Chalkhills Digest Volume 5, Issue 182
Date: Wednesday, 21 April 1999

         Chalkhills Digest, Volume 5, Number 182

                 Wednesday, 21 April 1999

Today's Topics:

                More X-posure For The Lads
                      Re: Mass Pike
                   Storefront Hitchcock
                 re: Tell Me Why (no XTC)
From the Embarrasssing to the Ridiculous Contest Announcement
                      Random threads
                       Boy in blue
                       World Music
                      pigs might fly
              connecting Air Supply and hip
                     Day In, Day Out
               Please Don't Break the Spell
                "No Thugs" lyric confusion
                   Re: Little Boy Blue
                 Re: Storefront Hitchcock
       Re: parents and concerts-- never fear ageism
                  Oasis and other stuff
                    My two bits' worth
                  My "Bests and Worsts"
            Impressions from various "musics"
                     Re: officer blue
                       Re: Two Sons
                       XTC Live Pix
              Re: "No Thugs" lyric confusion
               Easter Theater demo version
      Notes from a Space Where There Are Nine Muses

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We know the germ which is man-made in metal is really a key to your own tomb.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Message-ID: <19990421042153.83007.qmail@hotmail.com>
From: "Bob Crain" <bobcrain@hotmail.com>
Subject: More X-posure For The Lads
Date: Tue, 20 Apr 1999 21:21:52 PDT

Chalkfriends,

Did anyone else hear the XTC reference on Howard Stern's show Tuesday
morning?

A caller asked Howard who the top three greatest rock 'n roll bands
are, and Howard answered "The Beatles, The Stones, and Led Zeppelin".
The caller agreed, then asked, "Have you heard of a band called XTC"?
Howard said, "They're not in the pantheon".

Okay, which member of Chalkhills called up?  C'mon, I know it's one of
you...

And regarding this great post

From: "Michael D. Myers" <mmyers@telcordia.com>

>Kim Richey, a country singer that I am not familiar with, was quoted
>as follows:

>"In Nashville, I listen to WRLT 100.1 FM to hear new stuff.  They'll
>go from Lucinda Williams to Neil Finn to Shawn Colvin.  I love when
>they play XTC.  You're not going to hear them on top 40.  The weaving
>of the vocal parts is amazing.  Every time they come on the radio,
>I'm like, 'The good guys got on!' "

>Yeah for Kim!

Kim Richey is fantastic, I heard her at the Merlefest last year.  She
does that rocking alt-country thing.

And lastly:  Nicole, I'm sure you won't let Dom get away with that
"Metallica has sucked for the last decade" comment, will you?

-Bob Crain

------------------------------

From: mollyfa@juno.com
Date: Wed, 21 Apr 1999 03:11:05 -0400
Subject: Re: Mass Pike
Message-ID: <19990421.031106.3222.0.MollyFa@juno.com>

Oh that wonderful Mass Pike how I love thee.  I'll be coming to that area
in a couple of weeks, and let me say this, it's one of the most boring
roadways ever.  There's nothing around for miles.  Oh I love the rest
stops though, very cheesy indeed.  I love Massachusetts, but I'm not too
keen on the Mass Pike.

Molly

------------------------------

Message-ID: <371D9203.786004CA@earthlink.net>
Date: Wed, 21 Apr 1999 01:53:24 -0700
From: KenL <herne@earthlink.net>
Subject: Storefront Hitchcock

Wow,

For once I actually have the scoop on something.  Storefront Hitchcock
was to be released by Orion Pictures but unfortunately that company was
purchased by the Black Hole of Hollywood...MGM.  A studio where I threw
away a decade of my life.  MGM bought Orion to exploit it's library.
They haven't had much use for the unreleased stuff in the pipeline.
Especially a small arthouse concert film by someone most people,
especially at the studio I imagine, have never heard of before.  If the
film hadn't been directed by Jonathan Demme, it may have been blasted
off to video immediately.  My friends in video inform me that there is
no date set for it's video release.  It's not a priority.  they're too
busy wasting their time with that MOD SQUAD garbage. For now STOREFRONT
is still planted on the theatrical release schedule exactly where it was
a year ago: COMING FALL.  I wouldn't hold your breath.   Since
apparently, according to posts to the list, it's on the festival cicuit,
that may be the best place to look for it.

Cheers,

Ken L

------------------------------

Message-ID: <371D92C6.50A37725@earthlink.net>
Date: Wed, 21 Apr 1999 01:56:38 -0700
From: KenL <herne@earthlink.net>
Subject: re: Tell Me Why (no XTC)

>From THE BEATLES RECORDING SESSIONS by Mark Lewisohn:

THURSDAY, February 27, 1964

"Two more songs for the film were also started and finished on this
day,'Tell Me Why', which by take eight was to everybody's satisfaction,
and John's stunning ballad 'If I Fell.'

