From: Automatic digest processor To: Recipients of SOMMS digests Subject: SOMMS Digest - 31 May 1999 to 1 Jun 1999 Date: Tuesday, June 01, 1999 2:00 AM There are 15 messages totalling 738 lines in this issue. Topics of the day: 1. SU vinyl & TDITTL vinyl (4) 2. Patches pals 3. matt cameron news 4. almighty dollar (2) 5. BMF/SOMMS 6. almighty dollar.....+ my 2 cents 7. "I'll call you beautiful if I call at all..." (2) 8. $$$$$$ 9. Stop The Flaming 10. turn on vh1 RIGHT NOW To UNSUBSCRIBE from SOMMS, send email to LISTSERV@MITVMA.MIT.EDU with the following in the body of your message: SIGNOFF SOMMS ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 31 May 1999 02:18:19 -0500 From: Kendrick Kay Subject: Re: SU vinyl & TDITTL vinyl >info on this? You know, how many pressed, how rare it is, how much its >worth, blah blah blah. Thanks. i've been wondering about the whole vinyl/rare/collector's thing.. for those who do collect things and care about how many pressed, etc., can you explain how doing that makes you feel? personally, i own only the official albums, Alive in the Superunknown (for the extra computer stuff), tons of bootlegs (on CD-R and video, no "real" bootlegs), t-shirts (only the ones that look stylish (to wear that is)), and posters (only the nicely designed ones (that I would/do display)).. singles do not seem to be cost-effective to me.. neither does owning the compilation albums... (though i do have all of the recordings in some form.) and vinyl seems like an inferior and inconvenient recording medium (i.e., playing it repeatedly degrades the sound quality??). i'm just wondering what attracts people to collect stuff like that. (plus, i wonder what drives people to own "real" bootleg CDs, instead of CD copies.) I guess this post is somewhat general, but it strikes deep ... concerns.. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 31 May 1999 02:26:14 EDT From: Niki Freer Subject: Re: SU vinyl & TDITTL vinyl In a message dated 5/30/99 11:15:35 PM Pacific Daylight Time, kay@FAS.HARVARD.EDU writes: << i'm just wondering what attracts people to collect stuff like that. (plus, i wonder what drives people to own "real" bootleg CDs, instead of CD copies.) >> mmmmmmm. vinyl just looks soooo cool. and it has this smell............ there are so many more things you can do with a 12'' piece of wax than a tiny little CD or cassette. ya know? just more options. some songs just... sound better with a bit of scratchy hissy poping in the background. lends it some... earthy feel. i can imagine DOTU sounding heavenly on vinyl! if i had a turntable that worked, i'd put my vinyl to good use for sure. i think a lot of it is the charm of little trinkets like that. and some of us dont have CD burners orthat type of thing. theres' nothing like an original copy of soemthing, ya know? like, would you like to have everyone of your cds a burn off of the original, have none of the artwork, etc. i love the artwork of albums in a way that enhances the music itself. maybe thats' jsut me because i'm an arty person and do a lot of artworkmyself, but i just... find it amazing. now, that doesnt go for bootlegs beacuse they're usually just crappy live shots thrown together. but still. nothing like an originl copy of something. whats better? a fender strat, or an unknown brand copy of a fender strat? the fender strat is just going to look so much better and make you feel so much better. i agree that a lot of single collecting can turn frivilous [i know i've bought some stupid things in the past] but for some people its just like collecting star wars figures or dolls or anything. except its cds. i understand it. i've done it. but, thats just me. mindriot ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 31 May 1999 18:07:49 +1200 From: Graham Appleby Subject: Patches pals we have finished lectures for this semester, and this week is study week before exams, so instead of lectures we have tutorials for some papers. anyhoo we went to out physics class today, but there was noone there so we were like 'doh! now what do we do!' so we decided to start pressing all the buttons on the control panel in the lecture theatre...this is like the main lecture theatre at my university...and we found the controls for the projector screen and the video/audio equipment, so i ran back to my room and grabbed my motorvision tape, and took it back to the lecture room. then we played it on this massively huge screen with these powerful speakers and me and my friends were like 'yeahyeah!' man it was cool. but after 20 minutes we got scared that someone would come in and kick us out of the university so we turned it off and ran away into the rain. yes sir i like it Graham ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 31 May 1999 02:40:18 -0700 From: alexandre