| The VIOLENT FEMMES - American Music Email List 8/15/2004
8/15/04 Online Issue http://www.oocities.org/violentfemmeslist/081504.html List archive available online www.oocities.org/violentfemmeslist Tour Dates: (new dates in red) 8/20/04 Milwaukee, WI Milwaukee AlaCarte at the Zoo http://www.milwaukeezoo.org/calendar/calendarpages/1086962839.html 8/22/04 Chicago, IL The Chill $10 (1515 N Halsted - New City YMCA) 9/01/04 Ventura, CA Ventura Theater www.ticketmaster.com 9/03/04 San Diego, CA Del Mar Race Track http://www.dmtc.com/season/events/event.php?id=4 9/04/04 Anaheim, CA House of Blues www.ticketmaster.com **9/10/04 Baltimore, MD Power Plant Live ** RESCHEDULED for 10/1 **9/11/04 Washington D.C. Live on Penn ** Music Series CANCELLED 9/11/04 Vitovia-Gasteriz Spain - Azkena Rock Festival http://www.azkenarockfestival.com/ingles/gasteiz.htm 9/25/04 Seattle, WA End Fest 10/1/04 Baltimore, MD Power Plant Live 10/2/04 Norfolk, VA The Norva In This Issue: New/Updated Tour Dates Dialogue with Delorenzo Victor's new CD "Dictionary by/of Marcel Duchamp" DC Cancelled VF in Penn Jillette's book "Sock" VF as an adjective -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- New/Updated Tour Dates -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Please note that the Sept 11th date for LIVE ON PENN in Washington D.C. has been cancelled by the festival. The whole remaining LIVE ON PENN concert series has been cancelled. VF will now be traveling to Spain to perform at the Azkena Rock Festival on Sept 11th. The Baltimore, MD date at Power Plant live originally scheduled for 9/10 has been rescheduled for 10/1. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dialogue with Delorenzo -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Questions from: SCPGAMEDIA@aol.com SCP:Your website says current solo artist, does that mean you are not playing with the Femmes this summer? VD: What it means is that part of my website is not clear. (laughs) I will correct it! I hope to play with the Femmes from now until eternity… SCP: When you did rejoin the band just prior to the 20th anniversary, how did that conversation go between you and the other members of the band. It sounds as if you and Brian had remained friends, but that maybe you and Gordon might have had some distance in your friendship? VD: It’s true that Gordon and I have had some distance in our friendship in the past. Brian and I were estranged friends for a while but we have always remained friends. From our earliest days together we were each individuals with our own interests and perspectives. We share a friendship through the band and the music. The idea of me rejoining the band first surfaced when Brian and I were working on the re-issue. All of the material for that project came from my archives so we spent a lot of time together at my studio. At first Brian wasn’t too sure about it but then, as time went on, there were more conversations between us, conversations with the management at the time and eventually, it just seemed like a natural part of that release. We were celebrating “that” music from “that” period and it made sense to have all the original participants at the party. The first conversation I had with Gordon was at the hotel the night before the first gig we played together again (St. Paul, MN). Brian had arranged it so that Gordon and I could talk for a while before he joined us. Gordon and I both felt very relaxed and comfortable. When Brian joined us, we picked us the instruments and played “I Know it’s True But I’m Sorry to Say.” It was amazing how easily we fell into the music together again – the tempo was good, the rhythm good. It’s funny because I can’t think of a more appropriate song for us to have played first but I don’t think we have played it again since! Of course the other appropriate song for us – as the man says – would be “Nightmares” … getting’ back together with you… (laughs) SCP: You really do appear to be having fun on stage this time around. Are you stage antics derived from your acting background and desire to put on a show, or is it just how the songs make you feel? VD: Very astute observation. It’s a combination of both things really. Certainly my acting background makes me feel at ease to try things onstage but you can’t help but react to those wonderful songs! SCP: Are there some moldy oldie Femmes songs that you don't think have aged very well and you'd just as soon not play them? Which songs do you think have improved with age? VD: This might sound strange, but I think all the songs are the same – as in they are all part of one body of work. And I also think that they live anew every night. I feel on some of the best nights we’re just vessels that those songs live through… SCP: Of the music that the band produced after your initial departure, what songs are your favorites. Have you learned any more since last summer's tour? VD: I don’t have any favorites from that period because I don’t know the albums. But then there are a lot of albums I don’t know. I think “All I Want” and “Freak Magnet” are the only ones that we have worked in thus far. SCP: Last summer it sounded as if Gordon was the one who was not interested in making any new VF music. Do you think that all the problems they went through to get Freak Magnet released burned him out on the process? VD: Making a record is very difficult. The 3 of us have agreed in principle that if we are to make a record it has to be a recording that is so superb that we could never even have dreamed it… SCP: Here is the million dollar question...If you had to put a number on the chances of the Femmes making new and beautiful music together again, what would it be? Is that number higher or lower than it was last year? VD: I would say three… is a magic number … SCP: I would love to see the Femmes go out on a tour with all these young "punk" bands so you could show the kids today how it’s done. Has the band ever thought about or been approached to lead a summer tour like Perry does with Lollapalooza or the Vans Warped Tour? VD: We do play with all kinds of bands! You should check out the reviews from a show we just played with The Strokes, Beastie Boys and the Yeah Yeah Yeah's?! (BFD San Francisco) Question from LinoleumGRRRL@aol.com LIN: Victor, There are so many rumors of Brian and Gordon not getting along. How is your relationship with both of them? VD: Brian and Gordon are working on their relationship. Realistically, within the last two years, I have seen the two of them interact more and more – and not just business dealings. To answer the question in the simplest of terms we do all speak to each other. Questions from hanzzzz@libero.it HAN: Are you planning to do a new record or have you become only a tour