The Song Fight Bulletin Board

Good morning everyone! I don't have much time this morning to write a good post, so I will update this one from work.

It's been a whole month of the Daily Roll Call! A lot of people said it wouldn't last... and some of those people ended up posting here! Let's try to keep it going for another month.

I must say that it has become a thread I check multiple times a day... I even start it... I had never really started a topic before this.

I've really enjoyed how there have been people who were admittedly lurkers who decided to post because of the QotD or something someone else said.

I think the Roll Call has started to humanize all of these names and avatars that I have been reading posts by for so long. I love it! I'm glad that this first month has established a base of regulars, and others have started posting more often.

Anyway... the QotD is (and it's kind of dumb and not me fishing for compliments)

Which QotD was your favorite this month? Which one elicited the most interesting responses in your opinion?

I don't have time to answer that one yet because I am now late getting ready for work... but I will answer when I get there.

Heather - bravo. I like getting to peak into others' lives now and then. You're right about humanizing avatars.

I haven't been very active around here and it sucks. I very much miss making music and sharing everyone else's. That's about what my days have been like lately... largely depressing unfulfilled longing. But it'll be over at some point.

I know, there's a country song in there somewhere

Yay, one month is a good thing. I always felt weird listening to the girls (my wife and my housemate) talk about the forum they are on and how much they talked about their lives outside of the forum's main topic- guinea pigs. I wondered why we didn't talk as much about our lives and just chalked it up to the fact that SF is a made up of a completely different demographic. But then we started doing roll call and it's been great to get a look into the lives of the people that you talk to every day.

My favorite QotD so far....I have no clue. I'd have to review.

Currently in the life of Niv:

* I'm extremely excited because Friday is my big music trip. I can't wait to go spend a weekend making music.

* Yesterday, I accidentally made my wife hate a songfighter. She seethed with such venom that she considered joining SF for a quick second just to give him a piece of her mind. They share differing views on an issue that she is very devoted too. Thankfully ne'er the two shall meet.

* The saga of my band KBS rolls on as Lucidia and I have reconciled somewhat. KBS is officially dead in its old form. Luke & I are most definitely gonna do music together when he returns for AZ. Lucidia wants to get together and do some experimental stuff (which is a big step for her). But being a band with both Luke & Lucidia. Not gonna happen. Where will this all end up? No clue. But it's been a wild ride.

Roymond, to me you are one of the more interesting (of many) characters around here: great music, often witty and helpful posts and flying all over the world with some kind of Olympics badge on or something. A barn in Vermont! C'mon!

I liked the first concerts questions of the ones I can think of. I know my least fave has to be Leaf's from the other day - what a gooberoo I am for answering that one. Regardless, I think these threads are fun, and the humanizing that was mentioned is part of its success. Hurray for Heather!

Today I hope to cram more music in me in the slim chance that I make it to the next round of Nur Ein. I think my Smiths collection, all on vinyl, may come out for a visit. Yesterday I listened to "The Woods" by Sleater Kinney and was more blown away by that album than ever before. Big jam tonight, which is the later-on big event of the day. Peace!

Paco Del Stinko wrote: I liked the first concerts questions of the ones I can think of. I know my least fave has to be Leaf's from the other day I think my Smiths collection, all on vinyl, may come out for a visit

Ahhh! I'm so jealous! I had a vinyl Smith collection once too, but we had a flood in our apartment and all of them were ruined. It was devastating! They are my favorite and Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds (Murder Ballads and before) is my second favorite.

I agree with you Paco, I really liked the QotD about first concerts. I also liked the one about the number of different places you have lived. It was interesting to see how people's different geographical locations throughout their lives (and the concerts they have attended!) have helped make them who they are today.

Paco - thanks. I appreciate that a great deal.

Now, these QofDs, are these just posted here for all to reflect on?

What were the most satisfying, spontaneous concerts you've attended?

1. I was wishy-washy about seeing Brian Ferry when he was doing Bête Noire at Radio City. Friends from work (I worked for Time Inc. right across the street) were going and teasing me. So after work I walked past and some guy was selling tix, and he had a single seat in the 4th row center. I bought it and the show was amazing! My friends were way up in the balcony.

