Chalkhills Digest Volume 2, Issue 76
Date: Monday, 26 February 1996

          Chalkhills Digest, Volume 2, Number 76

                 Monday, 26 February 1996

Today's Topics:

             Alternative Speaker Connections
                    The Little Express
               Re: Chalkhills Digest #2-75
       Sticking With and Slagging Off - XTC Debates
                RE: Dance Music Must Die!
                       Is this Pop?
         What if Andy Partridge was "One of Us"?
                  Re: Taxes and trumpets
                         Guernica
                          Grass
                       Unsung songs
                   Prairie/Tribute Tape
                  Venturing to the U.K.
          Drums and Wireless--finally success!!!
             Uffington horse image bookmarks
        Looking for the BBC Radio 1 XTC Live CD!!!
            "This Is Live" CD available [fwd]
             right and left, right and wrong
                   Miscellaneous  news

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The views expressed herein are those of the individual authors.

And your criticism doesn't worry me.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

From: richard.pedrettiallen@octel.com
Date: Fri, 23 Feb 1996 18:18:03 -0800
Subject: Alternative Speaker Connections

  Re: Christopher Burgess & More stereo mumbo-jumbo

  I'm not trying to scare anyone away from experimentation, but get 49
  cents worth of insurance for your speakers.  You don't have to be some
  high-tech weenie, just get something like a 100 microfarad ceramic
  capacitor at Radio Shack (BTW, I hate those guys) and connect one lead to
  the "extension" speaker and the other to one lead of the speaker wire.
  Connect the other lead of the speaker wire to the other speaker
  connection.  This will prevent DC from being coupled to the speaker coil
  & crossover.  Simple.  Nuf said.
                   /|
                _/  |         d
  +__________Q_|    |   d        d
   ____________|    | d    d
  -            |_   |     p   p
                 \  |
                   \|
  Cheers, Richard

------------------------------

From: ZITTEL@aol.com
Date: Fri, 23 Feb 1996 22:49:56 -0500
Subject: The Little Express

I just wanted to make sure everyone was aware that the new issue of The
Little Express is out. I got mine in the mail yesterday. It is a great
newsletter that has been covering XTC for about 15 years now. This is issue
number 40. If you don't subscribe you are definitely missing out. In case
anyone needs their address it is:

The Little Express
P.O. Box 1072
Barrie, Ontario L4M 5E1
Canada

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 23 Feb 1996 23:30:58 -0600 (CST)
From: jims@inlink.com (Jim S)
Subject: Re: Chalkhills Digest #2-75

> And speaking of stories (as in Morning Glory), I'll take
>Oasis over Blur any day of the week... sure Noel's an arrogant bastard,
>and wears his influences on his sleeve, but it all works... there's
>nothing precious about them... you can tell alot about a band based on
>it's audience... that said, anyone care to check out the juvenalia on Blur??

I have to agree here. I used to really dig Blur, and hated Oasis
(without ever HEARING them, mind you. I saw a quote where Noel said
Blur were a "bunch of wankers" and it pissed me off.) I thought
Leisure was okay at best, Modern Life is Rubbish was excellent, and
Parklife goofy but fun. Then came The Great Escape, and I have to tell
you, my opinion is that it is rubbish. They seem to be trying so hard
to be quirky that they come off as fakes. Again, just my opinion.  So
I bought Oasis's "(What's the Story) Morning Glory, and I find it
quite a pleasing record. Groundbreaking? Certainly not, but quite
enjoyable. The other album, Definitely Maybe is merely okay, but does
have a few oustanding tracks. So now I am an Oasis fan more than a
Blur fan. Who cares, right?  BTW, anybody want to trade for The Great
Escape?  : )

>Jim S. is dead-on with his observations  re great songs ie, 'Paper & Iron'.
> The beauty of the music is that you can go back and  hear things you missed
>before, or forgot about. That's why we're all here.  A lyric  you took for
>granted a few albums ago takes on a new meaning as your life evolves.  A
>musical structure that was at one time alien seems as comfy as an old sweater
>(ragged 'round the edges but warm like a second skin).

