Message-ID: <19991001.004917.-442727.0.benthos@juno.com> From: Chris D Woodward To: jandek@cs.nwu.edu Subject: corwood reissues Date: Fri, 1 Oct 1999 00:49:16 -0600 this just in the mail today: looks like ready for the house was not an isolated incident. corwood writes that both "six and six" and "later on" (the 2nd & 3rd titles, respectively) are expected to come out in late november. cheers, chris Message-ID: <0.2fc48db8.2526a891@aol.com> From: Napkinshoe@aol.com To: jandek@cs.nwu.edu Subject: Jandek / Providence Phoenix Date: Fri, 1 Oct 1999 20:15:13 EDT This weeks issue of The Providence Phoenix (Providence, RI) has an article about Jandek written by Douglas Wolk ... not sure if the Boston Phoenix does as well... Message-ID: <19991002004617.88925.qmail@hotmail.com> From: "Rob Carmichael" To: jandek@cs.nwu.edu Subject: Re: Jandek / Providence Phoenix Date: Fri, 01 Oct 1999 17:46:17 PDT >This weeks issue of The Providence Phoenix (Providence, RI) has an article >about Jandek written by Douglas Wolk ... not sure if the Boston Phoenix >does >as well... check out: http://www.providencephoenix.com/contents/music.html Message-ID: <63abb13a.2526bccf@aol.com> From: NCR13@aol.com To: jandek@cs.nwu.edu Subject: Re: corwood reissues Date: Fri, 1 Oct 1999 21:41:35 EDT In a message dated 10/1/99 2:50:50 AM Eastern Daylight Time, benthos@juno.com writes: > looks like ready for the house was not an isolated incident. corwood > writes that both "six and six" and "later on" (the 2nd & 3rd titles, > respectively) are expected to come out in late november. Jeez...is the man getting ready to die or something (OK, he was ready to die 20 years ago, but still...)? I can't believe he is treating his dozens of fans so well this year! Message-ID: <19991003014711.11026.qmail@cs.nwu.edu> From: Seth Tisue To: jandek@cs.nwu.edu Subject: Jandek mailing list archives Date: Sat, 02 Oct 1999 20:47:10 -0500 Past traffic on this mailing list (going back to when I started it in September 1997) is now archived at: The archives were available before through majordomo, but that was a pain; now you can look at them in your web browser. Also, I went through all the files and edited out all the junk (for sale notices and so forth), so all that's left is stuff you might actually want to read. I was listening to "Staring at the Cellophone" just now and here are the lyrics to the last song: Blood and Bone His skin is stretched tight across his bones Blood running down his cheeks Children gazing at his feet Ladies he'd like to meet Lonely in that ancient street Hanging for somebody else Or everybody else Oh no, another Jesus song by Jandek! Although Jandek's Jesus seems to be a shy, can't-get-a-date kind of guy. Now we know why Jesus wept. "Jesus stares at me from the wall/ And I think I like your bosom" - Jandek, "Only Lover" == Seth Tisue http://www.cs.nwu.edu/~tisue/ Message-Id: From: Charles Gillett To: jandek@cs.nwu.edu Subject: Re: corwood reissues Date: Sun, 3 Oct 1999 02:26:54 -0500 (CDT) In-Reply-To: <63abb13a.2526bccf@aol.com> On Fri, 1 Oct 1999 NCR13@aol.com wrote: > Jeez...is the man getting ready to die or something (OK, he was ready to die > 20 years ago, but still...)? I can't believe he is treating his dozens of > fans so well this year! On top of the reissues, there's this "media blitz"--have I just been blind to random Jandek articles all over the place, or have we been seeing quite a few more recently? Minneapolis's own free jazz pariah, Milo Fine, released a 3 CD set earlier this year and has two CDs and a video coming out in November. Maybe it's just a good time for outsiders in general. I'm certainly not complaining. -- Charles Message-Id: From: "Aaron Aldorisio" To: jandek@cs.nwu.edu Subject: Corwood's Address Date: Mon, 04 Oct 1999 11:20:47 -0500 Hi- Out of shear boredom I just looked up Corwood Industries on the Hot Bot = Search Engine's Yellow Page direcotry. It gave the phone number and = address (Not PO Box). So if anyone lives in Houston they might want to = drop by, or at least drive past, 3333 Cummins St. Houston, TX 77027. This = could be false information, but who knows? I don't want to spoil the = "mystery" or anything, and I personally respect the man's privacy, I'm = merely offering this address as a piece in the puzzle.=20 This is my first posting, so I'm not sure if anyone has left this = information before or not. Thanks, Aaron Message-ID: <19991004193211.32039.qmail@cs.nwu.edu> From: Seth Tisue To: jandek@cs.nwu.edu Subject: 3333 Cummins Date: Mon, 04 Oct 1999 14:32:11 -0500 Re: that address: >Message-Id: >Date: Wed, 5 May 1999 15:52:57 -0500 >To: jandek@cs.nwu.edu >From: Ian Kasley >Subject: Corwood P.O. Box picture, etc. > >finally got off of my lazy ass and scanned my photos of the Corwood >Industries P.O. Box. i also took some pictures of 3333 Cummins when i was >back in Houston recently, which is the address that Infospace.com (among >others) lists for Corwood Industries. grok 'em at... > >http://www.sweb.com/~r0et/jandek/ > >unfortunately, the lens i used produced an icky fisheye effect when i >zoomed in on the P.O. Box. i went back later and took some more pictures >using a different (and hopefully better) lens, but have yet to get around >to having them developed. will try to do that this week. > >/ian Message-ID: <19991005001305.72912.qmail@hotmail.com> From: "aerick mackintosh" To: jandek@cs.nwu.edu Subject: Re: anyone got Jandek videos? ect... Date: Mon, 04 Oct 1999 17:13:05 PDT hey, i was wondering if anyone out there knows of anything like a jandek music video or such... or if anyone on this list has ever made a video for a jandek song... if anyone has perhaps they could send me a copy... i'm currently working on a public access tv show based out of thurston county/olympia washington area... (although i may push to get the show broadcast on other public access stations round washington or elsewhere)... submissions are being accepted in the form of music videos short films or otherwise (under 5min length is prefered). thanks, aerick sigfred michael mackintosh plastic duck recordings box 11006 - olympia,wa. 98508 (360) 236 - 7963 Message-ID: <19991005223307.16686.rocketmail@web1503.mail.yahoo.com> From: Rocks Crumble To: jandek@cs.nwu.edu Subject: take it eddy Date: Tue, 5 Oct 1999 15:33:07 -0700 (PDT) The first in a (ir)regular series of mp3's. http://geocities.com/therockscrumble/ Get it while the gettins good. R.C. Message-ID: <37FAEF30.9BC5400D@pop.ptld.uswest.net> From: To: jandek@cs.nwu.edu Subject: what else, but Jandek Date: Tue, 05 Oct 1999 23:41:52 -0700 Hi I'm Cosmic Jim, a dj out in Portland OR on radio station KPSU 1450 am, and while we haven't received any Jandek LP's or CD's at the station, I finally scored 2 Jandek lp's recently,(at a used record store) and will be playing cuts off of them in the next few weeks to come (I have a 1 hr show on fridays) As I was playing Telegraph Melts today (I just got it today, actually) I was struck by the similarity to some of the wondrous ramblings of Father Yod (Ya Ho Wa 13) on some of his lp's. I don't mean to cast any aspersions upon Jandek's originality, but I couldn't help notice the wonderful stream of consciousness feeling that permeated the recording. I collect all sorts of strange and mysterious recordings, and now finding these 2 Jandek lp's, it is my goal to hear them all. Thank you for all the research you've done on Jandek, I loved reading it!!! Best Wishes, CJ Message-ID: <19991009022025.39041.qmail@hotmail.com> From: "derek perdue" To: jandek@cs.nwu.edu Subject: ready for the house review from dallas Date: Fri, 08 Oct 1999 21:20:23 CDT hello group, here is a review of ready for the house published in this weeks "the met". the met is a weekly rag in dallas. i don't think they have a website so here is the article. Ready for the house Jandek for the first time since its original release, the ridiculously hard-to-find debut recording from one of the most *outre* of contemporary artists is available once again: The Units 1978 "ready for the house" (corwood) has been reissued under the name of its-in retrospect- obvious brainchild, Jandek. Since then, Houston's legendary unknown has unleashed 27 albums full of downtrodden hues, each album an uncovered relic of a dystopian