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 #62-10 tmbg-list Digest, Volume 62, Number 10 Sunday, 23 February 2003 Today's Topics: Re: TMBG: 2/14 late show Re: TMBG: 2/14 late show Re: TMBG: 2/14 late show TMBG: TMBV? Administrivia: If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing send mail to tmbg-digest-request@tmbg.org for instructions on how to be automatically removed. --------------------------------------------------------------------- The views expressed herein are those of the individual authors. --------------------------------------------------------------------- tmbg-list is digested with Digest 3.5b (John Relph ). ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Subject: Re: TMBG: 2/14 late show Date: Sat, 22 Feb 2003 15:41:12 GMT Message-Id: Quinn, how do you get all of this stuff? It's priceless. Do you record it, or write it down as they're going? > JL: Thanks for spending this special holiday with us. It might seem > inappropriate to come to a show on this day, but we're gonna try and make > it special. > JF: We're gonna be performing complex love songs. Non-love songs. > > JF: Y'know, this is a very different kind of show, and not just because > we're sitting down for the very first time in our careers, but also, we've > never done this whole completely acoustic unplugged thing before. We > usually have a drummer and at least one extremely talented lead guitar > player with us backing us up. But y'know, we figured--y'know, it's time to > change it up. We've been playing for twenty years and we wanted to get back > to our mellower folk roots that we never really had. > > JF: I don't know if you heard the warnings about the whole duct tape thing, > but it's exciting to know as a musician that suddenly we have a cultural > edge. Y'know--of course, it's the apocalypse and everything, but still, > y'know, ya just take those breaks where you can find 'em when you're a > musician. I'm just surprised that they didn't just say, y'know, "Put a > plastic bag over your head." Seemed like it would sort of, y'know, save on > the plastic. This next song is another extraordinarily depressing number. > Oh, this song...I'm jumping ahead, I'm jumping ahead. > JL: The *rest* of the songs are depressing. > JF: We're counting down--just one more song until the incredibly depressing > numbers. This song actually is off our children's album, and it's actually > going to be made into a picture book for kids this fall coming out on Simon > and Schuster, and the song is called Bed Bed Bed Bed Bed. > > JF: People talk--y'know, there's sort of like a modern thing about bad hair > days, but for me, right now...my hair has never looked more like a wig. And > that's exciting for me. I mean, check it out. If somebody told you I had > hair plugs, you'd be like, "Well, yeh. It's totally fake." And I sort of > don't know what to do on those days because, uh, I'm rather proud of my > full head of hair, but the fact that it looks like hairplugs. So this next > song is another experiment in self-loathing off our Lincoln album. > > JF: Y'know, we've done a lot of shows over the years, and one of the > strangest things about shows like this where you can actually hear people > talking and stuff like that is that there are often strange self-selected > individuals who decide that the show is all about them. We played at a > place in Milwaukee called The Mine Shaft where there was a guy who gave us > the finger for the entire show. And he was standing--this was kind of like > a miniature hardcore club, it only held like, y'know, 50 people. The > strange thing about the show was that--y'know, this was the '80's, and the > people who ran the club were like, "Jerry Harrison's gonna be here > tonight." And so we're like, "Oh. Cool." And then I'm sort of aware that > Jerry Harrison's over there, and there's this guy giving me the finger for > the entire show just right over there. But this was not the first time that > we've gotten the finger for the entire show. Because we played at Bedrock > in Williamsburg back in the '80's--back when Williamsburg was cool. And > there was a guy there who gave us the fnger for the entire show. Earlier > tonight there was this guy doing this sort of rasberry thing over there > that was just--just brings back fond memories of the Mine Shaft and > Bedrock. So we're lovin' this crowd, this rasberry-free crowd we've > gathered here tonight. This special Valentine's Day night. > > JF: The really, like, the ultimate--like, you'll never understand what it > is to tour in the United States...The guy who gave us the bird at The Mine > Shaft, at the end of the show he was the *only* guy who bought a t-shirt. > So, like, we're actually doing, like, "Buy our t-shirts!" thing, he came > over and he was just like, "You guys rock pretty hard." > JL: He came out to the van after the show. And we were like, "Oh shit. Here > comes that guy." > JF: He was like, "You got that extra-large?" > Guy in audience: So you're not gonna sell many today, then. > JF: I don't know. We're selling t-shirts. We've got plenty of brand-new-- > JL: There's still plenty of time to give us the finger. > JF: This next song is a special long-distance dedication to my friends over > at the Loser's Lounge tonight. This song was written for them, before they, > uh...before all my rowdy friends settled down, ladies and gentlemen. *to > Dan Miller* Are you playing that Heart song again? > JL: He's playing Journey. > JF: Dan Miller has an encyclopedic knowledge of bad music. > *They all play the beginning of some Journey song and Flans sings a bit.