Thanks for the compliment. You hit the nail on the head. I am constantly
"re-discovering" XTC songs. No other band/performer does this for me the
way XTC does.

 Jim S.     <jims@inlink.com>

"Here's to swimmin' with bow-legged women."

------------------------------

From: Benjamin Woll <bwoll@abacus.bates.edu>
Subject: Sticking With and Slagging Off - XTC Debates
Date: Sat, 24 Feb 1996 02:41:49 -0500 (EST)

I was really happy to read responses to some of the points I brought up in
2-74.  So without further adieu, and because I do not want to take up too
much space with my hot air, I respond...

James Poulakas - It is nice to hear that someone agrees with my point
about XTCs songs working on many levels lyrically.  Songs like The Good
Things and Summer's Cauldron work melodically in many different ways, and
when their songs push through transendence and immanence both poetically
and musically, XTC is at the top of their form.  I think Dying is a great
example of this, and I believe many of Colin's other songs - I Remember
The Sun, Sacrificial Bonfire, The World Is Full Of Angry Young Men - take
a simple message and make it deeply meaningful and reflective.  All of us
have had chips on our shoulders and ideals in our heads...Damn!

Phil - I plead guilty to unjustly slagging off on OMD.  I had them pegged
as an A-ha type band (hopefully I have not riled up any A-haers out
there).  After listening to Enola Gay, I'll admit that it is a good tune,
and while OMD will never be my favorite band, they did not deserve to be
grouped with Duran Duran ripoffs.  In your P.S. you mentioned that my
letter was not well thought out, and I have to agree.  But so what, this
is pop music, not brain surgery. I pledge to you that I will continue to
make vast generalizations, oversimplications, and dumb ass remarks because
I feel like it, so there...sorry, I guess humurous sarcasm does not come
across very well on email.

Lucas - Fair enough, but I believe that XTC is grounbreaking within the
medium in which they work...that of the pop song structure.  Wordsworth
was a classical music fan because it made the small parts of our lives
grand beyound words.  I believe Coleridge would have been more of an XTC
fan because he made the unspeakably large - Kubla Khan - accessable.
XTC's expertise is taking that which is large - love, death, religion -
and making it more immediate.  It goes back to the conversation James and
I were having... XTC are groundbreakers in their chosen medium because
they imbue complexity with simplicity (and sometimes vice-versa) artfully.

Someone - I cannot remember if it was Lucas or Rimshot - stated that we
would probably not listen to XTC if they were true revolutionaries, and I
agree.  I called them groundbreakers, and I believe the difference between
the two is more than semantics.  Rodin worked in sculpture, Picasso in
painting.  Sometimes they crossed boundaries, but they always stayed
linked to where they knew they belonged.  For XTC the pop song is home,
and you don't have to tear down the walls to move in some new furniture
and redecorate.  Breaking down the borders between different kinds of art
is only one way to be revelutionary...change, by its very nature, is
multidimensional.

Jeez, thanks for your comments.  I enjoyed reading them and challenging
myself to find good answers.  I hope all of ya' will let me in on the next
confab.  Staying warm in New England, Have You Seen Bennie?  Cheers, Ben

------------------------------

Date: 24 Feb 96 03:44:50 EST
From: Simon Sleightholm <101477.1611@compuserve.com>
Subject: RE: Dance Music Must Die!

Ewalther@eworld.com wrote:-

>own way.  The computer may be a great tool for the composer,  but without a
>human touch it all becomes so much digitised pap:  DANCE MUSIC MUST DIE!!!

Hold on there, bald eagle.

What about Tricky, Portishead, Electribe 101, Leftfield even Utah
Saints? All as capable of stirring emotions and conveying as much
depth of feeling as guys with guitars.

I suppose we could kill off synthesised sounds; lose Seagulls
Screaming, Through The Hill, almost all the Dukes stuff, White Music,
Go2, Mummer, Big Express, Poor Skeleton, etc. On second thoughts,
though, perhaps it's not such a good idea after all, eh?

Rich_Pearson@rld.bofa.com wrote:-

>Anyone else ever have dreams about XTC?