band? In other words, is it true what Gordon said last year ("I will never write new songs" or something like that)? Last time you came to Italy was 1991. I think it's about time to come back, isn't it? VD: Not all of these questions can be answered by me individually. We would love to come play in Italy again – especially Sicily since that’s where my grandparents are from! Question from adobly@softhome.net ADO: I have a question for Victor related to the current topic of the mailing list about this last European tour ("Weird Belgium Concert"). It's about the interruption of Out of the Window song and the following discussion between Gordon and a guy standing up in the middle of the audience. What was the feeling of the band when this happened? Gordon looked a little bit pissed off at least at the beginning but then the audience was cheering during the questions about continuing the song and/or the show etc. You stayed in the middle listening while Brian moved to speak to Gordon. This whole event was amazing. Can you describe what it was like for the band? Thanks. VD: The show was a little different because everyone was seated and not really moving. At the time this happened the venue really had the feeling of a science class in college. The band absolutely loves when stuff like this happens because we’re always trying to push it too far - you know? From my point of view, it seemed as though the audience was really enjoying themselves. It was almost like a stand-up comic in a comedy club with a dumbfounded audience! Questions from vivawisconsin@ameritech.net VIV: Have you noticed any significant changes in VF fan's of the early 90's and the audiences you are playing to now? VD: The fact that the ages of the audience still span the entire career of the band is absolutely amazing to me. And the fact that we’re still “current,” people are still discovering us for the first time. People are still crazy about the band and we sell out venues all over the world! VIV: You know some of us were ...uh ... a little dubious about your return. I don't know if you're aware of this but there was a great "Victor vs. Guy" debate that raged on this list for at least a couple of years that I can remember. I suspect there are a few other outspoken participants in that debate still lurking around. What do you think of the music VF produced during Guy's tenure? Can you tell us why we don't hear more tunes from that period in concert these days? VD: I have great empathy and respect for Guy Hoffman. We were both coming up on the scene at the same time. I liked his original band (The Oil Tasters). I would have to say that the best way for me to express how I feel is to quote something that a fan emailed to me, “Guy was able to play your parts, but he will never be able to play your part.” From my standpoint, that period was time lost. I can only think about the music that we could have been making or should have been making during those nine years. So for me, that period is in some ways a failure. I failed at communicating well enough to keep my job and to keep contributing to that thing which I worked so hard to create. I got to watch my kids grow up – which was a great success! But also, in some cases, what I can play comes down to simple economics. A lot of that music requires a full drum set. Question from pish_tish@yahoo.com PISH: Where were you for the taping of Guster's cover of the first Violent Femmes Cd? If you saw it, what did you think of their renditions? VD: Rhino couldn’t fit me into the plan for the Guster taping so I never saw their version of our songs. Question from chatch@swbell.net CHA:Why does bluesman Willie Dixon get a writing credit for "Gone Daddy Gone" on the Viva Wisconsin LP (but not on any other album)? VD: Because Gordon directly “borrowed” the line from Willie’s tune! VD: Thanks to all of you who wrote in! I hope you have enjoyed prying into my brain … Stop by my website http://www.victordelorenzo.com and you can get even more insight! Check out my fabulous new CD - DICTIONARY BY/OF MARCEL DUCHAMP and if you’re near Milwaukee come and hear me play with one of my current side projects: Ha Ha Potato or Ash Can School http://www.ashcanschool.com -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Victor's new CD "Dictionary by/of Marcel Duchamp" -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hey, Maybe this was discussed a few months ago when the album came out, but does anyone have Victor's new CD "Dictionary by/of Marcel Duchamp"? The sound clips on his website make it sound somewhat eccentric but very good. If anybody says one good comment about i'm going to go buy it a.s.a.p., considering how much I adored his last three solo albums. jasch@softhome.net -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- DC Show Cancelled -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I am sure that someone besides me already found out that the DC show is cancelled. I didn't check on the MD show since I will not be in town for that. I don't even know how to express my disappointment. lirker Lirker@aol.com -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- VF in Penn Jillette's book "Sock" -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- On the second page of Penn Jillette's book "Sock" -- the stream-of-consciousness novel about a sock monkey -- Jillette refers to the Violent Femmes song "American Music": "Kick it. Turn it up. Louder, louder. The Little Fool never played Mr. Rogers pap in the Little Fool's bedroom. This ain't no nursery, this is our room, brothers and sisters, and we kick out the jams. We play the radio. We play it loud. Kick it. Going faster miles an hour. The Top 40, the FM college station. Janey said when she was just five years old, Little Fool never once gave it away. The Little Fool taking it. It's all pumping in. But do you like American music best? Mon-key? -- Records. Eight tracks. Cassettes. CDs. MP3s. -- The little Fool always listens and I always remember. ..." I haven't read much of it yet (just the first few chapters), but I had to write and mention this. I also don't mind giving a plug for the book. Jillette wrote it after having lost both his parents in the last few years. We're both huge guys who live(d) in Vegas and lost our parents, so I feel a kinship. --James -- # James Welborn # Cambridge, MA # welborn@mac.com # http://homepage.mac.com/welborn/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- VF as an adjective -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Here's an interesting little VF blurb! http://www.thepenn.org/vnews/display.v/ART/2004/03/26/4064754f173d0 To POST, SUBSCRIBE, or UNSUBSCRIBE send email to: violentfemmeslist@yahoo.com or violentfemmeslist@ameritech.net |