Chalkhills Digest Volume 5, Issue 158
Date: Friday, 2 April 1999
Chalkhills Digest, Volume 5, Number 158
Friday, 2 April 1999
Today's Topics:
Re: Rael Brook shirts
Bass Playing in 'Frivolous Tonight'
Sgt. Katotoy's 'A'V1 China Sky
Vichyssoise & delurks!
This Sgt. Pepper thing...
Sex
Pushing... pushing
Re: Un-A-bomber
Vote to rename Chalkhills!!!!
more musings on AV1
Re: Rhythmic peppers
Drum and drummer...
Now You can own your very own Greenman!
ETCD
Biting My Nails
Bubblegum
I'm pushing as fast as I can: more on motorcars
Random XTC thoughts
YES, YES, YES!!!
XTC on World Cafe
Re: Simpsons Plot
A Glass of Stout
Another Damned Post
Re: Upbeats and Downboys
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---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: b.hancill@sundaymirror.co.uk Message-ID: <80256746.003F2709.00@mgnmail3.mgn.co.uk> Date: Thu, 1 Apr 1999 12:29:46 +0100 Subject: Re: Rael Brook shirts C Wells <moi@myself.com> said: >Having spent about 4 years in Britain (at University and >working), I fancy myself as pretty knowledgable about the >odd expression (now't for example) or cultural reference >(insert your favorite), anyway I managed to miss hearing of >a "Railbrook Shirt" "Rael Brook" refers to a brand of shirt more popular in the 1970s than now. They come wrapped in cellophane in a fancy box and spiked with more than a dozen round-headed pins. They usually contain rather more "poly" than cotton in the fabric and are consequently not very comfortable. To a Brit of my age (around the same as Colin) this line paints a mocking but affectionate picture of a buttoned-up middle-management type of guy with lousy taste in office wear.
------------------------------ From: WWi8064839@aol.com Message-ID: <cf9ccb1b.37037881@aol.com> Date: Thu, 1 Apr 1999 08:45:37 EST Subject: Bass Playing in 'Frivolous Tonight' The bass playing in 'Frivolous Tonight' is very similar to McCartney's style in "A Little Help from My Friends." Listen to the little "fills" Colin inserts. I didn't notice them right away but now that I do it makes the song all the more likeable. My Sgt. Pepper? Several, but The Zombie's _Odyssey and Oracle_ deserves mention. Wes Wilson
------------------------------ Message-ID: <37046D9D.89BAE679@po.twin.ne.jp> Date: Thu, 01 Apr 1999 23:11:23 -0800 From: michaelw <michaelw@po.twin.ne.jp> Subject: Sgt. Katotoy's 'A'V1 China Sky Konnichiwa Chalkies, Sgt. Peppers-Great thread. OK, here goes, five that blew me away, at different stages of my 31 years: Jr. High- Jethro Tull - 'A' (scared the hell out of me in '81; still a favourite) High School- TOTO- 'IV' (45 minutes of pure pop perfection; Mr. Porcaro, meet Mr. Chambers!) Jr. College- Steely Dan - 'Katy Lied' (has my college sweetie written all over it) University- China Crisis- 'Flaunt the Imperfection' (thanks Walter! Has a SanFrancisco Feel to it) Wedding Day- XTC- 'Skylarking' (aurally and visually, this must be what heaven is like...pure bliss) Family Duties- XTC- 'Apple Venus 1' (too short! must do repeated listens! Deliciously Marvelous!) I've got a million and one more things to comment on (jeez, I'm just now trying to catch up with all these digests coming in every day; talk about proficient!) but me baby doth calleth (cryith?) Michael in Osaka (Kansai's Very Own Gaijin 'Fruit Nut'!)
