Errors-To: owner-tmbg-digest@tmbg.org Reply-To: tmbg-digest@tmbg.org Sender: owner-tmbg-digest@tmbg.org Precedence: bulk From: owner-tmbg-digest@tmbg.org To: tmbg-digest@tmbg.org Subject: tmbg-list Digest #2-20 tmbg-list Digest, Volume 2, Number 20 Saturday, 20 January 1996 Today's Topics: Terrible night in New Haven. so what bad news Re: bad news Info thru E-mail? the end of the bad news... Re: so what Re: tmbg-list Digest #2-19 ooh i almost forgot. The End of the Tour Re: the end of the bad news... (End of the tour) Re: The End of the Tour Linnell Re: tmbg-list Digest #2-19 Re: Linnell Re: so what the butchers and the giants@toads Re: the end of the bad news... (End of the tour) the Plaguerat's Review...Toads Place.. Zima query Re: tmbg-list Digest #2-19 Administrivia: CHANGES!!!!! The digest volume and issue numbers have been set to reflect the year and day. This year is volume 2, the issue number should match the day of the year. The ftp server has been reconfigured. Now the _only_ way to get back archives is from ftp.tmbg.org. For all administrative issues, such as change of address, withdrawal from the list, etc., send a message to the following address: tmbg-digest-request@tmbg.org --------------------------------------------------------------------- The views expressed herein are those of the individual authors. --------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 19 Jan 1996 04:56:19 -0500 (EST) From: Cuper Vargas Subject: Terrible night in New Haven. Before John and John's set was even over, I realized that I just don't enjoy going to TMBG shows anymore (this was my tenth, I think). This is not to detract from their playing, which was, of course brilliant (except for the absence of horns, which was a major strike against the set. Is this the econo-tour or something?). -However, I am completely sick of all the alterna-schmucks who find it necessary to push and shove and "pass the dude" and basically make life miserable for anyone who would rather listen to the songs than injure others. My friend was actually struck a blow to her face. I don't mind dancing or jumping or whatever (I'll dance and jump), but I hate sweaty people shoving me just to get ten feet closer to the stage. I've got news for you all (or at least the people who scream non-stop and knock others around), they might be great song-writers, but they're still JUST GUYS. I miss the days when they would stop the show to tell over-excited frat boys to settle down. -Well, I guess I'm just bitter. I'm used to ska shows in Poughkeepsie where noone ever shows up, so you don't have to deal with idiot wanna-be slammers. Well, hopefully the Rochester show will be better. -Cuper. P.S. Of course, any show where James K. Polk is played has at least some redeeming value. In fact, they hit a lot of great songs that usually get looked over. I do miss those horns, though... P.P.S Did anyone else notice that John L. doesn't actually use the chord buttons on his accordian? That might be why The Famous Polka doesn't really seem to fit into a polka rhythm. Well, enough of my complaining... ------------------------------ From: "Rensink, Brenden - S" Subject: so what Date: Fri, 19 Jan 96 07:33:00 PST ya but none of the seattle bands are any good, they are all grunge. some grunge is ok, but most of them just play random chords and scream into the michrophone. But ya I guess britain would be even worse. I can not find any of their singles. Is there any catalogs that carry them? ------------------------------ From: "Rensink, Brenden - S" Subject: bad news Date: Fri, 19 Jan 96 07:37:00 PST well acually horrible news. I know you guys have probably figured this out allready, I I just realized it. Take a look at the last line of the last song on John Henry. It sucks. Maybe they didn't really mean it though!!! I can only hope!!! ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 19 Jan 1996 10:35:23 -0600 From: jenna@onramp.net (Jenna Davis) Subject: Re: bad news >well acually horrible news. I know you guys have probably figured this out >allready, I I just realized it. Take a look at the last line of the last >song on John Henry. It sucks. Maybe they didn't really mean it though!!! I >can only hope!!! Considering that they're still performing live, there is still an outside chance. I hope so, too... I don't live on the East Coast... ____________________________ Jenna Davis Dallas, TX jenna@onramp.net "Try as much as possible to be wholly alive, with all your might, and when you laugh, laugh like hell and when you get angry, get good and angry. Try to be alive. You will be dead soon