Yet another TMBG show review...
Matthew E. Spring
Path: uriacc.uri.edu!MSPR0467
Newsgroups: alt.music.tmbg
Subject: Yet another TMBG show review...
Message-ID: <17715CBEAS...@uriacc.uri.edu>
Date: Sun, 21 Jan 96 14:30:02 EST
Organization: University of Rhode Island
Late in the afternoon, I turned on the radio and was going to pop in my
'Saturday Morning Cartoons' tape when I realized that John and John were being
interviewed on WBRU. They were on promoting their gig that evening in
Providence, R.I.
They played an unplugged version of 'James K. Polk' and 'Meet James
Ensor' and talked a bit about their different projects like Mono Puff and
Linnell's 'State Songs'.
They then cut to 'Snail Shell' but it was obvious that they forgot to
turn off the mike in the studio. In the background of the song, you could
distinctly hear some chatter and then Linnell quite audibly said something
containing the phrase 'MUSICIAN BULLSHIT'...
After the commercials, John and John said they had another song to play:
'We're sorry for swearing on WBRU'.
They also did an impression of somebody saying 'We are not role models'.
Then, after braving the tortuous weather, I went a bought me a ticket
off of a quasi-friend of mine to go see TMBG play up in Providence at Lupo's
Heartbreak Hotel. I was happy cause I needed a nice distraction from all the
daily trials and trribulations that I face as a young college student...
We rode up in the pouring rain at around 6:30 and parked nearby. We
walked past the club and to the side door where it was all glass and you could
see the stage quite clearly...
Onstage was Flans with the new bassist and Brian Doherty on drums with
the opening act, the Candy Butchers. The song they were singing contained the
phrase (which was probably the name of the song) 'You're my favorite waste of
time'.
They then came offstage and ate dinner while we were all freezing our
asses off, waiting for the club to open.
In my free time, I grabbed myself a little neat card for the opening ac
t,the Candy Butchers mailing list and filled it out. At the bottom, it said to
draw a picture so I drew out my theory on da Kennedy assassination and being su
re to put me on the grassy gnoll.
I also killed some more time trying to exploit my theory to everybody who
I could find who would LISTEN to me. They all believed me too. You should see
how persuasive I can be! =-)
Finally, the opening act came on. The first thing that came out of my
mouth was 'ROY ORBISON!' which was odd cause the girl next to me said the exact
same thing in total synchronicity. Freaky.
The duo wasn't that bad but it just seemed like ALL of their songs are
about love. I mean, is this a band that is worthy to tour with such an all-
encompassing band such as TMBG? Personally, I miss Brian Dewan. =-(
After their long set and some disco dancing to the music in the backgroun
d along with a few backrubs with the good-looking strange women I met there,
TMBG took the stage and automatically apologized for swearing AGAIN.
They then broke into the opening song, 'Spider'.
The set list (that isn't much diff. then the earlier ones in no order at all)
Spider
Why Does The Sun Shine?
Stomp Box
Dig My Grave
SenSurround
Spiraly Shapes (new song!!!!!)
James K. Polk
Meet James Ensor (which Flans screwed up and started over again)
Twistin'
Istanbul
Cowtown
Santa's Beard
Spy (and Don't Fear The Reaper in the impromptu section)
Ana Ng
Don't Let's Start
AKA Driver
The End Of The Tour
Dirt Bike (Why must they play this?????)
Statue Got Me High
Guitar
Hi, We're The Replacements
She Was A Hotel Detective '94
Birdhouse In Your Soul
Particle Man
* I think that was all of 'em!*
Hanging on for dear life as people were moshing and people playing 'Pass
The Dude', I enjoyed myself and TMBG were again successful in taking away my
troubles for a little while.
I got to slap Flans five and screwed up his guitar strings 3 times as he b
rought it down to our section.
At the end of the concert, I got a scrap of one of the set lists and a
promo card from John Henry with the album's cover pictures on one side and the
band picture with Linnell's hand raised in black and white on the other.
The card I got off one of the girls I gave a backrub to. That was so nice
of her. Didn't have a pen to get her phone number. Oh well!
Well, hope that at least ONE of you enjoyed my little tale!
