Chalkhills Digest, Volume 3, Number 93

                  Monday, 24 March 1997

Today's Topics:

                         Sprouts
              Re: conventions and praises...
                What about Bob Thomas????
                   A license to thrill
                MSN, Convention and stuff
                    Auction, part two
                      Re: Dave News
                  Le Petit Marching Band
        Great Fire! Haven't Been Flamed In Awhile!
           Oranges & Lemons & Chips & Chocolate
             They put a microchip in my place
         Peter's interview "shaking my donkey up"
                    XTC LICENSE PLATES
                   been a long time...
                   XTC is a great band?
            First (???) Italian XTC Convention
                   The Meeting Place ?
                  Assorted fruit flavors
                 dialect in the key of X
                       XTC and gays
                   March of the Cuckoos
                xtc items to be auctioned
                     Convention News

Administrivia:

To UNSUBSCRIBE from the Chalkhills mailing list, send a message to
<chalkhills-request@chalkhills.org> with the following command:

        unsubscribe chalkhills

For all other administrative issues, send a message to:

        <chalkhills-request@chalkhills.org>

Please remember to send your Chalkhills postings to:

	<chalkhills@chalkhills.org>

World Wide Web: <http://chalkhills.org/>

The views expressed herein are those of the individual authors.

I should be singing but in liberation / Feel like a ship with no rudder.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

From: a.de.koning@bpa.vnu.com
Message-ID: <C1256461.0031FA8F.00@bpa.vnu.com>
Date: Fri, 21 Mar 1997 10:35:58 +0200
Subject: Sprouts

No XTC related news here (skip if you want, it's for free). I just ran into
this interesting interview with Thomas Dolby on a Prefab Sprout web page
(their new album "Andromeda Heights" will be released RSN, by the way). I
just wanted to post it here because it reminds me of the fab 3:

"It's just confusing for someone like Paddy [McAloon of Prefab Sprout -
AdK] or myself [Thomas Dolby - AdK], who have each shown we're capable of
selling millions, to be told repeatedly that the songs we really care
about, which are also the songs our fans really care about, are not
'commercial' enough to justify spending a record company's Big Bucks on.
Then you look at where they choose to put their money instead . . . "

Andre

------------------------------

From: Stephen Clarke <S.Clarke@maires.co.uk>
Organization: NOP Research
Date: Fri, 21 Mar 1997 10:23:48 +0000
Subject: Re: conventions and praises...
Message-ID: <9703211018.ab19835@itserv.maires.co.uk>

> regarding news of the xtc convention in may in england, Tim Kendrick writes:
>
> >Okay, any other crazy American besides me considering possibly going to
> >this? 
>
> now wouldn't this be a hoot and a half?!  a regular gathering of us crazed
> fans tripping over to england to be w/ other like-minded souls.  perhaps we
> can check out fares/costs, etc, and see what we can come up with??  and it
> would be keen if any xtc fans over there just might let us crash at their
> pad to save money otherwise spent on hotels.  egads, what a potential
> happening...

If any 'crazy americans' are serious about attending the convention
in Basingstoke, I live nearby (Fleet in Hampshire) and would be happy
to offer a bed / sofa / floor for the night to anyone who needs it.

I'll be sending off today for more details (I'm still talking about
the convention), so if no-one else does, I'll try and get some more
information on the event.

(I must stop talking in brackets)

Steve.

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 21 Mar 1997 08:30:50 -0600 (CST)
From: AMANDA CARYL OWENS <ACOEA@jazz.ucc.uno.edu>
Subject: What about Bob Thomas????
Message-id: <01IGRAJE58OA8XHTT8@jazz.ucc.uno.edu>

I was ROTFLMAO at the speedo part....although at 6'0 in height and 11 stone
1 pound (Around 155 pounds), I don't know if I would WANT to see Gregsy in a
speedo.

THIS IS VITAL TO ANYONE WHO'S ASKED ME ABOUT MY XTC STUFF UP FOR TRADE:
If you write tyo me and I acknowledge you then don't write back for a few
days, it means that I've lost your address. I've been getting so much
response that I can't keep track of who's written me and asked for what, so
if you don't hear from me, please write to me again and I promise I'll print
everything up so I can keep it all together.

Later,
Amanda
AMANDA'S quote of the day: "Happiness is this month's Playgirl"-Amanda Caryl

------------------------------

Message-Id: <199703211611.IAA06441@sgi.sgi.com>
Date: Fri, 21 Mar 1997 11:05:43 EST
From: "Todd Bernhardt" <tbernha@columbiaenergy.e-mail.com>
Subject: A license to thrill

Hiya, Chalkies:
I know this is an issue behind, but hey, I've been BUSY...

