"um, yeah, this is liz"...

[crushed]

I really liked Phil's thread about running into Liz in the super market and what single question would be asked fo her. Phil has quite the imagination, but as long as we're talking pie in the sky, let's take that a step further...

Let's say you come home and there is a message on your machine. It's Liz, and she apologizes for bothering you, but she's read your posts on mmmender's site, and she thinks your insights are brilliant and witty, and she's been thinking, and she feels she's really ready to get rolling on her post-CT career, but she would appreciate your advice when you get a chance.

And so you meet her over tea, and it's your chance to give her your insight on how to have a long and successful vocal career, starting in 2003.

(Remember, no talking about reforming CT...this is pie in the sky stuff...but let's assume that won't ever happen...without divine intervention, anyway)

What do you say?

[watchlar]

Originally posted by crushed


..... but she's read your posts on mmmender's site, and she thinks your insights are brilliant and witty.....



LOL...just trying to imagine Liz saying that.

I love her...don't get me wrong...but I have this feeling she doesn't give a crap what we think or say.

She seems pretty cynical...something she's battled with forever it seems..

but it's a great question crushed...what would I say...
I would say....

IT'S ABOUT FUCKING TIME!!!!

[someotherian]

i'd tell her to lay off the techno-diva trip and start making some decent music again. i don't think she's suited to that or indeed most of the stuff she's done in a solo capacity. i'd tell her to look back at what she achieved with cocteau twins and how she did it, then find a way to work that into producing some decent new stuff.

easier said than done, probably. harsh, possibly. but it's what i think.

[watchlar]

this may sound pretentious or typical or whatever you want to call it...but i want to hear her work with an orchestra...

that would be divine...flame me if you must


W

[someotherian]

maybe she could do that piece she's been thinking of doing with the London Philharmonic? ;):)

[Phil Lawton]

In what was a rare flash of immodesty, I thought this question was just for me. My apologies.

Hmm...maybe I'd say "Fuck off, stop bothering me and who gave you my number? I'm ex-directory."

Or "You should have asked me this before you shacked up with a drummer."

Or maybe I'd just sing "It's too late, baby, now it's too late."

Or maybe I'd just refer her to 4AD.

[watchlar]

Originally posted by someotherian
maybe she could do that piece she's been thinking of doing with the London Philharmonic? ;):)



WHAT???????????????????????????

[watchlar]

Originally posted by Phil Lawton
In what was a rare flash of immodesty, I thought this question was just for me. My apologies.

Hmm...maybe I'd say "Fuck off, stop bothering me and who gave you my number? I'm ex-directory."

Or "You should have asked me this before you shacked up with a drummer."

Or maybe I'd just sing "It's too late, baby, now it's too late."

Or maybe I'd just refer her to 4AD.


HAHAHA PHIL...SHACKED UP WITH A DRUMMER...THAT'S SWEET! HAHAHAHAHAHA

[someotherian]

Originally posted by watchlar
WHAT???????????????????????????
s'ok watchy.. just a little spinal tap reference. i couldn't resist.
sorry if i got your hopes up! :)

[watchlar]

ohhhhhh... :(

[crushed]

I'd rank the options in order of my preferences (hey, she asked me..)

BAD IDEAS: more "underwater" type dance mix crap / moving to Nashville and becoming a country singer /doing a live Vegas show/singing on a Christian rock album/hooking up with a "smooth jazz" artist/

THAT'D BE OK: more movie soundtracks (stay away from Travolta & Stallone flicks)/ hooking up with the guy from Mono as sort of an "anti-Violet Indiana"/continue noodling around as a backing vocalist some more.

PLEASE DO: sing an entire album of old jazz standards/do a solo album written and sung with David Sylvian, Ian McCulloch, or Neil Halstead/sing lush pop songs with an orchestra backing you/ sing lead vocals with a bulgarian choir/record an album of christmas tunes/talk J. Spaceman into doing the vocals on the next Spritualized album.

