NanciNet Digest 11-15-23-95
// Greetings, long-suffering NanciHeads!
//
// As you've probably figured out by now, the Digest has had some
// problems lately. Two weeks ago, the World sysadmins informed
// me that the Majordomo server would be moved to a new machine
// ("facteur"). They assured me that this would have NO EFFECT on
// the normal operation of the mailing lists. HAH! After much
// complaining on my part, they've finally informed me that they
// think they've fixed the problem. So here goes.
//
// It seems that most of you have not seen a Digest since #95B14,
// issued Tuesday the 14th. So, here's a big Digest-digest which
// covers the NanciNet traffic since then. Note that I tried to
// keep the length reasonable -- I didn't include postings which
// weren't terribly interesting.
//
// I tried sending a 3-day Digest (B15-17) to you using a weird
// method the other day -- if you got it, you're one of the few
// lucky ones -- feel free to skip the first half (or so) of this
// edition.
//
// As for the contents, you'll thrill to a fan's search for the OV/OR
// video, get chills from the ideas for "dream albums" and songs for
// Nanci to cover, be stimulated by analysis of an obscure Kate Wolf
// song (which Nanci HAS covered, in case you didn't know), get more
// thrills from a "close encounter" story from a new NanciNetter (don't
// worry, there's no "POOF!"), hear how the Lousiville gig went, hear
// touching stories of Nanci's songs being put to their best possible
// use, learn what Christmas songs Nanci's recorded, and hear another
// thumbs-up for _Unnecessary Plastic Object_.
//
// Here's hoping that everything will be back to normal now.
// Enjoy -- happy holidays! - MF
*****************************************************************
From: Jeff Jackson
Subject: Other Voices, Other Rooms Video
Hi;
I'm a new member of this list (just joined last Sunday... and frankly was
wondering what I'd gotten into!), but have been a fan of Nanci's for several
years. When I picked up a copy of "Other Voices, Other Rooms", I honestly wasn't
expecting much, having been somewhat disapointed by the 2 preceding albums. I
fell in love with her musical interpretations all over again (my first album was
"One fair summer evening"). A couple of weeks ago, I caught the Austin
concert video of several of the songs from OVOR on the BRAVO channel and have
been trying to find a copy of it since then. All the video stores close by don't
have it listed in any of their files. Is it available, and (if so), where can I
get a copy!
Thanks,
jj
// OV/OR is still available ... try Elderly Instruments, Ladyslipper,
// Tower Records, J? ... call 1-800-555-1212 to get their numbers.
// Or you can try CDNow at http://www.cdnow.com on the Web. - MF
_________________________________________________________________
From: REBeffa@aol.com
Subject: The New Album-OVOR II
It's late night, not a grande hotel, but a small recording studio on the
outskirts of Atlanta. It is early winter and Nanci's tour is over. She
finished up some recording for the Atlanta Olympics CD today and now she sits
alone(she thinks) in the studio with her guitar resting in her lap. She is
thinking of the other voices who didn't make it onto Other Voices, Other
Rooms and some that maybe should have made it twice. Some are famous, some
obscure.
I am an elf, a spirit, resting on her shoulder.
I whisper: "A Rainy Night In Georgia" ( Tony Joe White- this guy was good for
more than Polk Salad) and as Nanci picks up her guitar and begins to sing,
the engineer starts the tape rolling.... "Josie" (John Stewart- had to pick
one off of Wingless Angels).... "Temporary Road" (John Gorka-he's written so
many good songs;this one is one of them.)...."River" (Bill Staines) Nanci's
voice caresses this song...."Too Young To Die" (Jimmy Webb)....."Billie's
Theme" (Hoyt Axton- a song that can make me cry).... "Someday" (Steve
Earle)... "Because of the Wind" (Joe Ely.."If you see my Caroline tell her
I'm doin' fine")... "West Texas Waltz" (Butch Hancock) and as Nanci starts
to play she stands up and begins to dance slowly around the room. Mark
O'Connor steps out of the shadows and adds his fiddle; Joe Ely comes in and
begins to dance with Nanci and they trade stanza's back and forth.
"Heartbeats Accelerating" (Anna McGarrigle).... "For Lovin' Me" (Gordon
Lightfoot) Nanci sings her heart out on this one. I pick up the pace and
whisper: "Learning To Fly (Tom Petty) and Nanci launches herself into it. I
dance around on her shoulder. I know Nanci loves the next song. I whisper:
"Never Had It so Good" (Mary Chapin Carpenter-John Jennings) As Nanci begins
to play, John Jennings steps in and picks up the lead and MCC joins in
harmony. I am in heaven with my two favorite ladies singing together. You
never had it so good babe, I never had it so bad......
