From: owner-support-system-digest@smoe.org (support-system-digest) To: support-system-digest@smoe.org Subject: support-system-digest V1 #35 Reply-To: support-system@smoe.org Sender: owner-support-system-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-support-system-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk support-system-digest Wednesday, October 7 1998 Volume 01 : Number 035 Today's Subjects: ----------------- Favorite Liz moments [palik@ix.netcom.com] correction re: the 3rd liz show at the vic [BBelbis@aol.com] new Liz Question [Jennifer Cooper ] blahblahblah [Ronald Dodge ] Two Questions ["Michael Worrell" ] FAVOURITES ["Patrick Stone" ] Xtra ticket for Boston show (TONIGHT) available [Ben_Radlinski@CFOPUB.COM] favorite liz moments...and a plug. [Ben_Radlinski@CFOPUB.COM] "Intellectual" videos [Dermich@aol.com] Re: support-system-digest V1 #33 ["Al" ] Re: Master List [dbickin@ibm.net] Oct. 7 - TLA - Be there. [kiskos@webtv.net (Edward Kisko)] Soundtracks/Liz Moments [Sarah.David@washcoll.edu (Sarah David)] Am I a clown? <:0) [AngelLieb@aol.com] Rolling Stone Reader's Poll [AngelLieb@aol.com] liz at 9.30 [MangoHula@aol.com] exile on main st. comparison ["Chris DeLisle" ] never enough [Ronald Dodge ] edible.. [Ronald Dodge ] st. louis! [Svehicle@aol.com] Liz on Amazon.com contest Oct.8 [palik@ix.netcom.com] liz in DC ["Stacey Wirt" ] erecting a life soundtrack [PhairDanes@aol.com] Re: support-system-digest V1 #33 ["John Gersten" ] j. sunshine live [Jeff Dorion ] Phair to cnn [Ronald Dodge ] z's [Ronald Dodge ] newbie [Angelphair@aol.com] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 06 Oct 1998 01:02:51 -0500 From: palik@ix.netcom.com Subject: Favorite Liz moments Favorite Liz moments: Crater Lake - the transition from slow to fast: "until it blows, and oh all the tears..." ^^^^^^^^^^^ Mesmerizing - the recorder part seems very Jefferson Airplane, reminds me of 'Today' or 'Comin' Back to Me' from Surrealistic Pillow. Supernova - I swear to God at first I thought she said "like a Sheriff's bare red ass" Dance of the Seven Veils - the little pause between "makes me wanna" and "rough you up so badly" Stratford-on-Guy - the beginning drum bit ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 6 Oct 1998 02:20:29 EDT From: BBelbis@aol.com Subject: correction re: the 3rd liz show at the vic hey guys, ok....i'm sorry. i had given this list some wrong information earlier. people at capitol/matador initially thought the added show would be on saturday. in actuality, it will be on tues, 10/27..... as far as i know, i believe tix will go on sale this saturday......happy, happy day.... brian ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 6 Oct 1998 01:23:26 -0500 (EST) From: Jennifer Cooper Subject: new Liz Question I'm somewhat new to Liz but there are a lot of things on her albums that made me an obsessive fan. i think i'll mention ten of them right now since top ten lists seem to be big on this list. :) 1. the guitar chords/strumming at beginning and end of Polyester Bride 2. the was she ends Polyester Bride with that low little "here" 3. the verses to What Makes You Happy ( i think i could have taken more instead of the chorus over and over, but it's still a great song) 4. From Headache , the line "I'm a psychosomatic sister running around without a leash" and the way she kind of just mumbles thefirst line of teh last verse of that song 5. Never SAid, the whole song, all the lines are great and i love the "I-hi-I" parts 6.the intro to Supernova 7. the harminica solo in Divorce song and the lines "the license said you had to stick around till I was dead, but if you're tired of looking at my face I guess I already am.' those words and the way she sings them are so heart-wrenching (for lack of a better term, it's hard to come up with one at 1:30 am) 8. "I was flying into Chicago at night..." any Chicagoan (especially from the North Side-Rogers Park) has got to love those lines 9. the piano in Canary 10. the complete and utter bluntness of Fuck and Run there are more but i don't want to bore anyone p.s where can i find this Stuck on an Island song i've seen mentioned on this list? Jen ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 05 Oct 1998 23:25:33 -0700 From: Ronald Dodge Subject: blahblahblah did everyone except LA get 'stratford-on-guy' in their encore??? whatupwitdat? anyway, some moments to savor: the transitional ending to 'only son' the pumped up chorus of 'polyester bride' all of 'chopsticks' the take no prisoners opening of 'supernova' the 'yeah' and 'out there' in '6'1"' the beginning middle and end of 'mesmerizing' the slick turning of words in 'divorce song' the intensity and quirkiness of 'johnny sunshine' but my two most