Chalkhills Digest Volume 5, Issue 7
Date: Wednesday, 14 October 1998
Chalkhills Digest, Volume 5, Number 7
Wednesday, 14 October 1998
Today's Topics:
What Paul McCartney said about XTC.
American English
Lumiere
XTC Versus Adam Ant
Re: Track list for Apple Venus
XTC L-I-V-E
Re: The Church
Tom Waits For No One
XTC Survey & Such...
Book and Live XTC
Paper and Iron Filings
CHALKSTERS LONDON get together in 28thOc
slight translation problem
Newsgroup, USA influence, Tom Waits (my poetry gene is
DAVE GREGORY Real Audio! FUNCTIONAL!
Low On Soul Coal
Paul Bailey fired ?!!
The Americanization of "Song Stories"
Re: The Americanization of "Song Stories"
looking for a CD swap, also odd header comment
Song Stories Story
Transistor Blabs
Partridge's ass
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Then she appeared, apple venus on a half open shell.
---------------------------------------------------------------------- Message-Id: <199810122024.WAA18672@mb06.swip.net> Subject: What Paul McCartney said about XTC. Date: Mon, 12 Oct 98 22:26:47 +0200 From: Per Aronsson <per@aron.pp.se> The man behind Abba, Stickan Andersson, is also the man behind The Polar Prize. Each year since 1992 (I think) two persons gets the prize from the swedish king and lots of money. Bruce Springsteen, Elton John, Joni Mitchell and Ray Charles is the name on the pricegang. The first one out was Paul McCartney. In a swedish TV-interview he said he was proud that a band like XTC admits that they are inspirated by The Beatles. It makes me feel good that one of my first heros likes my biggest heros. Just a little trivia that is fun to know... Per Aronsson.
------------------------------ Message-ID: <01BDF63C.69207F50@e2c10p43.scotland.net> From: Robert Wood <wobbit@bigfoot.com> Subject: American English Date: Mon, 12 Oct 1998 23:48:50 +0100 Ceri wrote a posting in 5-6 that I thought was very true. I bought Song Stories on Saturday and I've been *utterly* enthralled by it. I'd been alerted to the American spelling in one of Chalkhills' earlier postings, but even so am very disappointed to see "favor" and not "favour", "center" and not "centre" and so on. However, I assumed the publishing money had been stumped up by an American firm and as books don't seem to be seperately made for American/English English (sic), I guessed it was fair enough! But yeah, I have to say, I found it very hard to imagine Andy saying "ass"! (Except when refering to the quadraped of the same name! <g>) I'm sure that Americans know an arse is a fanny! (Different word in England y'know!) Surely a glossary at the end of the book for all the non crossover words would have been better. (Is Neville, English or American, BTW? Haven't managed to work that one out.) Nevertheless, it's a bloody brilliant book. If you haven't got it - GET IT! I love the way it takes me through each stage of my life as each album has come out, and how it reminds me of the times that I first became close friends with each album. The descriptions of the way the albums were recorded and what the songs mean are fantastic; all three of the boys come out with some absolute choice one liners. (Especially the bit about woodpeckers, that had me laughing out loud in the queue waiting for some fast food (in a resteraunt that shall remain nameless!)). It doesn't take long for it to seem like it [the book] is the desription of the lives of some of your best friends. Oh I have a question. I opened the book at my first XTC album, y'know, the first one I ever bought, and I'm working my way through it. Once I get to Nonsuch I'm going to go back to the start, then once the new album comes out I'll read the bit about that. So, did other peeps do that, or did you start at the beggining. (Personal replies may be prudent to stop John going frantic if there are lots of replies!)
------------------------------
Message-Id: <36229BC9.CB2B5CD9@bowdoin.edu>
Date: Mon, 12 Oct 1998 19:16:32 -0500
From: Benjamin Gott <bgott@bowdoin.edu>
Organization: Loquacious Music
Subject: Lumiere
Chalkers,
There's a great French Morrissey concert in which, between songs, he says "I
still cannot speak French. I am very lazy." Now, I've never been able to speak
French, but I threw Lumiere into AltaVista's unusual translation software
(http://babelfish.altavista.digital.com).
