From: owner-shindell-list-digest@smoe.org (shindell-list-digest) To: shindell-list-digest@smoe.org Subject: shindell-list-digest V12 #417 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 Monday, March 11 2013 Volume 12 : Number 417 Today's Subjects: ----------------- Re: [RS] Transit [Jeff Bernstein ] Re: [RS] Re: Courier. [Chris Foxwell ] Re: [RS] Transit [Ronnie de Champs ] Re: [RS] RS at Labryinth Cafe 3/9/13 ["cvz" ] Re: [RS] Transit ["Laurence Krulik" ] [RS] Show news, but not really any spoilers [Carol Love ] Re: [RS] Labyrinth Cafe Ft. Lauderdale 3/9/13 - color commentary (Re: Spoiler Alert - Set List [Janet Cinell] [RS] Re: Courier. [] [RS] Fleur-de-lis [Chris Foxwell ] RE: [RS] Labyrinth Cafe Ft. Lauderdale 3/9/13 - color commentary (Re: Spoiler Alert - Set List ["Sue Maskale] Re: [RS] Transit [Laurence Krulik ] RE: [RS] Labyrinth Cafe Ft. Lauderdale 3/9/13 - color commentary (Re: Spoiler Alert - Set List [Janet Cine] [RS] ...must be an Irish thing... [Pete Jameson ] RE: [RS] Final Four. ["Claire Latham" ] Re: [RS] color commentary [] Re: [RS] Re: Courier. [Chris Foxwell ] [RS] Spoiler Alert - Set List [Isabel Frey ] Re: [RS] Final Four. [CLAIRE LATHAM ] [RS] =?windows-1252?B?UmU6IFtSU10gTGFzdCBOaWdodIU=?= [Carol Love ] Re: [RS] RS at Labryinth Cafe 3/9/13 [Vanessa Wills ] Re: [RS] Final Four. [Johannes Schult ] Re: [RS] ...must be an Irish thing... [CLAIRE LATHAM ] [RS] Final Four. [] Re: [RS] Final Four. ["cvz" ] Re: [RS] Couriers [Rongrittz ] Re: [RS] Final Four. [Jeff Bernstein ] Re: [RS] Final Four. ["Michael & Linda Marmer" ] Re: [RS] Final Four. ["Kevin B. Pease" ] Re: [RS] Final Four [RFC ] Re: [RS] Should Age Matter in Song Selection???? [Carol Love ] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 11 Mar 2013 09:37:31 -0400 From: Jeff Bernstein Subject: Re: [RS] Transit And I feel the same way about Transit. Chocolate and vanilla. Jeff Sent from my iPhone On Mar 11, 2013, at 7:35 AM, Laurence Krulik wrote: >>> only, it's paired against Wisteria ... > > Ah, right. Sorry. As you can tell from my emails, I vehemently disagree > with Wisteria even being in the top-anything - didn't matter to me what it > was paired against. Don't get me wrong, I like the tune, but never was one > of my favorites. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 11 Mar 2013 17:04:38 +0300 From: Chris Foxwell Subject: Re: [RS] Re: Courier. On Mon, Mar 11, 2013 at 4:49 PM, wrote: > >> I always assumed that he named the CD after the song because its title > offers the closest bit of imagery to his role as artist and performer, not > because it was more important. << > > Well, without beating this into the ground, isn't that exactly what MAKES > it important? > I guess it depends on what you mean by "important". To me, the song's title makes it appropriate for selection as a CD title, but that appropriateness doesn't make any greater commentary on the song's worth. It's just a great match for that particular context. It also happens to be one of Richard's greatest songs, of course, from the point of view of most participating in the contest at least -- but it's clearly possible to disagree with the latter assessment while still appreciating the song's appropriateness as the CD title. As Richard's view demonstrates. 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: Mon, 11 Mar 2013 12:16:09 +0100 From: Ronnie de Champs Subject: Re: [RS] Transit Laurence Krulik wrote : Chris - great interpretation. B And if this doesn't make someone pick Transit over RH, it was doomed to the vortex with the rest of the motorists. only, it's paired against Wisteria ... Ronnie ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 11 Mar 2013 10:19:59 -0400 From: "cvz" Subject: Re: [RS] RS at Labryinth Cafe 3/9/13 Yes V, that was it. Thanks. Got stuff going to junkmail again. Found this one there. carrie Should this be "pounded"? If so, I'm thinking that song was probably "Careless", which is one from the new batch. He sort of slaps the bottom of the fretboard with an open palm to sound the chords. