BucKeT o' Stuff

[nrc@cbema.att.com (Neal R Caldwell, Ii)]

Vickie (one of Vickie'n'Chris) writes:

> Again, for the benefit of skimmers:
> 
>              KATE IS        NOT      A SCIENTOLIGIST !!!!!!!!!!
>              KATE IS        NOT      INTO HOMEOPATHY !!!!!!!!!!
> and...       KATE IS        NOT      INTO GURDJIEFF  !!!!!!!!!!
> 
> ...or wood nymphs or faeries or moon cheese worship or anything else
> of the sort. 

I really can't just sit by and listen to this sort of talk without
speaking up.  How could anyone claim that Kate isn't into Moon Cheese
worship?  References to the Great Chedder of the Night Sky are scattered 
throughout her work.  "Over the lights, under the moon" she chants over 
and over again in _Kite_, just as the monastic Moon Cheese worshippers of 
north-west Kurdistan have for centuries.  "I'm hanging on the Old Goose 
Moon," says Kate in _L'Amour Looks Something Like You_, a Moon Cheese 
worshipper phrase referring to how much we depend on the Loving Luner 
Limburger for the many blessings and tastey cheese treats that he bestows 
upon us.  

I could go on and on listing references but until you bother to understand 
Moon Cheesers a little better there's not much point.  I'm sure that if 
you would you'd see Kate's music in an entirely different light.

----

Vickie (one of Vickie'n'Chris) writes:

> Gregory writes:
> 
> > Way Cool, Vickie and Chris:  glad you're going, since I know you guys
> > will post a pile of stuff about it... and y'all deserve to go, after all...
> 
> Thanks! I have to get back into the habit of writing I suppose. Chicago's
> just too much fun...keeps me away from the keyboard. That was one
> advantage to living in boring old Kansas City...lots of time for writing!

What would be really great would be for someone to scrounge up a
portable computer and post direct from the show.  I'm sure that
plenty of KT fans at the show would be interested in seeing Love-Hounds 
in action, too.  Perhaps one of our UK friends could provide net access
from there.  

----

Vickie (one of Vickie'n'Chris) writes:

> I almost bought both of Sinead's albums to show support for her right not
> to want our stinky old anthem (it's a STUPID song!) played before her

I agree that Sinead should be able to do as she pleases (even if she
is starting to strike me as a bit of a whiner) but I don't feel that
the Anthem is either stinky or stupid.  I  guess it is fairly old.  You
can think whatever you like but I hope that you're not taking your
anger at the people who are misusing our national symbols by
denigrating the symbols themselves.

----

So what to do with your "excess" Kate CDs once you buy the boxed set?
I'll probably give them one by one to friends who seem likely to fall 
for Kate's music.  I'd say that you should only resort to selling them
to used record stores if you don't have any intelligent friends.

----

Jorn Barger <barger@aristotle.ils.nwu.edu> writes:
> 
> In article <9009240512.AA22375@world.std.com> Vickie writes:
> >              KATE IS        NOT      A SCIENTOLIGIST !!!!!!!!!!
> >              KATE IS        NOT      INTO HOMEOPATHY !!!!!!!!!!
> > and...       KATE IS        NOT      INTO GURDJIEFF  !!!!!!!!!!
> > 
> > ...or wood nymphs or faeries or moon cheese worship or anything else
> > of the sort. 
> 
> 1-- The Incredible String Band's Robin Williamson and Mike Heron, whom I 
> revere, were deeply into Scientology.  So careful with that tarbrush...!

It is possible for someone to have harebrained ideas and still be a
nice person and create good music - unlikely, but possible.

> 2-- Kate definitely was into Gurdjieff, and there's no onus there-- G. was 
> an original, advanced, insightful thinker about the human condition.  

Definately?  I guess that depends on just what you mean by "into".  In
a KBC newsletter from ages ago they asked Kate about Gurdjieff.

|     In _Them_Heavy_People_ you mention Gurdjieff. Do you follow his
|  teachings?
|
|     "I've read some of his work, and recently saw the film _Meetings_
|  With_Remarkable_Men_, and had tea with Peter Brook, the director,
|  afterwards. Pa and my brother John are into him seriously, and
|  I'm hoping to persuade John to write an article about him for a
|  future _Newsletter_." 

So if you consider having read some of his work, seeing a film about
him and retaining a few of his ideas as being "into" Gurdjieff I'd
agree.  She doesn't say, and there's no real evidence to suggest that
she's "into him seriously".

> Aside from the reference in Them Heavy People, there are subtler 
> references in Full House ("Remember yourself" was G's central teaching), 
> in Breathing ("All and everywhere" must reflect G's "All and Everything" 
> series), and I think in Strange Phenomena ("G. arrives, funny had a 
> feeling he was on his way" is too similar to the style of Ouspenski's "In 
> Search of the Miraculous" to be coincidental, to my ear...)

So what?  Even if these are references to some of Gurdjieff's ideas it
doesn't mean much.  These are the sort of ideas that can be picked up
in casual reading or everyday conversation with her father and
brother.  There's a big difference between following the teachings of
a philosophy and picking up a few of it's more light weight ideas.

> Homeopathy and Gudjieff belong elsewhere, but if you have quotes to back 
> up your claims, they belong here, along with counterevidence about KT's 
> beliefs.

Before anyone worries about any sort of counterevidence you need to
make your statement a bit less nebulous and provide some evidence 
yourself.  The fact that Kate mentions something in a song doesn't
particularly have any bearing on her personally.

We Kate fans want so desperately to have some feeling of synergy with 
Kate that we tend to grasp at even the slightest evidence that she might
be 'into' some of the same things as we are.

In the New Musical Express interview Kate says:

|       "A lot of people will think these songs are about me.
|  I've always had that. And like, with _Deeper_Understanding_,
|  people react immediately, saying, "Is this autobiographical?
|  So you're into computers now? So you spend all night on
|  computers?' People immediately switch on to the mechanicalness:
|  It's a song about computers, so she must be into computers!"

Come on folks, switch off the mechanicalness!


"Don't drive too slowly."                 Richard Caldwell
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