Harrison Sherwood  <hsherwood@btg.com>:
>I don't know, but I can't help but experience a little curiosity about the
owner of a blue VW Cabriolet, Virginia plate XTCFAN, who I keep seeing on
the off-ramp to Tysons Corner from the Beltway at about 8:25 on random
weekdays. Is it something about Northern Virginia? Besides spectacularly bad
traffic congestion, I mean? Is it possible that, as I sit behind the wheel
on the Dulles Toll Road bopping furiously to "Life Begins at the Hop," with
the windows up, everyone *else* on the road is doing the same thing? And
*wondering* the same thing?<

I gotta comment on this, cause I thought *I* was the only XTC FAN in NoVa
(the Vienna <--> Reston areas), but apparently my red '84 Rabbitt is not the
only one with a license to thrill. Sometimes those spaces count, eh?
Sometimes I get smiles and thumbs-up from passers-by, but I don't know
whether it's because of the band, the drug or my bumper stickers ("Doing My
Part to Piss Off the Religious Right" and "I think, therefore I don't listen
to Rush Limbaugh").

One thing, Harrison -- when you pass me, I'll probably be bopping furiously
along to "Human Alchemy" ... whoodeleWOP!   :^)

Angry Young Man Ira asked:
> Anyone else have any XTC references in their day-to-day life? Besides Mark
and his tattoos, that is. :)<

I was going to post this morning asking others how they inject XTC into
their surroundings. I edit a magazine about the natural gas industry and the
past two months, I've been able to work in oblique XTC references into
subhead and captions. In a story in the March issue about acoustically based
pipeline locators, I wrote "Are You Receiving Me?:" as a caption intro; in
the April issue, in an article about natural gas engines, I've inserted "The
Rotary" as a subhead.

Hey, whatever floats your boat (til it goes down...  :^)  It's all part of
my subliminal campaign to spread the word of the Andy, the Colin and Holy
Dave.

David Pardue -- love the auction list, but how could you have forgotten the
rubber shark that they'll be auctioning, with the bidding starting at #1,000
(or was I not supposed to tell ... oops!   :^)

BTW, I'm a Mummer, too. I was listening to the album this morning while
working out (has anyone noticed how great XTC albums are for that?) -- I put
it in its original order, with the B-sides last -- and again was struck by
how perfect, original and unique the original album is (I don't have
anything in particular against the b-sides, I just see why there were
designated as such, that's all -- as Bob Thomas says, do not hurt me). For
those of you making the pilgrimage to England/Swindon for the spring
convention, take along Mummer and The Big Express -- they're (IMO) the most
perfect rural/urban -- pastoral/industrial aural backdrop you could have.

FunkPopARoll beats up my soulholeholeholeholeholeholeWHOO!
ByeBye!

------------------------------

Message-Id: <2.2.32.19970321162001.006941f8@popmail.dircon.co.uk>
Date: Fri, 21 Mar 1997 16:20:01 +0000
From: Simon Sleightholm <nonsuch@dircon.co.uk>
Subject: MSN, Convention and stuff

from Peter Fitzpatrick

>Hope to see you all there !

*sigh* And there I was getting all excited. Most UK users simply don't have
the bandwidth or finances to play extensively with this kind of thing,
unless of course they want their next phone bill to require the removal of a
ground floor window for successful delivery.  Any chance of any of this
turning up on a CD-ROM at some point?

From: David Pardue <dpardue@pipeline.com>

>Items sep. or group:
>a) a fellow who brings the sheep in
>b) a fellow who milks the herd
>c) a fellow with wife for keeping
>Original value 3s.

*snort* Love it.

From: becki digregorio <ziglain@cruzio.com>

>simon, would be one of the many folks i'd love to meet
>at an xtc convention (heck, who knows, maybe this one coming up??).

Gosh. You're all being very kind. And, yes, Becki, to meet you would be very
nice - a meeting of Tiggers... Fur may fly.

This convention business looks quite enticing and I am fully intent on
attending if it turns out to be worthwhile. I've never been to one before
(in fact I don't think I've ever been in a room with more than one other XTC
fan - apart from when Natalie Jacobs and I went into a record shop in York,
and she bought Fossil Fuel, prompting an appreciative comment from the shop
guy who then immediately went into a silent "sweet Jesus, what have I done?"
mode when he realised we were quite prepared to lean on the counter and
debate the various merits of the CD for the remainder of the day). I've
written to Mike Foster and hope to get some hard details about the event.
I'd gladly offer floor space to other fans, but I'm afraid my house is a
good train journey away and the floor space is already taken. I hope, if the
event takes off, to see many of you there - the UK contingent at least. I
will be the one staggering around at the back come closing time, inventing
my own lewd gestures, singing bawdy songs and giving my "sexy" (a heavily
sedated Charles Laughton meets a mid-transformation Lon Chaney Jr. Head on.
In motor cars) look to any stray females. Stand clear. I fall down not long
after this stage.

Chances are, though, that this convention will clash with the Microsoft
extravaganza - is there anyone already a member of MSN who would be willing
to set up a machine for access to the Rifff thingy? Saturday phone rates are
pretty good (9 hours would cost just over #5 local rate, and most of those
in attendance would, I'm sure, be willing to throw in a contribution each to
cover the costs). What about your good self Peter? If you're attending, you
could maybe get something arranged with your department at Microsoft to loan
you the machine and a high-speed modem in exchange for a few Microsoft
posters being displayed and a few MSN CD's being distributed. An open
internet link might be good anyway, and might urge those not connected to
check out the network of fans that exists on-line. I'd offer to bring my
machine and set it up, but I'll probably be travelling by train and I ain't
an MSN user. Any takers?

