12-12-97

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: "I'm nothin' now, And I'll be nothin' when Your nothin' world Has it's nothing end..." -From I'm Nothing -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! ************************************************************************* 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: Ages RE: Ages RE: Lyrics Questions RE: Lyrics Questions RE: Lyrics Questions RE: Lyrics Questions RE: Lyrics Questions Emotion in 3 Pet Names A Banana in the Ear, Revisited ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ RE: Ages ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ hey, I'm 15 and from Arizona. I have been listining to the Violent Femmes for a few years now. I have about 4 friends that like them to. Me and one of my friends met because of them. I had known him for a little while, but never talked to him, then we got the same PE class. We talked and found out that we both like The Violent Femmes, so now we are in a band together!!! Barry ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ RE: Ages ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I am 21. I first saw the femmes performing at the Metropol in the fall of 94. I loved them years before that, but they are my favorite band, even though the Dave Matthews band is a close second! Raylene http://raylene.sru.edu ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ RE: Lyrics Questions ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I think that 'Do You Really Want to Hurt Me' from Why Do Birds Sing was originally a Culture Club song, you know Boy George. I am not sure but I think it is. (i'm almost embarrased to know that). 1DJEK3 -Pat. Says: Yup. It's Culture Club alright. In fact, never having liked Culture Club, I can't separate the two versions, and so I usually skip over that song on WDBS. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ RE: Lyrics Questions ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ This may sound kinda out there as far as this lyric thing goes but here is my contributuion: Once when I watching an episode of the Simpsons Bart and Marge were listening to the radio when this line came on in a old 40's-ish soft rock voice...... "Special Specail what do you get, another day older and deeper in debt." Obviously the Femmes used this line but other than hearing it on the Simpsons, I have no idea where it came from. Maybe this helps.....who knows? Bobby ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ RE: Lyrics Questions ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ You guys can't forget the line from "Special", "another day older and deeper in debt." To be honest with you, I can't remember who sings that line originally, but the song is played a lot on oldies stations across America. And oh yeah, Nick Schutz, I lost your e-mail address, but I sent your tapes. Have you sent mine? Catch ya'll later. Matt -Pat. Says: I think the song to which you refer is called 16 Tons. The lines are: You load 16 tons, what do you get? Another day older and deeper in debt. St. Peter don't you call me, I can't go. I owe my soul to the company store. Believe it or not, that's from memory, folks. I have a way with useless trivia, lyrics especially. This is from surfing tho: the song was written by Merle Travis, and was a big hit for Tenessee Ernie Ford in the early 50's. Merle Travis was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. He is also known for having designed the first solid body electric guitar, which was developed by Leo Fender. Did Gordon get his lyrics from this song? I don't know. Merle's father, a coal miner, used that phrase a lot, which is why it's in the song, so for all I know it could be a common phrase among some people, and thus merely a coincidence that Gordon used it. On the other hand, he's familiar with the song, I'm sure. Somebody'd have to ask him to know for sure. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ RE: Lyrics Questions ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ In a message dated 12/8/97 11:23:50 PM, you wrote: <<: Can anyone submit lines from VF songs which have been taken from other songs or sources? >> Agamemnon is from a poem, I cant remember by who off hand, also hey nonny nonny is a poem by someone else. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ RE: Lyrics Questions ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Hey, since we are talking alot about songs the Gordon has taken lyrics from, why not tell whos borrowed from the Violent Femmes? Well, one band comes to mind, The Refreshments. On their first album, the Refreshments take the line " third verse, same as the first" on the song Girly. That line actually has a history, it started with the band that did Henery Deville I Am or something like that, a sixteys band and I can't think of their name, then The Ramones took it and used it on the classic " Judy Is A Punk", then the Violent Femmes, then to the Refreshments. Then another song on the Refreshments first great album, European Swallow, has a song that goes " I can see by the way she dances for me,she wants to break my heart wanna tear it apart" which is influenced by Gone Daddy Gone. Barry ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Emotion in 3 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ In a message dated 12/5/97 4:18:39 PM, you wrote: << but the album lacks some of the energy and deep emotion >> energy maybe, but lacking deep emotion? Does the song "Nothing worth living for" mean anything to you, or "See my ships"? Talk about DEEP emotion. I hope you don't think 36-24-36 is a deep song. -Pat. Says: Don't forget Outside the Palace; it's highly autobiographical. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Pet Names ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Has anyone else ever developed "pet" names for the Violent Femmes? I don't know how (or why!) it began, but somehow amongst my friends, the Femmes are often referred to as "The Violent Phlems", or even "The Virulent Phlem-gobbers". Believe it or not, these are terms of affection! It's amusing in its own special way. I once read that the more pet names you have for a pet (thus the title???), the more you love him/her. (Ok, I'm not the most PC person, but I just can't refer to animals as "its".) So maybe these strange names simply reflect how much we love the Femmes? It's worth a thought. Oh yeah, one of my friends emailed me and said he thought he'd heard something about Gordon and some fans being arrested for skinny-dipping in a public fountain or something! What??!!!! (If this did happen , and it was already spoken of recently in Rock!!!!!, I apologize--I got behind on my email!) *****love to all-amber ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A Banana in the Ear, Revisited ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Back in November, I wrote about my top 5 favorites songs of the moment. You surely remember the excellent joke. From now on there will be a banana in the ear every week. So if you want to be part of it, just write me and tell me your top 5 and we will share with everyone in the mailing list. Thanks By the way, I'm sorry for those who wrote me in French. I just didn't find the time to write you back. But I swear I will answer you soon. Edgar Pwelanfonte Edgar. says : I really appreciate if Pat. could at least send me her top 5 once. I really appreciate your job. -Pat. Says: Please send your responses to Edgar. S'il vous plait, envoyez a Edgar votre responses. Zu Edgar Ihr Antwortern sendet. Forgive any poor grammar please. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~