------------------------------ Message-ID: <9D916278299FD111A7E100805FA7C2BA060C83EF@cheetah.uits.iupui.edu> From: "Bennett, Kristen L." <klbennet@iupui.edu> Subject: Vichyssoise & delurks! Date: Thu, 1 Apr 1999 10:01:25 -0500 Hey Maus, Vichyssoise (sp?) is a type of French fish soup. I guess it's notable in the soup world for being served cold.... BTW, all, I'm delurking here, and Hello! I'm a 29 yo chick, single (wink wink), and I've been on and off the list for several years. AV1 has, of course, renewed my interest in conferring with XTC fans. And Maus, yes, CD101 in Columbus is a GREAT station! I live in Indianapolis, but I have Columbus OH friends whom I visit once or twice a year. You must help me...NO ONE in Indianapolis listens to XTC, at least that I've found. I do have a really sad story. <G> I met a local guy who loved the band, and who even made me a pre-Skylarking tape, mailed with a love note, but I blew him off. Man, I feel bad about that....please, anyone, flame me for blowing off an XTC fan! I didn't know what I was doing. That's been 10 years ago, and the self-flagellation continues to this day. But to make up for it, I try to create new XTC fans by playing it for all my friends and co-workers. I even wrote a review of AV1 for the university newspaper (I'm a journalism student) to try and generate some local interest. Does anyone else think Easter Theater is nearly perfect? Sigh. And please, does anyone else like Mummer and Ladybird? I think that album is fab.... Thanks for listening. Feel free to reply or write. I can take the flaming, but I like it when people are nice too. Cheers! Kris "Now, by the world, it is a lusty wench; I love her ten times more than e'er I did: O, how I long for a chat with her." Shakespeare, TOTS.
------------------------------ Message-Id: <3.0.5.32.19990401105634.00966c70@smtpgw.ametsoc.org> Date: Thu, 01 Apr 1999 10:56:34 -0500 From: David Gershman <dgershmn@ametsoc.org> Subject: This Sgt. Pepper thing... If by "what's your Sgt. Pepper" we mean what album awoke us to intelligent, creative music, I *could* say that it was a variety of Beatles albums (including S.P. itself). My parents were fans, so I grew up always knowing them and loving them...I don't have any recollection of a time when they weren't my favorite group. By the time I was 14 in 1980, John Lennon's death was a crushing blow. So the Beatles were the ones who set me on the musical path I've taken through my life. But as to which album woke me up to new horizons in music beyond the rock of the Sixties that I loved so much up to that point, I'd have to say it was The Police's "Ghost in the Machine" in 1981. Its textures and atmosphere were revelations to me, and soon after that the English Beat's "Special Beat Service" and Elvis Costello's "This Year's Model" had similar effect, all of them some of the most exciting music I'd heard. Then, during freshman year of college in 1983, I picked up "Drums and Wires" in a used record shop and truly discovered what was quickly to become my second favorite group (I had heard "Nigel" and "Senses" on the radio before that, and enjoyed them, but never got as far as buying the albums). I soon bought "English Settlement" from my roommate for $4 (he thought it was crap), learned more about the group from Bjorn, the fanatical fan across the hall (who looked quite a bit like Colin himself), and the rest is history. But I have one more thing to say on this, specifically regarding *the* Sgt. Pepper album... Several of you (and most recently Tyler Hewitt, as quoted here, who I'm not singling out but simply using as a springboard) have said things to the effect of: >I've always felt that Revolver is easily the best work the Beatles ever >did. It's far superior to Sgt. Pepper, which really has not aged as well >as the other Beatles albums (with the possible exception of Magical >Mystery Tour). Sgt. Pepper has always seemed like too much frosting, too little cake. While my favorite Beatles albums are indeed "Revolver," "Rubber Soul," and "Abbey Road," saying that Sgt. Pepper is "too much frosting, too little cake" is way off the mark. Sure, the whole "concept album" claim is a bit sketchy, and several of the songs are rather light in subject matter, but to make such a claim, it can only be to see it through the haze of 30 years of rock that has subsequently been influenced by and expanded on Pepper's possibilities. What you're forgetting or simply unaware of is that when it came out, there had never been any "frosting" like that before. Listen to almost any musician from that era talk about it, and they will tell you how blown away by it they were -- I mean, if Brian Wilson could be so strongly affected by it, you've got to figure there was a little more to it than you're giving it credit for. If you had tried to make a claim at the time that it was "overrated," you would have likely been laughed off the block. The advances in studio recording since S.P.'s release may make it seem to be old hat to some of you -- "what's the big deal..." and all -- but you've got to think of it in its historical context before saying it's "overrated." Not to mention that almost any other band would kill to be able to toss off melodic gems like "Fixing a Hole" and "Getting Better" seemingly with such ease. Well, that's all...I feel better now. :) Dave Gershman