Hope this tidbit helps.

Ken L

------------------------------

Message-ID: <371D96E1.E40EED1C@earthlink.net>
Date: Wed, 21 Apr 1999 02:14:10 -0700
From: KenL <herne@earthlink.net>
Subject: From the Embarrasssing to the Ridiculous Contest Announcement

When I was in high school back in RI, everything my friends and I were
into musically was considered embarrassing.  The amount of grief I got
for liking Devo alone was substantial.  FM classic rock starting to take
its hold on America's youth.  Eric Clapton's COCAINE and FreeBird by
Lynerd Skynerd(spelling?) as well as good old STAIRWAY were revered.  In
later years the tables have turned.  Now we look at Freebird and scoff.

As for me, I don't think I'm embarrassed by too many musical things I
like.   As my brother recently put it, "There is some form of merit in
every genre."  Which is why he is now finding joy in the realm of death
metal.   My tastes are very eclectic and are shaped by exposure to
several genres throughout my entire life.  So little of it all
embarrasses me...but then again...

No wait.  I'm not going to tell you what my musical embarrassments are.
Nor some of my most ridiculous.  I'm going to make you guess.  In fact,
I'm going to make it a CONTEST.  I'm dreaming up some hopefully cool
prizes along with some crap ones.  Watch this digest in the next few
days.
Hopefully, as the Go Go Gophers would say "Oopy doopy!  We have fun."

Stay tuned,

Ken L

------------------------------

Message-ID: <371D9E8D.BF391CCE@earthlink.net>
Date: Wed, 21 Apr 1999 02:46:54 -0700
From: KenL <herne@earthlink.net>
Subject: Random threads

More from me as I can't seem to get to sleep...

Some comments on recent threads and posts:

The Jewish Journal Review---The fact that someone else besides me would
reference Gilbert O'Sullivan when talking about something on Apple Venus
chills me to the bone.  I didn't know the Jewish Journal did album
reviews.

Least Favorite Beatles Song---Back  in the USSR---although it was great
live(McCartney tour '89)

Least favorite Beach Boys song---Sloop John B---I think I read this was
a cover.  Still hate it.

The MASS Pike---the only good thing about the Mass Pike is that it
passes by Fenway Park and it's somewhat less hellacious than the
Southeast Expressway aka rt.93.  the Southeast Expressway is hands down
the most f**ked  freeway in the USA.  You haven't known traffic until
you've been in traffic there.  If Colin ever writes "American
Roundabout,"  it would be about driving on the 93.  Or driving in Boston
in general.  Or in the entire state of Massachusetts for that matter.
Runner-up, the 405 in L.A. "the Devil's Freeway".

Timothy Leary's Record Collection theory---I wish this was an absolute.
I would have been much happier in 10th grade.

Best Concert experience---too many to mention.

Most Unpleasant Concert Experiences:

Flipper---blew amp after third song.  Sat and waited while they fixed it
forever.  And they spat on us while we waited.

David Bowie---the tour with Nine Inch Nails--when he was in his "not
playing my old stuff" phase.  Deadly boring.  Horrible redo of Man Who
Sold the World.  I saw this show FREE and I wanted my money back.  Nine
Inch Nails was good though.

Paul Weller---solo in LA---early 90's I think.  His first US shows in
like 12 years.  Ads promise set to be of equal parts Jam/Style
Council/solo.  Of course a lie.  Almost no JAM.  Mostly Style Council
shite and solo dreck.  "Bad music well played" a friend of mine so ably
put it.  I paid a then colossal $35.00 for that fucking show.  And
because he sold out so many nights after being nearly invisible in the
US, he got an American label deal!  Because of those shit shows!
Augghh!!!!

Elvis Costello solo 1987 at UC IRvine---he had a sore throat.  Played 45
minutes and left the stage.  My friends who came with me after hearing
me rave about EC were furious and to this day give me shit about it.  EC
is my other music god but he did supply me with what is hands down my
worst ever concert.

Most unpleasant concert experiences that didn't involve the
music:Waiting backstage for Devo (1981, Providence, RI) to come out for
hours only to find they had left right after they walked off stage.

...and of course:

The Dead Kennedys at the Olympic Auditorium. Los Angeles approx. 1986.
Having to go to the bathroom.  Slamming through thousands of drunken
punks to get to a men's room that was packed with bodies standing in, I
kid you not, a wall to wall lake of piss approximately 1/4 inch deep.
Horrors!

Some offbeat band names I recall: The Sex Beatles, 4 out of 5 Doctors,
Millions of Dead Cops, Jodie Foster's Army

And to Sarah the "virgin" poster who calls herself an "evil ec and tmbg
fan".  Let's do lunch.