Yup. Twice. I dreamt about seeing them perform at a club and they
played wondrous new material that I'd never heard and that evaporated
from my head before I could get to a guitar and work it out. <sigh>

Stay well.

Simon

------------------------------

From: Ben Gott <BENG@hotchkiss.pvt.k12.ct.us>
Subject: Is this Pop?
Date: Sat, 24 Feb 96 11:42:00 est

>Well, I love these thongs - and yes, they are rather original songs as
>well - but still I can not consider them to be a "radical departure" from
>"Que sera, sera", "The long and winding road", "Soul man" or any other
>pop song from the last 40 years.

I'd have to disagree. Have you ever tried playing an XTC tune? I realize that
choruses repeat, etc..., but the chords and notes Andy and Colin use are
certainly not normal (check out that augmented F chord in "All of a Sudden" -
"there's something missing in the middle...") Anyway, I bristle when people
believe that XTC just uses the same old pop formula!

I go to a school where Hootie and the Blowfish are idolized, and people think
that Dr. Dre has a PhD. If you want boring pop formula, try playing "I Only
Wanna [sic?] Be With You." Blech.

Let us not forget that Andy, Colin, Dave (and Terry and Barry, to an extent)
write rock/pop songs, and one of the features of these types of songs is
repetition. Hey - even Mozart repeats himself!

-ben

XTC SONG OF THE DAY: Brainiac's Daughter

------------------------------

From: GROOVE25@SIUCVMB.SIU.EDU
Date: Sat, 24 Feb 96 12:55:47 CST
Subject: What if Andy Partridge was "One of Us"?

Hey, will people please stop berating the Joan Osborne song, "One of Us".
I happen to like it, and I think it's as effective as it needs to be, so
nyah, nyah, nyah.

If you think about it, "Dear God" could be the rock'n'roll equivalent of
the Old Testament (i.e. Book of Job--Why have you thus afflicted me, Lord?)
and "One of Us" the rockin' New Testament (The whole Christ as God in Man
thing).

Of course, this is all just food for thought.  Please do not regurgitate it.

--Doug Downing

------------------------------

Date: Sat, 24 Feb 1996 15:06:10 -0700 (MST)
From: Big Earl Sellar <splitred@freenet.edmonton.ab.ca>
Subject: Re: Taxes and trumpets

Howdy! So it seems that we're back to having the long-winded arguments on
this list. See what the lack of an album does to the fans? :)

On the political spinoffs from the DEAR MADAME BARNUM as Thatcher thread,
"Sean Robison" <sean_robison@studio.disney.com> (hmmm, does Michael
Eisner know that the grunts have opinions? :) mentioned:

> >On the current "Dear Madame Barnum" thread, I like the interpretation of
> >the Madame being Thatcher, even though I don't think Andy had that in mind.
> >Let us not forget that XTC has always leaned to the left of center, but has
> >anyone else noticed that most of the political songs are oriented toward
> >the U.S., and not the U.K. (i.e. "President Kill," "Living Through Another
> >Cuba," "Toys")?  Any explanation?
>
> I think the U.S. just has a better track record at political goofups than
> England. As XTC has covered - we've got warmongerers, the cuban missile
> crisis, various military snafus. While I stick to my Thatcher/"Madam
> Barnum" interpretation (though just Andy's desire to get out of a bad
> relationship is also very plausible), I don't think people in the U.K. have
> many other "beefs" against their government like we do here in the
> U.S. Then again, since the U.S.  gov't tends to make the world press more
> than the U.K., it's more likely artists will write songs bringing our gov't
> into the light.

After knowing a great many ex-pats, I'd say the above interpretation is
wrong. The Brits *hate* their polititions, but in the same way that we
Canucks, the Aussies and most of the former colonies hate *their*
governments. You just hate every stupid fucking thing that they do.
Although you can go on and on and on about the Poll tax, the Falklands
war, the harrasment in N. Ireland, etc., it simply saves the Brits a lot
of time to just call them a bunch of brain-dead morons and nod in
agreement. (Any actual Brits beg to differ?)

