The Long Winters

by **John** » Thu Dec 23, 2004 2:08 pm

I've been in Texas for the last couple of weeks, recording a couple of tracks with the help of our good friends in Centro-Matic and, today being our last day, am frantically scribbling on tiny scraps of paper trying to come up with lyrics at the last possible moment for a song that is otherwise completely recorded. Matt Pence, Centro's drummer and the gentleman engineering this project, keeps talking about "mixing" the song as if it's the next thing on our to-do list. From an engineer/drummer perspective the song is ready to go. Too bad the present lyrics are: "Doo doo da blah blah baa". I'm close to just signing off on it and putting it out that way, with the intention of affecting a really hurt look whenever anyone claims to not be able to understand the lyrics.

I wish everyone a Happy Holiday Festival season. I'll be flying on Christmas Eve out of Dallas, which was hit with a blizzard yesterday, so I have every hope of spending Christmas in the Dallas/Fort Worth airport with ten thousand stranded Texans and their screaming, Cheeto-fattened children. Actually, if I can find a nice fat one maybe I can get the folks at Sbarro Pizza in the airport terminal to cook him up like a nice Christmas goose.

It sounds like our new record is going to be a collection of over-produced ballads with bitter lyrics about broken relationships. Par for the course, then.

Best wishes to all.
John

by **bubbamo** » Thu Dec 23, 2004 4:37 pm

Hah! I took the afternoon off from work, and for whatever reason decided
to grab a bag of Cheetos ( (the dangerously cheesy PUFF style , on the
front of the bag there is this cat ( Chester?) throwing some sort of gang sign) Anyway my intention was to check my " E's and some of my favorite sights. So my son sneaks up behind me and asks if he can have a few . NO !! I say, get away you fat little bastard !!

This really happened !
er, except for the "fat little bastard part"
I love my hatchlings

Merry christmas !!

by **Ryan** » Thu Dec 23, 2004 11:36 pm

John, if you're stranded in DFW, you should go stay with my parents in lovely Arlington, a short 20 minute drive away from the airport. My 88-year-old grandfather will be there as well, fresh off a gambling trip to Shreveport with my Dad, where I'm sure they beat the hell out of the slots, against all odds. They'd love to hear your stories of strato-cumulus clouds high above the Nebraska plain and horses named Fitzcarraldo.

And Pete Greenburg called some tracks he's heard on the new album densely layered, and, a departure. Is that the same as over-produced?

Loves,
Ryan

by **chelsea** » Fri Dec 24, 2004 12:20 am

John wrote:so I have every hope of spending Christmas in the Dallas/Fort Worth airport with ten thousand stranded Texans and their screaming, Cheeto-fattened children. Actually, if I can find a nice fat one maybe I can get the folks at Sbarro Pizza in the airport terminal to cook him up like a nice Christmas goose.

that made me laugh.

by **Moni** » Fri Dec 24, 2004 6:24 am

John wrote:Too bad the present lyrics are: "Doo doo da blah blah baa".

I think I've heard worse...

Actually, if I can find a nice fat one maybe I can get the folks at Sbarro Pizza in the airport terminal to cook him up like a nice Christmas goose.

Goose/turkey replacements might be a good idea, because apparently they’re getting smarter every year (sort of):

A goose with a plan.

Merry Christmas!

by aj » Fri Dec 24, 2004 10:38 am

Actually, if I can find a nice fat one maybe I can get the folks at Sbarro Pizza in the airport terminal to cook him up like a nice Christmas goose.

deep fat fried? with pork? mmm...
watch out so the udder doesn't explode.

by **nwheather** » Sat Dec 25, 2004 5:22 pm

Liz wrote:

A goose with a plan.

Um, I'm no ornithologist, but that sure-as-shit looks like a turkey to me.

'Course, this is coming from someone who once mistook a bunch of cows for turkeys.
Granted, it was at a rather long distance, but still...I was totally sober.

John wrote:Too bad the present lyrics are: "Doo doo da blah blah baa". I'm close to just signing off on it and putting it out that way, with the intention of affecting a really hurt look whenever anyone claims to not be able to understand the lyrics.

So what do you do when someone comes up to you and tells you how
powerful those lyrics are and how they've changed his/her life?

Does it involve a sledghammer? A blowtorch? Can I watch??

by **Squid** » Sun Dec 26, 2004 7:52 pm

John wrote: Too bad the present lyrics are: "Doo doo da blah blah baa".

That's a song by the Police.

And from what I hear, Sting's a little short on sense of humor, copyright-wise.