Cheers,

KL

np:The Best of Yes---well you were all talking about it so much!

------------------------------

From: Huw Davies <DaviesHPT@cardiff.ac.uk>
Date: Wed, 21 Apr 1999 10:39:55 GMT0BST
Subject: Boy in blue
Message-ID: <DD5D5DC4A9D@PARKLA1S.CF.AC.UK>

 Brian <mattone@bhip.infi.net> wrote:
>
> Michael Davies asked of me:
> >Where do you get *two* sons from?<
>
> Graham is asleep ("All the while, Graham slept on..."), and a boy in
> blue is "busy banging out a headache on the kitchen door". I take that
> as a younger brother.
>
> Is this THAT hard?
>
I think that "boy in blue" actually refers to the policeman, so
there would only be *one* son. I think this may be another of those
uniquely British phrases that has caused some confusion.

Re: Green Man pubs
"The Green Man" is a very common name used for pubs around Britain. I
know of at least several. Why this is so, I have no idea. Therefore I
think it extremely unlikely that the song "Green Man" is about a pub
that was once mentioned in Our You Being Served. :)

BTW Why do Americans like Are You Being Served so much? To me it
represents all that is bad about British TV.

Huw Davies

------------------------------

Message-ID: <039701be8bde$fe145ae0$aca725ca@speedking>
From: "Simon Curtiss" <mduffy@clear.net.nz>
Subject: World Music
Date: Wed, 21 Apr 1999 22:09:04 +1200

Don wrote:
>Again, the query:  are there other "musics" (to use the fashionable plural
>form) out there that have made deep impressions upon Chalkhillians?

Go and buy any record (or preferably all of them) from Peter Gabriels Real
World label. There you will find music from Finland, China, Most of Africa,
The Russian Steppes, Madagascar, Ireland, Morocco, Japan, Azerbaijayn (sp?)
etc etc etc.

All of them wonderful & weird in varying proportions.  E-mail me if you
want more detailed recommendations.

Web site is www.realworld.co.uk

Simon

Who has got stereo back on his PC and has suddenly <*GOT*> _Knights In
Shining Karma_ . What a fucking good song is all I can say. _Greenman_ is
now my least liked song on AV1.

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 21 Apr 1999 04:09:08 -0700 (PDT)
Message-Id: <v01510106b34361ea9ebc@[194.128.83.69]>
From: fisher@easynet.co.uk (Mark Fisher)
Subject: pigs might fly

"A boy in blue" is definitely a policeman. It must be a British reference,
because no-one here in the UK would misunderstand that. The US equivalent
would be as in NYPD Blue or Hill Street Blues, a usage I didn't get for a
long time.

The image of "knocking out a headache" is reminiscent of the traditional
Punch and Judy puppet show - a very violent children's seaside
entertainment in which the policeman puppet would be as likely to use the
force of his head as he would the weight of his truncheon to get what he
wanted. I don't know if Andy was thinking of this, but it might have been
at the back of his mind.

- Mark

http://easyweb.easynet.co.uk/~fisher/

------------------------------

Message-ID: <618F91505D89D21185330001FA6A495446478E@HFD-EXCH008>
From: "Witter, Karl F" <WitterKF@aetna.com>
Subject: connecting Air Supply and hip
Date: Wed, 21 Apr 1999 10:04:48 -0400

>Chris: Unfortunately I can't link Air Supply with anything
>even remotely hip. That figures. Especially not with XTC.

Not knowing if you're looking for standard hip or our own
brand of "Chalkhills" hip, I'll point out "The Coca-Cola Kid".
This Australian film from 1985 stars Eric Roberts, Greta Scacchi,
and a Santa suit stuffed with feathers. In the role of
Scacchi's daughter's dad (I believe) is Tim Finn. Grab one of
those 600-page music books at B&N and you can cross-reference
one Rex Goh, having played guitar on an Air Supply LP or two,
who shows up as a musician in this film.

Not easy, but it can be done.

It's only natural,
Karl

------------------------------

Message-Id: <199904211344.PAA04184@mail.coss.nl>
From: "Mark R. Strijbos" <mast@coss.nl>
Date: Wed, 21 Apr 1999 15:46:54 +0200
Subject: Day In, Day Out

Dear Chalkers,

Some of you may have noted the fact that i've been a little quiet these
last issues. But don't worry; i'm only in semi-lurk mode due to various
jobs & projects that eat up all my time and i'll be back in full force.

In the meantime a couple of points were raised:

>  No Thugs In Our House is one of my top five favorite XTC songs,
> so the  thread about it got my attention. I agree the lyrics are
> ambiguous,  but I think Graham's father is the judge.

