12-15-97 -

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

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

Sunday, Dec 21-St. Mark’s Church, 2nd Ave and 10th St. NY, NY Performance
of Solstice Spirit for Shakuhachi Orchestra by Nyoraku
Schlefer. Brian will be one of the flautists.
Show starts at 3:05 P.M.; admission is FREE.

*************************************************************************
The Quote Of The Day:

Life is an adventure,
made for an adventurer,
made just for the boy who can
grow up strong and become a man.
-From Life is an Adventure
-Submitted by

send your VF quotes to
*************************************************************************

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

*************************************************************************
TRADE, SELL OR BUY
When your wishes are fulfilled, please email
to have your name removed from this section.
This feature will run on Mondays only.

——————-
Would like boots of the following shows:
9/95 Maritime Days
1/96 Winterfest, Icehouse (first show)
7/4/96 Summerfest, Marcus Amphitheatre
8/97 Waukesha County Fair
Plus, I know there was a guy with a video camera at the Winterfest show.

——————
Wanted: boot of November 14, 1996 University of Maine Orono show.

——————-
Wanted: any VF boots, particularly the 9/16/97 Palace show in Hollywood.
Will trade for the following boots:
8/1/83 New Orleans, LA
1/20/85 Berkeley, CA
3/16/89 Chicago, IL
“Film Noir”
Brian Ritchie – I See a Noise

—————–
Wanted: any VF boots.
Will trade for the following boots:
3 Nirvana
1 Sonic Youth
1 Sex Pistols
2 Rolling Stones
1 Who

——————–
Wanted: boot of the Carrol College show (WI), end of 96.
Will trade copy of Tom Waits singing a Jack Kerouac song at the Allen
Ginsberg Memorial show earlier this year, or will pay cash.

——————
Wanted: boot from the Nov. 8th show at House of Blues in Lake Buena Vista.
Will trade whatever I have….

————————-
Wanted: a video released in 83 or 84, Femmes live, called “No, Let’s
Start Over.” I think that this was actually a legit release from
WB that never took off.
Will offer free cassette copies of “Film Noir” and “Kiss Off”, both
live in europe 1984.

—————
Wanted: Violent Femmes MP3’s. I have Blister in the Sun.

————–
Wanted: Violent Femmes bumper stickers.

———————
Will trade copies of Film Noir for other shows, not necessarily just
the VF.

———————–
Boots available at my homepage:
http://csclub.stthomas.edu/~drentlaw/
Also I have a Video from Wisconsin of them.

———————-
Will tape copy of GPB Soundtrack.just send me a tape and two dollars
for postage.

*************************************************************************
ANY SUGGESTIONS ON HOW TO IMPROVE THIS LETTER SHOULD BE DIRECTED TO

ANY AND ALL CORRESPONDENCE CONCERNING THIS LETTER SHOULD BE DIRECTED TO

*************************************************************************

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:

The tab digest is give and take; remember to share what
you have.

*************************************************************************

In Today’s Issue:

RE: Lyrics Questions..Soundtrack
RE: Lyrics Questions
RE: Lyrics Questions
RE: Lyrics Questions
Refreshments Cover the VF
Write to Me
RE: Pet Names
Danica: Write

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
RE: Lyrics Questions..Soundtrack
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When I was working over christmas vacation last year I remember hearing
a song on an oldies station with many of the lyrics from “Breakin’
up” from New Times. I never heard it again, but I swear that the chorous
from that song is exactly like “Breakin’ Up.” (different tone and
melody, but same lyrics). Anybody know?

And I read somewhere on the Web that Gordon Gano had written the
soundtrack to an independent film called “Hitting the Ground.” I don’t
think he performed them, but he wrote the music and lyrics. Did anyone
hear about this? I’ve seen the movie talked about in other places but
its not very big so I doubt I could ever find it or its soundtrack.

