Chalkhills Digest Volume 1, Issue 434
Date: Wednesday, 3 May 1995
Chalkhills Digest, Number 434
Wednesday, 3 May 1995
Today's Topics:
XTC - Call for video tapes (update)
In Loving Suggestion of a Name
Re: 1000 umbrellas
Chuckleheads Moniker
Vnbelievably Diftreffed! (Carefvl, this covld rvin 'The Difappo
i am of 'good taste'?!? (blush, blush!!)
Richard Thompson for XTC fans
Thank you, thank you.
Re: Newsletter a joke?
Was not Was on O&L?
The Bull w/ the Golden Guts??
New Madam Barnum, Critical Thoughts, ChalkXTCers, Food Underneath, RT
L'Affaire Louis Trio
Nonshucks
Defending Our Honor
Hail to the Pumpkinhead
To Clarify...
Re: Chalkhills Digest #433
New Package for BBC Vol. 1?
Administrivia:
To UNSUBSCRIBE from the Chalkhills mailing list, send a message to
<chalkhills-request@chalkhills.org> with the following command:
unsubscribe chalkhills
For all other administrative issues, send a message to:
<chalkhills-request@chalkhills.org>
Chalkhills Archives not available using FTP.
*** NEW WEB SITE *** *** NEW WEB SITE ***
World Wide Web: "http://chalkhills.org/"
*** NEW WEB SITE *** *** NEW WEB SITE ***
The views expressed herein are those of the individual authors.
They blot the sun to black.
---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 28 Apr 1995 10:26:10 -0600 From: Erik Anderson <aa393@broadway.sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca> Subject: XTC - Call for video tapes (update) I've received some replies so far. However, no contributions as of yet. Everyone should be assured that they WILL receive a tape when it has been completed. For now, though, I would only like to hear from those who have something to contribute. The following is a list of what I have: XTC live on David Letterman All you Pretty Girls * Statue of Liberty * Are you receiving me? * life begins at the hop * making plans for nigel * senses working overtime * towers of london * this is pop * all of a sudden (it's too late) * dear god grass mayor of simpleton the disappointed the ballad of peter pumpkinhead * indicates the video is included in XTC's LOOK LOOK video. Because of copywrite laws I would like to avoid including these vidoes in our tree, especially because they are available by simply ordering your own copy of LOOK LOOK. Moreover, as common video cassettes and recorders only allow six hours of recording time, I would like to concentrate on those videos after THE BIG EXPRESS as well as live performances and interviews. What IS out there that I know of and don't have: the MTV unplugged session (during the 1989 radio tour) videos for MUMMER live videos from British tv (ie. from "top of the pops" and "the old grey whistle test") Again, e-mail your contributions to me directly and I will post them to the digest. Erik Anderson
------------------------------ From: Gene_Yoon@brown.edu Date: Fri, 28 Apr 1995 12:55:29 +0700 Subject: In Loving Suggestion of a Name Anyone who's seen the video to Peter Pumpkinhead can easily see that XTC had Kennedy in mind with this song. A repeating image is a black 1960's limousine with a elegantly-clad couple sitting in the back, who look around presidentially smiling and waving. If I remember correctly, the woman is wearing that trademark Jackie K.O. flat cylindrical hat (I know it has a particular name, but I'm bad with clothing accessory terminology) like the one she wore in Dallas. Curiously, the man who would be president is wearing horn-rimmed glasses, but the video imagery just screams JFK nonetheless. I think Andy wanted to write everything that _suggests_ JFK without ever mentioning his name, because then it wouldn't be a fairy tale anymore, but a sentimental history lesson. Would Andy Partridge use all that Catholic symbolism if he were writing a song about some generic type of public figure? Colin Moulding might [Deliver Us From the Elements comes to mind], but not Partridge. >From: adkoning@hvsag01.att.com (Andre de Koning) > > Did you ever try to