I have no wish to cast any negative feelings Mike Foster's way, but a think
a big injection of cold hard facts about the venue, planned activities, etc
is required soon, especially with regard to the non-UK fans who have
expressed an interest and might travel many miles to what could turn out to
be nothing more than a rented back-room in a pub with a VCR. My
understanding is that as it stands it's a one day (noon until mid evening)
event. Unless the fans that congregate choose to expand this to at least a
second day by introducing some "fringe" activities - further socialising, a
trip to Swindon and its environs, an impromptu street performance of "XTC :
The Musical" (arranged for massed hangovers and rapidly exiting kebab meat),
interactive demonstrations of inventive fornication, or some other wildness,
then I can't really see the event bringing in many of our overseas chums.

It's a shame we didn't know about this convention earlier - these things
live or die by the spirit, enthusiasm and number of the attendees, and there
are some keen minds on this list who could have helped make it something
very special indeed.

Simon

+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
http://www.users.dircon.co.uk/~nonsuch/bungalow.htm
+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
XTC? Are they still going? Follow me and find out..

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 21 Mar 1997 11:53:19 -0500 (EST)
From: Natalie Jane Jacobs <gnat@umich.edu>
Subject: Auction, part two
Message-ID: <Pine.SOL.3.95.970321110356.24045C-100000@qix.rs.itd.umich.edu>

David Pardue opined...

>_Item_                        _Est. Price_ (pounds Sterling)
[snip]
>Items sep. or group:
>a) a fellow who brings the sheep in
>b) a fellow who milks the herd
>c) a fellow with wife for keeping
>Original value 3s.              1 guinea
>
>Any bids?

If I'd been drinking something, I would have done a spit-take all over my
dusty glare screen.  LOL, ROTFL, and all those goofy computer acronyms.
I think we can rustle up a few more curios, though...

_Item_                  	      _Est. Price_ (pounds Sterling)
August's organ				  254.37
(Copper, lined with tin)
Signed by Todd Rundgren

Beer-can, crushed		 	  0.10
(label indecipherable)
Emptied in under a minute by Terry
Chambers during drunken studio sessions

Finger-nail			  	  free
Used by Colin Moulding as plectrum

Uh... anyway... I will be attending the convention on May 24.  I had been
planning a trip to England anyway, to once again meet the delightful Mr.
Sleightholm, and found out the convention would be taking place smack dab
in the middle of my stay.  My travel agent said seats are going fast,
since tourist season is coming up, so if any Americans are going, book
your flight soon, and hopefully I'll see you there.

Natalie Jacobs
Perdix: The Andy Partridge Appreciation Page
Andy feels your pain.
http://www-personal.umich.edu/~gnat

------------------------------

From: garyt@dna1.dnet.co.uk (Gary Thompson)
Subject: Re: Dave News
Date: Thu, 20 Mar 1997 19:23:10 -0000
Message-ID: <19970321182929.AAA23659@gt628.dnet.co.uk>

Just a short note to  all who are interested some Dave stuff. My friend's
girlfriend has been signed by WEA Records  in the Republic of Ireland , and
her prospective producer, Craig Leon, recommended Dave to her as a
guitarist who could play anything. After a drunken St. Pat's day in
Belfast, I've also hopefully persuaded her of the man's skills. If this
comes off, I'll let you all know.
Cheers, Gary

We won't be told that the past was pure gold
We were there and it wasn't

Paddy McAloon

Come to http://www.niweb.com/dnet/dnetgzYI/ and see what happens when you
get 10mb of web space free.

------------------------------

Message-Id: <2.2.32.19970321193732.006cf328@mail.sonyinteractive.com>
Date: Fri, 21 Mar 1997 11:37:32 -0800
From: Bob Estus <bestus@intergate.sonyinteractive.com>
Subject: Le Petit Marching Band

Chalktroops,

Michael D. Myers of <mmyers@notes.cc.bellcore.com> bugled:
>I'm not sure if anybody regularly converses with Andy (or maybe he lurks
>himself), but I was in New Orleans earlier this week and went into a shop
>where they specialize in toy soldiers, and I wanted to get the address to
>him.

I was down in N'arlins (local pronunciation) last August for a computer
graphics convention. I found myself staggering through the French Quarter
alone late one night after a few too many Bourbon Street indulgences. While
traipsing down a decaying side street, 110% humidity at 2 in the morning, I
stumbled upon this same "Le Petit Soldier Shop". In the window, illuminated
only by a dim street light, I spied a little mardi gras marching band (yes
they were playing just for me). A somber marching band! that would make a
lovely present for Andy, I thought. That thought was then archived, thinking
it would never be accessed again.

Funny finding mention of it here, I'm almost feeling blase about life's
greater coincidences now.