Needless to say, I definitely got the gist of the page, but AltaVista provided
me with some really...interesting interpretations. The best, however, is this:
<from a quote attributed to Martin Newell, about Dave's departure from the
band>
"XTC, despite everything, continues its catch of path reduced to the duet of
the type-setters who are Andy Partridge and Colin Moulding."
Hah! The "duet of the typesetters"!
-Ben
+--------------------------------------------------------------+
Benjamin Gott :: Bowdoin College :: Brunswick, Maine 04011
ICQ 7737594 :: http://www.bowdoin.edu/~bgott :: (207) 721-5513
In all your hurry, you've accidentally locked the gate...
+--------------------------------------------------------------+
------------------------------ Message-ID: <000f01bdf63d$2fbe98e0$69985ed1@nate> From: "Gineen" <natalia@javanet.com> Subject: XTC Versus Adam Ant Date: Mon, 12 Oct 1998 20:05:02 -0400 Anyone ever heard the "They Might Be Giants" song "XTC versus Adam Ant?" Great song...........and the violin bits lend to XTC melodies..... http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Arena/9501/ [ I guess this should go in the FAQ. -- John ]
------------------------------ Message-Id: <3.0.5.32.19981012223444.00b35100@cyber1.servtech.com> Date: Mon, 12 Oct 1998 22:34:44 -0400 From: Joshua Hall-Bachner <harlequin@tmbg.org> Subject: Re: Track list for Apple Venus >First of all, the album will probably named : 'APPLE VENUS'. Just to >continue in the vein of the links between their albums. Remember that >the title 'Oranges & Lemons' was extract from the song "Ballet for a >rainy day" (Skylarking), Nonsuch was from "Chalkhills and Children" (O & >L) and 'Apple Venus' from "Then She Appeared" (Nonsuch). Mmmm. I like this name. Better than _Firework,_ I think, and far superior to _History of the Middle Ages._ >The list of the songs ( the order is unknown) is : >ANDY : Easter Theater, River of Orchids, Last Balloon, I'd like that, >Your dictionary, Green Man, Harvest Festival, I can't own her, Knights >in shining karma Eeeek! Where is "You and the Clouds Will Still Be Beautiful"? We *must* have a recording of that song... Otherwise: Mmmm. Sounds great! I can't wait until this album comes out. The songs are *so* promising.... /---------------------------Joshua Hall-Bachner---------------------------\ | harlequin@tmbg.org http://www.servtech.com/public/particle/ | | "We all have our idiosyncracies -- maybe thinning hair, or gum disease."| \---- Kowanko, "Will You Come To?" ------ Thank You, And Goodnight. ------/
------------------------------ Message-ID: <36222BB0.D0E1CFF6@mail.utexas.edu> Date: Tue, 13 Oct 1998 02:17:53 +1000 From: Jason Garcia <h.h.name@mail.utexas.edu> Subject: XTC L-I-V-E > Holy cow, they were an incredible live band. Judging by the audience > reaction, as well as, the DJ's reaction, I would say that XTC may well > have been one of the best live bands I have set ears on. No shinola, man! I have a crappy VHS copy of some live stuff from the Play At Home (?) tape (or some random thing), of them playing an outdoor show in Germany or something, and they ROCK!! The quality is poor but the electricity of that performance just hits me anyway. They do all the songs 10 times faster than the records, and when they launched into "Helicopter" I wanted to jump around my room with the band. Of course they're all in their 40s now, and I don't think Andy's really into jumping around onstage these days like a maniac, but I agree that seeing them live would be cool in any guise. Damn, I gotta go watch that video now! I'm getting a little excited! Jason
