12-18-98

Best viewed with Courier size 10 maximized screen ************************************************************************ TOUR DATES (NEW TOUR DATES MARKED WITH **): Dec. 29- 8:30 pm, Electric Factory, Philadelphia, PA, $17.50 (P,T) ($0.25 of each ticket goes to charity) Dec. 30- 9:00 pm, The Boathouse, Norfolk, VA, $15.00 (T) Dec. 31- 7:30 pm, Patriot Center, Fairfax, VA 52.50 Plus 6.75 service charge for phone orders!!! Call 800-551-7328 to order (O,P) (With Pietasters and Squirrel Nut Zippers)] **Jan 21- 7:45 pm, Universal Amphitheatre, Universal City, CA (P)** $47.75, $38.75, $31.75 Jan 22- 8:00 pm,The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel, Las Vegas, NV (T) **Jan 25- 8:00 pm, Moore Theatre, Seattle, WA (T)** **Jan 26- 8:00 pm, Moore Theatre, Seattle, WA (T)** Tickets for both these shows go onsale 10 AM Dec. 19. That's tomorrow. 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 To book a show, contact Monterey Peninsula Artists. Serious inquiries only. ************************************************************************ ALL CORRESPONDENCE CONCERNING THIS LETTER SHOULD BE DIRECTED TO AMUSIC ************************************************************************ In Today's Issue: RE: Las Vegas and CA Info Canada? Re: Intelligence ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Today's issue is very short, so I cut out a few of the regular features. I wasn't going to even put one out today, but there's a lot of new dates, and tickets for these go onsale tomorrow. If you want to see an issue on Monday, write about something. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ RE: Las Vegas and CA Info ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ARRGG!!! SHIT!!! That jusf figures now, doesn't it?!? The Femmes add a show in Las Vegas, 300 miles away, the week, THE WEEK! that I go back to school!! Wait....maybe this means that they'll play L.A. this time around.... maybe.... why do the Femmes seem to hate L.A. so much? They were on the West Coast three times in '98 and all three times they managed to avoid us! Why? Come on guys.....play the Roxy.....that's like my dream show (other than Tori Amos singing me to sleep and stuff...), the Femmes at the Roxy! I can just see the headlines: THE FEMMES AT THE ROXY! Isn't it pretty?!? Nick mypen15 -Pat. Says: Is Universal City close enough for you? The VF will be playing there on the 21st on Jan, along with Devo and Ween. This is the W-107 Winter Recital. Tickets go onsale tomorrow, that's 19-Dec, at 10 AM. You see the prices on the tourdates section. You can get tix by calling (213)252-TIXS. The Universal homepage says these will be available through ticketmaster, and online, but TM does not list it yet. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Canada? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Are the femmes ever coming to Canada. They are please post it on the upcoming dates Thanks Ken kwight -Pat. Says: I've just added TM-CA to the list of places I check for concerts. There's nothing listed now. I rarely check them because Pollstar usually lists Canada shows. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Re: Intelligence ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I apologize if I seemed to be stating that Gordon and Brian aren't intelligent. That is not what I meant at all. I'm just working with the notion that there are different kinds of intelligences, and people in this newsletter seemed to be, as you say, 'reading too much' into certain Femmes songs. Gordon and Brian are both musical geniuses, and there is no limit to my respect for that. There are very few people that I can say that about. (Michael Stipe, Tori Amos, and maybe Bob Dylan being the only names that immediately come to mind, leaving out all classicists.) There are, however, certain elements to their songs that present them as lacking in other kinds of intelligences, or at least not making use of them. It might be understandable in a musical sense, that they're only going for what sounds right, but I'm the kind of person who cringes when someone uses an adjective as an adverb. I constantly find myself trying to explain the double-negative thing away with "well, he's singing in character," but I can't think of a single other (reputable) band who would even think of trying to get away with a line like "Don't you know no one?". (Pink Floyd did it intentionally, to convey a message. Now that was social commentary.) After listening to his songs so many times that they're burned into my mind, I have come to the belief that Gordon writes songs rather spontaneously, with his heart and not his head. "Johnny" is an absolutely fantastic song, but, even though I'm not doubting that Gordon reads, I don't believe that it is his style to write a song about something like Trumbo's book, as one poster here suggested. (That's overlooking the fact that the song and the book don't coincide at all.) They wouldn't write "Black Girls" in response to Hair either, as another asked. It's just not their style. If I'm wrong, than please point out an example to me. It would make my day. Gordon is a uniquely perfect singer and a brilliant songwriter. Brian is one of the best bass, conch, and didgeridoo players I've ever heard. (I can even forgive him for "Love & Me Make Three." Everyone needs to experiment a little.) I just believe that their music should be taken for just that, and to search for some deeper meaning or cultural reference only destroys the spirit of what Femmes music is. (By the way, If Brian is as much of an atheist as I've heard, then can someone explain what L&MMT is about? I mean regarding the religious figures. I love the egoistical thing.) Jeffrey_Wilson -Pat. Says: I was using the "reading too much" comment in regards to TMBG. But that's not a topic for this list. Keep that "singing in character" thought, because that's exactly what he's doing. I gather from your discussion of Never Tell that you theorize this song is narrated by a person other than Gordon. Well then, if Gordon visualizes this person as an uneducated man, wouldn't it be silly to have that person speak proper English? While I share your wish for everyone to speak correctly, I unfortunately now live in an area populated by people who use "seen", "hin't", "youse" as a regular part of speech. The newspaper even prints interviews in which local politicians use these words. Have you ever spoken with Gordon? Several people on this list have, and all have mentioned how well he speaks. BTW: If anyone else would like to discuss this, or any other of the interesting topics Jeff has brought up in the past week or so, please..please! join in. Where is everybody? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~