2. A friend called at 4 in the afternoon, said he had 2 tix to Emerson, Lake and Palmer. But, he was at the beach, on his bicycle, and we had to catch the right train and run upstairs to Madison Square Garden, and everything had to work out perfectly or we'd miss it. Well, everything worked out perfectly, as we sat down in the 20th row or so the lights went down and the conductor emerged on a platform rising from the floor (they were touring with a full orchestra) to break into Brain Salad Surgery or something...mind blowing.

3. I was walking alone down Market in San Francisco, and happened to pass a theater where Joe Cocker was about to go on stage. I got a ticket for $20 and went upstairs. The audience was largely older women in summer dresses (or so the impression made it seem so). Beautiful women, who danced through the entire show. Cocker was amazing. I never thought about seeing him live before, but the electricity was flowing.

you?

You're welcome, Roymond.

Someone gave me you'd better leave right now tickets to the Eurythmics at Boston Common, somewhere in the early to mid 80's. Annie Lennox gave me goosebumps twice that day.

Sorry to hear about your vinyl collection, Heather. I bought the Smiths records when I was stationed in Germany back in '85/86, and they all have nice plastic covers on them and all that. If you listen closely, you can hear Reel Around The Fountain spinning away right now. Think I'd better go mope now. See ya!

I haven't been to a lot of spontaneous concerts, but one comes to mind. My friend Rob and I, probably in Rochester, decided to go to a benefit thing, with live music and poems and art and whatnot, oh yeah it was a benefit for Israel, for something or other. I don't remember why we decided to go. Headliner on the main stage was a band I'd never heard of, Inasense, and they were pretty good, until they kicked into their cover of the Grateful Dead's version of a traditional song called "I Know You Rider" and that was awesome. Really got the audience into it and kept them there. It was very memorable. I bought their CD!
-bill

Another day. We have a sick dog over at the vet, trying to figure out if it caught something from this latest foster dog we brought in or what...

I'm at home, working on organizing some music for our church band and other music-related projects like that. Not sure if I'll get any more work done on "The Sugar Shaker" today or not, since I need to be listening for the phone.

QOTD: I liked the question about somebody coming to visit you, what things would you take them to where you live. It might be a fun variation on that to pick some common tourist destinations and ask a similar question - 'if you've ever been to Seattle, what did you enjoy there there most?" We could start out with Atlanta, for those who'll be going to SFL this summer. I like the no-controversy, no-deep-thought questions the best...

Charles (KA)

king_arthur wrote: QOTD: I liked the question about somebody coming to visit you, what things would you take them to where you live.

Ya know, when I was thinking about which question I liked best this morning, that's the one that I chose, but by the time I got to work, that thought was gone. Thanks for reminding me! I had a blast finding all the links to the places here in Minneapolis and St. Paul. Plus it really made me realize how much I take pride in where I live, even though I'm not a native.

I think this is my favorite QOTD. It's like one of those annual clip shows like you see on The Simpsons. Except that all-singing, all-dancing clip show. That sucked hard.

Anyway, I got a new computer, and I'm working on setting it up tonight, and getting my old one set up for my son. We're homeschooling starting this fall.

Oh, and I think the fam wants me to pick up McDonald's for dinner tonight. I might give it a miss though. I've been eating a little better lately, and that sure would spoil it.

Today's been an f'n busy day so to keep my sanity, I decided to listen to nothing but Hey Ya covers this afternoon. I've enjoyed some JD Natasha, New Amsterdams, Razorlight, Supersuckers, Drive By Truckers, some dude with an accordion, a bunch of people with Ukeleles, Weepling Tile, SF's own Dave Corun, We Operate Men, Matt Weddle and my current fave version The Boss Hoss.

Paco Del Stinko wrote:If you listen closely, you can hear Reel Around The Fountain spinning away right now. Think I'd better go mope now. See ya!

HaHaHa!!! You always slay me Chuck.