------------------------------ Date: Tue, 13 Oct 1998 04:54:55 -0400 From: Cooking Vinyl <Cooking_Vinyl@compuserve.com> Subject: Re: The Church Message-ID: <199810130455_MC2-5C84-9134@compuserve.com> Message text written by INTERNET:<chalkhills@chalkhills.org> > > It wasn't until a couple of years later when I heard The Church > who could write complete songs with a sort of etherial quality > that you couldn't really put your finger on, U2 could only really > do the intros. Strange that you mention The Church; I have always considered both bands to be in a class above all others; specifically the task of writing "complete" songs that keep you interested from start to finish and finding deeper lyrical meaning listen after listen. I guess it doesn't hurt the comparision I spent many years tracking down CD's to replace worn cassettes (both group and solo releases) and both have [will have] new releases after years of inactivity. I can only hope that the new XTC CD(s) is as good as the new Church CD "Hologram of Baal". >>>>>also on cooking vinyl Cheers, eh Keith P.S. Catch the Church on tour now (see http://church.sausage.com/ for tour details).<
------------------------------ Message-Id: <s6233192.057@parliament.uk> Date: Tue, 13 Oct 1998 10:54:06 +0100 From: Dominic Lawson <LAWSOND@parliament.uk> Subject: Tom Waits For No One It was most refreshing to find someone mentioning Tom Waits, amid all the lively banter about lame American pop bands (Sugarplastic? What are you on???), so many thanks to Huw Davies - clearly an upstanding citizen. Tom Waits rules, much as XTC rule. The Primus connection alone is reason enough to discuss the great man's merits (for those under the influence of Prozac and Christianity, Primus have collaborated with Tom Waits on his forthcoming album, and Les Claypool - Primus bassmeister - played on "Bone Machine", Mr Waits' finest hour) and since his appeal is partly due to his idiosyncratic attitude towards making music, fans of A. Partridge & Co should at the very least tug a forelock in his general direction. If you don't already own "Swordfishtrombones", "Rain Dogs" or "Bone Machine" (or preferably all three), you are barely human and I claim my five pounds (or dollars if you must insist on being American). Like Beefheart, Zappa and Zoogz Rift, Waits is a true original, an undisputed genius. Even his mellower early stuff, recorded before his voice became an astonishing instrument of its own, like the superb "Small Change" (buy! buy!! BUY!!!) is well worth investigating, especially for any cigarette smoking jazz-heads out there. Despite being covered by Rod Stewart (not in itself a bad thing, but I hate the idea that people will associate "Downtown Train" with the leopard-skin clad butt-wiggler) Tom Waits is defiantly non-mainstream - bizarre when you consider how beautifully memorable many of his songs are - and very much in keeping with the spirit of XTC. I'd be very surprised if Andy & Colin are immune to his charms. Yes, I quite like Tom Waits, Mr Davies, and bless you for reminding me. Dom.
