AMERICAN MUSIC: THE VIOLENT FEMMES MAILING LIST
currently run by Pat. Wary

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TOUR DATES: (NEW DATES MARKED WITH A **)

September 17-The Palace, Hollywood, CA (P,O)
September 18-Canes, San Diego, CA (T,O,P)
September 19-The Glass House, Pomona, CA (T,O,P)
September 21-The Catalyst, Santa Cruz, CA (O,P)
September 22-Luther Burbank Center, Santa Rosa, CA (O,P)
September 23-The Fillmore, San Francisco, CA (O,P)

**September 25-Marzz, Raleigh, NC (O)**

September 26-Carolina Music Fest, The World Mardi Gras,
Charlotte, NC (O,P)
for more info call 704-333-2263
September 27-Smokey Mountain Jamboree,Knoxville,TN (P)
October 9-Benedictine University, Lisle, IL (O)
October 10-East Stroudsburg University, Abeloff Convocation Center,
East Stroudsburg, PA (O,P)
October 15-MontClair State University, Montclair, NJ (O)
October 29-The Forum, London, ENGLAND (O)
October 31-Sports Hall at Coimbra University, Coimbra, PORTUGAL (O)

NOTA BENE: ‘O’ stands for the Official homepage
‘P’ stands for Pollstar
‘T’ stands for Ticketmaster
‘I’ stands for Insider Info
All other references are subscribers

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The Quote Of The Day:

special, special, what do you get,
another day older and deeper in dept
-From Special
-Submitted by

send your quotes to
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WHO/WHERE
Going to a VF concert? Want to know if anyone
else on the list also going? Check here first!

Los Angeles
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Pomona, CA
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Santa Cruz, CA
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San Francisco (Sept. 23)
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Charlotte, NC
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Knoxville, TN
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East Stroudsburg, PA
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Montclair, NJ
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ANY SUGGESTIONS ON HOW TO IMPROVE THIS LETTER SHOULD BE DIRECTED TO
[email protected]
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WEB PAGES:

Official: http://www.vfemmes.com
Unofficial: http://www.gl.umbc.edu/~mmerry2/femmes.html
Guitar: http://www.bucknell.edu/~wtorres/violent_femmes/
TAB DIGEST: [email protected]

There are currently 14 subscribers to the tab digest.
Mat respectfully asks “every one please send in their
tabs as there is only so much time I have and I can’t
possibly tabs everything for every one.” So please
remember the tab digest is for sharing, not just taking.

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In Today’s Issue:

Clash Tribute Delay
Some Montclair Info
Meet Me at Pomona
Greening of Mackay
Greening of Mackay
RE: Fans and GPB BITS
RE: Fans
RE: Fans
RE: Fans
RE: Fans
RE: Religion
RE: Drumming
Lung Capacity
Sabrina

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Regarding a question a few issues ago about the Clash tribute: I received
email from Pete Folger at Ark Records (the label which is making this CD)
and he has informed me the Clash project has been put on hold. SO I hope
it’s nothing serious, but the CD will not be released this month as
scheduled. For more info, contact

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Alright i found some information on the montclair show. it isn’t oficial
yet, but i still managed to get some information. it will most likly be
on October 15th, and the guy that i talked to said it will be all ages
unless there is some stupid reason, so i doubt it. oh and if any one
needs to know the area code for montclair is 201. i will probably be
going, i am already excited 🙂

-kara

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New to the area. I’d love to meet up wwith some people before the Pomona
Show. What about it?

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hello, first my respects and a grateful handshake to pat who runs this
mailing list, I do remember a time when I got Rock!!!!! once every other
month 🙂
I have never posted before because my english is bad but I just saw my
first VF show friday.
I bought their first album in 89 (I was 13) in a used record store
because it was cheap and I had blurry memories of hearing their name
somewhere, thought their name was pretty cool, violent.Like most of you
I guess I just fell in love upon first listening, that incredible,
timeless, twisted and strong self-titled album (I’m personnaly VERY glad
to hear that new fans got into VF first with this album, even though I
think my favorite to date is why do birds sing?) Growing up, I’ve always
held a special place for them in my heart and music collection, but for
some reasons, never got to see them live, and grew slightly obsessed
with other bands, didn’t listen to the femmes as much, but subscribed
anyway to the mailing list.That’s when I’ve heard about the free
montreal show.
I thought it was going to be very nice to finally see them live,
memories of teenage years or something in that vein, I was pretty
excited, smiling. But I didn’t expect it to be like that at all. When
they came onstage, Gordon had his black cowboy hat and a right spot
hit his eyes, he did a childish evil grin and was sweating more
charisma than in my strongest memories, I started crying by the second
song, out the window.
I fell for them all over again, maybe more strongly than I’ve ever been,
and somehow idiots crowd-surfers, very young kids and drunk screaming
teenage girls (“B.I.T.S”!!!!) were adding a special glow to the show,
mixing all kinds of feelings of hate and humor with the brightness and
darkness of music, lyrics…I don’t know how to explain, but it somehow
put everything in perspective for me.
I was also able to finally have my own opinion about the debates going
on this mailing list; guy live is a very tight drummer, maybe not as
“playful” as victor, but he’s really great and has the infamous blue
eyes.:) And I don’t know how some of you can be truly pissed at the
youngest fans, maybe lots of them have no ideas what this music’s
about, but they DO think BITS is a great song, or that gordon looks so
rad, or anything else; they still have been touched by the band, in one
way or another, and I was very pleased to see so many very young fans at
the concert, and on this list. Maybe a show with just older fans who
knows their f.a.q would be a very pleasant elitist experience, but I
would have been pretty depressed to only see old-school fans at the
show; it’s nice to know that their fan-base is in permanent
reconstitution. thanks for reading, that was long and confused.
Have a good day