memorable moments were quit simply the first hearing of '6'1"' and the parting of the curtains at the mayan theater... peace MrE ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 6 Oct 1998 09:37:29 -0400 From: "Michael Worrell" Subject: Two Questions This might be a redundant question, but here goes: I've been browsing all the various discographies out there, and since I'm wanting to get as near-complete a collection as possible, I've got a question: What items of Liz Phair's work is still plausibly (meaning I don't have to visit Darkest Peru to find it) available on the commercial market, and what's the best route towards acquiring a complete collection? Secondly, someone mentioned #WCSE a bit ago. If someone in the know doesn't mind to tell me, on what IRC network is this? Thanks for the time and bandwidth, and I'll see you around. ^_^ Michael Worrell ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 6 Oct 1998 09:55:23 -0400 From: "Patrick Stone" Subject: FAVOURITES Okay...these aren't all my favourites, but I just have time for several of them. If I think of more later I will post them. But, a couple of prior posts inspired me to send this now like: Modest Mouse! They rule. "The Lonesome Crowded West" is one of the best cd's of the year. Great, great band. I saw them at a small club in Atlanta--great show! Anyways...other fave bands: Soul Coughing(a lot of Cough fans here) Bjork(ditto) Grateful Dead(yes, even deadheads like liz) Cornershop Komeda Elvis Costello Toots & the Maytals Culture Louis Armstrong/Ella Fitzgerald Jonathan Richman(before "There's Something about Mary") Edie Brickell Kelly Willis They Might Be Giants Now to some favourite parts of Liz's songs: Right now I can only think of one: In "Headache" when she starts to softly mumble the lyrics ..."with the Russian army runnin' through my mind, etc..." That just does somethin' to me! Anyhoo..gotta run. Hope Liz makes a swing through the Bible Belt! Patrick ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 6 Oct 1998 10:01:53 -0400 From: Ben_Radlinski@CFOPUB.COM Subject: Xtra ticket for Boston show (TONIGHT) available I thought I let the list know (before I scalp it tonight!) that I have one extra ticket for the sold-out Boston show. I'm selling it for the sale price ($15) so, any takers? I'll arrange a meeting time and place (I live about 2 blocks from the venue). Let me know. Ben ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 6 Oct 1998 10:11:20 -0400 From: Ben_Radlinski@CFOPUB.COM Subject: favorite liz moments...and a plug. - -The beginning strums of "What Makes You Happy." - -The drums in the beginning of "Dogs of LA" - -"With my Beatle boots and your super 8" line in the same song. - -The dual drum tracks in "Fuck and Run"(you can hear it if you listen real hard). - -The bridge harmonies on "Perfect World" - beautiful! - -The opening of "Shatter", fucking spectacular. - -the flams in the beginning of "Supernova" - -"Pump you full of lead" - -All of Divorce Song, but mostly "I guess I'll take your word on that" sung with so much feeling, well... - -the background vocals in the Girlysound version of "Flower" YUMMY. I play the drums, so I'm a little partial to Brad Wood's drum stylings. And a plug here. My friend's band, The Dismemberment Plan are releasing an EP today on Interscope. It's for one of their old songs "Ice of Boston" but it's a great song and the EP includes some other fabulous songs. They sound a little bit like Radiohead making sweet soul love to the Beastie Boys. Try it, you'll like it. Ben Rad ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 6 Oct 1998 11:18:18 EDT From: Dermich@aol.com Subject: "Intellectual" videos Lucas wrote: >A'ight, I still haven't seen the new video, but I want to address the >adjective 'intellectual'. Liz's music is creative, but I don't think of >it as intellectual. I'm of the opinion that creativity and >intellectualism don't really mix. (Any Julia Cameron fans out there? : ) >Of course I've never sat down and chatted with Liz about it, but I think >her music is produced more organically, y'know? No, no--I didn't mean that Liz's music was intellectual in a negative way. I do happen to think she puts a lot of thought into her music; she is most evidently not the kind of artist who sits down, jams for 20 minutes, and comes up with a song that doesn't really mean anything. Not that there's anything wrong with that approach--but Liz's music is without a doubt more planned-out, I'd bet my bottom dollar. What I was talking about was the VIDEOS. I am of the opinion that her videos are not nearly as creative or thoughtful as her music. They remind me very much of what a lot of novice filmmakers do: Most of them have lots of imagery that doesn't