------------------------------ Message-ID: <9008165AB825D1118A1600A024A1661972781A@CHOWAN> From: "Martin, Alan" <Alan.Martin@ncxix.hcg.eds.com> Subject: XTC Survey & Such... Date: Tue, 13 Oct 1998 09:04:40 -0400 Greetings Chalksters.... Taking a moment to say a couple of things about the Survey I'm conducting. First, thanks to those that have responded so far.. your choices are interesting. BUT, I've only had about 10 responses! I know you guys can do better than that! I've been in touch with Kate Burda asking about the possibility of passing the results on to Andy & Colin should they want them. I don't want to set another deadline at this time because I want to get some response going. Send a request for a E-mail copy of the survey to: AMartin777@aol.com I'll send you a copy, add you to the mailing list & eagerly await your results. I'll post a new deadline date sometime in the near future, but for now, let's just get this thing moving.... and THANK ALL OF YOU IN ADVANCE. I truly feel this is one of the best posting groups on the net and I love reading everyone's musings on one of the greatest groups ever. NOW, on another note: I'm in the Raleigh, NC area. Are any of you posters (or lurkers for that matter) out there close to me? I would love to get together and share all things XTC... over dinner or a beer or seven? BTW - My wife loves them too so you get two big fans for the price of one mail! E-mail me at either the address listed above for the survey, or at the one listed at my work address below.... Dying for the new album.... Alan J. Martin ECS (919) 851-8888 x3076 Alan.Martin@ncxix.hcg.eds.com
------------------------------ Message-ID: <MAPI.Id.0016.00746166666f72643030303830303038@MAPI.to.RFC822> From: "Stafford" <stafford@gtii.com> Subject: Book and Live XTC Date: Tue, 13 Oct 98 09:17:06 PDT I have not read the book yet, but really, British to American translation? I suppose they could have put a notecard in the book for daft Americans who can't figure out that arse is ass. Um, really though, this ruins the book? I'm curious now and have to pick up a copy...even though I will be getting an american version...er, maybe someone could send me a British copy? XTC Live> Nice thought. I recently told a friend of mine that stood in line for Tori Amos tickets that the only reason I would camp out for tickets would be Colin and Andy deciding to tour again. Hell, I would camp for DAYS, WEEKS? Maybe. I just don't see it happeneing...not ever... Anyway, I enjoy the postings here, glad I joined, I am new obviously. Hi all. Lisa
------------------------------ Message-Id: <s6238dc9.095@4thestate.co.uk> Date: Tue, 13 Oct 1998 17:26:02 +0100 From: Andy Miller <ANDYMILLER@4thestate.co.uk> Subject: Paper and Iron Filings Hello again, Ceri wrote: >Dunno if this has been discussed here before (I just joined the mailing >list), but do any other British readers here feel that an otherwise >excellent book has been slightly tarnished with its blatant >Americanisation even in the supposedly British version of the book? and >As XTC are an English band, and proudly so, and indeed this is >fundamental to what makes them who they are, I felt this pandering to >the American market (lazily so in a British print of the book) was a bit >off. Three things here: 1. Far from "pandering to the American market", it's my understanding that Song Stories was commissioned and paid for by an American publisher in the first place. That US publisher (Hyperion) then sold the UK rights to a British publisher - Helter Skelter. 2. The US publisher found it difficult to get a UK publisher til the last minute, not least because most big publishers (including the publisher for whom I work) couldn't see the commercial potential of such a book - especially without the opportunity to sell the book in the States. It's to Helter Skelter's credit that they had the enthusiasm to take the book on - additionally, at such short notice. 3. For these reasons - time, expense and a limited readership (sad, but true) - it makes much more sense for the UK publisher to get the US publisher to run on extra copies, changing the logos and title pages, rather than resetting the whole book and printing a quantity for the UK alone. In other words, British Chalkhillians, the copies of Song Stories you have are American in all but name and price. Which is nice. For my part, I found the Amercian spelling, idiom etc. a bit incongruous, but that's all. Given more time and money, I'm sure HS would have gone to the trouble of resetting the book specifically for a British edition, but under the circumstances, I assume that wasn't possible (and, for what it's worth, would have been financial suicide - certainly enough to discourage _any_ UK edition). Depressing, isn't it? Best Andy
