Mailbag

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

 To: Love-Hounds
 From: Andrew Marvick (IED)
 Subject: Mailbag

 >OK, now I move on to the "The Man With ..." debate.  I think that those who
 >think that the "I just took a trip on my love for him" lyric refers to
 >drug-related symbolism are mistaken.  I feel that they have let the words ob-
 >scure the meaning.  All I think it means is that she allowed her infatuation
 >for the man reach very high levels, and a strong infatuation can make you
 >feel quite high, if you are given to strong emotions.

     IED agrees with you that Kate's use of the term "took a trip on my love"
is meant to be understood as a metaphor for the "high" of a sexual
or romantic infatuation for another person. Nevertheless, Kate's explicit
depiction (through the _SNL_ choreography) of the act of shooting up on
heroin (or another such drug) gives the metaphor an immediacy which IED
feels takes both that performance and the song itself clearly beyond the
realm of "innocent" artistic expression. Have you seen the _SNL_ performance?

 >vickie (one of chris'n'vickie TM) writes:
 > Julian-piss off :-) :-)
 >
 >Look, I think that's pretty uncalled for. I have nothing
 >to do with this group any more.
 >
 >Doug, please cancel my subscription.
 >
 >-- Julian

   IED was really distressed to read your posting above, Julian.
Please don't leave us! IED agrees with you that Vickie and Chris's
idea of a joke in this case was extraordinarily (uncharacteristically)
clumsy and thoughtless, but they have (more or less) apologized for it,
and IED for one would sorely miss your erudite and instructive presence
in Love-Hounds. He hopes you'll reconsider your plan to leave the
group. Meanwhile, Chris and Vickie, please remember that there's a
difference between a joke in conversation and its appearance in print in
a public forum. Two smileys or twenty wouldn't do much to offset the
offensiveness of a "joke" like yours above. A little more sensitivity
is called for.
   That said, IED would like to add for the record that Chris and Vickie
are among the finest and kindest Kate fans IED has ever known, and he is
certain that no offense was meant by them in this incident. Btw, IED also
can attest to the accuracy of C.'n'V.'s posting about Intergalactic
Garage, as well as their comments about the Kate bootleg-video situation.
IED praises their remarks about mutual Friend's victimization by Inter-
galactic Garage, and seconds their alert to Love-Hounds about the
implications of doing business with IG.
   Furthermore, IED hopes that everyone understands that IED is in
full agreement with both Meredith and Vickie in re their respective
most recent postings about the issue of Kate's appearance. As a Kate
fan who is eight months _older_ than Kate herself, IED fully sympathizes
with Vickie's point about the absurdity of some younger Love-Hounds'
occasional criticism that Kate "looks old". The idea that age in and
of itself can be viewed as some sort of deficiency, rather than a
process of nature which we should welcome in an artist of Kate's
calibre, is manifestly absurd. And Meredith, IED is as saddened as you
are by the fact that society's pressures still induce Kate to make
concessions to commerce and stereotype when approving images of herself
for publicity purposes. He hopes that all notes of discord between
us can be ended now.

-- Andrew Marvick