------------------------------ Message-Id: <s70351a7.050@chemonics.com> Date: Thu, 01 Apr 1999 10:55:21 -0500 From: Todd Bernhardt <tbernhardt@chemonics.com> Subject: Sex Chalkdaddies and Chalkmommas: More evidence of the boys' obsession w/sex: A definition of "green gown," from my "Forgotten English" calendar -- "To give a lass a green gown: to throw her down upon the grass so that the gown was stained." --Walter Keat's _Glossary of Tudor and Stuart Words,_ 1914 "I will pounce on you..." and "To have one's greens: to have sexual intercourse." -- Barrere & Leland's _Dictionary of Slang, Jargon, and Cant,_ 1889 "Please to lay down with the one called the green man" (I know, it's a stretch, but what the fuck.) The calendar adds: "On this day [March 30 -- I know, I know, I'm a couple of days behind] in 1533, Henry VIII divorced Catherine of Aragon. A modern theory suggests that the musically talented king may have written the popular ballad 'Greensleeves.' The term 'greensleeves,' which the _Oxford English Dictionary_ defines as 'an inconstant lady-love,' appears to have been mockingly applied to a woman who figuratively donned a green gown." No wonder green is my favorite color. Dom said: >Nicko McBrain is an extraordinarily gifted drummer, like XTC's linear pal Mr Prince, and far more subtle and dextrous than people would give him credit for. Oh the shame, talking about Iron Maiden on a Chalkhills digest!< No shame at all -- he is a gifted drummer, and his name is almost as cool as Prairie's. And though I agree w/you about Terry's contribution to the band, and about the importance of attitude as well as technique, let's not forget the oft-underrated Pete Phipps, who IMO does a stunning job on Mummer and Big Express combining the two. Still off the smokes, Dom? Hope so. Wond'rous amount of health benefits accompany giving them up, including the marked improvement of various functions necessary to the performance of physical acts related to the above subject line. I'd say more, but I might have to use unsavory words like tumescence. And you know what sort of trouble that can get you into. To Mr. Relph: I'd bet large amounts of money that Colin is singing the backup part during the bridge of "Harvest Festival," which you asked about in #155. What puzzles me is why they'd choose to have one, lonely voice do that part when the part itself seems such a good candidate for some harmony. And going back to the drums -- why did we ever leave? -- the sound of Prairie's snare at the end of the bridge just kills me. --Todd
------------------------------ Message-ID: <19990401160448.7875.rocketmail@web4.rocketmail.com> Date: Thu, 1 Apr 1999 08:04:48 -0800 (PST) From: nross <phoenixyellowrose@rocketmail.com> Subject: Pushing... pushing Aw... for GODSAKES... don't ya'll realize that by making such a huffy over the use of "BAD" language, you perpetuate its use? (I am talking to the side against such a use, ie., FOR censorship when you really get down to it) If you really have a problem with it... use yourself as an example... be sure to write posts with clear, concise meanings... and without the use of what you consider to be bad language, and for GODSAKES... use your wit! Humor and intelligence can be great weapons to use in defending your opinions, don't you think? My opinion of the meaning behind "push your car from the road" and, to be frank (or Jim or Bob) the whole song... ROO... is that AP is just plain saying: Relax a little, enjoy your surroundings, stop working so hard in this material world... if for just a mere second... don't you see you never move... you just end up where you started... and what are you left with? Yourself, others, nature... things not material. I don't know if my interpretation is "correct"... I don't have Song stories yet. Its just my interpretation of the deal... but the technology issue is very interesting. I wanted to add my opinion on the song... because I personally enjoy reading everyone else's interpretations. Its one wonderful thing about this list! Oh... and someone asked to who's bum I was referring when I said in a previous post "and what a cute ass it is!" . Having never seen Andy's, I was referring to my own! -Nicole
------------------------------ From: CCooli9575@aol.com Message-ID: <76b5cd38.37036074@aol.com> Date: Thu, 1 Apr 1999 07:03:00 EST Subject: Re: Un-A-bomber >Tyler Hewitt wrote >>You're not the only person to feel that way. Many brilliant, intelligent >people disdain technology and go off to live in the woods somewhere. In >fact, we had an infamous one here in the U.S. recently. His name? Ted >Kosinski-the Unibomber>. That's Kacsinski, kids. I'd love it if we could all pull our cars over tomorrow and let them gather dust too. I'd also love it if we never need to fight wars, no woman would ever need an abortion(because EVERY child would be wanted!), and nobody would go to bed hungry. Ain't gonna happen folks. Does that mean we give up and get cynical and embrace all that's nasty in this world? Hardly. You gotta believe in something, but sometimes to get one thing you want you have to give