Chalkhills Digest Volume 6, Issue 102
Date: Saturday, 6 May 2000
Chalkhills Digest, Volume 6, Number 102
Saturday, 6 May 2000
Topics:
enon-such?
THE MONKS
marbellous...
A bunch of apples for all to eat.
TVT's website
sales rank
Re: Lost Bands
The Godfathers Of Punk
Thrash Metal, Gen X, Lost Bands and the rest
Coincidence?
Re: From beginning to end
Confused, confusion
Re: Bands
More apples for everyone...
my great lost band
Replies, replies!
Re: He's Not Heavy , He's My Metal
Sombody please wake me
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---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 5 May 2000 19:17:37 EDT From: Saints3Den@aol.com Subject: enon-such? Message-ID: <b2.4c2fd7d.2644b091@aol.com> folks, 2 1/2 weeks to go. A cd review caoght my eye in the local paper. Enon, who i have never heard of... put out a cd called " Believo". well, I don't want to type the whole thing out, so this part will do ---- ""Warmly optimistic and reminiscent of prime XTC and Dukes of the Stratosphere, "World in a Jar" and "For the Sum of It" bring the disc to a sunny hilltop"" no, i'm not going to buy it, but I wonder if any of you have, and if that sentence is accurate , in your opinion? Or what exactly "prime XTC " means... I thought it was all prime???? eddie
------------------------------ Date: Fri, 05 May 2000 15:16:56 PDT From: "Edward Sizzorhends" <skylar_king@hotmail.com> Subject: THE MONKS Message-ID: <20000505221657.75263.qmail@hotmail.com> Lost Band Info Dear Chalkhillians, Last year some friend of mine played me an album from a band and when I heard it, I felt like I struck gold. They were THE MONKS. "The Monks were American servicemen stationed in Germany sometime in the late `60s, who formed a band, shaved their heads tonsorially to resemble their namesake, and released BLACK MONK TIME to a bewildered German audience. Of course, it didn't do much at the time, but somehow, in the way that things always seem to work so weirdly in this world, it went on to become a seminal, vastly influential record amongst underground, "alternative" and forward-thinking people." This band is raw and real and righteous and ALL them 'R' words. And it is's fun too! Really, you should order it from CDNOW and try it yourself. Higgle-dy Piggle-dy, The Skylar King
------------------------------ Date: Fri, 5 May 2000 23:18:26 +0100 From: "chris browning" <chris@boodle.fsnet.co.uk> Subject: marbellous... Message-ID: <003101bfb6e0$87c7a1c0$2f58883e@pbncomputer> just to say - young marble giants. mmm. yes. agree very much about taht one. a thing of great beauty... my own favourite lost band - well, they're not really lost being big heroes in new zealand but over here, i can be damned if anyone ever talks about them. The Clean, oh yes. "point that thing somewhere else" and "tally ho!" are the most exhilirating slabs of noise this side of - well - "white music" i guess. and "unknown country" is an album that never stops showing new things of beauty to me.... aye aye... crisp
------------------------------ Date: Fri, 5 May 2000 15:12:17 -0700 From: "Digitalmaster" <digitalmaster@earthlink.net> Subject: A bunch of apples for all to eat. Message-ID: <000c01bfb6de$fa1a8460$0200a8c0@digitalpc> First" on the Napster Thing that Partridge said to the guy from Spin: "Oh yea yea yea I've heard all this. Well I think that's kind of low. Musicians are trying to pay the rent by selling their record and they get crappy enough deals as it is. So don't steal the last pennies from them or else no one will make music anymore." Strait from the mans mouth, but I am sure a bunch of people will still feel its fine. As I said in an early message, I am 99% behind MP3's and trading for us responsible folk. HOWEVER, most people are not responsible and if they can, they will copy and never buy. Free is the magic word. Second, I heard Wasp Star and I don't care what people say, its a classic. Someone on the last post said it did not have a concept, but do albums all need to have concepts? I think its perfect the way it is. Its like XTC of the past meets XTC of the future or something. I already purchased 5 copies from different online retailers thanks to about $50 in savings with coupons (don't ask me, they have all expired by now, I will let you all know when there are some good ones soon). I plan on getting my copy locally as well so I can avoid the wait (maybe they will even hit billboard!) Damn this metal debate thing keeps going. At least were talking about something to waist the time while we wait for the new album, even if it is something as wretched as Heavy Metal (hey, my opinion is my opinion thank you! Remember, Devo "Pioneers who got Scalped" comes out on the 9th. Its a GREAT double CD. Don't forget to buy it! You can get $10 off $30 or more at Barnes and Noble by typing ZZB24DK or Z377DK4 expiration: 5/12. You can get Devo and XTC with that coupon!