prise away the mask > Go ahead, take a spoon and try > > Did you ever try to take away the wheel > Go ahead, take a fork and try > >Now I'm probably missing something, but what do the spoon and fork have >to do with taking away the mask/the wheel? I believe AP is encouraging us, the listener, to discover the darker side of self--have a taste of it, if you will--to recognize that there is some evil/bad/not-so-niceties in all of us, behind our pretty masks and the wheels which keep us rolling along blissfully. The lines "Go ahead..." aren't in direct response to the verse before them (they're sort of a background falsetto), but a mini-chorus under the theme, "as long as we know the bitter taste of the Ugly beneath our surface, maybe we'll be more careful not to act out on it." Maybe. >Patty Haley of the Good and Bad Org: > >And hey, I've been listening for the past few days to those hard rock albums, >_Nonsuch_ and _Mummer_. You're being sarcastic, right? Because Mummer is the easy-listening favorite of XTC, the sit back and vegetate in the vegetation album. The album which consistently wins my Best Music To Study To designation. The album which gently yells, "spring is here, dears." I've been playing it a lot lately. Andy Partridge even called it "a gentle chug through the countryside ['Thanks for the Eartime' CD rack insert]." The only really loud tunes are Gold and Funk Pop A Roll, which are squashed in the middle (CD) and at the very end, respectively. I was reminded of your survey, Patty, and how I wished I took the time to vote, because Colin Moulding would have garnered an additional vote for songwriter for "In Loving Memory of a Name". There's something so oddly appealing about frolicking in a graveyard, telling some anonymous dead person how you danced around his daisies, or how you sat on her body as you figure out how old she was when she died. BTW, when I wrote last time about great songs left off the original LP releases, I meant to say every song on Mummer *except* Procession Towards Learning Land. Procession is not a great song, or even a song, as I seem to have suggested. An unfortunate result of improper cutting and pasting on my part. And about the name to call ourselves: How about "Ecstaticians"? - Suggests X-T-C suggesting ecstacy. - Illustrates how XTC fans have often taken interpretation and appreciation of songs to a science. - We are an "ecstatic" bunch. Silly? Well, as long as we know who we are--XTCers, Chalkhillians, or otherwise--an official name is probably not that important. But I'm so proud of my little wordplay cuz it makes me feel like Andy Partridge. :) Gene
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 28 Apr 1995 12:05:35 -0500
From: Anders Wallen <awallen@ecn.purdue.edu>
Subject: Re: 1000 umbrellas
> Oh, but you pick the horrible ones.
Hope you just mean that it's hard to find the chords (it surely is...)
The song is one of my absolute favourites. Wonderful string arrangement and
weird chords.
Here are a few of my suggestions (just from the head, I'm oceans from
home and my Skylarking...too bad...)
C#7 (-5) C7 (-5)
One thousand umbrellas upturned couldn't catch all
B7 etc Bb7
the rain that drained out of my head when you said
...
Em F#m7 Em F#m7 (G) Em F#m7 Em
to a town they call Misery, oh oh misery Misery, oh oh misery
...
E A
And you'll soon forget her if you let the sunshine come through
...
The (-5):s I think are important since they build a bridge between the
descending chords and make them sound more "miserable". Still there are A
LOT of things missing, like bass (cello) lines on Adim etc, but I'm not sure
of them without listening first (maybe not even then). I guess you can find
different chords almost every note if you follow every small movement in the
strings. Wonderful piece! If anyone finds or figures out the whole
arrangement, PLEASE SEND ME A COPY!!!!
Anders Wallen
email: andersw@control.lth.se
PS! I like Science Friction as well!