enough." -William Saroyan ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 19 Jan 1996 10:37:09 -0600 From: jenna@onramp.net (Jenna Davis) Subject: Info thru E-mail? I was just looking over my copy of the "Why Does The Sun Shine" EP and noticed an address for the TMBG Information Club. Unfortunately, it requires snail mail, which I hate. Does anyone know of a way to access them vial email? Thanks. ____________________________ Jenna Davis Dallas, TX jenna@onramp.net "Try as much as possible to be wholly alive, with all your might, and when you laugh, laugh like hell and when you get angry, get good and angry. Try to be alive. You will be dead soon enough." -William Saroyan ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 19 Jan 1996 10:18:57 -0600 From: "Pwyll Twiceborn, Lord of the Summertree" Subject: the end of the bad news... here again is an interp of the end of the tour, from the list a long time ago, which might help put an end to your worries... in addition to the fact that they are allready touring again... Date: Sat, 5 Nov 1994 15:46:31 -0600 (CST) From: Brooks Ann Camper To: They Might Be Giants Subject: The end of the Tour Ask me now I understand the words that John has said.... I have never had an experience quite like last night when i realized what "The End Of The Tour" is about. It is the absolute saddest song I have ever heard in my life. I cried for over an hour listening to it. It is about a horrible car crash and a man's struggle to forgive himself for killing a car full of teenagers. It actually was not his fault because the girls were drunk driving but ever since the incidnt he has brutally blamed himself. He is finally finding the first bit of hope toward recovery from the horrible wreck that he was involved in. Listen to the words.... There was a beautiful teenage girl who was at a party, under the influence of drugs or alcohol. She became bored of the party so she decided she could drive; she thought that she was able to "see herself". She takes her friends and they drive out on I-91. The man is driving also and it's late; he is distracted by many things. When on the overpass, he is hit. His car is mereley dented but the other car bursts into flames and the girls are killed. He watched the police take the bodies out. He saw how beautiful the children were and was scarred by this completely. During the song he refers to the family of the beautiful girl and the horror that they must have felt when the police knocked on the door to tell them they had lost their child. He also breaks into the nursery type lyric about watching the police pull the bodies from the car. He has blamed himself for the wreck from the beginning, but he has been ruining himself with it and finally decides to turn to God who helps him out. He finally finds a peace within himself saying that at the end of his life, if anyone will forgive him, he will meet the girl in heaven and appologize. Until then he must endure his own life, but one day he will be in heaven to ask for forgiveness. He is beginning to realize that it is not his fault and he must go on and God has "let them go" for a reason. He will always be haunted by the experience and will never be the same. And he's never going to tour again. There is actually a lot more I could say about the song but I just wanted to share my experience. It is incredible. Thank you John. Brooks Ann Camper ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 19 Jan 1996 16:52:14 +0000 (GMT) From: "Mark M. Iles" Subject: Re: so what On Fri, 19 Jan 1996, Rensink, Brenden - S wrote: > ya but none of the seattle bands are any good, they are all grunge. some > grunge is ok, but most of them just play random chords and scream into the > michrophone. But ya I guess britain would be even worse. Do you mean to say that British groups are worse than crappy, tuneless grunge bands? You what!!!! Mark ------------------------------ From: promans@sloth.loyola.edu (Phil Romans) Subject: Re: tmbg-list Digest #2-19 Date: Fri, 19 Jan 1996 12:23:46 -0500 (EST) Hello all, I attended the 9:30 club showing of TMBG with Matt and another friend from school. These are some general things I have noticed: == The Candy Butchers were loads of fun! (a couple of flips and a big dino!) == The concert started late for TMBG == Flans was sporting a noticable 'stach == No horns of any sort, not even Linnel's sax == Looks like Graham Maybe (sp?) is on for good == Boy does the 9:30 club look nice! I was at the old hall before they fixed up thier current place, and it is a way cool place to see a concert. == Questions for the group.... = Do the Johns have girlfriends? = What is the word on the band... horns... Tony... etc = What kinda car would they drive other than a Mustang? just commenting -=phil -- ._________________________________________________________________. I |promans@sloth.loyola.edu | http://justice.loyola.edu/~promans | W | U2-They Might Be Giants-Pink Floyd-Rush | G | looking for any 'live' material of these bands | B | Magic: The Addiction | T \-----------------------------------------------------------------/ P -=If a word in the dictionary was mispelled, how would we know?=- ! ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 19 Jan 1996 12:38:06 -0500 (EST) From: "DAVID A. MEYERSON" Subject: ooh i almost forgot. i just got my 3 t-shirts in the mail yesterday from TMB productions. i ordered them in october, but i'm a patient guy so i waited it out. i got the coffee cup one, the stamps t-shirt (w/ 1990 flood tour dates on back) and a dial-a-song one with this bird on the front. not to be confused with the drunk bird dial-a-song t-shirt. may the force be with you daniel ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 19 Jan 1996 17:36:16 +0000 (GMT) From: "Mark M. Iles" Subject: The End of the Tour I always assumed that 'The End of the Tour' was about a near-death experience which has changed someone's life. Anyone else got any ideas? Haven't the foggiest who 'The Girl with the Crown and the Sceptre' is, though... Mark ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 19 Jan 1996 12:53:07 -0500 (EST) From: Ryan Staib <97starya@james.hawken.edu> Subject: Re: the end of the bad news... (End of the tour) I am sorry, but this is the biggest piece of BS I have seen in awhile, and I just wrote an english paper, so I know BS. Where do you get ANY of that from the song? It's just plain and simple not in there. When the hell do you see them pulling bodies out of a car? It's just not in there. I think some of the song is written from the point of view of the car, not some guy who is messed up about hitting some druggies. Also, I think it was SuperThriller radio that says it is a very "humorous" song. I agree. Anyway, I know the point of the message was to allay the fears about the band breaking up, which is not going to happen, but I just couldn't resist. - Ryan Staib *------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 97starya@james.hawken.edu gn487@cleveland.freenet.edu Yay. ------------------------------ Subject: Re: The End of the Tour Date: Fri, 19 Jan 1996 12:05:54 -0600 (CST) From: Chris Bongaarts In the immortal words of Mark M. Iles: > I always assumed that 'The End of the Tour' was about a >near-death experience which has changed someone's life. Anyone else got >any ideas? I find Brooks-Ann's car crash theory to be the most sensible (I love that second verse: "Never to part since the day we met out on Interstate 91"... I can just see the two cars/trucks/tour buses entwined in the wreckage) > Haven't the foggiest who 'The Girl with the Crown and the >Sceptre' is, though... Sounds like the Statue of Liberty to me... dunno why she feels like going "home" (to France?) tho... perhaps lamenting the decline of New York? ============================================ Chris.Bongaarts-1@umn.edu Chris Bongaarts My opinions are my own, http://umn.edu/~cab Univ. of Minnesota and they are right. CBongo on EFnet IRC (#umn) GCS d-- s:+ a21 C+++ ULHSX++++$ P++++ L++ E W++ N++ K+++ w-- !O M+ !V PS+ PE+ Y-- PGP-- t+ !5 !X R tv b+ DI++++ D+ G++ e h- !r y? [GeekCode 3.0] ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 19 Jan 1996 12:40:30 -0600 From: Emily Lerche Kerr (Ana Ng) Subject: Linnell I'm wondering if John Linnell is related to playwright Jay Linnell... Anyone heard of him??? Ana Ng ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 19 Jan 1996 14:08:48 -0500 (EST) From: Speaker for the Dead Subject: Re: tmbg-list Digest #2-19 Not that this will particularly enlighten whoever was asking about what 'she's actual size' means, but I remember reading a magazine article in which one of the Johns was asked what the song means. He replied that it was about 'stew.' Good old John and John! -Nathan (Linnel) University of Vermont *------------------------------------------------------------------------ For reason ruling alone, is a force confining; and passion, unattended, is a flame that burns to its own destruction. Therefore let your soul exalt your reason to the height of passion, that it may sing; And let it direct your passion with reason, that your passion may live through its own daily resurrection, and like the phoenix rise above its own