nanoglou Subject: matt cameron news The Conspiracy Continues by Matt Peiken Matt Cameron is one of the lucky ones-artistically and financially enriched for his brush with stardom, able to step away from it with his ego, spirit, and real life intact. Soundgarden's fortune, during the so-called grunge movement of the early '90s, allowed Cameron to buy a modest red brick home with hardwood floors and a basement studio in a mild suburb of Seattle. There, he lives with wife and longtime companion, April, and their new son, Ray. Soundgarden's success also bought Cameron time--not a lifetime's worth, but enough to explore his muse, sink into the deep end of family life, and, closer to forty years old than he is to thirty, have fun with music again before he has to sweat the next paycheck. Some things, of course, had nothing to do with luck. For all the drummers in commercially successful bands, few earn reputations and accolades for helping to shape and define a style of drumming. Like John Bonham and Mitch Mitchell before him, Cameron has shown that heavy drumming doesn't have to be heavy-handed, that it can be expressive. His touch with a ghost note and fluid odd-time rhythms stamped a distinctive character into Badmotorfinger, Superunknown, and the one-time-only side project Temple Of The Dog. You know it's Cameron on the drums. And in this era of Pro Tools, that's an even greater gift to the ear. Cameron went through one of the roughest years of his life in 1997. His father died, his wife suffered a miscarriage, and his band broke up after more than a decade. Soundgarden still had much to say artistically, Cameron says, but its spirit had blackened. By the time the band began touring for Down On The Upside, which proved to be their final album, the members had already aimed their attentions in other directions. Cameron's phone started ringing immediately. Smashing Pumpkins called. So did the Indigo Girls. Cameron performed in a tribute concert to Buddy Rich. And, of course, he parachuted into Pearl Jam to rescue a tour and live album. Pearl Jam has since asked Cameron to shortly join them in the studio. Matt spent much of 1998, though, jamming with friends in the rehearsal studio he still co-owns with his former Soundgarden bandmates. There he indulged what has become his musical focus: Wellwater Conspiracy, a partnership with former Monster Magnet guitarist John McBain. There are two Wellwater Conspiracy records, both recorded on the cheap 'n' easy in Cameron's rehearsal studio. The new disc, Brotherhood Of Electric: Operational Directive(s), is a Doors-ish bow to psychedelic pop, and it spotlights sides of Cameron that never before had an outlet. He wrote or co-wrote nearly every tune, played guitar on many of them, and lent lead vocals to a few. Matt's still trying to figure out how to pull it off on the road. As the record hit shelves earlier this year, Cameron looked more relaxed, happy, and energized than during any previous sit-down Modern Drummer interview--this is his fourth. He talked about the rise and fall of Soundgarden, his view of contemporary rock drumming, and how, regardless of his musical future, he'll never let his drumsticks drop far from his hands. MP: Soundgarden seemed in such a great position to build on its commercial and artistic success at the time of the breakup. What happened? MC: Creatively, I thought we were still viable and could do more records. But our working relationship just wasn't happening at all, and our chemistry as people broke down because of that. No matter how much success you're having, you can't continue working together if you can't communicate. I felt our chemistry had been crumbling for quite a while, probably about a year before we went in to do Down On The Upside. But I started feeling the beginning of the end during those sessions. We didn't come into the studio as a cohesive unit, with all four cylinders burning. There were moments during that session where I felt, "Yeah, we're back. We know how to do this again." But we had some ideas we didn't fully pursue. There was a song, "Christy," that didn't make it on the record, but I thought it was one of the best things we'd ever done. I still felt we had some really good music on that record, but it seemed a shame that we couldn't make it better. And the tour was a total mess. We just had no life, no energy, and I felt we were going through the motions. When we finally decided to break up, it wasn't so much a shock as it was inevitable. But there was a twinge of sadness, too, because this was a band I'd dedicated myself to since the mid-'80s. In another sense, I felt very liberated and free, like a great weight had been lifted off my shoulders. I still feel like those guys are family, and I'm probably better friends with