have anything to do with the song (at least not in any way that I can decipher). They're just disconnected images that someone thought were "cool." I'm thinking of "Jealousy," "Stratford-On-Guy," "Whip-Smart" and others. Some of them are truly as awful as the junk that started showing up in the early '80s, when suddenly everyone had to have a video. And, as I mentioned before, the whole ironic postmodern way of making fun of silly stock footage from the '50s-'70s is getting really, really old. I would like to see Liz hook up with a good, strong video director. Someone who wouldn't feel intimidated to say "no, Liz, that idea is trite or lame." I just see too much of her dilettantism in the videos. Her looseness and lack of traditional technique work great in the music. I just don't see a form as (necessarily) structured as music video as being a good vehicle for experimentation of that type. Now, as for the last part about the organic process--hey Brad, since you're reading, can you share a little of Liz's process with us? How do you guys set out to arrange and record a song? Do you start with raw ideas and play, or does Liz come to you with more concrete concepts? Seeyuz, D ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 6 Oct 98 08:54:27 -0000 From: "Al" Subject: Re: support-system-digest V1 #33 >is it just me, or didn't this list used to have a ton of indie rock snobs >on it? i was always under the assumption that most of the people who got >into liz phair early were people who knew that she started getting noticed >when tae won yu of kicking giant fame started passing around her tapes. >she was also supposed to do something for the simple machines label out of >arlington, va (indie rock!). of course, now she has tons of new fans, and >you obviously don't make gold records from a bunch of snobby indie rock >kids buying your records, but that one person who said that they never >heard of anyone who knows modest mouse?!? they consistently sell out >shows in new york. whatever. it doesn't matter. Wassup John, Well, first off, maybe all those indie snob kids have now grown up to some extent, no? And, well, I am that person who said they've never heard of anyone who knows of modest mouse and I live in L.A. so those sold out shows in NY have no affect on me out here in the west, but it's all cool! I just thought it was Right On to hear this band mentioned because I have yet to meet anyone who has ever heard of modest mouse. I'm sure there are some fans in L.A. but I've yet to meet them. They are a fugkin great band, though and I've only heard of their stuff within the last coup of years. The same about Liz Phair fans. I don't come in contact with a whole lot of em although I know they are out there and this list verifies that to me. I've liked Liz since EIG (I was about 22/23) when me and my friend's Steve and Cameron and I were drivin 'round stoned in his car drivin n drivin to God knows where (I think we were goin on down to Tijuana to meet some friends or San Diego or somewhere south. I know this only because we were on the 405 goin South) and he put EIG into his tape deck and on came "FUCK and RUN" and I was literally blown away by it and than when "Shatter" came on three songs later, well, let me tell you, I went out the next day to purchase it. Thanks Steve and Cameron!!!!! Steve, now married, lives up north and Cameron, who was always this beautiful cool tall girl with luscious lips (probably still is and I am not making this up...cool, tall, luscious...;)), is now livin in San Diego with her girlfriend so I don't see either of them much anymore. :) Well, that scene brings to mind another interesting question to ask y'all: What is your one Liz classic moment? That trip south definitely was mine! :) Right On! Al ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 06 Oct 98 12:11:10 -0400 From: dbickin@ibm.net Subject: Re: Master List >From: "Luxmore" >Subject: Master List >Hi I was wondering maybe we could derive a mater list of the movies in >which Liz songs have been present >Here is a start >Higher Learning >Walking and Talking (Yes Martina this movie is great) >Brain Candy >Stealing Beauty >Next Stop Wonderland (not confirmed I heard 6'1" during a preview) Do you want to include The Horse Whisperer; the two girls are singing Chopsticks (memory is failing me) when the accident happens. David ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 6 Oct 1998 12:39:15 -0400 (EDT) From: kiskos@webtv.net (Edward Kisko) Subject: Oct. 7 - TLA - Be there. This is my last chance to do this before embarking on my trip down to the Philly area, so here goes: Anyone from this list who wants to meet up with other listmembers on the night of Oct. 7 (that would be Wednesday - tomorrow or today, depending on when you read this) can find me, Julia Rios and her friend Jeremy, David Perry, Matt George, et al. outside the TLA before the show starts. I don't know exactly when doors open, but rumour has it that the time for that might be 7. I'll be the short, dark-blond-haired kid wearing the 'Crass' shirt (as seen in the WS liner notes) for the third time. . . *sigh* It should be a killer show, hope to see you there. Steve p.s. Robbie - that lyric in "Whip-Smart" from Girlysound is "Hey, ebon.. ebon - ebonettes..." (I guess that's how you'd spell it) with "when they do the double-dutch" tracked over it. Anyway, it's a Malcolm McLaren thing. "Smithers, this beer isn't working! I don't feel any younger or funkier..." ~C.M. Burns ------------------------------ Date: 06 Oct 98 13:02:28 EDT From: Sarah.David@washcoll.edu (Sarah David) Subject: Soundtracks/Liz Moments - --- You wrote: Higher Learning Walking and Talking (Yes Martina this movie is great) Brain Candy Stealing Beauty Next Stop Wonderland (not confirmed I heard 6'1" during a preview) - --- end of quote --- The Amateur First Love, Last Rites hmmm, can't remember anymore, if there are more, at the moment, but a snippet of "California" is played in Chasing Amy . . . My Favorite Liz Moments: - --the "I only wanted more than I knew" line in "Strange Loop" - --the "Emotional Rescue" ending to "Divorce Song" that Liz has done live - --the opening lines of "Beginning to See the Light" . . . they give me the shivers - --the chorus to "May Queen" - --the "I can hear a friend . . ." line of the Girlysound version of "Shane" - --the opening riff to "Rocket Boy" - --most of "Animal Girl" - --guitar work in "California" - --beginning and end of "Nashville" - --inhalation sounds on "Headache" there are much much more, but the list was getting too long . . . I have the setlist to the 9:30 Club show for anyone interested. Actually, if I had it w/ me at the moment, I'd probably post it here . . . and I probably will anyway . . . so that was completely pointless. I don't know what to say about the show yet. I feel like I've got to think about it some more. Can't wait to see other people's comments, though. Sarah ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 6 Oct 1998 14:39:24 EDT From: AngelLieb@aol.com Subject: Am I a clown? <:0) Mike - what you said about Tori's performances is so true! I went to one and no idea that I'd be walking out of the arena with an unimaginable feeling! <> I guess I could have a say in this one because I listen to a lot of Lilith artists. Yeah, Liz does sound funky, while the others sound like they've been training their voices all of their life. The one thing I will say about why Liz so much, um... she sounds natural and her earlier works before WCSE sound awesome when you go for a nice long drive! <> You made your point there Eric! I don't think the bag would last the long trip to LA! <> Could I make my own plead? LIZ! COME TO FLORDIA! WE LOVE YOU!!!!!!!! Well, there must be something wrong w/ me about that fave part I like in Nashville. It's "I won't decorate my love." (i think) Just wanted to give a big wave to Alex. Don't worry! I'm a new fan of Liz too and being on this list helps you become a crazed fan cuz that's what it did to me! hmmmmm I know I have something else to say! *thinking* YES! Fall break is coming soon! woo hoo! Me go work on the WCSE recipe! I can't wait! Katie ():) "every hollow has its favorite clown" By the way, why in the world do I always use this quote? Probably cuz I feel like a clown myself! um..no? ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 6 Oct 1998 17:35:42 EDT From: AngelLieb@aol.com Subject: Rolling Stone Reader's Poll Hey everybody! There's a reader's poll ballot available at www.rollingstone.com! I went to vote, but saw that you have to print it up and mail it in. Ballots are also available in the Rolling Stone magazine. So....who are we going to vote for? I'm not sure which categories we could vote Liz in but here's what I thought: Artist of the Year - big competition, but could give it a try! Best female performer Best video - not sure of this one! Best Rock Artist - I couldn't think of anyone else, so Liz gets my nomination Best-dressed - if all else fails, Marilyn Manson will probably win this one Most welcome comeback - I think she deserves this one, especially hearing the wonderful stories from people on this list of how much they miss her There's also a poll on the site for battle of the bands with Liz competing with Ani. I voted and it looks like Liz is winning. Katie ():) ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 6 Oct 1998 18:20:06 EDT From: MangoHula@aol.com Subject: liz at 9.30 okay. if someone