Peter Buck walks in. I whisper: Texarkana(REM) and they play with
passion.... Is that Eddie in the hallway? One of my failings is that in the
time since Eddie Vedder's awesome performance of Dylan's "Masters of War" I
have come to view him as
a demi-god of modern music. Can Nanci do Pearl Jam? Is anything possible from
this woman? I whisper: "Better Man". And Nanci begins and there is fire in
her hands. I am breathless(even for a spirit) and fall to the floor. Eddie
steps in and strolls across the room, but before he can begin to sing the
song begins to mutate and I don't know what I am hearing. Nanci looks over
her shoulder, rolls her eyes at me in that Nanci way and in her best
rockabilly spirit sings "That'll Be The Day".
A soon to be classic album was recorded that night, and it launched Nanci to
fame and bright lights. And in the backs of the stadiums of 20,000 , 30,000
people the Nancinetters strain their necks to look over the hoardes. Is that
her? Is that really her up there? they shout as they rub their buttons......
Crazy thread Mark.
Ron "in dire need of Tony's therapist" Beffa
// Now this sounds pretty great! (Except for the stadium part.)
// :-) - MF
_________________________________________________________________
From: Poetmuse@aol.com
Subject: Songs I'd wish she'd cover...
Hi all--
After reading a couple other dream covers from the others, I
got to thinkin about what I would like to hear our lady of the
harbor...(hehe)
1) A Patsy Cline song--any--(since I'm listening to her right now) I think
Nanci could definitely do it justice and then some. I can really picture her
doing "She's got You".....
2) An REM cover would be really great!!! Actually, I'd just settle for her
and Pete working together again....they could put their heads together and
make some very beatiful music.....and since I'm a Mike Mills fan as well,
he'd definitely have to add some background vocals. (hehe I'm a dreamer)
More Nanci and U2 would be cool, now that I think about it..I mean if they
can sing with Pavoratti they can definitely work up to Nanci! apologizes to
any opera fans out there :-D
And here's a twist--The ONE Artist I would LOVE to see cover Nanci--Natalie
Merchant. She did Iris...now she needs to do Nanci.
Ah-in a perfect world, no hatred, no blindness, no pain and no sorrow--AND
plenty of good music by Nanci! :-)
Christina "blue moon's a shining down" Myers
_________________________________________________________________
From: pat@coe.Berkeley.EDU
Subject: Across the Great Divide
Hi everyone,
Nanci sings Across the Great Divide by Kate Wolf. I'm curious if anyone
wants to explore what they think the song means to Nanci or to themselves.
What is Kate talking about and why did Nanci choose this particular Kate
Wolf song?
I'm curious what other netters think about ATGD since we've explored other
songs in the past. Although some songs seem clear to me I often get to
thinking in a different direction with some of your posts. If there is
interest I will post an explanation I once heard by Kate in a few days. I
get a kick out of the different perspectives.
Pat who crossed the great divide three times this year
_________________________________________________________________
From: Casey Bui
Subject: Re: Across the Great Divide
Pat,
Have you ever heard her little Kate Wolf exlanation at concerts about
heaven and getting a seat at the bar? If so, you know what I mean then.
Anyway, I think the fact that she didn't write it herself lends to open
arguments as to what if means to her or to anyone. I just think it's one
helluva song.
If we want to get philosophical though, I'd say she's a reminiscing
person. She sings a lot about her ex-beau "John" and the Great Divide
for her may symbolize the life that once was...
Casey
_________________________________________________________________
From: tsanch@nomvs.lsumc.edu
Subject: Nanci tribute album
Hi there everybody! I would like to hear Nanci do a cover of REM's
Talk About the Passion. It seems like that would suit her style just
fine and I would like to be able to understand "all" of the words of
that song.
Also I was thinking of how it seems like since ever since OV|OR there
has been a proliferation of albums that are artists paying homage to
their influences. I know that this had been done before, one of my
favorites is Harry Nilsson singing the songs of Randy Newman ( or is it
the other way around? I haven't listened to it in a while), but it
seems like the tribute/cover album trend has mushroomed. Any thoughts
on this?
This is actually leading somewhere. Imagine a tribute album is being
done by artists to thank Nanci Griffith for her various contributions
to folk music. What songs would you like to hear and done by whom?
Here are a few songs I would like to hear on a Nanci Griffith tribute
album:
1. Poet In My Window-James Taylor
2. Banks of the Ponchartrain-Alison Krauss
3. On Grafton Street-Van Morrison
Does anyone care to add to the list?
Tanya, who is still holding out hope that Nanci will reschedule the
cancelled gig at the House of Blues here in N.O.
_________________________________________________________________
From: ERICSCORE@aol.com
Subject: Re: Nanci tribute album
Here are a few for the tribute album:
Gulf Coast Highway- Guy Clark (singin' it all worn and weathered like)
Listen to the Radio- Loretta Lynn (would Nanci guide her hand??)
Its a hard life wherever you go- Bono w/ Chieftains (who else?)
This Heart- Delbert McClinton ( add a little blues harp to it and POW!!!!)
