From: owner-alloy-digest@smoe.org (alloy-digest) To: alloy-digest@smoe.org Subject: alloy-digest V11 #220 Reply-To: alloy@smoe.org Sender: owner-alloy-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-alloy-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk X-To-Unsubscribe: Send mail to "alloy-digest-request@smoe.org" X-To-Unsubscribe: with "unsubscribe" as the body. alloy-digest Saturday, December 2 2006 Volume 11 : Number 220 Today's Subjects: ----------------- Alloy: Tucson Show [John McJunkin ] Re: Alloy: Read TMDR's latest blog yet, people? [John McJunkin ] Re: Re: Alloy: Read TMDR's latest blog yet... ["Kara R. Laidlaw" Subject: Alloy: Tucson Show It was great! The Rialto is a tiny little venue (literally an old movie theatre) and I walked down front and got very literally right in front of Thomas' rig. My wife Christa and our dear friend Sharon joined me after a bit, and we reveled in being right up front. Some new technology for the tech-heads--he replaced the Nord synth to his right with a Virus, and his old oscilloscope on that same side has been replaced with some WWII-era beastie with huge chicken-head knobs, re-worked by his MIDI-geek acquaintance to be a MIDI controller. There's also a nice Ensemble audio interface in the rack (the one made by Apogee for Apple.) With the odd exception, most of the rig is similar to what we all saw at the very first shows last January (complete with the electric keyboard stand that moves up and down--he told the story about it to the delight of the Tucson crowd.) He was more at ease on stage than I'd seen him before, with the technology functioning at 100% (no more vocoder weirdness or dodgy mix, for example.) He is far more comfortable playing the songs now as well. He is clearly back in his element, and having a blast up on stage. He is truly enjoying himself up there. There was one MAJOR technical glitch--as he introduced his new song "Your Karma Hit My Dogma" (which is simultaneously vintage Dolby yet sounds fresh and new) his Apple G5 died. He had the Apple equivalent of the "blue screen of death" and invited Darren on stage to re-boot while he engaged in some patter with the crowd (and in his usual self- deprecating style, dismissed his ability to keep the crowd entertained whilst waiting for "the f**king computer to be re- booted.") What's funny about that is that he uttered the verbal equivalent of "f**king," in which the vowels aren't quite pronounced-- keeping it PG13 for the youngsters in the crowd. At some point during these humorous moments, the crowd began chanting "Darren-- Darren" much to everyone's amusement. Once the system was back up, he commenced Your Karma Hit My Dogma (the title and acorn for which came from a bumper sticker he once saw in Santa Barbara.) It's hip, modern, amazingly dance-able, and has a pretty strong hook. There are hints of electronica-oriented cliche (the snare fill that starts with eight-notes, and progresses to sixteenths and then thirty- seconds, for instance) but this type of thing is just a nice convention to update the sound for 2006. Lyrically, it's exactly what the title portends it to be, with some really clever canine imagery in the traditional Dolby way. I would describe the chords as straightforward and anthemic--we'll be singing this one at the top of our lungs this time next year--mark my words! Overall--solid stuff. He told the story of K-Fed and the copyright infringement, and promised us new music in 2007, saying that 2006 was a year of re- visiting the past, and that 2007 will bring new musical adventures and more touring. Someone had said that Hyperactive was replaced in the set list by Hot Sauce. Didn't happen in Tucson. But I hadn't seen Airhead live, and it was a treat. I also had not seen Budapest By Blimp live, and being one of my all time favorite songs, it was religious for me. As a matter of fact, Thomas had related his electric synth-stand anecdote about the preachers using it as a synth stand-cum-pulpit and then explained that "these next 8 minutes will be like church to me" as he commenced playing Budapest. Windpower was a huge treat. He has refreshed the sound of that song in a way that can only be described as sheer genius. It's a great song to begin with, and we've all heard the various versions from the early years, but the 2006 version just straight-up kicks ASS! My only disappointment was the exclusion of Suitcase. For my wife and I, it is a favorite love song, and she was as disappointed as I was. Maybe it will be resurrected for the next tour. Overall, a marvelous experience. Lots of BT kids in the crowd with nothing but respect and props for the old master. That's one thing I've discovered as an admissions administrator for an audio school for the past 12 years--in the world of electronic music, the young vanguard has utmost respect for the masters who led us to where we are today. I saw Kraftwerk and