Chalkhills Digest Volume 6, Issue 266
Date: Monday, 11 September 2000
Chalkhills Digest, Volume 6, Number 266
Monday, 11 September 2000
Topics:
miscellaneous-y etcetera, and so on
Nearly Forgotten Variety of Sad
Andy interview in Line 6 mag
Mummer's the word
Roxy PG, Adrian Belew and a cast of thousands!
Shitty Mick Jones
ebay
F@#$%&! EMAIL
sad songs
Happy/Sad
Saddest Song
thank god i'm a nutsack!
nylon strings
It's in German
Re: Whats an anklung?
"A Steal"-y Dan
The Return of the King - And quite Troubled he is....
more on the UCB
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How bright are the fires of thought.
---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 10 Sep 2000 11:56:37 -0500 From: Jill Oleson <Jill_Oleson@kurion.com> Subject: miscellaneous-y etcetera, and so on Message-ID: <81CC73FC2FACD311A2D200508B8B88AA1C919C@KURION_EXCH> Oh Chalkers... I believe that I am feeling *quite* miscellaneous tonight. My mind is filled with a cacophony my ears still hear and my flesh full of vim and etcetera. Oh, let the rant begin. Let's embrace it, let it meander, and dare not stand in its way. Having just returned from seeing/hearing California Guitar Trio play with bassist Tony Levin and percussionist Jarrod Kaplan, my arteries are still pumping in 11/8 time, down from 17/8, I'm sure. Did you know that despite their name, not a single member of that band is from California? What's up with that? It's like the band Texas being from Scotland. We went to the early show and nodded full-bodied to the fusion of five people who played the same type of instruments we have at home, including an African djembe and tiny bells, yet the sounds were somehow different than those we've surprised our pizza delivery guy with. "No, sir, sorry, we did not hear your ringing, but if the pizza is still warm, we'll take it. Tell the neigh-bots we're sorry about the noise... and thanks!" Joe Funk was there wearing his greenish Chalkhills hat. But Where-0-Where was Chris Vreeland? Still waxing rhapsodic about that Gabriel show in the Eighties? I was there too and felt the lightning that can happen when an artist offers the power to the audience and they feel his trust and they return it with love and adoration. Very unlike the shows I would see later where the audience stole the power from the artist with spit, broken bottles, and stage dives that made the most sensitive souls refuse to tour any longer. What hath we wrought, my fellow music lovers, what hath we wrought? The venue for tonight's treat was a little room I have written about before -- the Cactus Cafe at the University of Texas at Austin. Oh, how the really good musicians love this venue! Only about three times the size of my living room, with a two-foot-tall stage on one end and a ten-foot-long bar on the other, this sweet spot in the center of town is Austin's super secret. Shhhh.... don't tell anyone, okay? We wouldn't want just anyone to part the red velvet curtains and stroll in. My favorite shows in recent years have all been in this little room -- Robyn Hitchcock, as I wrote about a few months ago, King Crimson, and tonight's CGT being just a few names to be dropped for your reading pleasure. If I were a hung-up spudboy with a fear of large venues, I would stick my big toe in this wood-paneled, smoke-free love nest as if testing the shorewaters of a far-away sea. I would learn of my welcome back into the fold, and I would cling to my renewed elation like a tightrope. But I suppose, however, that in the end, this is neither here, nor there. 'Tis time tonight make a recommendation to you, my friends, for other music you might enjoy. A Dallas band named Chomsky, named after, you guessed it, *that* Chomsky. Their bass player, James Driscoll, is a fellow Chalker who--believe it or not--is too shy to post frequently to our little group. Frankly, that may say much more about us than it says about him. James, whom I met during Austin's South By Southwest Film, Music and Multimedia Festival, describes his band as being XTC influenced. After playing the hell out of their CD for months now, I must concur, even though they quite clearly have their own definitive sound. Actually, a lot of the people I meet who play in Texas bands describe their music as being XTC influenced. I always find that fascinating. XTC toured through our GREAT state a couple of times in the Eighties (I have written about my experience at their early concerts before...), yet most of these musicians are far too young to have