Trouble in the fields -John Gorka (this is a song he would have written )
Peace,
Eric " and I'll do a cover of Love at the five and dime" Scorzelli
_________________________________________________________________
From: BKKJ32A@prodigy.com ( MIKE J EVANS)
Subject: Re: Songs I'd wish she'd cover...
I'd like to see Nanci record with an alternative band myself, like Jimmie
Dale Gilmore with Mudhoney, or Waylon Jennings with L7...Okay, who Nanci
should cover-
Lucinda Williams, my favorite songwriter. "Big Red Sun Blues" (A lot of
choices here, so I'll choose one of those I haven't heard covered already)
Paul Westerberg/The Replacements. I read Nanci has a mutual admiration, and
The Replacements have covered Nanci. *I* haven't seen a Replacements
bootleg with any Nanci covers yet (anyone?) Just about any songs from
"Tim", or "Don't Tell a soul" would be great. I can hear Nanci doing "Here
comes a regular"
Phil Ochs. Everyone should do an Ochs song, why isn't there a tribute CD to
his songs yet??
Speaking of tributes, my favorite ever is the Weill/Brecht "Lost in the
stars: The music of Kurt Weill", it begs for a followup, with Nanci
included of course.
Mike
_________________________________________________________________
From: Poetmuse@aol.com
Subject: More blankets to keep us warm (get it?--covers??)ha
hi y'all--how is everyone??
(the multitudes grumble....)
The song I would love to hear Nanci cover would be "Don't go Back to
Rockville (by REM) IF Natalie Merchant hadn't already done it so well. So I
may have to settle for SO. Central Rain. She could really let go on the "I'm
sorry" part....gives me shivers just thinking about it.
Secondly, I think REM could cover Time of Inconvience (since Peter teased me
with that last Saturday :-)) and I could envsion Micheal doing a duet with
nanci--a song they either picked or wrote together...
And which of the Eric's suggested It's A Hard Life with Bono??? Excellent
idea. And which one suggested the Cowboy Junkies??? Another excellent idea.
Of course Mary Chapin Carpenter covering Nanci would be great....
I can't believe those two aren't better aquaintences.....
One of the eric's (sorry--I forget again! ack) mentioned Velvet
Underground--I'd like to also hear a Leonard Cohen tune...it would definitely
be interesting.
And of course the Beatles. Nanci should record her version of "Things We Said
Today". ANd now since the fab three have reunited they can return the
favor!!! hehehe
Sara Hickman doing a Nanci tune would be pretty great as well--in fact I
always thought Sara's "A room of One's Own" had a Nanci-like feel to it.
okay okay--I'm out of people right now. Here's a question though--what did
Nanci-netters think of Toad the Wet Sprocket's "nanci" tune???
Ps. Van Morrison definitely has my vote too for the tribute album. He could
just say her name over and over again and it would be impressive to me. Him
and Tom Waits. Ol' Tom needs to return the San Diego Serande favor to Nanci.
Christina "yeah, I have too much time on my hands" Myers
_________________________________________________________________
From: graybill@deltanet.com
Subject: JP Griffith?
Who can supply a little information about artists and allusions on
There's a Light Beyond These Woods?
1. Who is Eric Taylor, who wrote "Dollar Matinee"?
2. Who is Bruce Carlson, who wrote "Montana Backroads"?
3. Who is Maggie Graham, who co-wrote, with Nanci, "Alabama Soft Spoken Blues"?
4. Who was Joe, of "I Remember Joe"?
5. Who was Michael, of "Michael's Song?"
6. Who was John Philip Griffith, of "John Philip Griffith"?
Thanks,
Ron Graybill
Riverside, CA
// Whew! I'm stumped on all these but the first -- Eric Taylor is
// a singer/songwriter from Houston (who has a great new album in
// stores now), author of "Deadwood, S.D.," "Storms," and other
// songs Nanci has performed. He's also Nanci's ex-husband.
//
// Anyone with the answers to the other questions, please post. - MF
_________________________________________________________________
From: Eric_Hay@BAYLOR.EDU
Subject: Re: Across the Great Divide
Thanks for the lyrics. I'll do my best at an interpretation, skipping around,
in the form of random notes...
>Across The Great Divide
> (Kate Wolf)
The great divide, as you all probably know, is the dividing point for the slope
to the atlantic and pacific ocean. If you spit on the east side, your spit wil
end up in the Atlantic; spit on the west side, it heads for the Pacific, etc.
The point: great divide is a crossroads, a critical point, a decision, ya'
know?
>It's gone away in yesterday
>Now I find myself on the mountainside
>Where the rivers change direction
> Across the Great Divide
>
>Now, I hear the owl a-callin'
>Softly as the night was fallin'
>With a question and I replied
>But he's gone across the borderline
The owl call = "who?" The owl says "who" and she replies, but "he" (the "who")
is gone across the borderline (see great divide, crossroads, etc.).
