Chalkhills Digest Volume 11, Issue 41
Date: Friday, 5 August 2005
Chalkhills Digest, Volume 11, Number 41
Friday, 5 August 2005
Topics:
Andy Partridge Sings
Some Such
Re: Pop Politics
A World Wrapped In Grey
Good Old King Coal rocked my soul
Newly crowned.....
Re: Your Private Book
"Just sweet pop music?" Not really...
RE: Time signatures
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Two, four, and counting / Head nod in twenty.
---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 2 Aug 2005 11:18:09 +0100 From: "Del" <del.fry@btinternet.com> Subject: Andy Partridge Sings Message-ID: <000601c5974b$7b773b00$11428256@Del> Hi, On Sunday evening I had the great pleasure to perform with my band Mid Life Crisis at the "Roaring Donkey" Pub in Old Town Swindon. In the audience for our debut gig was a certain Mr Andy Partridge. After watching our short set Andy asked if he could perform with us and did we know Roadrunner by Jonathan Richmond and The Modern Lovers. We knew the song "sort off" and away we went with Andy singing and playing my telecaster. Needless to say Andy was superb and wowed the pub with his very modern English slant on the old 70s hit. Before we could say thanks for making our night Andy had gone. Was this all a dream or had it really happened. Today (Tuesday) there is review of our gig in the Swindon Advertiser, and yes we have witnesses to just about the most amazing debut gig ever! Through your pages can I say on behalf of all of Mid Life Crisis thanks Andy you were brilliant and you made our first gig together something we will never forget. Cheers Del Fry and all of Mid Life Crisis.
------------------------------ Date: Tue, 2 Aug 2005 12:03:44 -0700 (PDT) From: Andrew Boyle <andybgator@yahoo.com> Subject: Some Such Message-ID: <20050802190345.15484.qmail@web51902.mail.yahoo.com> Hello, All. Jason Fox wrote: > Why does everyone have to relate everything > by XTC to sex? Because...doesn't everything? Eventually? > If Andy meant Nonsuch to mean Vagina, why didn't he just call it Vagina? I'm not even gonna touch this. Well, THAT. But not this. > Huw Davies wrote: > > XTC don't do politics that often and for the most part > this is probably a good thing. Mixing pop and politics > is extremely difficult to do well. Um...who's gonna hold me back??? Angie? HB? Todd? Anybody? Mr. Relph did back in, oh, 2000. So, (deep breath) I'll be over here looking at picture from the Hubble. Maybe crank up "Here Comes President Kill Again"... Ta! Andrew Orlando
------------------------------ Date: Tue, 2 Aug 2005 18:17:58 -0700 (PDT) From: Steve <ste7phen@yahoo.com> Subject: Re: Pop Politics Message-ID: <20050803011758.7798.qmail@web53309.mail.yahoo.com> > The discussion of XTC's politics and the use of their > music by that right-wing radio host made me think that > English Settlement is possibly XTC's most politicised > album. There are a lot of songs with political themes > on there: 'Ball and Chain', 'No Thugs in Our House', > 'Melt the Guns', 'Leisure' and 'Fly on the Wall'. XTC > don't do politics that often and for the most part > this is probably a good thing. Mixing pop and politics > is extremely difficult to do well. > > Huw Davies I agree politics and pop are difficult to do well together as the art quickly becomes activism (besides the fact that commercialism usually won't allow it). But I disagree about XTC not being all that political. Every XTC album has socio-political commentary and some references are quite specific such as the "piggy in the middle" thing on Another Cuba. Though I must say its much easier to publicly name a specific event 20 years later. Their handling of politics is one reason why I like XTC. these are only a few examples (I love these lyrics!): starting with Drums and Wires: -Real By Reel couldn't be more appropriate today (have you heard of RFID?). lyrics - read them: http://chalkhills.org/reelbyreal/s_Real.html#lyrics -Roads Girdle the Globe - "hail mother motor, hail piston rotor, hail wheel" -Millions - "I see you asking for Western thinking, I say its poison you'll be drinking. Stay as East as faraway as dreams will let you be" Each and every XTC album has similar lyrics. I won't go on (as much I'd like to). XTC did politics in their art and they did it well... they just tip toed from specifying names and places. Another Steve