Gary Numan in 1998, and both shows were highly attended by youngsters who wanted to catch a glimpse of the forefathers who initiated the movement. At audio trade shows over the past year I have seen many an 18-year-old shed a tear over the loss of Bob Moog. Of course they cheered right up upon spotting BT and his entourage strolling around (true story from AES in San Francisco!!) There is a neat bridge between generations in the world of electronic music, and Thomas actually acknowledged and celebrated it onstage last night. Great stuff. The product reviewer in me cannot resist the urge to wrap up with a final recommendation. Go see the show if he comes anywhere near. Even if you saw the show earlier in the year, the technology is far more solid, and Thomas Dolby is far more solid--he's really enjoying himself. He's back. It's almost like 1984 all over again. Nice to have a second chance to be 18 again! Enjoy jm ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 1 Dec 2006 07:09:38 -0700 From: John McJunkin Subject: Re: Alloy: Read TMDR's latest blog yet, people? Keith, Kara, et al, After last evening's show in Tucson, I figured out the hip thing. All you have to do is wear jeans, Vans (or Converse Chuck Taylors,) a t-shirt with a smarmy saying or ripped-off logo of some kind, a hoodie or jogging jacket, and a knit cap. It helps to have shaggy hair and to strike the best sullen pose you can, gazing at the floor. Most importantly, you must engage in "groovy" dancing by yourself in a corner, even when there's no music playing. If you do all this prior to the age of 21, you're hip. If you do it at our age, you're a candidate for the mental ward. I kid because I love. The youngsters who came out last night were a really nice bunch of kids. It all reminds me of when Bowie toured with Nine Inch Nails around 10 years ago. NIN would open, and then all the kids would leave before the Thin White Duke took the stage. I could only laugh because I foresaw the regret these kids would experience in 10-15 years as they matured and met the inescapable epiphany that they had a chance to see Bowie . . . BOWIE . . . but left the concert venue. Amusing. jm On Nov 30, 2006, at 2:02 PM, Keith Stansell wrote: > > It's ok Kera. > > TMDR's 8 years my senior. I would imagine that BT's fans are a bit > younger > - and honestly, it is hard to be "hip" when you are over 40. You > can try, > but I think you will always be "out-hipped" by 20-somethings in > general. > > Being older and un-hip just sort of goes with the territory of > receding hair > lines, or having to arrange for a baby sitter to go out. > > No offense taken here, but thanks for coming to our defense. > > -Keith > > > -----Original Message----- > From: owner-alloy@smoe.org [mailto:owner-alloy@smoe.org] On Behalf > Of Kara > R. Laidlaw > Sent: Thursday, November 30, 2006 1:52 PM > To: alloy@smoe.org > Subject: Alloy: Read TMDR's latest blog yet, people? > > > In his latest blog, titled "Coming Up for Air", TMDR wrote, > > "BTs core fans are generally quite like mine (exceptface ita little > younger and hipper!)" > > Is it me, or did he just insult all of you loyal, original fans? > He's the > same > age as a lot of *you* are--where does he get off??! He's raked in > all of > your > money [yes, and mine too] for the 'Sole Inhabitant' CD and DVD, and > now I > guess he doesn't need you anymore. Seems like you've been > dismissed, and > that cheeses > me right off. Your perspective may vary. > > Oh yeah, those BT fans are really 'hip'--can't get through a single > sentence > without using the word 'shit'. Take for example this quote from a > message > one "extremeswan" posted on the BT message board {as relayed by their > moderator Peach}: > > "He opened with a track which i cant remember and about 5 mins in > the vocals > did not work haha, and then he just stopped lol. He fixed some more > shit and > finally the microphone worked. It was just beginning... He then played > "Submarine" which was dope shit. Then he played a song he had never > played > before called "I live out of a suit case", which was pretty cool. > But then > the 2nd to last track called "airhead" rocked! I mean i wanted to > bust out > dancing and go ape shit. It was the dopest bad ass old school beat > I have > heard." > > That's really repetitive and shit, you know what I'm sayin' dawg? > Geez, > extremeswan, grow a vocabulary!!! > > Not feeling so peaceful right now, > Kara ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 01 Dec 2006 09:31:38 -0600 From: "L. Moore" Subject: Alloy: Coming out of my shell, looking at the sea... I've been lurking out here for a good long while, though a few of you may recognize my name from a few posts I made to the list waaaaaaaaay back when. I figure, with all the excitement going on in Dolbydom of late, now's as good a time as any to de-lurk! I received my non-auto'd DVD yesterday, and watched