>The finest hour that I have seen
>Is the one that comes between
>The edge of night and the break of day
>It's when the darkness rolls away
Edge of night and break of day = Dawn. The borderline between night and day,
much like great divide, crossroads, etc.
The question, then, is who is the "who" and what is the big fork-in-the-road al
about? Of course, Kate wrote the words, but they obviously meant something to
nanci.
Anyone?
-Eric H.
_________________________________________________________________
From: Jean Keating
Subject: Introduction to Nanci!
Hello from a "New Newcomer"!
In the last three months I have been introduced to Nanci's music,
to Nanci herself (and the "Half Moon Orchestra" that travelled Europe
with her), and the Nanci-Net! It's been a terrific experience!!
I'll give a (quick..or as quick as I can) description of my Nanci
introductions!
I am an American, working temporarily overseas in Germany. In September
a girl from the States that works for the same company came over for
three months to work in our office (we work for an American based
company).
She is a long time Nanci admirer...She kept talking and talking about
Nanci's music (which I was not familiar with) and that I "really should
listen to her"....And she gave me a lot of insight as to Nanci's style
of music, and gave me two CDs for my birthday. Anyway...I listened to
her, liked her...and then my colleague mentioned going to see Nanci
when she plays in the UK. I thought...that sounds like fun! Let's go!
Well...to our dismay...almost every concert we tried to get tickets to
was SOLD OUT! ugh.....We did finally find two "restricted view" seats
to Northampton England! So, we decided to go and enjoy the music and
we'd just have to deal with the "view" problem! This show was Nanci's
last night of her tour...but, the night before that she was playing in
Cambridge England (which was sold out).
Soooo, we got up at the crack of 4:30 am to make our voyage to England
to see Nanci! We headed to Cambridge in hopes of finding a nice
"scalper" outside of the Corn Exchange to sell us some tickets! We
spent the day wearily wandering Cambridge in search of some tickets!
No luck with that! We did stop in the Corn Exchange to try and get a
note to Nanci that my friend had written. I ended up going in the door
marked "Private" to ask the man who was in charge of the "merchandise"
if he could get a note to Nanci! He gave a sweet smile and said, "No
problem"! (His name is Stuart). Then it was last ditch effort time for
tickets!!!! Our last resort was to write a pitiful little sign
saying "Need two Tickets" and stand outside before the show! Well...
along comes an "Angel" in the shape of Frank Christian! My friend recog-
nized him from Nanci's video!! He stopped and offered us Guest Tickets!
WOW! What a GREAT GUY! We were beside ourselves!!!! We went to the show
in Cambridge and had wonderful seats! Frank was the opening act and
is an incredible artist!
After the show I look behind us...and there's Stuart! So, I thought I
would chat with him awhile, and ask if we could possibly get signed
programs from Nanci,and we wanted to thank Frank for his generosity!
We talked awhile with Stuart, and when he found out that we had come
to England strictly to see Nanci...he said he would have them signed
and mailed to us! We ran into such nice people everywhere we turned with
Nanci's show! Stuart ended up inviting us to join him and the others
back at their hotel for a drink in the bar. As we were walking up we
ran into Frank! He invited us for a drink also! So, we had a night of
laughs and good conversation with Frank and Stuart.
They inquired what we were up to the rest of the weekend and we told
them how we had "restricted view" seats to the Northampton show..but,
we didn't think we'd go because it was a bit difficult to get from
Cambridge to Northampton by bus, etc etc....Well, Stuart then offers
to drive us! We really couldn't believe the turn of events at this
point! We told them we would think about it and call them in the
morning.
We ended up going of course! Another chance to see Nanci (and Frank)
perform again was a dream come true! As we were waiting for Stuart
outside the hotel, Frank chatted with us...and then Nanci walked right
by us to the bus! So, we ride off to Cambridge (had a wonderful lunch
in a traditional English pub in Daventry, right outside of Northampton).
When we arrived at the hotel (where the band was staying) we run into
Frank again. We talk with him while he waits for Nanci to come down for
the sound check. She passes by us again on her way out for her last
evenings performance!
When we arrived at the show that night, Stuart hands us two signed
programs from Nanci! We both really appreciated all of this!! The show
was spectacular and Nanci glowed! We were saturated with the emotion
of the music and the special trip that we had in England!
I sat there thinking that I really would like my friend to have the
chance to meet her mentor...and since we were at the SAME hotel as the
band...it was a once in a lifetime opportunity! We rushed back to the
hotel and sat and waited in a side lounge of the hotel for the band bus
to arrive! About an hour and a half later...here it comes! Pulses began
to rise in anticipation! Out comes Frank Christian first! When he came
through the door, I greeted him and thanked him for the signed CDs of
his, congratulated him on such a great show, and took a few photos of
our new found friend! (He's really an interesting person full of depth).
Unbeknownst to me...Nanci passed by while I was socializing with Frank!
