We Hate the 80's (NYT)

My friend at Atomic Books is quoted in there and the Hate the 80s show my band has played a couple of times is mentioned!

Congratulations Hayden and family! Feb. 9 is my Texas dad's birthday too.

Is this the right show?

It is indeed, JZ. Thanks! If G can get it that would be great. (I guess I could do it, but he seems to be in the loop already.) Terrific show, and since it was broadcast the sound is really good for a bootleg, so as a fan of RT he'll definitely want it, as will you & David. Some of the live tracks on Watching the Dark came from these shows -- and it's always bugged the hell out of me that they didn't use the Bayou "When the Spell Is Broken," which is completely awesome, instead of the live one they used which is not only inferior to this but also to the studio version. Okay, work calls. If I can get a copy I'll do whatever I can to repay you & G, whether that takes the form of music, books, or whatever.

David, did I get Beg, Scream and Shout from you? I listened it today while I was in my waste-of-time Walking for Fitness class, and managed to finish 22 laps in 35 minutes.

David, did I get Beg, Scream and Shout from you?

Yes, indeed you did, at my strong urging.

David, you'll love this bit -- okay, way more than "a bit" -- of obsessive fandom: "English [Richard Thompson]-fan Dave Smith has written a 300+ page study of RT's songs, entitled 'The Great Valerio' after an RT song which he thinks is representative for what RT's trying to say." Available for free in four parts: Pt. 1, Pt. 2, Pt. 3, Pt. 4. The project has been blessed by Himself.

Interviewer: Do you agree that many of your fans look too deeply into your lyrics, and if so, did the detail of The Great Valerio surprise you?"

Richard Thompson: Not really. I think Dave Smith's basic premise is correct - my use of symbols and mythology is influenced by Graves, Yeats and Eliot. I would argue that this is not unusual; this was the diet we were fed by enthusiastic English teachers on A Level courses in the 60s; if I had gone on to study English at university, perhaps the influences would have broadened. It might be worth looking at the lyrics of my old classmate Michael Quartermain at some point, to see if he does the same thing - he wrote a number of songs with Stomu Yamashta. Some of Dave's suggestions of cryptic references aren't too far off, either; on a line like "I find myself strangely true" I would be turning the four letters of true around in my head as something of a game, and would be happy to find 'uter' in there, but that's what happens to your brain after years of The Times Crossword. I think people should take lyrics as they find them, go into them as much as they feel necessary, or ignore them and just listen to the bass line."

I'm feeling kinda' uter at the moment....

I'm feeling kinda' uter at the moment....

"Don't make me run! I'm filled with chocolate!" - Uter, The Simpsons

Joe, I've downloaded the RT treatise for those rainy days at work. Oh look! It's rainy.

Okay, you've got to like an obsessive Richard Thompsons treatise that opens with a Calvin and Hobbes exchange, and then gets into a Peter Sellers performance.

Oh, jeez, musicologist FAQ Girl is gonna love this....

I missed Hayden's news! What was it?!

We have been talking about talking this summer about maybe shacking up in the fall.

Oh, Jon, that is just wonderful. Will one of you move to the other's apartment, or are you gonna get a new place together?

How's the wedding plans?

Great! I bought a dress and shoes on Saturday. Now I just have to find a good string quartet w/ some degree of endurance.