill the guy with the ball, baseball, tag football, steal the bacon, tag, boxball, red light green light 123, simon says, jacks, jumprope, hide and go seek, hopscotch, twenty questions, tug of war, red rover, kick the can, statues<< And let's not forget one of the games that the kids in my neighborhood liked to play when I lived in New Orleans in 1965: "Hey, let's beat up Ron and take his lunch money." RG ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 7 Jun 2001 14:56:22 -0400 From: "Brian Williamson" Subject: Re: [RS] Many and varied >>Manhunt, kickball, stickball, dodgeball, kill the guy with the ball, baseball, tag football, steal the bacon, tag, boxball, red light green light 123, simon says, jacks, jumprope, hide and go seek, hopscotch, twenty questions, tug of war, red rover, kick the can, statues<< How about: "Mother May I?" and (the now politically incorrect) "Smear The Queer" which would probably be the same as "kill the guy with the ball" from the above list. brian. P.S. and "SPUD". P.P.S. Capture the Flag - ----- Original Message ----- From: Gene Frey To: Sent: Thursday, June 07, 2001 1:49 PM Subject: [RS] Many and varied > Hey you guys, > > I have never really liked 'The Grocer's Broom,' and I have really tried to. > It's a very noble sentiment, and there are a couple of lines that are > interesting, but I think it is a bit over-written, and pretentious. This is > one of the very few in Richard's catalog that feels this way to me. I can > imagine most of the characters in Richard's songs actually speaking the > dialogue he puts in their mouths. Not here. > > As far as 'Where Silence sits playing her flute' being one of Richard's best > lines, I must also respectfully say 'nope.' There are twenty on 'Sparrow's > Point' alone that are more real, powerful, and evocative, to my mind. How > about: > > When my father died from money > My mother lived in spite > We laughed when nothing was funny, > And how we wept when nothing was left > > >>Manhunt, kickball, stickball, dodgeball, kill the guy with the ball, > baseball, tag football, steal the bacon, tag, boxball, red light green light > 123, simon says, jacks, jumprope, hide and go seek, hopscotch, twenty > questions, tug of war, red rover, kick the can, statues<< > > Anyone else remember 'I Declare War' or 'Saloogie?' Chinese Handball? Catch > Flies Up (aka Automatics)? Or were they limited to my little town of South > Ozone Park, Queens, NY (just about four miles south of Paul Simon's). I > guess 'Statues' was what we called 'Freeze Tag.' > > Gene F. > _________________________________________________________________ > Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com ------------------------------ End of shindell-list-digest V3 #184 ***********************************