------------------------------ Date: Fri, 05 May 2000 20:36:04 EDT From: "Garret Harkawik" <funktaisia@hotmail.com> Subject: TVT's website Message-ID: <20000506003604.63570.qmail@hotmail.com> Is it just me, or does TVT's website suck? it's so annoyng because every time you go to it, you have to go through the stupid thing with the truck pulling away from the gas station and then that tiny window pops up that is the acual site! Its just a stupid concept.
------------------------------ Date: Fri, 5 May 2000 19:29:13 -0700 From: "Wes Hanks" <wes@iolvegas.com> Subject: sales rank Message-ID: <000001bfb702$e6e750c0$15b59fce@default> Amazon lists WS at Sales Rank: 210, and Popular in: New Zealand (#12) 5/5/00 woohoo
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 5 May 2000 20:41:06 -0700 (PDT)
From: Bill Douglas <ccosmos_64@yahoo.com>
Subject: Re: Lost Bands
Message-ID: <20000506034106.12861.qmail@web3807.mail.yahoo.com>
A couple of great 'lost' bands that I've had the great
pleasure to hear, see and share the stage with are
Toronto's Universal Honey and Minneapolis' Willie
Wisely.
Universal Honey released two great albums ('Magic
Basement,' 'Earth Sun Moon')in the late '90's that are
worth seeking out, if you're into catchy pop. Leslie
Stanwyck, the singer/rhythm guitarist/songwriter
(formerly a backup singer with The Pursuit Of
Happiness), was a perfect amalgamation of Chrissie
Hynde's vocal prowess and Keith Richard's swagger. My
personal favorite here is 'Magic Basement.' Simply
outstanding. These guys did a lot of touring in the
States, opening up for The Goo Goo Dolls before their
meteoric rise to fame and glory. A while back, Leslie
and Johnny Sinclair, the bassist/songwriter (also
formerly with T.P.O.H.) got married and the band
disappeared. Where are they now?
Another great artist (that, coincidentally, Johnny
Sinclair turned me onto before a U.H. show) is Willie
Wisely. He released two great albums on October
Records - 'Turbosherbet' and 'She,' in which one of
the tracks, 'Ready To Wear,' has a brief sample of
XTC's 'Down In The Cockpit-Dance Mix.' I about
dropped in my shorts when I heard it. Anyway,
phenomenal artist, brilliant live show. It's pop,
it's cabaret, it's a lot of things swirled up in a
musical stew. Haven't heard a peep out of him lately,
either.
I submit these artists to Chalkhillians around the
world to check out. Both these acts were huge XTC
fans, so I guarantee you won't be disappointed by
giving them a listen.
And, while you're at it, look for my band, Einstein's
Sister. Our last album 'Learning Curves' is available
thru www.amazon.com and www.notlame.com (the Web site
for Not Lame Records), we have a track on 'Full
Circle,' a 2-CD tribute to Byrds founder Gene Clark,
and a new album due in the fall. For more
information, check out our Web site in the next couple
of weeks at www.einsteinssister.com In addition to
all that, we will be appearing at The Troubadour
during this year's International Pop Overthrow in Los
Angeles on Sunday, July 23rd. For more information on
this awesome 2-week pop music marathon, check out
www.sandplum.com or do a search on www.raging.com for
'I.P.O.'
Thank you and good night.