it at work. Having not yet had the opportunity to take in a live show, I can safely say that watching the disc was near the pinnacle of life experiences I've had so far! I also have to say, that not -all- Dolby fans are "old"! I'm only 27, myself, and I've been a Dolby fan since I knew what music was. While I love many sorts of music, and enjoy many musicians, none other has the depth, or breadth, for me, that Thomas does. Now, if only he'd do a show here in St. Louis! We're a big music town. Okay, so we're not as 'hip' as, say, Chicago, but we've got a scene! We've got Blueberry Hill, The Pageant, and Pops. Heck, Chuck Berry likes it here! ;) So, Thomas, if you happen to accidentally skim this post, next time you head towards the midwest, stop here! I promise the city will greet you with open arms! Buried under a white city worth of snow, Turq ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 1 Dec 2006 08:11:51 -0800 (PST) From: Melissa Jordan Subject: Re: Alloy: Read TMDR's latest blog yet, people? John McJunkin wrote: I could only laugh because I foresaw the regret these kids would experience in 10-15 years as they matured and met the inescapable epiphany that they had a chance to see Bowie . . . BOWIE . . . but left the concert venue. Oh heck yeah. There will be forehead smacking moment sometime in their future. I went and saw "The Prestige" last Sunday morning (I love going to movies on Sunday mornings - blissful quiet, no cell phones, a handful of likeminded moviegoers...) My jaw just about hit the floor when I saw Bowie playing Nikola Tesla. I got to see him in concert once, at Wembley, for the Glass Spider tour. I'd love to see him again. I can't afford HBO anymore, but a friend directed me to a YouTube snippet of Bowie's cameo on the new season of "Extras" with Ricky Gervais, where he writes a song on the spot that utterly skewers Gervais, with the out-of-character cruelty and delicious evil that is the hallmark of all "Extras" appearances. (Kate Winslet dressed as a nun, rambling about how you win an Oscar will always be one of my favorites.) Day off today, and we're about to get the warm weather version of what the Midwest is experiencing today - thunderstorms and high winds. December 1st and it's already about 70F outside! Cheers, Melissa http://merujo.blogspot.com - --------------------------------- Everyone is raving about the all-new Yahoo! Mail beta. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 30 Nov 2006 21:05:27 -0700 From: Beth Meyer Subject: Re: Alloy: Read TMDR's latest blog yet, people? Hi, all; Well, my cohort-mates (is that a word? anyway, folks born at about the same time as me) Keith and Melissa said it better, but I can chime in as someone who has to get babysitters for his concerts that no offense at all was taken here. It seems a pretty obvious fact that if you survey the ages of the folks at a TMDR concert, at least the ones I've been to this year, and those of the folks at an average BT concert, you'll get different numbers with the TMDR one being significantly higher. BT wasn't making well-known music in the early '80s, TMDR was. As regards hipness - well, I myself have started telling people that now that I have taken up snowboarding, it is officially No Longer Cool. But I don't mind. My job now is to become increasingly embarassing to my kids as they approach teenagerhood...;-) - -Beth "Kara R. Laidlaw" wrote: > In his latest blog, titled "Coming Up for Air", TMDR wrote, > > "BTs core fans are generally quite like mine (exceptface ita little younger and hipper!)" > > Is it me, or did he just insult all of you loyal, original fans? ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 1 Dec 2006 10:04:31 -0700 From: John McJunkin Subject: Re: Alloy: Coming out of my shell, looking at the sea... Good call Turq--at the show last night, we met a delightful young lady who was there with her godfather. "I Love You Goodbye" was heard on the radio in the car on the way to the hospital for her birth in 1992--fifteen years old! She stood right up front with us and sang every word to every song. Good stuff! I think that in the next year or two, we're going to discover that the world really does have some pretty good taste in music as they embrace TMDR's new stuff and hopefully discover the delights of all his "back-catalog" as we say in the biz. His music is indeed deeper and more broad than 95% of the garbage on the radio now. Woefully, as it has tended to be all along, his music is so sophisticated as to go right over the heads of most listeners, but luckily we all "get it!" jm On Dec 1, 2006, at 8:31 AM, L. Moore wrote: > > I've been lurking out here for a good long while, though a few of > you may recognize my name from a few posts I made to the list > waaaaaaaaay back when. I figure, with all the excitement going on > in Dolbydom of late, now's as good a time as any to de-lurk! I > received my