Katemas and other subjects

[IEDSRI@aol.com]

IED would first like to thank Karen Newcombe for her superb job as host of
yesterday's lovely San Francisco Katemas celebration -- a task she has
undertaken with grace and aplomb several times before; somehow she seems each
time to exel her past efforts.  IED had a wonderful time watching and
listening to Kate's work, was happily filled up with delicious food provided
by Karen and many of the guests, and particularly enjoyed seeing familiar
friendly faces.  

There were many video-clips, this year including several terrific little bits
never seen before by this fan, contributed by Australia-based Love-Hound
Bronny Lloyd and Italian fan extraordinaire Tina Dagostino -- heartfelt
thanks to them!  It was wonderful to see the newly elegant figure of the
excellent Ed Suranyi again, as well as Robb (whose candidacy for the Ph.K. is
surely overdue by now), John Light (a miracle-worker without question, as all
guests at the party will attest), Alana, John, Brian,  and many others. 

The occasion was both particularly fun and uniquely bittersweet for this old
philocanine, because it was his last leisure moment before packing up and
leaving his beloved City.   As of August 9th IED (and his representative
Andrew Marvick) will take up residence in Oklahoma, as well as his duties as
an Assistant Professor of art history in the state university system there.
 His address will be:  100 McCormick, Apt. 207, Weatherford, OK  73096.  His
e-mail address will remain the same, though he will be incommunicado for the
next two weeks.

He wants to extend his warmest Katemas wishes to his dear friends Karen
Newcombe, Chris 'n' Vickie (Vickie, your recent kind words are greatly
appreciated though IED's cheeks are still red), Peter Manchester, Peter &
Krys FitzGerald Morris, Dave Cross, |>oug /\lan, the newly Europeanized Bill
Wisner, Meredith Tarr, Tippi Chai, Uli Grepel, Mark Semich, the Magician of
the Continent Wieland Willker (speaking of miracle-workers!!), Marcel Rijs,
Larry Hernandez, and the many more he has neglected to name here.  He hopes
all of you had as rich a Katemas '97 experience as he had.  Best wishes as
always to Kate herself, too.

At this point it seems pointless to remain silent about the subject of The
Early Years.  During the past month or so it has come to IED's attention that
a tape of the first eight of the ten reputed Early Years songs was
inexplicably in circulation, after more than twenty-three years in obscurity.
 (Wieland has just posted a concise and factually impeccable precis on the
subject.)  By whose agency and from which part of Europe the source-dub
originated IED has no clue.  He thinks it unlikely that the source could have
been the one party formerly known by IED to be in possession of a tape of
this cherishable music, although it is pretty clear that the newly available
copy stems from the same source which was that one's.  One thing is clear:
 The Early Years rather suddenly became available over a wide area of Europe
(fans in more than three countries seem to have obtained copies within the
last three months, though not, apparently, from the same source).  

At this point it would appear to be impossible to identify, let alone plug,
the leak that produced the present situation.  There seems to be little left
we can do now except affirm the beauty and majesty of these very early,
profoundly personal and intimate recordings.  That IED can do without
reservation.  He completely shares Wieland's enthusiasm for this wonderful
music, and in time IED will make a stab at transcribing the lyrics to add to
the recent admirable scholarly efforts of other Love-Hounds.  As when the
Cathy Demos first became available in the late 1980s, IED sends his apologies
to Kate for his weak inability to resist the powerful lure of her beautiful
early music, even though he knows that she would rather we not hear it.  He
respectfully suggests that she might benefit by sitting down with an
indulgent ear and listening to the old tapes herself some time -- there are
so many riches to be found therein that surely even as tough a critic of her
work as Kate herself can acknowledge some of them. 

-- Andrew Marvick (IED)
     S             R              R              R             R
              I

"But in a city/Where there is no one/What's the point of being free/When
there is nothing there to tie me down?"