Congrats on the success of this little slice of people pie. 4 and 20 song fighters baked in a thread.

Work, work, work is the call for today
But that's ok, I just pop a SF cd in
Or maybe just main line it right to my brain via ipod
Either way, I always make the best of it
Going out of town Thurs and Fri
My niece had a baby
I have to go stare at it and say the routine, awwww
I'm thinking of mixing it up a bit
I'm thinking maybe, eeeiwwww
But I probably won't
I'm her favorite Uncle

QOTD:
I can't even remember yesterday, so I'll have to go look...brb.
OK, I'm b and I come baring lists....well, list. Glenn Case would be proud.


Here's the quick list:
#1. What did you have for breakfast today?
#2. How many hours do you sleep on average per night?
#3. How many different cities/towns have you lived in from birth until now?
#4. something (a physical "thing") you used to have and lost or gave away or broke that you wish you still had
#5. How many/what kind of pets do you have? If none, what pets have you had in the past?
#6. What was your first real paying (pay check with tax deductions, etc) job? How old were you?
#7. When you were little, what did you want to be when you grew up?
#8. Who is the most famous person you've met?
#9. What was your first car?
#10. When you enter SongFight and you're sizing up the competition when the songs go up, who makes you say "oh crap, I lost this round" before you've even listened?
#11. What did you do this weekend?
#12. What’s your favorite radio station?
#13. Your first concert?
#14. What was your first experience talking to strangers on the internet?
#15. If someone, who's never been to where you live, was coming to visit and you got to play tour guide, where would you take them?
#16. What was your favorite candy as a kid?
#17. What's your favorite SongFight song from your own archive?
#18. You must wish the following (one each) for three people: health, wealth and death. Who do you pick, and why?
#19. What was the worst date that you ever went on?
#20. Which QotD was your favorite this month? Which one elicited the most interesting responses in your opinion?

I'll have to go with #20 because it motivated be to make this list.
But my second choice would be #7. When you were little, what did you want to be when you grew up? It reminded me of a happier time in my life and how I loved experimenting with sound and video.

Live, Love, Rock
Chris

Heather. Redmon. wrote: I had a vinyl Smith collection once too

I can tell. Phil's "State of Emergency" had a very Morissey feel to the lyrics. Not just the obvious opening lines - but in a lot of the wordplay through it, though in a less mopey-English-git sort of a way.

Niveous wrote: * Yesterday, I accidentally made my wife hate a songfighter. She seethed with such venom that she considered joining SF for a quick second just to give him a piece of her mind.

It was when I suggested she was cooking and eating the buttocks of fat children, wasn't it....

Caravan Ray wrote:

Heather. Redmon. wrote: I had a vinyl Smith collection once too

I can tell. Phil's "State of Emergency" had a very Morissey feel to the lyrics. Not just the obvious opening lines - but in a lot of the wordplay through it, though in a less mopey-English-git sort of a way.

Yeah, Phil had never heard the Smiths – hated ‘em even - before he met me! Mopey-English-Git, yep that pretty much sums up Morrissey!

I've missed this whole QotD thing, so I'll grab the couple that jump out at me...

#5. How many/what kind of pets do you have? If none, what pets have you had in the past?

Growing up, we always had 3 cats...two slots would rotate annually or so. The third lived until she was 19, so I'm very much a cat person and have had 4 since but none now. We also had a dog. We had 2 horses and raised a bull. And the requisite hamster/rodent types, including Snoopy who decided to try and exit the wheel before it stopped...or maybe it was intentional. Oh yeah, lots of (fresh water) fish at one point, but I want to start a large salt water tank one day. And snakes.


#8. Who is the most famous person you've met?

This is major name dropping, but: President Nixon, Vice President Agnew, and President Ford are probably the most famous in a "more people know of them" kind of way. Then Mikhail Baryshnikov & Aaron Copeland & Andre Segovia.

I think my favorite question was yesterday's. It was quite revealing.

roymond wrote:#8. Who is the most famous person you've met?

