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johnnyribcage
* Dog in the Sand *
USA
1291 Posts |
 Posted - 06/19/2022 : 09:21:34
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Except the one time he was always super nice. And he wasn’t mean or anything the last time, he was just a little weird. Still chatted though about the solo tour and the preceding Pixies tour. I wouldn’t be intimidated if I were you. He was smiling, chatty, and was happy to sign an LP or CD for anyone that had one.. even had a sharpie on him for it one time. This was in ‘02 and ‘13 though - I wasn’t standing in a crush of fans outside a door, we were just on the floor in the club. And a younger Charles in ‘96 might also have had a different perspective than later. Who knows.
I think I only have like 6 or 7 total autographs in my entire collection of like 1000 CDs and 1500-1600 records. And one of them is the 5 disc Golem that came signed anyway. The only time I struck out actually trying/hoping to get one was the last time with BF. It’s not something I do often…
I had a bad reaction to your public hobby writings. |
Edited by - johnnyribcage on 06/19/2022 09:23:33 |
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Troubles A Foot
= Cult of Ray =
USA
815 Posts |
Posted - 06/19/2022 : 15:29:35
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| Yeah I have the signed Golem thing too. Something I've never understood is someone paying for an autographed item, like on ebay or a band's website. To me an autograph is mainly special if it's signed TO YOU and in person, a document of a memory of an encounter of meeting one of your art heroes. |
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johnnyribcage
* Dog in the Sand *
USA
1291 Posts |
Posted - 06/19/2022 : 15:46:02
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quote:
Originally posted by Troubles A Foot
Yeah I have the signed Golem thing too. Something I've never understood is someone paying for an autographed item, like on ebay or a band's website. To me an autograph is mainly special if it's signed TO YOU and in person, a document of a memory of an encounter of meeting one of your art heroes.
Definitely meets the criteria for "superuncool." Proud to say I've never even considered that.
The 5-Disc Golem set, on the other hand, is rad as fuck.
I had a bad reaction to your public hobby writings.
As a side note to the Golem 5 disc set, I had an interesting experience with that one. I pre-ordered it, as uber fans do, but on the day it showed it, it weirdly showed up as twins. I had two packages on my doorstep. Long story short, they accidentally sent me 2 copies for the 1 I actually paid for.
Being an ethical guy, I immediately emailed the company (I think it was black francis' dedicated website, if I recall...) and told them their mistake and asked how to ship it back because I didn't want to deprive someone of the opportunity to own that 500 copy release if they wanted it. They emailed back, thanking me for letting me know, but told me to just keep it, free of charge. I still have it, still in the shrinkwrap. |
Edited by - johnnyribcage on 06/19/2022 15:54:32 |
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Troubles A Foot
= Cult of Ray =
USA
815 Posts |
Posted - 06/19/2022 : 16:06:16
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| Amazon once sent me two copies of The Wire complete series on DVD! I don't remember what I did with the extra one. |
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sdon
= Cult of Ray =
France
779 Posts |
Posted - 06/20/2022 : 00:41:14
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quote:
Originally posted by Troubles A Foot
Herman Brood
Freddy Fender
John Denver
Iggy Pop
John Candy
The Three Stooges
Mose Allison
Alec Eiffel
Jack Nance
Peter Ivers
Ray Bradbury
Jonathan Richman
Robert Zubrin
William Mullholland
johnnyribcage
Honestly I think it's an honor.
+ Dr Doolittle, Jack Palance and Daniel Boone :)
--
"Aristophanes! (gong sounds)"
"Fucking up my devotion!"
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billgoodman
>> Denizen of the Citizens Band <<
Netherlands
6009 Posts |
Posted - 06/20/2022 : 03:22:14
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We forgot Desmond Dekker, twice. At least.
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BF: Mag ik Engels spreken? |
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Troubles A Foot
= Cult of Ray =
USA
815 Posts |
Posted - 06/20/2022 : 08:42:27
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I almost put Jack Palance but I didn't consider the song to be ABOUT Jack Palance. Same reason I didn't put Daniel Boone.
If that makes sense... |
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hammerhands
* Dog in the Sand *
Canada
1592 Posts |
Posted - 06/22/2022 : 11:56:10
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Jacques Tati
Captain Beefheart
Kim Deal
Named but not famous people or less famous:
Bailey's Walk
Ed is Dead
Speedy Marie
I guess there are a lot of these.