attended any of the shows. A testament to a little- understood legacy engendered by AP CM DG BA & TC. I'm not a musician, so XTC hasn't influenced my music, but man, oh man, they have influenced my life. That's what being LUCKY CALLER NUMBER TEN can do for a girl. Turned me into a painter, it did. And perhaps a writer too. You movie- making Chalkers, whom I met at the SXSW Film and Music Festival (http://www.sxsw.com), will be proud to learn that after our discussions over Tex-Mex and margaritas that night, I did, indeed, decide to start writing a book. I took your general advice to not write a screen play and go straight for the novel approach--an irreproachable idea I could not refuse -- not after seeing that severed horse head in my dreams... But I digress... I meant to say: http://www.chomsky.com And now, having gotten that out of the way: They were selling five different kinds of CDs at the California Guitar Trio's gig tonight. Three were CGT's, including what they called a "bootleg" of one of their previous shows (Question: Can a group really "bootleg" their own material? I mean if the group is recording it and selling it, how can it be a bootleg?), plus one of Tony Levin's, and one of Michael Mandrell's, who opened the show. Oh, and t-shirts, the ubiquitous t-shirts. I asked who benefited from the sales of this merchandise at the show. The answer, thankfully, was that 100% of the money was going to the artists. Cool. I'll take at least one of everything. I *want* the artists to make money off of me. I turn my wallet over for those who have brought me such happiness along with my musical education. During the show, because--of course--they want to make sales, they stopped playing music long enough to talk about the sale booth in the hall by the front door and what you could buy tonight and what you could buy later, when you got your next paycheck and your wallet was reloaded after they emptied it for you indirectly with their immense talent. They each also mentioned their Web sites: http://www.cgtrio.com http://www.papabear.com http://www.omnivine.com/people/jarrod/ http://www.songs.com/mandrell I had mixed feelings about their "interrupting this show to bring you a commercial announcement," but overall, I felt MORE POWER TO THEM. YES, TAKE MY MONEY... you deserve it. And I want to prove to you how grateful I am for the profusion of joy I am feeling pour through every pore. You know, the record companies made a huge mistake: They never bothered to build up customer loyalty. They never promoted the names of their companies so you would be tempted to buy their entire line of products... they only promoted the music they thought they could make the most bucks from. Now that musicians are taking sales into their own hands, we customers feel no loyalty to the music companies at all and certainly no sympathy for those who promoted cashflow instead of promoting talent. They shall suffer a slow, cruel death for their deeds, I believe. And Napster is only a small part of that picture. I raise a pint in toast of such changes. After the show, the musicians stood in the hall and met with their fans. Even the Great Stick God Tony Levin signed autographs along with the lesser-known mortals. And you know what? They enjoyed it. They all clearly enjoyed it. It was a relaxed, friendly atmosphere that felt like a party with your very best pals. And EVERYBODY wanted to buy a CD to have it autographed then and there before the thrill of the evening became a distant memory. There's a lesson in here for someone, I think. Oh, dear. I have pulled a Dunks (or perhaps a Harrison) with the personally unprecedented length of this post. All apologies. But, hey, I nonetheless succeeded at staying on topic for the most part. And I am ever so proud of that--even if said topic was not overtly discernable to the naked eye. One last thing. On the way home from the show, I saw a dyslexic fan license plate on the car in front of us: It said "XCT." Now what do you think to that? Cheers! Jill Oleson Austin, Texas
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 10 Sep 2000 11:27:20 -0500
From: chris vreeland <vreecave@realtime.com>
Subject: Nearly Forgotten Variety of Sad
Message-ID: <39BBB65E.7D48ACDF@realtime.com>
Dearly Disappointed,
Oops, in my haste to post my sad song list I forgot one of the most
important sub-categories of sad songs there is.
Soundtrack for Nightmare Descent Into Booze, Drugs and Madness:
Most definite winner here:
Aladdin Sane, David Bowie.