------------------------------ From: richard.pedrettiallen@octel.com Date: Fri, 28 Apr 1995 10:16:24 -0700 Subject: Chuckleheads Moniker XtC has provided many possible names, most of which would not be very flattering. The most logical response for Chalkhill subscribers would be "Children" but at that point we, as "fans" (derived from "fanatic") start sounding like Manson disciples. "Scarecrow People"? Nah. How about "The Smartest Monkeys"... um, sorry. It might be cryptic to newcomers but my vote goes for "Toys" because "Toys are only human after all." Is it too late to ask a question to the band through the Swindon Pub Link?? How about asking those guys what they think about a name? ...cause if we are Scarecrow People then we ain't got no brains... R P-A
------------------------------ From: "J.A.Harkness" <J.A.Harkness@sheffield.ac.uk> Date: Fri, 28 Apr 1995 18:21:56 +0100 Subject: Vnbelievably Diftreffed! (Carefvl, this covld rvin 'The Difappo Grrrrr! I've been having a bit of haffle with my CD player of late, so when I finally got it back from repair, I reached towards Nonsvch to, well y'kna, like, listen to it! Having regained the treble element on my stereo, I was almost, well totally horrified to hear something which 100% wrecks my enjoyment of 'The Difappointed'. Is it me, or are the hi-hats way ovt of time? Either way, I can't liften to it now withovt going 'Aaargh!' Not even with the higher frequencies calmed down. Shame really. 'S one of my favorite songs. sigh! Any suggestions? A sad and difteffed Will Yvm! "Like Lions We Cling To Our Pride"
------------------------------ Date: Fri, 28 Apr 1995 12:35:51 -0500 From: Cherie Gallinati <CGALLINA@coe.edu> Subject: i am of 'good taste'?!? (blush, blush!!) ian's new address is 1496 1/2 michigan avenue columbus ohio 43201 all of his tributes (_obscene collection_, _beasts i've seen_ and the soon-to-be-released _skylacking_) are rad (so is his original music, btw), and cheap too. 5$ will have it jetting to your residence. i believe he is still accepting submissions for _skylacking_ as well, should any of you be so inclined. and tell him the veg says hi, please, because i could NEVER talk to him enough... for something completely different: i agree with dave that _tbo peter pumpkinhead_ must be about jfk. the video is incredibly reminiscent of the assasination (jfk's was the only one done like in a motorcade, and the video looks like the 9mm camera tape that has become popular culture. in addition, the president is very much apart (an 'outsider') from the people, much as democracy would have you think he isn't. sad but true, in the present day. although (knowing bands) they do leave things open to interpretations, and there is by no means only one of any personality-type in the world. therefore, the song is simultaneously about all of the other peters out there. waiting with teary-eyes for the tribute tapes (both ian's and the 'professional' one.); rhubarb
------------------------------
From: tpeters@sas.upenn.edu (Troy C Peters)
Subject: Richard Thompson for XTC fans
Date: Fri, 28 Apr 1995 15:47:51 -0400 (EDT)
In response to James' inquiry in the last issue, I'm sure that
I'm not the only one who said, "Richard Thompson? Oh yeah!!!!!"
In 1987, a close friend to whom I had introduced XTC via
Skylarking returned the favor by giving me two of the best records ever -
_Shoot Out the Lights_ and _I Want to See the Bright lights Tonight_,
both by Richard and Linda Thompson.
Okay everybody, go out and buy them now. (I'll also once again
echo the Chalkhead support for just about anything by Crowded House.
Does anybody know of a CH list or anything else netwise?)
Troy Peters
------------------------------ From: AngryYngMn@aol.com Date: Fri, 28 Apr 1995 21:33:31 -0400 Subject: Thank you, thank you. Glad to see someone on my wavelength...didn't realize andy had said that! >Just a couple of possible explanations which may help to convince some that >JFK is not such an unlikely candidate for Peter after all. ;-) > >Enjoy the music. > >Dave Rowland >dr007d@uhura.cc.rochester.edu Now if andy and the boys would do another radio tour......or release another album...come on! We've been patient!!!!!! aym
------------------------------ From: Cybertwig@aol.com Date: Fri, 28 Apr 1995 22:34:40 -0400 Subject: Re: Newsletter a joke? So a new live CD is released? OK, so it's from 1980. I'll take it. And what's this with the "Official XTC Fan Club"? I sent them my hard earned money and have gotten nothing in return! The Little Express of Canada is a crock. Don't do it!
------------------------------
Date: Sat, 29 Apr 95 01:57:15 EDT
From: "Gene (Sp00n) Yoon" <ST004422@BROWNVM.BROWN.EDU>
Subject: Was not Was on O&L?
Quickie: someone suggested a while back that Don Was (of Iggy Pop,
B-52's, Bonnie Raitt fame) would be a great producer.... I just noticed
in the Friendship Fun & Fruit notes on the Oranges and Lemons that he's
thanked.... what's the connection, and did he do studio work with the
band?