-Bob
p.s. AMANDA if were on the list back then I'd've offered you a jello shooter
at the "Cat's Meow" :^)

------------------------------

Message-ID: <33332241.21FB@sprintmail.com>
Date: Fri, 21 Mar 1997 16:05:21 -0800
From: Stormy Monday <stormymonday@sprintmail.com>
Subject: Great Fire! Haven't Been Flamed In Awhile!

Folxtc,

I've been living in a smokeless zone, so I figured I stir the cauldron
just a little bit.

Mr. Jon Monnick tells us,

>George Martin added very little to either the white album
>or get back. He  did produced a glistening sound on Abbey Road which guilds
>the generally hollow material.

To quote a fictional character from a classic American television
series,

"Are you out of your Vulcan Mind!?"

There are some very nice string/orchestral arrangements on "The White
Album", "Get Back" (AKA "Let It Be") was produced by Phil Spector), and
"Abbey Road" is a pop masterpiece that is simply one of the most
gorgeous, important and respected musical works of the 20th century.

Becki DiGregorio says of Dave Greogory,

>he _is_ a gentleman, very giving,
>and of course the most talented (and under-rated) guitarist around.

Becky, count me as another customer once your CD is available.

I might add that he is a brilliant musician.  Andy has often given Dave
much credit for a lot of the arrangement ideas that have come out of
this wonderful band.  He is a fine keyboard player, and the string
arrangement of "1000 Umbrellas" rivals George Martin's best work, and
puts to shame anything that shameless charlatan Jeff Lynne has ever
committed to tape.

My general comments about Ray Davies and The Kinks:

Yes they were underrated, influential and made some very good music for
many years.  Yes Ray Davies is a clever man. And I believe Andy when he
says that Ray is a major influence on XTC's music.  Perhaps Andy would
disagree with me, but as I have already stated in my very first post to
this newsletter:  "Andy Partridge has more talent in one nostril hair
than Ray Davies has in is entire body!"

John Lennon counted seminal rockers Buddy Holly, The Everly Brothers and
Chuck Berry as influences, but I couldn't possibly consider them peers
of the great Dr. Winston O'Boogie!

My general comments about Andy, Michael Stipe and REM:

REM are a cut above the average million selling rock bands of this era.
But they do not, and should not command the same respect that XTC
receives from anyone who is more than casually familiar with both of
their collective recorded outputs.  I rather enjoyed Andy's comments
regarding a proposed collaborative effort with Stipe.  It would be like
proposing (if they were contemporaries) that Van Gogh ought to work with
Peanuts' cartoonist Charles M. Schultz.

James Issacs, I know how you feel about the Kinks, and I hope you can
see passed my previous comments,

>I have always felt that side 2 of "Mummer" is XTC at a zenith.  Yes, a zenith!

and from the college student formerly known as "DAVE GREGORY IS GOD"

>Jason Legacy-You are definitely not the only one who thinks Mummer is one of
>the Lad's most beautiful works.

Mummer is such a fine example of the high art that is exclusively XTC,
and I am often amazed at some of the lukewarm to negative comments that
this perfect album (in its original form, that is) receives from people
that consider themselves serious fans of these fine musicians.

And finally:

I think that Billy Joel, Steve Miller, Bob Seger and John Mellancamp
ought to make a record together for people who accidentally ingest
poisonous substances.  That way they could listen to it in lieu of
sticking their fingers down their throats.

Stormy Monday

PS, Philip Adamek, where are you when we need you?

------------------------------

Message-ID: <iTf56sAAm1MzEwBM@emdac.demon.co.uk>
Date: Sat, 22 Mar 1997 04:01:04 +0000
From: Phil Hetherington <phil@emdac.demon.co.uk>
Subject: Oranges & Lemons & Chips & Chocolate

And there's more (assuming I sent something earlier; it's 3.30am now
and I haven't a clue what I'm doing)...

Still can't attribute quotes, sorry.

>     I got my hands on the MOFI Gold pressing of "Oranges & Lemons" today
>     and gave it a spin. So, how does it fare...?
>
>     It's definitely an improvement (not dramatic, but an improvement) over
>     the Geffen pressing - being that I'm in the U.S., I have no idea how
>     the Virgin pressing sounds.

This reminds me...

Since about last wednesday, I now have both the Geffen & Virgin copies.
When I originally bought everything, the Virgin ones were out of stock
everywhere so I got a US import, but the indexing on it has always
irritated me - most notably at the start of Pink Thing, I think, but
there are others - because the defined gaps are all wrong.

I spotted the Virgin one in Virgin Megastore on the corner of Oxford
Street & Tottenham Court Road (London, btw) the other day, and snapped
it up... I can now safely state that the UK one has much better
indexing. According to my CD player it is also a second longer. Bargain!

Anyway, when I get chance I'll do a detailed comparison; initially I
can't hear much difference. Since I also bought Bob Dylan's "Desire" at
the same time, and since that is now proving difficult to remove from
the CD player for any length of time, I don't know when this will be,
so if anyone else wants to do it, I won't try to stop you. :-)

(Just 'discovering' Dylan properly atm btw - got Highway 61 Revisited
which I don't rate much, Blonde On Blonde & Desire which I love - any
recommendations from there? By email please...)