Ambiguous?
The lyrics actually read: "...dad's a judge..." and i don't think you can
get any clearer than that!

> The UK 45 with the wonderful theatre
> picture sleeve (Virgin VS490) provides a wealth of evidence.

Yes, it does, in particular the nice picture of the insect headed worker
wife. The best bit for me is the way in which both sides of the label
"double up"as backdrops for the fold-out theatre. I like the washing-
line backdrop in particular; i wonder if this is another "tie-in" with the
waspies?

While where on the subject: NTIOH is a very clever title indeed...
"thugs" is of course also a reference to the infamous Thugee warrior
clan so "no thugs in our house" could also be explained as "Brits (or
whites) only here"!

Another matter:

> Billie (actually, a sleadgehammmer is more what I'd have in mind for
> HER)

Well, euhh... a sledgehammer in the Peter Gabriel school of thought
perhaps (oo-er!)

Of course Billie is just mindless teenybop fluff but it's
very well executed and all done in "the best possible taste".
She obviously has some talent and i for one cannot help but wonder
what would happen if she and Andy teamed up for a couple of songs.
Maybe the old leecher could teach her a trick or two and use her as the
perfect vehicle back to the top.

Ah well, we can all dream, can't we?

yours in xtc,

Mark Strijbos @ The Little Lighthouse
http://come.to/xtc

------------------------------

Message-Id: <371DE571.70F85D2D@tmbg.org>
Date: Wed, 21 Apr 1999 10:49:27 -0400
From: Ben Gott/Loquacious Music <gott@tmbg.org>
Organization: http://listen.to/loquacious
Subject: Please Don't Break the Spell

Mysterious Chalkies!

John Relph covered some serious ground in the last digest, and I think that
his (and Dorothy's) "Dear God" interpretation is spot-on.  Nicely done.
Those "nine muses," though...that's tough.

I haven't yet heard Kim Richey, although I am a big fan of The Story.
Their alpha-album, "Grace in Gravity" has been getting multiple spinnings
-- it's great, but it's not as great as "The Angel in the House," which was
their second release.  Apparently, the band's founders (Jonatha Brooke and
Jennifer Kimball) met at Amherst, and decided to form a "dissident folk/pop
band"; the result was a cross between Indigo Girls, XTC, and Johnny Marr's
work with The Smiths.  Check it out...you'll probably like it.  Also -- any
Dar Williams fans on this list?  She'll be playing at Bowdoin on May
1st...Should be a great concert.

Finally: my friend Jeannie is doing a paper (for her "Music & Gender"
class) on Dave Matthews Band (don't ask *me* why!), and she's uncovered
some interesting tidbits from an authorized DMB biography.  First of all,
the band's bassist (whose name I can't remember) lists Colin Moulding as
one of his three biggest influences -- alright!  Furthermore, the band's
drummer tells an interesting story about Steve Lillywhite: they achieved a
"big drum sound" only after Lillywhite's suggestion that they put the drums
in Bearsville Studio's loft, and record them from there.  ("Big drum
sound," by the way, was a direct quote).

I knew there was a reason why it wasn't "Wires and Drums."

-Ben

------------------------------

From: martin.clinton@dnb.no
Message-Id: <199904210754.AAA04538@sgi.com>
Subject: "No Thugs" lyric confusion
Date: Wed, 21 Apr 1999 09:54:26 +0200

Hi everyone,

In response to Brian and Michael's comments below:

A 'Boy in blue' is a term for a policeman...I think its normally used in the
plural: "Look out, here come the boys in blue"

'Cushion floor' covering is a type of linoleum people (in England anyway)
have in their kitchens. It is basically got a rubberised backing that makes
it a bit more comfy to walk on.

All the best

Martin

* ----------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Brian <mattone@bhip.infi.net>

Michael Davies asked of me:
>Where do you get *two* sons from?<

Graham is asleep ("All the while, Graham slept on..."), and a boy in
blue is "busy banging out a headache on the kitchen door". I take that
as a younger brother.

>And what is a "cushion-floor"?<

My guess is deep-pile carpet - or perhaps an analogy for the craziness
around the household.

------------------------------

Message-ID: <371DC1E2.8D3F67A@zoo.co.uk>
Date: Wed, 21 Apr 1999 13:17:43 +0100
From: John Peacock <johndrewp@zoo.co.uk>
Subject: Re: Little Boy Blue

Brian Matthews said:

> Graham is asleep ("All the while, Graham slept on..."), and a boy in
> blue is "busy banging out a headache on the kitchen door". I take that
> as a younger brother.
>
> Is this THAT hard?

Since "The Boys in Blue" refers to the police, (and the percussionist
in question is therefore "the young policeman who can't grow a
moustache" from the next verse), one would assume so.

