Chalkhills Digest Volume 6, Issue 208
Date: Wednesday, 26 July 2000
Chalkhills Digest, Volume 6, Number 208
Wednesday, 26 July 2000
Topics:
Poop, poop, poop!
twenty-somthing Voormann - intoxicated Shakespeare
Sample This
New Bands
Arsenio's Here
Miniscule mention
Rap it up (somebody will buy it)
Something I discovered today....
boarded up
Marked by the Culture and Bruised by the Seventies
poopy music
Dambusters
New XTC friends, a missed opportunity, collectionism
Life will be fine if we both 69...
through the hill etc
Re: Arrogance is Bliss
Too Many Todd's In The Kitchen
grumpy old man
Administrivia:
To UNSUBSCRIBE from the Chalkhills mailing list, send a message to
<chalkhills-request@chalkhills.org> with the following command:
unsubscribe
For all other administrative issues, send a message to:
<chalkhills-request@chalkhills.org>
Please remember to send your Chalkhills postings to:
<chalkhills@chalkhills.org>
World Wide Web: <http://chalkhills.org/>
The views expressed herein are those of the individual authors.
Chalkhills is compiled with Digest 3.7b (John Relph <relph@tmbg.org>).
Think I'm going mad in this hinterland / Between young and old.
---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 25 Jul 2000 01:24:40 PDT From: "Amy Denham" <amy_denham@hotmail.com> Subject: Poop, poop, poop! Message-ID: <20000725082441.19577.qmail@hotmail.com> Debora Brown wrote: <All this jawin' about the worst song of the 70's has conjured up some lyrics from, what may be THE most wretched of all pop smears from that decade..it goes something like this- "my name is Michael(?), when we get married, we're going to have a baby or two.. we're going to let them visit their grandma, that's what we're going to do.." it may be a girl's name in place of Michael, but Michael is in some of the verses.. Either way, what is the name of this evil song, and why, oh why is it inside my head?> Oh this is wretched indeed--I had managed to forget about that song's existence, and now you've probably got it firmly cemented in my head for the next week! It's "Playground in My Mind", and I have forgotten who the hell sang (??) it. It's Michael in the first verse, and Cindy in the second. And it's bloody awful!!! Ranks right up there with "Seasons in the Sun" and "Afternoon Delight", IMHO. It came out when I was about 7 or 8, and I hated it even then!!! "My name is Michael, I've got a nickel, I've got a nickel, shiny and new. I'm going to buy me all kinds of candy, that's what I'm gonna do".........AAAAAAAARRRRGGGGHHHH! (runs screaming from the room) Amy :)
------------------------------ Date: Tue, 25 Jul 2000 11:27:31 +0200 From: Bergmaier Klaus <klaus.bergmaier@maxonline.at> Subject: twenty-somthing Voormann - intoxicated Shakespeare Message-ID: <41E0B760C85AD3119BE200E0291B6EE5057BB6@NTSRV> Dear all! At first I would like to recommend an album, which is best listened to after WS. It starts up quite similar to how TWATM ends: the double-CD "Genesis & The Opening of the Way" by Steve Coleman. Another recommendable double-CD is "The School of Understanding", a sort-of-an-opera by Michael Mantler (ECM Records 537963-2, 1997). For those of you, who need name-dropping, it features Robert Wyatt and Jack Bruce amongst others. Now playing in this office! I like Erik Schlichting's idea abouting putting together a map of Chalkhillians' locations. I think it has to be a globe rather than a map... Has anyone any idea what the great band "Trip Shakespeare" are up to these days? I liked all their albums, anyone else here? The same goes for Jellyfish. What a shame they spilt after Split Milk.