ashes. -Kahlil Gibran, "The Prophet" ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 19 Jan 1996 20:04:38 +0000 (GMT) From: "Mark M. Iles" Subject: Re: Linnell On Fri, 19 Jan 1996, Emily Lerche Kerr wrote: > I'm wondering if John Linnell is related to playwright Jay Linnell... > Anyone heard of him??? Yeah, isn't he in that nerdy group "They Must Be Giants"? Mark ------------------------------ From: Matthew James Subject: Re: so what Date: Fri, 19 Jan 1996 17:09:48 -0500 (EST) > > > > On Fri, 19 Jan 1996, Rensink, Brenden - S wrote: > > > ya but none of the seattle bands are any good, they are all grunge. some > > grunge is ok, but most of them just play random chords and scream into the > > michrophone. But ya I guess britain would be even worse. > > Do you mean to say that British groups are worse than crappy, > tuneless grunge bands? You what!!!! Mark, I think he meant Britain would be worse in the sense that TMBg wouldn;t come there I don't think he was refering to British music groups (which are very excellent by in large!) Matt -- *------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Matt James mjames@love.loyola.edu,elrond@charm.net http://www.charm.net/~elrond "EIREANN GO BRATH!"| Eireannach siochan | Wedge Antilles | "I'm not the only dust my mother raised."--TMBG| "Hail to the king, baby"-Ash Anything Box|Erasure|Warsaw-JoyDivision-NewOrder|Elastica|Blur|Suede|Pulp|Lush Smiths|Revenge|The Other Two|Rush|Morrissey|Moxy Fruvous|Lightning Seeds|SPOCK -------The poor remain poor. Someone has to work at Woolworths.---------------- ------------------------------ From: Plaguerat2@aol.com Date: Fri, 19 Jan 1996 17:02:33 -0500 Subject: the butchers and the giants@toads the show was tremendous... if any of you have a chance to see the candy butchers live do it... they're phenomenal the johns were more upbeat and happy than usual..linnel was smiling and even talked to the crowd!! toads oversold the show and let everyone in.. so the mosh pit/crowd surfing/im coughing up blood and i cant feel my legs thing was going on.. being from an area with a tremendous amount of punk/ska fans the place was packed with a vast array of people including a girl who flashed us and asked us if we wanted to touch her wonder-bra.. gotta love CT.. the tape player we smuggled in got damaged and it didnt record during a pre-giants charge for the stage so once again no boot of the concert.. i'll forward the review i sent to the newsgroup to the list tommorow.. bye for now the plaguerat ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 19 Jan 1996 22:16:00 -0500 (EST) From: Neil Subject: Re: the end of the bad news... (End of the tour) On Fri, 19 Jan 1996, Ryan Staib wrote: > I am sorry, but this is the biggest piece of BS I have seen in awhile, > and I just wrote an english paper, so I know BS. Congratulations. > When > the hell do you see them pulling bodies out of a car? It's just not in > there. "This was the vehicle / these were the people / you opened the door / and expelled all the people" So it's technically not pulling the bodies - they could have been thrown clear in the crash. Drunks often forget seatbelts. If necessary, I think I could pull the appropriate lyrics to support Brooks Anne's interpretation. How is it a humorous song? Can you find me some kind of support for _that_? *---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Neil Kelly neilbert@neilbert.nai.net abf8@maristb.marist.edu *---------------------------------------------------------------------------- The National Short-Sleeved Shirt Association says: Support your right to bare arms! ------------------------------ From: Plaguerat2@aol.com Date: Fri, 19 Jan 1996 22:23:57 -0500 Subject: the Plaguerat's Review...Toads Place.. well im back and i was a great show..There was a really friendly crowd on hand last night.. Me and my compatriots met a lot of really cool people.. But i was the co-winner of the FIND THE OPUS contest...YEAH!!!! so i now have half a silly putty egg, my girlfriend has the other half, and a friend of mine took the putty.. but we met Opus, some guy in a conductor's hat, and some really loud girl who frequently showed us her wonder-bra and asked if we wanted to touch it.. but if you were actually at the show you would've heard us.. we were the idiots front and center, who after yelling for twenty minutes to find Opus, got together for a great big group hug and sang "we are the world" and played with each other's hair. I've personally alwys loved toads and the bouncers have gotten progressively nicer since one kicked my ass a few years back. The show was