* > > JF: John, technically, the last show, I think we actually fucked this song > up a little bit. So...This next song is a Mike Nesmith song, from the > Monkees. *cheering* The tiniest of "whoo" 's for Mike Nesmith...I think the > thing is, we gotta--we shouldn't do it *too* slow. > JL: Too slow. We started out too slow. Yehyehyeh. > JF: There are all these long notes that I cannot sustain. And I don't want > to give in to that whole refund thing. > JL: Right. Don't even bring it up in front of the crowd. Give them ideas. > About getting a *refund.* > JF: "Yeh, I saw that show. *Fuck* those guys." So um yes, just don't play > it *too* slow. *JL starts playing* Yeh, sort of--somewhere between Mark > Russell and Garrison Keillor. > *They play What Am I Doing Hangin' Round* > JF: Mr. Garrison Keillor, Mr. Mark Russell. > JL: We tried it really fast, and it exactly sounded like one of those Mark > Russell political comedy what the hell is that guy doing on TV... > JF: The red-white-and-blue piano. You know what we're talking about. > Y'know, pledge time only comes around once a year, that's when they play > those Mark Russell specials. And you just gotta wonder--who likes that guy? > ...I'm digressing once again. > JL: Let's talk about Garrison Keillor. > JF: John does an incredible, wicked Garrison Keillor impression. > JL: Nonono. *cheering* > JF: The show doesn't work that way. It's all about delivering disappointment. > JL: It's not about what you *want.* > JF: It's about what we're not willing to give you. But y'know ladies and > gentlemen, what Valentine's Day song would be complete without the next > song, Mammal. > > JF: John, I don't know what you've been doing recently, but I've been > watching a *shitload* of TV. > JL: And your conclusion? > JF: Awesome. Totally awesome. The freakiest thing of all--I got this > Roadrunner thing, which is like, y'know--it's cheap. It starts at like $180 > a month. The next year it'll be like $700. But you feel like you can't live > without it, so it's cool. Cos y'know, you get the Inter--the AOL thing like > really *fast*. But the best thing about it is the VH-1 Classics. Which, I > don't know which--it's channel 136. Now, you people are thinking like, > "VH-1? Doesn't that equal 'suck'?" But actually, the great thing about this > VH-1 Classics, it plays the best of the '60's, the '70's, and some of the > '80's. It's really good. And this next song, although not *featured* on > VH-1 Classics, reminds me of how much I love VH-1 Classics. > JL: People think you're kidding, but you're serious, you really like it. > JF: I'm not kidding. It's pretty much locked on 136. I know there's, like, > interesting foreign language networks on 135 and 137 from when I > accidentally punch it in the wrong way. 136. It's worth the $180-$700 a > month. That it costs. Of course, viewing digital cable would not be > complete without the TV that is *this big.* And when the HBO ad for Keith > Richards comes on, well of course a few tears are shed, but it's worth it. > JL: The kids start crying. Hey, y'know, I actually saw a, um, I saw, like, > some Hullabaloo or something version of this-- > JF: That's the kind of thing that they play on VH-1 Classics. That's the > kind of entertainment satisfaction you're looking at. > JL: The thing that was weird about it-- > JF: When you lay down the $180-$700 a month. > JL: The thing is--the weird thing is that, like, the arrangement of this > song is, like--I don't know, is it Quincy Jones?--it's like one of these > huge-sounding arrangements. This is the song that we're about to play, that > Leslie Gore popularized-- > JF: You get much more than that John, you get the kind of technical support > that only Warner--Time Warner can give you. The guy comes into your house, > and he plugs in the cable thing with the big white cord, like > super*crazy*ugly, like you're like, "Don't put it there! Please!" He's > like, "Gotta be here. *sawing crunching sort of noise* Gotta be here." > Like, "No no no no!" It's like--and then, and then there's like--"All > right, where's your computer, where's your computer?" He goes over here and > he takes this here off, "Ok, ok, wait wait wait, ok, wait, you don't have > Ethernet. I'm out!" And then he leaves without telling you your password. > So you gotta go to Customer Service on 14th Street. Which is pretty much > like a weekend on Riker's Island. But back to the Hullabaloo, John. > JL: Nonono, I lost my train of thought. Let's play the song. > JF: Nonono, now I feel bad. I stepped on your story. > JL: Nononono. > JF: You were watching Hullabaloo, and there's like this crazy production-- > JL: The thing that was weird is the song sounds great, the sound of it, and > Leslie Gore looked incredibly uncomfortable lip-synching to this, and it > kind of made me--I can't get that out of my head *now* when I listen to it, > that she doesn't look as happy as I *feel* listening to the song. > JF: She's like a person trapped in a person's body. > JL: Yes. That's the weird thing about it. Usually like checking out the > film, the vintage film, but not this time. Anyway, here's our--this is our > inferior but still ok rendition. > > JF: Ladies and