-): Beatles: years ago it was forbidden to even mention them here! Chalkillians always wrote B*****s, when they had to re(e)fer to them. Fortunately that's over now. I absolutely love Magical Mystery Tour as an album, although it was not intended as one. But IMHO they really peaked with their "last" album Abbey Road, although I'm not sure about "Oh Darling" and "Maxwell's Silver Hammer"- sometimes I hate these two songs. But "I Want You", "Because", "Something", "You Never Give Me Your Money" and the medleys are true masterpieces. I also love Rubber Soul. It has a special personal meanig to me. When I was six years old, my parents bought our first record player (1977). My brother borrowed Rubber Soul from a neighbour, who is now percussionist living in Brazil. We are still in an Austrian smalltown. Anyway, my brother (who was 15 in these days) put on Rubber Soul, while I was watching from a safe distance. It was the first time I ever heard real music. The guitar intro of Drive My Car still sends the same shivers down my spine. The very moment I heard this music, I knew that things would never be the same for me again. I wanted to make music too. I started to learn guitar and keyboards. You can hear some of the 1994 results of this on West Beatown (samples from Big Apple's album "Strange Kind of Ecstasy"). BTW, as you can easily calculate: I am still a twenty-something (I became 29 on July 21st). To all you Todds on the list (I like Rundgren pretty much): there are not many Klaus' in the international music business. One German singer called Klaus Lage came to fame in the 80s. And there is Klaus Voormann, bassplayer for Manfred Mann in the 60s and for John, George and Ringo in the 70s, producer of German New Wave band Trio and designer of the Beatles' Revolver and Anthology covers. I am rarely intoxicated. I once tried to listen to Magical Mystery Tour with headphones while being a bit stoned. I didn't really work. I didn't hear much, everything was drifting away from me (far to the left and the right due to the spatial mix). I never listened to XTC while being on something. Free As A Bird, Real Love: pretty good tunes. Didn't you realize, that Paul was so impressed of Jeff Lynne's production skills, that he even got him into producing some songs on his "Flaming Pie" album, which was released in 1997 and is an underrated gem. A friend and me discussed the two Threetles songs heavily. OK, the snare is loud, but listen to Stupidly Happy! I'm sure that "Grow Old With Me" was the third "new" song, intended for inclusion on Anthology 3, but it ended up on The Lennon Anthology - it has strings arranged by George Martin! I didn't put Jethro Tull on my "once great, now suck"-list, because they don't belong there. i must admit I haven't listened to their latest "j-tull.com" but its predecessor "Roots to Branches" from 1996 is one of their all-time-greatest releases. When will the new XTC-album be out? I hope they don't make us wait for another 7 years. And I also hope, that there will be interesting stuff on the box set! The best pseudonym of the Dukes is E.I.E.I. Owen. I am glad to see, that he is now speaking to us via www.guitargonauts.com Best wishes from Austria to you all Klaus Bergmaier
------------------------------ Date: Tue, 25 Jul 2000 11:54:29 +0200 From: "Mark R. Strijbos" <mast@coss.nl> Subject: Sample This Message-ID: <200007251005.e6PA57928223@mail.coss.nl> Dear Chalkers, > And where did Andy get those sounds for "River of Orchids" anyways? > Did he sample them off one of his old records? Buy them on a sample > disc? Unless he sat and recorded a string section and a bassoon > playing those exact riffs, he is no different from a rap producer > in that regard guess what? that's exactly what they did: they all sat down in Abbey Road Studios and recorded all them orchestral sounds and riffs using real, live and smelly musicians. Cor blimey, what'll they think of next, eh? AFAIK the orchestral sounds on the home demo version are taken from his EMU Proteus 2 sound module that has a large set of these sampled sounds on board. Speaking about Andy's gear: can anyone who has visited The Shed please confirm that he also has a Roland Octapad II midi drum pad? think i spotted it on a picture but would like to know for sure yours in xtc, Mark Strijbos @ The Little Lighthouse http://come.to/xtc
------------------------------ Date: Tue, 25 Jul 2000 08:26:13 EDT From: Fycruse@aol.com Subject: New Bands Message-ID: <4e.8c2ccc7.26aee165@aol.com> Has anyone heard "Papersnow"? Andy Partridge and Chris Franz and Jerry Harrison and Tina Weymouth and T. "Blast" Murray) garagebands.com (a Jerry Harrison startup) is a fine concept. I liked "Vibrant Green".