------------------------------ Message-Id: <TFSNMJWL@ubk.net>> From: Jonathan Monnickendam <monnickj@ubk.net> Date: Tue, 13 Oct 1998 17:02:08 +0000 Subject: CHALKSTERS LONDON get together in 28thOc The meeting place is THE MOON & SIXPENCE, 85 Wardour Street LONDON W1on WEDNESDAY 28TH OCTOBER from 6.30pm onwards. EVERYBODY IS WELCOME (and please let me know if you are coming along. There is a table booked in the non-smoking section. We will have our copies of Song Stories or Chalkhills & Children on display. The location is as central as it gets ; The Moon & Sixpence is at the far (north) end of Wardour Street, on the left (west) side near D'Arblay Street. The North end of Wardour Street hits Oxford Street and is about half way between Oxford Circus Tube to the west and Tottenham Court Road tube to the east. Any queries please get in touch with me. see you there jon * --------------------------------------------------------------- The views expressed are of the individual, and do not necessarily reflect the views of The United Bank of Kuwait PLC. * ---------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------ From: R.Crawford@mgn.co.uk Message-ID: <8025669C.006135E6.00@mgnmail4.mgn.co.uk> Date: Tue, 13 Oct 1998 18:37:52 +0100 Subject: slight translation problem From: "Robert Wood" <Robert.Wood@mutech.co.uk> Subject: One over the eight. >> Mick Karn was a bit pissed and accused Ira Davis of being ripping off >>Japan, which resulted in AP defending Icehouse and suggesting that by the >>same token David Sylvian must be ripping off Bryan Ferry, (I think I still >>have a tape of that somewhere I must dig it out). << >Yeah, well Mr Karm should think twice about getting drunk before going on >air, then maybe he wouldn't fly off the handle so easily... Ermm slight regional problem in that I meant that he was pissed in the American sense (pissed off, not happy). Hmmm, I can forgive Mr Karn (Karm?), most things after seeing (well hearing actually) him accompanying Angie Bowie on the Old Grey Whistle Test, around 1983/4, up till then I never realised how good a player he was. >From: garyt@dna1.dnet.co.uk (Gary Thompson) >Subject: Stuff Don't often see a dnet.co.uk address around here, possibly a call for the smallest XTC gathering is in order. >Just a couple of points from a pedantic lurker: Rob Crawford in his post >about Nonsuch, stated that U2 were on the Belfast Good Vibrations label. >Your memory must be playing you up Rob, they never released anything on that >label - I know I was on it. Their first few releases were on Irish CBS, then >they moved to Island. Don't call me a lurker you lurker <grin> As far as I am aware they did record for good vibes, but I don't ever remember anything being released. As I was never a fan I never tried to find out anymore about the subject. I suppose we could call in and see if Terry can tell us the real story :) XTC content : Well I like them. Rob...
------------------------------ Message-Id: <2.2.32.19981013202832.0070c89c@popmail.dircon.co.uk> Date: Tue, 13 Oct 1998 21:28:32 +0100 From: Simon Sleightholm <simon@nonsuch.dircon.co.uk> Subject: Newsgroup, USA influence, Tom Waits (my poetry gene is From: MFa2707621@aol.com >I just wanted to remind people there's a newsgroup about Andy Partridge and >XTC called, alt.fan.andy-j-partridge. It's actually not about _our_ Andy, I'm afraid. It's devoted to a programmer who established a bit of a cult following in the UK from his ability to eke out the last limping miles from the Commodore 64 computer. I used to own one of these machines and admit to a bit of double take when I saw his name in the magazines. The group, I believe, used to be called just alt.fan.andy-partridge but, fed up with getting persistent XTC postings, the guy changed it to andy-j-partridge not realising that our Andy's middle names is John too. I'm not quite sure why this group is still extant - it only ever seems to contain two postings:- "Wow, an XTC newsgroup!" - "No, it's not." From: kaitain@netcomuk.co.uk >I felt this pandering to the American market (lazily so in a British print of the book) was a >bit off. What do others think? It did grate a little bit, yes, but I forgave it in the end. It seems to be a continuing trend in publishing and I can't see it going away, especially not now when - via this complex circuit of copulating computers - we are already dipping into international texts on a daily basis. It's very sad because language and identity are very closely intertwined (see the current strife in Quebec) and any erasure of the cultural stamp is to be mourned. It's one of those things - any English film released in the US is vetted to see if the audience will get the references and slang terms, if not then requests for alterations are made. We, on the other hand, get films like Men In Black - where many of the jokes rely on American personalities and cultural references we're not likely to get (indeed the pay-off punchline in that movie made _no_ sense to 97% of the UK and left us feeling a little deflated - instead of leaving with a chuckle we all sat thinking "Who?") as-is with no changes, or even any consideration of the possibiltiy of making changes. I suppose the upshot is that we 'need' American movies more than the Americans 'need' British movies so we have no real power to call any shots (My God, no! It's starting...) The market for 'Song Stories' is larger in the US and the original publisher is American - even though it did irritate a little, I'd rather the book stayed as it is than requiring extensive resetting and proofing which would eat into whatever funds it's going to generate for Neville, Sean and the band. From: Huw Davies <DaviesHPT@cardiff.ac.uk> >Anway, I wanted to know if there are any people on this list who are >also fans of Tom Waits. Oh yes, the man is a _genius_. Lay down in the web of the black spiders, Simon -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+- http://www.nonsuch.dircon.co.uk/bungalow.htm (http://come.to/bungalow) -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+- An XTC resource - "Saving it all up for you..."