Whilst I remember; thanks for the emails regarding my previous post;
one of them didn't get a reply because my email reply bounced. So,
I'll say thanks here. OK?

>I was wandering around HMV on Oxford Street here in London and I
>found about 5 copies of the Dukes in there.

I'd been meaning to mention that for weeks - sorry! They're US
imports, btw; my O&L experience (and others ES experience) suggests
that this may not be a good thing.

Whats with all these people going to Swindon? I commute into
Paddington (and beyond; from Slough) all week yet I've never had
the slightest urge to go the other way and spend a day in Swindon.
And yet people are flying round the world for this? :-)
[No offence; I've done enough touristy things in my time...]

Before anyone else says it; I've never had the slightest desire to
spend a day in Slough either. I intend leaving the place sooner
rather than later. Come friendly bombs etc. :-)

'Night all,
--
Phil Hetherington

------------------------------

Message-Id: <v03010d00af591fb7dc4c@[128.148.19.79]>
Date: Sat, 22 Mar 1997 00:56:26 -0500
From: Gene Yoon <Gene_Yoon@brown.edu>
Subject: They put a microchip in my place

>From: Peter Fitzpatrick <peterfit@MICROSOFT.com>
>Subject: The Great Secret Revealed
>
>At last I can tell you what Andy Partridge has been doing with the
>folks here at Microsoft.
>
>....
>
>How do I get this ? What do I do ?
>first : you need to be running a PC capable of using the New MSN.
>
>second : go to MSN and either download the New MSN software
>(http://setup.msn.com/public/setup/)

Hmm, am I the only one?  Maybe this is a symptom of some sort of
intellectual snobbery, but as much as all this sounds very exciting, it
does make me queasy in the stomach to be pandering to some promotional
effort by Big Brother Microsoft.  Microsoft and Starbucks Coffee: ruthless
predatory business practices, but they treat their employees very well....
always a moral dilemma in my mind.  I wonder how Andy Partridge feels about
his little contribution to Bill Gates' conquest for domination of the
universe, if he thought about it in that manner.  But then, maybe it's
silly to think of it that way.  But then, maybe it's not.  Ah, the struggle.

That said, I'm ecstatic about Peter Fitzpatrick's efforts to get our hero
exposed somehow, someway.  That said, I think I'll start downloading.....
Mmm,maybe tomorrow.

Gene, who is keeping his Navigator no matter what.
Support your local independent coffee house.
Turning off my Apple Mac now on the computer table I bought at Staples,
next to the lamp I bought at Home Depot, headed for the General Electric
refrigerator containing food products from the Super Stop $ Shop.

------------------------------

Message-ID: <01BC36D8.F4B575E0@briand>
From: briand <briand@prosoft.org>
Subject: Peter's interview "shaking my donkey up"
Date: Sat, 22 Mar 1997 15:51:35 -0800

Hello all

I've been lurking for awhile, having fallen into this internet thing about a
year ago and discovering you all about 3 months ago...

According to Peter's interview, Andy had Robert Johnson playing at some
point. I found it extremely interesting, enlightening, and marvelous that
Andy had this seminal bluesman playing on his victrola.  You see, XTC is for
me an important and irreplaceable piece of a musical palette that I hope
knows no boundaries. And I have a sneaking suspicion that many of you out
there are the same. Great music (played from the soul) is great music and
the genre is simply a matter of classification, which all too often is a
barrier to be overcome and discarded.

It is great to know there are all of you out there.

------------------------------

From: Xtckinks@aol.com
Date: Sun, 23 Mar 1997 00:09:05 -0500 (EST)
Message-ID: <970323000904_-1571612677@emout02.mail.aol.com>
Subject: XTC LICENSE PLATES

 hello! are you receiving me? this is my first attempt to post to
chalkhills.......i've been an avid fan since the american release of D&W. I
have seen xtc in koncert and recently moved them to #1 on my all-time
favorite band list.(1 guess who they replaced!!).
  not to talk for bytes and bytes, i just want to add to the xtc license
plate thread.
here in ny, the vanity platers also have sports teams plates, among other
themes. i have killed 2 performing birds, with one stone. i have ny ranger
plates with logo, and XTC 94 plate number. 94 being the year the beloved
rangers won the stanley cup of hockey!! when they won, i thought i was
prepared to die happy, but since then i realized that i have one more thing
to live for, and that's an xtc koncert. in my heart, i know this will happen.
thanks to all for xtc messages. i now get goosebumps, not even listening to
the music, but just reading some of the beautiful postings!
  I RESIGN AS (death of a) CLOWN!!!

------------------------------

Message-ID: <3334D00B.79B8@netwestonline.com>
Date: Sun, 23 Mar 1997 00:39:12 -0600
From: cotterpin <kmarkman@netwestonline.com>
Subject: been a long time...

Hi all!

Well, it's been a while.I've been seriously behind on Chalkhills, and
have discovered that I am missing some of them, but I read what I think
is the latest (#92) and have thought of a few things to say, assuming
that my e-mail is working properly and this actually gets sent.