romantic who writes lyrics that leap from the corner of his brain which incarcerates the unspeakable insecurities of life that become palpable once the bare essentials of a song- a partial melody, a half-strummed chore, a solitary note- unlock the doors of perception. From Ready's haunting opening- the tinny guitar line that serves as the bare bones skeleton to "naked in the afternoon"- to its improbable conclusion, "european jewel (incomplete)", this album has been a rosetta stone for Jandek junkies intent on uncovering the secret language behind his sound. Fortunately, Ready only insures that the enigma of jandek remains just that. His voice- an impossibly haggard baritone that ponders the weight of each breath- wraps itself around his startlingly moving yet obtuse lyrics, such as when his lugubrious rasp seethes through "First you think your fortune's lovely_ and intones provocative imagery that skirts literal interpretation in favor of the sensuous: "thought i'd seen your eyes a-flashing/thunder in your hair/i burnt a match for your complexion/the lights went out and you weren't there". It's a model of the inchoate that Jandek has explored ever since and its what he concocts once again on his latest, "The Beginning" (Corwood). The voice is somehow older and more world-weary, the guitar still a whisper shy of competent, the music just as monochromatic, and the feelings just as sublime. Whether it be the primitive blues of "you standing there" or "the beginning", the 15-and-a-half-minute solo piano piece that closes the album, Jandek still inhabits a personal cavern most artists are afraid to admit exists, let alone explore. Of course, if his 28th album is called "the beginning", the resounding question that remains is, where does he go from here?--bret mccabe. "hear this" pg 29 of "the met"#40 oct 6-13, 1999 dallas tx. none of the above is new info, just thought someone out there might like to read it. thank you, derek Message-ID: <19991011061035.67086.qmail@hotmail.com> From: "Justin Bosworth" To: jandek@cs.nwu.edu Subject: Date: Mon, 11 Oct 1999 01:10:34 CDT Hello, I'm new to the list and I've never heard Jandek, but soon. Sounds interesting. Does anyone have any suggestions for which one I should get first? I record music too. I give them out free. email me if you want one. Thanks, Justin Message-ID: <3388612052.939691482@pm234-15.dialip.mich.net> From: Greg Baise To: jandek@cs.nwu.edu Subject: the turn of events Date: Tue, 12 Oct 1999 01:24:42 -0400 Does anyone else think that this reissue activity at Corwood is odd? That something isn't right? Look at the title of the new album. Look at how DARK the cover photo is. Listen to the unprecedented moves in the title and final track. Remember what happened the last (other?) time Jandek did a side-long track. Consider the proximity of this release to the privacy-infringing, close encounter events related by the Texas Monthly article. Did these events and/or article push Corwood, for better or for worse, into this reissue mode? (Two more early records are being re-released on cd, if they haven't been already). It's almost like punishment, having these long-gone portions of the Corwood catalog so easily available. Speaking of which, does anyone out there have a spare copy of THE LIVING END (hmmm, interesting title) or TELEGRAPH MELTS? Is it just my imagination? With Jandek, imagination is just about all the listener has. (I have to admit, I don't know what I was imagining that Ready for the House was going to sound like, but I was kind of taken off guard in how it sounded just like Jandek. Maybe it was just that the Units has such a new wave ring to it). Message-Id: <199910121413.JAA20972@harper.uchicago.edu> From: Ben Evans To: jandek@cs.nwu.edu Subject: Re: the turn of events Date: Tue, 12 Oct 1999 09:13:38 -0500 In-Reply-To: <3388612052.939691482@pm234-15.dialip.mich.net> At 01:24 AM 10/12/99 -0400, Greg Baise wrote: >Is it just my imagination? With Jandek, imagination is just about all >the listener has. (I have to admit, I don't know what I was >imagining that Ready for the House was going to sound like, but I was >kind of taken off guard in how it sounded just like Jandek. Maybe it >was just that the Units has such a new wave ring to it). I am very curious about the other new wave band which forced Jandek to change his recording name: The Units. Does anyone know of them? Has anyone actually heard them? Message-Id: <3.0.5.32.19991012092146.009b6470@midway.uchicago.edu> From: Saleem Dhamee To: Greg Baise , jandek@cs.nwu.edu Subject: Re: the turn of events Date: Tue, 12 Oct 1999 09:21:46 -0500 In-Reply-To: <3388612052.939691482@pm234-15.dialip.mich.net> >It's almost like punishment, having these long-gone portions of the >Corwood catalog so easily available. What the hell does that mean? Punishment? Who's being punished? Message-ID: <19991013062151.86558.qmail@hotmail.com> From: "Campbell&Diane ... Gordon Productions" To: jandek@cs.nwu.edu Subject: Re: the turn of events Date: Wed, 13 Oct 1999 19:21:51 NZDT >I am very curious about the other new wave band which forced Jandek to >change his recording name: The Units. Does anyone know of them? Has anyone >actually heard them? Was it forced to change? In Irwin Chisud's article he talked about Stirling not wantin to be associated with them didn't he? Actually, it sounds like a crappy generic new wave band name to me....Not even vaguely right for Jandek, except in its not rightness... Message-ID: <19991015051516.1842.rocketmail@web112.yahoomail.com> From: "Mr. E Meate" To: jandek list Subject: suggs and blues Date: Thu, 14 Oct 1999 22:15:16 -0700 (PDT) --- Justin Bosworth wrote: > Does anyone have any suggestions for > which one I should get > first? "New Town" & "the Beginning" are my fave of his CD releases. If you can find "You Walk Alone" or "Blue Corpse" then pick 'em up! They're only available on vinyl right now (but will hopefully be on CD soon.) Jandek's music is so unique that I've noticed in all the recent Jandek press that there's not great descriptions of the music. The writers can describe the mystique surrounding him and speculate on his personality & mental health quite creatively, but Irwin Chisum's description of the "average Jandek Song" was really weak and insulting; Katy Vine's article had about 1 paragraph on the actual music. I recently described Jandek's music on another music list as "the most difficult blues music to listen to, ever! He certainly has a blusey swagger to his vocal & guitar styles and some of his early songs are even in 12 bar blues-form. It seems to me that the blues is as big a defining style for Jandek's music as indie-rock or lo-fi. Anyone care to elaborate? Message-ID: <19991015153738.12093.qmail@hotmail.com> From: "Travis O. Miles" To: jandek@cs.nwu.edu Subject: style, influence Date: Fri, 15 Oct 1999 08:37:37 PDT All: I have a feeling, some of you do too, that what's been missed in the press of late (and in many of the list comments, natch) is the length of Jandek's career, and an inability to situate this in some larger generic or commercial category. I think approaching Jandek as a blues artist is quite an interesting take, most other categories slip away when you look at the entire of body of work. "Indie," "lo-fi," "head," etc. are things that come about only in the early and mid-90s, and probably have very little influence on Jandek's production. I think certainly these categories have a lot to do with the way his records are received, circulated, discussed, etc. A good comparison might be the career of Loren Mazzacane-Connors, who started out pretty much as a straight-blues guitar soloist. Paradoxically, the more introverted and amorphous his work became, the more he became established as an avant-artist. He started playing at the Knitting Factory in NYC, and smallish, semi-experimental labels (Road Cone, etc.) distributed his work. It would be interesting to attempt some sort of recuperative history of the reception of Jandek's work at certain points. My impression is that when his stuff came out it was taken as some sort of Syd Barrett-ish madness, maybe it had more to do with the independent scene in Houston (possibly Tom Carter of Charalambides can fill us in on this bit). It's only