The reason why Andy has written so many "anti-US" songs is because of the
strong arm nature of the US government in world politics. And whereas an
American dissenter would call these actions "stupid" etc., a member of
any other nation would call these actions "imperialist" etc. The basis of
the argument in LTAC is a good example: every person I've ever met thinks
that the US government's policies on Cuba are out-dated, moronic, and
badly in need of revision. Cuba is about as much a threat to the security of
the American populace as Grenada was. What Cuba needs is international aid,
especially in terms of education and practical aid (as opposed to
monetary aid), not a boycott because of their idealogical bent. The Cuban
Missle Crisis almost caused a nuclear war, not because of the threat to
US security, but because the very thought of "powerful Commies" (despite
that at the time Havana didn't have the electrical resources to launch the
missles)  were so damn close. Maybe that argument held true in 1963: it
did not in 1981 (? the year LIVING THROUGH ANOTHER CUBA was written) and
it certainly doesn't here in 1996.

And if you don't believe me, ask any non-american what they think of the
yankee tourist. Ghia, you hear some *great* stories! :)

BTW, I can see the MB/Thatcher connection. Later...
EEEEEEE Big Earl Sellar - splitred@freenet.edmonton.ab.ca
EE 			"If all that ash
EEEE 	 	 	 Used to be hash
EE  	 	 	 What the heck time
EEEEEE 	 	 	 Is it now?"
Current Temperature: -10C		- ASH HASH - Bob Snider

------------------------------

Date: Sat, 24 Feb 1996 15:24:37 -0800 (PST)
From: Anthony Ciarochi <ciarochi@pe.net>
Subject: Guernica

Imagine a country in Europe (let's call it Spain).  Imagine that the
leader of this country (say, Franco) makes a deal with a tyrant (Hitler),
giving the tyrant permission to experiment with a new weapon (air-borne
bombs) by destroying an unsuspecting city populated only by peaceful,
innocent civilians (Guernica), just to see if it could be done.  The
experiment is a success, meaning the entire city and its people are
destroyed in a great flash of light.

Now suppose you are an artist living abroad (er, Picasso).  You are so
outraged by this event that for days you do not sleep, feverishly
painting in an attempt to relieve the agony that tears at your soul.
After many days you have created something truly awesome.  In a few
sparse brushstrokes you have managed to condense all of the fear, pain,
betrayal, torture, agony and horror of Guernica.  Angels screaming,
animals dying, people burning... it's all there in detailed, if abstract,
precision.

To complete your statement of protest,  you put the work on display, with
a big sign hanging over it that says "GUERNICA", just in case some of the
spectators can't descipher the symbolism.

On the opening day of the exhibit, you are standing behind a group of
critical admirers, and overhear this:

"Isn't it wonderful!  He has really captured the cruelty of thoroughbred
horse racing, don't you think?"

"Nonsense.  This piece is obviously a religious protest -- see the angel?
the horse?  the people falling from windows?  He is making a statement
about how knowledge of God has created in man an agony that is spared the
beasts of the field..."

"AAARGH!!", you scream.  "NO, NO, NO!! It's about Guernica!  Can't you
see the BIG SIGN?  It's right in front of your faces!  GUERNICA,
GUERNICA, GUERNICA!!"

"Don't be silly, old man," they reply, haughtily.  "The great thing about
Picasso's paintings is that they work on so many levels.  The fact that
this painting could be about sexual admirers, or horses, or religion
or... whatever.. is the whole point. The (painting) is beautiful because
it deeply describes life as a whole and does not divide it up into little
snippits."

"AAAIIIEEE!!" you scream again, running off to createa new painting
entitled "The idiocy of people trying to analyze Guernica, while refusing
to accept the beauty of the obvious."

Now back to reality...

If Andy Partridge were to read the last few installments of the
Chalkhills Digest, I suspect he would run off screaming, and write a song
called "The idiocy of a bunch of twidgets trying to analyze 'I Resign As
Clown...' etc., etc.

Later,

Anthony

P.S.  The above story is fiction.  I apologize to the friends & family of
Picasso.