Finally found a copy of Drums and Wireless back in February, though we
had to drive to Lubbock (2 hrs north) to get it.  I really like it a
lot, though I have no idea why the BBC arranged it as they did.
Wouldn't chronological order have made more sense?  Forgive me if this
has been discussed, as I said, I've been out of the loop.

March 15&16 we went to Austin (way cool city!) to the Austin Record
Convention.  There were so many vendors it was almost overwhelming, and
even in 2 trips we didn't get to see it all.  Anyway, they had a deal
where you could write down stuff you were looking for and an announcer
would read this so that vendors could find you, and someone actually
asked about XTC before we did. Yeah!  We didn't see much rare stuff,
though, mostly 50 zillion copies of Nonsuch and O&L.  But it was still
lots of fun, maybe next time I'll have more money to spend.

I saw some people mention the new Ben Folds Five album on this list a
while back, and for those who are interested I highly recommend it.
Anyone who was ever picked on or dumped will appreciate it.

Also while we were in Austin we got to hook up with Jason Garcia, thanks
for letting us drop by, and thanks for loaning me your Monkees video.
Hope you are enjoying the XTC videos.

Regarding the Andy on MSN thingy - can I get this on a Mac or is it
Windows only? (Bill Gates is trying to ruin my life, isn't he?)

Anyway, sorry to ramble on, all the dust out here in Wets TX is messing
with my brain.

Oops, one more thing - Becki, could you add me to the list for your cd?
Thanks!

Hasta,
Kris (one angry dwarf and two hundred solemn faces)

------------------------------

Message-ID: <333511F5.4C4B@bright.net>
Date: Sun, 23 Mar 1997 11:20:22 +0000
From: R+K Carvey <carveys@mail.bright.net>
Subject: XTC is a great band?

Hey, remember that time, that magical, brief period of your life before
you appreciated a group of artists, when you were simply fanatical
about them?  I am so slightly saddened by recent comments (criticisms)
regarding our very own Amanda.  I dont know about all of you, but she
reminds me of days now sixteen years past, as I was starting college,
and persuing music more than concentrating on schooling.  We all need a
shot of youth now and again, to keep heads screwed on straight.

Amanda is great, as far as I am concerned (and we know, my opion
probably does not concern many, but what the heck; I dont give a
corn, as my beautiful wife would say).  Amanda, I thought your rebuttal
in #3-92 was dead on.  Keep writing, Im reading, as well as some others
who might be grinning and thinking; I remember how it was.
And I better throw in some XTContent; Stephanie likes XTC and thinks
they are a great band, and so does Amanda, and what do you know, so do
I!

Sincerely to ALL Hill People,
Roger Carvey

------------------------------

Message-ID: <33356D01.59D2@mclink.it>
Date: Sun, 23 Mar 1997 18:48:49 +0100
From: Alberto Castagna <mc4950@mclink.it>
Subject: First (???) Italian XTC Convention

Dear Friends,
Were writing you from Rome (Italy) where weve have just finished a
very strictly XTC Convention. We are four guys, coming from four
different cities (North and South), and we met thanks to Chalkill two or
three months ago. We spent two days listening music, watching videos,
and discussing about the music of our favorite band. We also rent a
recording studio for two hours, where we played three songs and we
recorded a tape to remeber these days (just for fun but not too bad, we
dontt send you because we are a little embarassed). But, in the next
days we will send you the photos we took of our meeting and we hope that
some other italian fan would contact us for a future bigger convention,
maybe in Summer.
Alberto M. Castagna mc4950@mclink.it
Enrico Martinis martinis@ten.it
Valerio Pugliese svipro@iol.it
Michele Tezza tezza.verona@iol.it

------------------------------

Message-Id: <199703231754.SAA19459@utrecht.knoware.nl>
From: "Mark Strijbos" <mmello@knoware.nl>
Organization: The Little Lighthouse
Date: Sun, 23 Mar 1997 18:58:48 +0000
Subject: The Meeting Place ?

Dear Chalkers,

Last issue Mark Fisher asked:

> Anyone know who Mike Foster is?

No, but I did receive some information that makes me wonder
if he is capable of organizing an XTC convention.
For instance, he doesn't seem to have a venue booked yet but
wants to sell tickets in advance...

Finally, Jon monnick asked:

>  any ideas as for the names for twins, sex unknown and how
>  XTC songs might influence that ?

If they both turn out to be boys, maybe Castor and Pollux, the
original Argonauts from Greek mythology :)
But if it's a boy and girl "set" why not go for Punch and Judy?
Or maybe Harry and Holly ?

bye,

Mark Strijbos (not wearing a Speedo)

Mark Strijbos at The Little Lighthouse
   http://utopia.knoware.nl/~mmello

===> Mark's Random XTC Quote <===
Where's the message that's written under the base of clouds?