now, post-Shrimper/tape-culture/Sun City Girls, etc. that his music makes sense as a project. There's a place for it now. Like how continental pop caught up with Scott Walker after the four solo albums. I can't imagine college DJs (and that's always been the core audience, yeah?) playing REM and the DBs (even the crazy ones playing Savage Republic and the Volcano Suns) putting Jandek on a show in the early 80s. But playing Jandek with Shrimper bands or "bedroom ambience" makes for cool connections, and is maybe even a bit obvious. Now, on the other side of those movements (tape-culture's pretty much dead or absorbed, Harmony Korine spoke of using Sun City Girls on a soundtrack), Jandek sounds remarkable again. I guess I just mean that when we say "Jandek," we aren't all saying the same thing. He's not an "experimental" artist, cause the experiment hasn't gone anywhere all these years. His work is an immense pocket of stasis, stylistically, lyrically, industrially. I don't mean this as a denigration at all. It's sort of like Derek Bailey's improvisation, it's brillianly expressive (sometimes mad) but within a self-determined limit. I mean, there was a Jandek "cannon" after the second album, everything's only been shaping it since. I think this is what makes the stuff so great, and what removes it almost utterly from a larger tradition *except* for what was already there at the beginning. Again, the blues thing might be interesting to look at in this regards. I'm not trying to over-valorise the man or something, it's just that what fascinates me about Jandek's project is that it is pretty much the only thing like it in American music. It's an on-going art project (maybe actually it's imploding with the cd-reissues) that makes more sense as a conceptual piece than as a musical career. The only comparison I can think of (in termns of long-term, serious output) is the self-released, self-designed works of Karlheinz Stockhausen over the last fifteen or so years. Well this was all very long and tiresome, I'm sure no one read it without yawning or making the universal "wank" sign to a nearby comrade. Right now, someone in Houston is getting out of bed, turning on his lap-top by the bedside, getting his morning coffee while the modem logs on, and then shaking his head saying "They still don't get it." Message-ID: <19991015194623.8131.rocketmail@web1406.mail.yahoo.com> From: Taped Tapes To: jandek@cs.nwu.edu Subject: your hair is on fire Date: Fri, 15 Oct 1999 12:46:23 -0700 (PDT) preface: 'He's not pretentious,' cobain says, 'but only pretentious people like his music.'" some one posted: --"It's almost like punishment, having these long-gone portions of the Corwood catalog so easily available." ???what are you talking about? what? why then did you engage in the masochistic act of purchasing 'ready for the house'? then, same person: --"does anyone out there have a spare copy of THE LIVING END (hmmm, interesting title) or TELEGRAPH MELTS?" painfully available, or painfully unavailable, or...? maybe you should just refuse to listen to the albums altogether so jandek can remain a complete mystery. you are obviously attracted by that. or is it that we're supposed to be this secret club? i say, bring the reissues on! my point: i love jandek's music and it sucks to see it becoming this elitist thing. stop it. i demand that you stop it. i demand. i'm not kidding. no. also, i thought that irwin chisud's article was quite endearing. why is everyone so damn offended by it? once more: 'He's not pretentious,' Cobain says, 'but only pretentious people like his music.'" lovest, the avant gardener Message-id: From: Linda Gielec To: Taped Tapes Cc: jandek@cs.nwu.edu Subject: Re: your hair is on fire Date: Fri, 15 Oct 1999 15:47:15 -0400 (Eastern Daylight Time) In-reply-to: <19991015194623.8131.rocketmail@web1406.mail.yahoo.com> On Fri, 15 Oct 1999, Taped Tapes wrote: > [snipped] whoever you are, hey, i totally agree. it's about time someone on this list address this issue... personally, i like his music because it is just simply lovey and hits that gloomy chord just right so as to make me smile when alls a muck. go mr./mrs. "taped tapes!!" thanks, linda =] Message-ID: <19991015204107.21561.rocketmail@web1406.mail.yahoo.com> From: Taped Tapes To: jandek@cs.nwu.edu Subject: go gently to your chamber Date: Fri, 15 Oct 1999 13:41:07 -0700 (PDT) to linda, and other silent compatriots, thanks for your support in my battle to abase the record collector bourgeoisie. > whoever you are i am simply the avant gardener. my contact mic'd hedge clippers and electronically processed wheel barrow speak for themselves. (i do all my garde-ening in real-time). if memory serves me correctly, linda, you make doilies? an admirable thing to do!!! very nice. now that we are on the subject of garde-ening, i think it is about time we take up the hertofore sadly neglected discussion of the impact of gardening on jandek. given the photographs on certain album covers, and the mention of gardening in the recent interview, this is obviously a theme of great import, wouldn't you say? personally, i like to think of jandek's records as individual flowers from the same garden. don't you, too? lovest, the avant gardener G SXH = straight hedge garde(n) core!!! C p.s. a warm 'hi' to all my friends in the hafiz reading group. Message-ID: From: Sam Leimer To: jandek@cs.nwu.edu Subject: Re: your hair is on fire Date: Fri, 15 Oct 1999 15:29:32 -0500 (CDT) In-Reply-To: > On Fri, 15 Oct 1999, Taped Tapes wrote: > > > painfully available, or painfully unavailable, or...? > > maybe you should just refuse to listen to the albums > > altogether so jandek can remain a complete mystery. > > you are obviously attracted by that. or is it that > > we're supposed to be this secret club? I like the idea of jandek remaining a complete mystery. It would be really shitty if we knew he worked for compaq, really liked the Matrix, thought about Pam Anderson on cold quiet Texas nights, etc. -the mystique is part of the appeal. It's especially funny to think that Jandek people had problems believing these things, what a club of wankers. Jandek in such elitist form is shitty but I don't think Jandek fans are so much a secret club as Jandek him/itself is a secret club, his/it's tastes are beyond our comprehension because he doesn't do interviews with Interview or hasn't listed his 5 favorite books in Ladies Home Journal (can anyone really be offended that Bette Midler loves the Baffler?). What was/is Stonehenge for? No one knows, it's still fucking cool. The best part of Jandek is not knowing Jandek. Samn Message-ID: <19991015204004.86144.qmail@hotmail.com> From: "Jason Cooley" To: jandek@cs.nwu.edu Subject: jandek, duh Date: Fri, 15 Oct 1999 13:40:04 PDT Well, when I first started listening to Jandek, people thought I was crazy. When I'd explain the whole story behind it, then they'd get all interested. Because it IS interesting. Don't deny it. I really like the music, but without that mystery, it wouldn't be as engrossing. Kinda like Daniel Johnston, you know? It's weird to see people getting protective about him. I think I'm the only one in this whole state who has any of his records. Besides the stuff that Seth has written, that "wank" message was the best thing written about Jandek I've read. And by the way, Linda, I never got that doily. maybe seth is jandek ha ha ha Message-ID: <19991016015352.22589.qmail@hotmail.com> From: "Campbell&Diane ... Gordon Productions" To: jandek@cs.nwu.edu Subject: Re: style, influence Date: Sat, 16 Oct 1999 14:53:52 NZDT >I have a feeling, some of you do too, that what's been missed in the press >of late (and in many of the list comments, natch) is the length of Jandek's >career, Greetings from the bottom of the world This is an excellent piece of work, and one of the most insightful things I've seen on this mailing list. For myself, I find the main reason I'm compulsively interested in Jandek is beacuse it seems to represent some natural end point of the kind of music I've been listening to over the last however-many years - starting from the isolated end of NZ music (i live there...) and moving outwards, jandek represents one kind of solid rock of an endpoint, a natural extreme that's been producing consistently unique work for a long time. When i talk about Jandek - as i frequently do to people I come across in a strangely wide range of situations ("Hi, good to meet you- how it's going?" "Great - do you know Jandek?")