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AM Fan Letter • 1997

12-01-97

AMERICAN MUSIC: THE VIOLENT FEMMES MAILING LIST currently run by Pat. Wary ************************************************************************** The Quote Of The Day: I know that bad things are going down I, I know loneliness is all around I know that the world is starved for love love -From No Killing send your VF quotes to ************************************************************************** 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: a copy of Film Noir, or any other VF material. Will trade a good quality '89 show at the Metro in Chicago. ------------------ Wanted: boots from Brian Ritchie solo projects. Will trade for VF stuff; write for details. Also wanted: boot of November 14, 1996 University of Maine Orono show. ------------------- Wanting to buy: a pre-New Times violent femmes poster. I will also offer free copies of "The Mercy Seat" to all who ask. ------------------ Wanting to buy: a boot of the Lisle gig in IL. ------------------- 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 9/27/91 Seattle, WA "Film Noir" ---------------------- Wanted: any VF boots. Will trade for the following boots: 50 Replacements and Paul Westerberg shows 1 Jonathan Richman Big Star Pixies OR will trade 2 blank tapes for each show. ----------------- 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. ************************************************************************** ANY SUGGESTIONS ON HOW TO IMPROVE 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: Lobsters RE: The GPB Soundtrack RE: the GPB Soundtrack 2 Stories..VF and XCountry Peter Corey Sent Me Found: Film Noir Videos Questions..Dream ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ RE: Lobsters ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ In regard to the lobsters not feeling pain thing.... which I have no idea what it has to do with anything because I haven't read this in awhile. . . I go to UMaine and supposedly there is some lobster research project that has been completed and lobsters don't feel pain. I read this in an attachment to the campus newspaper in September I think. Beck in Maine ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ RE: The GPB Soundtrack ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I personally would recommend the Grosse Point Blank soundtrack. I bought it and there are a lot of good songs on it. Good movie too. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ RE: the GPB Soundtrack ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I don't have the soundtrack myself and don't know anyone who does. I was wondering what Blister2000 is exactly. Is it a remix or what? it's a waste to pay $15 just to find that out so I was wondering if any one of you knowledgeable people can answer me free of charge. thanx. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 2 Stories..VF and XCountry ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Hmmm, a fascinating Femmes story. I honestly can't remember the first time I heard them, but I know the song was undoubtedly BITS. The first memory I have of the Femmes is watching clips from Woodstock 2 on MTV, and seeing VF playing BITS while the audience went wild. I remember Gordon said something about the fact that someday we were all going to figure out what BITS was about, and we'd regret airing it on TV. Is that not fascinating enough for ya? Well, let me tell you about the time I got my first VF album. In the eighth grade, I hung out with a bunch of high schoolers who listened to very rad music, one band being Our Femmes. At the end of eighth grade, I moved from Ohio to California, and my going-away present (sorta) from my boyfriend was a tape with "Debacle" on one side, and STP's "Tiny Music..." on the other. I listened to the STP side once, and then forever after, I fast-forwarded it right back to "Black Girls." Now, that side is taped over with a better band (Dead Milkmen) and more Femmes songs. Okay, so I'm not exactly in a fascinating mood! I have a comment on the Femmes-X-country connection, however. Half my friends are on my school's X-country team, and they know and sing BITS every now and then, but that's the limit of their Femmes knowledge. I'm thinking they all need tapes with Debacle on one side and Add it Up on the other for Christmas and Hannukah. Remember everyone, the Femmes make great gifts! Recovering from jet-lag, Claire ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Peter Corey Sent Me ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ While checking out the cd rack at Half Priced Books this turkey weekend, I found something that I had no idea existed: Another Victor DeLorenzo cd! It's called Peter Corey sent me and was apparently released in 1990 and was, according to the notes, "produced by Victor DeLorenzo - Who the hell does he think he is?" So for 5 bucks of course i picked it up. I was only familiar with his fine solo effort Pancake Day. Of course this one came out just after the release of 