------------------------------ Message-ID: <3623C31A.8CE24BCF@geocities.com> Date: Tue, 13 Oct 1998 17:16:10 -0400 From: xychq <xychq@geocities.com> Organization: FARUQ IS INFINITY Subject: DAVE GREGORY Real Audio! FUNCTIONAL! OKAY KIDS, IT'S WORKING NOW: WEEK 2 OF THE DAVE GREGORY REAL AUDIO SERIES. You need a Real Player, 5.0 or better (http://www.real.com/). It's free. http://listen.to/dg.ram
------------------------------
Message-Id: <199810132131.XAA27671@mail.knoware.nl>
From: "Mark Strijbos" <mmello@knoware.nl>
Date: Tue, 13 Oct 1998 23:36:37 +0000
Subject: Low On Soul Coal
Dear Chalkers,
Thanks must go to our friend and XTC's ambassador in France
Patrick "Lumiere" Bourcier for his Colin Report.
But not all his news was good...
> for a date of release planned to the beginning of February 99.
Rats!!! the date is starting to slip again.
And i'm already getting very nervous and exited and now i have to
wait another month... sigh.
Of course The Book did help me get through these cynical days a bit,
but only for a very short time. All in all i think it's a bloody good
read but it should have had _at least_ a thousand pages more.
Still, it's a definite "must have" for every XTC fan even if it
hasn't nearly enough details to satisfy this trainspotter :)
yours in xtc,
Mark Strijbos at The Little Lighthouse
http://www.knoware.nl/users/mmello/
or http://come.to/xtc
------------------------------ Message-ID: <3623DA79.E4F3B452@hol.fr> Date: Tue, 13 Oct 1998 23:55:53 +0100 From: Patrick Bourcier <pbourcier@hol.fr> Organization: Lumiere Subject: Paul Bailey fired ?!! Hi Crayonneurs adores, Don't know if you know this but ... It seems that Paul Bailey is .... fired. Someone could tell us if it's a rumour or not ? Mitch ? Simon ? Perhaps, perhaps, perhaps ... Bye, Patrick from Lumiere, the unofficial website in french about XTC http://lumiere.gts93.greta.fr/ -- Be seeing you !