------------------------------

Message-Id: <1.5.4.32.19970324011754.0067903c@pop.mindspring.com>
Date: Sun, 23 Mar 1997 20:17:54 -0500
From: "Jason 'Buffy' NeSmith" <jnesmith@mindspring.com>
Subject: Assorted fruit flavors

Harold Zijp spake to us henceforthly and did relate:
>hi there
>
>I wanted you (and through you everybody) to know that there is a band in
>the city of Groningen, Holland, called The Vanishing Girls that only
>plays XTC songs. <snip>

If you have a board tape of your show I would love to hear it.
However, I would discourage anyone from posting a soundfile on the list.
They tend to be very large.  If you upload it to and ftp or URL site,
give us the address, and we can download it from there.

I have a friend in Athens, GA (home of mumble-rock) that played in a one-off
band called the Helium Kidz.  Their Dave Greggory character figured out all
of the guitar parts to a bunch of songs, mostly from the BBC live CD.  My
friend--Brian Poole of the Athens band Elf Power-- got to be Andy for a
night.  They ROCKED!

Peter Fitzpatrick decreed:
>At last I can tell you what Andy Partridge has been doing with the
>folks here at Microsoft.

Sounds good, as long as Andy gets LOTS & LOTS of money.

Our friend Dave Gershman knows good pop music when he hears it.  I know this
because he recommended the Fountains of Wayne album to y'all.  It's quite a
yummy little album.  Sorta Beach Boys/Ramones, sorta Big Star, sorta Cheap
Trick and also sorta TMBG.  That's a GOOD thing.

In the immortal words of Spinal Tap: Have a good time...all the time.
random lyric of the minute:  Maybe he went to get a sideways haircut.

visit the Orange Hat Cyberhose Page, or you won't have any fun!
http://www.mindspring.com/~jnesmith

------------------------------

Message-Id: <v01540b04af5bb03e7897@[139.80.100.164]>
Date: Mon, 24 Mar 1997 16:15:31 +1200
From: james.dignan@stonebow.otago.ac.nz (James Dignan)
Subject: dialect in the key of X

>So unless Colin is making a witty and ironic juxtaposition of the marginal
modal and the periphrastic negative auxiliary, just for a laugh...<

could be - he's the sorta cheeky chappie to do that sort of thing

>...I take it
that this is a rare example of West Country dialect slipping into an XTC
song. Personally, I've never heard "didn't ought" used anywhere apart from
in *King for a Day*.<

well, there's the "chimbley" in The Meeting Place, for one. Colin likes to
slip in 'yokel-isms' quite a lot, I think.

>Good point about me subscribing to "X" lists, although I've never heard of
3/4
of the lists listed. (That was redundant.....)<

s'alright Amanda - most of them weren't lists, just some interesting
looking words I found in Your Dictionary (well, my dictionary actually, but
I had to get an xtc reference in there somewhere!)

James

------------------------------

From: GTR80@aol.com
Date: Sun, 23 Mar 1997 23:18:36 -0500 (EST)
Message-ID: <970323231835_1882769213@emout11.mail.aol.com>
Subject: XTC and gays

   Hey, I was searching the internet the other day when I came on a interview
where Andy said that he liked a guy in his teenage years (forgot the name).
Is this true? The other thing is that more than half of the people I know
that like XTC are gay. It's a weird thing, but it's true.  What is there in
XTC that attracts the gay communety? I don't know why i'm even posting this,
but maybe you guys might have wanted to know. See ya!

      Gerardo

------------------------------

Message-ID: <c=US%a=_%p=AETNA%l=AETNA/AETNA/004A4580@aetna.aetna.com>
From: "Witter, Karl F" <witterkf@aetna.com>
Subject: March of the Cuckoos
Date: Mon, 24 Mar 1997 08:18:00 -0500

>[Mark Fisher] Personally, I've never heard "didn't ought" used
>anywhere apart from in *King for a Day*.

>[Simon Sleightholm] Interesting that you should turn up that note...
>It has always struck me as an American phrase. I think the most recent
>time I heard it was during a rerun of that old Laurel And Hardy movie
>where they join the French Foreign Legion. They both join so that Stan
>can help Ollie forget the woman who betrayed him, only to find that half
>the fort's contingent have joined to forget the same woman. One of the
>Legionaires crying over her picture says something like, "Oh, Trixie, you
>didn't oughta have done it."

That's "Flying Deuces", for reference's sake. And the scary thing is, I
didn't even have to look it up.

"Give me that--YOU might BREAK it!"(...and you know what Ollie
does promptly.)

Karl

------------------------------

From: David Clapperton <davidc@westminster.ac.uk>
Message-Id: <199703241828.SAA23846@badger.wmin.ac.uk>
Subject: xtc items to be auctioned
Date: Mon, 24 Mar 1997 18:28:21 +0000 (GMT)

			NOTICE OF ITEMS FOR AUCTION

		SALE OF XTC MEMORABILIA AT CHRISTIES OF LONDON

	The following items previously owned by the Swindon-based rock
group XTC are to be auctioned at the Pop Memorabilia sale at Christies,
South Kensington, London on the 29th of May 1997. All of the items were
given as competition prizes on the BBC TV Saturday morning children's
programme "Multi-Coloured Swap Shop" in 1981.

     -	Antoria 6-string acoustic guitar with 20-fret fingerboard,
	decorative humming-bird pickguard, signed by Andy Partridge of XTC.