Chris "my nightmare descent was really kind of fun" Vreeland
------------------------------ Date: Sun, 10 Sep 2000 11:49:53 -0700 (PDT) From: r leighton <onlymortal@yahoo.com> Subject: Andy interview in Line 6 mag Message-ID: <20000910184953.15571.qmail@web5302.mail.yahoo.com> I work in a music store and we recieved the autumn edition of Line 6 magazine and who's on the cover? You guessed Colin and Andy. The magazine talks with Andy about the new album and of course the use of the Line 6 POD. I have scanned the pics and article and If anyone would like to read it e-mail me privately and I will be happy to send it on.
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 10 Sep 2000 15:01:55 EDT
From: KINGSTUNES@aol.com
Subject: Mummer's the word
Message-ID: <8.a0ec8f0.26ed34a3@aol.com>
>Thanks for coming out in support of Mummer's B-sides, Sylvan... Though
>you're WRONG, WRONG, WRONG about Jump being, "merely quite good." Jump >is
as catchy as a cold
Here's my two cents on the inclusion of bonus tracks. A record like Mummer
was released primarily as a vinyl format. For anyone who was a collector in
those "dark days" you purchased what was presented as a final product. While
it is great that the other material released at the same time can be included
on the CD reissue, it makes so much more sense to include that material as an
addendum at the end. XTC is the only group I've seen it done this way, with
the stuff jammed into the middle of the original running order. It disrupts
the album as it was intended, and gives newer listeners a distorted picture.
It's like taking Sgt. Peppers, for example, and sticking Only A Northern
Song, You Know My Name (Look Up The Number), The Inner Light and Alltogether
Now right smack in the middle. What lame ass "shirt" at Virgin decided this?
(And please don't tell me Andy and Colin had a say in it!)
As for Jump, I agree, it really is an underrated song. The musical interplay
and buildup in the verses is really clever and catchy. Sucks me in. I don't
care for the start of the chorus too much, though - 'Jump, jump, go ahead and
jump, jump' - S'ok, but a little stiff to me, like Great Fire. I'll probably
get flack for this, but I don't get why folks like Great Fire so much. Maybe
because it's the closest thing to catchy on the album. The middle really
bogs down on that 'Wait, Mr. Fireman" bit. I tend to skip it when I listen
to Mummer. Awkward song, IMO.
Don't get me wrong, I love Mummer. But I do think it's one of the least
accessible albums they've done. I could see why Virgin gave them a hard
time. I love Human Alchemy, (reggae meets Gregorian chant - Andy, you
devil!), but that could scare off a first time listener. But there are some
gems - Ladybird, of course, Farmboy's Wages, Beating of Hearts, and I don't
know about anyone but I think that In Loving Memory of a Name is wonderful!
Especially the break at the end with the drum fill into the coda. I know the
boys don't care for it (ILMOAN) too much, and it gets weak press, but it's
one of my closet XTC favorites. Jump could easily have made the record,
maybe in place of Wonderland or something. But all that Homo Safari noodling
should have been placed at the end of the CD.
*************************************
More sad songs (Wah, ha ha!)
Child's Song - How could I foget this one? This coming of age and leaving
home masterpiece, by Murray McLaughlin, gets me every time. The best known
cover is by Tom Rush, and is quite moving in a detatched way. But I have a
place in my heart for the David Bromberg version on Reckless Abandon,
syrupy strings 'n all.
"Mother, give your love back to your husband
Father, you have taught me well. Goddbye."
(Sniff.)
If I Were Brave - Shawn Colvin. My life's story.
"All the happy couples on their way to New Orleans
Reminding me of when we got along
They're only renting time and space to fill up with their dreams
And dreams are what they'll have when they have gone.
How could it be that I was born without a clue to carry on
And still it is the same now that I'm older
Armed with just a will and then this love for singing songs.
And minding less and less if I am colder
But I have this funny ache and it's burning in my chest
And it spreads just like a fire inside my body
Is it something God left out in my spirit or my flesh
Would I be saved if I were brave and had a baby
It was never clear what would come next
but that's the risk and that's the test
And you were the only one so far to follow
And no one talks about when one might need to stop and rest
Or how long you sit alone
Before you stop looking back
It's like you're waiting for Godot
And then you pick your sorry ass up off the street and go
And what the hell is this? Who made this bloody mess?