------------------------------ Date: Sat, 6 May 2000 11:41:18 +0900 From: "John Boudreau" <aso1@mocha.ocn.ne.jp> Subject: The Godfathers Of Punk Message-ID: <000b01bfb708$a16d9d00$6d5791d2@johnboud> Whenever the discussion of 'where did punk rock come from,' takes place , very rarely do you hear anything about jazz. Some poor souls are under the misconception that "jazz" only means Kenny G or Wynton Marsalis , forgetting such pioneers as Ornette Coleman, John Coltrane, Sun Ra and Albert Ayler, all of whom are the real grand-daddies of punk. methinks . To see the connection, all you have to do is go back to the original performers who influenced punk. : the Stooges, the MC5 , The Velvet Underground and Captain Beefheart and his Magic Band. One thing all of these groups had in common was the raw grit and noise on their records , something that had been sort of lacking in rock for a while. One other important common point is that they were all big jazz fans, using their guitars to imiate their favorite players or actually using horns themselves. Take the MC5. Ray Charles and Screamin' Jay Hawkins were part of their sets but so was Pharoah Sanders and Sun Ra- this is most obvious on their album " Kick Out The Jams " . Unfortunately , their studio albums were scrubbed up by producers so the jazz influence wasn't always obvious . Then there's The Stooges. Iggy was lecturing at a college a few years ago , talking about the Stooges. He played a Stooges record then he played a some Coltrane . The whole point was to show what the band was trying to do, successfully or not. Most of all, you heard this with Steve Mackay's sax wailing on Funhouse, especially on the free-form "L.A. Blues." Lou Reed has said that when he started out , he was inspired by people like Ornette Coleman. Lou said that "European Son" was his way of trying to imitate Ornette Coleman with guitars . Later on, Lou would follow this influence by using the late Don Cherry (a Coleman sideman and a great player himself) as part of his stage band in the late '70s and recording The Bells with him. Most of all, there's Captain Beefheart. His playing on Trout Mask Replica is a tribute to Coleman and Ayler, even more so than the Stooges, Velvets or MC5. Delta blues were also important to him and this became to dominate his music more and more in the seventies. It's interesting to think about the other performers from the late sixties who were jazz buffs. Jimi Hendrix and Jerry Garcia not only played a kind of jazz in their long solos but they would also perform with jazz musicians (Jimi with Larry Young and Garcia with Ornette years later). Most guitarists from that time (Page, Beck, Clapton, Richards, Townshend) were most into blues and R&B. At this same time, jazz itself was going through an interesting development. The Filmore in California was hosting the psychedelic bands as well as Miles Davis, Cannonball Adderley and Roland Kirk. This was important because it helped to open jazz up to young, white audience. In the case of Davis, it also may have changed his attitudes about music. The idiotic rumor that he was pressured into fusion by his record company doesn't hold up- Miles had the idea himself to use electric instruments. Years later, when punk started , some of the players were also jazz fans, especially in the New York scene. Tom Verlaine and Richard Lloyd of Television certainly had Coltrane and Ayler in mind when they took off on their solos. Voidoids guitarist Robert Quine sounded like this was where his head was at also. In all, they had the same thing in mind as Lou Reed when he was trying to get his guitar to imitate the jazz he loved. By in large though, this kind of jazz influence was not directly seen in most punk rock. Other than Lora Logic and James Chance (who had played with Ornette guitarist Bernie Nix), you didn't even see any saxophones. Most punk bands went for noise but not much "improvisation" or musicianship . They listened to a dirtier version of the blues and R&B that most of the sixties guitarists were into: garage bands. And of course, there was also the MC5, Stooges, Velvets, Beefheart... Today, several grunge and alternative bands follow the same path. The list of jazz-influenced bands ranges from the few obvious to many not-so-obvious. Sonic Youth did a show with Sun Ra shortly before he died and the Minutemen did a show with Ornette bassist Charlie Haden. So what is the real, direct link between the free jazz of '50s and '60s and punk rock? One big difference is that in free jazz there were talented, accomplished musicians playing complex music. With punk, you had amateurs who played simple music. They did and still do have a lot in common though. Both were hated by many critics, writers and the old guard of their respective types of music. They also each re-wrote the the whole goddamn book on their own music, challenged many preconceptions and opened many eyes . Maybe most importantly, they each spawned a sub-culture of musicians, bands, clubs, scenes, record labels and all kinds of collectives to help nuture their own music. Sushiman
------------------------------
Date: Sat, 6 May 2000 14:33:54 +0100 (BST)
From: Rory Wilsher <rory_wilsher@yahoo.co.uk>
Subject: Thrash Metal, Gen X, Lost Bands and the rest
Message-ID: <20000506133354.17912.qmail@web1502.mail.yahoo.com>
Anyone else have a problem with 6-99? I only got
subject titles and no content Yahoo's (or Relph's)
response to the current virus?