------------------------------ Date: Tue, 25 Jul 2000 05:03:19 -0700 (PDT) From: Al LaCarte <allacarte@yahoo.com> Subject: Arsenio's Here Message-ID: <20000725120319.25621.qmail@web1607.mail.yahoo.com> All: >Still he is listening to Twenties Jazz and Renaissance music. How awfully clever of him.< I don't care if he "plays the new Madonna where she rips a fart / and then stand around talkin' about why it's art." Andy is unique, and whatever he is doing, he is doing it right. From "Drums and Wires" to "Wasp Star" (some may argue from "Science Friction"!) Xtc have always delivered exceptional records. I know of no other artists in contemporary music that have ever had such a consistent streak. Al
------------------------------ Date: Tue, 25 Jul 2000 08:34:06 -0500 From: "Richard" <rjpa1@home.com> Subject: Miniscule mention Message-ID: <001d01bff63d$014b1900$15ec1718@mckiny1.tx.home.com> Currently reading "A Century of Pop" by Hugh Gregory (1998 a cappella books)... One of the later sections (two pages devoted to each "genre") covers "Brit Pop" with a miniscule mention of the fab two and I quote... "By the late 1980s and early 1990s, groups such as Blur, Radiohead, Pulp, Manic Street Preachers and The Verve were beginning to show their colours. With the upsurge of interest in guitar-led bands, A&R men from the major labels started checking out small gigs in out of the way areas in the hope that they might sign up the putative next Beatles. For the melodic lyricism of The Beatles, the quirky observation of the Kinks' Ray Davies, the provocative attitude of Paul Weller, formerly of The Jam, and the anthemic Folk Rock of XTC were the desirable traits everyone was looking for." Beatles, Kinks, Weller... good company in the benchmark reference but if they are that influential, I would have expected the author to give them a sentence or two, at least. Cheers, Richard
------------------------------ Date: Tue, 25 Jul 2000 10:26:01 -0400 From: "Martin, Alan" <Alan.Martin@ncxix.hcg.eds.com> Subject: Rap it up (somebody will buy it) Message-ID: <B812DC6BF121D411B3FE00508B0B94222E8B53@chowan.ncxix.hcg.eds.com> Recently, several posts have been made concerning "Rap Music" and its place in the musical universe. I personally don't mind "Rap Music" if it is executed in a way that is new or musically different, But this is where "Rap" often falls short. The main problem I have with "Rap" is it's lack of creativity in the mainstream. I can hear the flame-throwers firing up. But consider the following: Image & Style: It's the same old thing over and over. Several guys in football or baseball team emblazoned jackets and caps jamming their face into the camera. The obligatory "hands slapping the chest" signature move. The same old throwing of the hand toward the camera to emphasize some phrase or social ideal that has been stated a zillion times before. The same old riding around in a nice car, late at night with sunglasses on. All this without a smile or a minute of "fun" as that would be "uncool". Half naked girls hanging off of them like mindless robots lost in admiration for "their man". (actually, I don't mind the half naked girls part near as much). Try this: Catch one of the many "Rap" hour shows on MTV and simply count the number of times you witness any/all of the above take place. It's the exact same thing over and over and over just different faces. It is all COMPLETELY UN-ORIGINAL. They are all so busy thinking they are "different" that they are all much the same. Lyric & Melody: Lately, sampling does seem to be the trend. Creativity can come from the combination of what has come before granted. But, isn't real musical creativity when you get something completely new that suggests a previous style or usage without having to blatantly re-record it? As for melody, very few "Rap songs" have a melody as such and if they do, they are mundane at best. Mostly, it consists of the subsets of cleverly combined phrases set to repetitive rhythm... but, so does modern Country music. "We're two of a kind, working on a full house" is a damn clever lyric, but does it say anything profound or original? No. The idea that "Rap" lyrics say something important socially is a nice thought in theory, but in practice, they usually make a point that has already been made a thousand times before. AND, NO it doesn't make ANYONE more socially conscious just to point out that someone is being abused as a race or gender or economic status or what have you. That is important yes, but original or creative? No. When was the last time you heard a "Rap" lyric and thought, "Wow, I've never thought about *blah* in that way" or "Man, that idea really moves me personally". More often than not, the lyric talks about "What" but not "Why" or offers a superficial explanation at best. Name one "Rap" lyric that has as much thoughtful scope in a simple statement as "In this new Dark Age, We're all light". Or the brilliant execution of the counterpoint of social degradation vs. the simple beauty of love in "You and the Clouds". I get more mental and emotional stimulation out of the statement "Raising the living" in "Church of Women" then I have ever gotten from any "Rap" lyric. Go ahead, flame away. I haven't stated anything that you couldn't find proof for yourself given a little time and a sample of mainstream "Rap" recordings. But keep in mind I am referring to "Mainstream Rap" records not "Rap" as a whole or idea.