But someone always answers like a martyr
Is it something you should know? Did you never do your best?
Would you be saved if you were brave and just tried harder?
So now I ride the aught one thirtyfive to New Orleans
I float a mile above life's toil and trouble
A thousand lonlely lifetimes I still wait and then go on
A clown to entertain the happy couples"
Sigh.
Tom K
------------------------------ Date: Sun, 10 Sep 2000 19:10:17 EDT From: WTDK@aol.com Subject: Roxy PG, Adrian Belew and a cast of thousands! Message-ID: <7d.a289e1b.26ed6ed9@aol.com> > > re. bands that switch instruments: > > Talking Heads, in "Naive Melody" (that was the point of the song). > > King Crimson's Adrian Belew switches from guitar to drums occasionally, > > and does a damn good job! That's probably because he started off as a drummer not a guitar player. He still has pretty decent chops. Most of the stuff that he plays on his solo albums is pretty darn good. I believe it was Deb who said- >tracks are F*CKING BRILLIANT, and you'll never hear me say otherwise.. but is there anyone out there who adores the B-sides as much as I do? I actually like some of the bsides from Mummer better than a couple of album tracks. Yes, I even like Prosession (it would have fit well on Another Green World or Before and After Science by Eno) Telehead said- >Peter Gabriel: The Roxy, 1977 - The complete band from P.G.'s first solo record including Robert Fripp (hiding behind a scrim placed behind Steve Hunter). Dressed in a grey jogging suit that seemed to signify the break from the flamboyance of the Genesis days, Peter went through the entire first album opening with a solo version of "Here Comes the Flood". Almost that entire concert is available on bootleg. The best version I've heard (and have) is the golden stars disc. I wasn't at that show (lived in the bay area at the time) but am wondering who the hell Jozef Crowski was (he's listed on keyboards on the boot and also acknolwedged on the disc if I'm not mistaken). I thought that it might be Roy Bittan. On to topic--So it sounds as if Dave & Andy have put the past behind them (or their behinds in the past). Good for them! Now guys, either get on to your respective music projects the world (at least this little spot of it) is waiting for something...anything. I emailed Rhino about the Powerpuff Girls soundtrack and the reply I got is that if Andy was still interested (and sales were good for the first disc) they might put out a second with whatever Andy wants to submit. It would be cool. Wayne
------------------------------ Date: Sun, 10 Sep 2000 09:43:00 -0500 From: "Christopher R. Coolidge" <cauldron@together.net> Subject: Shitty Mick Jones Message-ID: <l03130302b5e14a20b71e@[208.13.202.144]> >On the two Mick Joneses: I've always thought of them as "Good Mick Jones" >(Clash, obviously) and "Shitty Mick Jones", and if I get taken to task for >slagging Foreigner, that's a sad thing indeed. His voice just has too many >of the qualities that I find intolerable, and working with someone good >earlier in one's career doesn't excuse "Juke Box Hero" or "Urgent" any more >than "My Aim Is True" excuses "Hip to be Square". That voice is actually lead singer Lou Gramm, Mick's own voice is kind of limited, and did mostly backup vocals with Foreigner. I used to own the first album when I was in high school, but by the time the second one came out, they were banished from my collection for good. I also happened to hear a track from his late 80's solo album on the local album rock station and backup vocalists Mick Jagger and Ian Hunter practically drowned him out. Christopher R. Coolidge Homepage at http://homepages.together.net/~cauldron/homepage.html
------------------------------ Date: Sun, 10 Sep 2000 18:21:58 -0600 From: "Joseph Easter" <easter2000@earthlink.net> Subject: ebay Message-ID: <000501c01b86$4dd44b20$f1730a3f@default> Has anyone noticed the absurd amount of Jules Verne/Bull w/ Golden Guts demos on ebay lately? It used to be a rarity and now is simply expensive. Does anyone know the reason behind this influx? It just seems a little more than random... Joseph Easter
------------------------------ Date: Sun, 10 Sep 2000 21:09:32 EDT From: WESnLES@aol.com Subject: F@#$%&! EMAIL Message-ID: <93.61454b.26ed8acc@aol.com> Short and quick: I've received email from a few folks here on the list lately that I won't be able to reply to because my F@#$%&! email keeps deleting messages from my system at an ever increasing rate. One of you in particular had some kind words for me and I very much wanted to reply to you. Sorry if I missed you...lost three emails today. If you don't hear back from me please email me again....or at weslong@usa.net Can't believe I'm still on AOL, wesLONG
------------------------------ Date: Sun, 10 Sep 2000 21:52:06 EDT From: TumeysKat@aol.com Subject: sad songs Message-ID: <25.aa7d034.26ed94c6@aol.com> Here are some songs which I find either make me sad, or are songs I play while I am feeling sad. Pink Floyd: Hey You - the guitar work on this alone speaks volumes of sadness. XTC: 1,000 Umbrellas- but this can change depending on WHY I am sad. Pink Floyd: The Great Gig in the Sky U2: Mothers of the Disappeared Jars of Clay: Flood and another that depends on my mood John Lennon: Imagine- If I am already sad, it can make me even sadder.