     -	Gold disc presented for Canadian sales of the album
	"Drums and Wires" to Colin Moulding of XTC.

     -	Framed original artwork for sleeve of "Sgt.Rock" single.

     -	"Black Sea" album (vinyl) signed by Andy Partridge
	and Colin Moulding.

     -	Black satin jacket with "XTC Black Sea" sewn logo in green.

	The last three items are to be sold as one lot.
	All items are in mint condition.

	To bid for the above items, contact Christies at:-

	Christie's of South Kensington
	85 Old Brompton Road
	London
	SW7 3LD
	UK			Phone: 0171 581 7611

	Catalogues will be available 3-4 weeks before the sale.
	Christies state that "to be certain of buying, you should attend".
	However if you cannot be at the sale in person, it is possible
	to make a "commission to bid" whereby you inform Christies of
	a price for which you would be willing to pay for the item and
	the auctioneer bids on your behalf. The item is yours if there is
	not a higher bid. These bids should be received at least a day
	before the sale. Christies may require you to supply bank or other
	references. Purchases not cleared two days after the sale incur
	a storage charge for each day the item remains at Christies.

------------------------------

Message-Id: <2.2.32.19970324200114.0068e374@popmail.dircon.co.uk>
Date: Mon, 24 Mar 1997 20:01:14 +0000
From: Simon Sleightholm <nonsuch@dircon.co.uk>
Subject: Convention News

I just got off the phone with Mike Foster, the guy who is organising the XTC
Convention in Basingstoke, and this is what he had to say:-

The convention was intended as a pretty low-key event - Mike was unaware of
the Chalkhills crowd and had written to The Little Express hoping to get a
list of UK subscribers so he could mailshot them, they were (perhaps
understandably) reluctant to provide this, so he ran an ad in Q magazine and
got 40 or so responses. The venue is to be a small theatre in part of the
university/college where he teaches and can comfortably seat around 120
people. There are few "events" organised at the moment, the initial idea
being for fans to gather, play the music, watch videos, trade, chat and
(happily) drink. As he has no access to XTC news other than the music papers
and Little Express, he was unaware of many of the most recent XTC
devlopments and was stunned to realise quite what a thriving little
community we have here. He has written to the band (using a method which has
previously garnered replies) requesting that one or two of them might like
to attend (Swindon is a mere 45mins away) for an hour and chat or play some
new demos to the throng but as yet he has had no replies. While there are no
bands as such scheduled to appear, he has managed to get in touch with what
sounded like a member of the UK XTC tribute band who is keen to come and
perform. Mike and a few friends could be pursuaded to cover a few tunes as
well. He's in the process of getting some T-shirts printed.

Though this year's convention is on a small scale, Mike is hoping to turn it
in time into a bi-annual event to rival the Manchester events of the past.
The main reason for choosing the (relatively) inaccesible Baskingstoke as
the venue is simple economics - he can get the venue and equipment cheaper.
If the results are promising, he will probably look to a larger, more
central location for future conventions.

As he has no access to email (though he says it won't belong before school
get their systems sorted out) and time is drawing tight, I have offered to
take any questions you might have for him in my mail box and pass them on to
him by phone, posting the responses here if appropriate. He's also asked me
to try and discover how many people are intending to attend. Please mail me
at nonsuch@dircon.co.uk if you have any questions for, or any suggestions
for events, or if you even just want to signal a general intention to
attend. Mike is also hoping to try and establish, from the reponses, whether
any car-sharing arrangements can be set up between fans in the same area,
and is keen to see if anyone wants to continue the event into the Sunday -
he's thinking of booking a bus so fans can visit The White Horse and other
places of interest. He still needs everyone intent on going to write to him
direct at :-

        Mike Foster
        41 Coronation Road
        Basingstoke
        Hants
        RG21 4EZ
        England.

...but the relative immediacy of e-mail means that any small queries can be
fielded that bit faster.

I have to say that I have no connection with Mike Foster (financially or
otherwise) and that, other than saying that he sounded utterly genuine and
knowledgeable, I have no way of knowing whether or not he can deliver or,
indeed, whether he is out to rob us all blind and burn down our sheds. He's
seems keen and wants to see it succeed, but is also eager for other input
and suggestions to flesh out his (admittedly) scant plans. He's on the knife
edge of worrying that no-one will atttend, and worrying that a whole horde
of XTC fans expecting "a thousand elephants" will land and be disappointed.

As for myself, I have to say that I still am hovering between attending and
staying away in equal measures. It's a tricky place to get to, and
travelling on a Holiday weekend in the UK is less fun than sucking M&Ms out
of a badger, but I'd love to mix with a bunch of other fans.

Mike has said he will contact me as and when he has any further news of the
convention, I shall be posting the information on Bungalow, and also, of
course, to this list.

That's all,

Simon

+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
http://www.users.dircon.co.uk/~nonsuch/bungalow.htm
+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
XTC? Are they still going? Follow me and find out..

------------------------------

End of Chalkhills Digest #3-93
******************************

---

Go back to Volume 3.

25 March 1997 / Feedback