Our last chance to meet Nanci was now on her way back out to the bus
after showering etc...the band was heading to London that night! We
talked some more with Frank, and met Pat McInery (another terrific
bloke! Married to a North Carolina girl, I might add!) :-) Both my
friend and I live in NC in the States. Ok...back on track...Nanci did
return to the lounge area, and Frank and Pat graciously invited us to
join them for a drink with the rest of the band and Nanci. It was an
experience that I have never had before! (Unfortunately, James Hooker
didn't arrive until they were about to leave for London, so we didn't
"officially" get introduced to him) Although, he did sit down for a
while and was in quite good humor! I immediately noticed the comraderie
of the band) I wish we had more time with all of them! They are all so
down to earth and nice to people that crash in on their party! They
welcomed us like old friends and made us feel so comfortable. Even if
I had never gotten the chance to meet them all personally, I was a new
fan for sure! This adventure is just a very special added bonus!!!!!
I know that I cannot express this experience well enough to do it
justice! But, from the music that I have come to know of Nanci and the
rest of the musicians...they speak from their hearts, and believe in
what they do!
I have to say one thing that stuck me personally so special about Nanci
was her love and support of children. She had a special "listener"
in her audience in Northampton and addressed the young lady personally
on many instances throughout the show. Her "feelings" for the "little
ones" is so strong and shines out of every inch of her being!
As I mentioned before..I'm a newcomer, is there any interesting stories
I've missed? (you could send them to my id and not the listserv)
Best Regards, Jeannie
_________________________________________________________________
From: lbday@siu.edu (Lisa Day)
Subject: Re: Across the Great Divide
re: Eric H's interpretations of "Across the Great Divide":
Great interpretation! I'm an English grad student, and I'm fascinated by
the crossroads analysis of the song. The song was already one of my NG
favorites, but now it carries even more meaning for me--thanks Eric!
I suggest the following possibility for Eric's questions about who the
"who" is and what the fork in the road symbolizes. I don't know what Kate
Wolf intended, but I have a feeling that Nanci chose the song because it
reminds her of John, her teenage boyfriend who shows up in many of her
lyrics. The song is all about crossroads and liminal territory, both
psychic and geographic. In this case, the division is between life and
death. When Nanci sings, "He's gone away, yesterday; now I find myself on
the mountainside, where the rivers change direction across the Great
Divide," I think she is referring to John's death and her separation from
him. The first stanza's mention of sleepwalking also suggests her grief
over John, and since sleep connotes the borderline between being awake and
dying, this could be a metaphor for how NG has felt like a zombie since
John's death, which seems like only yesterday to her. She feels partially
lifeless since his death. She has only his memories, which are chronicled
perhaps in high school scrapbooks and memorabilia--"dusty books and faded
papers." The last stanza continues the crossroads motif, but this instance
is in time rather than in space as the borderline between night and dawn.
"The finest hour...When the darkness rolls away" suggests that night is her
most difficult time, but when dawn comes, it reminds her that the
separation is not quite the chasm she thought it was. Both the space and
the time between Nanci and John is not as wide as she sometimes imagines.
What do you think, Eric? What do the rest of you think about this
interpretation (other than its excessive length)?
By the way, in May I took a vacation to the Grand Tetons with my lover as a
way of ending our relationship on a positive note (he was moving, and we
decided early not to pursue a long-distance relationship). We brought with
us all of our favorite music, and "Across the Great Divide" was playing as
we drove over the Great Divide. We were crooning along with Nanci when we
saw the marker, and both of us had chills running over us. Of course,
there was also fifteen feet of snow in Yellowstone that day. :)
I'm new to the list, and I'm impressed with the "conversations" so far.
Cheers--
Lisa
_________________________________________________________________
From: pkaczmar@indiana.edu
Subject: is it so?
While flipping through the new Rolling Stone Encyclopedia I
read that Nanci tried desperatly to get MCA to release From A Distance
as a single and that they refused, and that this was just the first step
in a rapidly deteriorating relationship between the two. Any one out
there know if this was how it really occoured?
Peter K.
// Sounds like the real story to me. - MF
_________________________________________________________________
From: Poetmuse@aol.com
Subject: More than just a word..
Hi everyone-- :-)
I was just sitting at home tonight, listening to Little Love Affairs and
wondering about the fact that Nanci claims most of her stuff before Flyer
wasn't what she would consider "personal". Maybe it's the place I'm at in my
life right now, but I find it hard to believe that Nanci never wrote form her
heart before this. She has such a way of getting to the heart of
emotions--especially those having to do with relationships. Perhaps that is
why people get so taken with her music--it touches a chord. Has anyone else
thought about this? As a writer (struggling) myself, I know it's too easy to
say the characters you write about aren't yourself...and sometimes it's
true--they're not. But I put alot of myself into my writing and it's hard to
think that Nanci doesn't--especially since her form of expression is so
human. I love the part on the OV/OR video where her mom talks about Nanci
loving to write--how she started writing poetry at a young age...and there is
a definite poetic flair to most of Nanci's song. I know that's why I love
them.