------------------------------ Date: Wed, 03 Aug 2005 10:55:13 +1000 From: "Simon Knight" <homefrontradio@hotmail.com> Subject: A World Wrapped In Grey Message-ID: <BAY18-F1290C3ABEC169503B79EAFD0C50@phx.gbl> Tongue-half-in-cheek, I wrote: >Ah, it's just sweet pop music... I'm sure Andy would be pleased his music >can penetrate the ear but his lyrics fail to penetrate the heart. <snip> To which Jeff responded: >I would hope that Aaron would, in a case such as this, think along the >lines of Voltaire in, while disagreeing with Andy's point of view, >being prepared to defend to the death his right to say it. And that >Andy would do the same for Aaron. So here, yes, Andy can be pleased >that he has earned such respect from his listeners that they are >prepared to hear views of his that are diametrically opposed to >theirs, yet they retain their love for Andy and his music! Just to clarify, (and I'm not attacking you personally) - I was thinking more along the lines of intensely personal the act of songwriting can be, and the time and effort that goes into getting your point across and how frustrating it must be for your message to remain unheard or misinterpreted as `Just a pop song' or simply used for advertising. Imagine Andy hard at work in an Orwellian B&W future searching for just the right combination of words to match the beauty of his music, and penning the line: "Don't let the loveless ones sell you a world wrapped in grey". Surely that will make them feel *something*! He lets this beautiful song out into the public arena, only to see the message distorted and use that line as a party political song perfect for propaganda broadcasts, for Big Brother has decided `The Loveless Ones' is a perfect description of their enemies. In less fanciful imagination, the point I was trying to get across was that I believe that these people aren't consciously listening to `views diametrically opposed to theirs', as you put it, (and thinking `I don't agree with that but they're allowed to say it'), but more as being *completely oblivious* to the message of the song as it's playing. (Remember `Born In The USA' being used as a jingoistic political anthem by Reagan?) >From The Simpsons: Homer: "Yvan eht nioj! You gotta love that crazy chorus!" Lisa: "What does it mean?" Homer: "Ah, it doesn't mean anything. It's like "Rama-Lama Ding Dong" or "Give Peace a Chance". Whilst I'm aware of the Voltaire concept you bring up and would like to think everyone really is that noble, the reality of the situation is `defending your right to say it' isn't an appropriate description for the extreme right wing media, who frequently deal in `black and white' generalities, offer no opposing points of view, interrupt or cut-off their guest's remarks if they can't trick them into the loaded sound bite they're after from them, frequently resort to verbal abuse of an opponent when losing a debate, and don't realise that if you put forward an argument you need to back up your point of view with verifiable facts that support your argument. Would you as an American feel you have the right to say `I disagree with the Iraq war' to the Laura Ingrahams of this world, and be treated with respected for speaking your mind? (It's far more likely some combination of `Traitor', `Unpatriotic' and `You're either with us or against us' would be uttered). >I think anyone can respect and even admire another opinion, even if he >absolutely disagrees with it. I can respect another's beliefs and admire their convictions upon the condition that they don't see their beliefs as having any more validity than my own, and also that their beliefs don't give them the right to invalidate my own human rights. (Unfortunately, I also recognise I'm human and therefore inherently flawed, so frequently contradict myself by word and deed). Anyway, I'll throw this question wide, because I'm actually very curious: As listeners, do we seek out songwriter's with worldviews we already unconsciously agree with, and is it part of what attracts us to the song / band? Can anyone name a song they love but violently disagree with the lyrics? Just how opposed to the song's view do we have to be to be completely turned off by it? Signifying nothing, Simon -- http://homefrontradio.blogspot.com/ A Songwriter's Journal
------------------------------ Date: Wed, 03 Aug 2005 08:34:12 -0700 From: "Wayne Klein" <wtdk123@msn.com> Subject: Good Old King Coal rocked my soul Message-ID: <BAY108-F32BE282FF7B12D5EC2C04BF9C50@phx.gbl> Mr. Davies chimed in: >"Wayne Klein" wrote regarding 'I am the Walrus': >Although it was Lennon's idea to add the bit from "Macbeth". I'm going to delurk and be a bit pedantic here, but it was actually a performance of "King Lear" that Lennon added in. You're quite right. It was "King Lear" As to the Dukes stuff there's also elements of Vanilla Fudge and just about every band from that era mixed in. I still think that "Vanishing Girl" should have been on a proper XTC album (particularly after the Dukes were "integrated" into XTC with "Oranges and Lemons"). I love Judee Sill's albums but they are an acquired taste. I think that lots of folks at this site would probably listen to them once at most. Still, I would recommend her two albums (even the third posthumous release is quite good)to fans of Partridge's work. Has (outside of the Kinks) Moulding ever stated what his major influences are? I don't recall reading as much about his influences as Mr. Partridge's.