would have told me this time yesterday that i would be hugging liz phair tonite i would have said, no way. liz put on a rocking show at the 9.30 club in dc last nite. it was simply amazing. it was beyond amazing. not only did she play stratford on guy but after the show ended i ran into some friends of mine who had after show passes........hmmm..they said they'd give them to me after they go say hi. sure enough not more than two minutes later my friends appeared and graced my friend and i with the lovely lightish purple 'an evening with liz phair' stickers. my friend and i flipped out. liz was so cool to talk to. i even asked her about the list. she said she'd be scared to read it, but at the same time she doesn't want this part of her life to just slip by. i told her she should check it out sometime........she signed my tic stub and then i asked her if i could have a *hug*.............what a lovely surprise ending to such a stellar show. i'm so happy. ~lynda "spend my money on a 'hit' magazine" ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 6 Oct 1998 11:58:45 -0400 From: "Chris DeLisle" Subject: exile on main st. comparison OK, I'm trying on the exile on main st / in guyville comparison. Two things: 1) I know there's a Liz web site out there with all of the lyrics to "exile on main st" because I copied all of Liz's lyrics off that same site. Anyone know which one it is? Because...I don't know WHAT THE HELL Mick Jagger is saying about 90% of the time, so it's hard to figure out what the songs are "actually about" 2) Even after a thousand listens to "guyville," I don't think I've fully pinned down what each song is about -- nor am I sure I want to. So, I'm having a tough time comparing. And to top that off, there's a Liz site (once again, not sure which) that has an audio sample of her comparing "Rip This Joint" (track 2) to "Glory" (track 3). So, which tracks are compared to which tracks? I remember Liz's comparison, too. It said something to the effect that "Rip This Joint" was all about guys coming in to town, tearing it up, having fun and "Glory" is about someone watching all of this going on. Something to that effect. So, this comparison is going to take A LOT OF TIME AND MEDITATION. The song "Stop Breaking Down" (track 16) might be comparable to "Stratford-On-Guy," but I think outside of Liz's mind or any of her insider accomplices (nudge, nudge, wink, wink, say no more), the whole comparison sounds like a stretch -- or a great thesis paper! I think on a more general note, "Exile On Main Street" is often cited as the Stones' piece de resistance by critics. Here's what many consider the creme de la creme of rock and roll from the greatest rock and roll band ever. If "maximum r & b" is the purest definition of rock and roll, pre-Dylan and pre-psychadelia, then by definition, the Rolling Stones are probably the greatest rock and roll band there ever was or ever will be. (Editor's Note: no letters please -- the Beatles will always be my favorites, and the Who, Nirvana, even U2 or even Guns And Roses could at one time lay claim to being the biggest band in the world for a while, but if Webster's had a definiton for what a rock and roll band is, the Stones would be it.) So, as you're all well aware of, she pits the woman's view against the, until now, unquestioned (by Rock N Roll) male point of view...and as you and I would probably agree, she comes out with a better album :) I like "Main St." The Stones' glorious Tetriad of Beggars Banquet, Let It Bleed, Stick Fingers and Main Street is as good as rock and roll gets out there. There are a handful of instant classics (Rocks Off, Tumbling Dice, Happy, All Down The Line) and a lot of blues, r&b, soul and folk-ish songs on there that make for a great stew. But it's as impersonal as Liz's album is personal. It's virtually as unemotional as Liz's is emotional. Maybe that's the comparison. A few other possible connections: The longest songs on the albums ("Shatter" and "Let It Loose" are in almost the same area (track 13 and track 14) "Fuck and Run" and "Happy" are probably the easiest comparison as there is between the albums. Shake Your Hips -- there's a guitar lick in there that sounds quite like Casey Rice's lick in "Mesmerizing" Casino Boogie -- opening guitar lick sounds like some of her "Girlysounds," perhaps more specifically "Batmobile" Maybe "Flower" and "All Down The Line" have a fairly lacivious connection...hmm... Once again, there's the overall SOUND... I don't know. Group effort? Chuck ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 06 Oct 1998 17:49:59 -0700 From: Ronald Dodge Subject: never enough +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ ATTENTION MR. BRAD WOOD: please be advised that Ms. Phair is hereby requested to make a return appearance to Los Angeles on the date and venue of her choice.....