------------------------------ Message-ID: <900822C71730D2118D8C00805F65765C101EDD@einstein.moneystar.com> From: Jill Oleson <oleson@moneystar.com> Subject: The Americanization of "Song Stories" Date: Tue, 13 Oct 1998 17:34:45 -0500 I appreciated Ceri's comments about the Americanization of the new XTC book "Song Stories." I had wondered too if Andy really says "ass" instead of "arse," and so on. As an American, I appreciated being told that an off-licence was a liquor store, but other "blatant" Americanisms seemed somehow false to me. I was glad to learn her view of the book as a British reader. Since completing the book a couple of weeks ago, I've had the oddest sensation that I wish I hadn't read it. I can't figure out if that is because I wish the book contained more information about the band (compared to the vast amount of information it contains about the individual songs), or if it is because I was somehow more content letting the songs stand on their own. I don't mean this to be in any way negative to Neville Farmer or to the band and I hope my comment doesn't create any ill will among Chalkhills. I probably shouldn't have sent this post until I had sorted out my own feelings, but then, that hasn't stopped me before! Comments, anyone? Jill Oleson Austin, Texas
------------------------------ Date: Wed, 14 Oct 1998 00:47:18 +0100 (BST) From: kaitain@netcomuk.co.uk Message-Id: <1998101404820415724@> Subject: Re: The Americanization of "Song Stories" On 10/13/98 17:34:45 you wrote: > >I appreciated Ceri's comments about the Americanization of >the new XTC book "Song Stories." I had wondered too if Andy >really says "ass" instead of "arse," and so on. I *severely* doubt it......"Arse" is a word that sounds great in a Wiltshire accent, by the way. :) As an American, >I appreciated being told that an off-licence was a liquor store, but >other "blatant" Americanisms seemed somehow false to me. I have no problem with this per se, if the book was the American printing, but in the British print of the book, I found it spoiled the flow of the otherwise very entertaining and amusing dialogue (knowing how the band speak) having to reconvert the implied pronunciations back to their original form. >I was glad to learn **her** view of the book as a British reader. (Counts his X chromosomes.....) Nope, still just the one. :) It's a Welsh thing.......... >Since completing the book a couple of weeks ago, I've had the >oddest sensation that I wish I hadn't read it. I think it can often be something of a disappointment to find that the song you thought was an indictment of Western Religion or something turns out to be a lament about malodourous socks etc., as we can (and do) project the most ingenious insights and enigmatic metaphors onto any set of ambiguous lyrics in the absence of proper information. I myself find it extremely refreshing to hear the honesty about some of the songs, that this one's just Andy stringing together some interesting-sounding phrases, that one's Colin remembering a girl he fancied when he was 12. The humour and musical craftsmanship remain paramount. I've actually found myself listening to a lot of stuff with a more interested and amused ear since reading the book. Ceri * ---------------------------------------- C.P.Stagg kaitain@netcomuk.com * ---------------------------------------
------------------------------ Message-ID: <3622B22B.93BC8938@teleport.com> Date: Mon, 12 Oct 1998 18:51:39 -0700 From: Eric Miller <emiller@teleport.com> Subject: looking for a CD swap, also odd header comment hi all, I'm looking for a CD copy of the latest batch of demos (ooh, betcha haven't heard that one before!) from someone Stateside. If you got 'em, I might have something you're interested in and could burn a copy for you in exchange. the other thing I notice...I like clever subject heads as much as anyone else, but it makes for a lot of scrolling for those folks who subscribe-digest to find out what the actual topic is for a given post. Just an observation... Thanks for your indulgence. Eric
------------------------------ From: m.clinton@dnb.no Message-Id: <03F33FD66115D111A8E40001FA6A49434F68C7@LF3AP005> Subject: Song Stories Story Date: Tue, 13 Oct 1998 09:24:18 +0200 Hi everyone, I've just joined the list and thought I'd pass on a little oddity. I'm English though working in Oslo in Norway at present. When Song Stories turned up in my local bookshop last Friday, they had one copy of the Hyperion Edition, and two copies of the Helter Skelter Edition...Weirder still, due to the wonders of exchange rates (I assume), the Hyperion edition was priced at the equivalent of about 5 GBP (about 7.50 USD) CHEAPER than the Helter Skelter version...well, not earth shaking news, but it got me a bit of a bargain! Best wishes Martin
------------------------------
Message-Id: <362427E3.5514DE4D@bowdoin.edu>
Date: Tue, 13 Oct 1998 23:26:58 -0500
From: Benjamin Gott <bgott@bowdoin.edu>
Organization: Loquacious Music
Subject: Transistor Blabs
Chalkies,
So far, I've found one site from which you can pre-order (or order)
"Transistor Blast" for about $42.00 (not including post/handling). It's a
very reputable firm from which I've ordered before:
http://www.ab-cd.com
I'm sure they'll do international orders, for all you international
folxtc. They also have some great hard-to-find items, including "Peter
Pumpkinhead," "The Disappointed" (on CD and 10"), and "The Loving"
singles. (For those of us who live in CT -- hi, Tim Kendrick! -- they're
based in S. Norwich, I think.)