[crushed]

that question WAS only for you, Phil...

[Rex]

crushed, absolutely brilliant sentiments! allthough, if she did decide to sing country in nashville, i think she'd create some interesting stuff.

[mattadore]

Originally posted by crushed
talk J. Spaceman into doing the vocals on the next Spritualized album.

Now that would be brilliant!

[santeras]

This is easy, I have 78 songs without vocals she could happily finish for me.
:D

Most of my lyrics are gibberish but they'd sound better if she sang 'em.

John.

[crushed]

hey, if your lyrics are gibberish, liz is the only gal for you!!:D

[multymfoiled]

First, I'd invite her over for some tea (or head over to her house), becuase I think this conversation would be better done in person (haha). Then I'd suggest that she seek out some self-esteem boosting medidation books and post a sticky on her bathroom mirror that says "I am a good person". I think if she can get past her self-questioning she'd be golden.

Then I'd suggest she start working with Peter Gabriel (I think the work on Ovo was the some of the best post-CT stuff she's done). I think she should actually leave her contract with Blanco y Negro and sign to Realworld. She'd get better exposure to all sorts of musicians she could collaborate with. I do agree that she should avoid the techno-dance craze and country, but I think she should explore different styles and find one she's comfortable with. Some orchestra work would be beautiful.

After we have tea I'd suggest she also try to hook up with Bjork. She would be a good mentor for her. Then I'd give her a hug and send her on her way!

[Phil Lawton]

Just mooching in the hope of some self-enlightenment with regard to Spinal Tap (still no attempts to convince me that the film isn't unfunny, I see), when I came across this rather ambiguous quote from Tym:

First, I'd invite her over for some tea (or head

I know which I'd ask her for.

Hold the tea.

[zed]

.yes,."hold the tea,....quite tightly.........just like .....that."

Z.:)

[someotherian]

phil.. if i understand you right, are you saying you don't find Spinal Tap (the film) funny? and you're expecting someone to tell you that it is?

[Phil Lawton]

Ian

You do understand me correctly, I don't find "Spinal Tap" funny.

I invited Brett to explain to me what I was not "getting" about it.

[someotherian]

ah ok phil, sorry.. i missed that invitation.

anyway, i'm not gonna try to convince you either.
personally i find it hilarious, but i wouldn't (seriously) try to tell anyone that something is funny just cos i think it is.

each to their own, as the saying goes!

p.s. if for some odd reason you are genuinely curious about why i find that film funny, feel free to PM me. :)

[andylama]

Comedy is more subjective than other genres. I've ususally found Monty Python hilarious, but I've met plenty of people who thought Python is entirely without comic merit whatsoever.

Besides, Spinal Tap is an american movie featuring american guys affecting bad english accents (Squatney, was it?), and being complete drooling imbeciles...and I can certainly see that seeming unfunny to english people.

OTOH, English comedians acting with american accents, though relatively rare, can be utterly hilarious.

Go figure.

Meanwhile, gotta go rewatch The Blues Brothers and Johnny Dangerously! Woot!

[E-Lo]

I love the idea of her working with a full-on orchestra, and the jazz album. She could do some really lovely neo-cocktail vibe music, a la Les Hommes.

I do like the idea of electronics as well, just please no more tacky techno-vacuum cleaner sounds

I would then tell her to fire her stylist!

[kookaburra]

Originally posted by E-Lo
She could do some really lovely neo-cocktail vibe music, a la Les Hommes.

I do like the idea of electronics as well, just please no more tacky techno-vacuum cleaner sounds.

OMG, E-Lo. She'd be perfect for KMG!

P.S. Care to join me for a pink lemonade martini?