Did he not say who Dead Man's Curve was about? |
Edited by - hammerhands on 06/22/2022 12:19:18 |
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BunsenH
= Cult of Ray =
296 Posts |
Posted - 06/22/2022 : 12:42:32
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Which one is about Beef?
quote:
Originally posted by hammerhands
Jacques Tati
Captain Beefheart
Kim Deal
Named but not famous people or less famous:
Bailey's Walk
Ed is Dead
Speedy Marie
I guess there are a lot of these.
Did he not say who Dead Man's Curve was about?
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billgoodman
>> Denizen of the Citizens Band <<
Netherlands
6009 Posts |
Posted - 06/22/2022 : 13:15:49
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quote:
Originally posted by BunsenH
Which one is about Beef?
quote:
Originally posted by hammerhands
Jacques Tati
Captain Beefheart
Kim Deal
Named but not famous people or less famous:
Bailey's Walk
Ed is Dead
Speedy Marie
I guess there are a lot of these.
Did he not say who Dead Man's Curve was about?
85 weeks
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BF: Mag ik Engels spreken? |
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Jason
* Dog in the Sand *
1446 Posts |
Posted - 06/22/2022 : 13:48:28
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| On one of the live albums, Frank intros "Dead Man's Curve" as a "song about Freddy Fender". |
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BunsenH
= Cult of Ray =
296 Posts |
Posted - 06/22/2022 : 14:01:55
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That makes sense. Thank you for that.
quote:
Originally posted by billgoodman
quote:
Originally posted by BunsenH
Which one is about Beef?
quote:
Originally posted by hammerhands
Jacques Tati
Captain Beefheart
Kim Deal
Named but not famous people or less famous:
Bailey's Walk
Ed is Dead
Speedy Marie
I guess there are a lot of these.
Did he not say who Dead Man's Curve was about?
85 weeks
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BF: Mag ik Engels spreken?
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hammerhands
* Dog in the Sand *
Canada
1592 Posts |
Posted - 06/24/2022 : 03:06:27
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Are Nance and Ivers in one song or two?
I would have mentioned Hank Williams, Johnny Horton, Billy Jean in Everything is New.,
but you wouldn't list everyone in Half Man. |
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Cult_Of_Frank
= Black Noise Maker =
Canada
11674 Posts |
Posted - 06/24/2022 : 06:19:21
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Thank you for this, Mr. Ribs! It would have made a lovely crackpot theory on the podcast and it is quite enjoyable to really dive into the lyrics with any theory and stop for a moment and think "What did he mean by that?" and I can definitely picture myself in the same situation as you, wondering if it was me... especially since I still think FB/FB/CMKT3 is just an all around amazing human and someone I would never want to piss off, so I'd be extra paranoid.
You don't look like a bug but you spin a good theory!
 "If we hit this bullseye, the rest of the dominoes will fall like a house of cards. Checkmate." |
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Troubles A Foot
= Cult of Ray =
USA
815 Posts |
Posted - 06/24/2022 : 08:42:47
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quote:
Originally posted by hammerhands
Are Nance and Ivers in one song or two?
One, I Gotta Move. |
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Bedbug
> Teenager of the Year <
2962 Posts |
Posted - 06/24/2022 : 17:48:39
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Not that Johnny or anyone asked for my take on the tune, but I’ll summarize it here:
Bagboy is Judas Iscariot, the disciple who betrayed Jesus Christ, and the song is a peek inside his thoughts.
“I had a bad reaction to your public hobby writings” The only record of Jesus Christ writing is the public writing he does in the famed story of “the woman taken in adultery,” the one where we get the sentiment, “let him without sin cast the first stone.”
The reason why this event of Jesus is relevant to Judas is because later in the gospels another woman of ill repute breaks an alabaster box of perfume on Jesus' feet. Judas complains that the perfume could have been sold and given to the poor instead. But the narrator says, “this he said, not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and had the BAG, and bare what was put therein.”
The song contains many allusions to the accounts of this event through imaginings of what might have been going through Judas’ mind as he was plotting his betrayal of Christ, having “no satisfaction” by Jesus’ “recent sightings” among the public, feeling “so disappointed” that he had begun following Jesus (which probably began with “small talk” as in the case of other disciples) thinking that there was going to be great gain in doing so, and now feeling “crapped on” and smelly.
