From: owner-fegmaniax-digest@smoe.org (fegmaniax-digest) To: fegmaniax-digest@smoe.org Subject: fegmaniax-digest V8 #123 Reply-To: fegmaniax@smoe.org Sender: owner-fegmaniax-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-fegmaniax-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk fegmaniax-digest Sunday, April 4 1999 Volume 08 : Number 123 Today's Subjects: ----------------- RH content, well, some... [Ethyl Ketone ] Re: 12 [Aaron Mandel ] bayard's last stand ["Capitalism Blows" ] very, very strange days ["Capitalism Blows" ] Re: 12 [Eb ] track listing? [Joel Mullins ] RE: cd's are too long [Eric Loehr ] RE: cd's are too long [Ross Overbury ] to the white sea, etc. [J Branscombe ] politicz [J Branscombe ] Storefront vinyl ["Pamplemousse" ] Interesting item on eBay web site item#85942042: Robyn Hitchcock Great Promotional Ad (fwd) [Bayard ] Fobykob ["Russ Reynolds" ] Three O'Clock CD ["Russ Reynolds" ] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sat, 3 Apr 1999 10:56:29 -0800 From: Ethyl Ketone Subject: RH content, well, some... Hey Fegs, Am enjoying reading the list these days, that is, when I can keep up. A few things: Saw "Positiveland" the other night (Negativeland but I guess it's the 90s and the economy is doing well...). Wow! I hadn't seen them since the mid 80s just before the whole U2 crap. They were more astounding then the last time I saw them. All kinds of new material! I'd saw they are starting to produce some great work again. Played well over 2 hours and only did 2 old pieces. Picked up Respect on cd, finally. I've been playing it non stop since I got home. And I can't explain it but I've been playing Perspex Island as well. As a matter of fact I've been on a steady diet of RH and nothing else the past week or so. Maybe it's wanting something "sane" during what I think are insane times. Anyway, there isn't anybody quite like Robyn, is there? OK, I'll stop gushing sycophantic verbage now. Bay Area feg collectors - there is some kind of 3 song promo import in the used Robyn bin at Amoeba. I am taking a sabbatical from the games industry to do an MFA. In Phliadelphia. East Coast fegs - looking forward to meeting you all at one time or another. And isn't Lord K in Philly? Since I have keys to my friends apt. in Manhatten I hope I'll be having more than a few beers with LJ and TGQ, eh? Looking forward to hearing RH at venues other than the GAMH as well. I'm headed east in early August via the California coast - at least as far south as LA, maybe San Diego, then across the southwest with a weeks stop near Aspen and then east across the plains states. Any fegs along the way - I'd love to meet with you all. Photo ops, right Nick? And Bay Area fegs, I propose a fegfest BBQ at my house before I leave the place. Anyone up for that???? Be seeing you, - - Carrie "Questions are a burden for others. Answers are a prison for oneself." **************************************************************************** M.E.Ketone/C.Galbraith meketone@ix.netcom.com ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 3 Apr 1999 13:50:30 -0500 (EST) From: Aaron Mandel Subject: Re: 12 On Sat, 3 Apr 1999, JH3 wrote: > It's pretty simple, really: Because mechanicals get paid on a flat-rate, > per-song basis, the labels imposed the limit to prevent artists from > recording a large number of short throwaway songs - thereby taking > more of the proceeds away from the labels, since mechanicals are > paid to artists independently of sales royalties. and it's a good thing, since as we know, labels are going broke fist-over-hand because of all the money they give artists. seems like it would make more sense if the number were renegotiated in more than a few cases. if someone has 13 good songs, give them the extra 7 cents. the worst i can see happening is that unproven artists would be pressured to record shorter albums, but i imagine those might also be sold (somewhat cheaper). not going to happen, anyway. a ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 03 Apr 1999 13:06:55 PST From: "Capitalism Blows" Subject: bayard's last stand really? i don't remember that. however, i *do* remember that the first caller on that interview was our very own mr. hal brandt. has any other feg ever called in and spoken to robyn on a radio show? driving to l.a. to see robyn at the largo? if so, let this be a lesson to you, eb! while there may be a teensy bit of filler on UNDERTOW, there is *none*, and i mean *NONE* on AENIMA. got it, daddy? and i guess i'm with sharky mark on this one, generally speaking. if it's good, a record (or movie, book, tractor pull, whatever) can't be too long. if it's bad, it can't be too short. back when i used to be a baseball freak, i used to get pissed off at all the people saying they needed to shorten the games down. i used to arrive at the stadium a half-hour before they opened the gates, and *pray* for every game i attended to go into extra innings, preferably many extra innings. and i always thought it was bogus that i lived in an american league city, 'cause the american league had a rule that you couldn't start an inning after one o'clock in the a.m., whereas in the national league, you could theoretically play forever. SMARTIE MINE clocks in at close to two and a half hours, and it's my fave non-robyn album of the decade so far (and believe it or not, there are no outtakes to speak of from the SMARTIE MINE SESSIONS. it was a case of a great band with an absolute genius at the helm, just coming off the tour, and striking while the iron was hot.) <(Does anyone know if it's true that Brando didn't read it before filming?)> so it's claimed in Hearts Of Darkness (a fascinating film, and much better than Apocalypse Now itself, in my opinion. i'll try to transcribe that specific section sometime.) yes, unlike kubrick's, lean's death hit me VERY hard, because he was still doing vibrant work, and i was VERY, VERY much looking forward to this one. aw, screw you guys! me an' quail an' lj are gonna take fred/ted's army men and go listen to tool by ourselves. "the eggs of satan", yes. now is somebody gonna post a setlist from last night? eb? http://leb.net/iac/ "...the people who in most places in the world provide opposition leadership are, here in America, holed up in academic sinecures arguing about the ethics of lunch and whether or not to hire an immigrant maid. The two-party dictatorship is literally destroying the country and Clinton is the worst president we've ever had -- much worse than Nixon and Reagan combined on everything from the environment to social and economic policy, and where's the left? Sitting by the phone hoping to get on one of those Dead White Man TV talk panels....frankly, these days every time I even see a copy of The Nation, In These Times, or, worst of all, Mother Jones, I feel like punching the first pony tailed, nasal whinnying, Virtual Asseted, public-radioed, candy-assed, so-called leftist who comes through my door. Unfortunately, they come through my door all the time and I'm too old and physically decrepit to carry out a decent physical assault. It's all very frustrating." --Bruce Anderson, Anderson Valley Advertiser Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 03 Apr 1999 13:36:07 PST From: "Capitalism Blows" Subject: very, very strange days . i just can't figure out who's the most fucked up. the idiot schools for enforcing the idiot rule. the idiot students who want to be forced to say it once a week rather than once a day, because this will ensure a more meaningful, respectful pledge. the idiot commander of american legion post 234 who wants the students to go to russia and stand in bread lines (one of the more curious statements i have *ever* seen *anywhere*, on a couple of different levels.) the idiot student school board member who's okay with coercing students to say the pledge because "there are worse things we could be asking them to do. We could be asking them to sing the national anthem." (which, while it's a hilarious, if unintentional, dis of the national anthem, is, of course, an horribly lame argument.) the idiot general counsel who says that if students don't say the pledge, they're threatening classroom order. the idiot president of the american indian heritage school who says that, "the u.s. flag is a big part of all our ceremonies, and the first dance of any powwow honors war veterans" (including, presumably, veterans of those wars which wiped the american indians off the face of the continent), but that somebody would have to put a gun to his head to make him say the pledge. [?!?!?!?] the idiot activity coordinator who says that by the time they reach high school kids aren't as "willing" to "just blindly do what we want them to do." the idiot assistant superintendent who says that there's no penalty for not saying the pledge because he doesn't know how you'd enforce it. or the idiot president of the flag day foundation, who wants everyone to say the pledge of allegiance at 7 p.m. every flag day, and that "each time it's said, it should be said with meaning and understanding of what you're expressing in those 31 words." which has to make me wonder if he's ever read the fucking thing, it being about the most mind-numbingly stupid (not to mention anti-constitutional) 31 words ever put to paper. although i do agree with his statement, taken out of context. but i think the pledge should be less abstract. it should read something like-- i pledge allegiance to bombing the fuck out of defenseless third world countries. i pledge allegiance to for-profit health care. i pledge allegiance to the highest incarceration, poverty, and income inequality rates in the industrialized world. i pledge allegiance to bovine growth hormone. i pledge allegiance to corporate