I guess this is the ageless question of where does the art start and the
artist stop. I guess the created work is the place where the two meet.
How much of oneself can a person put in their work--especially work that is
as human and open as song/prose etc. Music, actually, is the perfect media
for Nanci--it gives her the chance to express and yet also keep the rest of
us guessin'!
Actually, if you look at the themes of Nanci's songs--lonelihood (not ness!)-
lost chances, independence, broken hearts (yet there's always hope there,
somewhere) I guess it would be pretty sad if all of that was her! (Although
that is a comforting thought, to realize there is someone else out there who
is as bad at love as I am!). And maybe that's why I love her so much-- that
and those wonderful fingers and that gorgeous voice. And her irrespressible
spirit. Cuz' no matter how bad things get, you know Nanci will help you make
it though!
What are some thoughts on this? Any other writers out there have an opinion?
Thanks for letting me ramble on.....
peace
Christina"no quotes for me ma!" Myers
// It's pretty obvious that Nanci wrote "from her heart" long before
// Flyer. From "There's a Light" to "LNGH" (the songs), she's always
// put herself into her writing. She may have done it more overtly on
// Flyer, but it's nothing new, really. - MF
_________________________________________________________________
From: blithering.idiot@shivasys.com
Subject: Lonsome pines spl.
Frances Black and guest Nanci Griffith thououghlt enjoyed themselves
in a ninety minute Lonsome Pines Special at the Kentucky Center for the
Arts Friday night. The audience enjoyed themselves as well.
After opening with 5 songs from her varried repitoire, the featured
singer told the crowd about her embarassed phone call to a songwriter
she met earlier that year in Ireland. Her nervous call reached an
answering machine, to her great relief. She told us she stammered some
babble about 'maybe she had a song or two' for her first solo album.
To her amazement, 11 songs arrived 4 days later in the 'post'. The
artist recorded six, saying it would have be a bit greedy to take all
eleven. The producer selected four of the tunes to be included on her
first album.
With an ovation by an appreciative crowd, Nanci joined Frances to cover
three of her songs, with Grafton Street being my favorite. Backed by a
band of five sons of the ole' sod, the singers truly enjoyed each other's
performance durring the brief set. The smiles and hugs looked warm and
genuine, and then with a wave and a hug, Nanci kicked back her left foot
and glided off the stage.
(Obligitory Fashion Report: Nanci wore a white turtleneck jersey top,
"serge de Nimes" jeans, and a 'Johnny Cash' black duster. Smashing!!)
With selections from her solo release,"Talk To Me", and other tunes,
Frances made a room full of fans in Louisville tonight. Count Nanci in
that number too. She rejoined the stage for the closing number and came
out again for the 1st encore (wait for the telecast to suprise you as
well). Nanci kept the spotlight focused on Frances and harmonized with
Ms. Black's arrangements. With another wave and bow, she left the stage
arm in arm with Frances.
After the 2nd encore, the crowd rose from their seats and left the
small auditorium. The lobby speakers carried the muted sounds of "Carmen"
that was piped in from the opera playing in the 'big hall' at the center.
Too bad the bluebloods in the bluegrass missed the best show in town this
evening.
Enjoy the holidays at home Nanci, but we need to hear from you again...
and soon! No date was given for the expected TV show, but the last show
in this Fall's schedule closes in mid-December. Maybe early in 96?
_________________________________________________________________
From: kathyw@walltech.com (Kathy Wallace)
Subject: Re: Across the Great Divide
re: Eric H's interpretations of "Across the Great Divide" and Lisa's further
comments:
Lisa wrote:
>The last stanza continues the crossroads motif, but this instance
>is in time rather than in space as the borderline between night and dawn.
>"The finest hour...When the darkness rolls away" suggests that night is her
>most difficult time, but when dawn comes, it reminds her that the
>separation is not quite the chasm she thought it was. Both the space and
>the time between Nanci and John is not as wide as she sometimes imagines.
>
This interpretation supports a thought that I have had regarding the song
"Always Will." We know from the liner notes that Flyer is dedicated to
John, ("This album is for John, Always Will") but the song "Always Will" is
not as straight forward as it appears. In fact, it seems to be strangely
disjointed in time.
The first verse seems to refer to incidents that might have occurred while
John was alive, "your father's tie upon your chest" evokes adolesence. The
second verse seems to refer to a much later time. She says "in the corridor
of one hotel, we once crossed paths I recall it well. Voices in an empty
hall, slamming doors to hearts that fall." This sounds like a very
different person.
Then she says,
"Love has been my passer by
I stood to still to catch your eye"
Its like she's speaking of different people, but somehow they are all bound
together in a single continuum. I've often wondered about the "we once
crossed paths" part. Did she see someone that she thought was John? Some
glimmer that she recognized, but the other person did not recognize her?