Jesus’ teachings, which Judas was there to hear, began to turn him off, and included references to the washing of others’ feet (“feet slapping”) and the significance of even “small birds,” and communicated that following Jesus was not a path to riches in this life. The “buzz” that Jesus had generated among many people had turned in Judas’ estimation to be a “crock.”
Judas states that the woman who anointed Jesus with the perfume “had some beauty” (as someone in her line of her work might be expected to have) and “manners” (humility obviously) but “you look like a bug,” which refers to Psalm 22 which predicts that the Messiah will be “a worm,” which referred to an insect in that part of the Middle East. The woman “planned” and traveled (“migration”) to come to Jesus to give him the perfume, and Judas accuses him of being “smug,” probably for accepting it.
Jesus certainly was known for “proselytizing alone.” “Regurgitating the tone” could refer to repeating his teachings, and Jesus was controversial because he touched lepers and dead people, and even healed someone with his spit (“dead things that you licked”). Judas’ “feedback” to Jesus can’t be stopped, so the betrayal happens.
And the chanting? Perhaps Judas psyching himself up to complete his plan. Perhaps a demonic chorus influencing his mind, as the book of John says that Satan entered into Judas right before the betrayal. Jesus cast out many demons, but this satanic suggestion to betray Jesus could not be exorcized / “evicted.”
The Bible that so many FBF songs refer to literally says Judas “had the bag.” He was the bag boy. This song is a non-linear imagination of Judas’ thoughts and the events surrounding his betrayal of Christ, presented in a style, say, similar to the way David Lynch gives us events in his films.
Anyway, if you read all that, thank you.
Now some of you might be asking: Is it significant that Judas Iscariot is the subject of the first song released by the Pixies immediately after Kim Deal left the band? I have no idea.
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billgoodman
>> Denizen of the Citizens Band <<
Netherlands
6009 Posts |
Posted - 06/25/2022 : 03:50:33
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That was amazing
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BF: Mag ik Engels spreken? |
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jake3
- FB Fan -
United Kingdom
241 Posts |
Posted - 06/25/2022 : 06:10:27
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Here's my take on the song. I think the most likely subject of BF's frustration is a journalist...
I had a bad reaction to your public hobby writings
I get no satisfaction from your very recent sightings
BF doesn't like what he's read from this journalist. By describing their work as that of a hobbiest he's implying that their work is that of an amateur and not very professional. BF has seen this journalist (or their work) on multiple occasions and isn't pleased about it.
Like when I hear the sound of feet slapping on the runway
Like a small bird pretty while it’s crapping on the new day
This journalist is ruining BF’s day. BF is likening them to bird taking flight and crapping on him from upon high. A small pretty bird may seem innocent to most but to BF, who has just been crapped on, it’s irritating.
So disappointed I was that I had made small talk with you
(Cover your breath, cover your teeth)
I'm not feeling your buzz I only smell your crock of stew
(Cover your breath, cover your teeth)
BF reluctantly spoke to this journalist. Rather than discussing worthwhile subject matters the journalist was instead more interested in “small talk”. The journalist’s “buzz” suggests some enthusiasm on their part but BF either thinks their enthusiasm is put on or BF is simply not interested in reciprocating. The references to bad breath are a metaphor for someone who is talking shit. What they are saying is toxic to BF. The “crock of stew” is the wretched shit soup swirling inside their mouth. “Cover your breath, cover your teeth” is BF’s way of saying that he wishes this journalist would stop subjecting him to all the shit that they are talking.
Bagboy
Bagboy
Bagboy
Bagboy
Bagboy (bagboy)
Bagboy (bagboy)
Bagboy (bagboy)
Bagboy (bagboy)
BF is using this term as an insult. He’s describing them as someone with a very small, unimportant role in his music career. The goods (the music) are BF’s.
She had some beauty and manners but you look like a bug
(Cover your breath, cover your teeth)
Migrations of their type are such good planners and not smug
(Cover your breath, cover your teeth)
This is the most difficult to decipher verse. In the first line I think BF is maybe unfavourably comparing the irritating journalist with another whom he holds in higher regard. I’m not too sure about the second line.