- i always find myself describing it in a blues and folk sort of context, but one where the traditional techniques have been replaced by a whole new musical language, one that's most specifically based on a more directly emotional style, therefore creating its own style to fit the emotional elements the performer is needing to express, rather than the more usual mode of fitting the emotions into the traditional musical structure. This fits more closely with the blues anyway, where adherence to structure has never been as important as itis in more controlled musical forms... Just to put in my tuppenth worth on the Irwin Chisud thing - for soomeone who seems to have a pretty good history of coping with music that hits unusual buttons, he seemed to have a particularly non-insightful response to Jandek's music, but i didn't think that made him the enemy, just another idiot... as for "pretentiousness", quite often people mistake it for just taking things seriously... Nice to see the mailing list generating a bit of steam... cheers CW Message-ID: <19991017062742.58189.qmail@hotmail.com> From: "chrislyn carter" To: jandek@cs.nwu.edu Subject: Re: Jandek in Houston Date: Sun, 17 Oct 1999 01:27:41 CDT >From: "Travis O. Miles" >Subject: style, influence >it had more to do with the independent scene in Houston (possibly Tom >Carter of Charalambides can fill us in on this bit). Hi- I'm not quite sure if I understand what the exact question is, but I'll try to answer. Neither Tom nor I are old enough to know what the reaction in Houston was for the first 7 years or so of Corwood releases. I can guess that it was much the same as later: mostly apathetic. Those people that know about them, like the music etc. have usually expressed that it doesn't matter who they are. It's considered an understandable choice - to hide identity, not interview. Or, maybe someone will express that it's 'weird', but in a way that says they're not too impressed. Jandek is in a strange way almost taken for granted. Even though Houston is one of the largest cities in the US, it has almost no 'underground' culture compared to say S.F., Chicago, NYC. Not enough people are aware of the kinds of issues that this music brings up to make a difference in how the music is perceived. It is a great city to be anonymous in. I don't think the local music press ever did a feature on Jandek (from 90 on, don't know for a fact about earlier than that), except for one pitifully out of touch review of one of the cds in the Houston Press (which might be archived on their web site). But the Public News free paper used to pick Jandek in their critics pic for Blues or Folk. Made me wonder if someone there knew them... The generation of people that Jandek would probably be from were so on their own with music and finding a way of life. There are a lot of people there that one could imagine being on those records! Artists, musicians, freaks (meant in the best way)... Anyway hope this helps - Christina Carter Message-ID: <3904241612.940207112@pm343-47.dialip.mich.net> From: Greg Baise To: jandek@cs.nwu.edu Subject: hairdresser on fire Date: Mon, 18 Oct 1999 00:38:32 -0400 Sorry, folks. I accidentally sent this reply *just* to Taped Tapes, but I meant for all to see it. Please bear with me -- I'm new to newsgroups (this is my first one). I'm also new to such self-righteous attitudes coming from a Jandek fan. The other three people I know that like Jandek are all nice people. I joined this list 'cause it looked like some great news and discussion about a musician I find most interesting. I didn't join to be accused of being a bourgeois record collecting elitist, especially through the fault of merely using a dumb word like "punishment" to describe the change of operations down there at Corwood. If any anti-record collectors want to punish me more by burning their anti-record collections, maybe save a copy of LIVING END or TELEGRAPH MELTS for your new pretentious bourgeois record collector elitist friend, namely, me (God forbid I should actually desire to OWN my favorite Jandek record, or hear the original version of "Painted My Teeth"). So here's that posting that got away: Well, part of the appeal of Jandek for me IS the mystery. And it maybe kind of seems that at least part of the modus operandi over at Corwood has something to do with mystery. Maybe? Of course I'm glad that these records are being reissued, but it seems totally antithetical to what Corwood has been doing for the past twenty-one years, and I wonder why there's been a change. (Has Seth ever determined if his copies of some of the early records are reissues? What made him think so in the first place? I'm curious). And I'm a bit concerned. What if THE BEGINNING is actually the end? As for myself, I'll be anxiously awaiting the next record just like folks back in the day must've been waiting for record #20. It's not some sort of elitist thing at all. Gosh, why this defensiveness? That Kurt Cobain, he was one cool guy. Did he not like Jandek, or was he pretentious? Oh, he liked Jandek in a different way than the rest of us pretentious folk... Message-ID: <19991018062437.28264.rocketmail@web1404.mail.yahoo.com> From: Taped Tapes To: jandek@cs.nwu.edu Subject: all around sloan square Date: Sun, 17 Oct 1999 23:24:37 -0700 (PDT) > self-righteous attitudes ??? > defensiveness ??? dumb word like "punishment" ...! dumb word like "punishment": maybe that is the root of this, uhmm, misapprehension? i don't know. i think everyone should be able to hear jandek's music if they want to. i know it's difficult to get a hold of the records. you SOUNDED like you liked it that way. do you realize that? you'd probably agree, that sentiment is worth attacking. or at least disdain. i never said that there is anything wrong with collecting records. i am nice. so, pusishment = sadness at the potential of an end to the mystery? o.k., i can understand that. although, to me, the music itself is just as brilliant without the mystery. personally, i think it would be much more mysterious to find out that jandek IS a normal guy. it would do away with the various rationales for the strangeness of his music, which might then seem even more irrational and mysterious. either way, it's always going to be a mystery. if you look the right way, the whole world is a secret garden. heart, a.g. Message-ID: <19991018074130.19453.qmail@hotmail.com> From: "chrislyn carter" To: jandek@cs.nwu.edu Subject: Re: hairdresser on fire Date: Mon, 18 Oct 1999 02:41:29 CDT Hi- The reissues had been promised for quite some time-- When I first started ordering from Corwood (1990 or so) some of the LPs were already out of print, but Sterling Smith claimed even then that they would be repressed... I guess you could still ask "why now," but I don't think this is some out of the blue decision. --Tom Carter Message-ID: <380B0EE9.1E4A2FD0@ccms.net> From: "Michael H. Collins" CC: jandek@cs.nwu.edu Date: Mon, 18 Oct 1999 07:13:29 -0500 Subject: Re: hairdresser on fire Hidy. One thing. This is not a newsgroup. If a person is collecting Jandek stuff I could not call that elitist. After all they are almost free. I would think that an elitist pays millions for really obscure and hard to find stuff. Which Corwood is not. My two Cents. Jandek Rules. Are there any irc channels with talk of Jandek. Thanks. Message-ID: From: Sam Leimer To: jandek@cs.nwu.edu Subject: Re: hairdresser on fire Date: Mon, 18 Oct 1999 09:47:57 -0500 (CDT) In-Reply-To: <380B0EE9.1E4A2FD0@ccms.net> Without catalysing a discussion on the availability of Jandek recordings, I'll have to call attention to the fact that Jandek records usually sell for 25 bucks, which is pretty ridiculous. There doesn't seem to be any album that is "worth" more than the others either, they're all priced the same at the demands of the sellers. The sellers know that somebody will buy them without regard for the personalities of any of the buyers. Some of us will buy them because, "it's a good investment," and others because we want to hear