So, if I'm answering stuff that's already been
covered, forgive me (I know us Chalkhillers can be an
unforgiving bunchI include myself in that description
before you start flaming!)
In order, from 6-100
Ed Kedzierski wrote:
"every possible combination of the words "speed"
"thrash" "hard" "metal" "punk" and "-core" to
overdefine subgenres to the point that you might as
all just name every band you're talking about just to
make it shorter. May be that such overextended
compound terms may be more prevalent in North America,
hence Dom's insistence on sticking to the traditional
punk and
hardcore labels"
No, it's not just North America. My friend Pete plays
in what he fondly describes as a "thrash metal" band.
I've seen them. They're crap (IMHO). But he's a nice
guy anyway.
Also, "Gen X": anyone remember the "punk" "new wave"
"another silly label" band from the late seventies
actually called "Generation X"? I can recall only two
song titles: "the day the world turned dayglo" and
"germ-free adolescents". Whatever happened toyadda
yadda yadda drone drone drone
Jim Smart wrote:
"It's not one of my criteria for a song that it be
"timeless" or never sound stuck in a certain
period. I care more about if it's good or not, or if
it peases (sic) me. Colin's song is an effective
comment on the way everyone in a country begins to
move ("dance") and change and choose sides when
there's war a-brewing."
Couldn't agree more. Despite the fact that we all
"know" why this song was written (Song Stories), it's
still an OK "anti-war" song. Costello's "Shipbuilding"
is better. If you really want to get into this, read
"A Song Of Stone" by Iain Banks. If you don't, then
don't.
Re: Lost Bands
Oh, but there are so MANY
But, relevant to (UK) hillsters, I will name but two:
The Vapors (yes, that's how they spelt it), and 999.
Andoz hillsters are welcome to flame away at this,
but why aren't Midnight Oil and The Whitlams making it
in the UK?
(aside: remember doing Venn diagrams at school? I bet
that if you did a Venn diagram of Powderworkers,
Chalkhillians, and FOWs, there'd be a significant
correlationthus speaks a statistician. Anyone who
knows what the hell I'm talking about contact me
off-list)
Ben Gott wrote:
"It's like English intelligence-it's an oxymoron!"
OK, he was quoting Andy. So I'm not having a go, all
right? Probably Andy in "Mayor of simpleton" mode.
This joke is more usually applied to "British
Intelligence", as in MI5/MI6, or "Army Intelligence".
Hmmm.
And finallyA great big "HELLO!" to Beverley! We love
you!
Rory "Bread! For my bread gun!" Wilsher
------------------------------ Date: Sat, 6 May 2000 14:54:16 +0100 (BST) From: Rory Wilsher <rory_wilsher@yahoo.co.uk> Subject: Coincidence? Message-ID: <20000506135416.27835.qmail@web1505.mail.yahoo.com> Or am I God? OK, probably coincidence. I sent a (fairly snotty) message to HMV a couple of weeks ago along the lines of "why is there no information about the forthcoming release from British supergroup (slight exaggeration) XTC on your site?" Lo and behold, XTC are now their Artist of the month. Rory "Is that way too much sodium?" Wilsher
------------------------------ Date: Sat, 6 May 2000 10:29:56 EDT From: RiknBkr@aol.com Subject: Re: From beginning to end Message-ID: <62.32293da.26458664@aol.com> In a message dated 5/5/00 1:55:22 PM Pacific Daylight Time, <owner-chalkhills@chalkhills.org> writes: > So tell me, Chalkhills people, what albums do you listen to in their > entirety? So you want a list then, eh: XTC -ES The Jam- Setting Sons The Who -Who's Next The Who -Quadrophenia The Police -Reggatta de Blanc Paul McCartney -Band on the Run Beach Boys - Pet Sounds Beatles - Revolver Elvis Costello - Imperial Bedroom The Jam - All Mod Cons Merrymakers - Bubblegun McCartney - Ram Posies - Dear23 The Who - Sell Out Phil C.
