Re: To Jenn, Jon, and Richard, from Vickie

[Jon Drukman <jondr@sco.COM>]

First off, I want to know how my name got thrown into this kettle.  I think
I've been admirably restrained in public, so the only way Vickie can know
of my feelings is through the distribution of email.  Unless some articles
haven't made it to our site (which is quite possible given the state of
things around here lately...)

Someone has been passing notes, class, and I want the perpetrator to email
me sharpish and fess up.  Don't worry, I'm more amused than angry.

Vickie evangelized:
>I understand your problem with Happy taking up so much space in gaffa.  If
>I weren't familiar with an artist, I'd probably be upset, too, if they were
>taking up so much space in a Kate Bush forum.  However, Happy is truly,
>truly special.  In our lifetimes, she's the closest we'll ever come to
>having an American "Kate Bush".

I'm not upset, I'm not even mildly annoyed.  In the USENET community, we've
all got the same rights; the right to post whatever we want, and the right
to not read whatever bothers us.  As soon as I see the words "happy" and
"rhodes" in close proximity, my brain just goes into neutral (no kind words
from those who think that it never gets out of that blessed state, thank
you).  I question the kind of logic that makes us DESIRE an American "Kate
Bush" but if you wish to set her up as that, go for it.  Just don't expect
me to jump on your bandwagon.

>The fact that she's a Kate Bush fan herself makes it even more appropriate
>that she be talked about here, by other Kate Bush fans.  I will make this
>offer for you three only: email to Jorn your home addresses, and I will
>send you free of charge a sampling of Happy's music, so you can at least
>get a feeling for what we're talking about.

I don't see how the fact that she's a Kate Bush fan makes her any more or
less appropriate to the discussion, actually.  In the latest issue of the
XTC fan rag, Dave Gregory talks about how he'd really love to go on tour
with Kate Bush as her guitar player, and isn't it a pity that she doesn't
tour any more.  Does that make XTC more appropriate for discussion?  I
don't think so.  In the old days, mod.music.gaffa (as it used to be known)
was a stomping ground for all kinds of music fans, with Kate merely
occupying a major slice of the postings.  Now everybody and their brother
has mailing list capabilities, so the factions have splintered off.  We've
seen The Sugarcubes, Jane Siberry and Sinead O'Connor come and go onto
their own lists.  I personally think the volume of Happy postings lately
warrants the creation of a Happy mailing list, but if the Great Unwashed
persists in perpetuating these postings, I'll exercise my inalienable right
to wield the blessed KILL file and the holy `n' key.

>If after you've heard Happy's music, you still feel the same way, then so
>be it.  Happy is very very special to me, and seeing a Happy "backlash"
>hurts as much as it would to see an anti-Kate backlash.  So it's important
>to me that you at least hear what she sounds like before this goes any
>further.

Fine, fine.  Mail away, I promise to listen with an open mind.  Don't
forget to provide ordering info when you send it, so I can review it for X
MAG issue 7.

-- 
Jon Drukman (edited for television)          uunet!sco!jondr      jondr@sco.com
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Always note the sequencer - this will never let us down.