(please) peace MrE ps-my living room is available as are any other rooms in my dwelling. and by the way, Ms Phair, you look absolutely as edible as anything i've ever seen in 'Polyester Bride'. just had to get that out, with all due respect... ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 06 Oct 1998 17:51:22 -0700 From: Ronald Dodge Subject: edible.. did that make sense? ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 6 Oct 1998 22:05:56 EDT From: Svehicle@aol.com Subject: st. louis! hey--i have been meaning to post this... to anyone who lives in the st. louis area, my band star vehicle will be playing there as part of the MRMF festival on this Thursday 10/8 at the Rocket Bar. it's next to the side door (club) on Locust. we are a three piece, it's me and two guys, so i should be easy to find. so, come say hi if you can...ok, that's the end of my shameless plea... sindie star vehicle ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 06 Oct 1998 21:30:00 -0500 From: palik@ix.netcom.com Subject: Liz on Amazon.com contest Oct.8 Liz will be featured on Amazon.com in a "Name That Tune" contest: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/subst/promotions/whats-that-song/whats-that-song.html/002-782964 8-7634826 http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/subst/promotions/whats-that-song/whats-that-song-artists.html/00 2-7829648-7634826#liz_phair October 8 Liz Phair Liz Phair turned the alternative rock world's head in 1993 with Exile in Guyville, her tune-by-tune retort to the Rolling Stones' Exile on Main Street. With lo-fi buzz and spare guitar work, Phair delivered an astonishingly frank size-up of sexuality, gender, and culture. She's got a toddler now, someone who's clearly influenced Phair's newest CD, Whitechocolatespaceegg. Motherhood has only served to enhance her unique artistry-an enticing mix of pop-punk innovation and intellectual sharpness. Learn about other songs Liz Phair loves Read Amazon.com's interview with Liz Phair View all of Liz Phair's albums ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 06 Oct 98 22:27:34 From: "Stacey Wirt" Subject: liz in DC hey guys!!!! well I'm sure that a million of you have already posted about the DC show, but I feel like sharing so here it goes.... Liz was amazing!!! Some people in the audience thought she looked nervous but I thought she looked relaxed. She talked to the audience and taught us her favorite cheers/ whistles... it was SO good. She was SO beautiful... I almost had a perfect night... As I was waiting outside after the show, this girl comes up to me and my friend and GIVES us two backstage passes. I was in heaven, I thought I would get to meet Liz.. But sadly, just as we made it to the front of the line to get backstage, she left :-( (but she still came out to say goodbye!) and those bastards at the 9:30 club didn't even give us the free leftover promo posters of liz, every body else who was backstage got one...AAAAAHHHHH One more thing.... About the slides, what did people think? some were cool and all, but others were not very flattering of liz (no, not the naked ones, the ones where she's making faces) I wonder why she included them??? This is getting kind of long... I think I'd better stop now and go do my work. later, Stacey p.s.- there were some people next to me who were taping the show.... If you're out there and the tape came out semi-decent, I would love to trade up. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 6 Oct 1998 23:06:03 EDT From: PhairDanes@aol.com Subject: erecting a life soundtrack hello darlings first of all, i just got the "first love..." soundtrack- someone please send me the lyrics to liz's song. i'm far too lazy to figure them out myself :) still- i'm loving this song! ok- i decided to do a top 10 list because i find those kind of things amusing...there's too many unreleased songs that i love so i decided to limit this list to just the stuff that's been released: 10) "stratford-on-guy" i can't get on an airplane without looking at 27-D and playing this song at least 2 or 3 times. i prefer the EIG version, the girlysound is just that- too girly. but great tune. 9) "batmobile" this is me. i'm in a transition period- i'm going to college next fall and i don't really fit into the houston scene. new york has my name on it so i really relate to this one. "I look around and feel like somebody must be fucking with me/I just can't take any of you seriously" 8) "strange loop" god, if this song's lyrics don't bring me to my knees! "The fire you like so much in me/Is the mark of someone adamantly free/But you can't stop yourself from wanting worse/'Cause nothing feeds a hunger like a thirst" 7) "shatter" this has to be the most brutal, honest breakup songs ever. the desperation and utter abandon is palpable. musically, its beautiful... quiet. 