up something else you want. You want to be safe, you have to give up freedom. If a peaceful safe utopia were possible in this world, I would want no part of it, I prefer the dangerous exciting world we live in now. I'm sure Andy would agree if it came down to the crunch. I agree with his wishful thinking in ROA, and applaud him for going out on a limb and expressing it, even though I feel it's a tall order and a reflection of his personal bias(as in, I've never learned to drive and I don't see why anybody else needs to). Nonetheless, if we had a massive world power outage and power surge so that everything electrical ceased to function, I could live with that too, I have wilderness survival skills I could dredge out of my memory banks, though my wife would be completely lost without her microwave oven. I'd miss this list though. Anyway, you'll probably find me out in the Vermont woods somewhere trying to strangle a catamount. :-) In the meantime, I need my car for my line of work... Chris
------------------------------ Message-ID: <2043F72A2C73D2119D5B0008C74CA17B55E9EF@azmail.rjconsult.com> From: "Miller, Ed" <emiller@rjconsult.com> Subject: Vote to rename Chalkhills!!!! Date: Thu, 1 Apr 1999 09:37:17 -0600 Hi, everyone... I haven't cleared this with Mr. Relph yet, but I'd like to get your opinions on renaming Chalkhills. I'd like to submit the first vote for: DOM'S SOAPBOX Your contributions are respectfully requested. Regards, Ed
------------------------------ Date: Thu, 1 Apr 1999 09:34:26 -0800 (PST) Message-Id: <199904011734.JAA08084@mail2.deltanet.com> From: DCB-MBB <mb2@deltanet.com> Subject: more musings on AV1 Hello everyone!! --May I share some AV1-inspired thoughts with you? Danke!. . . AV1 is a keeper. It gets better with repeated listenings, don't ya think? As one track melts into the next, the exquisite details of AV1's musical landscape are revealed to me. I find it very hypnotic, like a fever dream. . . AV1 is British pop eccentricity at its most charming. Beatlesque?... Hell yeah, but I Dig A Pony, and I dig this. Don't over-analyze AV1, rather, breathe it in like the intoxicating scent of a morning in May....aaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh. . . . . . . . . --This recording sounds even more refreshing, when juxtaposed with much of today's 'fashion and lifestyle' music. I don't know where these fine fellows will take us with AV2, but I can assure you that my bags will be packed and my passport will be in order. Andy and Colin are following a Muse that is uniquely their own, and I say, "press on with all possible dispatch, mates!" . . . Now, strike up the band and make the fireflies dance. . . . . . . * as always, Burning brightly, Debora Brown - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - a wise cowboy once told me, "never squat with your boots on"........ ;)
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 1 Apr 1999 11:03:42 -0600 (CST)
From: John Fulton <fulton@ssc.wisc.edu>
Subject: Re: Rhythmic peppers
Message-Id: <Pine.OSF.3.95.990401102139.27728I-100000@guy.ssc.wisc.edu>
Warning: Herein, I tend to "gush" over Andy Partridge's writing skills.
dieling writes:
>Does anyone actually understand how the line "River of Orchids" fits in
>rhythmically in the rest of that song. I feel it starts somewhere between
>the second bar (assuming it's 4/4 which might be wrong) and any other
>bar,I don' know, its pronounciation and intonation sounds like it had to be
>starting on the 1, but like someone moved it around on the harddisc
>recording program window.
I believe the ambiguity is intentional on Andy Partridge's part.
If I understand the question correctly, what he is doing is called
"syncopation." At least, the phrasing of the line "I wanna see a river of
orchids where we had a motorway" is (among) the finest example(s) of this
in Andy's Ouvre.
Also check out "Millions" for percussive syncopation and "Super Tough" for
some all-around boppiness.
I am sure there are other examples that these three great songs are
crowding out of me noggin.
As I understand it, syncopation entails phrasing on something
other than the downbeat. For contrast, listen to "Yesterday:"
(stressed syllable in caps, on downbeat)
(beat:)1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4
YESterday ALL my TROubles SEEmed so
FAR Away
It sounds like a marching song!
ROO takes its beat from the *rhythm* of the trumpet(cornet?) line (though
the *melody* acts to obscure this, due to the two instruments'
playing triplets, similar to "Wake Up"). Andy Partridge is syncopating to
this rather amorphous beat, which lends nice ambiguity to the vocal
phrasing.
IMHO, I find it a powerful technique that he seems to have been working on
for years. Though (again IMHO) it is irksomely difficult to sing along.
>Same with Greenman, the intro woodwind bit is not starting on the 1 of
>the rest of the song, how does it work ? Anyone knows ? Any tabla players
>out there who don't get lost in 17/39 rhythms ?
Funny - I hear this as definitely starting on the 1 in a very fast 4/4.
The rest of the song, to me, then slows down to a more majestic 1/2 tempo,
even though the tempo is still pretty fast. It is interesting how people
perceive music differently.