welfare. i pledge allegiance to commodity fetishism. i pledge allegiance to toxic sludge, and to one in three americans dying of cancer. i pledge allegiance to disastrous imf-mandated austerity programmes, and to murderous embargoes. i pledge allegiance to devoting 50% of the budget to the fucking military, and to spending more on the fucking military than the rest of the world combined. i pledge allegiance to "don't ask don't tell", the "defense of marriage act", and to "outing" little purple puppets. i pledge allegiance to 20% of the world's population consuming 80% of its resources. i pledge allegiance to union-busting. i pledge allegiance to...aw, you get the picture. jeez, i think i need to cool down here. although i may tidy this post up a bit and submit it to ets! jesus is risen! http://leb.net/iac/ "...the people who in most places in the world provide opposition leadership are, here in America, holed up in academic sinecures arguing about the ethics of lunch and whether or not to hire an immigrant maid. The two-party dictatorship is literally destroying the country and Clinton is the worst president we've ever had -- much worse than Nixon and Reagan combined on everything from the environment to social and economic policy, and where's the left? Sitting by the phone hoping to get on one of those Dead White Man TV talk panels....frankly, these days every time I even see a copy of The Nation, In These Times, or, worst of all, Mother Jones, I feel like punching the first pony tailed, nasal whinnying, Virtual Asseted, public-radioed, candy-assed, so-called leftist who comes through my door. Unfortunately, they come through my door all the time and I'm too old and physically decrepit to carry out a decent physical assault. It's all very frustrating." --Bruce Anderson, Anderson Valley Advertiser Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 3 Apr 1999 13:57:09 -0800 From: Eb Subject: Re: 12 JH3: >>I quickly thumbed through the 1998 releases in my permanent >>collection, to see how many had more than 12 >>tracks, and how many had 12 or less. Get this: there were >>102 releases to check, and it was split exactly 51 to 51! > >I'll bet the 51 that were limited to 12 tracks or less were mostly >on major labels, and the ones with 12+, especially those with, >like, 18+, were mostly indie releases. Actually, I already glanced at this factor, because I also speculated that the above might be true. It wasn't. Um, let's see.... 51 albums under 13 tracks: 23 indie, 28 major. 51 albums over 12 tracks: 18 indie, 33 major. Oh well. By the way, the above stats do include nine albums containing more than one disc. But heck, it's still over 12 tracks on an album, right? Eddie: >while there may be a teensy bit of filler on UNDERTOW, there is *none*, >and i mean *NONE* on AENIMA. got it, daddy? Great cover art, horrible music. By the way, I remembered something else notable which Robyn told me. I mentioned that I heard about the Largo dates because someone posted the info to the mailing list, and he said "Oh, someone did that? Good. Then the news has reached those who can use it." (Or something to that effect.) I answered that, yes, we all heard about it, but admittedly, there aren't too many L.A. Fegs on the list, and that the largest concentrations seem to be in San Francisco, Chicago and New York. He nodded, and said that he draws fewer fans in L.A. than in other bigger cities. He went on to say that Chicago is his favorite US city to play, because he always gets a really good turnout there. Rick Gershon then agreed that Chicago was a great city for live music. So, there...clutch that news proudly to your bosom, Susan. Meanwhile, I don't think I'll be going tonight. (And no, I didn't go last night.) The main reason is that I'm sick again (did ROBYN infect me? woo!), but other reasons might include a) deja vu about seeing RH at Largo yet AGAIN... b) I just don't wanna c) I still have a really bitter taste in my mouth about Largo because of that snitty little waiter asshole, who is probably the only person I've encountered in recent years whom I've actually wanted to PUNCH. But presumably, Griffith or Chris will post accounts of the shows. Eb ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 03 Apr 1999 16:00:51 -0800 From: Joel Mullins Subject: track listing? Last night I was partying with one of my English professors and it turns out that she is a huge Elvis Costello fan. Since fegs are usually also Elvis fans I thought she might like Robyn. So I told her that I'd make her a tape of some of Robyn's stuff and hopefully it will convert her to fegMANIA. Does anyone want to help with the track listing? Got any ideas? Joel ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 3 Apr 1999 17:33:40 -0500 (EST) From: Eric Loehr Subject: RE: cd's are too long On Fri, 2 Apr 1999, Russ Reynolds wrote: (lots of good stuff deleted....) > I