I apologize for the meanderings here, but of all the songs on Flyer,
"Always Will" is the most intriguing to me. It sounds so deceptively
simple, and the tune is so sweet, but its incredibly powerful.
-Kathy
_________________________________________________________________
From: Deledk@aol.com
Subject: Excited to be here
Whew! I made it to Nanci Net. Ever since Nanci talked about the internet at
her concert in Virginia last summer I knew I had to get myself on-line and
find this. Thank you all so much for making this group happen.
I like all types of music, particularly folk, have over 500 cds, and Nanci is
by far my favorite. I can honestly say there isn't one album that I don't
treasure (although Last of the True Believers and OVOR are my current
favorites).
I'm a guitar player and I've been getting some of my other guitar playing
friends into playing Nanci songs. I love to lend friends cds and have them
come back a month later completely hooked.
I was particularly overjoyed to see some of the lyrics and chords that I
found in one of the related pages. There was a couple of strange words in
"St. Olav's Gate" that I just couldn't figure out. And I realized a couple
of mistakes I was making when playing some of her songs (I may be a big fan,
but I'm still learning the guitar bit).
I have no idea why I like Nanci's music so much. I just know that I get
tired of other peoples songs very quickly. With Nanci's songs I listen to
them over and over and hear something new everytime. Maybe a certain lyric
or a certain expression in her voice.
Anyways I'm looking forward to observing the goings-on here and being a
frequent participant. Until next time.
Ken deLaski
_________________________________________________________________
From: Dawn-Marie Heckleman (dmh3866@sjfc.edu)
Subject: Sunday night lullabies
Good evening, you all-
I did my once-every-two-week stint tonight as a tech in a local hospital.
We had a man that had pickled his pancreas from years of hard drinking
(he was only 45), and he died on my shift. He was a self admitted "good
old boy" from Texas that come to my northern city to die near his sister.
Why am I telling you this? It's related, honestly. And it's too late to
call anyone on the phone...
I've been carrying a couple of Nanci's songs around in my head all week-
involuntarily, but they won't leave. Anyway, he was restless, this
patient, as he was taking his leave of us. And my job, in between wiping
the bottoms of other pateints (I kept hearing "Spin On A Red Brick Floor"
whenever I had to do that, sort of made it nicer...), was to keep this
man calm. I sat with him and talked, and he got more and more agitated.
So, I sang him Nanci songs- this isn't a pretty sound, I can't carry a
tune in a bedpan, so to speak, but "Always Will" and "Spin on a Red Brick
Floor" and "Daddy Said" calmed him right down. And that's how he left
this life, to my cracked voice singing "Gulf Coast Highway".
Dawn
_________________________________________________________________
From: thornton@yvax.byu.edu
Subject: Death and "Gulf Coast Highway" (fwd)
I went to a funeral today in Loa, a bend in the road in south-
central Utah, which stands at the north edge of the Colorado
Plateau, a magical place where the landscape, quite inexplicably,
begins turning an unearthly red. To the immediate south of Loa is
Boulder Mountain, a long, flat-topped behemoth of a mountain 11,333
feet high. This is a gateway to the high desert, and the cemetery
in the town of Bicknell a few miles away enjoys the warm embrace
of a broad semi-circle of crimson sandstone, an apt resting place
for anyone who loves the landscape as much as David Morrill did.
It happened on the way home last night--and in my favorite
light of the day, when the late afternoon shadows slant across
miles of sage and tall yellow grass, illuminating the earth and the
junipers and pinons, but muting the blue sky behind, creating a
fleeting, otherworldly effect, the world with the lights in it, if
i may borrow from Annie Dillard. And my sweet little mother had
"stolen" a Nanci tape from me! She put it in the player, saying,
"You didn't know when you made this tape that you were making it
for me, did you?" After all the songs from "Flyer" came the extras
at the end. My eyes were glued to the ever-changing colors outside
the car when "Gulf Coast Highway" began, and on the lines that say,
"And when he dies, he says he'll catch some blackbird's wing, and
he will fly away to heaven..." a huge raven flew straight towards
us from the east. He circled around for a time, then landed on a
wooden fence post. Gave me chills. My cousin David loved birds,
especially the big ones, and this fellow was bigger than the
redtail hawk i watched last Thursday just outside of Moab. In his
teens David had nursed a hawk, Thor, back to health, then released
him into the wild. "We tend our garden; we set the sun." I tried
in vain to imagine the sage was bluebonnets.
And then "If these Old Walls Could Speak" came on and i sang
a little song for David before my cracked voice broke. It was a
fitting benediction, given his love of flight and flying. David
died of a brain tumor Agent Orange handed him in Viet Nam (anyone
know that Kate Wolf song?), and when he started getting sick he
reminded me that life isn't for bitterness, it's for forgiveness.
David once told me he wished he could find a substance that would
project his body and his bodily senses clear out to the edge of the
solar system and then to the edge of the galaxy. He wanted to see
it, wanted to know for himself how beautiful it was. I hope he made
it at last.