------------------------------ Date: Sat, 6 May 2000 14:43:31 +0100 (BST) From: Rory Wilsher <rory_wilsher@yahoo.co.uk> Subject: Confused, confusion Message-ID: <20000506134331.18608.qmail@web1506.mail.yahoo.com> D'oh! It wasn't Generation X, was it? It was X-Ray Spex! Generation X were, of course, Billy Idol's band. I hang my head in shame. Rory "Follow Him. He speaks in sentences" Wilsher
------------------------------ Date: Sat, 6 May 2000 09:58:18 -0700 (PDT) From: Tyler Hewitt <tahewitt@yahoo.com> Subject: Re: Bands Message-ID: <20000506165818.1801.qmail@web2101.mail.yahoo.com> RE: I always knew that the Poison Girls were unlikely to break into the stadium circuit, particularly as stablemates of Crass, but would recommend their album Where's the Pleasure? a huge Brechtian slab of protest and complaint, and quite stunning. --------- There's a 4-cd (small) box set of the entire works of the Poison Girls. I found it while browsing an import catalog when I worked in a record store a few years ago. Pretty good stuff, and cheap-about $35.00 U.S. for a 4-cd import. Don't know if it's still in print, but worth hunting for. Listening to a band move from abrasive punk to well crafted pop over four cd's is actually quite enjoyable. Would Young Marble Giants count as a lost band? Probably the most influential band that no one's ever heard of. Made minimalist, quiet, melodic music at a time (1980) when everybody else was being loud. -------- Yeah, that counts. Found their cd in a cutout bin a few years ago, and it's really good! Well worth the four bucks I spent on it. Cheryl asks about records I have to play in their entirety. I can think of four off the top of my head: Skylarking Joni Mitchell-Hejira The Who Sell Out Joe Jackson-Heaven & Hell Of course this dosen't include Classical, which I always listen to in complete works (no individual movements).
------------------------------ Date: Sat, 6 May 2000 10:28:37 -0700 From: "Radiosinmotion" <radiosinmotion@earthlink.net> Subject: More apples for everyone... Message-ID: <002401bfb780$b3d76d40$0200a8c0@digitalpc> After hearing Wasp Star a few times, I have to say this. WAIT! Now that I have it, I can't avoid hearing it and I would have rather waited. Not like its that big of a deal, but it would have been nice to hear it when it came out. Its hard to say, but I am willing to bet this will beat "AV1" and possibly even "Strictly Commercial" as being one of my most listened to albums I now listen to on a regular basis. I LOVE Collins song too. I love the album from beginning to end. Its classic XTC. A few tracks come to mind to comment on are Church of Woman, which Andy is doing that old voice thing he did on Complicated game. You know "Compli cayehay, cayehated..." I cant explain it, BUT I LOVE IT! This album is a masterpiece. To me its truly Black Sea meets the future of XTC. I really think this album will get our boys some mainstream success. Regardless, they will be one of our favorite artists, but I still feel we should do what we can to make it blow up. I still will request songs on the radio and hopefully the happy pop-filled tunes will put people in a trance and they will start requesting XTC rather than Stone Temple Pilots or whatever else the youngins are listening too... Were All Light... God damn this is a fucking brilliant song.