Wondering,
Gene
------------------------------ From: tmp@tmp.MV.COM Date: Sat, 29 Apr 1995 09:54:20 -0400 Subject: The Bull w/ the Golden Guts?? Anybody on the list interested in trading with me for the above mentioned tape?? I have a large list of shows, not all XTC. Contact me if you're interested in trading. Tom tmp@tmp.mv.com
------------------------------ Date: Sat, 29 Apr 1995 16:58:37 -0700 From: dfranson@execpc.com (Dave Franson) Subject: New Madam Barnum, Critical Thoughts, ChalkXTCers, Food Underneath, RT James Robert Campbell <jrcampbe@bingham.mines.utah.edu> writes of "Dear Madam Barnum:" ><SNIP> I always thought it was >about not wanting to tour. But, I've never seen anyone else post this >idea. Any takers? Hey, that's a neat bit of insight! I agree that the song supports such a reading to a great degree. If you substitute Virgin Records for Madam Barnum and the record company's support for another artist over XTC as the act of cuckoldry, your idea works through the entire song. ------------------- FINB@aol.com writes: <SNIP> >How can any of us who claim to be fans be so hard as to complain >and criticize at the levels I see here? <SNIP> >More comparison / contrast and less which-is-the-best-record is in order. Well, I don't know about complaints, but for myself the idea behind criticism is to dig into the words and music a bit more and tell WHY you like or dislike a particular song. In doing this, you may be lucky enough to glean additional nuances that you missed before. If you're really lucky, someone like James Robert Campbell above may suggest a new interpretation of a song and help you appreciate the words and music all the more. Good criticism can enrich your appreciation of an artist, not detract from it. I would agree that comparisons and contrasts, which are typically present in good criticism, are more enjoyable and enriching than the perennial lists of fave albums. Especially with XTC-- each album seems to have such an incredible diversity of words and music. ------------------- Jeffrey Langr <0005392548@mcimail.com> quotes XDEVANS@CCVAX.FULLERTON.EDU (Doug) >>I've been thinking--we XTC fans need a name so we can stop being >>confused about what to call ourselves. "XTC fans" is a bit dull >>and "Chalkhillians", which I've seen on this list, is a bit >>ungainly. > >>The name I've come up with, and of which I'm more than a bit proud, >>is "Chalkheads". Oh, god, please, no... as a resident of the Cheesehead state, believe me, you don't want to known as "Chalkheads." >Sounds a bit much like "Dittoheads" if you ask me. That may be the best reason of all to scratch "Chalkheads"! >"XTCer" is the term I've heard the most over the years. > >Jeff Afraid that "XTCer" doesn't hit me quite right, either. I kind of like "Chalkhillians" to denote participants in the mail list. Don't mind those ungainly extra syllables at all. My only problem with it is that the song that inspired the name is not one of my faves, but that's probably just because I haven't acheived Mr. Relph's higher conciousness. (Insert smiley here.) Usually, I simply refer to myself as "AFANOFXTCTHEGREATESTBANDINTHEWORLDWHAT? YOUHAVEN'THEARDOFTHEM?TAKETHISTAPEENLIGHTENMENTAWAITSYOU" *------------------------------ adkoning@hvsag01.att.com (Andre de Koning) writes: >Listening to the album again, the next lines (from 'The Vgly >Vnderneath') struck me as possible candidates for further examination: > > Did you ever try to prise away the mask > Go ahead, take a spoon and try > > Did you ever try to take away the wheel > Go ahead, take a fork and try > >Now I'm probably missing something, but what do the spoon and fork have >to do with taking away the mask/the wheel? The best answer that I can suggest is that the entire song is peppered with food imagery (ouch), some of it nonsensical. Using a fork to "take away the wheel" escapes me entirely (what else is new), and the best I can do with taking a spoon to "prise away the mask" is the idea that oftentimes the tool of choice isn't at hand, so you have to improvise with what you have. I'd love to hear from anyone who can follow the food/eating imagery coherently through this song. It's almost as if there's another layer of meaning, uh, underneath the obvious interpretation. ------------------------- james.dignan@stonebow.otago.ac.nz (James) asks: >Two artists have been >conspicuous by their absence on these lists though - Richard Thompson and >Roy Harper. Are there any fans of either of these distinctly English >artists who are also members of this list? One vote here for Richard Thompson. His guitar work is astonishing, his singing ranges from goofy to haunting, and his range of songwriting subject matter and styles is rarely matched. And his live shows are profound experiences. I subscribed briefly to that list but the mail volume overwhelmed me. I guess it's time to go-- I shot my wad of superlatives.