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 11 Mar 2013 03:58:06 -0700 (PDT) From: "Laurence Krulik" Subject: Re: [RS] Transit Chris - great interpretation. B And if this doesn't make someone pick Transit over RH, it was doomed to the vortex with the rest of the motorists.B b Sent from Mailbox for iPhone On Sun, Mar 10, 2013 at 7:37 PM, Chris Foxwell wrote: > On Sun, Mar 10, 2013 at 9:50 PM, John McDonnell wrote: > The song asks the question was it some kind of vortex, but assuming it >> was, I dont understand why. Is it punishment for not caring that >> Sister Maria had a flat? It never really made a lot of sense to me, >> though I like the description of the "well-insured horde" and the >> ever-updated "Ashcroft Republicans." I thought the song had a better >> crime-retribution-forgiveness-salvation dynamic than that. >> >> > There is much more going on than disregard for Maria's predicament. My > interpretation is that we are seeing a kind of Judgement Day, with the > motorists being punished for leading lives of sin and selfishness. The > behavior displayed on the highway, contempt and disgust felt for one > another (and for Sister Maria), symbolizes the motorists' sinful lives and > results in them being swept up by the vortex. Such behavior includes > squeezing and edging and glaring; impairment by rage (or exhaustion); > touchiness ("as hell"); bobbing and weaving; flipping the bird; screaming > obscenities; etc. > Further, the first half of the song is dotted with references to sin, and > to where the horde will end up after Judgement Day: the merge was "murder"; > they are "touchy as hell" and "hell-bent on Saturday" (read: hell-bent on > leisure, time for themselves); they have a "devil-may-care" attitude; > awaiting them is the "angry old sun/Son"; etc. > All of this is juxtaposed against the actors present in the second half of > the song: the penitent souls in prison, pouring out their souls to Sister > Maria, under whose Soft and Tender guidance they will be redeemed and pass > into heaven after Judgement Day. Along with Maria, of course, whose idea of > a worthwhile Friday night is providing salvation to condemned prisoners > rather than rushing home to Saturday. > So, yeah. "Judgement Day on the Highway" is a suitable subtitle for the > song, in my opinion. I interpret the vortex, by the way, not as being a > physical thing divinely caused, but rather the result of the motorists' > seething rage and hell-bent intent on Saturday. So caught up are they in > their rage at being denied their leisure time that they don't even notice > that they've missed their exits and are heading for the gap/Hell. (As a > metaphor for public behavior, that right there is as nice a touch as > Richard has ever written.) "Vortex" is merely the narrator's speculative > attempt to describe what happened, as he himself doesn't know: "How did it > happen? They had all missed their exits! How did it happen? Was it some > kind of vortex?" > 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: Mon, 11 Mar 2013 05:52:48 -0400 From: Carol Love Subject: [RS] Show news, but not really any spoilers Chris wrote: > In any case, re: Mavis being his favorite...yes! Vindication! :-) > ........You have vindication, I have a mystery. :-) I would wonder what he would think about "Are You Happy Now" not even placing in the competition. I've never been to a show where he didn't perform it. I have a show review, but am still looking for the set list I actually wrote down. I wasn't going to because my husband, bless him, saved us seats on the front row. But after I realized/remembered that Richard almost always closes his eyes when he sings, I started a little short hand. Last night RS played a bungalow/art gallery in St. Pete that does house shows. Mike will like to hear that there WAS a moment where crowd behavior WAS addressed. As I said, I was upfront, so I didn't know much about the crowd. However, at one point Richard stop and says, "Sir, are you filming???" ~ Sir denies this ~ RS says, "I would everyone to just be in the moment." He was incredibly civil about it, but he used a tone I wish I could whip out on my 9th grade students. Also, Marc & Sara performed. I've never seen Marc Shulman live, and he is an excellent guitar player. However, he was the ONLY minus of the night for me. As I said it was a house show and the quarters were very cramped. If I had stretched out my legs, I could have tapped the lecture/stand Richard was using. I don't know how to describe it, but Shulman gets so into his playing that he starts doing something that looks like Joe Cocker with a guitar. I love that someone is so into what they are doing, but if they are three to four feet from you and the guy you came hear sing, it's a might distracting. There were a couple of times I was sure I was going to get a face full of electric guitar fret. Fortunately, I am a public school teacher with Jedi powers to ignore things. Off to find my set list...after I teach the childrens today. .....Carol ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 