------------------------------

Date: Sat, 24 Feb 1996 15:40:10 -0800 (PST)
From: Anthony Ciarochi <ciarochi@pe.net>
Subject: Grass

JEFFAE@CEDAR.GOSHEN.EDU wrote :

Recently someone mentioned how a Rolling Stone reviewer thought the song
"grass" was simply about marijuana.  And I agree that the reviewer was an
idiot but I don't agree that the song is simply about grass either.

  --------------

I didn't mean to imply that "Grass" was only about the Bermuda variety
(although that's probably exactly what I said :-\ )

My point was that songs metaphorically about drugs have been done to death,
and to do another would not be unexpected and therefore not particularly
clever (Oh, Jesus, there I go again... more flames coming...).

The interpretation of "Grass" being about lawn clippings not only fits
with the album's theme better, but also would be more unexpected (i.e.:
clever). I always give the boys in XTC the benefit of the doubt where
cleverness is concerned.

Anthony

------------------------------

Date: Sun, 25 Feb 1996 00:56:39 -1000
From: motherwest@InfoHouse.com (Michael)
Subject: Unsung songs

Hello Chalksters,

I've noticed a few postings recently about the unsung heros of the XTC
catalog.  You know, those songs that seem to get overlooked but which, like
even the the lesser efforts of the master painters, are generally far
superior to most of the dross out there.

  ------
A recent post From: jims@inlink.com (Jim S)
Subject: Favorite Songs?

Some of my favorite XTC songs seem to be ones that hardly anyone else
mentions. I love Ladybird, it's one of my very faves. I also am quite fond
of Paper and Iron (Notes and Coins), That's Really Super Supergirl. Of
course I'd be hard pressed to name an XTC song that I truly DISLIKE. And
the above songs aren't neccesarily my favorites, just songs no one else
seems to like too much.
  ------

Jim,

Thought I'd drop a posting to let you know how much I dig Ladybird, Paper
and Iron, and Supergirl.

I have a craving for harder styles of music but somehow, XTC seems to
satisfy. I'm especially amazed at how I can really enjoy a song like
Ladybird when, I know, in the hands of any other artist, it would come out
sounding like some easy-listening, Muzak crapola.

Paper and Iron comes from my fave XTC release: Black Sea.  The guitar licks
on this song have a definite blues-rock color to them and the production is
punchy (some might say abrasive.) I enjoy the drum rolls and the kicks on
the verses. For example, just before "I'll stay for one more farthing."

And Supergirl, well now,  this tune is such a sparkling pop number.  The
arrangement is a joy (example: the way the main guitar lick comes back in
at the end underneath the vocals). I also like the internal rhymes:
How you saved yourself in seconds flat
And all your friends are going to say thats really super, Supergirl.

Here's to a new XTC release soon.

Michael

motherwest@infohouse.com
  http://www.please.com

------------------------------

From: BugRoom@aol.com
Date: Sun, 25 Feb 1996 11:46:00 -0500
Subject: Prairie/Tribute Tape

Ben-Uptheold;

<<<Here's a question: did Prairie Prince get along with Todd Rundgren? >>>

Very much so.  I believe Todd got caught up with him when he
produced The Tubes.  Prairie and Todd seem to have been pals
for some time now (Prairie Prince did the artwork for Todd
Rundgren's "Healing" album... and has toured with Todd's band).
They must have built some sort of relationship up, as Todd
brought him in for Skylarking.

<<<What about Andy?>>>

Andy hated Todd.  You probably know this.  Everybody knows
this.  He warmed up to the Skylarking production after the
fact, but all the while, he was in hell.  So he said, Todd spent a
lot of the time smoking pot and reading computer manuals.
They definitely had conflicting minds.

As far as Andy to Prairie... going out to California for the drum
tracks was a breath of fresh air for Andy.  Those were the best
times of the production for him.  He loved Prairie.

And now to a "something completely different" thing.
Regarding the SKYLACKING project... I feel sorta 1/2
responsible for the lousy communication... even though I really
have nothing to do with the project at all.  I've been acting as
the Chalkhills relay, if you will, to the project... which I don't
mind doing at all, as Ian is a good friend of mine and I'd
support anything he comes out with.  Ian, the man-in-charge
isn't online, and all of the sudden we find it hard to contact
him.  And I can't blame it all on him either... I'm busy as HELL
right now recording.  I find it hard to keep up with the project
and answer all the questions involved.  All I can say is that it
STILL is a project... and I WILL CONTACT Ian on what the scoop
is.