------------------------------ Date: Sat, 6 May 2000 10:22:00 -0700 (PDT) From: Tyler Hewitt <tahewitt@yahoo.com> Subject: my great lost band Message-ID: <20000506172200.14200.qmail@web2103.mail.yahoo.com> Hi as promised, here's my great lost band: Fngerprintz. An early-80's band, they put out three albums, all to ctitical acclaim and public indifference, then broke up. All three albums are really good, and all sound very different from each other. the first, The Very Dab, is kind of dark pop/post-punk with science fiction/film noir lyrics. the second, Distinguishing Marks, is power pop. It was produced by Nick Garvey of the Motors (remember them?) and is actually slicker than anything I've heard of the Motors. Very poppy, very bouncey, but with dark, paranoid lyrics and vague kinky connotations. the third, Beat Noir, is kind of funk/dance/pop/new wave. Heavy basslines, danceable, more of those paranoid/film noir lyrics. This one's my favorite of their records. Then they broke up. The main songwriter went on to form the Silencers, but comparing The Silencers to Fingerptintz is like camparing Wings to the Beatles. Where Fingerprintz were always entertaining and kept you guessing, The Silencers were just boring. Far as I know, None of the Fingerprintz records have ever been released on cd (If you know otherwise, please e-mail me). They turn up occasionally on www.gemm.com, or check your favorite used record store. I reccomend all three albums. Tyler
------------------------------ Date: Sat, 6 May 2000 13:44:38 EDT From: KINGSTUNES@aol.com Subject: Replies, replies! Message-ID: <9b.49d5de0.2645b406@aol.com> My God, what have I done! Well, anyway it looks like Dom and I stirred up some dust to choke on. I'm actully sorry that I've gotten so nitpicky about genres, but I just wanted to see a little common sense prevail. Anyway, some respnoses (NOT IN CAPS!) to 6-100: >From Ed K : >>I think you misinterpreted a few flip comments as real ignorance about the bands history. "Read Songs Stories, people!!" I think that most of us have done so, as well as the scores of articles on Chalkhills, the Twomey book, etc. You might want to re-read the posts that inspired your little lecture and check for salt grains.<< You're quite right. It just appeared to me that a lot of Chakhillers were of a younger sort, not around when they first hit. I was, so I was trying to give a first hand perspective. Not everyone is clear on the difference between punk and new wave, and it was a signifigant difference. To understand that difference is to understand XTC. But I give you all credit! As I've said before, on the whole, this is a great opinion forum. I'm just trying to help. Didn't mean to preach to the choir! >> I never thought of the hair bands (poodle bands, whatever) as power pop, just as "shitty rocker bands". Metal I always related to as more of a tendency (as in "they're sounding pretty metallic in "Rain of Blows") with the bands considered as "genre heavy metal" just occupying the heavier end of the spectrum for the majority of their material (as opposed to making use of it from time to time, which tons of bands have been known to do).<< I'm sorry, I've misused a term here. Sometimes my synapses.....Anyway, I couldn't have said this better myself. Thank you! My choice for the most metallic XTC recording - "Complicated Game". >>(though Tom may actually just have meant hardcore...)<< I did. Oops. >>As a lifelong Kinks freak, I'd have to be a liar or a fool to deny "You Really Got Me"s status as seminal precurser to what eventually became metal. It's a part of history.<< I couldn't agree more. I also see it as a prototypical punk tune, as well. There are a lot of recordings that foreshadowed metal, but were well before the purism that I feel begins with Black Sabbath. >>(Speaking of "You Really Got Me", that's what the "Stupidly Happy" riff really reminds me of, more than anything by Keith Richard, but that could just be due to the way it's so insistently repeated...)<< I understand what you're getting at. But as a guitarist, I can tell you that techinically it resembles Keith's style of open chording, rather than the 2 fingered power cords used in "You Really Got Me". I think that's what Andy meant. Finally: >>Just wondering, but exactly which "Gen X" are you referring to? There are two: there's the original, which a lot of people have re-tagged "tail end of baby boom" (born approximately between '56 and '66) and then there's false or "demographer's" Gen X (something like 68 to late 70's<< I'm a tail - ender (as opposed to a back door man? genres, genres! They'll drive you nuts!) I was born in '56. The real McCoy, as they say. My first rock concert was the 1971 Monterey Pop Fest, with Linda Ronstadt, Melvin Laird & the Fish (that's without Country Joe), John Phillips, with the Beach Boys headlining. My parents took me. Imagine how THAT felt! Chaparoned in Freakdom! You should have seen the look on my father's face when some hairy fellow offered him a joint! Thank you, Ed, for coming to the rescue! I enjoyed your posting thoroughly! And as for WesLONG's entry - I want you to know I was on the floor in howling tears of laughter! Feel free to lampoon me anytime! I obviously needed it. That was hysterical! There you go! Tom "averting my eyes, o lord" Kingston
------------------------------
Date: Sat, 6 May 2000 14:25:48 -0400 (EDT)
From: Joe Hartley <jh@brainiac.com>
Subject: Re: He's Not Heavy , He's My Metal
Message-ID: <200005061825.OAA29617@metheny.brainiac.com>
sushiman wrote:
> Bill certainly made his mark ...