a Jandek album we haven't heard before. At least with the relative aesthetic homogeneity of his stuff (_do not_ read that as a criticism of the works or a callous generalization made in ignorance of the large corpus) you can be assured you are getting a fine piece of Jandek. But it's like nobody is willing to price any album more than the others for fear of incurring the wrath of an uber-fan or at least being called a tasteless moron. Imight pay 25 dollars tohear one of them, any of them, but I don't think that is elitist -it's just desperation. Luckily I don't need to because I know wher to find the whole discography for free... If at least for any other reason, I think Jandek might be getting reissued because many of us agreed to put in toward the fund to reissue Ready For the House.. The world needs more Jandek (at lower prices), I need a more stimulating job. Samn Message-Id: From: Gregor Kessler To: jandek@cs.nwu.edu Subject: Re: all around sloan square Date: Mon, 18 Oct 1999 17:21:46 +0100 >so, pusishment = sadness at the potential of an end to >the mystery? o.k., i can understand that. although, to >me, the music itself is just as brilliant without the >mystery. personally, i think it would be much more >mysterious to find out that jandek IS a normal guy. it >would do away with the various rationales for the >strangeness of his music, which might then seem even >more irrational and mysterious. either way, it's >always going to be a mystery. if you look the right >way, the whole world is a secret garden. How can anybody imagine a Jandek w/o the surrounding myth? I certainly cant! And I think it is very obvious that the obscurity plays a major role in what makes this name so fascinating. For if there is nothing to be known about Jandek everybody is free to imagine anything he/she wants Jandek to be, thus making Jandek the most personal musician I know. If you want the man to be a accountant than you have every right to think he is one, just as well as a socially retarted manic depressive. Obviously the lack of availability of the LPs doesnt make him a better or worse artist, but the lack of knowlege about Jandek makes him the perfect target for individual projections. And personally I am very grateful for that, cause few names made me think about them as much as Jandek did. Gregor Message-ID: <19991018172431.18839.rocketmail@web116.yahoomail.com> From: "Mr. E Meate" To: jandek list Subject: busy clippers ooh oooh Date: Mon, 18 Oct 1999 10:24:31 -0700 (PDT) Gregor Kessler mentioned: >Obviously the lack of availability of the LPs doesnt make him a better >or worse artist, but the lack of knowlege about Jandek makes him the >perfect target for individual projections. And personally I am very >grateful for that, cause few names made me think about them as much as >Jandek did. Personally, I would love to see a Jandek concert! Of course the specifics would be pretty dificult, what with the kind of bar-music club-scene around the U.S. I could imagine Jandek doing a european tour ( a la V.U. reunion) much easier than playing some bar in the U.S. Could you imagine Jandek with a backing band playing the 2nd stage at lollapalooza between sebadoh and the frogs??? :) I would also like to interview him. I would ask about his early musical events, any bands he jammed with before starting his recording career; I would ask him alot of questions about all the other musicians who have appeared uncredited on the albums (for instance the guitarist on the 1st half of Lost Cause LP who begins to tune-up right in the middle of the song! Did you kick him out of your studio right then or just decided to stop recording for the day and never called him back? :) My point is that I find no value in his mystery. I would rather know more about him. However, Jandek has conducted his recording career how HE wanted to and he doesn't give a damn about what I want him to do. Ya gotta respect that... Message-ID: <0.eff0fd32.253cb844@aol.com> From: NCR13@aol.com To: jandek@cs.nwu.edu Subject: Re: busy clippers ooh oooh Date: Mon, 18 Oct 1999 13:52:04 EDT > I could imagine Jandek doing a european tour ( a la > V.U. reunion) much easier than playing some bar in the > U.S. How about a 20th (er, 21st) anniversary reunion tour of the Units? The first time ever a solo artist reunited with himself... How did this Morrissey thing start anyway? Message-ID: <19991019225050.10754.qmail@cs.nwu.edu> From: Seth Tisue To: "Josh Ronsen" cc: jandek@cs.nwu.edu Subject: Re: Deleuze Date: Tue, 19 Oct 1999 17:50:48 -0500 >>>>> "Josh" == Josh Ronsen writes: Josh> I'm going to do something for the Jandek tribute. I think you Josh> should write some lyrics for me... -Josh Can't tune my guitar Can't get a date Still live with my mom Bedtime's at eight Release the same record Again and again Ain't left my bedroom Since I don't know wh-e-e-e-e-n CHORUS: I've got the Jandek blues Oh Lord, I've got the Jandek blues real bad I sing about women And Jesus and heaven And how three times four Is twenty-seven And floating down rivers Usually in Spain And driving to Madison In the rain CHORUS Real name's Sterling Smith But you're not supposed to know Scared of reporters Won't put on a show Still pining for Nancy Still best friends with John Just learned the piano Watch out here I come! Got a P.O. Box One five three seven five In Houston Texas Is where I'm alive CD's are eight dollars Or eighty for twenty Some think it's cheap Some think it's plenty CHORUSx2 FADE OUT == Seth Tisue http://www.cs.nwu.edu/~tisue/ Message-ID: <19991020050330.12627.rocketmail@web120.yahoomail.com> From: "Mr. E Meate" To: jandek list Subject: Music in Houston Date: Tue, 19 Oct 1999 22:03:30 -0700 (PDT) --- chrislyn carter wrote: > Even though Houston is one of the largest cities in the US, it has > almost no 'underground' culture compared to say S.F., Chicago, NYC. > Not enough people are aware of the kinds of issues that this music > brings up to make a difference in how the music is perceived. I would say that the local bands from houston (Sad Pygmy, Pain Teens[defunct], Charalambades, Richard Rimirez & many others) are very 'underground', more so than other cities I've visited. The last very popular band from Houston was... mabye ZZ Top :) There are a lot of underground bands in Houston, however, kinda like you said, organizing into a "culture" is another story. I do not do much clubbing in Houston, but I have noticed that on the "mutant hardcore flower hour," the DJ mentions about 50 punk bands playing every week. Do you think the scene has improved any in the last year compared to the dismal late 80's-early 90's? Message-ID: <19991021112910.86956.qmail@hotmail.com> From: "Mikko Kuorinki" To: jandek@cs.nwu.edu Subject: Jandek records stored in swamp? Date: Thu, 21 Oct 1999 04:29:09 PDT Yesterday i received 3 Jandek records from Corwood, i had ordered only "the beginning", but somehow they send me 2 extra cd's (white box requiem & glad to get away) which had been "damaged by water", they worked fine in the cd-player, but they were dirty and the covers were torn and stick in the cd... there was sand or something in the jewel case's... this made me wonder what had happened to the cd's, had Jandek lost his mind and threw record boxes in the swamp...? how much of the records are now damaged? has anyone else received these muddy cd's? I sure was happy... Message-Id: From: Ian Kasley To: jandek@cs.nwu.edu Subject: Re: Jandek records stored in swamp? Date: Thu, 21 Oct 1999 05:03:27 -0700 In-Reply-To: <19991021112910.86956.qmail@hotmail.com> hah. these tales of water-logged Jandek releases tickle my funny bone. partly becasue i get this absurd mental image of Jandek fishing around in Buffalo Bayou or the Houston ship channel for crates of Corwood CDs, and partly because the first Jandek LP i ever owned (Lost Cause) was one of several thousand records headed for the dumpster after KPFT's music library was moistened by a popped piece of plumbing. my guess would be that the discs fell victim to one (or more) of the floods which have hit parts of Houston in the not-so-distant past.... http://www.srh.noaa.gov/wgrfc/significant_floods.html ...tho' i do rather like the idea of Jandek throwing entire cases of his own recordings into the swamp, as