them now than I was toward the end of the band. MP: Was there any sense of panic, like, "What am I going to do now?" MC: No, I always knew I'd have other options, and I had enough confidence in myself that if I didn't get any calls, I could still do my own projects, like Wellwater. Even then, I knew the breakup of Soundgarden would be good for me, in that I could take a step back and think about what I really wanted to do and be free to rediscover myself as a musician. I didn't get a lot of calls, but it wasn't like I wanted to get picked up by another band, at least not right away. MP: Did you also see the breakup as an opportunity to take your drumming, and music in general, in other directions? MC: I've always wanted to play lots of different styles of music. Soundgarden was a really good vehicle for me to dig into and let everyone's influences come out, and I never felt stifled by what we created musically as a band. A lot of times, when a band finds success with a certain style or sound, they have a really hard time breaking away from that to grow as artists. I think Soundgarden did a good job of reinventing itself somewhat with each record. But I've always been the kind of drummer and musician who likes to go outside of what's expected of me, and I've always been able to do more than you necessarily hear with every band I've ever played in. When I was in Soundgarden--and I think John would say the same of Monster Magnet--there were certain roles we were expected to play. I'm not saying that's a negative at all, because my role in Soundgarden was very satisfying. But I've always known I could do more. MP: You've known the guys in Pearl Jam for a long time, but how did your playing with them come about? MC: I guess it was April or May of '98. I gave Stone [Gossard, Pearl Jam guitarist] some Wellwater songs to listen to, because he has a record label. I called him one time and Eddie [Vedder] picks up the phone and says, "Hey, what are you doing this summer?" and I told him I was just gonna be recording with John and hangin' out with April, because she was pregnant then. That's when they told me Jack [Irons] bailed out of the tour pretty abruptly, pretty late in the game. They asked me if I was interested in stepping in, and I said yeah, it sounded like a gas. MP: Did you have to think about it for a while? You'd just stepped out of a big thing and had some good easons to stick around Seattle. MC: I looked at the whole Pearl Jam thing as a really fun opportunity to do another big tour. I mean, if you're gonna tour, the big-money ones are the way to go. I've slept next to too many catboxes in my day to wanna go back to that. Pearl Jam is really well-organized and it turned out to be one of the most enjoyable tours I've ever been on. The mood was more upbeat, and those guys really enjoy playing live, which was a new experience for me. Soundgarden didn't like playing live at all, except in the early days. Once things started exploding for us, we were never really able to catch up with our emotions, in a way. We never sat down and worked on the things we needed to, to keep our band healthy. We'd look at a tour sheet with six or eight months of dates on there, and if your band isn't healthy to begin with, that makes it that much worse. I think some bands just aren't totally comfortable when they take it to the stage, and I think Soundgarden was one of those bands. Initially, when we were doing our van tour, we were pretty kick-ass. But Chris [Cornell, singer] was really, really scared--well, not scared, but he had some comfort issues about going on stage. Towards the end, I thought he really found himself on stage and became a really good performer. But with Pearl Jam, it was really fun to be in that environment. It was a huge arena rock tour--every arena was sold out. They had a jet. They had their own cook. I got to use Jack's wardrobe case. Now, Soundgarden got to a pretty high level, but it was nothing compared to how Pearl Jam does things. They're just a hugely popular band, and it was really interesting to see how low-key they kept it, but still do great shows and make everyone happy. MP: How was the musical mix between you and Pearl Jam? MC: It was great in the sense that they didn't try to tone me down at all. I'm kind of known for playing weird, crazy fills and sometimes playing things I shouldn't be playing, but they loved it--at least from what they told me. They just wanted me to do what I do. But musically, Pearl Jam is one of those bands where everyone supports the vocal. The vocal is the main instrument and everything else takes a back seat. It's not something I'm unable to do, but coming from Soundgarden and now with Wellwater, I like my drum parts to be integral to the songs--hugely integral. Pearl Jam is just