------------------------------ Date: Tue, 25 Jul 2000 07:44:44 -0700 (PDT) From: Jon Rosenberger <wile1coyote@yahoo.com> Subject: Something I discovered today.... Message-ID: <20000725144444.22390.qmail@web114.yahoomail.com> Boss is out of town at a meeting.... Lets see what I can find in the dark corners of the Chalkhills site.... From the English Settlement Tourbook. Hmmmm... A Q&A with the boys... These are Andy' responses Favourite modes of transport Pushbike - when the roads are traffic free. Trains - I prefer steam trains but electric ones will do at a pinch, it's just so smoooooooth on a train! Feet - I enjoy ambling, window shopping and walking in snow (hope that bit didn't sound too Helen Shapiro)! Horses - but no one will allow me near them. Why I play the instrument I do It started as a Tennis Racket in front of the mirror along with the Monkees records. My father always had a cheap guitar hidden behind the sofa. Seemed like a great girl impressor at the age of 14. Stole my first electric from my youth club got quite good on it then I sneaked in and put it back. It's an easy instrument if you're considering learning. Favourite T.V. programmes Horizon, The Great War, Top of the Pops, Stingray, The Appleyards, Doctor Who, Documentaries in general, Open University, I Claudius and Mickey the Martian. Me and food (favourite) Stinking curries. All vegetarian stuff. Nuts. Loads of rice. Home-made bread. Sweet and Sour Sauce. Thin soups. I dislike violent coloured vegetables. Soy Sauce. Pineapple. Unstinky cheese. I've just rediscovered eggs. Hate snob food. My house is . . . Damp, rent free, has an empty room with just a record player in it, has a real fire, thousands of books, is little, in bad disrepair, full of love, a cat, a rabbit, loads of toys (mine), occaisonally has mice, is bright, not ideal but what the hell. Historical figures I'd like to meet John Lennon - 'Are you upset'? H.G. Wells - 'Where d'ya get your ideas'? Christ - 'Who's your dad'? Hitler - 'So, what if you'd won'? An ancient Briton - 'What's on your mind'? An inhabitant of Mu - 'You shouldn't exist'! What I'd be doing if I wasn't doing this (XTC) Painting (living as an Artisan). Poster work. Cartoonist. Inventor. Writing books. Staying in bed even more. 5 favourite places Being in bed (at an odd angle). The town of Bath, England - nicest place in the world. New York - most exciting, when you need grossness New York can supply it all. Amsterdam - friendly, cosy, bready, cakey and chocky. The seaside - anywhere that has the basic ingredients, i.e., rock, sand, chips, sea, beer, pier and guest houses. 5 best smells Rain on dry concrete. Opening a packet of tea. Wood shavings. Sea air. Bread baking. What animal can I be compared to A Chimpanzee (good fun, an all-round mammal that enjoys scratching and has thick lips). 5 favourite sounding names HOLLY - VOLTAIRE - VICTORIA - CASSIOPEIA - WILLIAM. Favourite shop A shop in Bath, a tiny place which sells old toys and toy soldiers (which I can get passionate aboute). Sadly, they are too highly priced as the owner sees them as money and not solid charm. My time of the year Has to be Christmas because I love the snow, wrapping presents, decorating the tree, being warm, in fact all these corny things and more. Favourite "Square" Possibly Frankie Howard, maybe Flanders and Swan. Best magazines All the sunday colour supplements, the Eagle, tasteful porn magazines, Military Modelling and catalogues. In 1999 I will be 46 years old. Hope you enjoyed this as much as I did... Check out chalkhills for other gems of insight into XTC. Cheers themolefromtheministry
------------------------------ Date: Tue, 25 Jul 2000 10:40:56 EDT From: OMBEAN1@aol.com Subject: boarded up Message-ID: <73.5663b29.26af00f8@aol.com> Goot eefning-- PST... it had to be PST, but there was a philly station that, in the early 80's had a similar incident. I dunno, was it WCAU? Well, anyways I guess the DJ went a little crazy and decided to play "Valley Girl" for hours. I heard that he had locked the doors and sort of barrackaded himself in so no one could get into the room to force the record off. He ended up having to go on "vacation". That DJ was Michael Tearson from WMMR. They had taken away his show called "Guerilla Theatre" in which he played all the new punk & new wave songs. That was his protest. He wasnt fired and in fact he later had a show called "Import ,Export" in which he played the same music. And now you know the rest............of the story. Gooood day? Roger