"Cushion floor", though, is the carpeting. Deep shag pile (which
sounds like something from an "adult" movie, and probably is), very
popular in "nice" homes.

Someone else said:
> I confess to experiencing a mild 'frisson' while
> travelling down the New Jersey Turnpike, listening to Simon and Garfunkel's
> "America", in which it is mentioned - but it turned out to be a fairly
> ordinary bit of old road, really.

I felt that way about The Hangar Lane Gyratory System, famous from the
traffic reports on London radio stations. It was a sort of
roundabout. I think it sounds like one of those dance troupes on
variety shows in the 70s (in England)  "Here's Tony Christie with
The Hangar Lane Gyratory System!"

Also a good name for a band, I think.

In a car negotiating the infamous Hemel Hempstead roundabout the other
day though, which surpasses it's reputation. Quite, quite insane, town
planning on drugs.

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 21 Apr 1999 08:06:45 -0700 (PDT)
Message-Id: <199904211506.IAA08298@mando.engr.sgi.com>
From: John Relph <relph@engr.sgi.com>
Subject: Re: Storefront Hitchcock

Fegmaniax,

"Storefront Hitchcock" showed for at least one night in San Francisco
prior to Robyn's concerts at the Great American Music Hall sometime
late last year.  I did not go to the showing, but I did attend one of
the live shows.

	-- John

------------------------------

Message-ID: <19990421151552.74775.qmail@hotmail.com>
From: "Megan Heller" <hellerm@hotmail.com>
Subject: Re: parents and concerts-- never fear ageism
Date: Wed, 21 Apr 1999 08:15:52 PDT

In response to the post by John Gray about taking your kids to concerts,
just my experience-- my parents took me to every concert I went to when I
was young-- The Cure (Prayer Tour) when I was twelve, Peter Murphy (Deep
Tour) when I was thirteen, The Church (Gold Afternoon Fix Tour) when I was
thirteen, Morrissey (Kill Uncle Tour) when I was fourteen, and Luka Bloom
(Acoustic Motorbike Tour) when I was fifteen.  The concerts were always my
choice, but my parents seemed to enjoy them, and I never regretted going
with them.  My mother was actually very social at the Peter Murphy concert,
and part of why I had such a good time (and, since she was standing by to
keep an eye on me, never told the people we were talking to that I wasn't
twenty).  I so enjoyed going to shows with them that when I was nineteen
and trying to figure out who to go to a Dead Can Dance show with, I ended
up going with them.  So, never fear-- it's very likely you weren't the only
one to enjoy the concert.

megan.

------------------------------

Message-ID: <371DEF6E.13C8@ix.netcom.com>
Date: Wed, 21 Apr 1999 08:31:58 -0700
From: Rich Bunnell <cbunnell@ix.netcom.com>
Subject: Oasis and other stuff

> Stones vs. Beatles makes about as much sense as Blur vs Oasis did
> (i.e. NONE!).

Yeah, everyone with a brain could see that Blur made better, more
well-constructed albums and wasn't led by a drunken idiot like Liam
Gallagher. And up until 1995, people in the UK realized that and Blur
came out on top commercially. Sure, it's all opinion, but I can't see
how Oasis could break through more easily than Blur did in the U.S..

I agree that comparing the Stones and the Beatles is a very big
stretch--the Beatles made pop songs that developed into albums like
"Abbey Road" as the years went on, while the Stones were more of a bar
band, who still toured in their later years (which is...um...now) and
released considerably different albums. However, I think we all have the
Beatles to thank that they didn't go on long enough to record songs like
"Miss You" and "Shattered."

>What do you mean "let's not"? You brought him up, sonny, not us.
>Bloomin' cheek. Never heard of him myself.

Do you feel it's your duty to shoot down whatever I post to Chalkhills?
I swear, if it were anyone else besides "that stupid 15-year-old D****
D**** fan"(censored for the sake of non-discussion--I'll probably get
flamed for it again anyway) you'd skip right over the post.

--
* ----------------------------------------------
Rich Bunnell or "Taoster Man"--No, it's not a typo
-
"I'm tired of being a wannabe league bowler! I wanna be a league
bowler!" -Homer Simpson
-
"Take all the trouble that you can afford, at least you won't have time
to be bored!" -Midnight Oil, "Power And The Passion"
-
http://members.xoom.com/taoster/

------------------------------

Message-Id: <s71db006.020@chemonics.com>
Date: Wed, 21 Apr 1999 10:57:56 -0400
From: Todd Bernhardt <tbernhardt@chemonics.com>
Subject: My two bits' worth

Hi:

Among other things, Don Rogalski said:
>At first listen strongly reminiscent of a sitar, the Turkish saz has
a dew-drop shaped body about the size of a very large watermelon
chopped in half. There is no hole in it save for a ping-pong ball
sized one at the back end. But it's the neck and string setup that
fascinated me right away. At 23 frets, compared to the average
guitar's 21, it's longer, thinner, and rounder against your palm.
There are seven strings, all very thin so that you must use a wobbly
plectrum for fear of snapping them.<

Thanks Don, for an interesting and well-researched post. That said,
I'd like to point out that "Wobbly Plectrum" would be a great name for
a band.