------------------------------ Date: Sun, 30 Apr 1995 00:50:04 +0200 From: marin@ccr.jussieu.fr (Emmanuel MARIN) Subject: L'Affaire Louis Trio "It was one of the first times I worked with another band than XTC. Our first contacts were by phone, then they sent me the demos of the tracks on which I was supposed to play, as well as their three previous albums. What immediately interested me, since I didn't understand a word of their texts, was the 'old fashioned' style of their melody. Some made me think of a 1940's big band, with this strange mix of power and soft bitterness. I immediately thought it would not be an habitual collaboration for me. And, these days, the work with XTC is quite painful. We spend long months in studio and release so few albums - soon, we'll beat the Stone Roses records. With them, it was for me a bit like a break. On the other hand, I didn't find, when I listened to their albums, an evident link with XTC. They have their own style, which is for me an essential quality." Colin Moulding, about his work on the last album of the fine French pop band 'L'Affaire Louis Trio'. Emmanuel Marin marin@ccr.jussieu.fr
------------------------------ From: IERANO_J@DD.PALMER.EDU Date: Sat, 29 Apr 1995 20:04:07 -0500 (CDT) Subject: Nonshucks Shuucks, I could not hold off any longer...what follows is my reaction to all the postings about Nonsuch. Nonsuch is a superb album. BTW, I have been a fan since the "early days" of the rough edged sound. Nonsuch represents progression of the XTC sound, still rooted way back in the early stuff, but always improving. What on earth is wrong with polished production, I like to distinguish instrumentation and sound as clearly as possible, I'm afraid. Travels in Nihilon can, IMO, be appreciated alongside, Then She Appeared: They're a band of moods, which is good, because you can always find something to put on the CD player. As far as Bungalow goes, I have on many occasions, played it first. I don't care about hidden meanings or the like, because the song is nicely produced and sounds like Sinatra could have sung it. And that chorus of voices...love it ! (not that I am a Sinatra fan of any depth) Joe Ierano PS: nice job on 1000 umbrellas, James Dignan.
------------------------------
Date: 1 May 1995 08:56:02 U
From: "Bob Sherwood" <Bob_Sherwood@cpqm.saic.com>
Subject: Defending Our Honor
I was backstage at the Mayfest local music fest in San Diego this
weekend and happened to somehow strike up a conversation with a couple of
stringy-haired cucumber-in-the-pants-totin' doods in a bad Guns 'n'
Roses-ripoff band called "Paradise City" or somethin'. They was getting
ready to hit the stage (presumably their girlfriends weren't around) and
one of them noticed a big XTC sticker on my bass case.
"Oh-XTC," sez the one with the chain-mail crotch on his leathers,
"those guys sing like 'homo faggots'". The other one was smoothing down
the "Scorpions" sticker on his Charvel, and he piped in with something
along the lines of "yeah, they really suck." My guitarist George was
luckily there to restrain me and the confrontation didn't escalate to
verbal abuse. Suffice it to say, when they took the stage I sallied out
into the crowd to enjoy the scene as the guitarist picked up his guitar and
found that all the strings had been cut as it sat in it's holder. Bummer,
dood. A quickly summoned replacement didn't help much, either, 'cause I
had also snipped the speaker cable on his amp with a pair of shears that
George loaned me. Heh. It didn't much matter, though- the bass player was
having trouble figurin' out why his rig wouldn't turn on. I stood and
chuckled, humming "Burning With Optimism's Flames" to meself as I gayly
threw his fuse deep into the crowd. I would've expected the same of them,
mind you, if I'd dissed Da Scorpions. Dood. All's fair etc.