yours, nathalie

-Pat. Says: Nathalie, please do not let the fact that English is not your
first language keep you from writing. Your command of English
is far far better than many Native English speakers.

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hey,
just got back to jersey from the femmes show in montreal, the greening of
mackey, event. the show was out of this world. they played for an hour and
a half at an outdoor venue. it was a free event and the boys played a mix
of new and old . A couple of weird things happened at one point somebody
threw something on stage and Guy stopped playing and walked off stage. so
Gordon asked everybody to play nice and try to coax Guy back to play. he
came back out and the fun continued. one other weird thing was when some
guy was crowd surfing and got tossed toward the stage and hit the mic
stand which then banged into Gordon mouth. He was concentrating on the
singing and didn’t see the dude coming and got knocked back. but he
maintained his cool and carried on. anyway that was the third time seeing
the femmes and they never disappoint except i wish they could keep
playing all night there’s always a ton of songs they don’t play.
later,

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this letter is in response to beth i am one of
those grungsters, is that the word that was used, that you referred to.
my favorite bands are nirvana, the violent femmes, and nine inch nails.
what’s wrong with that, are there only certain people that can listen to
the femmes? people that you find worthy of their music? i’m 16, and have
loved the femmes for four years. who cares if you were the ‘original’
femmes fan, in your generation? who really gives a fuck? i don’t. its
like the whole underground punk band thing. ‘oh i liked them before you
even knew who they were, so i’m cooler than you’ its so stupid, it
pisses me off!!!! but, hey if it keeps your boat floating and your self
esteem at a good level, then hey go for it. wait a second, what am i
talking about?? maybe you are ‘cooler’ than me…but you can be cooler
than me; quite frankly i don’t want to be as cool as you. so, i’ll smile
cooly and ask you stop bragging about how you’re like the ?only? true
femmes fan in our generation. pssssst…oh yeah…um..no offense or
anything.

*dana*

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Hey Beth (and everybody)- I’m 14, I like the Femmes. Sure, there are
fans who are just BITS oriented, but who cares? You don’t have to put
that kind of fan down just to show YOUR PERSONAL superiority as a Femmes
fan. My favorite album is by far the first, but I have all the rest- so
don’t overgeneralize. And since you’re fifteen, I bet you’re tired of
being placed in this catergory, too. So don’t judge us because of our
age, and don’t think we’re not as good of fans as you because of some
people you might know.
Also (sort of unrelated) the version of BITS on the Grosse Pointe
soundtrack sounds EVEN MORE acoustic than the one on the first album.
And Gordon seems whinier, although he is getting a little older…. oh
well. Still sounds pretty cool. I would have liked to have heard “Good
Feeling” at the reunion scene in the movie. Oh well. I LOVE THAT SONG.
Sorry. My posts are becoming more anger driven. I think the list is
becoming this way too. Maybe that’s a good thing, though. Have I turned
anybody on to Pavement yet?
—
Paul

—
“Freeze. Don’t move. You’ve been chosen
as an extra in the movie adaptation of
the sequel to your life…………….”

-Pavement, “Shady Lane”

-Pat. Says: I do NOT think the anger increasingly expressed in this list
is a good thing. I wish it would stop. As long as you all do
not get too insulting, I am duty bound to print it, but I
happen to think angry confrontation over tiny little issues
is ultimately self-destructive, to this list and to our own
psyches. That’s just my two BITS. Your response is mild,
Paul, and for that I thank you.

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PART 1:”Well did i call it or what. If you like the whole cd its a
different story (not really)”

this comment was not meant for you it was meant for the person who made it
like most people who arent “true fans” only like BITS! but thanks on the
advice on what cd to buy

PART 2:for jal215 comment thanks its nice to see a long time fan stick up
for us new comers i agree with you i would never compare myself too you i
just say were all fans!