if to somehow christen them or something. somebody should send a couple of those out to the lab for chemical analysis... see if they can match up the caked-on crud with any specific incident. or not. -ian Message-Id: <4.2.0.58.19991021080817.00b4e630@mercury.usiatl.com> From: Greg Parker To: Ian Kasley , jandek@cs.nwu.edu Subject: Re: Jandek records stored in swamp? Date: Thu, 21 Oct 1999 08:10:50 -0400 In-Reply-To: .....or he could be like the money grubbing Residents and say, "Flood Sale: 2 for the price of 1", as they did with their Santa Dog warped and cracked singles a few years back. Greg Message-Id: <3.0.5.32.19991021074536.00997b90@midway.uchicago.edu> From: Saleem Dhamee To: "Mikko Kuorinki" , jandek@cs.nwu.edu Subject: Re: Jandek records stored in swamp? Date: Thu, 21 Oct 1999 07:45:36 -0500 In-Reply-To: <19991021112910.86956.qmail@hotmail.com> My roommate/bandmember sam got a similar package. I think his cat peed on them, but they don't smell that bad...maybe his basement flooded? -s Message-Id: <3.0.5.32.19991021074837.00997710@midway.uchicago.edu> From: Saleem Dhamee To: jandek@cs.nwu.edu Subject: Re: Jandek records stored in swamp? Date: Thu, 21 Oct 1999 07:48:37 -0500 In-Reply-To: in that last message "he", meant jandek's cats, not sam's/my cats (although they'd do that to). just thought i was a bit unclear Message-ID: From: Sam Leimer To: jandek@cs.nwu.edu Subject: Re: Jandek records stored in swamp? Date: Thu, 21 Oct 1999 09:53:57 -0500 (CDT) In-Reply-To: <3.0.5.32.19991021074837.00997710@midway.uchicago.edu> yeah, maybe pee. anyway, on the enclosed note explaining which Corwood product I was requesting, I scribbled a simple p.s. "Cable Modem or DSL?" a question fiendlishly clever in its intricacies... Response was: "at present Cable Modem" chew on that Jandek list! Samn Message-Id: <4.2.0.58.19991021110512.00b534a0@mercury.usiatl.com> From: Greg Parker To: Sam Leimer , jandek@cs.nwu.edu Subject: Re: Jandek records stored in swamp? Date: Thu, 21 Oct 1999 11:05:36 -0400 In-Reply-To: At 09:53 AM 10/21/99 -0500, Sam Leimer wrote: >anyway, on the enclosed note explaining which Corwood product I was >requesting, I scribbled a simple p.s. "Cable Modem or DSL?" >a question fiendlishly clever in its intricacies... > >Response was: >"at present Cable Modem" > >chew on that Jandek list! Hey, that doesn't surprise me at all - he can afford it. He's no doubt rakin' in the cash now with these reissues. I've heard tales of mobs attending midnight release parties at Wal Marts across the fruited plains....Man, he's just no cool anymore. Greg Message-ID: <380F6D6D.4606E0B2@ccms.net> From: "Michael H. Collins" CC: jandek@cs.nwu.edu Subject: Re: Jandek records stored in swamp? Date: Thu, 21 Oct 1999 14:45:49 -0500 The warehouse got flooded two years in a row.. A friend got 50 just like you describe. -- Michael H. Collins http://www.linuxlink.com 512-656-9508 http://www.xfce.org Message-ID: <7F78FC5A30A3D21195F90090272ABD0DDD36AC@timcmortgage.com> From: "Ronsen, Josh" To: jandek list Subject: Old Jandek reviews Date: Mon, 25 Oct 1999 10:39:43 -0500 These are for Seth's webpage, but perhaps other will be interested to = read these reviews from Sound Choice from 7 and 11 years ago. From = California, Sound Choice was very similar to Option, esp older Option, but rawer = and with more articles on topics as opposed to band features, but many = record and publication revirews. -Josh Ronsen http://www.nd.org/jronsen Jandek: Telegraph Melts LP It sounds like this: a drummer, a guitarist and two singers, none of = whom have played or sung before but have a clear idea of what they want to = do, are in someone's garage banging and moaning and screeching away. It's sloppy, pretentious, and it works, thought I can't figure out why. I = get the impression that part of Jandek's purpose is to confuse people. The = album is absolutely ridiculous but I can't stop listening to it=85 and not = because it's funny (it isn't). Part of its success may be due to the recording--the muddy, distorted sound quality draws the listener into Jandek's very = strange world and MAKES him/her try to understand. TELEGRAPH MELTS is unique, challenging, and worthwhile listening. -Brooke Hinton, Sound Choice #6, 1987 Jandek: Follow Your Footsteps LP What a departure for Jandek! Here we have a compact disc produced by = Bill Laswell, with most of the members of the Golden Palominos sitting in. = There is a full cover [sic- color?] gatefold cover with liner notes by Robert Palmer! No, not really. This is the Jandek production that we've come = to know and love. There is a black and white photograph on the cover that suspicious minds see as a clue to Jandek's early days in the 60s psychedelia. The back cover just has white space and black type. = Someone plays drums on some of the tracks. It sounds like Ginger Baker. Any = other guesses? The solo numbers with acoustic 12-string and intense vocals = are hard to top, but the drum-guitar duo that starts the first side has its = own kind of ambiance that is also priceless. What we have here is a record = but more than that, part of a career that comes to us almost rolled up in a = time capsule. It is about only itself and makes everything else irrelevant.=20 -Lawrence Talbot, Sound Choice #8, 1987 Jandek: On the Way Up=20 As long as he keeps releasing 'em, us obcsuro-hipsters 'll keep = reviewing 'em. Something about that low profile (we're talking ancient = civilization diggings kinda low!), maybe the fuzzy/blurry/inscrutable covers (this = one's a bluish-tint photo of a drumkit), possibly the el-cheapo deals one can strike with Corwood for bulk purchases of the Jandek catalog (what is = it, 19 recs or so by now?). Nope, I think it's the timelessness of Jandek's = music; not in the usual sense, but more in the way each recording seems to interlock, "progression" being a deliberate avoidance of industry-biz "growth" (in terms of finesse, or production, or definable writing = periods). Jandek, the sonic jigsaw architect: the picture steadily gets bigger, = but never in the right direction. Right now it's fashionable to go on about Daniel Johnston--who is a genius, don't get me wrong--yet Jandek is the = more interesting and rewarding cultural enigma. Side one is the rock 'n' = roll side this time out, and I'm sure Alligator Records would be appalled to = hear Hound Dog Taylor or Mississippi John Hurt comparisons being tossed = around, but you know=85 "Sadie" is gutwrenching, sleazy blues that could've = been a demo for Exile on Main Street one time long, long ago. "Message to the Clerk" is Chicago-by-way-of-Delta honk with some terrific harp blowing = and what's maybe Jandek's most forceful (lucid yet drunkenly manic at the = same time) vocals to date--with personally revealing lyrics involving the = doctor, the priest, the boss and even the teeth (ref. to another LP). "Give it = the Name" sounds like Big Brother and the Holding Company jamming before = Janis arrives. Side two, by contrast, is a total reversal of its raucous counterpart, a quite meditative set for voice, acoustic guitar and = marginal percussion. "I'll Sit Alone And Think A Lot About You" is 9 mins. of impenetrability, as painful for the artist to record as it is for the listener to decipher. It's followed by two "straightforward" (so to = speak) folkish tracks not unlike Tim Buckley or Nick Drake. I wish to God I = had more space to analyze instead of describe, but I'm not sure I have the ability to understand what is undoubtedly a postmodern phenomenon far = from receiving the attention and appreciation due. -Fred Mills, Sound Choice#17, 1992 Message-id: From: "Eric W. Schlittler" To: jandek@cs.nwu.edu Subject: Jandek tribute update Date: Mon, 25 Oct 1999 23:17:38 -0400 (EDT) Hello, Just wanted to keep everyone out there updated on the progress of the tribute CD. First off, Corwood Industries has sent me 2 disposable cameras worth of pictures of statues, tombstones, and foliage intended for cover, and interior art. After the CD is done I would like to make all the pictures, and letter sent along with them available for everyone to take a look at. Bands/Individuals that are contributing so far include Dapper (w Thurston Moore, and Byron Coley), Amy Denio, Telegraph