Surely there's a Cocteau Twins lyric you can "borrow"? Their catalog is top of the heap in the "Non-Lyric Lyrics" genre. Cracking stuff, I assure you.

by **Jeroen** » Mon Dec 27, 2004 1:02 am

John wrote:Too bad the present lyrics are: "Doo doo da blah blah baa".

maybe... "Daa da Gobbledeegoo Yeah" just a suggestion...

by **John** » Mon Dec 27, 2004 2:40 am

Sure, and then you'll be demanding royalties. I'm not NEW.

by **sour29** » Mon Dec 27, 2004 7:32 am

Maybe you can get the Barsuk Men's Choir to hum the melody? That'd be purty.

by **Liesbeth** » Mon Dec 27, 2004 11:25 am

I think that instrumental songs are underrated. Not joking.
The Cocteau Twins may have been a bit overrated. Slightly.

Matt Pence has been involved in some of my favourite records of the past years, and I'm excited to hear about this collaboration.

by **A Brutaful Smile** » Mon Dec 27, 2004 11:56 am

John wrote:I wish everyone a Happy Holiday Festival season. I'll be flying on Christmas Eve out of Dallas, which was hit with a blizzard yesterday, so I have every hope of spending Christmas in the Dallas/Fort Worth airport with ten thousand stranded Texans and their screaming, Cheeto-fattened children. Actually, if I can find a nice fat one maybe I can get the folks at Sbarro Pizza in the airport terminal to cook him up like a nice Christmas goose.

ya know, those of us w/children might be offended by that.
then again...maybe not. i personally hate most other people's children. they can't all be perfect like mine.

;)

John wrote:It sounds like our new record is going to be a collection of over-produced ballads with bitter lyrics about broken relationships. Par for the course, then.

what?!?!? no happy song?!?!? what the hell....

by **SLR** » Mon Dec 27, 2004 4:55 pm

John wrote:It sounds like our new record is going to be a collection of over-produced ballads with bitter lyrics about broken relationships. Par for the course, then.

what?!?!? no happy song?!?!? what the hell....

Happiness is relative...bitter lyrics about broken relationships make me very happy.

by **sour29** » Mon Dec 27, 2004 8:55 pm

Me too, actually.

And everyone knows, all great art steams from great conflict.

IE. Happy songs suck.

by **A Brutaful Smile** » Tue Dec 28, 2004 1:37 am

sometimes bitter lyrics about broken relationships are of a great comfort. i found this to be true a few years ago when TWYCDIH first came out. along w/many other wonderful "love hurts, break ups suck and i hate you for this" type of songs. this worked for me for a couple years.
a while back i found that i was going thru enough on my own that the last thing i needed was "depressing" music. it just made me feel worse. so i sought out more uplifting or "happy" music. nothing of great quality maybe but something that maybe i could smile about. or at least not make me want to run my car off the road.
i think it's possible that i could be misunderstood when people see me say i want a happy song. right now i love the song by jem called it's a ride. it's a great song. and it makes me feel good. songs like that. and really just about any pop song that i can bounce to works as well. i love 1985 by bowling for soup. i identify w/it way too much.
also personally i am a bit bitter about the state of music as of late. not about the long winters or any genre in general really, i just feel something is lacking for my taste. i am currently in a state of trying to find what it is my ears need and having a hard time finding it. and it's really frustrating.

by **bubbamo** » Tue Dec 28, 2004 7:00 pm

Might I recommend Zamfir " Master of the Pan Flute "
He was quite popular back in the day, via the K-Tel / Ronco circuit
this was great music that one could order straight off of their television set.. a simple 1-800 phone call and your Visa or Mastercard would do the trick. His timeless interpretations of "Theme from Love Story" and
"On Top of the World" (of Carpenters fame ) still remain deeply engrained
in my mind.
To me he is, and always will be, second only to Boxcar Willie as one
of the most influential recording artists of all time.

by **A Brutaful Smile** » Tue Dec 28, 2004 9:08 pm

you're mocking me.

and not introducing me to something i don't already know of. i remember the commercials well. i doubt anyone could forget them.
and if you haven't noticed lately, you can still order music right off your tv by making a simple 1-800 phone call and having your credit card handy.

by **longtimecoming** » Wed Dec 29, 2004 4:15 am

hey john! i can usually crank out poems in anywhere from 2-5 minutes. my fave one of recent:

burn.
love
hate
love is a disease.
vaccinate now!

well my profile explains it further on aol.

im trying to start a band, i gave up searching the stranger, i have a pink electric geetar, and up until christmas iwas a bit of a retard when it came to melodies/finding words for my riffs.

then my 2 yr old nephew and 4 yr old cousin, found the guitar.

they wanted to play it, so i cranked it up, my nephew was excitted, laughing and jumping up and down.. playing with the strings...

then i belted out a tune about jack..then i did some school of rock stuff..my cousin danced as did my nephew.. my singin g voice got better, i can carry a tune, lol!

then.. i was like "rockin jack!! rockin!!" (nephews name is jackson) then he went "ROCKIN!!!" my nephew rules.

by **Jeroen** » Wed Dec 29, 2004 8:06 am

your story makes me smile. thank you.

The Long Winters

Tejas

Tejas

tex-ass

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