6) "headache" holy shit! this song kicks ass! i loved the lyrics when i heard the demo but man! the breathing, the bass. wow. 5) "supernova" i've probably danced around my room singing this a million times (imagine elizabeth shue in the opening scene to "adventures in babysitting") this was the song that got me into liz. thank god. 4) "6'1'' " i'm bitter. this song is bitter. but its more than that. it is the perfect opener for EIG- it sums up the whole attitude of the "fuck and run" girl we love. plus, i've always thought "shyly brave" was beautiful. 3) "divorce song" liz's best written song, in my opinion. so vivid and real. "And the license said you had to stick around until I was dead/But if you're tired of looking at my face, I guess I already am"...isn't it scary how good liz at talking about failed relationships? 2) "support system" when jase first started this list i wanted it to be called support system, so i'm really happy now ;) this song speaks to the side of me that is fiercely independant but still longs for a man to hold me when i get scared. the part of this song that gets me is: "I don't need a support system/Put your hand on my heart and listen/What I need is a dedication to last me all the way through/Pointing the finger, I'm counting on loving you/Over and above the passion/I'm connected to you" ***1) "go on ahead" i cried. this was the first liz song that brought me to tears. maybe its because of my current situation, maybe its because i was hormonal that day, or maybe liz gave us her most personal, confessional song ever. this song speaks of things some of us are too afraid to acknowledge to ever write in our journals- let alone put on mass distribution. "Its hard to admit it/But you hold me and I can't feel you" god, thinking about it- this song could have been written for me. "I believe when i sleep you are near to me/When you sleep I am near to you"... thank you all for taking the time. i know these lists get to be repetitive but i wanted to tell you why these songs mean so much to me. they truely are the soundtrack to my life. i love you all :) firing up the batmobile and giving you the performance of a lifetime, sara ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 6 Oct 1998 20:21:08 -0700 From: "John Gersten" Subject: Re: support-system-digest V1 #33 "Words vs. music" [Review of "The Last Rock Star Book or: Liz Phair, A Rant"] (San Francisco Bay Guardian, 9/23-29/1998) "Camden Joy's first novel may be a love letter to rock music, but it's sealed with the deadly intent of a mail bomber. The book's title, The Last Rock Star Book, sums up the destructively ambitious attitude of Camden, the narrator. Hired to write a quickie biography of Liz Phair, Camden doesn't follow the baking instructions of cookie-cutter rock bio authorship; instead he waves a trio of narratives — some of which contain yet more narratives — around one another. As told by Camden Joy, Liz Phair's life story expands to include '60s youth uprisings (in particular, a photo from a 1969 riot in Quebec), the last days of Brian Jones, and an old boyfriend who just might become a murderous stalker. That old boyfriend is named Camden Joy. The spectacle — fictionalized in this case — of a writer creatively sabotaging the rock bio formula isn't new. Part of Lester Bangs's cult reputation stems from an out-of-print book he wrote about Blondie that contains (among other Bangisan flights of fancy) a blunt male critique of Deborah Harry's sex appeal. Like Bangs, Joy is more motormouthed storyteller than eagle-eyed critic: though a few passages of The Last Rock Star resemble album reviews, they're too impassioned and personal to be published in Spin. Joy made his name by posting rants about rock arcana in public spaces throughout New York City. Or rather, he made his pen name: Camden Joy is a nom de plume. "In picking Phair as the subject for "the last rock star book" — a bio to render all rock bios banal and obsolete — Joy adds his own corrosively imaginative layers to a number of rock myths. His novel doesn't just talk back to Phair's Exile in Guyville (which itself talked back to the Rolling Stones' Exile on Main Street); it rewrites rock history — and that history's relation to political history — to try to make all of the above a little less familiar and a little more fantastic. Instead of repeating "factual" stories about Phair and the Stones, Joy tells fictional tales. The formal freedom of a novel allows him to make rock what he wants it to be. Words are his guitar. But