An expanded list of post-deadline applicants; and Mailbag

[IED0DXM%OAC.UCLA.EDU@mitvma.mit.edu]

 To: Love-Hounds
 From: Andrew Marvick (IED)
 Subject: An expanded list of post-deadline applicants; and Mailbag

     First, the boring stuff. Here is the latest list of post-deadline
applicants for the _Cathy_Demos_ tape. They are all asked to seek
copies through sources on the longer master list that has appeared
in Love-Hounds ad infinitum. Please do _not_ ask the people already
acting as copiers for more copies--find someone new on the list.
Once again, IED is very sorry for being so unhelpful in the end. One
has to draw the line somewhere, and your problem _can_ be solved without
IED.

116. Pete Hartman <bradley!bucc2!pwh@uxc.cso.uiuc.edu>

117. Trevor Williams <01Trevor@DALAC.BITNET>
     Dalhousie University
     Nova Scotia, Canada

118. Roy E. Hughes <roy@MIPS.COM>
     Mips Computer Systems, Inc.
     Sunnyvale, CA 94086

119. Kenneth C. Yao <kcyao@phoenix.Princeton.EDU>

120. Lance F. Larsen <lfl@lzfme.att.com

121. Rob Rice <rr2@dale.acc.virginia.edu>

122. Rob Bieling <wsinrb@heitue5.BITNET>
     Eindhoven
     The Netherlands

123. Julian Gomez <julian@RIACS.EDU>
     106A Kittoe Dr
     Mountain View, CA 94043

124. Lee Hounshell <tlh@PacBell.COM>

125. Christer Lindh <clindh@bally.Bally.COM>

126. David Lee <diamond@hubcap.clemson.edu>
     P.O. Box 532                                                              u
     Walhalla, SC
     (803) 639-6010

             *                        *                           *

    IED is making _one_ exception. James Smith at the U. of Newcastle,
Australia, sent along a good suggestion regarding distribution
of the cassette in Australia. IED will make a final copy of the
cassette and mail it straight to Gaye Godfrey and Warrick Williams
of _Dreamtime_, the Australian KT fanzine. Gaye and Warrick can then
distribute copies however they wish. They did a similar job with
a Kate video collection, and probably have a certain network built up
for such projects at this point. No need to request a blank from
Gaye, Jim. IED's treat--a gesture of friendship to Gaye and Warrick,
let's say.
     Therefore, Australasians should eventually find the tape through:

     _Dreamtime_ (The Australian Kate Bush Fanzine)
     Gaye Godfrey and Warrick Williams, editors
     7 Bryden Road
     Carmel 6076
     Western Australia

127. Serge Malev <sergem@usage.csd.unsw.oz>
     University of New South Wales,
     Sydney, Australia

128. James Smith <munnari!cc.nu.oz.au!CCJS@UUNET.UU.NET>
     Computing Centre, University of Newcastle
     ACSnet: ccjs@cc.nu.oz    UUCP: uunet, mcvax!cc.nu.oz.AU!ccjs
     Phone:   +61 49 685635        ARPA:    ccjs%cc.nu.oz.AU@uunet.uu.net

         *                        *                           *

   Now then, on to _non-tape_ matters at last.

 >   A while ago, when IED re-posted |>oug's interview with Kate, he said
 >that the backwards speech at the end of leave it open is NOT "And they said
 >they wouldn't let me in". Well, what is it!?!? That's what it sounds like
 >to me as well.

     This subject is still not completely resolved, but the main point
is that the "backwards speech" _isn't_ backwards at all. The message is
_forwards_, and says "We let the weirdness in". Therefore your hearing
of the words as they sound when heard backwards ("And they said
they wouldn't let me in") is no better or worse than the version that
the majority of listeners hear: "They said they were buried here."
Both versions are simply our own ascription of meaning to the arbitrary
sounds that the phrase "We let the weirdness in" makes when played
backwards. (Or _are_ they?? No one really knows this for certain.)
     Of course, this phrase is obscured still further, in two ways:
first, Kate didn't just say "We let the weirdness in" and then record
it backwards. Rather, she devised a _melodic_line_ first for the sentence
(beginning with the musical inspiration, apparently), sang "We let the
weirdness in" to that melody, then listened to that bit backwards,
_learned_the_weird_sounds_and_new,_backwards_melody_ that she heard
when playing her original phrase backwards, and then _re_-recorded the
new, weird "backwards" music. Finally, she turned _that_ version around,
arriving back where she had started, only with all the sounds very
strangely altered, and placed that version into the forwards mix.
Also, she overdubbed the vocal line several times, and added some
odd effects.
     The other problem is that there are also some very definite
sounds--not the main vocal, but other sounds--in the forwards mix
which sound _backwards_. These sounds increase the sense of
confusion about which way is backwards and which is forwards.
     Is it possible that Kate deliberately, painstakingly devised the
sentence "We let the weirdness in" _because_ it seemed to say "They
said they were buried here" when heard backwards? IED thinks that's
highly unlikely, but who knows. The only "official" explanations have
been the confirmation (by Paddy, who briefly and amusingly demonstrated
the technique at the 1985 convention) that Kate listened to the back-
wards sounds, learned their odd sounds, and then recorded them over
again forwards; and Kate's simple admission that the secret message
is simply "We let the weirdness in", and _not_ "They said they were
buried here" (and its many related forms). This whole business was,
as has been said in Love-Hounds before, the focus of a very long-running
Club competition, during which many suggestions for the "They said..."
phrase were submitted, and clues about "weirdness" sprinkled throughout
the articles by Paddy, Del and Kate.
     Since then, the _new_ "mystery message" competition, involving
the peculiar bit of music in the middle of _Watching_You_Withou_Me_,
had still not been solved by anyone as of the last issue (which came
out in late 1987). The only clues for that one were: it's a sentence
of twelve words, beginning with "Don't", and repeated twice (i.e.,
heard three times in a row). It comes on at 2:19 (if IED recalls
correctly), directly after the Morse code "SOS" signals are heard.
     Now, is _this_ one backwards or forwards? Most of the suggestions
for the solution in the _Newsletter_ have been versions of the message
as it is heard when played forwards: (Something like "Zwoh-neekh-
lawn, zwoh-neekh-lawneet. Ett need..." etc.) Anyone have any ideas?

 > From: halley!steve@cs.utexas.edu (Steve Williams)
 >from TWO different dealers, one in Fresno and one in LA.  So, copies DO
 >exist and ARE there for the finding.  The prices are good -- $12 in one case,

    All those who are unhappy about the delay and uncertainty
surrounding their receipt of a copy of IED's tape, take note of Steve's
announcement--the records _are_ out there. IED has a friend in Long
Beach, CA who found two copies near San Diego--for $10.95 each. Also,
IED was recently told that the ones that he had received arrived
at the retail outlet in their _import_ packages, _not_ as a domestic
item. So IED withdraws his earlier claim that the _Cathy_Demos_ are
definitely made in Southern California. At this point he has no idea
where they are made or how they are being distributed. Perhaps
Steve's friend who claims to know the people involved could be
prevailed upon for further information?
     Finally, IED responds to the two requests for an updated
"discography". IED has never made a discography. He only keeps a
list of every bit of recorded KT music he knows of--no list of
catalogue numbers, labels or alternate editions. He's just never
been very interested in collecting records for their own sake.
For what it's worth, however, IED will post his catalogue of the
total known recorded KT music soon (it's about 1000 lines long,
and needs some formatting work, so give him a few days).

-- Andrew Marvick