If this sounds unjustly harsh, just be glad they didn't rip on
ALEHOUSE.
"AARRRGGHHHH!"
[ What honor? -- John ]
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 01 May 1995 10:04:00 -0700 (PDT)
From: Eric Muller <EMuller@UWYO.EDU>
Subject: Hail to the Pumpkinhead
I'm the one that injected my voice of doubt into the discussion about
whether Andy intended Peter Pumpkinhead to be JFK. Dave Rowland reported in
the last digest that he recalled an interview with AP in which he said that
he did base Peter's character on the President. If that's so, then that
pretty much ends the debate.
Dave went on to make two additional points to support the PP=JFK
thesis. His second point was that AP, as an Englishman, might be able to
remind us jaded Americans of some of the wonder of Kennedy's administration
that we tend to forget. I suspect that quite the opposite is true--that is,
that we Americans have made of Kennedy's administration something that it
never was. And I say this as a person who admires the Kennedys (even, to a
limited extent, Ted) enormously.
Dave's first point responded to my earlier suggestion that JFK could
not be the basis for Peter Pumpkinhead because Peter is clearly an
anti-establishment figure, a "folk hero" type. Dave responded that
"although JFK was our President, his administration was very
anti-establishment." All I can say to this is, "huh?" JFK was a cold
warrior par excellence, the heir to an enormously powerful political fortune
amassed by both his father and his grandfather both in Massachussetts and
nationally, a former Senator, etc. etc. etc. His administration was
admittedly young, but in 1960 "young" didn't mean "anti-establishment"
yet--that didn't happen until the mid- to late-1960's. Remember that even
Bobby Kennedy did not come around to the view that the Vietnam War was
ill-conceived until 1967.
If AP says that PP is based on JFK, that's enough to convince me. But
"very _loosely_ based" might express it better.
Eric
emuller@uwyo.edu
"Life's like a jigsaw: you get the straight bits, but there's something
missing in the middle."
------------------------------ From: d.zemel@genie.geis.com Date: Tue, 2 May 95 03:09:00 UTC Subject: To Clarify... Folks, Obviously, there was a misunderstanding that I hope was confined to but one of us. I posted a note a couple or so issues ago that started out with a question to Patty about her post that Dave Mattacks and Andy had finished Nonsuch on bad terms. However, the rest of my post was meant to be a general post to the entire group. Obviously, from Patty's response, she thought the whole thing was a general, open letter to her, personally. That simply wasn't the case and if my post affected anyone else so venomously because of that misunderstanding, please forgive my apparent lack of ability to clearly communicate! Dean
------------------------------ Date: Tue, 2 May 1995 08:38:18 -0500 From: mheibel@lps.esu18.k12.ne.us (Micah Heibel) Subject: Re: Chalkhills Digest #433 Am I seeing things or did David Rowland refer to a KENNEDY as a political outsider? The man whose father, two brothers, and a nephew, among other relatives, were or are career politicians? I would respectfully disagree. I remember an interview with Andy Partridge on MTV in which he said PP was about no one in particular, but bits of a lot of people. However, to be fair to David, I must confess it could quite possibly be that I don't remember this correctly. Micah Heibel mheibel@lps.esu18.k12.ne.us Micah Heibel "My father always said laughter was the best medicine. Maybe that's why several of us died of tuberculosis." --- Jack Handey
------------------------------ Date: 3 May 1995 12:34:09 -0500 From: "Wesley Wilson" <Wesley_Wilson@iegate.mitre.org> Subject: New Package for BBC Vol. 1? I was browsing through the XTC CD selections today at Tower Records; seems the BBC Radio 1 Live 1980 CD has a modified front and back cover. I'll have to check my copy when I get home, but it seems to be the case. Wes P.S. I saw a new CD by Peter Blegvad and John Greaves (sp?) P.P.S. I still have had no luck finding out where to get the early XTC demos boot; you know, the one with the poor sound quality. :-)
------------------------------ End of Chalkhills Digest #434 *****************************
Go back to Volume 1.
3 May 1995 / Feedback