------------------------------ Date: 11 Sep 00 14:45:51 EST From: Paul.Culnane@dcita.gov.au Subject: Happy/Sad Message-ID: <0007zvxnntlh.0007fnxnnbjt@dcita.gov.au> G'day Chorx A couple of sad old ones from way back when: "Young Girl Blues" and "Celeste" from Donovan; "London Boys" from Bowie. And I second whoever it was who recently cited "The Loneliest Of Creatures" by Klaatu. But you might find this strange (as I do): I cannot get through "The Mayor Of Simpleton" without melting into a blubbering wreck. Dunno why... Speaking of 'sad', I 've been it a lot lately. Times of barely controlled extreme depression. So I must simply note how the presence of Chalkhills and its wonderful community have saved me on so many occasions from a fate I'd rather not contemplate. Not only have I been enjoying a recent spate of CD/MD/tape trades and established some rewarding acquaintanceships in the process, but also over the 4 years I've been reading 'Hills, I have been the beneficiary of real, dear and lifelong friendships, the likes of which don't come along all that often. Just a quick thank you then to some of the special ones: Mark, Duncan, Toni, Seb, Iain, Todd, Mark, Clifford, Lee, Jon, Peter, Dan and last but by no means least, the superlative-defying Dominic. You know how I feel about you... Thanks too, of course, to John Relph for making it happen. Er, after all that, mebbe I'd better listen to some Wiggles! "Hot potato, hot potato..." Next time I'll try to weigh in with something a little substantial and hopefully have the syrup tap turned off. ;^) Love ~~p@ul
------------------------------ Date: Sun, 10 Sep 2000 21:30:19 -0700 (PDT) From: John Relph <relph@engr.sgi.com> Subject: Saddest Song Message-ID: <200009110430.VAA63312@mando.engr.sgi.com> Funny someone should mention The The. Although I really have no idea what the saddest songs are, I do think that "Kingdom of Rain" by The The has to be one of the darkest saddest grimmest pieces of lyric ever put on tape. -- John NP: nothing
------------------------------ Date: Mon, 11 Sep 2000 08:49:20 -0600 From: "Joseph Easter" <easter2000@earthlink.net> Subject: thank god i'm a nutsack! Message-ID: <002501c01bff$78dc7c60$98730a3f@default> Can't, resist, temptation, can't...urgh...must warn...no xtc content....argh... Since it's been brought up... Little Donny is fine, ass pennies, hillarious (yawn)... The funniest thing the UCB ever did is the John Denver fan club, where we finally get to hear the songs of JD in their pure form... Rocky Mountain Nutsack... Joseph Easter bahhahbahhahhabahabahbah...