I wouldn't have posted here, but i was moved by Dawn-Marie's
post the other day, and i thought it a marvelous coincidence that
"Gulf Coast Highway" marked another departure so beautifully.
Thanks for listening, Nancinet.
Your friend out in the madness, who knows that "love never dies
when it's sheltered here very safe inside"--
deb thornton
_________________________________________________________________
From: UnknownArt@aol.com
Subject: Christmas songs
Hiya Nancinetters!
Wow! It must be the holiday season... only 12 posts to Nancinet today. I hope
everyone is going to have a wonderful Thanksgiving! :)
Which brings me to the subject - Nanci said at one time that she had so many
Christmas songs, which I gather to be songs that bring up the holiday season,
rather than of the fa-la-la variety. My question is this: Just which songs of
Nanci's are Christmas related songs? "On Grafton Street" is obviously one of
these, but how many more are there?
-mike cogliandro, waiting for a "Nanci Griffith Sings Christmas" album.
post script: Hey.. wouldn't it be cool if they would get Bing Crosby tracks
and Nanci could sing a Christmas duet with the ol' crooner! Or more
interesting, get David Bowie and Nanci together, along with a Bing Crosby
track and they could do a trio remix of the Bing Crosby/David Bowie duets. ;)
// How revolting can you get? - MF
_________________________________________________________________
From: UnknownArt@aol.com
Subject: One Voice
Hiya (again)!
Just found out some info on the Olympic Games album. MCA is putting out what
it calls the first in a series of albums that support the Atlanta Committee
for the Olympic Games (ACOG). The first album is titled "One Voice"
" "One Voice" is scheduled for release in March of next year and will also
include new material from Trisha Yearwood; Vince Gill, Alison Krauss, Bela
Fleck and Chet Atkins; Amy Grant and Patty Lovelace; Marty Stuart and Willie
Nelson; Nanci Griffith, Raul Malo and Donna Summer; Johnny Berry; Lorrie
Morgan; Mac McAnnally and Mark O'Connor. The album is produced by
Grammy-winning producer Michael Omartian. "
The press release stated that this was not only a country album, but an album
reflecting the Nashville sound.
also:
"In addition to the Country music album, ACOP (ACOP is Atlanta Centennial
Olympic Properties, the marketing joint venture between the Atlanta
Committee for the Olympic Games and the United States Olympic Committee
(USOC) Wow! so many initials -mpc :) ) also has announced compilation albums
of the works of top Latin, Jazz, Rhythm & Blues/Pop, and Classical recording
artists. In addition to MCA/Nashville, EMI and LaFace Records are in the
process of producing albums; and both Sony- Classical & DMX have reached
preliminary agreements with ACOP as well. With every album, royalties will
support preparation of the U.S. Olympic Team and the Olympic Games. All of
the CD's will feature premier performances of original music, performed by
leading artists. "
No announcements of any live or prerecorded musical broadcasts during the
Olympics, yet :(
-mike cogliandro, in training
_________________________________________________________________
From: dgrant@eden.com (David Grant)
Subject: Re: Christmas songs
Howdy y'all.
>Which brings me to the subject - Nanci said at one time that she had so many
>Christmas songs, which I gather to be songs that bring up the holiday season,
>rather than of the fa-la-la variety. My question is this: Just which songs of
>Nanci's are Christmas related songs? "On Grafton Street" is obviously one of
>these, but how many more are there?
Nanci calls "Brave Companion of the Road" one of her Christmas songs as
well. And around Christmastime you can usually catch her doing "The
Wexford Carol," which is a real honest-to-goodness Christmas carol...
David
_________________________________________________________________
From: kerri anne flaherty
Subject: Re: Christmas songs
"So Long Ago" also has a Christmas theme -- the narrator sees her former
love in a crowded bar at Christmastime -- is Grafton Street's Bewley's
Store a bar? if so, a disturbing if intriguing theme of
"bars and Christmas" might be emerging.....
--kerri
_________________________________________________________________
From: "Claire Keaveney (415) 813-4655" Claire.KEAVENEY@SYNTEX.COM>
Subject: UPO -- what an album!
I just had to let you all know this morning what a wonderful job the singers,
musicians, producer, and artist and anyone else who helped have done with the
eagerly awaited "Unnecessary Plastic Object." I'ts my pick to click!
Beth kindly sent me a copy and I slipped it into the cassette player thinking,
Oh boy, I'm gonna have to keep my finger on the pause button now. But every
track was very enjoyable and highly listenable. Congratulations, you guys, on
the finely crafted and heartfelt performances. Beth, you are a regular Phil
Spector. And the cover art is *fabulous*.
I'll bet Nanci really loves it, too.
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.
Claire
+(((((-- (happy holidays!)
// Contact Beth at bethd@startribune.com for more info about UPO.
// Now, who's going to do a full review? - MF
_________________________________________________________________
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