today the sound of a guitar has stronger immediate cultural power than the words of a novel. The Last Rock Star is, like Exile in Guyville, a love battle between an adored rock star and an invisible rock writer. If Exile in Guyville seduced a male audience with its politely racy insights into the hetero indie boy psyche (as I wrote in a column earlier this year, Phair has made a career out of playing men, literally and figuratively), Joy answers it by shamelessly, endlessly sharing embarrassing confessions. He doesn't just mention his own failed attempts at rock stardom; he provides details — such as songwriting attempts on the toilet — that you'll never find in a personality profile of a rags-to-riches rocker. The same lack of shame carries over to his writing about Phair, which provides the plot's suspense. Colorful confessions of minuscule straight-male rock rites of passage make Joy's novel a rebellious brother book to Nick Hornsby's recent High Fidelity, which exposed and explored a collector's mentality. Some readers might not want to know the details provided by either author — girlfriends and wives might prefer a cure. Structurally and thematically, Joy's book is more expansive and imaginative: its narrative spans decades, but it eerily suits an invasive contemporary climate in which the romantic power dynamic between fan and artist (on MTV's Fanatic) — or, if you prefer politics to music, intern and president — is served up daily on television. It's hard to say whether Phair will be horrified or amused (or both) by The Last Rock Star Book. It's certainly the creation of an obsessive. But then, perhaps that's true of all novels. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 6 Oct 1998 20:24:13 -0700 (PDT) From: Jeff Dorion Subject: j. sunshine live Question to Mark: How did Johnny Sunshine sound live? She didn't play it at my show. I think it's real sly that she played it after Johnny Feelgood...sort of like a two-part song if you look at it that way. Thanks you guys for answering my question. Shoot me in the head for forgetting the instrumental part of "Shatter" in my original list!!!! - -Jeff * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * "I'll see you around Every hollow has its favorite sound And my heart is holding on." -Liz Phair * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 06 Oct 1998 21:27:05 -0700 From: Ronald Dodge Subject: Phair to cnn there's a Phair blurb to be found @ cnn.com/SHOWBIZ/News/9810/06/showbuz/index.html#story3 if this doesn't get you there, there may be 2 z's on showbuz... MrE ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 06 Oct 1998 21:30:43 -0700 From: Ronald Dodge Subject: z's as a matter of factz, try: cnn.com/SHOWBIZ/News/9810/06/showbuzz/index.html#story3 ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 7 Oct 1998 00:47:32 EDT From: Angelphair@aol.com Subject: newbie hello phair-phans, i've been lurking on the list for about 3 weeks now, and i must say you guys are a great group :) it's nice to find a list that isn't bickering non-stop. anyway, i've been a fan of Liz's since i got *exile in guyville* about a year ago. i instantly fell in love with her beautifully raw and in-your-face lyrics and her snazzy guitar work. i wish i could have gotten into Liz when she first entered the music biz, but i was only like 11 then, so... i now have *eig*, *whipsmart*, *juvenalia* (or *juvenilia*?), and *wcse* and listen to all of them constantly. i would have to say that *eig* is my favorite, but they are all brilliant. a friend of mine got to go to lilith fair this year and he brought me home an autographed shirt. he said he waited in line for a buttload of time and mine was the first Liz signed :) i feel so special. um, since everyone is sharing their favorite bands and Liz moments, i figured it wouldn't hurt for me to share mine also: - -bands- (Liz is understood) POE Garbage Fiona Apple Jane Jensen Lisa Loeb Ani DiFranco Danzig TOOL the cure CURVE ... just to name a few - -fave moments- 1. all of divorce song - it is just the most amazing song on the planet 2. "you gotta have fear in your heart"-from shane. it gives me chills 3. "sticks and stones can break my bones, and boys can make me kick and moan"-from ride... what a great lyric :) 4. "clouds of glitter" from supernova.. because i am a big glitter freak. 5. all of Liz's piano work ... i know there are more, but i'll stick with these for now. and finally, to end this long babblefest, if anyone can direct me in the right direction to pick up *girlysounds* and/or Liz boots, and i would be eternally thankful. byebye, ~*})i({*~ angelphair@aol.com ------------------------------ End of support-system-digest V1 #35 ***********************************