Re: Various & sundry Dull Ramblings(tm) for your perusal

[caen!bsbbs!cynthia@harvard.harvard.edu (Cynthia Rosas)]

katefans@chinet.chi.il.us (Chris n Vickie) writes:
 
> but I have one small problem with it. You see, I would *never* live in Ohio,
> (except for Dayton, maybe) so Richard would just *have* to move to Chicago,
> that's all there is to it. Vickie Caldwell? Yeah, well, it sounds better
> than Mapes (my ex-husband's name anyway) so it might work.
 
Hmmm. Vickie Caldwell.  Has a nice, yet somehow perverse ring
to it.  Gee, I'm kinda surprised to hear that Mapes is your
ex-hub's name.  Was there any particular reason you did not go
back to a birth name?  AKA - maiden name?  What was your
"maiden" name, if you don't mind me asking?  Just curious.
Since you seem somwhat a feminist, I was rather surprised
that's all.  Unless you have some horrible to spell and
pronounce birth name that made you long for the simplicity of
Mapes! :-)

Rosas is my birth name (I tend to say birth name as opposed to
maiden name, because 1. it _is_ my  _birth_  name, and 2. I'm
not a fuckin' maiden, and don't like what that implies).

While I have entered into the hallowed institution of marriage
at least once (or more), I always kept my birth name, figuring
that it was for keeps, even if husbands are transient.
Although, to be even MORE feminist about it, my birth name is
my birth name because my mom was traditional and took my Dad's
name when she married him.  But, hey, what the hell?

How come men don't take the wife's name?  Augh! Blasphemy!
Well, if it strikes you boys as strange, imagine how it may
strike some women.  Others have no problem with it, and that's
fine too.

> Vickie here. My goodness, gaffa's just so quiet. 

I'll put a stop to that ;->

> In <9112132127.AA14815@samba.acs.unc.edu> Ken.Saintjohn@samba.acs.unc.EDU
> writes:
> >> Has anyone else around here seen a Paula Abdul video on MTV called
> >>"Blowing Kisses In The Wind"?  (or at least something very close to that)
> >>This video remind anyone just a little of a certain KaTe video?  :-) :-)
> 
> >        Since I only watched one Kate Bush video in my entire life,
> >        what KaTe video are you talking about?
> 
> Nobody answered this. I've seen *all* of Kate's videos (except for Rocket
> Man) but not Paula Abdul's, so I don't know which video Ken and Jessica
> referred to either. We give up, what's the answer?
 
I dunno which Kate vid he's asking about either.  BUT, when I
heard on the radio, the first few passages of Abdul's song, I
had to do an aural double take, as it sounded much like Kate,
albeit much too pop oriented, and it became more
Abdul-sounding after the first few lines.  But what a fright
initially.  It happened a couple times before I was able to
hear it and not shudder that Kate had gone totally pop
schlock.   Not that I don't get in the mood for pop schlock,
particularly on the dance floor.  But it would have surprised
me from Kate, and it's only a testament to the deterioration
of her voice of late I afraid, that ANY similarity be noted
between Paula and Kate whatsoever.  While Abdul is a hot
tamale in my opinion, to look at, she has a pretty awful voice
IMO.  Looks damn good in videos, though.

> Andrew Raphael and Jon both caught me on this one:
> 
> Re: Millions of Stars (Single Gun Theory)
> katefans@chinet.chi.il.us (Chris n Vickie) writes:
> 
> >> Does anyone know where that (silly, IMHO) album title came from? How 
> >> about the (stupid, IMHO) band name?
> 
> > The band's name refers to the assassination of President Kennedy of the
> > USA.  Was there a single gun (Oswald), or many guns (the grassy
> > knoll)?
> 
> Sheesh! I should have known this. I even remember where I was when 
> Kennedy got shot. I still don't like the name, though Andrew's right 
> about it being very distinctive and hard to forget. Anyway, my face is red.