Melts, Brian T. from WFMU, Home, Kemialliset Ystavat, Aerick Mackintosh, Flaming Quaker, Kid Icarus, and James Tothe from the Golden Calves. Neutral Milk Hotel, Bardo Pond, and Roky Erickson are possibilities but its too early yet to say definitely. Thats it for now. All the best, Eric Message-ID: <38178637.A09AE69E@ccms.net> From: gautreaux To: "jandek@cs.nwu.edu" Subject: sid barrett!!! Date: Wed, 27 Oct 1999 17:09:43 -0600 don't read if you don't know who he is. if you don't you may want to check him out. he's got 3or4 discs, it ain't as unorthodoxed as jandek, but he's out there. he's the founding member of the pink floyd who quit. he got into some Sandoz (lsd 25) an lost it. a very awkward musician who doesn't believe in 2nd takes. Message-ID: <3817DCD6.43C9@earthlink.net> From: awa To: "jandek@cs.nwu.edu" Subject: Re: sid barrett!!! Date: Wed, 27 Oct 1999 21:19:18 -0800 SYD Barrett, actually. I've always thought people who were interested in Barrett would be interested in Jandek and the other way around. You could insert Skip Spence (from Moby Grape) and even Arthur Lee (from Love) in Barrett's place, too. Odd how these people who "lost it" who are compared to Jandek in this situation. Barrett, Spence and Lee were founders and/or focal points of famous bands. All Jandek fans owe it to themselves to listen to Lee Hazlewood, too. Skip Spence's one LP "Oar" is very Jandek-ish in its own way. Message-ID: From: James Toth To: awa cc: "jandek@cs.nwu.edu" Subject: Re: sid barrett!!! Date: Thu, 28 Oct 1999 08:43:36 -0400 (EDT) In-Reply-To: <3817DCD6.43C9@earthlink.net> ummm...right guys, REALLY obscure...how about Peter Grudzien? you haven't lived until you've heard him. Costes has a certain inept charm too, if that's what we're talking about. Kevin Ayers anyone? Arthur Lee was quite an artist but fairly conventional methinks. jjt five wacky english proletariat idiots Message-Id: <4.2.0.58.19991028075650.00afeda0@mail.winstar.com> To: "jandek@cs.nwu.edu" From: Saleem Dhamee Subject: Re: sid barrett!!! Date: Thu, 28 Oct 1999 08:03:19 -0500 In-Reply-To: <3817DCD6.43C9@earthlink.net> i don't think any of syd barret, arthur lee, or skip spence have anything to do with jandek. I have to say that i enjoy all these people's music, but its not like jandek much. Where're the strangely tuned guitars? They certainly don't have the same sense of humor as jandek "lanky janky" "wilderness tent...WILDERNESS TENT" and so forth. What gives with this comparison? The only thing that i can think of that's kinda jandeky was an alan bishop (is it alan? from sun city girls) 7". Someone at whpk can check out what 7" that actually is. -saleem Message-ID: From: "Bette Schultz and Paul Payton" To: "James Toth" Cc: Subject: RE: sid barrett!!! Date: Thu, 28 Oct 1999 10:25:38 -0400 In-Reply-To: Hi, Just joined this list, so I don't know if this dialog is on-going, if it is broadcast to everyone on the list, or is just a website info offshoot. Please inform.... While I don't have a lot of time for commentary, I must note that I've only heard a couple of Jasndek tracks on WFMU, the mighty countercultural voice of New Jersey (out-of-towners, only out-of-towners say "Joyzee") and New York (which is indeed "Noo Yowuk," depending on where youse from). However, I strongly agree with the Skip Spence analogy. "Oar" has been an all-time favorite; the re-issue on Sundazed is magnificent. (Who'd have thought...?) Also good, briliant in spots, is the tribute album, "More Oar," some tracks of which show what a FOCUSSED Skip Spence might have worked "Oar" into. (Diesel Park West's "All Come to Meet Her" is a masterpiece, and the Beck track proves the genius of the current artist in ggrowing the seed planted by Spence into a fully-formed and -realized entity.) Which brings us to Lee Hazelwood: As strange and interesting as his solo work is, let's also remember that he helped create Duane Eddy's signature guitar voice (those early Jamie recordings truly stand the test of time) and produced other excellent mainstream acts (okay, so Nancy Sinatra wasn't excellent, and groups like the Kitchen Cynq on LHI weren't as commercially successful--understatement--but listen to their "Street Song" [Al Kooper comp] or to The Spector's Three's "I Really Do" on 3 Trey (owned by Hazelwood and Lester Sill, produced by Hazelwood and Phil Spector), which has a softer precursor of the Wall of Sound, and was produced in 1960. (And while I'm free-associating, check out Cher's "A Woman's Story," on Warner Spector in the early 70's--as a singer I usually can't stand her, but what a phenomenal production, arrangement, and throbbing beat; Spector definitely did the best with her of any producer. PS: I think she's an excellent actress and interesting person[ality], but her singing voice is an odd color on the palette which comes into bloom only in the hands of skilled producers.) The preceding rant is why chat rooms are an issue with me--fun, but way too easy to get carried away.... P. Message-Id: From: Ian Kasley To: jandek@cs.nwu.edu Subject: tribute collaboration shit Date: Thu, 28 Oct 1999 08:31:24 -0700 howdy. to those who just joined the list or who just missed it the first time around, i had posted here a few weeks ago seeking possible long-distance collaborators to work on a Jandek cover tune, with the goal of submitting it for possible inclusion on this upcoming tribute dealie. i expected maybe three or four responses, at best. instead, i recieved what seemed like a kerjillion replies from folks expressing interest. tho' really, it was more like about a dozen responses. but at any rate, it was far more than i had expected. so. i figured i should set up some sort of discussion forum for anyone who's interested to yack back and forth in. i had originally wanted to combine and/or augment this with a web-based bulletin board type thinger, but i haven't had the time to sit down and figure that out yet. so anyhoo, there's a listserv running now. anyone who's interested is welcome to join in. to subscribe, send an eMail to... majordomo@kasley.com with the text "subscribe jandek_tribute" in the body of the message. etc. etc. the ususal majordomo routine. you know the drill. it's obviously impossible for me to collaborate with a dozen or more people on a single cover, so my hope is that we'll be able to coordinate things to where folks with similar (or not, whatever) interests would get together and swap their own tapes and so forth. did any of that make sense? if not, it's because i've been awake for ages, and i do apologize. also, if anyone sent me mail in response to my original post about this a few weeks back and i never replied, i apologize for that, too. i think i got everyone covered, but there's been so much stuff flooding in and out of my box lately it wouldn't surprise me if something slipped throught the cracks every now and again. okay, time to lose consciousness. -ian kasley Message-ID: From: Sam Leimer To: Saleem Dhamee cc: "jandek@cs.nwu.edu" Subject: Re: sid barrett!!! Date: Thu, 28 Oct 1999 12:17:59 -0500 (CDT) In-Reply-To: <4.2.0.58.19991028075650.00afeda0@mail.winstar.com> I think you're talking about that Alvarius B (named after the hallucinogenic toad) stuff... It's kind of Jandekish (whince of concession). I think that Arthur Lee especially has little to do with Jandek as that later Love stuff totally sucked. I don't think Costes is like Jandek at all either (at least the Costes cd I have, it's closer to violent Onsen Geisha or Masonna musically, I'm also glad I don't understand french). Samn Message-ID: <38189AFA.5E89@earthlink.net> From: awa To: "jandek@cs.nwu.edu" Subject: Re: sid barrett!!! Date: Thu, 28 Oct 1999 10:50:34 -0800 haven't heard any Peter Grudzien. Where do you recommend one starts? And, Jesus Christ, Syd, from what Waters, Gilmour and even Robert Wyatt have said, loved weird tunings. Listen to "Let's Split" if you get the chance or "Rats" and you'll see what I mean about "I've always thought people who were interested in Barrett would be interested in Jandek and the other way around." It's not that they SOUND alike. No, it's about that intimate atmosphere they both create--an atmosphere that is at once very humanistic, for lack of a better word, and slightly creepy, slightly