11 Mar 2013 05:59:48 -0400 From: Carol Love Subject: [RS] WAIT!! I forgot the biggest MOMENT last night!!!! Richard actually invited me backstage!!! It was to breakdown the congestion waiting for the ladies room by offering the "artist's facilities", but hey doesn't it count??? :-) I'm being funny and I'm not being funny when I say I've said on list that he writes convincingly in the feminine voice and he also gets a woman's problems, such as always have a line at the restroom. ...Carol ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 11 Mar 2013 17:58:36 -0400 From: Laurence Krulik Subject: Re: [RS] ...must be an Irish thing... There's a big difference to singing along with a 1-person band playing an acoustic guitar 20 feet away from you and accompanying Bruce on "Waiting on a Sunny Day" in a stadium. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 11 Mar 2013 09:08:17 -0700 From: gina Subject: Re: [RS] Final Four. After agonizing all weekend, last night (while up yet again with insomnia), I decided to make my decision based on which song in each pairing I'd be most excited about Richard playing at a show. 1. Courier vs. Reunion Hill Reunion Hill. (I realized that Reunion Hill would be my choice if it were paired against Wisteria, the other ballad in the final four.) 2. Wisteria vs. Transit Transit. (I love Transit.) Gina - -- ******************************* "and all i want is something i can write about, all i want is something i can cry about..." - -n.f. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 11 Mar 2013 05:55:30 -0700 (PDT) From: Janet Cinelli Subject: Re: [RS] Labyrinth Cafe Ft. Lauderdale 3/9/13 - color commentary (Re: Spoiler Alert - Set List I'm sorry but I don't understand what this means. I'm afraid I don't know much about Sean Colvin to get the reference. - --- On Sun, 3/10/13, ozwoman321@aol.com wrote: During our chat, I asked Richard if his interest in the electric guitar came about in last year's sabbatical - he said that he appreciated the opportunity to re-focus... "a few small repairs", he called it. I said, "oh, Shawn Colvin" - he immediately quipped, "yes, but not quite as destructive"... :-) ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 11 Mar 2013 6:49:09 -0700 From: Subject: [RS] Re: Courier. >> I always assumed that he named the CD after the song because its title offers the closest bit of imagery to his role as artist and performer, not because it was more important. << Well, without beating this into the ground, isn't that exactly what MAKES it important? RG ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 11 Mar 2013 16:36:23 +0300 From: Chris Foxwell Subject: [RS] Fleur-de-lis On Mon, Mar 4, 2013 at 5:37 AM, Shelda Eggers wrote: > Chris wrote: > >> Ditto for "Fleur-de-Lis", with its narrator's overwhelming longing for >> motherhood (as I interpret it) -- there I'm crossing gender lines. >> > > Hmm... now there's an interpretation that never occurred to me. Had to go > back and read the words again, and I kinda sorta see where that's coming > from. I hear 'with my baby' in a very different way. Interpretation of > such an ambiguous song is a curious thing indeed. > Is anyone interested in another round of interpretation of "Fleur-de-lis"? I noticed last week that several people were referring to its mysterious nature, which led me to go back and glance over old messages from 2003 and 2006, during which we had a rollicking good time debating various of the song's references and imagery. To my eyes, the song has quite specific and 100% consistent/coherent meaning, and has ceased to have any real mystery - -- I listen to it as an achingly beautiful plea, wrapped in symbolism but very understandable. Just curious if there's any interest. Feel free to shout me down if sleeping dogs are better left lying. 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: Mon, 11 Mar 2013 09:25:02 -0400 From: "Sue Maskaleris" Subject: RE: [RS] Labyrinth Cafe Ft. Lauderdale 3/9/13 - color commentary (Re: Spoiler Alert - Set List Janet, "A few small repairs" are from her song "Sunny Came Home". Read the lyrics and you'll get the connection. Sue M http://www.metrolyrics.com/sunny-came-home-lyrics-shawn-colvin.html - -----Original Message----- From: owner-shindell-list-digest@smoe.org [mailto:owner-shindell-list-digest@smoe.org] On Behalf Of Janet Cinelli Sent: Monday, March 11, 2013 8:56 AM To: shindell-list@smoe.org Subject: Re: [RS] Labyrinth Cafe Ft. Lauderdale 3/9/13 - color commentary (Re: Spoiler Alert - Set List I'm sorry but I don't