BTW Green Man is rife with syncopation too:
"Please TO bend down" places the "TO" between downbeats. This is made
even more striking because the "TO" is among the higher notes in the song
(along with "He WANTS to make you his bride).
------------------------------ From: "Robin Holden" <rhoblidnen@geocities.com> Subject: Drum and drummer... Date: Thu, 1 Apr 1999 18:56:21 +0100 Message-ID: <000301be7c68$f329d2c0$7e408cd4@robin-holden> Fellow Chalkhillbillies, > I was talking to a friend (not an XTC fan, but a drummer) > about great "drum songs" There are some great great drum songs on Skylarking, notably "That's Really Super, Supergirl." It surprised me that Prairie had to play everything but the snare, but then it explains the funky sound that doesn't exist anywhere elso on the album. "Summer's Cauldron" is also pretty memorable for that orgasming epileptic that fell over Prairie's kit at the end of the last chorus. I love "Roads Girdle the Globe" for the sheer ferocity that Tez displays, even more so on Transistor Blast. I would have loved to have heard the "One-and-two-and-three-and-four-and spastic brain out of sync jerk loop" that Andy mentions about "Life Begins at the Hop". Even if he isn't one of life's musicians, he still kicks the arses of many more "technically proficient" drummers out of sheer subtlety of style. I love him, and would have his babies were I not male. I agree with Dom, that no album can top "Black Sea" for sound and range of drum beats. It was the first music I ever heard, and it will probably be the last. The way Terry gets excited at the end of "Generals and Majors" always has me mindlessly miming it with him. One more: I am always thrilled by the beginning of "English Roundabout". That brilliant off the cuff fill that underpins that first little phrase is perfect. You can wipe the juices off your screens now, I've gone. Robin Holden (rhoblidnen@geocities.com) Check out Pathogen's Website: http://listen.to/pathogen
------------------------------ Message-ID: <19990401180024.10579.rocketmail@web121.yahoomail.com> Date: Thu, 1 Apr 1999 10:00:24 -0800 (PST) From: Tyler Hewitt <tahewitt@yahoo.com> Subject: Now You can own your very own Greenman! Got this catalog in the mail a couple of days ago (I get way too much junk mail) from 'Gardener's Supply Company'. Mostly yard decorations, with a few actual supplies towards the end of the catalog. Anyways, I was thumbing through it and found, on pg. 54, an 8x10 inch limestone Green Man for $39.95. It looks a lot like the examples from churches I've seen on the web. The catalog description reads "The Green Man is a playful spirit that reminds us of the connection between human and plant life". They have a web page-www. gardeners.com, don't know if the green man is on the web page or not. Oh-I don't work for them or anything, just thought you might be interested.
------------------------------ From: Paul@pi-design.com Message-ID: <7792192DE506D2119A6100A024F0274A229C54@PIMAIL> Subject: ETCD Date: Thu, 1 Apr 1999 18:01:50 +0100 Yet again Rough Records Notting Hill let me have my dose of XTC early. Got the Easter Theatre single this afternoon, I've scanned (but not cleaned up too much) the full thang and popped it off to Mr Relph so it may be appearing soon on a web site near you. For all you lyric mongers: yes, they've included the lyrics on the inside. Track 3: It's been a long time since I've heard AP talking - at least 10-15 years or so and I am genuinely struck how he sounds like a light-Wiltshire accented John Peel. The intonation and sentence structuring is remarkably similar. I wont bang on about it as everyone is going to be buying it (*aren't you?*). D-Oh: Sorry to hear you're going to be off the list. Cheerio and be back soon! BTW: London vinyl types, there is a copy of AV1 in Rough Records Notting Hill, in the first record rack to your right as you walk in the door. Thanks for the replies from you cycling C'Hillians.. I'll be making the most of the good weather this Easter weekend (in South East England anyway). "Roll your car off the road.. or I'll break the wing mirrors, scrape the paintwork and puncture the tyres if you cut me up like that again!" As I believe Andy would dearly love to say. I know I do. London traffic, huh?!! Bye!
------------------------------
Message-Id: <199904012244.AAA28245@mail.knoware.nl>
From: "Mark Strijbos" <mmello@knoware.nl>
Date: Fri, 2 Apr 1999 00:55:56 +0000
Subject: Biting My Nails
Dear Chalkers,
Re. the XTC nailpolish :
> "Do you think it's worth all the trouble to grow nails just so I can
> wear XTC nailpolish?"
Why, of course - and your fingers will look better too!
> And then a collectors note. Maybe you want to note this in the
> discography John?