a sell out.. but as usual toad's doesnt stop selling tix until they cant fit any one else in there but after a very long wait the Candy Butchers came out.. it was a two man acoustic set, just a guitar and a singular drum played with some unusual drumsticks. they were cocky, arrogant and went through the typical rock and roll show motions... swearing at crowd, licking guitar, spraying water into crowd, channeling the spirit of satan,..etc but after the martini's at tramps i wasnt expecting much.. but they were awesome.. i've never liked a band so much after only hearing them once.. they really got the crowd into it, stopping between songs to talk and crack jokes with the crowd and they had the whole front section at least dancing and singing along... i dont really know how to describe there music... maybe indie pop? but they were good.. the kind of good that they'd never play on Mtv. after they left we waited..and waited...and waited... and after a god awful wait they giants came out..no horn section, no tony, but i guess thats ok.. Flans looked his usual happy self, and Linnel looked freaking ecstatic compared to how he looked new years..the started out with spider.. which is probably the coolest song they could start out with ... then they faded into a great rendition of why does the sun shine.. in which i think linnel sang.."...helium, hydrogen, oxygen, and some other stuff" i'll now give a song list in no particualr order to the best of my memory spider, Wdtss, Dig my grave, the end of the tour, cowtown, partical man, istanbul, santas beard, james k polk, dont let start, ana ng, hotel detective '94, twisting, birdhouse, the guitar, subliminal, snail shell, sleeping in the flowers, aka driver, spy (complete with the candy butchers.. and the coolest improv ive ever heard at the end of spy yet..), no one knows my plan, dirt bike, meet james ensor, stomp box, a new tmbg song!!!!, sensurround, a cover of some song i dont recall.. i probably missed one or two in there somewhere.. but as usual there was a lot of happy people hopping around.. but the fact that it wall to wall people made it too many happy people hopping around.. crowd surfers were literally up there for three to four songs at a time.. at everyone got crushed as usual. But linnel actually talked to the crowd!!! he must actually like toads or something..they did two encores.. and it was just a crazy concert.. they supersized the concert.. and every time a song from licoln came up they announced it from the superalbum, superlincoln. it was just a great concert.. and on the second encore Flans was sucking down a samuel adams on stage!!!! but on a sadder note.. Opus lost his hat.. the final crowd surfer grabbed both opus's and my hat, i got mine back but opus's seems to have vanished.. but on a brighter note Opus, the girl that kept hugging you wants your number.. also Helene if you're reading this.. thanx for a great time and im gonna miss you... i'll get my sorry ass down to ny soon i hope cuz nothing beats listening to tmbg with a beautiful girl... well i'll be going now..... the plaguerat ------------------------------ From: Beezus5084@aol.com Date: Fri, 19 Jan 1996 22:58:52 -0500 Subject: Zima Hey freaks, Does anyone know what song TMBG put on the Zima promotional CD?( notice I'm using a "?" Rabid Child. And by the by, that was AOLame that screwed up the end of my letter.) Also, how often are the newsletters supposed to come? Lastly, if there are any Giant-heads in Charleston, SC out there E-mail me so we can chill. laytro, Beezus(a guy) ------------------------------ From: SBSquid@aol.com Date: Fri, 19 Jan 1996 23:28:00 -0500 Subject: query Just out of curiosity, are there any TMBG fans on the list from the NH area. I'm not entirely sure that there are other people in this state, so its hard to find kindred spirits. Just wondering. -Brendan ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 19 Jan 1996 21:09:33 -0800 From: alveajo@ix.netcom.com (Jose Alvear) Subject: Re: tmbg-list Digest #2-19 You wrote: > = Do the Johns have girlfriends? > = What is the word on the band... horns... Tony... etc Last year in NYC, while waiting after the show me and my friend saw John and John walk out of the club, each with a woman in tow. At another concert, we saw Linnell after a show shopping in this drug store and he was with the same woman. So yeah, they both have girlfriends. I think Graham is now the official bassist. Tony went on to other projects... Pere Ubu I think. That's it. No more. Jose A ------------------------------ End of tmbg-list Digest #2-20 *****************************