And Molly, the picture of you on your Web site bears a remarkable
resemblance to Kate Bush. Funny, all this time I thought you were Andy
Partridge...

Long live quarter tones!
Todd

------------------------------

Message-ID: <C926D35F7ED6D211836C00805FC15F4E1502C4@LNY-S-EXCHANGE>
From: "Lieman, Ira" <ilieman@lernerny.com>
Subject: My "Bests and Worsts"
Date: Wed, 21 Apr 1999 12:24:20 -0400

Here goes, while I have a minute at work:

EEEUUUUURRGH!,  or THE MOST AWFUL ALBUM COVER IN HISTORY

Barenaked Ladies, "Gordon" before they changed it after they had a glimpse
of commercial success. Seeing that horrible picture on the front of the CD
makes me glad the members of Blues Traveler don't get shown too often.

ALBUM I'M MOST EMBARRASSED TO ADMIT THAT I BOUGHT:

The Best of Sha-Na-Na, but I was 7, so that doesn't really count.
Maybe Debbie Gibson's "Out Of The Blue" when I was in high school.

MOST BLUSH-MAKING PERSONAL MUSCIAL CONFESSIONS:

I actually DID like Barry Manilow for a time, because my mom played the
records when I was young.

GREATEST CONCERT EVER:

Billy Joel in Yankee Stadium, hands down.

WORST CONCERT EVER:

Living Colour when I was in college, glad I had free tickets because I left
less than 20 minutes into it.

"YOU KNUCKLEHEAD!" - CLASSIC CONCERTS I COULD HAVE GONE TO, BUT DIDN'T:

Howard Jones/Culture Club last summer. Damn. :(

FAVORITE (NOT BEST) ROCK FILM:

This Is Spinal Tap

WORST ROCK FILM

Rattle And Hum - U2

PERFORMERS MOST DESERVING OF A SLOW PAINFUL DEATH:

Mariah Carey, for screeching incessantly.
Orgy, for mutilating New Order.

-ira

------------------------------

From: music@telisphere.com
Message-ID: <371E0C6A.6DF5@telisphere.com>
Date: Wed, 21 Apr 1999 10:35:38 -0700
Subject: Impressions from various "musics"

Don Rogalski spoke:
>Again, the query:  are there other "musics" (to use the fashionable
>plural form) out there that have made deep impressions upon
>Chalkhillians?

Very much enjoyed the recounting of your Turkish adventure Don.
Excellent question too.
Much like the "Sgt Pepper" thread, I have found myself immersed in
various "musics" along the path.
Learned to play the euphonium and tuba in believe it or not,
The Salvation Army (or as my best friend called it, The Salavtion Army).
I was a young tyke when I started (about 11 years old). During that
period I would "hear"/compose/improvise brass band arrangements in my
head. I could hear them all the way thru sometimes, seemingly fully
realized.
About the same time, I heard the Beatles, I Wanna Hold Your Hand
and became an instant Beatle fan for life.
As a kid, they were like gods to me.
The Monkees came out, and I got just about every album.
Various Top 40 rock/progressive rock...
Then at the public library (and later in school) I discovered classical
jazz, and various ethnic(cultures) music and explored those paths while.
Heard a strange sounding Moroccan(?) record  produced by Brian Jones (of
the Stones). Very strange, group reed/percussion thing.
I also love Flamenco and gypsy music, Indian (sitar,tablas,etc),
and middle eastern musics.
Love the modes and hypnotic feel.
Glad to see on this list, that people are not afraid to list their
likes (guilty sonic pleasures).
Every once in a while, I listen to top 40 radio, with tape ready,
and record ONLY the parts/highlights I like. A best of tape if you
will. Sometimes only recording a fragment of each song.
Drives my brother crazy! He can't stand to hear only part of a song :)
Those are some of my favorite tapes, as from end to end, nothing
but great (to me a least) riffs, hooks, bridges, etc. (of course, if
I like the whole song, it is included).
Anyone else do this?
 - Rich Frers

------------------------------

Message-ID: <371DD4AC.6050@bhip.infi.net>
Date: Wed, 21 Apr 1999 13:37:54 +0000
From: Brian <mattone@bhip.infi.net>
Subject: Re: officer blue

>From a Nicole, to me in private:

>The boy in blue banging out a headache... is an officer.
That's the one of the few things I thought was clear (without
really comprehending the lyrics) in the song!!