------------------------------ Date: Tue, 25 Jul 2000 10:50:45 -0400 From: "Walker, Keith (Imprimis)" <keith.walker-eds@eds.com> Subject: Marked by the Culture and Bruised by the Seventies Message-ID: <4803DF85761ED211AE9000A02461EBEE087519EA@USPLM202> Hey, Deb'! That song you're trying to remember is called "Playground in my Mind" and is obviously the high-quality song to which Andy is obliquely referring to on the opener to WS. I'm not sure who did it, but the voice I remember was chillingly close to the guy who "Run, Joey, Run" and "Young Girl". And, as long as we're on this thread, has anyone mentioned "Chevy Van" by (I think) Jimmy Samms? Granted, the song made for some great post-adolescent fantasies, but, otherwise, I kinda' wish he'd driven that van right off of a cliff. . . . Keith "And oh, yeah, anything by Hoyt Axton" Walker
------------------------------ Date: Tue, 25 Jul 2000 08:27:59 -0700 (PDT) From: Tyler Hewitt <tahewitt@yahoo.com> Subject: poopy music Message-ID: <20000725152759.18298.qmail@web2103.mail.yahoo.com> Re: THE most wretched of all pop smears from that decade.. it goes something like this- "my name is Michael(?), when we get married, we're going to have a baby or two.. we're going to let them visit their grandma, that's what we're going to do.." it may be a girl's name in place of Michael, but Michael is in some of the verses.. Either way, what is the name of this evil song, and why, oh why is it inside my head? *------------------------------------ this is the verse that gets stuck in my head: "My name is Michael, I've got a nickel, I've got a nickel shiny and new, I'm gonna guy me a lot of candy, that's what I'm gonna do" The name of that horrid little turd of a song is 'Playground in my Mind'. I can't remember the name of the guy who did it, but he resurfaced years later as the the sidekick/co-host on Joan River's short-lived mid '80's talk show. I only know this because I was watching it once when they alluded to this song and showed an old photo of the guy. As to why it's inside your head, I can only surmise that you are being punished for something. And now you've punished me by making me think of it. thanks a lot, Tyler
------------------------------ Date: Wed, 26 Jul 2000 00:06:30 +0800 From: "Simon Deane/Gina Chong" <ginsim@netvigator.com> Subject: Dambusters Message-ID: <002401bff652$4e57eec0$7a51fea9@ginsim.netvigator.com> Martin Clinton said that the first record he owned was "Great War Movie Themes". My God! Me too! (I particularly wanted it for Lawrence of Arabia and The Great Escape - the only "clunker" on it from memory was Is Paris Burning?) Is this something that any other subscribers to this list have in common - I mean, can anyone else trace their XTC obsession back to Geoff Love's mastery of film music? If you're looking for something suitable to complement that Kevin Gilbert album you've decided to buy on recommendations from other subscribers, you couldn't do much worse than Big War Movie Themes! One point I forgot to mention in my recent post is that in my considered opinion the guitar solo on Church of Women is "magisterial" i.e. farking excellent, and do I detect any influence from that equally acceptable solo on That Wave? Probably not. CDs for that Desert Island: Sketches of Spain/Miles Davis Apple Venus(vols.1+2)/XTC Thud/Kevin Gilbert Violin Sonatas/Bach The Indestructible Beat of Soweto (vols. 1+2)/Various Thanks. Simon Deane
------------------------------ Date: Tue, 25 Jul 2000 18:02:53 +0200 From: "Giovanni Giusti" <g.giusti@tvfiles.com> Subject: New XTC friends, a missed opportunity, collectionism Message-ID: <a80de5c2.e5c2a80d@tvfiles.com> Hello Folx, it's me again. I've been unable to read for a while, mainly because my copy of WS was lost in the dreadful Italian mail system, and I couldn't sit here reading raving reviews without knowing what all of you were talking about. So, WS rocks! Beats AV1 100 to 1. End of issue for me. 1) New XTC friends Lately, I keep meeting people who surprisingly reveal themselves as XTC fans. Is that a sign? In about one week, I've met two (two!) people who, upon conversation about music, revealed that they have *all* XTC records and love them!! I mean, hey, I hardly met anyone in the past who *knew* XTC at all. 2) A sorely missed opportunity A friend of mine works for the main Italian web portal. Some time ago, some days after AP + CM were in Rome, Italy for their promotional tour, I spoke to her and casually mentioned that. She said: "Oh, yes, XTC, I met them the other day for a filmed interview, then we went to lunch together - they're really fun people. Why, you're a fan? You should have told me, I'd have brought you along!" Imagine the length and volume of my "AAAAaargghhhhhh!!!!!" Yesterday, by the way, one of the XTC friends I got to know (see above) revealed himself as the author of that video interview, that you can find on the Kataweb music site (this is probably old news, however). 3) Collectionism Having gotten a raise recently, I have decided to indulge in my vice and become a (non-rabid) collector of XTC 7" singles. So, if you have any to sell, let me know at <giovanni@delizia.com>. Kiss her kiss her, Giovanni