3, while Vic was still with the band. And after listening to this album....well, if this is the direction Victor wanted the Femmes to take, then it's a damn good thing he left the band! It's almost entirely melodrama sadpop, with with occasional arabic instrumental influences. I can't say i'm impressed. Still, i guess it's a collector's item for us true fans or something, yeah. Go get Pancake Day, really. Your loving reviewer, Joshua ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Found: Film Noir ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I went to a local new and used music shop last night, and checked the Femmes, like I usually do, to see if there are any singles I don't have, But last night I found a CD copy of Film Noir! I was shocked, as I have been looking for this for years, and have never seen a copy. Evidently some fan got hard up for cash I guess. Anyway I am willing to trade copies of it for other shows, not just the Femmes either. Maybe at some point I will even get some MP3's of the rarer songs made (I cmae for your woman, Cabaret) and put them on a site. Although at the moment I can't get my cd ripper software to work properly. I haven't had a chance to listen toall of it yet, but when I do I'll post a review if anyone wants me to. Have fun! Chris -- "You can never go home again. But you can shop there." -John Cusack, Grosse Pointe Blank ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Videos ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Hey all! I was watching the Beavis and Butthead Marathon (because there is simply NOTHING better to do in NH!) and they played "Nightmares" and did their little commentary shin dig. Do the Femmes actually have any other videos besides that and a couple for Blister in the Sun? If anyone has copies of their videos, or some little home recordings of them, please keep in touch with me! Thanks a bunch! Melissa -Pat. Says: There have been a bunch. I had made a list last time this topic came up, but I have stupidly thrown it away. If everyone will send me their lists of videos they've seen, I'll compile them to post in a future issue. Kara was compiling copies of videos, to make copies for all interested, but not many people responded, so the whole thing kind of died. I myself have a press kit video I promised her waaayy back in August, but I'm embarassed to say I have yet to make a copy of it for her. I still have your address, Kara, and I promise I will make it...some day... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Questions..Dream ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I have seen the Femmes four times now, and I would never miss a show for the life of me; if it is in my area I will go. If I could I would follow them around the world, unfortunately, life seems to have gotten in the way of my dream, so.................... What I want to know is how you get to meet the Femmes? I would give my arm- no both of my arms- just to see them in person for a few minutes and talk to them. I have so many questions to ask them. Like, are Brian and Gordon married? I heard rumors that Gordon married a black girl he went to high school with, his best friend I think (would this have anything to do with the song Black Girls?) Also, where did Brian learn to play a Comanche shell and the Xylophone? How old was Gordon when he lost his virginity? I know that seems like a dumb question, but his songs seem to indicate that he was a very lonely, horny young teenager. Am I wrong about this? I had a weird dream about the Violent Femmes last night, mostly about Gordon. I was at a VF show and Gordon brought out a baby, and it turns out it was his baby! It was a Half-black, half-white baby and it was sooooo beautiful. I don't remember what made this baby so precious, but it would take your breath away if you ever looked at it. Anyways, suddenly I was alone with him and the baby, and he wanted to introduce me to the mother, his wife. So he took me to a room with a small group of people in it, and they were all laughing and talking. One black woman in the group was wearing attire from India, complete with the turban, and she was very beautiful. Gordon introduced me to her as his wife, and just as I was on her beautiful baby, she kinda of half-smiled and then turned away as if I didn't exist. Gordon just blew it off as if this happened all the time, so we left with the baby and laid down on a big bed in a hospital. We were laying there with the baby, just talking and laughing like we were best friends, and suddenly his wife came in and laid down with us. Then a whole group of people kept coming in and laying down with us until the bed was filled and we were all talking and laughing. I think in this dream Gordon was my best friend, but I was in love with him and was afraid to tell him, so I never did and we just stayed great friends. Thats pretty much the whole of my dream, at least as much as I remember. It was a nice, but confusing dream. What should I make of it? -Wolf739 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~