------------------------------ Date: Mon, 11 Sep 2000 09:06:28 -0700 (PDT) From: Brown <mb2@deltanet.com> Subject: nylon strings Message-ID: <200009111606.JAA02884@mail2.deltanet.com> The scintillating Ms. Jayne asked: <<Also Dave's spainish guitar is nylon strung - does this make a difference?>> In my EXTREMELY limited capacity as an acoustic guitarist (hey, I can strum the rhythm parts like a madwoman..just don't play too fast, k?), the sound of nylon strings is muted, or subdued.. as opposed to the steel string, which has an obviously metallic, sharp ring or tone... does that make sense? Oh, and the play feels different.. I'm sure the Hills' many REAL musicians will step up and tell you more- Debora Brown -if the Eel's mp3 Ian is a Chalker.. thank you very much!
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 11 Sep 2000 14:40:40 +0100
From: John Peacock <johndrewp@zoo.co.uk>
Subject: It's in German
Message-ID: <39BCE0D8.534796D2@zoo.co.uk>
Organization: The Nice Organization
> D.V. Caputo quoted Kraftwerk thus:
>
> 4.The Mix, Kraftwerk(fun fun fun off the autobahn...)
You realise, of course, that it's "Fahren, fahren, fahren auf den Autobahn"
or grammatically correct equivalent ("Drive, drive, drive on the
autobahn").
Of course you do. Anyone with the sense to listen to Peter Blegvad albums
realises that.
(discovered Slapp Happy yet?)
John
P.S. Sad songs - am I right in thinking only one person has mentioned a
Randy Newman song? That man writes the saddest songs *ever*. Personal
sobfests include Marie, Ghosts, Baltimore, I Think It's Going To Rain
Today. And how about In Germany Before the War? Not most people's idea of a
sad song, but it's *devastating*.
--
In the spirit of shameless self promotion, my songs may be found at:
http://www.mp3.com/peacock
"sell yourself, sell yourself, expect nothing" as a sage saith.
------------------------------ Date: Mon, 11 Sep 2000 11:23:01 -0400 From: "Brian" <mattone@bhip.infi.net> Subject: Re: Whats an anklung? Message-ID: <014201c01c04$2d695aa0$500affd1@Brian> Tschalkgerz! >I've just put ES on & having a good look at the credits. >On Yacht Dance AP is credited as playing an anklung. >What is it, please?< http://www.si.umich.edu/CHICO/MHN/pages/anklg_gnrl.html >From the site: >Anklung General information: Angklungs, or tuned bamboo slide rattles, have been used throughout Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand. Generally, these rattles have two or three vertical bamboo tubes (tuned in octaves) attached to a handheld horizontal bamboo rod. When you shake them, the tubes slide along grooves cut into the rectangular frame and strike a bamboo or wooden rim. There is a small segment cut out of each tube which also affects the pitch they produce. Usually, performers use pairs of anklung, one held in each hand. Occasionally, these instruments are suspended so that musicians can play two or more at a time.< >Also Dave's spainish guitar is nylon strung - does this make a difference?< Nylon strings will produce a different sound than, say, steel strings. -Brian Matthews http://www.angelfire.com/fl/sapringer
------------------------------ Date: Mon, 11 Sep 2000 13:36:49 +0100 From: "Smith, David" <David.Smith@tfeurope.com> Subject: "A Steal"-y Dan Message-ID: <4BBE67B71C1DD411A23600508B65F71E6861E5@tfsecmsg04.tfseur.co.uk> Well helloooooooo there! Johan Ekdahl mentioned his sojourn to Denmark to see "The Dan" last week - and talked about the "sports hall bounce" that rather ruined the sound. Unfortunately Johan, their sound guy hasn't completely learned his lesson. I saw them at Wembley Arena last night - which is just about the biggest "sports hall" venue you can think of. Therefore, the "second listen" came about one second after the first and the bass player's pops and slaps were actually louder and more resonant than the snare drum at times! Having said that . . . . . they were absolutely f*cking brilliant. Sorry, but sometimes you HAVE to swear to get the point across :-) The first half was good but the second (helped by the fact that someone must have given the sond man a nudge, as it improved no end) was really out of this world. High point #1: Walter Becker taking lead vocals on "Daddy Don't Live in That New York City" - his range has diminished so he sung it a few tones lower in a sleazy Tom Waits-type voice, which suited it perfectly. High point #2 - Becker and Fagen relegating themselves to the role of "just the band" while letting the three backing vocals girls let rip on "Dirty Work" was simply sublime. High point #3 - Finishing the encore on "FM". Cool. High point #4 - Oh, bloody everything else! Low point - at |30 a ticket, you would think they don't really need to charge |8 for a programme - oh well. XTC content: I never saw them live and I prob'ly never will, so seeing the Dan is as good as it will ever get for me. (Sorry, that's a bit tenuous isn't it?) Smudge "No we can't dance together" Boy E-Mail: david.smith@tfeurope.com