On a much more serious collectors note: is there anybody who wouldn't
mind to get me some of this product?
You see, i have this "Close, But No Cigar" section in my XTC Shrine
and this would fit just perfectly right next to the XTC Lubricating
Love Jelly...
yours in xtc,
Mark Strijbos at The Little Lighthouse
http://www.knoware.nl/users/mmello/
or http://come.to/xtc
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 1 Apr 1999 15:11:09 -0800 (PST)
Message-Id: <199904012311.PAA71968@mando.engr.sgi.com>
From: John Relph <relph@engr.sgi.com>
Subject: Bubblegum
Hey!
I found this snippet in the Spring/Summer 1993 issue of The Little
Express (subscribe now!):
STILL CHEWING
Bubble-Head Philosophy....."Bubbles are like love; impossible to
describe and constantly new".
.......Louis "The Amazing Bubble Man".
Another idea that we home will eventually see the light of day is
XTC's desire to record some "Bubblegum" songs. (Chris Twomey has
heard some of them and was very impressed!) "They've all been
written", says Andy, "I've finished the whole Bubblegum album, but
I don't know if it'll ever be made".
A little something to chew on...
-- John
------------------------------
Message-ID: <697A4CA51395D111A658AA0004005806E12E9D@NT6>
From: "Wiencek, Dan" <wiencek@aaos.org>
Subject: I'm pushing as fast as I can: more on motorcars
Date: Thu, 1 Apr 1999 17:12:29 -0600
First of all, I raise a glass to Duncan for his angry, heartfelt, and
utterly convincing diatribe against the automobile. You earned yourself a
space on the hard drive for that one, son.
In response, Mark Fisher from Britain said:
Everyone go and look at the street outside. Wouldn't it be so much nicer if
it wasn't littered with outsize tin cans?
Melt the cars!
Your comment reminded me that, as bad as car culture is in the States, it
may be having a more sinister effect on Europe. I remember being surprised
to find, during my recent vacation to Munich, that car owners are obliged
to park the front ends of their vehicles on the pedestrian walkways, as the
old streets are too narrow to allow people to park any other way. Should
your route take you through a construction area, there might be no place to
walk at all except the middle of the street. In addition to the obvious
inconvenience, it was one of the most unsightly things I've ever seen --
goes to show what people are willing to overlook when finding space for
their toys. I understand that Germany has become progressively car-crazier
over the past several years, and I have no doubt the problem is spreading
in various degrees throughout the continent. Suburban America, on the
other hand, was made for cars -- sure, all those subdivisions are faceless,
hive-like and stifling, but shit, at least you can walk on the sidewalks.
Extremely slender, obligatory XTC content:
While playing an updated version of You Don't Know Jack, everyone's
favorite computer trivia game ("Ooh! It has attitude!"), one question
category was "There Is No Language In Our Lungs." I naturally chose to
answer it, and the question itself was a geography puzzle presented as a
scene from Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?. Knowing that XTC
contributed a track to the soundtrack for that show, I hypothesized that
either a) the writers of that game are extremely anal XTC fans, able to
weave in references of incredible subtlety, or b) it's a hell of a
coincidence.
Dan
___________________________
Dan Wiencek
American Academy
of Orthopaedic Surgeons
------------------------------ Message-ID: <19990402000610.27336.rocketmail@web4.rocketmail.com> Date: Thu, 1 Apr 1999 16:06:10 -0800 (PST) From: Cheryl <cxtc@rocketmail.com> Subject: Random XTC thoughts Well Hello there, >Well I can remember as a child having a children's >record that contained the SNOOPY AND THE RED BARON >song. You know the : >10!20!30!40!50!or more! >song(and come on! a raise of hands of how many people >who think XTC doing a >remake of this song would be the neatest(Gee I sound >like the Beaver!) thing in the world!) Om my god! I haven't thought about that song in ages! I have that single still. Every now and then it creeps into the mind and makes me laugh. I shamelessly took it from my sister and refused to give it back. Now that you mention it, that would be a great song for the Dukes to remake should they ever come back to record again. : ) Just wanted to mention some random XTC encounters I have had of recent... There I am on the train in Boston with my roommate it's early in the morning. We are waiting for the doors to close and the train to wisk us off to our dreaded work places. Just as the doors signal their closing, in leaps this gentlemen with an XTC cap on. I ofcourse freak, turn and jab my roommate. I then realise she is not going to care that this guy might be a fan. I can't take the jab back and I am forced to explain my sudden spasm. I tell her the guy is wearing an XTC hat. She says...so? And gives me that you need help look. *sigh* I try. Someone a while back mentioned that WFNX doesn't play "I'd Like That" on air. Well, the overnight DJ was playing it each morning as my radio would go off at 5am. And over the weekend, I forgot to turn the alarm off and I awoke to the sounds of "Life Begins at the Hop". I nearly shot out of bed in my excitement. I had never heard that played on an american station before. I will catch you all later, Cheryl