understand what this means. I'm afraid I don't know much about Sean Colvin to get the reference. - --- On Sun, 3/10/13, ozwoman321@aol.com wrote: During our chat, I asked Richard if his interest in the electric guitar came about in last year's sabbatical - he said that he appreciated the opportunity to re-focus... "a few small repairs", he called it. I said, "oh, Shawn Colvin" - he immediately quipped, "yes, but not quite as destructive"... :-) ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 11 Mar 2013 07:35:13 -0400 From: Laurence Krulik Subject: Re: [RS] Transit >> only, it's paired against Wisteria ... Ah, right. Sorry. As you can tell from my emails, I vehemently disagree with Wisteria even being in the top-anything - didn't matter to me what it was paired against. Don't get me wrong, I like the tune, but never was one of my favorites. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 11 Mar 2013 07:46:17 -0700 (PDT) From: Janet Cinelli Subject: RE: [RS] Labyrinth Cafe Ft. Lauderdale 3/9/13 - color commentary (Re: Spoiler Alert - Set List thanks for the response. Talk about coincidence, my radio station is playing this very song as I type this! Janet - --- On Mon, 3/11/13, Sue Maskaleris wrote: Janet, "A few small repairs" are from her song "Sunny Came Home". Read the lyrics and you'll get the connection. Sue M ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 11 Mar 2013 16:33:29 -0400 From: Pete Jameson Subject: [RS] ...must be an Irish thing... At Saw Doctors concerts, the audience members know the lyrics, and they regularly sing along. Asked if thats ever a distraction for the band, Moran gave an enthusiastic no. Its an absolutely wonderful thing, he insisted. I always say that communal singing is one of the greatest feelings of community in the world. It gives people a great sense of unity. Singing goes beyond normal channels of communication with people. It touches areas of the brain that arent normally touched in everyday life. Read more: http://www.patriotledger.com/entertainment/x1522334654/MUSIC-PREVIEW-Saw-Doct ors-to-operate-at-House-of-Blues#ixzz2NGVbdAwR Happy St. Paddy's Week! Paddy in PA ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 10 Mar 2013 13:13:02 -0000 From: "Claire Latham" Subject: RE: [RS] Final Four. Here goes... 1. Reunion Hill -as much as I love Courier as the live version, Reunion Hill has such lovely imagery and I'm a sucker for a war story from the female perspective...and I get chills when Richard plays this solo on guitar. It's a pin-drop moment. There is a version on 'Live from Chandler' that I really like his vocals on and how clear his guitar is on it. I have trouble telling if it's in DADGAD or Standard - perhaps Ron can tell me? 2. Transit - I've never really had a 'Wisteria moment' so it doesn't resonate as much for me. I like transit, the rhythm, the stories he tells before singing it, the way he changes it and Sister Maria - I love the crescendo finish of her choir. I listened to all 4 versions I have and concluded the band arrangement on Courier is the most dramatic but I love the bass runs on the guitar only version at Chandler Music Hall. Claire - -----Original Message----- From: owner-shindell-list-digest@smoe.org [mailto:owner-shindell-list-digest@smoe.org] On Behalf Of ronsfolkchords@cox.net Sent: 08 March 2013 14:45 To: shindell-list@smoe.org Subject: [RS] Final Four. And here we are at the Final Four. 1. Courier vs. Reunion Hill 2. Wisteria vs. Transit So go listen to the songs again, and again, and again, and give it your best shot. Or, you know, just flip a coin, because as we get down to just these, there are no wrong choices. Voting ends next Thursday. RG ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 10 Mar 2013 19:46:47 -0700 From: Subject: Re: [RS] color commentary >> Ah, so I am not the only one (surprised by The Courier making the final four << Frankly, I'm surprised that HE'S surprised. I mean, even HE considered an important enough song to name his live CD after it. RG ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 12 Mar 2013 01:16:55 +0300 From: Chris Foxwell Subject: Re: [RS] Re: Courier. On Mon, Mar 11, 2013 at 11:48 PM, wrote: > Which made me think about what Much Madness really is, because it's > certainly not a "what's important" or "what's his best song?" competition. > I guess it depends on what factors the list members are using to determine > their individual preferences in each pairing. Personally, each pairing > causes me to carefully consider how consistently excellent each song has > been in all its variations (which is why the studio version of "Reunion > Hill" may NOT work in its favor for me should it reach the championship > round), how much each song stands up to repeated listening, how much I like > playing it on guitar, how important each song is to me from a personal > connection standpoint, and how important each song is in some > difficult-to-define Overall Grand Sense. And to me, a song that describes > him as an artist/performer that's also deemed (by him) important enough to > be the title of a live body of work is key to that definition. > > At the end of the day, it's really just a fun popularity exercise. And > what's Richard's favorite may not necessarily resonate with his fans, who > bounced "There Goes Mavis" in favor of "State of the Union" in the Round of > 32. > I suppose I vote according to which songs are most powerful. (To me.) Of course that term, "powerful", is no less vague than "important", but in general I try to consider various factors of each song: its depth of meaning, effective conveying of that meaning, listenability, and to a lesser extent its personal meaning to me. The first two categories tend to pack more punch, which is why "Transit" is my overall favorite despite suffering a bit in the listenability category, but there are several songs that score super-high in the latter two categories ("Cancion", "Clara") and thus came out on top of other more "balanced" songs. "Courier" is a strong balance of all categories, but the mere fact that it happens to capture Richard's chosen profession doesn't really make it "powerful" for me in this way. No more than "Fleur-de-lis" because it happens to be his first recorded song, or NBW because it happens to contain some of his personal struggles re: religion, etc. ("Courier" is indeed powerful, in my opinion, but that's because it's a great song, completely apart from its CD-title-appropriateness.) Hmm, I guess I may as well get in my Final Four picks. I tend to be fashionably lazy and submit toward the end of the week, but we're on the topic, so... 1. Courier (over Reunion Hill) Tough, tough, tough. "Courier" by a nose. 2. Transit (over Wisteria) These are my #1 and #2 of the Final Four. "Wisteria" has grown on me during this tournament, though it hardly needed to as it has always been one of my favorites, but "Transit" continues to blow me away with every listen. No real competition...though *sniff*, "Wisteria"... 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: Sun, 10 Mar 2013 11:30:12 -0400 From: Isabel Frey Subject: [RS] Spoiler Alert - Set List Gene and I had an amazing time at the Labrynth Cafe last night with Susan and Chico Moss, Carrie from KC and Lurker Don. What a great night. I'll let Susan fill in the details, except to say that Richard played all electric and was accompanied by Marc Schulman on electric guitar and Sara Milonovich on violin. 1. Next Best Western 2. Stray Cow Blues 3. Deer on the Parkway 4. Reunion Hill 5. Fishing 6. Juggler Out in Traffic 7. Satellites 8. Ballad of Mary Magdalene (break) 9. Get Up Clara 10. Blue Northern Lights (by Glenn Patscha of Ollabelle) 11. Careless 12. Are You Happy Now - crowd favorite but I didn't care for this version on the electric guitar. Loud and brash. In the last verse, left out "written you a verse or two") 13. Your Guitar 14. Mavis 15. Love in Vain (Eric Clapton) 16. Transit ("Democrats, Republicans, but mostly Republicans") (encore)) 17. I Know You, Rider (traditional, covered by many artists including Grateful Dead 18. Wisteria Alas, no Weather. ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 10 Mar 2013 21:35:12 +0000 (GMT) From: CLAIRE LATHAM Subject: Re: [RS] Final Four. Thanks, Ron. I need to get back to learning this song again. Sent from my Z5 ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 10 Mar 2013 12:29:45 -0400 From: Carol Love Subject: [RS] =?windows-1252?B?UmU6IFtSU10gTGFzdCBOaWdodIU=?