Yes, I'm sure nearl;y everyone remembers where they were and
exactly what they were doing.  It was a national tragedy and
the outpouring of sorrow that would just not occur today.
ANyways, saw JFK a couple days ago.  Too long, the main
character too goody goody and OVERsimplified.  However, very
interesting, if somewhat implausible theory, overall.
However, tthere are peieces of the theory that are quite
plausible. Director Oliver Stone's (Mr. Soapbox) assertion
that many many governmental organizations were involved is
preposterous.  But maybe 1 governmental org is much more
plausible.  ANyways, here's a good way to look at it.  In the
newspaper ads for JFK, they quote various glowing reviews (it
is well done, lotsa tension and facts given, as well as
fallacy)  including a review quote by David Ansen from
Newsweek.  The quote reads "Don't trust anyonw who tells you
the movie is hogwash!"   HOwever, in the Newsweek review,
Ansen's next sentence, which was NOT in the ad, was "And don't
trust Stone either."  Good advice on both counts I think.

Saw Star Trek.  Loved it.

> Richard Caldwell writes about IED (even though he says "Andy")
> and the song "Rocket Man":
> 
> > Of course, among the many things that there are to admire in
> > Andy's personalities you will not find objectivity on matters
> > related to Kate Bush.  Since Andy does not acknowledge
> > imperfections in Kate's work, does he have any choice but to say
> > that the song does indeed conjure feelings compatible with those
> > expressed by the lyrics?  Admitting otherwise would be
> > acknowledging that Kate's performance is inconsistent with the
> > lyric and might hint at something less than perfection.
> 
> Pooh! Yet another example of "If I don't like it and you do then
> you're obviously a Kate-Can-Do-No-Wrongoid" thinking. I don't understand 
> this highly strange attitude. <Lots more writings that would get me 
> into a flame war deleted after counting to 10> 
> Maybe IED/Andy says that the song does indeed conjure feelings compatible
> with those expressed by the lyrics because for him the song does indeed
> conjure feelings compatible with those expressed by the lyrics. They do
> for me too.
 
That's all well and good, but when Andy expresses an opiion of
Kate's work, it is absolutely true that he cannot and does not
acknowledge any imperfections in Kate's work.  So, Richard, in
what he said to Andy, was totally correct.  Andy IS a
Kate-Can-Do-No-Wrong -oid.

> Still Richard:
> 
> > The way the feel of this song goes against the grain of the lyric
> > is pretty much my whole point.  If the lyrics where about how
> > great it must be to be an rocket man it wouldn't be nearly as
> > grating.  
> 
> Richard, go your shelf and get out Never Forever. Listen to the
> track called "Army Dreamers" and then tell me if you can say the
> same thing about it. That is, assuming you _like_ Army Dreamers.
> If you don't, then...well, never mind. Personally, whenever I hear AD
> I feel like crying while still bouncing happily around the room.
 
Army Dreamers is one of my favorites, due to the ugliness of
the subject matter juxtaposed against a sweet little waltzy
tune.  However, Rocket Man does not strike me the same way.
Not every lyric must "go" with the music, and not every time
that lyric and music are in different veins, is the effect a
success.  Sometimes yes, sometimes no.  In my opinion, Rocket
Man did not succeed, and pales miserably in comparison to Army
Dreamers, as far as irony of lyric agaist music.

> Steve VanDevender re: Subject: Rocket Man
> 
> > I have finally been able to listen to Kate's cover of "Rocket
> > Man" and study it in detail.
> > It passes two important tests:  I got the tingly feeling the
> > first few times I listened to it, and I not only can stand to
> > listen to it over and over again, but really _want_ to.
> 
> Me too, absolutely. As for the rest of your post, all I can say is that
> it got put into my "Best of Love-Hounds" file. Excellent!
 
Ha ha, I always find it funny how easy it is to get into that
Best of  file!  Luckily, I doubt any of my postings have found
their way there ;-)

> Ron asks:
> 
> > Since we're coming up on the new year, perhaps it might be a good 
> > idea to talk about the best Kate-related thing to happen to you in 
> > the past year - you know, hearing the new single, meeting a fellow fan,
> > seeing an old video, reading Cloudbusting :-), etc. 
> 
> All those things, plus Katemas, plus Ecto birthin' via gaffa. A great year!
 