I am SO INTO the new tribute tape idea.  A fresh new project
for us Chalkhillians.  I'd like to officially cast my vote for
richard.pedrettiallen@octel.com to head up the project.  With
him I know we'd get quality stuff.  Somehow his asking for
either DAT or 1/4" reel (7-1/2ips) makes it very trustworthy.  I
think the biggest bonus with this project is the fact that
EVERY XTC song is open to re-create.

Bugsy

ps - contest:  how many times did bug say "project"?  Winner
gets a BUG (probably a spider... so I wouldn't try too hard).

------------------------------

Date: Sun, 25 Feb 1996 19:20:43 PST
From: "S.E. DAVIS" <a00542@academic.csubak.edu>
Subject: Venturing to the U.K.

Dearest Chalkhillians,

This is my first post in a very long time so hope you'll tolerate me.
For spring break here in CA., I will be venturing over to the U.K
(London, specifically) and am thinking of taking a jaunt over to
Swindon, home of our beloved.  Was wondering if any other xTc-ers
might be able to direct me towards any xTc points of interest.
I have just recently re-subscribed to Chalkhills so I don't know
if this has been discussed lately but has anyone been aware of the
whereabouts of Andy lately?  Last I heard he might have been hanging
around in New York.  Just Curious.  Any replies can be e-mailed
to me personally.  Also- any other Chalkhills fans in Central or
Southern California. Here in Bakersfield I have all been cut off
>from any other xTc fans.  In fact, upon mention, most people think
I am referring to the drug. In other words, it just really sucks.  Tis
great to have other xTc-ers to chat with, even if through this
rather impersonal medium.

S.E.Davis

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 26 Feb 1996 10:26:01 -0500
From: vanvalnc@is2.nyu.edu (Chris Van Valen)
Subject: Drums and Wireless--finally success!!!

Hi all

On Saturday I went uptown to visit the old 'hood and was passing by the HMV
on 86th and Lexington Ave. I asked the wife if I could go and look for
something I've been looking for(in vain) for a while--the "Collective Soul"
album still in the yellow jewel case. When I didn't find that, she asked
the obligatory question,"Are you done now?" Just then, a spark flashed in
my head. I said, "One second". I ran over to the "X" section and leafed
through the bin. There among the usual suspects was one copy of "Drums and
Wireless"!! And only $14.99! I told her "I HAVE to have this". Then I had
to explain what it was; she'd never heard of it .
        I threw it in the machine as soon as we got home. I was very happy
with the overall quality, especially the tracks from Big Express, which I
didn't think could stand up without overdubs. My one disappointment was
that there were no tracks from Black Sea, Mummer, or Skylarking. But
overall, I feel it's worth having.
        But what about that inside illustration? Do Andy and Colin really
wear "high water pants"?? They made Andy look like an old blues man. But
that's just my 6.6 cents.

Cheers,
CV

If you have an unpleasant nature and dislike people
this is no obstacle to work.
                                --J.G. Bennett
Help us save "Forever Knight"!
http://members.aol.com/CuznJamiMR/SaveForeverKnight.html

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 26 Feb 1996 09:07:52 -0700
From: DeWitt Henderson <dewitth@lanl.gov>
Subject: Uffington horse image bookmarks

Follow-up to my previous email about the Uffington horse
bookmarks -
1)  I've got 'em in any combination of 5 paper colors
    (grey, cream, beige, brown, and a sort of golden-tan-brown),
    and 2 ink colors - brown or black.  The brown ink is darker
    than the brown paper - it looks pretty good.  The ink forms
    the background of the image, i.e., the Uffington horse is
    in the paper color, with black or brown ink in the background.
    If all these combinations sound too confusing, I can just
    send a variety.  I'll sell 'em cheap - 2 for $1, 5 for $2,
    or more for ??? (all including postage).  Am I crazy or what?
2)  I'm sending email from my PC at work, and I could get
    into trouble here, so please don't email me unless you
    have a question.  Otherwise, you can order bookmarks
    from me at PO Box 1106, Los Alamos, NM 87544
*-------------------------------
DeWitt Henderson
(505) 665-1434
MS P223
Los Alamos National Laboratory
*-------------------------------

------------------------------

From: Janice Cabaltica/Diamond Technology Partners Inc
Date: 26 Feb 96  8:41:20
Subject: Looking for the BBC Radio 1 XTC Live CD!!!

