[kj] OT: UK music heard in the USA

Alexander Smith vassifer at earthlink.net
Sat May 8 07:40:25 EDT 2010



"any Americans know who Elvis Costello is; none know who Graham Parker
is. Fuck Americans--they know nothing."

Speak for yourself. Graham Parker is currently touring here with the
Figgs. There are just as many tasteless, dull, misinformed, lazy Brits
as there are Yanks. YOU GAVE US SIMON COWELL, REMEMBER?

Alex in NYC



On May 8, 2010, at 1:03 AM, GREG SLAWSON wrote:


>

> Just some thoughts--what are the similarities and differences b/w

> Elvis Costello, Joe Jackson, and Graham Parker? All 3 are UK-born

> pub/new wave rockers of the late 70s, who sing with strikingly

> accurate American accents, and long ago had some radio/critical

> success in the US (and I'm assuming the UK, where bands that are

> completely undergound in the f-ed up US (Buzzcocks and Bad Manners,

> for example) were radio stars in the UK). Differences: I'll ignore

> Joe Jackson, who is/was pretty talented and had several radio hits

> in the US and weathered his musical style changes well, and even had

> a solid comeback album in 2003. Elvis--just ok, overrated songwriter/

> singer (with a perpetual cold--I do a great impression of him)/

> performer who'se made millions and has a hugely overblown ego.

> Parker--top-notch songwriter/performer (just ok singer) with NO ego,

> who has not had any radio play in US since about 1980, and currently

> hides out in a tiny village in upstate NY (i.e., the woods), and

> plays occasional shows to about 100 people around the US East Coast.

> I've seen him 3 times over the past 5 or so years, twice w/a band

> and once solo, each time in front of 100 or 200 fans, and he did a

> different set each time, and killed too. Many Americans know who

> Elvis Costello is; none know who Graham Parker is. Fuck Americans--

> they know nothing.

> Case in point: over the last 10 or 15 years, the US has produced the

> best beers in the WORLD, period. Just check any current beer book

> (including those by the late UK beer Godfather Michael Jackon--his

> real name) or website and they will back me up. The US is currently

> making beers that would put to shame UK brewers like Youngs,

> Fullers, and Samuel Smith (all good ones; just not as good as the

> top US ones). The problem is, these 1500 or so top quality breweries

> make up only about 5% of the US beer market. (Do Fullers/Youngs/Sam

> Smith etc. make up a tiny % of the UK market too)? Amerikkkans are

> too misinformed to know what is good, whether it's music, beer,

> politics (the Green Party here is just a few random hippie/yuppie

> liberals who don't stand a chance of winning an election of any

> kind, anywhere, even a city council seat in a tiny village anywhere,

> ever--they're considered the radical left).

> From: gregslawson at msn.com

> To: gathering at misera.net

> Date: Fri, 7 May 2010 23:10:51 -0400

> Subject: Re: [kj] Book? Why, perhaps a film could be made that

> dramatized the old days?

>

> Glad to hear someone else enjoys it. It's a good example of how

> a movie can slowly build up to a good, long climax (sound sexy,

> eh?). Do you know some of the small parts/cameos?--The former TexAss

> governor's brother (great quote: "Einstein was probably one of

> them"), former leading astronomer/UFO scientist (no spoken part),

> and the synthesizer guy who was not an actor but a real sythesizer

> guy, who took extra time off work to "act" in the movie. Funny, the

> only flaw I've found in the film is when the scientist/technicians

> were supposed to be gawking at the aliens and were looking in

> different directions.

> Here are some of my other fave films from the past 30 years or

> so: Awakenings (DiNero/Robin Williams in a casting/acting

> masterpiece), What About Bob (fave comedy, and I don't even like

> Bill Murray), Mr. Holland's Opus (ok, I am a teacher and of course

> love music--this movie was spot on), Born on the Forth of July

> (intense and mostly historicaly accurate), Dawn of the Dead (briefly

> spoke w/director George Romero last Wed as he did a signing at a

> punk rock record store), and for purely (communist) politics, They

> Live (no joke), City of Joy (about India), and for a recent film

> about a real communist, Denzel Washington in Great Debaters.

>

> From: karen.weil at sddt.com

> To: gathering at misera.net

> Date: Fri, 7 May 2010 17:59:42 -0700

> Subject: Re: [kj] Book? Why, perhaps a film could be made that

> dramatized the old days?

>

> Yes, I agree with you, Greg. "Close" is a really entertaining film.

> And the usual Spielberg touch--feely-ness works in that case.

>

>

> k.w.

> SoCal

> ----- Original Message -----

> From: GREG SLAWSON

> To: gathering

> Sent: Friday, May 07, 2010 5:24 PM

> Subject: Re: [kj] Book? Why, perhaps a film could be made that

> dramatized the old days?

>

> but Close Encounters of the Third Kind is in a league of it's own.

> I've watched it dozens of times and it's still good (and Douglass

> Trumbull's special effects were

> great for the time)>

>

> From: karen.weil at sddt.com

> To: gathering at misera.net

> Date: Fri, 7 May 2010 17:03:52 -0700

> Subject: Re: [kj] Book? Why, perhaps a film could be made that

> dramatized the old days?

>

> "Blade Runner" is a truly great film. The others are OK.

>

> k.w.

> SoCal

> ----- Original Message -----

> From: Paul Wady

> To: Gatherers Killing Joke Gatherers

> Sent: Wednesday, April 14, 2010 2:41 AM

> Subject: Re: [kj] Book? Why, perhaps a film could be made that

> dramatized the old days?

>

> Best science fiction film ever made. Blade Runner? Star Wars &

> Empire? Solaris? Pah!

>

> (Here we go - frenzy!)

>

>

>

>

>

>

> Date: Wed, 14 Apr 2010 09:37:52 +0000

> From: jimharper666 at yahoo.co.uk

> To: gathering at misera.net

> Subject: Re: [kj] Book? Why, perhaps a film could be made that

> dramatized the old days?

>

> Not quite. I watch it every five years or so, just to make sure.

> It's absolute crap. Arguably the most overrated film ever made, from

> arguably the most overrated director ever.

>

> Jim.

>

> --- On Wed, 14/4/10, GREG SLAWSON <gregslawson at msn.com> wrote:

> Ah, one of those great movies that everyone loves but no one

> understands (what the hell were the apes at the beginning and the

> bedroom at the end all about?). The MUSIC was cool though...

>

>

>

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