funny, out-of-tune, out-of-key all at once. Add a big chunk of magic and there you have it--The Comparison. And that's where Hazlewood, Spence and Arthur Lee also come in, MEthinks. Kevin Ayers is great, too. Daevid Allen as well. Don't want to get started on that. Oy! I'm sorry if I was being sacreligious. Alec Message-Id: <4.2.0.58.19991028115608.00a679a0@mail.winstar.com> From: Saleem Dhamee To: "jandek@cs.nwu.edu" Subject: Re: sid barrett!!! Date: Thu, 28 Oct 1999 12:02:50 -0500 In-Reply-To: <38189AFA.5E89@earthlink.net> hey, I'll give you that they all create intimate atmospheres, but i still don't think that the intimate atmospheres are the same kind of atmospheres....it's not really that important to me, but i just don't think it's worth pushing them all together. -saleem Message-ID: <19991028183434.12048.qmail@hotmail.com> From: "Jason Cooley" To: jandek@cs.nwu.edu Subject: peter grudzien Date: Thu, 28 Oct 1999 11:34:34 PDT there's a mention of Peter Grudzien in the second volume of the "Incredibly Strange Music" books put out by RE-Search. From album cover and personal description he seems completely insane. I think he was living out of his car for a good part of the 70's. I've never been able to hear his actual recordings, though, and would gladly pay for a tape. (Sorry, I lost the message from the person saying they had some.) Message-Id: From: "John Schoen" To: , Subject: Re: peter grudzien Date: Thu, 28 Oct 1999 14:44:27 -0400 Grudzien's lp _The Unicorn_ was reissued on cd a couple of years ago. I'm not sure, but I think Forced Exposure was carrying it. They might = still have it. John. Message-ID: <19991028205549.9438.qmail@hotmail.com> From: "Ryan Matheson" To: jandek@cs.nwu.edu Subject: Jandek and Nancy and Lee Date: Thu, 28 Oct 1999 20:55:48 GMT Paul wrote: >okay, so Nancy Sinatra wasn't excellent I disagree. I'm not necessarily going to defend her work done with other collaborators, but much of the stuff she did with Hazlewood IS excellent. And some is just supremely weird for `60s bubblegum pop. Next you're gonna be saying Suzi Jane Hokom and Nina Lizell weren't excellent! --Ryan Message-ID: <3818E98C.DAFC6E6F@ccms.net> From: gautreaux To: "jandek@cs.nwu.edu" Subject: barrett Date: Thu, 28 Oct 1999 18:25:48 -0600 i wasn't tryin' to compare them, i just thought somebody might be interested. i'm glad i got ya'll fired up...this peter guy sounds pretty cool... later, rob Message-ID: From: Edward Andrew Reno To: gautreaux cc: "jandek@cs.nwu.edu" Subject: Re: barrett Date: Fri, 29 Oct 1999 01:51:27 -0400 (EDT) In-Reply-To: <3818E98C.DAFC6E6F@ccms.net> i concur with the comparison in so far as they share a similar spirit. but let's not forget the nod jandek himself gives to tradition on the Twelfth Apostle album answering Dylan's lyric 'I don't mean no harm or give fault for anyone who lives in a vault' in It's All right ma, with the apology, 'it's not my fault i live in a vault'. jandek in pure isolationist form. ed Message-ID: From: Matthew J DeWitt To: jandek@cs.nwu.edu Subject: HI Date: Fri, 29 Oct 1999 08:09:01 -0500 (CDT) Hi this is WIPZ-101.7 Kenosha. We are located on the campus of the University of Wisconsin-Parkside. We have 6 of your records on one of our walls, set up like a wall of fame. I know that everyone here really thinks that you are awesome. We would love to hear from you. WE LOVE YOU!!!! Message-Id: <199910291546.KAA01272@harper.uchicago.edu> To: jandek@cs.nwu.edu From: Ben Evans Subject: Re: HI Date: Fri, 29 Oct 1999 10:46:46 -0500 In-Reply-To: At 08:09 AM 10/29/99 -0500, Matthew J DeWitt wrote: >Hi this is WIPZ-101.7 Kenosha. >WE LOVE YOU!!!! When I see messages like this I really hope the ole' Janky is in fact listening in on this conversation! And just for the record, I had all my Jandek records out to make a tape for a friend. They were all spread out, lined up in a row, when my partner came home. She screamed in horror, thinking I had finally lost it and had created some kind of shrine to the howling one. And she is a huge Syd Barrett fan too. -ben Message-ID: <19991029160634.18330.rocketmail@web1405.mail.yahoo.com> From: "O.K. Robot" To: jandek@cs.nwu.edu Subject: Peter Grudzien (no Jandek!) Date: Fri, 29 Oct 1999 09:06:34 -0700 (PDT) Yes that Peter Grudzien lp is pretty cool. About 6 years ago one of my friends was volunteering at a Salvation Army in an out-of-the-way, blue-collar neighborhood of Boston where hipster record collector types never ever go. I had recently gotten interested in buying lots of records, and she told me this place had tons of records that would soon be discarded. I went to check it out and ended up getting about 30 records (mostly crap, in retrospect), including the Peter Grudzien LP (autographed!) and "Sounds of Nothing," the first Robert Rutman/Steel Cello Ensemble LP. I could tell from the cover that the Grudzien LP would be kinda strange... Beside the eerie front cover photo of Grudzien is the obviously hand-drawn title lettering: "The UNICORN - an album in two sides".. Well duh! The vast majority of albums I own have TWO sides... The back (which is not pictured in the Parallel Worlds cd reissue, which also uses a different photo of Grudzien for the front cover) shows him playing guitar in his home studio. The liner notes speak extensively about how Grudzien wrote, produced, and performed the album himself. He lists his influences: Wagner, Lizst, Dylan, Hank Williams, and Tchaikovsky, if I remember correctly. The songs are mostly catchy folk/country tunes with strange lyrics. One track is a melancholy piano piece called "Innocents", which I've been told is actually a traditional Irish song. The recording is very distorted and echo-ey. There's also a primitive-sounding electronic piece (called "Satan's Horn," I think), a spoken word/tape manipulation thing, and a sound collage thing composed of bits of the album's other tracks. A super-cool record- so if y'all see it- get it! For some strange reason, you can hear it on the jukebox at the Pink Pony cafe in NYC.. Message-ID: <19991029163518.53163.qmail@hotmail.com> From: "Mikko Kuorinki" To: jandek@cs.nwu.edu Subject: Re: Peter Grudzien (no Jandek!) Date: Fri, 29 Oct 1999 09:35:18 PDT I AM GETTING REALLY INTERESTED ABOUT THIS Pee GRUDZIEN fellow, COULD some NICE boy/girl record it for me if i'll send candy and tape and nude pictures... mikko Message-ID: From: Sam Leimer To: Matthew J DeWitt cc: jandek@cs.nwu.edu Subject: Re: HI Date: Fri, 29 Oct 1999 12:07:25 -0500 (CDT) In-Reply-To: On Fri, 29 Oct 1999, Matthew J DeWitt wrote: > Hi this is WIPZ-101.7 Kenosha. > WE LOVE YOU!!!! oh, I love you too. I don't have six records though. Maybe you have two copies of each. I love you. love, Samn Message-ID: <19991029182347.29373.qmail@hotmail.com> From: "Jason Cooley" To: jandek@cs.nwu.edu Subject: Re: Peter Grudzien (no Jandek!) Date: Fri, 29 Oct 1999 11:23:47 PDT >I AM GETTING REALLY INTERESTED ABOUT THIS Pee GRUDZIEN fellow, COULD some >NICE boy/girl record it for me if i'll send candy and tape and nude >pictures... > >mikko Jesus Christ! I wish I had it now. Message-ID: <0.4a510836.254b5c05@aol.com> From: NCR13@aol.com To: jandek@cs.nwu.edu Subject: Re: HI Date: Fri, 29 Oct 1999 16:22:29 EDT > And just for the record, I had all my Jandek records out to make a tape for > a friend. They were all spread out, lined up in a row, when my partner came > home. She screamed in horror, thinking I had finally lost it and had > created some kind of shrine to the howling one. Man, I can relate to this! And it has happened several times too... Message-ID: From: James Toth To: Jason Cooley cc: jandek@cs.nwu.edu Subject: Re: peter grudzien Date: Sun, 31 Oct 1999 19:39:29 -0500 (EST) In-Reply-To: <19991028183434.12048.qmail@hotmail.com> On Thu, 28 Oct 1999, Jason Cooley wrote: > there's a mention of Peter Grudzien in the second volume of the "Incredibly > Strange Music" books put out by RE-Search. From album cover and personal > description he seems completely insane. I think he was living out of his > car for a good part of the 70's. I've never been able to hear his actual > recordings, though, and would gladly pay for a tape. i can tape it for you for a blank and postage. i'd love to spread the gospel of grudzien. he's great. the outlaw jjt