non-auto'd DVD yesterday, and watched it at work. > Having not yet had the opportunity to take in a live show, I can > safely say that watching the disc was near the pinnacle of life > experiences I've had so far! > I also have to say, that not -all- Dolby fans are "old"! I'm only > 27, myself, and I've been a Dolby fan since I knew what music was. > While I love many sorts of music, and enjoy many musicians, none > other has the depth, or breadth, for me, that Thomas does. Now, if > only he'd do a show here in St. Louis! We're a big music town. > Okay, so we're not as 'hip' as, say, Chicago, but we've got a > scene! We've got Blueberry Hill, The Pageant, and Pops. Heck, Chuck > Berry likes it here! ;) > So, Thomas, if you happen to accidentally skim this post, next time > you head towards the midwest, stop here! I promise the city will > greet you with open arms! > > > Buried under a white city worth of snow, > Turq ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 1 Dec 2006 10:09:42 -0700 From: John McJunkin Subject: Re: Alloy: Read TMDR's latest blog yet, people? I had no idea that Bowie plays Tesla in that film. Troy Luccketta (the drummer from the band Tesla) is a friend of mine and fellow afficianado of the genius of Nikola Tesla, and I'm always reporting "Tesla sightings" to him. I will let him know to check out the film. Enjoy the warm weather east coast--it's bitter cold in Arizona--even inside the Rialto Theatre in Tucson (which apparently hadn't fired up the furnace yet for the season as of last night.) Thomas quipped last evening on stage that he was the only "appropriately attired" person in the room (alluding to his famous trenchcoat.) jm On Dec 1, 2006, at 9:11 AM, Melissa Jordan wrote: > > John McJunkin wrote: I could only laugh > because I foresaw the regret these kids would > experience in 10-15 years as they matured and met the inescapable > epiphany that they had a chance to see Bowie . . . BOWIE . . . but > left the concert venue. > > Oh heck yeah. There will be forehead smacking moment sometime in > their future. > > I went and saw "The Prestige" last Sunday morning (I love going to > movies on Sunday mornings - blissful quiet, no cell phones, a > handful of likeminded moviegoers...) My jaw just about hit the > floor when I saw Bowie playing Nikola Tesla. I got to see him in > concert once, at Wembley, for the Glass Spider tour. I'd love to > see him again. > > I can't afford HBO anymore, but a friend directed me to a YouTube > snippet of Bowie's cameo on the new season of "Extras" with Ricky > Gervais, where he writes a song on the spot that utterly skewers > Gervais, with the out-of-character cruelty and delicious evil that > is the hallmark of all "Extras" appearances. (Kate Winslet dressed > as a nun, rambling about how you win an Oscar will always be one of > my favorites.) > > Day off today, and we're about to get the warm weather version of > what the Midwest is experiencing today - thunderstorms and high > winds. December 1st and it's already about 70F outside! > > Cheers, > > Melissa > http://merujo.blogspot.com > > > > --------------------------------- > Everyone is raving about the all-new Yahoo! Mail beta. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 1 Dec 2006 09:07:52 -0700 From: Keith Stansell Subject: RE: Alloy: Read TMDR's latest blog yet, people? Lets see - Vans - Check Jeans - Check Funky T Shirt - The "Plan 10" shirt I wore in January should do, and bring the year full circle. Shaggy Hair - a definite no, but perhaps the shaved head with beard accessory will do. I'll work on the sullen pose - I do the loner thing pretty well. Hey John, glad you had a good time. It's really interesting to see how much more confidence Thomas has regained over the year as he slips back into the roll of performer. The chicken head knob device is an impedence bridge that was MIDIfied. You'll learn more about it on the DVD and Thomas' special love for it. A love who's name can't be spoken. I'm looking forward to Sunday's show. My 6th and last this year. - -Keith - -----Original Message----- From: "John McJunkin" To: alloy@smoe.org Sent: 12/1/06 7:09 AM Subject: Re: Alloy: Read TMDR's latest blog yet, people? Keith, Kara, et al, After last evening's show in Tucson, I figured out the hip thing. All you have to do is wear jeans, Vans (or Converse Chuck Taylors,) a t-shirt with a smarmy saying or ripped-off logo of some kind, a hoodie or jogging jacket, and a knit cap. It helps to have shaggy hair and to strike the best sullen pose you can, gazing at the floor. Most importantly, you must engage in "groovy" dancing by yourself in a corner, even when there's no music playing. If you do all this prior to the age of 21, you're hip. If you do it at our age, you're a candidate for the mental ward. I kid because I love. The youngsters who came out last night were a really nice bunch of kids. It all reminds me of when Bowie