-Pat. Says: The song was probably “Breaking Up is Hard to Do”. by Neil
Sedaka. Do these lyrics sound familiar?: They say that
breaking up is hard to do, now I know, I know that it’s
true, don’t say that this is the end, instead of breaking
up I wish that we were making up again.” That song was done
when? late 50’s? early 60’s? At any rate, he rerecorded it
in the seventies, and it made a hit again. Some people never
learn..
Ok, a couple of months ago we were talking about that
soundtrack. I don’t think it’s been released yet. I’ll have
to look around for more info.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
RE: Lyrics Questions
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Oh, I love the Femmes version of “Do You Really Want to Hurt Me?”
Culture Club had an okay original, but the additions Gordon made to it
definitely turn it into a Femmes song, in my opinion. I can’t imagine
Boy George caring about the color of his lover’s car… That’s Gordon
through and through.

At my local college radio station, it is customary to play the Femmes
version instead of the CC version. 88.1 KTXT Lubbock, TX RULES!

Jared Kitchens
“there’s nothing worth living for tonight” 🙂

Third Verse, same as the first is shouted out in “Henry The VIII, I AM”
(I’m sure this is a corruption of the actual title) by Sixties cheese
rock legends Herman’s Hermits.

Thank goodness the femmes didn’t utilize anything else by them:

I’m henry the eighth I am,
henry the eighth I am, I am
I got married to the woman next door
She’s been married seven times before.

And every one was an henry (henry!)
She wouldn’t have a Willie or a Sam.
I’m her eighth old man I’m henry (henry!)
Henry the eighth I am.

That, I hate to admit, was from my troubled and agitated memory.

j
–

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
RE: Lyrics Questions
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Agamemnon is from “The Illiad” by Homer.
He’s really a very fascinating character. He was the Achaian army
commander that caused hundreds, if not thousands, of deaths to his own
army on account that he stole Achille’s (the greatest Achaian warrior)
war prize. Achilles, basically being vengeful towards Agamemnon for this
act of selfishness refused to fight the Trojans as long as Agamemnon was
commander. He was an arrogant son of a bitch that really wasn’t
respected by most of his forces.
I really don’t understand the song Agamemnon though, considering Gordon
is talking about telephones and, saying ” I have an idea, women always
have ideas!” I’ve tried and tried to understand, but I just can’t get
the connection.
Well that’s it for me today. You all have a safe and wonderfully happy
holiday season. Adios

Matt

-Pat. Says: There’s also a scene in the Odyssey, where Agamemnon is
dead, and Odysseus talks with him. Agamemnon was also a
play written by Aeschylus, which I’ve downloaded off the web,
am now reading. And I found a reference to a play by the same
name written by James Thomson (sometime in the 1800’s?). SO
I would assume there’s more, and one of them could possibly
have given Gordon his song idea.
OH, BTW, I think Achilles was as much an asshole in this
instance. I mean, he got his mommy to fix things with Zeus
so that the Trojans would start winning, thousands would die,
and everyone would have to beg him to fight again. Some hero.
He wouldn’t get back in the game till his best friend dies.
All that to protect his ‘honor’. Sheesh.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Refreshments Cover the VF
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
hey all…
in response to someone saying The Refreshments use Femmes lyrics,
well, this summer in concert, we were amazed when they gave us their
little rendition of “Kiss Off”! It truly was the best song that they
had to offer at their concert. They must have some liking for our
Femmes! 🙂

Ryan

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Write to Me
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
there is not much people around where i live (im 16) that listen to
80’s, they are all head over heels for bush, live,matchbox 20, third eye
blind and all that other crap. only my best friend is into 80’s kinda,
help me, im from toronto canada, anyone into 80’s music especially
femmes and the cure please reply to me. thank you

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
RE: Pet Names
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It was popular among my crowd to call the Femmes, Vehemins Feminae.
Back in the day . . . ..

Jesse

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Danica: Write
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Danica, If you wanna talk about Rocky Horror E mail me at . K?

Emma

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~