------------------------------ Date: Tue, 25 Jul 2000 14:20:31 EDT From: "Kevin Diamond" <kev_boy@hotmail.com> Subject: Life will be fine if we both 69... Message-ID: <LAW-F214kidcDjoYAPN0000053c@hotmail.com> Jim - I agree completely with everything you said in your post. You put it brilliantly. Bravo. I don't own any rap, and I never bought any for the very reason that you just argued against. But a couple of weeks ago, I saw an episode of Turn Ben Stein On where he interviewed Chuck D, and I realized that the Rap movement was, at least at first, a very valid and interesting movement. And, like all music, there are rap performers who are crap, and that's usually what we tend to see. But I usually tend to see Pop performers that are crap, and that hasn't detered me to find some great pop/indie/rock music in the ninties. So basically, what I'm trying to say is : "word" Dave writes: >I've read a lot recently in the press and music press about the album 69 >Love Songs by Magnetic Fields (songs written by Stephin Merritt). Everyone >seems to rave about it and say how well written the songs are. I'm very >curious, but nobody that I know has even heard of him let alone bought the >album. Has anyone on the list heard it or got it and if so, would they >recommend it or is it over-rated? You can get it for about |14 on Jungle >but tho' that's good for a tri-loe alnbum, I don't know whether to risk >buyibg it blind. I bought it as my first Stephen Merrit purchase, and I most say, it's got some great songs on it, but it does seem a tad long. I mean, obviously, he wrote some of the songs simply so that the collection would add up to 69 songs. I'd like to see an alternative release wherein he chooses the songs off it that are his favorites and fits them onto one disc, and see how that turns out. But personally, I've been enjoying the Future Bible Heroes album Memories of Love a lot more then I did 69 Love Songs. Kevin "Let's pretend we're bunny rabbits" Diamond www.mp3.com/bass-cleff www.mp3.com/frenchelectric
------------------------------ Date: Tue, 25 Jul 2000 18:48:26 +0100 From: "chris browning" <chris@boodle.fsnet.co.uk> Subject: through the hill etc Message-ID: <000201bff666$5bcb2400$2007883e@pbncomputer> hello you just a quick question - today in local record emporium i saw the andy/harold budd "through the hill" album on limited edition vinyl (i think it was a run of 1500 but i *could* be wrong) for only a fiver - is it worth it? if any of you in chalkhills land would like me to get it for you, please drop me a line and i shall see what i can do... cheers crispy
------------------------------ Date: Tue, 25 Jul 2000 20:45:06 +0200 From: "Mark Strijbos" <mmello@knoware.nl> Subject: Re: Arrogance is Bliss Message-ID: <20000725183929.F0570A6CEF@mail.knoware.nl> Dear Chalkers, > quoted as saying that he doesnt listen to anyone else's music > anymore. Dont know if it is true but if it is then im afraid it's the > most arrogant, ignorant and pompous thing to say. What do you others > think? << > Didn't read it, but suspect it's got less to do with being pompous and > more to do with the fact that when music is a profession, you feel a > lot less like listening to it as a hobby. yes, i see that a lot too but i also think that A. isn't being exacly 100% honest. maybe he doesn't want to be dragged into comparisons or a slagging match? but sometimes he does let on and say stuff like "somebody recently introduced me to of". from what i've gathered, he doesn't listen to a lot of *contemporary* music but likes medieval song and 1920's syncopated jazz instead And let's not forget that a written interview is at best no more than a sketchy heavily condensed version of a one-way conversation. yours in xtc, Mark S. @ the Little Lighthouse www.come.to/xtc