gentlemen, we've gotta get back on stage here Mr. Dan > Miller--I don't know if he can hear the sound of my voice from his > apartment, but Dan, if you're here, or even if just a friend of yours who > has a cell phone is here to call you, please, come back to the stage! > > JF: Marty Beller on the *acoustic* drums! Ladies and gentlemen, we're > entering the, uh, portion of the show we like to call...I've never > performed sitting down before, so the whole repertoire of mic moves is > extremely limited. > JL: Y'know, I went to the, uh--I went to the movies recently and I saw > Marty Beller's name in the credits, and it was like I was so completely...I > actually said really loud in the theater, "I know that guy!" And then I was > like..."Jesus christ." > JF: Marty Beller also was [something]. No, what movie--what movie were you > in? Confessions of a Dangerous Mind? > JL: You can enjoy his work. > JF: He plays Chuck Barris as well, but the important thing is he's... > > (After Mink Car) > JL: See, that *feels* like a Valentine's song. > JF: But at its emotional center, it's really not a love song. > JL: Sort of a Hallotine's Day. Or a...maybe a Valloween...you would think. > > JF: Ladies and gentlemen. It's time for the slow songs. The slow songs that > we call the end of the [something] show. That's right, everybody *hates* > 'em. But the theme of the show is *disappointment*, ladies and gentlemen. > > JF: We wanna thank you again all for coming out to the show, we wanna > invite you back to later shows, we wanna thank all the people to stand > while we got to enjoy the luxury of sitting down for the first time in our > career. Thank you for being in the back. I have no idea how uncomfortable > it is there, but it's a little bit less uncomfortable than the people who > are sitting behind you. > JL: I have that funny feeling of sitting on the subway when there's people, > y'know, standing. Like, "I should really give you my seat, but...had a hard > day at work..." And I can't explain that. Anyway...here's another song from > our kids' record. > JF: No, wait, we should thank our crew, John. > JL: Oh yehyeh, yeh. I was gonna do that *during* the song...no I wasn't. > > (Before Cyclops) > JF: I guess it's not really Peter Noone that it's in the style of. > JL: Nonono. > JF: I think it's probably more--I don't know, some drunk English guy. > JL: No, you see, I--we played it the first set, y'know, we sort of > introduced it as Peter Noone. Then it was like the full rock band, it was > more...I thought it was more like one of those Who songs that Keith Moon > sings? Know what I'm talkin' about? *sings part of Bell Boy* I dunno. > > JF: I'm just [something--latching? lushing?] on that John Langford, the guy > from the Mekons, I saw him performing, and at the end of the show, he was > like, "If there's anybody here from a magazine or a radio station who can > help us...fuck you!" It was like this incredible beautiful synthesis of > this entire thing. So, uh, what're we doing here... > Guy in audience: Ana Ng! > Other guy in audience: They'll Need a Crane! > First guy: ANA NG! > Woman in the audience: Shut up! > JF: I hear you, but I'm trying to ignore you. > > Quinn {http://home.houston.rr.com/johnlinnell/main.html} > > "People are kind of screwed up sometimes." ~John Linnell > > ------------------------------ Message-Id: <5.1.0.14.0.20030222141040.00aa8770@pop-server.houston.rr.com> Date: Sat, 22 Feb 2003 14:13:01 -0500 From: Quinn Collard Subject: Re: TMBG: 2/14 late show >Quinn, how do you get all of this stuff? It's priceless. Do you record it, >or write it down as they're going? I usually make small notes to myself in a little 3"x5" notebook and then try to write it all up that night while it's still fresh on my mind. This time, though, I *did* have a recording, and since I didn't have a chance to start working on it until a few days later it's a good thing, cos my notes no longer made any sense to me whatsoever. Quinn {http://home.houston.rr.com/johnlinnell/main.html} "People are kind of screwed up sometimes." ~John Linnell ------------------------------ Message-Id: <5.2.0.9.0.20030222143211.00b18258@pop.runbox.com> Date: Sat, 22 Feb 2003 14:35:16 -0500 From: jessie Subject: Re: TMBG: 2/14 late show At 02:13 PM 2/22/2003 -0500, Quinn Collard wrote: >I usually make small notes to myself in a little 3"x5" notebook and then >try to write it all up that night while it's still fresh on my mind. This >time, though, I *did* have a recording, and since I didn't have a chance >to start working on it until a few days later it's a good thing, cos my >notes no longer made any sense to me whatsoever. well, I'm impressed. I also find that I forget almost everything that happens during concerts a few days later...it's very odd...I don't think I remember much banter from any shows except the ones where I've written some down directly afterwards. It sucks. ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 22 Feb 2003 22:39:57 -0500 From: Jeff Roberts Subject: TMBG: TMBV? Message-id: <5.2.0.9.2.20030222223906.0106d8f0@pop.cwru.edu> Anyone got any info on an Aussie band called They Might Be Vaginas? I swear it's an actual band. -- "I was young and foolish then. I feel old and foolish now." -They Might Be Giants Jeff Roberts President of Foolish Mortal Enterprises ------------------------------ End of tmbg-list Digest #62-10 ******************************