Kate-related...hmmm.  I think the Kon reports were great (I
know, it was really 90, not 91, but so what...sue me.)
Actually buying the Rocket Man/Candle single was a thrill. Til
I heard it, anyways.    And I would say, entering into
Love-Hounds as a raving bitch would be my favorite
Kate-related thaing this year.

> I love ice skating and I'd love to see really good skaters skate to a
> Kate song during an exibition or professional competition. *My dream* is
> to see a world class skater let rip to the instrumental portion of
> "Jig of Life."
 
On a tangential note, I follow figure skating, amateur and
professional, quite closely, and while I have not yet heard
any Katesongs skated too, I _have_ seen some marvelously
innovative use of modern pop/rock music.  Last night, there
was an episode of Great Performances on PBS called Blade
Runners.  It was an hour long special about (Jayne) Torvill
and (Christopher) Dean, world and Olympic perfect champion
ice-dancers, who literally changed ice-dancing's bounderies
and perceptions.  The world had _never_ seen anything like
them before.  ANyways, they showed a more recent routine done
to "Revolution" by the Beatles.  It was outstanding.  They
also did one to "Imagine".    Their most "famous" routine was
probably "BOlero", from the 84 Olympics, which won them the
gold with an unprecedented perfect score from every judge.
 In figure skating, UNlike Gymnastics, perfect scores are VERY
difficult to come by.    

On a tour that stopped herein Orlando 2 years ago, I saw Brian
Boitano do an encore to the song from Phantom of the Opera?
I forget the title, but it's a lilting ballad (famous from
this show) that the Phantom sings.  You talk about taking ice
skating to a higher realm, Boitano is it.   Debbie Thomas was
great, Katerina Witt looked kinda fat assed, and fell on it
literally several times.

> Cool music I have seen skated to: Peter Gabriel's "Rhythm of the Heat";
> Genesis's "Eleventh Earl of Mar"; Yma Sumac; Malcolm McLaren's "Madame
> Butterfly"; Julia Fordham's "Happy Ever After"; Phillip Glass.
> 
> Cool music I'd love to see skated to: Cocteau Twins "Pandora" (or *any*
> Cocteau twins); Dead Can Dance-anything; Le Mystere des voix Bulgare-any
> thing, but especially "Polegnala E Todora"; Jane Siberry's "Map Pt. I";
> tons of other things. I want to be music director for the Ice Capades. 
> Screw that Vegas/Disco/Barbra Streisand-Neil Diamond stuff, I want to hear
> ice shows/single skaters/ice dancers using innovative and unusual music.
 
Yeah, although other than the Icescapades type of shows, most
skaters seem to try to avoid that vegas/Disco, etc etc niche
nowadays.

Did you ever see Bestemiana and Bukin (the last Winter
Olympics) ?  Also ice dancing perfection.

Okay, enough of that.

Got a new snazzy cd player and new snazzy tape deck over the
holidays.  I'm happy grinnin'.

Saw (on video) Awakenings, Naked Gun 2-1/2, Henry and June
(mmmmm, yes!) , a few foreign films...The Return of Martin
Guerre (excellent - stars Gerard Depardieu),   A Woman In
Flames (German - somewhat kinky, but typical German literal
style, not worth much except purient interest), and El Amor
Brujo, a film by Carlos Saura.  It's translated in English to
Love, The Magician, though that is not quite correct.  El amor
brujo means a bewitched love.  ANyways, it was really good,
and is a satisfying third in the Saura "trilogy" of Blood
Wedding, Carmen (a must), and El Amor Brujo.

Werner (my S.O.) enjoyed them all, tho he also thought the
German one was pretty stupid (and it came from his
countrymen!)  Though I've already seen it, I'll be renting
Camila, a true story of passionate, tortured love (is there
any other kind? ;-)  )

ANyways, if anybody's seen any of these, I'd love to hear your
impressions.  If you haven't, Cynthia-Bob says, check it out.

That's about it, nice to see ya'll again.  Later,

Cynthia of Orlando

"I kissed her." - Anais Nin, referring to June Miller, Henry's wife.