------------------------------ Date: Mon, 11 Sep 2000 06:15:29 PDT From: "Edward Sizzorhends" <skylar_king@hotmail.com> Subject: The Return of the King - And quite Troubled he is.... Message-ID: <F205ew89TH3jTmn3JY3000089f1@hotmail.com> Haven't really read a lot of posts lately, they seemed to be shattered and splintered factions discussing amongst themselves. I am quite troubled by two of the songs on "WASP STAR" due to their extreme similarities to other songs. Of course I am talking about "Standing In For Joe" hereto referred to as SIFJ and "Stupidly Happy" referred to as SH. In the realm of The Skylar King, SIFJ doesn't possess just a quaint similarity to "Barrytown" by Steely Dan. If it is, then this is the same kind of quaint that got George Harrison's pants sued off for "My Sweet Lord." Though I am not a copyright law expert, I would have to say that unfortunately, on the surface I see a potential lawsuit here. It's even more blatant than Colin's nicking of the "It's Only Love" (Beatles) melody for "The Good Things." An as for SH, the so-close-you-can-smell-it-and-it-DOES-smell Award is shared between SH and that shitty Third Eye Blind Song "Never Let You Go." It's the choice of sounds....Anyone who tells me that Andrew wasn't angling for today's teen radio hit market (not that there's anything wrong with that) with his production choices has got to really be "Third-Eye" blind-duh. Now YOU KNOW IN YOUR HEART the Skylar King loves XTC and KNOWS they are brilliant and creative and he only dreams of writing songs as goos as they do someday, but for St. Pete's sake...if I ripped off a song that blatantly, I would never hear the end of it. Leaning more toward SIFJ, it's one thing to pay homage to a style, genre or writer and all the best nick from eachother anyway, and if you are gonna nick, nick from the best and so on and so forth ad infinitum...but can someone explain to me why this isn't LIFTING or our new favorite "discussion" topic among our brilliant new "War and Peace" posters here - "SAMPLING" ( and yes I know what sampling is, please don't...just....don't)? And for all the talk about how he doesn't want success and all that tired rhetoric, Andy swipes the K-Tel "Today's Current Hits" guide to studio production for this song. He wants to sell a million records just like everybody else. It seems to be this album straddles a meanly picketed and pointy fence, and somethings starting to poke at the old arse.... One of the more computer savvy on this list should collect all the ANDYISMS from all the articles, put them in a Random Response Generator, e-mail the program to all the journalists of the world and then they could do an Andy Interview without even calling him. I am sure Andy would like that idea. All they ever do is ask him "Duh, are you the lads going to touring this time or what? dribble dribble drool" Once again, I am not down on "XTC", I just know there is someone on the list who can help me accept the problem I percieve or explain why it's not in the first place. A forlorn SKYLAR KING slumps in his throne.....
------------------------------ Date: Mon, 11 Sep 2000 10:55:49 -0700 (PDT) From: Tyler Hewitt <tahewitt@yahoo.com> Subject: more on the UCB Message-ID: <20000911175549.27760.qmail@web2103.mail.yahoo.com> re: I consider the Little Donny Foundation episode, and the one where everyone's prejudiced against astronauts, the funniest shows ever on TV. I too LOVE the Upright Citizen's Brigade and am sad to see it being cancelled, tho I'm not surprised. Seems too original and intelligent to succeed in among the stupid gross-out humor currently popular. The prejudice episode mentioned above-in my opinion, that 1/2 hour wipes out the last 25 years of lame humor about prejudice and racism. Some of the most daring, sharp-witted and truly hilarious comedy I have ever seen. Love the piece they did on the Unibomber as well.
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