Probably already heard this explanation for the line, right?
I think it was in the digest before the current one.<

I still insist that the "boy in blue" is Graham's younger brother -
because no matter how young a cop is, I'd never refer to him as a 'boy'!

Besides, I sense a certain chronology in the song - the scene is set,
then the cop comes along, then the boy is spared by the efforts of his
father - it doesn't all happen at the same time.
And, I don't know where kitchen doors are in houses in Britain, but I'd
say they were at the back of the house, in most cases... why would a cop
go all the way around to the back door of a residence when he was making
an official visit, instead of to the front door? And why wouldn't he
have stopped to talk to the "insect-headed worker wife" (who was hanging
up laundry in the back yard, if you insist all this is happening at the
same time, which seems to be a prerequisite of the other
interpretations) first - he'd never have to knock at the kitchen door.
She'd see him in.

Do you now understand my line of reasoning?

--
 BRIAN THOMAS MATTHEWS
* Digital & traditional illustration/animation
* Caricaturist-for-hire
* RENDERMAN ~ One-Man Band Ordinaire
SAPRINGER CENTRAL ~ http://www.angelfire.com/fl/sapringer

------------------------------

Message-ID: <kX9XhbA2xOH3IwAa@coopefamily.demon.co.uk>
Date: Tue, 20 Apr 1999 22:07:02 +0100
From: KT <Katy@coopefamily.demon.co.uk>
Subject: Re: Two Sons

In article <199904190317.XAA18733@lima.epix.net>, Michael Davies
<miser17@epix.net> writes
>> >The insect-headed worker-wife will hang her waspies on the line
>> The husband burns his paper, sucks his pipe while studying their
>> cushion-floor
>> His viscous poly-paste breath comes out, their wall-paper world is
>> shattered by his shout
>> A boy in blue is busy banging out a headache on the kitchen
>> door.<
>
>Where do you get *two* sons from?
>
>And what is a "cushion-floor"?

 I guessing they don't have the phrase 'boy in blue' in america.. A boy
in blue is a policeman, if you don't know..

no idea what cushion-floor means, mayby all the cusions are on the
floor?
--
Katy Coope

------------------------------

Message-Id: <199904211905.VAA20421@mail.knoware.nl>
From: "Mark Strijbos" <mmello@knoware.nl>
Date: Wed, 21 Apr 1999 21:19:11 +0200
Subject: XTC Live Pix

Dear Chalkers,

I've just uploaded a very nice series of 'live in concert' pix from the
1982 concert in Lyon, France to my site. Many thanks to Roger
Salem for contributing these "new" exclusive pictures.

surf to the URL in my signature to check 'm out...

yours in xtc,

Mark Strijbos at The Little Lighthouse
 http://www.knoware.nl/users/mmello/
     or http://come.to/xtc

------------------------------

Message-ID: <9KaqZHAIshH3IwTh@coopefamily.demon.co.uk>
Date: Wed, 21 Apr 1999 19:38:00 +0100
From: KT <Katy@coopefamily.demon.co.uk>
Subject: Re: "No Thugs" lyric confusion

In article <371B97E2.7ABE@bhip.infi.net>, Brian <mattone@bhip.infi.net>
writes
>>Where do you get *two* sons from?<
>
>Graham is asleep ("All the while, Graham slept on..."), and a boy in
>blue is "busy banging out a headache on the kitchen door". I take that
>as a younger brother.
>
>Is this THAT hard?
*COUGH* oooh, I think that one need to go in the FAQ, along with waspies

A 'boy in blue' is another name for a policeman, in England, the
uniforms are suposed to be blue.
the copper is knocking on the door to tell the parent 'bout thier
deliquent (sic) son. so no, it isn't THAT hard if you are from the UK
n.n
hope that cleared it up for you.

>>And what is a "cushion-floor"?<
>
>My guess is deep-pile carpet - or perhaps an analogy for the craziness
>around the household.

hey, I never though of that, nice one.
--
KT Coope  "Heaven is paved with broken glass"

------------------------------

Message-Id: <l03130303b343f6d9ddc8@[38.149.92.70]>
Date: Wed, 21 Apr 1999 17:53:14 -0400
From: John Hammond <johnh@tvtrecords.com>
Subject: Easter Theater demo version

We've made available a copy of the original demo of "Easter Theatre" as a
free download, as part of the new Microsoft Windows Media Player launch.
It's one of about 50 unreleased / rare tracks that are available as part of
this new promotion.  You'll also need to download the new M-soft media
player; I guess it's all part of their global domination strategy...