------------------------------ Subject: YES, YES, YES!!! Message-ID: <19990401.203424.13815.6.mbrechtel@juno.com> From: Meredith Brechtel <mbrechtel@juno.com> Date: Thu, 01 Apr 1999 19:41:22 EST Howdy 'Hillians! Firstly, a hearty WOOHOO! to Dunks and Dom, who have once again echoed my sentiments and provided excellent entertainment in the process, regarding the swearing/censorship thread. Onward to other response-worthy posts: Tyler Hewitt wrote: >>Anyways, when someone says something over the top on this list, I laugh and try not to take it seriously. I recommend the same for everyone else.<< By jove, I think he's got it! This advice not only applies to this list but to life in general. Mary Beth Henson wrote: >>Either that or it's the girl-goddess reminding me that REAL girls grow, file, manicure, shape, de-cuticle, massage, moisturize, strengthen and paint their nails instead of trimming them once a week and ignoring them for the rest of the time.<< We do not! REAL girls don't give a damn what others think about our nails; as long as they're not dirty or growing fungus, we function just fine, thank you. >>Do you think it's worth all the trouble to grow nails just so I can wear XTC nailpolish? I think I'll just listen to Greenman one more time instead...<< Listening to Greenman is a MUCH better use of your time, though you *could* file...paint while you listen, if you repeat the song about 50 times. But thanks for the info MB (great initils, BTW) Jefferson Ogata wrote: >> blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah Ginger blah blah blah blah Ginger blah blah blah.<< The world would be SO much better if Gary Larson would start publishing again (sigh)... Meredith squirlgirl_99
------------------------------ From: OMBEAN1@aol.com Message-ID: <3a6bf240.24356c8c@aol.com> Date: Thu, 1 Apr 1999 19:42:52 EST Subject: XTC on World Cafe Hillers, XTC will be on the Classic Cafe (APR) Fri. April 2 at 3 pm. I believe it was pre-recorded from a few weeks ago. So it appears The Boys slipped in & out of Philly without anyone knowing.(the show is done from U of Penn). Im going to record it & try to transcribe it.We'll see how it goes. Adieu, Roger
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Message-Id: <3.0.3.32.19990401170153.006edc98@pop.napanet.net>
Date: Thu, 01 Apr 1999 17:01:53 -0800
From: "Elena F. Sirignano" <nycelena@napanet.net>
Subject: Re: Simpsons Plot
ChalkHeads,
The plot proposal that Wes(Wilson) made in #5-157 could be expanded
apon by having Smithers call all men by the name of Nigel down to the
office, for a little moral quiz. Just musing along with music in my ears.
NYC Elena
------------------------------ Message-ID: <19990402015210.89475.qmail@hotmail.com> From: "carey guitar" <careyguitar@hotmail.com> Subject: A Glass of Stout Date: Thu, 01 Apr 1999 17:52:09 PST Hi all. Managed to squeeze my way in past the doorman, Mr. 010101 What's the deal with Harold Budd using 'River of Orchids' to teach music composition in Arizona? Is this the same Arizona I grew up in or an idealized version? Please advise. Beaut tune - must say I'm steep into the new record and loved the book (i wore a condom}. Originally I thought 'Balloon' was describing a UFO round-up ala 'Childhood's End'. It's amazingly beautiful, sad, and creepy. Sad. Any word as to if universal jazzrag Downbeat Magazine is planning to cover AV1? They f-ing well should. 'Jazz, Blues, and Beyond' is their motto. Any Downbeat spies out there, eh? I'll write the f-ing thing. Excellent record. Sorry about Gregsy. Nice to meet you all. This L.A. fan hoists a Guinness and signs off - Careyguitar@hotmail.com
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Message-ID: <19990402032844.80981.qmail@hotmail.com>
From: "Bob Crain" <bobcrain@hotmail.com>
Subject: Another Damned Post
Date: Thu, 01 Apr 1999 19:28:43 PST
Apples and Venuses,
It has taken me two weeks to catch up with the digests, and after
reading them all I now feel I can contribute, especially now that it's
okay to use potty words again.