------------------------------ Date: 25 Jul 00 14:35:54 CDT From: C C Baxter <cutterccbaxter@netscape.net> Subject: Too Many Todd's In The Kitchen Message-ID: <20000725193554.26275.qmail@www0p.netaddress.usa.net> Todd aka Todd, I was trying to use irrational reasoning to defend Todd, and you had to bring up up his music. Is that a very Todd thing to do? I enjoyed reading your argument mainly because I agree with what you stated. Besides you Todd-upped me with your Ohio Todd heritage. However, I think Todd's batting average should be raised a wee bit. Todd
------------------------------ Date: Tue, 25 Jul 2000 21:33:08 GMT From: "Ralph Simpson DeMarco" <sawpit@hotmail.com> Subject: grumpy old man Message-ID: <LAW-F41Y3J7ck8RTfOw0000767a@hotmail.com> Dear Affiliated Members: OK. Grumpy old man of 34 admits that I have been guilty of gross generalizations regarding post-gen x ers.. Megan Heller commented : >nothing against 20-somethings... what have they got? the slacker stuff? >grunge? nirvana, etc.? "rave" culture? techno and dance culture remains >to be interesting ...they're all so seemingly well-adjusted to all genres >and attitudes available to them... Nirvana is not a twenty-something band anymore, because Kurt Cobain was born in 1967. Kurt and others around my age are the so-called gen x ers. Grunge was a reaction to the eighties pop music being forced on us through MTV and commercial radio. Guitar bands like Dire Straits, and Van Halen (just examples) were suddenly using keyboard synthesizers as thier primary sound. New Wave had started out as an exciting force in music, only to become a parody of itself. Grunge was a reaction against this sound. A return to post-punk roots. That's when slam-dancing became popular: what could be more of a reaction to robotic eighties dancing than the chaos of that? We loved DJ culture back then. Moby used to spin at a club I went to and he would play anything to get people to dance. One one night you could see a cool band, and the next, you could dance your feet off. We liked it all. I don't know if it's still the same because when I hear a DJ now, they all play a certain type of music - they don't mix up decades and styles like I used to hear all the time. Regarding Rap Jim Allen wrote: <Or what about "I'd Like That"? As far as I'm concerned, Andy sampled Paul McCartney on that one or at least channeled him, ala Shirley Mclaine. It's an easy thing to do---"Hmmmm, I wanna write a song like Andy. Let's see, some arpeggio's, a few diminished chords here and there, a syncopated rhythm, key change to middle 8 etc." No different to me. People have been stealing like professional safe crackers in rock music for 45 years, why the outcry about rap? Jim, if it's so easy to write a great pop song, why do I hear so many bad ones? How could you think that writing a song like XTC is the same as sampling James Brown, embellishing it, and then taking credit for writing a song. Song writing (and art that stands the test of time) is usually the result of natural talent at hard work. If it comes too easy, it's probably not very good. The outcry about rap is that it blurs the lines between 'influence' and 'stealing'. In the beginning, I remember, the rapper was a DJ. He had to earn his stripes scratchin' and groovin'. It was about dancing and expressing yourself! It was never about song writing. Rap was about freely expressing yourself on the street or at parties. It wasn't until the record industry realized it could sell records (hello, remember money?) that it created nothing out of something that already existed (see Walk This Way by Run DMC). Yes, I realize that the British Invasion did the same thing, but they actually were more true to the roots of rock that American kids. Once the Beatles and the Stones, for example, started writing their own songs, they developed their own style of songwriting (Stones being a bit more obvious r&b). I want bands that write songs! I'm sorry, but your ambient, trip-hop, or whatever you call it, has its place, but you cannot tell me that even writing a good, simple children's song is easy, because being a song writer myself for almost twenty years, I can tell you that it's not. Perhaps you think, because some singer-songwriters makes it sound easy, you think that the process in getting there was easy. Big mistake. PS Good example of funky bands that are really good - Spearhead. Check out the CD "Home". Grooves up the yin-yang, actuall instrument playing, great lyrics/raps/melodies. Ralph
------------------------------ End of Chalkhills Digest #6-208 *******************************
Go back to Volume 6.
27 July 2000 / Feedback