Hey to everyone subscribing to Chalkhills!  I'm new to the list so
bare with me...

I am on the lookout for the XTC CD "Live in Concert", BBC Radio 1 Live
in Concert or a copy of the BBC Rock Hour #212.  I'll admit that the
request for these CDs or copies isn't really for me.  My boyfriend's
apartment was ROBBED in Chicago, and his absolute all-time favorite CD
("XTC Live in Concert") got stolen with his stereo.  :-(

I realize that there were only a limited number of copies of this CD
released (2500?), but I'm willing to pay some good money for one.  My
boyfriend's birthday is around the corner, and I thought it would
cheer him up.  If anybody knows of a stray copy of the CD just laying
around, or if somebody's willing to dub cassette copies for me, that'd
be great.  Please send all replies to:

cabaltica@diamtech.com

Thanks in advance!   Talk to you...

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 26 Feb 1996 09:31:35 -0800 (PST)
From: A Sattler <ahs@nevada.edu>
Subject: "This Is Live" CD available [fwd]

Forwarding this information from 'netless J.R. Reid at Earwax Records,
in Bloomington, Indiana.  He has a copy of the "This Is Live" CD
(12 tracks, live at the Hammersmith Odeon, February 1981) for
$25.99.  Call J.R. at (812) 332-9612; store hours are 10-9 EST, M-F.

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 26 Feb 1996 17:52:13 +0000
From: fisher@easynet.co.uk (Mark Fisher)
Subject: right and left, right and wrong

Does the confession of a number of XTC fans to a liking for right-wing
rockers Rush, plus the recent mailings by a couple of people with decidedly
anti-social opinions about tax policy, imply that Chalkhills is a hotbed of
closet reactionaries? I hope not.

Further to the thread about understanding XTC songs, just because lyrics
might be open to more than one interpretation (eg planetary movement and a
love triangle in Another Satellite) doesn't mean that *any* interpretation
is valid. Of course everyone should have the democratic right to put
forward their personal theories, but that doesn't make those theories
correct. Even in an English Literature exam you'll still be marked down for
promoting a spurious interpretation. In fact, it strikes me that the more
off-the-wall theories there are, the less good a songwriter must be because
his/her message or meaning has failed to get across (except in the case of
Blue Berret and some REM, Cocteau Twins and Peter Blegvad stuff that
deliberately resists meaning). Some people seem to be offended by the idea
that they might just be wrong.

Mark Fisher (fisher@easynet.co,uk)

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 26 Feb 1996 16:04:14 +1005
From: comlit2@pppmail.nyser.net (Computer Center Lab)
Subject: Miscellaneous  news

Hello again

I found some neat tidbits last week and though I might share them with you
all.
First, has anyone noticed that David Gregory does the news?  Yes, I was
watching NBC here in NY, USA, and heard "This is Dave Gregory, reporting
>from Los Angeles" or something like that.  Has anyone heard this too?

Second, Viscount Lascelles is twenty-fifth in line for the royal throne of
the U.K.  Is this person releated to Jeremy Lascelles?  Do I have my facts
confused?

Third, for all you NY readers, there is going to be a few record shows in
March, thought you might want to know.  I have been to them before, they're
great for finding those rare XTC records and (ahem) hard to find CD's
(hint, hint, wink, wink)   Here are those dates:
                March 10: Ithaca- Holiday Inn
                March 17: Binghamton- Ramada Inn
                March 24: Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, PA- The Woodlands Inn
                April 14: Utica NY- Radisson Convention Center

If anyone wants to know more, e-mail me.

That's all & take care

Chuck

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End of Chalkhills Digest #2-76
******************************

Go back to Volume 2.

27 February 1996 / Feedback