------------------------------ Date: Wed, 3 Aug 2005 20:54:57 +0100 From: "Steve Morton" <steven.morton4@ntlworld.com> Subject: Newly crowned..... Message-ID: <000a01c59865$396b9d80$0100a8c0@mshome.net> Good Day Chalksters, Just popping up to say that I have just taken delivery of my "King for a Day" CD. I know that this is probably old news for most seasoned members of this list, but I have to say- It's Great! 100+ MP3 tracks, some of which I have not previously heard despite many years of XTC'dom. Some of the tracks are brilliant, some cringemaking but all downright interesting. Terrific entertainment value and the best sick squid's worth (Nine bucks to those of you the other side of the pond) that I've spent in ages. Well done to all the contributors for putting my feeble musical efforts in the shade and to Richard for still pushing it out and my apologies for taking 5 years to get my copy! My only excuse is that I wasn't on this list and didn't have broadband back then. Ah, the wonders of technology. Steve.
------------------------------ Date: Wed, 3 Aug 2005 23:29:47 +0100 (BST) From: Mark <bigdoubleya@yahoo.co.uk> Subject: Re: Your Private Book Message-ID: <20050803222947.77183.qmail@web26308.mail.ukl.yahoo.com> John Morrish <morrish@ukf.net> wrote: > > Without lowering the tone too much, can I just point > out that, according to the indispensable Cassell > Dictionary of Slang, nonesuch/ nonsuch was an > 18th/19th century term for vagina. Cool, makes my rather shite website @ www.nonsuch.org.uk sound like a magnet for any 18/19th century adolescents, if only they had computers.....oh for the time travelling Internet (copyright me) Mark "Well my name's Timmy, I have a really short attention span and...." Timmy Turner
------------------------------ Date: Wed, 03 Aug 2005 23:08:41 -0700 From: "Pastula Aaron" <pastula12@hotmail.com> Subject: "Just sweet pop music?" Not really... Message-ID: <BAY24-F1106C135BCB65290747A18A2C40@phx.gbl> Simon said, of my comments: >Ah, it's just sweet pop music... I'm sure Andy would be pleased his music >can penetrate the ear but his lyrics fail to penetrate the heart. Well, that's kind of presumptuous, don't you think? >What >exactly are these people surmising from 'Dear God', 'Books are Burning', >'Beating Of Hearts', 'This World Over', 'Here Comes President Kill Again' >and 'Melt The Guns', to name but a few examples? It's statements like this that make me chuckle when people say that *I'm* the one who's close-minded... "These people," being me, surmise a few things: 1) That subjects like religion and politics automatically garner differing points of view, 2) that just because Andy's point of view might be different than mine, that it doesn't mean that I don't "get it" or can't appreciate it, relate to it, or even agree with it to a measurable degree, and 3) that Andy is a *songwriter,* not a politician, theologian, diplomat or historian. I love his musings, but more often than not, that's simply what they are -- the musings of a sensitive, emotional guy from a little town in England and the view of the world from where he's sitting. But just as I don't look to Condi Rice for the final word on pop music, neither do I look to Andy for the final word on foreign relations. Anyway, AP
------------------------------ Date: Fri, 05 Aug 2005 19:16:46 -0500 From: "BRUCE HAUSTEIN" <hausteinb@hotmail.com> Subject: RE: Time signatures Message-ID: <BAY101-F3CD9E81564071B408B7C6B4C60@phx.gbl> Friends, My percussionist pal Richard in San Diego sent me this joke in regards to time signatures: It seems a drummer was trying to impress Abdul, the leader of a Turkish band. Abdul pulled him aside and scolded, "I'm sure all the flourishes are fine, but I just want a simple back-beat on 7 and 19." Ha! (related:) Look at a Stravinski score. He changes time signatures constantly and nobody who can count gets confused.
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