Check it out at http://www.launch.com  -- and as usual, keep that feedback
coming!

John Hammond
TVT

p.s. not that you asked, but my contribution to the "Best Band Names"
thread:  SICK DICK AND THE VOLKSWAGENS!

(I originally saw them tagged in a CBGB's ad in the Village Voice in 1979,
and loved the band name so much that I nominated them -- completely unheard
-- as "Best Band of the '70's" in the decade-end CMJ poll.  Fast forward to
three years later, I'm reading "The Crying of Lot 49" by Thomas Pynchon,
and who should appear but my old favorite-name band Sick Dick and the
Volkswagens!  I checked the copyright date on the book, something mid-60s,
and realized that the band I saw advertised got their name from the book!)

------------------------------

Message-ID: <371E4E38.26A7251B@averstar.com>
Date: Wed, 21 Apr 1999 18:16:33 -0400
From: Harrison Sherwood <sherwood@averstar.com>
Organization: Averstar, Inc.
Subject: Notes from a Space Where There Are Nine Muses

We are walking along a lonely road in/on/at The Chalk. A ten-year-old
boy--a messenger?--approaches bearing flowers: dandelions, it would
appear. He bears an eerie resemblance to Ash, from the Pokemon TV show--an
impression confirmed by the face of Pikachu peering from his knapsack. He
smiles beatifically at us and speaks: "Next, let's all sing together. Just
join in when you feel like it..."

We run like hell in the opposite direction back toward town, away from this
Imp of Satan. Fame exacts a terrible, terrible price.

Perhaps our adulatory (if somewhat lysergic) Japanese friend has spent too
much time with the Shannonizer (http://www.nightgarden.com/shannon.htm), a
friendly little online translator tool that illustrates certain precepts of
Information Theory with a cute CGI script that "edits" any given text to
read in the style of one of several distinctive authorial voices: Hunter
Thompson, E. A. Poe, Dr. Seuss, Raymond Chandler, God...

The thing's hysterical. Check it out, if you don't mind wasting the entire
day cackling at the results you get.

Andy Partridge, interviewed in _Listener_ Magazine:

> It's amazing, the stuff they talk about [That's *us* he means, folks].
> I've seen a tiny tip of the iceberg --not even that--of some of the stuff
> they talk about...
>
> The real hyperbole, I don't believe. Because--it's just me! And I fart
> like everyone else. [laughs] I get spots and I'm lazy and I'm just a
> normal schmoe.  [laughs] So the hyperbole I don't believe, and then the
> real hurtful stuff-- you know, the stuff like, "Oh, this record is just
> crap compared to such-and- such-and-such-and-such, and when you hear
> these songs, it's obviously a once- great man falling apart before your
> very eyes, it's so sad to see this"--I'm destroyed by that!

Andy Partridge, interviewed in _Listener_ Magazine, and Shannonized by God:

> It's amazing, the king? And the daughters of heaven and when you, and
> when you, and said: Alas, this is just a pomegranate split open, it's so?
> And I my bone and thee? And the manslayer shall at any thing that thou
> shalt not covet thy God of his city of the king? And thou after my voice;
> am I don't believe. Thou shalt not defile the smell of his
> servants. laughs So the smell of scarlet, and arise, and said unto you
> hear these songs, the land which ye, I get spots and I'm just a
> pomegranate split open, behold, and I'm just me! And I know, the smell of
> the stuff they talk about... The men of his man-servant, whither he may
> be smitten, that is just a wife for my lord the manslayer shall judge
> between the earth, the ears of blood according!

Perhaps you'd prefer Andy Partridge, interviewed in _Listener_ Magazine, and
Shannonized by Hunter Thompson?

> It's amazing, the tub with a grip. Because--it's just me! And I don't
> believe, the Ballantine Ale now, of the stuff they buy a tiny tip of high
> that means the big ones! And I advise you to act normal schmoe. I've
> seen, another convertible...  The real now, it's so sad to
> such-and-such-and-such-and-such, it's obviously a blade like, I took it
> at an angle. laughs So the blood! And I don't believe, Oh, the stuff they
> cut all kinds of the casino at any direction, I get spots and beat me on
> it! And I get spots and crushed honeydew rinds? No! But what he
> said. I've seen a suitcase full of every type of the stuff on adrenalin
> reserves-- a five dollar bill and sliced it couldn't last much longer.

Yes, Virginia, there _is_ a space where there are nine muses....

Harrison "The smell of the stuff they talk about" Sherwood

Pee Es: Don't even get me _started_ on the Deathbed Ravings of Dutch Schultz
(http://www.bway.net/~abbot/gunshot.html)!

------------------------------

End of Chalkhills Digest #5-182
*******************************

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22 April 1999 / Feedback