Don't forget "Sharkey's Night" by Laurie Anderson, on which WSB does
vocals, and Frank Zappa's reading of "The Asshole That learned to Talk,"
a bit told by Dr Benway in "Naked Lunch." Off to the Interzone...
======================================================================
Joe Hartley - UNIX/network Consultant - jh@brainiac.com
Without deviation from the norm, "progress" is not possible. - FZappa
------------------------------
Date: Sat, 06 May 2000 13:47:09 -0500
From: chris vreeland <vreecave@realtime.com>
Subject: Sombody please wake me
Message-ID: <3914688A.1F700E6D@realtime.com>
For three nights running now, I've had the most unusual and
disturbing dream where I'm a nineteenth century French painter with
a palette and paintbrush and beret and an ill fitting black suit and
I'm painting perfectly rectangular white lines on an endless
snaking desert highway and people are yelling at me:
"You missed a spot."
-The Late, Great Kevin Gilbert.
I haven't posted in a long time, but that doesn't mean I haven't been
following the bouncing ball, and to all the most recent threads I must now
add:
Napster, Napster, bo Bapster, Banana fanna fo Fapster....Well, you get the
idea.
Okay, my dream was a little different from Kevin's, but it's proof
that I've finally been on Chalkhills LONG ENOUGH! Yes, I finally had a
damn dream about XtC.
I'd say it really falls under the heading of fantasy, because it
revolved around a live performance. Andy had finally gotten totally over
his stage fright, and the band was doing a small club tour. Of course to
add to the ridiculousness of the fantasy, I was friends with the band, and
was hanging out with them before the show. It was a small room, maybe 100
people present, max. They were touring as a three piece, just Andy, Colin
and Terry Chambers (!) on drums. No Dave. All three were very smartly
dressed in matching crimson Nehru jackets with black trim.
Terry was downing a couple of pints before they played, and was
getting pretty loose. We were sitting at a table in the club, and across
the way at the bar, an attractive Japanese woman caught Terry's eye. She
was obviously quite smitten with Mr. Chambers. I Want to F**k You Like an
Animal by Nine Inch Nails was playing on the house system, and Terry's
temptress was staring at him while mouthing the lyrics, and caressing
herself suggestively. This was obviously exciting him greatly, and I
encouraged him to make good on what appeared to be a prime opportunity,
since they still had a while to go before they were due to play. (As a
bass player, I must interject at this point; "Why does that only happen to
drummers?") The two o'clock courage was beginning to kick in, so he
agreed.He made his way to the bar, engaged her in conversation, and before
I knew it, they were out the door.
Well, starting time comes and goes without Terry. I'm of course
aghast, because this is now my fault for encouraging him, and Andy and
Colin are both visibly miffed with me for not exercising better judgment,
and want to know what, exactly, I'm going to do about finding them a
drummer. I cast about the room, and spot Jeff, the drummer from my old
band, who's quite a basher, and would make an obvious choice to fill in,
but he steadfastly refuses, saying he doesn't know any of their songs.
Now things are getting desperate. They're appreciably late, and the
crowd is starting to thin a bit. I offer at this point to try drumming
myself, with the premise that although I'm not that great of a drummer, I
do know how to play alot of Terry's parts. Andy kind of rolls his eyes,
but doesn't stop me from sitting down at the kit. I sit down on the
throne, and am instantly appalled at the terrible condition of the drum
set. The high hat stand it duct-taped to the snare drum, as it has no
legs, and the whole kit is in danger of immediate collapse. At this point,
I recall thinking how incredible it really was that Hugh Padgam was able
to get that sound out of this rinky-dink kit. I look around for the
sticks, but the only thing available to play with are two red ball-point
pens. My heart is steadily sinking, but still, I make a weak attempt at
the beat to Rocket in a Bottle, which I really can play, but it's just not
working. Andy just looks at me and silently shakes his head. In despair, I
look about the room, and now, everyone has left, and it's ALL MY FAULT!
Enter the alarm clock.
Any therapists out there willing to to take a stab at this?
Chris "Tell me about your mother" Vreeland
------------------------------ End of Chalkhills Digest #6-102 *******************************
Go back to Volume 6.
7 May 2000 / Feedback