dunno...I find it ironic that in an era of media geared toward shorter and > shorter attention spans the "contemporary mindset" calls for longer CD's. I > think Robyn's got the right idea keeping his albums short and sweet. Always > leave 'em hungry for more and you'll never wear out your welcome. > Artistically, I agree with the above, but there's also the consumer factor to consider; for example, when I saw Dave Davies at the Iron Horse last year he played a fabulous hour, maybe hour-15 min. set; I figured he was taking a break when he started to leave the stage, but was stunned to instead hear him say goodnight, and that was it. I loved every minute of the show, but if I pay $20+ for a ticket I think I'm entitled to more than that (and with no opening act!). Same thing with CD's - the fucking record companies charge so much (for relatively small cost to them) that I find myself feeling cheated when I pay full price (which I try not to do anyway, but..) for an album that's only 35-45 min. long - -especially rereleases of 60's stuff that don't have bonus tracks -- some of those suckers are less than 30 min. and have no excuse taking up a whole CD (you could fit two of em on one CD easily - -- and admittedly some do come this way.) Having said all that, I don't want an extra 20-25 min. of crap included just for the sake of filling up the CD -- the money value is not my major motivation -- BUT, I certainly don't mind stuff being included that may not be top quality material, but might still be interesting. Granted, that may make for less of a coshesive artistic statement, but I still like hearing stuff by my favorite artists even if they don't consider it top of the line, or appropriate for an album. As Eb and Russ pointed out, artists don't get to put out as many albums these days as they used to, and so we miss out on some of their development and probably some of the most interesting stuff -- especially when every album becomes more important, and must be that grand statement, there's more pressure for everything to be good and fit in. And who's to say that an artist is the best judge of his/her own material, anyway? -- or the record company, or even other fans? Don't we all like different RH songs? Why not put it all on, separated by a 3 minute silence, or a separate audio track between the main "album" and the extra stuff, saying, WARNING! THE FOLLOWING MATERIAL IS PROBABLY LESS GREAT THAN THE ACTUAL PRECEDING ALBUM, BUT SOME OF YOU WEENIES MAY LIKE IT, AND IN THE INTERESTS OF GIVING YOU SOME VALUE FOR THIS OVERPRICED CONSUMER ITEM, HERE IT IS! I could see the artist's viewpoint for not including something they thought was not up to snuff or embarassing, but I'd be willing to bet that a lot of artists have stuff that they more or less like (and would deep in their hearts like to have released), but didn't make it on an album for whatever reason (would have made the CD too long, didn't fit in with the mood/theme, etc.) Maybe I'm just being selfish, and *I'd* like to be the judge of what I'll like or not. ;-} Eric ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 3 Apr 1999 18:15:10 -0500 (EST) From: Ross Overbury Subject: RE: cd's are too long OK, I'm going to jump in at this point. I just don't get it. Some of you don't like the bonus tracks stuck in with a re-release, or don't like all of the tracks in a new release. Can't you just skip them, or stop the CD when it hits the dreaded "bonus" track section? Honestly!!! So they could drop another 50 cents or whatever it costs to press a CD these days and stick a separate disc in with the "bonus" stuff. Most of the cost is distribution and marketing, not the lump of vinyl and foil. But why should they bother when you can get off your duff and change the CD? As for new releases with weaker material, if they add garlic pepper squid rings to your meal did they enhance it or ruin it? Just push them aside if they're not for you, and eat the rest. The artist puts out a bunch of stuff, some of which you're bound to like more or less than the rest, and not necessarily in accordance with the artist's own judgement. Do remixes of a favourite song spoil it forever for you? Did "Stars On" kill the Beatles, Pink Floyd, the Stones forever? I still like Jeff Beck even though I heard a Muzak version of Freeway Jam at the food court last month. Yup, Freeway Jam. Just get over it. PS: I'd have presented this whole argument in a more structured and bulletproof manner, but I've got RH tabs to audit. Freeze is done (with minor corrections), and more should follow tonight. I trust the rest of the scribes are at it as well. PPS: Garlic pepper squid rings.... mmmmmm! ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 3 Apr 1999 19:06:56 -0500 From: J Branscombe Subject: to the white sea, etc. I'm very glad that Eddie is with me on David Lean. Unfortunately I think Lean mucks up a bit on Great Expectations, which is one of my top three Dickens novels, and therefore, perhaps,one of my top twenty of all time. Alec Guiness is superb, but you don't - just DO NOT change Charlie boy's endings, which I'm afraid Lean did on this one. Dr Zhivago is pretty close to being a good book. Yes, all right, it is a pretty damn good book, but Pasternak only got the Nobel prize because he was a Soviet dissident. It is a magnificent film. I went to school with one of Kubrick's daughters. Bonkers she was, even at 16. I have seen her credits on Kubrick films since. I am dubious as to whether she'll get anywhere now. I mean, she's even older than me, and I've got nowhere... Yes Eb, there is a recent BBC/someone-almost-British-in-Boston co- production of Nostromo. It is quite good. Have a look. But better, read the book. I have spoken to Kimberley Rew recently, and lest I've given the impression in recent posts that he and Robyn have had a problem with each other (some people, not regulars on the list, have intimated that I have) I'd like to say that nothing could be further from the truth. They seem to love each other at the moment, and the longer that is the case the better it is for the all of us. Thanks for all recent contributions on the-book-of-the-film-of-the-film-of-the-book thread, you have made me feel very welcome. If that sounds a bit schmaltzy I'll leave you with a bit of Brit sarcasm. Isn't Waiting For Godoh one of Beckett's lost works? jmbc ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 3 Apr 1999 19:28:21 -0500 From: J Branscombe Subject: politicz Eddie says, re: the pledge allegiance >Perhaps I need to cool down here. No you fucking do not. At the same time you musn't succumb to the self-destructive tendency of a lot of left-wingers who think that 'their own' (Clinton in this case) are worse than the opposition. Reagan? Nixon? Come ON!!! I know that Tony Blair was the last person to suck Bill's cock. (Hillary hasn't for years). But that doesn't mean I am going to vote Tory next time. jmbc ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 4 Apr 1999 14:15:48 +0100 From: "Pamplemousse" Subject: Storefront vinyl Finally got a copy of the vinyl. I had it on order since December when it was scheduled for release in January. Has anyone else over here got it, I've not seen anyone mention it? I prefer it to the CD myself, but don't have easy access to a turntable at the moment. Should soon have a CD burner tho' so life may become a little easier. - -- Rob np James - Seven nr Evelyn Waugh - Vile Bodies Book recommendation: William Boyd - Armadillo ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 4 Apr 1999 12:28:48 -0400 (EDT) From: Bayard Subject: Interesting item on eBay web site item#85942042: Robyn Hitchcock Great Promotional Ad (fwd) - ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Sun, 4 Apr 1999 00:05:47 -0500 (EST) From: gtk@eclipse.net To: walden@eclipse.net Subject: Interesting item on eBay web site item#85942042: Robyn Hitchcock Great Promotional Ad You got all those dates in the old RObyn base? Title of item: Robyn Hitchcock Great Promotional Ad Seller: rbaker@cris.com Starts: 04/02/99 05:10:00 PST Ends: 04/05/99 06:10:00 PDT Price: Currently $3.00 To bid on the item, go to: http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=85942042 Item Description: Robyn Hitchcock Great Promotional Ad This ad is from "Album Network" industry Mag and measures 8 1/2 x 14. This ad is unique to this publication. This long format makes this quite a bit more interesting then the typical sizes. It will be mailed flat and well protected inside a photo protector. Something unique for the paper collector. Winner pays shipping. Thanks NO RESERVE! Winner to pay shipping. Checks or Money Orders accepted. This HTML automatically generated with AuctionAssistant from Blackthorne Software. Visit eBay, the world's largest Personal Trading Community at http://www.ebay.com ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 04 Apr 1999 10:23:03 -0700 From: "Russ Reynolds" Subject: Fobykob 'allo feggies, I just picked up a copy of Trout Mask Replica and listened to it for the first time in about 20 years. As I was doing so it struck me how much that little bit of music at the end of the fegmania LP (right after Heaven on the CD) which someone christened "Fobykob" sounds like just about everything on TMR. Wonder if it was supposed to be the case? - -rUss ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 03 Apr 1999 15:00:07 -0800 From: "Russ Reynolds" Subject: Three O'Clock CD If anyone here needs a copy of Three O'Clock's "16 Tambourines" contact me off list. In my eagerness to track down a copy on line I inadvertantly bought two before I could cancel the extra order. Looking to recoup or trade. - -rUss ------------------------------ End of fegmaniax-digest V8 #123 *******************************