This is major name dropping, but: President Nixon, Vice President Agnew, and President Ford are probably the most famous in a "more people know of them" kind of way. Then Mikhail Baryshnikov & Aaron Copeland & Andre Segovia.

I'm impressed that you can pull out those without even mentioning your "bumping into Kurt Vonnegut" stories you have posted elsewhere!

I have personally met 2 Presidents of the Republic of Kiribati. I suppose that is comparable to meeting Nixon and Ford. Sort of....

Caravan Ray wrote:I'm impressed that you can pull out those without even mentioning your "bumping into Kurt Vonnegut" stories you have posted elsewhere!

He's not as famous as the others, for better or worse.

Billy's Little Trip wrote: OK, I'm b and I come baring lists....well, list. Glenn Case would be proud.

"Yes, I am predictable, clearly, but also proud! "

I will also answer all of these in one shot, while I am at it.

<b>#1. What did you have for breakfast today?</b>

Skipped breakfast today, but if we were not out of milk, it would have been cereal. Cereal is great, and I make it whenever I am too lazy to make anything else, which is often.

<b>#2. How many hours do you sleep on average per night?</b>

I tend to get 6 to 8 hours of sleep, but I enjoy sleeping in when I can.

<b>#3. How many different cities/towns have you lived in from birth until now?</b>

Sacramento, CA
Herald, CA
Klamath Falls, OR
Merrill, OR
Spokane, WA
Merrill, OR
Spokane, WA

<b>#4. something (a physical "thing") you used to have and lost or gave away or broke that you wish you still had</b>

I'm actually fairly happy with what I have, but it would be cool if my Intellivision still worked, or if I had still had all of the pieces to my family's copy of the Dark Tower board game. (I still have the tower itself, and the dragon.)

<b>#5. How many/what kind of pets do you have? If none, what pets have you had in the past?</b>

2 Cats, 1 Kitten, 2 Ferrets

<b>#6. What was your first real paying (pay check with tax deductions, etc) job? How old were you?</b>

I don't remember for sure, but I think my first paying job was with McDonalds, and I was probably 16 or so. It did not last long before I quit.

<b>#7. When you were little, what did you want to be when you grew up?</b>

I wanted to be a video game designer or a singer. I made up songs while swinging on the schoolyard swings.

<b>#8. Who is the most famous person you've met?</b>

The Everly Brothers, Paul Westerberg, Liam Lynch. The most famous people I keep in contact with now and then would be Liam Lynch and Matt Crocco, but Liam rarely has time to answer. Rachael and I actually stayed the night at Matt Crocco's house on the night before the second Sifl and Olly convention.

<b>#9. What was your first car?</b>

Parents bought me an El Camino for my 16th birthday, but then they said I was too irrepsonsible to drive it when they saw me driving it on our ranch. First car was able to drive on a normal basis was a Buick Skylark.

<b>#10. When you enter SongFight and you're sizing up the competition when the songs go up, who makes you say "oh crap, I lost this round" before you've even listened?</b>

MC Frontalot. Frankie Big Face. Any new fighter that I don't recognize by name.

<b>#11. What did you do this weekend?</b>

Went to visit Rachael's family, armed with an acoustic guitar, and a Nintendo Wii.

<b>#12. What’s your favorite radio station?</b>

I work in radio, but I don't listen to radio.

<b>#13. Your first concert?</b>

First concert I remember is Paul Revere and the Raiders, at a venue that is NOW known as Redwood Amphitheater At Paramount's Great America. I think it was the fourth of july. *Cue obligatory Chicago music* Hell of a show, too.

<b>#14. What was your first experience talking to strangers on the internet?</b>

Found the NetCentral chatroom on our WebTV, and I thought it was the coolest thing ever at the time. Communicating with people through the internet?!?!? No WAY!

<b>#15. If someone, who's never been to where you live, was coming to visit and you got to play tour guide, where would you take them?</b>

Answered this one <a href="http://songfight.net/forums/viewtopic.p ... ">here.</a>

<b>#16. What was your favorite candy as a kid?</b>

I'd have to go with the Whatchamacallit. I miss the "Bar None" candy bar. They brought it back for a while, but they changed the taste of it. Chocolate was and is still a weakness. I would go with Toffifay or Toblerone now.