toured with Nine Inch Nails around 10 years ago. NIN would open, and then all the kids would leave before the Thin White Duke took the stage. I could only laugh because I foresaw the regret these kids would experience in 10-15 years as they matured and met the inescapable epiphany that they had a chance to see Bowie . . . BOWIE . . . but left the concert venue. Amusing. jm On Nov 30, 2006, at 2:02 PM, Keith Stansell wrote: > > It's ok Kera. > > TMDR's 8 years my senior. I would imagine that BT's fans are a bit > younger > - and honestly, it is hard to be "hip" when you are over 40. You > can try, > but I think you will always be "out-hipped" by 20-somethings in > general. > > Being older and un-hip just sort of goes with the territory of ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 1 Dec 2006 13:35:21 -0600 From: Patrick McMillan Subject: Re: Alloy: Read TMDR's latest blog yet, people? Bowie is such an inspiring performer. I got to see him in an amazing production during the Serious Moonlight Tour and much later with Tin Machine. Check him out on YouTube and Google Video. Those younguns who missed out now only have the internet to rely upon. That said, there are some pretty cool concerts of a rather younger Dolby, (not necessesarily hipper cuz he's pretty damn blistering hip in my book now) on the aforementioned sites. Preaching to the choir again, I know. On Dec 1, 2006, at 10:07 AM, Keith Stansell wrote: > I could only laugh because I foresaw the regret these kids would > experience in 10-15 years as they matured and met the inescapable > epiphany that they had a chance to see Bowie . . . BOWIE . . . but > left the concert venue. Patrick McMillan Toxey/McMillan Design Associates 218 Washington  San Antonio, TX 78204  (210) 225-7066 4608 Ramsgate Court  Arlington, TX 76013  (817) 368-2750 925 Jackson Street  Benicia, CA 94510  (Studio) fax 206-339-3394 http://www.tmdaexhibits.com Conservation Tip: Find a way to recycle everything you touch. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 1 Dec 2006 11:48:55 -0800 (PST) From: Elaine Subject: Re: Alloy: Tucson Show Fabulous recap, John, and I'd expect nothing less from you. :) Sounds like a great time was had by all. I can't wait to hear Karma at some point. You lucky duckies! How many were in the crowd? Was there a meet & greet? ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 1 Dec 2006 17:02:55 -0600 From: "Kara R. Laidlaw" Subject: Re: Re: Alloy: Read TMDR's latest blog yet... Patrick wrote glowingly, :^) > From: Patrick McMillan > Date: 2006/12/01 Fri PM 01:35:21 CST > To: alloy@smoe.org > Subject: Re: Alloy: Read TMDR's latest blog yet, people? > > > Bowie is such an inspiring performer. I got to see him in an amazing > production > during the Serious Moonlight Tour and much later with Tin Machine. > Check him out on YouTube and Google Video. > Those younguns who missed out now only have the internet to rely upon. I saw Bowie on the "Glass Spider" tour in, what was it, 1987 or '88? Not sure. Yeah, I went with my mom and my sister, hee hee. We didn't have good seats-- Bowie himself looked the size of a Good-n-Plenty [aka Goodies in Canada], but the music was great. I also saw "Sound and Vision" in 1990, and I have the souvenir pin to prove it. :^D Unfortunately, our old Arena, which has since been leveled [we have the new MTS Centre now], had such poor acoustics that, when Bowie was playing a saxophone in one song, its sound was absorbed by the roof beams... > That said, there are some pretty cool concerts of a rather younger > Dolby, > (not necessesarily hipper cuz he's pretty damn blistering hip in my > book now) > on the aforementioned sites. > > Preaching to the choir again, I know. Yeah, Patrick, but who gets the solo? ;^) It's truly awesome the way BT's fans can appreciate Thomas' old-school...no, er, original...hmmm, well, it's just great that they appreciate that Thomas paved the way for BT, just as Bowie and Eno paved the way for Thomas. :^) As I replied to Thomas' very gracious and detailed explanation of his perspective [you can imagine how my eyes just about fell out of my head when I saw that!], great music is eternal, and there's usually time for younger generations to catch up. Right at the mo' I'm listening to Chet Baker, and he "passed on" in the 1980's, I think, but his trumpet playing and his singing are lovely. :^) Yep, I guess I overreacted a little, but I'm sure glad to know that Thomas isn't just going to forget about you guys. :^) You hung in there through 15 parched years, and that is a testament to your dedication. 15 years from now, we'll probably all still be posting here!!! :^) I'm not goin' anywhere either! ;^) Love and herbal tea [what would we do without it, eh, Merujo? ;^)] Kara the too-damn-quick-off-the-mark! ;^) It's All About the Music. :^) ------------------------------ End of alloy-digest V11 #220 ****************************