= Don Vining wrote: > Richard and Mark were much tighter than they were at the first Concert > Window concert that I watched online. ....Don, I am right in thinking that this is the first time RS had brought a "band" to Florida??? We were in for a surprise when Richard announced that this would be his first all electric concert. ....Did he light it on fire at the end, or do any Pete Townshend worthy windmills????? Tonight I see him at a VERY small venue in St. Pete. I don't think a band would physically fit in the room. He has tomorrow night at the Tampa Bay Performing Arts center ~ where it would all work. .....Carol ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 10 Mar 2013 15:59:56 -0400 From: Norman Johnson Subject: [RS] Talking baseball Gene wrote: "The first pairing is the tougher one. I am reminded of the great New Yorker writer Roger Angell, who was a lifelong Red Sox fan, but also became a Mets fan when he started covering baseball in 1962. He was able to keep his two loyalties separate until the 1986 World Series. As he wrote, he was honestly not sure how he would feel once the series ended, but when it did, he realized he was happy, and above all a Mets fan. All of that is to say, Reunion Hill." Does the mean "it was his career of mine?" is the equivalent of Bill Buckner's legs? Norman ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 10 Mar 2013 09:12:26 -0400 From: Vanessa Wills Subject: Re: [RS] RS at Labryinth Cafe 3/9/13 Should this be "pounded"? If so, I'm thinking that song was probably "Careless", which is one from the new batch. He sort of slaps the bottom of the fretboard with an open palm to sound the chords. On Sun, Mar 10, 2013 at 8:56 AM, cvz wrote: > In the second set the guitars were > more quiet and there was one song where Richard pounced (is that the > correct > term?) on the strings. I liked that technique. Unfortunately I donb t > remember which song that was. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 11 Mar 2013 08:40:37 +0100 (CET) From: Johannes Schult Subject: Re: [RS] Final Four. 1. Reunion Hill (over Courier) - my fav. RS song, also more dynamic (and yes, I do love the original arrangement, but like the Randolph live version the best) 2. Wisteria (over Transit) - don't get me wrong, Transit is an amazing piece of music; but I find the studio version lacks a bit a dedication in the vocals, plus Wisteria is my second fav. RS song. :-) ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 11 Mar 2013 21:05:14 +0000 (GMT) From: CLAIRE LATHAM Subject: Re: [RS] ...must be an Irish thing... No, it's an English thing too... we like to sing along ... got to know the words though, if you want my two penneth... or catch on quickly... and be respectfully in keeping with what the artist is doing. I've seen several overseas artists be surprised and then enjoy the audience participation. Richard didn't seem to mind at all when I saw him at a small venue with dedicated, respectful fans, smiling when we obviously knew the songs and the lyrics. There was one lad, about 15, who knew every bit of Kenworth of My Dreams... which gave me hope :-) There is nothing like being joined in harmony to lift the spirit and transcend the mundane. Claire. Sent from my Z5 ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 11 Mar 2013 02:21:40 +0300 From: Chris Foxwell Subject: Re: [RS] Transit On Sun, Mar 10, 2013 at 9:50 PM, John McDonnell wrote: The song asks the question was it some kind of vortex, but assuming it > was, I dont understand why. Is it punishment for not caring that > Sister Maria had a flat? It never really made a lot of sense to me, > though I like the description of the "well-insured horde" and the > ever-updated "Ashcroft Republicans." I thought the song had a better > crime-retribution-forgiveness-salvation dynamic than that. > > There is much more going on than disregard for Maria's predicament. My interpretation is that we are seeing a kind of Judgement Day, with the motorists being punished for leading lives of sin and selfishness. The behavior displayed on the highway, contempt and disgust felt for one another (and for Sister Maria), symbolizes the motorists' sinful lives and results in them being swept up by the vortex. Such behavior includes squeezing and edging and glaring; impairment by rage (or exhaustion); touchiness ("as hell"); bobbing and weaving; flipping the bird; screaming obscenities; etc. Further, the first half of the song is dotted with references to sin, and to where the horde will end up after Judgement Day: the merge was "murder"; they are "touchy as hell" and "hell-bent on Saturday" (read: hell-bent on leisure, time for themselves); they have a "devil-may-care" attitude; awaiting them is the "angry old sun/Son"; etc. All of this is juxtaposed against the actors present in the second half of the song: the penitent souls in prison, pouring out their souls to Sister Maria, under whose Soft and Tender guidance they will be redeemed and pass into heaven after Judgement Day. Along with Maria, of course, whose idea of a worthwhile Friday night is providing salvation to condemned prisoners rather than rushing home to Saturday. So, yeah. "Judgement