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I’ve noticed that the way a lot of people on this list think is if
something is popular, it is bad. Do you really need so much to be
different that you have to hate what the majority likes. One big example
of this is the whole BITS thing. So much bitching goes on about that
song. If it had not been for that song, I don’t really think that the
first album would have made it as big as it had, and without that big
first album, would more have come? Sure BITS is just one of those catchy
tunes that instantly makes people crazy, but I think the Femmes needed a
song like that to be where the are today. BITS made me listen to the
Femmes, and yes I started out listening to the first album. But, after
listening to the album, I decided that my favorite song on it was Prove My
Love, and no, BITS wasn’t second. So the point I was trying to make (I
kind of went off on a tangent) was that if you like things that are
different, great! I’m happy for you and your unique tastes, but why must
you hate things that are popular? Why do you have to act like such
pompous asses with your cooler than thou attitudes?

That’s my bit on BITS,

-Sandi Barr

“In the dime stores and bus stations,
People talk of situations,
Read books, repeat quotations,
Draw conclusions on the wall.”

-Bob Dylan

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I think the first place most new femmes fans start as mentioned a zillion
times before (including by me I think) is add it up. This is fine as
mentioned by whatever their name was oberline or whatever. It is also a
wise comment as also metioned by myself in the past that if you like add
it up why not buy the other damn music they have. Get there tape it offa
friend or swipe it from tower (please if you get caught its not my fault.)
But please, please please please, do not start your collection with blind
leading the naked. Its not a horrible album, but certainly not one of
their
better. I would strongly advise for everyone who loves add it up to first
get the first album, then hollowed ground (One of the best rock albums or
any kind of music album ever, though the first one is also amazing) after
that it is up to them, I still would think that going chronologically
could
be your best bet to fully understanding the femmes and their music. I
think
that’s probably the best course of action for anything new that you
already like. Though on the second hand if you know that you really love
them and won’t stop even if you hear a god awful album well then start
with
the femmes lesser works, their not awful just not great like 3 (which
isn’t
bad after a while, or blind leading which has some amazing songs but
mostly
filler) Personally I first heard the first one from a freind, got add it
up, then bought the first one and then got hallowed and why do the birds
sing together followed by blind leading and my final album number three.
(though i did get Rock much later after three).
Good luck all .
Ps I don’t feel like introducing myself. if anyone cares which i doubt
they do its all in my extensive profile , and no that was meant to be
satirical.

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Hi,

My name’s Erik, I’m 24 and one of the few Swedes, on this mailing
list. I heard the Femmes in 1990 for the first time and I’ve loved
them ever since. I have all their official CD’s including the
Breakin up single, with an excellent version of Didgeriblues. I
also have Brians 3 solo albums, but unfortunately Gordon’s is
pretty much impossible to get ahold of. Them femmes haven’t been
to Sweden in the 90’s, their closest concert was in Denmark ’92,
so I haven’t had the privilege of ever seeing them live.
Fortunately, I’ve corresponded with one of Brians friends who
delivered a message about them not coming to Europe very often,
and Brian emailed me back saying that they’re coming next year.

I was glad to read thet Travis is also interested in the religion
topic. I see my self as agnostic, even though both my father and
my grandfather have been ministers, but I’ve always been very
interested in religion or rather beliefs of different kinds. I
think the Femmes have made it quite clear that they truly do
believe in God, but that they like so many others dislike the
widely-spread hypocracy among many Christians. Ok, now don’t
get pissed off, cause I’m not saying that all Christians are
hypocrits, I’m only saying that there are many contradictions in
the way some believers act in comparison to what they say they
believe in. I’m a song-writer myself and many of my songs are
about believing, or rather me sometimes wishing I could just
accept a God.

I hope I haven’t started a war here, ’cause I just want an open
discussion about The Femmes and what people here have to say about
religion in Femmes songs.

Erik

(… special, special, what do you get, another day older and
deeper in dept) “Special” From TBLTN

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In response to Emily, I thank you for commenting on the drumming
thing. I think you are one of the first people to actually talk about
his drumming. So did you think he was cute too??? Also, I think that
you are very candid and I really admire that and hope you continue to
voice your intelligent opinions as often as you feel necessary.

One HAppy Hummer, humdrum

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I have to say one thing about Brian: for a guy who comes out smoking a
cigar at all the concerts he sure has incredible lung power!! (like when
he plays the didjerroo)

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I’m a long time Femmes fan. I bought their first single when it came
out, and saw them live 30 times between ’83 and ’93. Why I’m writing
this is that I happened to watch SABRINA the other night and was totally
shocked at how…let’s put this gently…”well-fed” both Brian and
Gordon looked! What in the hell happened?

Toby Germano

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><
“…The Earth Does Not Belong To
Man…Man Belongs To The Earth…”
<><><><><> Chief Seattle<><><><><><

-Pat. Says: Unfortunately, the camera sometimes distorts a person’s true
appearance. I saw the band about the time the show was taped,
and I assure you that that was NOT how they really looked.

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