There is a fine interview with Captain Sensible in Issue 43 of The Big
Takeover, the best American rock rag going, helmed by the estimable Jack
Rabid, a fan of all music with heart, most especially including XTC.
The conversation turned to "Fear Factory" and Commander Fribble's
contributions, and lead to the following exchange...
Jack Rabid:
How did you coax him down to the studio?
Captain:
Well, I thought the guy would be kind of
really studious, a guitar god of some sort,
that would be totally unapproachable. And
we did a TV show with him in Europe somewhere,
and we all had a drink in the studio. On
the way back to Britain, we're all drinking
on the plane, including Fripp, and he said,
"When's your next gig?" "Oh, we're playing
the Hammersmith Odeon next week." And he
said, "Oh, I might come down and have a jam."
And I thought to meself, "Oh, it's a bit
of that after a couple of beers. Fuck me"
[Jack laughs]. But I'm sitting there in the
car park of the Odeon and I saw him walking
in with his guitar [Jack laughs again].
I couldn't believe it.
Apparently Fripp also jammed with The Stranglers when Hugh Cornwell was
in jail for a heroin bust.
There's going to be an interview with Andy and Colin in the next issue
of The Big Takeover. Look for it at better newsstands near you, or
better yet order it direct, info at the website
(http://www.bigtakeover.com). You won't regret it.
XTC Content (barely):
He has traveled the world, and knows he must return to...Swindon? After
hitting every other exotic location in the world, James Bond has finally
made it to XTC's home town!
http://www.ianfleming.org/007news/articles/motorolaphotos.html
If that's not enough for you, check this out for some hilarious Fleet
Street sarcasm ("the Cannes of South West England, Swindon") and
appropriate quotes from Pierce Brosnan.
http://www.popcorn.co.uk/pages/static.cfm?page=features&body=bond1
And there you have it.
-Bob Crain
------------------------------ Message-ID: <37044397.C14BB9E6@pobox.com> Date: Thu, 01 Apr 1999 23:12:07 -0500 From: Jefferson Ogata <ogata@pobox.com> Subject: Re: Upbeats and Downboys Micheal Stone <nedrise@MNSi.Net>, in response to Dieling, wrote: > RoO is based on a continually repeating 2 bar pizicatto string phrase, in > 4/4 time. Once it gets going, it never varies. The line "River of > Orchids" starts at the beginning of this 2 bar phrase, and since that line > is also 2 bars long, it stays in sync with the underlying string phrase. [etc.] This is not quite right, in that it implies the beat is set by the pizzicato string bit. The beat of River Of Orchids is set by the two-measure plucked bass part on 1, 2-1/2, 4, 1-1/2, 3. This rhythm is a half-time Brazilian- style clave beat offset by one measure. "Hey" is on 1-1/2 of measure two. "I heard the dandelions roar in Piccadilly Circus," like the other lines of that form, is eighth-note triplets starting on 4-1/2 of measure two. "Take a packet of seeds" and kin starts out eighth notes on 3-1/2 of measure two. This is the most complex line rhythmically, with the "I wanna see a" jumping up to thirty-seconds. "Push your car from the road" is on 4-1/2 of measure two. The timing is 4-1/2, 2-1/2, 4, 1-1/2, 2-3/4, 3, 4-1/4. "River of orchids, winding my way" starts on 4-1/2 of measure two. You can see from the fact that none of the vocals starts on 1 that this is a highly syncopated song. Another interesting feature is the use of a four-against-three rhythm in the trumpets that fits into the two-measure pattern of the song. This is exactly the same device as was used in the alternating guitars on Wake Up, just executed a little bit differently. River Of Orchids is very much like a second attempt at Wake Up, done with a lot more care and thought. Someone else mused on the notion of putting Harvest Festival at the end of the record. To do so I think would interrupt one very nice feature of the album taken as a whole, which is that it starts out with the very spastic-sounding rhythms of River Of Orchids, and rides out the end with a uncannily steady rhythm on The Last Balloon. Musically, it's the timing of this song that really gets me; it's so plodding and dead even that it attains a kind of supernatural momentum that suits the lyric in an inexplicable way. The counterpoint of the straight rhythm of The Last Balloon against the clave bass rhythm in River Of Orchids has the effect of setting ornately carved marble bookends to hold the whole album together. You might rearrange the books on the shelf, but you just can't move the bookends. -- Jefferson Ogata. smtp: <ogata@pobox.com> http://www.pobox.com/~ogata/ finger: ogata@pobox.com ICQ: 19569681 whois: jo317@whois.internic.net
------------------------------ End of Chalkhills Digest #5-158 *******************************
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