<b>#17. What's your favorite SongFight song from your own archive?</b>

Georgia's Hand. It is also my most recent song in the archives, and one of my favorite songs I have ever written.

<b>#18. You must wish the following (one each) for three people: health, wealth and death. Who do you pick, and why?</b>

I'd give Rachael the health, so she could be done with diabetes, and the health issues that come with it.

I would give myself the wealth, if that is an option, because I would like to think that the money would not change me all that much. If I can't give it to myself, I'd probably give it to Spud, for the same reason.

Death? That's a tough one. I would want to choose someone who was ready to die, or was going to die soon anyway. This would be the toughest choice of the three. I think I would choose a person that I know that is constantly in jail, pan handling, or generally causing trouble... I would probably choose them, as it would be a relief to the people that know him. Even at that, it would be a tough call to make. I would not want to be directly responsible for anyone's death, even that guy, who actually did threaten my life.

<b>#19. What was the worst date that you ever went on?</b>

I vaguely remember speaking in a fake English accent for 2 hours straight because it entertained my date. She probably thought I was stupid. (She's right.) I don't remember specifics, but she had NO interest in seeing me after that first date.

<b>#20. Which QotD was your favorite this month? Which one elicited the most interesting responses in your opinion?</b>

Probably this one. It motivated Chris to compile the list, and motivated me to answer all the questions in one sitting.

Billy's Little Trip wrote:OK, I'm b and I come baring lists....well, list.

Ah, Thanks! Now I don't have to dig back through the old posts to remember. I guess my favorite is still the radio station question for all the old memories it brought back.

While I'm at it I might as well go back and answer a few others that I thought about answering in days gone by but didn't...

#3. How many different cities/towns have you lived in from birth until now?
Bellflower, CA ('71-'74)
Chicago, IL ('74-'75)
Lakewood, CA ('75-'97 with the following two exceptions)
La Mirada, CA ('89-'93 while at college)
Chicago, IL (summer '92)
Campbell, CA ('97-'02)
Mountain View, CA ('02-'03)
Cupertino, CA ('03-'06)
San Jose, CA ('06-present)

#4. something (a physical "thing") you used to have and lost or gave away or broke that you wish you still had
My two front teeth...chipped corners off both of them when I was growing up. The first was around third grade when I tripped and hit a diaper pail. The second was a few years later. I threw a rock at a soccer ball I had kicked in the air. It bounced off the ball and right back into my mouth.

#5. How many/what kind of pets do you have? If none, what pets have you had in the past?
My mom was allergic to most animals with fur or hair, so I only had fish, a turtle, and birds. Other siblings (I am the oldest of five) had more of the same along with snakes and other reptiles and amphibians and eventually some rats and rabbits as well. I have not personally had a pet since after junior high.

#7. When you were little, what did you want to be when you grew up?
I wanted to be an organist at a baseball stadium. I met Shay Torrent when I was young while he was still playing at Anaheim Stadium for the Angels. I thought that combination of baseball and music was about as good as it could get.

#8. Who is the most famous person you've met?
For part of third grade I sat next to Snoop. Otherwise, the only president I saw in person was Jimmy Carter at the LA county fair while he was campaigning. I sat on my dad's shoulders so I could see even though I had no clue who he was at the time. I have also met many musicians over the years (mostly bluegrass and folk types) and Alison Krauss would be my favorite. I have caught about a dozen of her shows and after one of them she recognized me from a previous show and stopped to talk for a moment.

#15. If someone, who's never been to where you live, was coming to visit and you got to play tour guide, where would you take them?
I don't really get out that much, but I still don't know of anything interesting here in San Jose. Whenever someone visits we always go somewhere else like San Francisco or Santa Cruz.

#17. What's your favorite SongFight song from your own archive?
June Bug was the most fun I have had recording and I still enjoy listening to it.

-andy