Day on the Highway" is a suitable subtitle for the song, in my opinion. I interpret the vortex, by the way, not as being a physical thing divinely caused, but rather the result of the motorists' seething rage and hell-bent intent on Saturday. So caught up are they in their rage at being denied their leisure time that they don't even notice that they've missed their exits and are heading for the gap/Hell. (As a metaphor for public behavior, that right there is as nice a touch as Richard has ever written.) "Vortex" is merely the narrator's speculative attempt to describe what happened, as he himself doesn't know: "How did it happen? They had all missed their exits! How did it happen? Was it some kind of vortex?" 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, 8 Mar 2013 6:45:14 -0800 From: Subject: [RS] Final Four. And here we are at the Final Four. 1. Courier vs. Reunion Hill 2. Wisteria vs. Transit So go listen to the songs again, and again, and again, and give it your best shot. Or, you know, just flip a coin, because as we get down to just these, there are no wrong choices. Voting ends next Thursday. RG ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 8 Mar 2013 10:13:08 -0500 From: "cvz" Subject: Re: [RS] Final Four. Reunion HIll Transit And here we are at the Final Four. 1. Courier vs. Reunion Hill 2. Wisteria vs. Transit So go listen to the songs again, and again, and again, and give it your best shot. Or, you know, just flip a coin, because as we get down to just these, there are no wrong choices. Voting ends next Thursday. RG ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 9 Mar 2013 19:37:57 -0800 From: Rongrittz Subject: Re: [RS] Couriers Hmmmmm...I agree somewhat, but to me, the real live CD vs. studio no-contest improvement is "Arrowhead." I'm not counting "Reunion Hill" because the live version isn't really live. On Mar 9, 2013, at 5:11 PM, Norman Johnson wrote: > Yes, by a considerable margin. I ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 8 Mar 2013 18:20:24 -0500 From: Jeff Bernstein Subject: Re: [RS] Final Four. 1. Reunion Hill 2. Wisteria ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 08 Mar 2013 10:14:57 -0500 From: "Michael & Linda Marmer" Subject: Re: [RS] Final Four. Reunion Hill Transit - -----Original Message----- From: ronsfolkchords@cox.net Sent: Friday, March 08, 2013 9:45 AM To: shindell-list@smoe.org Subject: [RS] Final Four. And here we are at the Final Four. 1. Courier vs. Reunion Hill 2. Wisteria vs. Transit So go listen to the songs again, and again, and again, and give it your best shot. Or, you know, just flip a coin, because as we get down to just these, there are no wrong choices. Voting ends next Thursday. RG ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 8 Mar 2013 11:15:43 -0500 From: "Kevin B. Pease" Subject: Re: [RS] Final Four. My choices from the final four worthy contenders: 1. Reunion Hill 2. Transit ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 9 Mar 2013 16:52:43 -0800 From: RFC Subject: Re: [RS] Final Four Which begs the question....is the version of "The Courier" on "Courier" better than the studio version? On Mar 9, 2013, at 4:37 PM, John McDonnell wrote: > To be fair, I listened to > the studio versions of all the songs and tried to forget the live > versions. This was to the detriment of Reunion Hill, as I feel the > version on "Courier" is far far better than the studio version. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 7 Mar 2013 21:11:31 -0500 From: Carol Love Subject: Re: [RS] Should Age Matter in Song Selection???? Vanessa, I guess I don't need to tell you I saw a newish biography for LC in Barnes & Noble this week. There was also an interesting book right next to it, "The Holy or the Broken: Leonard Cohen, Jeff Buckley, and the Unlikely Ascent of "Hallelujah". Both seemed interesting reads. ..Carol On Mon, Mar 4, 2013 at 8:48 PM, Vanessa Wills wrote: > There is only one Leonard Cohen!! ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 11 Mar 2013 19:36:09 -0400 From: Carol Love Subject: Re: [RS] Transit Norman wrote: > > "Traffic stalls because Sister Maria is fixing a tire. After they get > by her, they speed up and wind off going into a vortex. Makes sense to > me, though Richard should have had Rod Serling come out at the end." > .....I think this is magic realism, which you see again in "So Says the Whippoorwill and probably other songs I'm forgetting. ..Carol ------------------------------ End of shindell-list-digest V12 #417 ************************************