I would assume, after some web surfing, that Cooking Vinyl's site will be at
http://www.cookingvinyl.co.uk (there's a site under construction,
apparently, but it's not up yet). Their host, however, has an incredible
site that utilizes Flash...Check it out!
I also wanted to let my XTC friends know that I picked up:
- "Black Sea" on vinyl, in the original green bag (the record is near-mint;
the bag is still intact, but very chipped)
- "English Settlement" double vinyl (U.K. edition?) in a really keen
kinda-vinyly sleeve
- cut-outs of "TBE" and "Go2"
If anyone has any XTC posters or any hard-to-find CDs that they'd want to
trade, please let me know PERSONALLY, via that magic form of communication,
e-mail, or by telephone (I'd love to chat! Or you could leave a message!)
That's just about enough of my blabber, don't you think?
-Ben
P.S. I just bought "The X-Files" movie on video! It's so awesome to see it
again...and again...and again...
+--------------------------------------------------------------+
Benjamin Gott :: Bowdoin College :: Brunswick, Maine 04011
ICQ 7737594 :: http://www.bowdoin.edu/~bgott :: (207) 721-5513
In all your hurry, you've accidentally locked the gate...
+--------------------------------------------------------------+
------------------------------ Message-Id: <199810141447.PAA14088@mailhost.dircon.co.uk> Subject: Partridge's ass Date: Wed, 14 Oct 98 15:48:20 -0000 From: morrish <morrish@dircon.co.uk> I have no doubt that the "special relationship" will be considerably less special for a while as a result of Ceri Stagg's intemperate remarks about the transatlantic language used in the "British" edition of Song Stories. As someone who has had books published (if not actually read) on both sides of the Atlantic, I know how difficult this can be. Put bluntly, we, the British, are prepared to put up with unfamiliar words, idioms and references when we read American books: indeed, we like them, because we think they're hip. Americans, on the other hand, won't tolerate them (or so our British publishers tell us). The worst example I heard was of a female novelist of my acquaintance who was forced to make her English female lead go to an English shop in England to buy "diapers" for her English baby. I have read many British editions of contemporary American novels about Americans in America and I have yet to read of a character putting elastoplast, for instance, on a little cut. I suspect that there is only one basic text behind the two versions of Song Stories, and that has been prepared using a kind of "transatlantic" lingua franca. I've been involved with those, and they are not nice, but they are the cheapest way of doing it. And given the relative size of US English and British English markets, it is easy to see which version will take precedence. If we Brits are really that upset about this, we should have done something about it when we had the chance. A few holes in that Mayflower wouldn't have hurt. I didn't mean to go on about that, though. I just wanted to say that the idea of Andy Partridge saying "ass" is not so ridiculous after all. Anyone who has heard Mr P speak (Colin even more so) will know that in West Country English the a is just like the a in "things we did on graaaaass". The "arse" referred to is a transliteration of the London/RP version of the word, which uses a vowel akin to that in the German Vater (Father). I know, because I speak like that too. Growing up in Bristol, just along the M4, I never dreamt there was such a word as "arse", nor heard anyone say anything like it, until I started seeing it in books when I was in my teens. This meant, apart from anything else, that school Bible readings for Palm Sunday (for instance) had to be chosen with great care, there being no distinction between ass and arse in the West Country version of English. (It is also said that some American English sounds like West Country English, possibly because of the early influence of Bristolian sailors, merchants and, er, slavers...) This is the international phonology mailing list isn't it? John Morrish Ex-XTC content: Dave also pronounces the word "arse" as "ass". Particularly in the word "ass-hole"...
------------------------------ End of Chalkhills Digest #5-7 *****************************
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