_______
/ \
| | "...I'VE HAD FRIENDS...BUT THEY'VE SLIPPED AWAY...
| \ ...I'VE HAD FAME...BUT IT DOESN'T STAY...
| \______ ..I'VE MADE FORTUNES..SPENT THEM FAST ENOUGH...
| \ ..AS FOR WOMEN...
| | ...THEY DON'T LAST WITH JUST ONE MAN...
| | ...BUT MY BABY GRAND...IS GONNA STAND BY ME."
| |
|TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT| -BILLY JOEL,"BABY GRAND"
""""""""""""""""""""
ALOHA FOR NOW!
MATTHEW SPRING
Michael Batchelder
> They then came offstage and ate dinner while we were all freezing our
> asses off, waiting for the club to open.
> In my free time, I grabbed myself a little neat card for the opening ac
>t,the Candy Butchers mailing list and filled it out. At the bottom, it said to
> draw a picture so I drew out my theory on da Kennedy assassination and being su
> re to put me on the grassy gnoll.
This sounds about the same as the amount of time we waited for the Boston `Paradise' show
to open.
> Finally, the opening act came on. The first thing that came out of my
> mouth was 'ROY ORBISON!' which was odd cause the girl next to me said the exact
> same thing in total synchronicity. Freaky.
`Roy Orbison!'
> The duo wasn't that bad but it just seemed like ALL of their songs are
> about love. I mean, is this a band that is worthy to tour with such an all-
> encompassing band such as TMBG? Personally, I miss Brian Dewan. =-(
I'd have to agree here. Candy seemed just a little to narrow-minded for tmbg. Not
that they weren't alright or anything. Matter of fact, `Roy' was actually quite
funny. We would all take Brian back, tho..
< Set list clipped >
This is exactly what they played last night in Boston as well.
Is it me, or does Linell seem tired of playing? He looked particularly `bored' and
it was much like watching someone go to the bathroom: completely automatic.
Flans was his regular peppy self, at least.
> Hanging on for dear life as people were moshing and people playing 'Pass
> The Dude', I enjoyed myself and TMBG were again successful in taking away my
> troubles for a little while.
No moshing here. The club was pretty small and everyone seemed content to stand around
and jump up and down.
> At the end of the concert, I got a scrap of one of the set lists and a
> promo card from John Henry with the album's cover pictures on one side and the
At the end of the show the gaurds were having fun giving out the extra set-lists to all
the begging little girls at the front. It *was* a 18 show, I *thought* but some of them
there seemed like they were 12. I'm not complaining of course as I'm 17 and I got in..
I also got to `handle' John's `cordian before the show when it was near the edge of the
stage, that was an experience. Its a hohner by the way.
Some weird guy next me said something about TMBG getting a lot of their influence from a
band called `Pere' sumthing. Anyone know what band this is, and if the allegations are
true?
Mike
Dangerboy
> interviewed on WBRU. They were on promoting their gig that evening in
> Providence, R.I.
> They played an unplugged version of 'James K. Polk' and 'Meet James
> Ensor' and talked a bit about their different projects like Mono Puff and
> Linnell's 'State Songs'.
> They then cut to 'Snail Shell' but it was obvious that they forgot to
> turn off the mike in the studio. In the background of the song, you could
> distinctly hear some chatter and then Linnell quite audibly said something
> containing the phrase 'MUSICIAN BULLSHIT'...
> After the commercials, John and John said they had another song to play:
>
> 'We're sorry for swearing on WBRU'.
>
> They also did an impression of somebody saying 'We are not role models'.
Do you, or anyone else out there, happen to have a copy of that
interview? I'm looking for interesting interviews and the like in
preparation for a radio retrospective of TMBG I'm producing for our
station, WICB.
Mucho thanks,
Sam
----------------------------
Sam Meyer
sme...@ic3.ithaca.edu
President, Ithaca College chapter, Militant Gardening Club
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"Every jumbled pile of person has a thinking | "Hope can cause the
part that wonders what the part that isn't | worst kind of hate."
thinking isn't thinking of." | --Kathy Jo Kramer
--They Might Be Giants |
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