You are proselytizing alone, listening to the voice with your ears
(Cover your breath, cover your teeth)
You have regurgitated a tone now sat in your tract for many years
(Cover your breath, cover your teeth)
Picked up from dead things that you licked
It's a feedback loop you can't evict
(Cover your breath, cover your teeth)
The journalist is shaping their work to their own twisted design. The songs or answers they are listening to are being heard but not truly understood. They’re listening with their ears but not their brains. Once again the journalist is “regurgitating” the same old shit. This shit is informed by toxic stuff they’ve taken in over the years and now they’re stuck in a never ending cycle of garbage. |
Edited by - jake3 on 06/25/2022 11:42:03 |
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Troubles A Foot
= Cult of Ray =
USA
815 Posts |
Posted - 06/25/2022 : 08:37:37
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quote:
Originally posted by jake3
BF is using this term as an insult. He’s describing them as someone with a very small, unimportant role in his music career. The goods (the music) are BF’s. I don’t live in a country where a bag boy is an occupation for someone but I’m guessing they would make “small talk” and put on a (often fake) friendly demeanour.
Nope. Bagboys are pretty miserable and just put your shit in a grocery bag and look like they want to blow up the supermarket. I've literally never encountered a friendly or conversational one. Sullen teenagers. |
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jake3
- FB Fan -
United Kingdom
241 Posts |
Posted - 06/25/2022 : 11:41:08
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quote:
Originally posted by Troubles A Foot
quote:
Originally posted by jake3
BF is using this term as an insult. He’s describing them as someone with a very small, unimportant role in his music career. The goods (the music) are BF’s. I don’t live in a country where a bag boy is an occupation for someone but I’m guessing they would make “small talk” and put on a (often fake) friendly demeanour.
Nope. Bagboys are pretty miserable and just put your shit in a grocery bag and look like they want to blow up the supermarket. I've literally never encountered a friendly or conversational one. Sullen teenagers.
Understandable. Will edit accordingly! |
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Troubles A Foot
= Cult of Ray =
USA
815 Posts |
Posted - 06/25/2022 : 12:07:16
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| You know what though? I live in NYC. It is possible in the midwest or something, there are some cheery bagboys. I did notice in a recent road trip that people do act more friendly in certain places. |
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Bedbug
> Teenager of the Year <
2962 Posts |
Posted - 06/25/2022 : 12:09:55
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quote:
Originally posted by Troubles A Foot
You know what though? I live in NYC. It is possible in the midwest or something, there are some cheery bagboys. I did notice in a recent road trip that people do act more friendly in certain places.
I was gonna say this, Midwest and south Bagboys might make small talk. |
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tamefan
- FB Fan -
Canada
182 Posts |
Posted - 06/26/2022 : 16:14:52
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This was a really interesting read and thoroughly entertaining, both the original post and everyone's replies (especially Bedbug's interpretation, above!). A fun bit of speculative lore. As for the discussion about autographs: I complimented Charles once on Twitter -- I remarked on an exciting sequence of Pixies songs played at a recent show. He retweeted my compliment.
I was so glad that he had seen some positive feedback and it made him smile. I wonder sometimes whether the band members read much feedback from fans, especially from serious fans like those of us who post here. I hope they do. Apparently Charles used to post here? So maybe he still reads our ramblings? For me this was better than an autograph, because instead of asking Frank for something, I could give him a small token of my appreciation, after all of the hours of music he has given me. |
Edited by - tamefan on 06/26/2022 16:20:57 |
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The Maharal
= Cult of Ray =
960 Posts |
Posted - 06/27/2022 : 11:52:53
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He set up his own questions and answers thread and he'd show up now and again. I am sad that some of the pages got purged during a forum crash - including some of the questions I'd asked him! Violet used to post now and again, as did Jon Tiven!
http://forum.frankblack.net/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=3015
Incidentally a few weeks ago I came across another fun thread where someone apologised for gate-crashing a BF afterparty and apparently being rude to the man himself (who actually responded in the thread). |
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johnnyribcage
* Dog in the Sand *
USA
1291 Posts |
Posted - 06/28/2022 : 15:48:37
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Bedbug - great interpretation! I’ll chose to go with that going forward.
Yeah tame, I haven’t seen the man around here since Indie Cindy. But I go on long hiatuses with the forum. Maybe he’s was on a few times after that.
Once in a while, usually around a new release, I’ll hop on and unload, but I can only forum it up so much on a single topic, so I go back to the ‘cage for a year or so to recharge.
I had a bad reaction to your public hobby writings. |
Edited by - johnnyribcage on 06/28/2022 15:49:52 |
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tamefan
- FB Fan -
Canada
182 Posts |
Posted - 06/28/2022 : 17:58:09
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| I hope he read our gushing praise for BTE. :) |
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My Bagboy Theory