[someotherian]

Originally posted by andylama
Besides, Spinal Tap is an american movie featuring american guys affecting bad english accents (Squatney, was it?), and being complete drooling imbeciles...and I can certainly see that seeming unfunny to english people.
but this is one of the many reasons i find this film funny! :)

[Lucibelle]

Yes. Although it's been too long since I've seen it to remember many details or quotes, (like SOME;)) I thought Spinal Tap was genious! Many rock stars felt it actually hit too close to home sometimes! Although I do wonder why they chose to be a 'british' band? There were plenty of American heavy metal bands at the time, weren't there? Maybe they took their inspiration from the british comedy troup that did 'Bad News', which was the same concept of Spinal Tap, but they did it first, and I'm not sure if they ever did a full movie. I have a video of Bad News doing Queen's 'Bohemian Rhapsody' which is fucking hilarious!! I especially love the scene where they're struggling to pull their skin-tight pants over their asses! :D

[deanlmorgan]

I would definitely suggest that she would not use any backup vocalists or do a duet with anyone on her next venture. Obviously, the focus should be on her voice and less on the instruments, so having a full orchestra would not be advised. I would suggest she talk with Tori Amos for her to come up with some scores.

[Lucibelle]

Hmmmmm..... I could see a duet on a song or two as a possibility, but I doubt that Liz would ever agree to having anyone sing backup for her. I mean, she might....but I don't see that happening, just because of her own superb ability to do her own backing vocals. As for the full orchestra, that's a tough call. I'm not sure how I'd feel about that. Too much orchestration could just be overpowering to her voice, while the right arrangement just might work wonders. But at this point, I'd just like to have something, ANYTHING, to critique and discuss on these boards. ;) Someday.......someday.......(will hang on to this hope until it drives her mad)..someday.......someday.....

And welcome, dean! Let me invite you to stop by the newbie forum and tell us a little about yourself! :)

Luci

[salve_sons]

On a search for pink floyd orchestra tribute threads, I came across this shocker from Phil Lawton:

"Just mooching in the hope of some self-enlightenment with regard to Spinal Tap (still no attempts to convince me that the film isn't unfunny, I see)."

Oh, its funny allright. Parts of it can be sophmoric, but as they were making fun of a sophmoric genre, it can be assumed that its mostly satire.

A few obviously funny quotes:

1. David St. Hubbins: First, we were called "The Originals." But someone already had that name.

(Obviously, I don't have to explain why calling yourself the originals when you are not in fact original is funny. The fact that they take it so "matter of factly" without letting on that they know they sound stupid is the key to the film.)

2. When they get to Magic Mountain (a themepark in California) they are second on the bill, below "puppet show", and they take the time not to complain about being on the bill with a puppet show, but just to remark "I told them to put puppet show second!"

3. When Harry Shearer, a great great man who does voices on the Simpsons but also does a weekly radio show making fun of George Bush on public radio in the usa, gets caught in the "pod" onstage for the whole of a song, and then barely climbs out, pumps a fist, and then has to try and get back in, that is really a reference to the Parliment Funakdelic outerspace getups of the past and in fact from what I understand such a moment (a musician getting tangled in their stage props) really happened to Parliment So...its funny cause it true!

4. Paul Simon as the promoter of a show that didn't get a good draw, bends over and keeps saying, "It's my fault. Kick my ass. Kick my ass for a man" and he's got the fake comb-over; that's funny.

5. Shearer also said once that he learned that the most important trick for a metal bassist is to always play open-stringed songs (E string, for example) so that you can just hit the string with one hand and still have one free for fist-pumping. In fact, they all basically learned to play heavy metal just for the movie, which goes to show how simple it is.

Also, remember that most of the film was improv. But there are so many little throwaway jokes it'd be impossible to catalog them all.

Howabout when they are excited to hear their song on the radio while ostensibly on tour, and at the end the announcer says "...and from the "where are they now file'...spinal tap."

Howabout when Billy Crystal plays a mime, and his boss says "I don't care if they think you're just a mute, get out there...mime is money!"

Oh, no doubt about it, there's a thousand little funny one liners in that movie, and it skewers heavy metal just about as well as anyone...except when the genre itself does it in a truth is stupider than fiction type of way.

Just here to set the record straight....