From: owner-small-repairs-digest@smoe.org (small-repairs-digest) To: small-repairs-digest@smoe.org Subject: small-repairs-digest V3 #64 Reply-To: small-repairs@smoe.org Sender: owner-small-repairs-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-small-repairs-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk small-repairs-digest Tuesday, March 23 1999 Volume 03 : Number 064 Today's Subjects: ----------------- [s-r] TFAJ ["Adam Legge" ] [s-r] sotw-- tfaj (fun w/acronyms) ["Lindsey A. Claypool" Subject: [s-r] TFAJ Yeah, not much said about 'Jimmy' so I thought I'd put forward my opinion. This is my joint favourite song from AFSR and a perfect example of how she can fuse a number of moods within one song, leaving you not exactly sure how you're supposed to feel, the first couple of times you hear it. But, for me, 'Jimmy' is about the type of person who everyone is attracted to, but basically doesn't give a s*** about anyone else. Hopefully the sort of person you find charismatic when you're younger but learn not to as you get older. The minor (string-woodwind?) chords at the end of the chorus (and there's someone for everyone...) are incredibly, beautifully melancholy and still make my heart soar and hurt at the same time. And of course the line others have quoted 'I used to get drunk to get my spark........ it made me wretched but it gave me heart' will be familiar to anyone who has had (or are having) a dependent relationship with any drug. Plus the most wonderful ending with Lyle and Shawn echoing 'and you talk about love' over each other, weirdly combining a sense both of threat and world-weariness A great example how subtle and beautiful adult songwriting can be and an even better example of how AFSR saw her work deepen and mature. That what I think anyway. Keep well folks Adam __________________ Adam Legge adaml@dircon.co.uk Phone 0191-230-0994 Fax 0191-230-0995 Mobile 0370-756509 - -----Original Message----- From: owner-small-repairs@smoe.org [mailto:owner-small-repairs@smoe.org] On Behalf Of Lindsey A. Claypool Sent: 21 March 1999 20:40 To: small-repairs@smoe.org Subject: [s-r] song o' the week I noticed that there was just one post on last weeks sotw, the facts about jimmy, and a lot more posts on the previous song of the week, Polaroids. Is that just cuz you guys don't have a lot to say on TFAJ, or do you think we should extend that one another week too? We could make each selection last two weeks, if you think it gives us more time to think of something to say. Anyway, if no one says anything to the contrary by sometime tomorrow probably, I'll just choose a new song of the week. If you want the Facts About Jimmy extended, let me know. Okay? :) Phew, that was a mouthful (figuratively, of course). Hope it all made sense :) - --Lindsey, still very hyper about seeing Shawn in early September at Bumbershoot Festival - ------------------------------------------------------------------------ To unsubscribe from the list send mail to majordomo@smoe.org with 'unsub scribe small-repairs' in the message body. FAQ & other info: http://www. tisd.net/~casey/shawn/small_repairs.html *REMEMBER* all posts not directly related to Shawn must have the tag 'NSC:' is their subject line - ------------------------------------------------------------------------ - ------------------------------------------------------------------------ To unsubscribe from the list send mail to majordomo@smoe.org with 'unsub scribe small-repairs' in the message body. FAQ & other info: http://www. tisd.net/~casey/shawn/small_repairs.html *REMEMBER* all posts not directly related to Shawn must have the tag 'NSC:' is their subject line - ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 22 Mar 1999 15:55:04 -0800 From: "Lindsey A. Claypool" Subject: [s-r] sotw-- tfaj (fun w/acronyms) I think we could stand to let this one percolate another week in our collective minds. I do think it's a good one. I agree w/ what Adam said about Jimmy being the kind of person who has this certain charisma that draws people in, but he always leaves them feeling let down, cuz honestly he doesn't really care about anyone. I read once that Shawn said this was about "an amalgamation of many assholes i have known." I also remember a story she used to relay in concert after playing this song, about how when she and her band were making the album the bass player decided that "Jimmy" was the "archetypal asshole." Apparently this then prompted the debate of, should she name the song that, should she name the record that... Shawn's so silly. I'm hard-pressed to pick favorite Shawn songs, but this would definitely be up there somewhere. It's definitely one of my three faves on AFSR, along w/ Trouble and If I Were Brave (what can I say, I like the devastating ones). All in all, I think that this is definitely one of the most intriguing characters she has written about. I know Sunny gets all the glory, but I think that, in its own way, TFAJ is at least as if not more tragic. At least in Sunny there's a feeling of getting on with life and being okay-- "She's out there on her own and she's all right." In Jimmy there's much more a feeling of desolation and acceptance of things going wrong, I think. Anyway, that's my take on it. - --Lindsey - ------------------------------------------------------------------------ To unsubscribe from the list send mail to majordomo@smoe.org with 'unsub scribe small-repairs' in the message body. FAQ & other info: http://www. tisd.net/~casey/shawn/small_repairs.html *REMEMBER* all posts not directly related to Shawn must have the tag 'NSC:' is their subject line - ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------ End of small-repairs-digest V3 #64 ********************************** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ To unsubscribe from the list send mail to majordomo@smoe.org with 'unsub scribe small-repairs-digest' in the message body. FAQ & other info: http ://www.tisd.net/~casey/shawn/small_repairs.html *REMEMBER* all posts not directly related to Shawn must have the tag 'NSC:' is their subject line ------------------------------------------------------------------------