a different animal, but it was good for me to work in that realm because it forced me to re-approach and re-examine the way I play. MP: Were you happy with the live record? MC: Yeah. I think the song selection on the disc was a little sleepy at times, because there were definitely more rockers on that tour, but they probably chose those songs because of the sound or some other reasons I'm not sure of. I know some of my tempos were a bit faster than they were used to, and maybe that has something to do with it. But overall, I think it came out great. MP: What are the chances of your joining Pearl Jam on a permanent basis? MC: As of right now, I can't really envision joining a major band like that, especially an established band. It just doesn't seem completely right for me, for what I want to do. I'm trying to get my own thing going, as a person and a musician. That's why Wellwater fits so perfectly for me. MP: As you go along with Wellwater and other projects, do you think drumming is going to become less important or less of a singular focus as you delve more into songwriting, singing, and playing other instruments? MC: No, because I've been pursuing all those things pretty much since high school. And I think a lot of my music and ideas come from playing drums. I approach songwriting very rhythmically. It's really hard for me to sit down and write a folk song. I just can't do it. My music is more riff-based, and it takes me a while to come up with something I like. I'm known for being a drummer, and I'm grateful for that. I was really lucky to be able to grow as a drummer in Soundgarden and other bands I've played in. But I also think it's important as a musician to expand into other areas, be it songwriting or production or whatever. I'm just trying to find another tool as an artist and expand on the tools I already have. ) Copyright 1999 Modern Drummer Publications, Inc. All rights reserved. Take from Modern Drummer _________________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 31 May 1999 10:32:47 GMT From: Piece of Eat Burger Subject: Re: almighty dollar Well Koggle, Since you know me so well, since you're my best friend and since you know everything about me, you must be right. In my eyes, Money=happiness (and i said, not toal happiness, but it does make you happy) That's what i believe anyway, and i don't give a damn what you think, so talk about Soundgarden or something. By the way, your handle is way cool, Koggle. (ok) Peace Piece of Eat Burger >Date: Sun, 30 May 1999 00:06:06 PDT >From: The Koggle >Subject: Re: almighty dollar > > >Soundgarden makes me happy. To get Soundgarden, i need money. Cd's to > >listen > >to, then i need money to buy a cd player, or then i might want to buy a > >tape > >deck to listen on the radio. So for me, I need money to be happy. > >Money=Happiness (not total happiness, but makes you happy) > >Happiness=Soundgarden > > > >Peace > > > >Piece of Eat Burger > >Get out of your materialistic world and maybe you'll start understanding.. >You say: >'Money=Happiness (not total happiness, but makes you happy)' > >you're close but oh so far.. we're talking about real happiness. >Fulfillment.. not this song makes me smile-happiness, but everything is so >perfect i could die today and not feel my life was lacking in >anything-happiness. > >You sign your letter with "Peace" but it means nothing more to you than >just >being something that sounds 'hip'.. or maybe you think it's witty because >of >your handle.. > >arghhh I give up.. It's not my job to explain these sorts of moral theories >to you. It's exhausting and pointless. Believe me this is the last i will >say on this topic. I hope everyone understands what i mean one day, >though.. >Maybe you'll make a gift for someone with your own hands (spending $0) and >when you give it to them they'll shed tears of happiness.. It will change >your life. > >Koggle > > >______________________________________________________ >Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com > ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 31 May 1999 09:21:55 -0400 From: Geoff Kleemola Subject: Re: SU vinyl & TDITTL vinyl I can see where you're coming from Kendrick. I know many of us are students, and are therefore broke. It seems infeasible to spend $25 to $50 or more for a piece of vinyl, when you don't intend to play it. I don't even own a turntable, but I still buy vinyl. Have you ever seen Superunknown on blue vinyl? It's awesome. And it's cool to know that the albun is etched on it. The album artwork is huge compared to a cd. Badmotorfinger on yellow vinyl is also bad-assed. My appreciation of all things vinyl increased greatly when I visited Love Music in Redwood, WA. They have an unbelievable Soundgarden collection on display. I basically buy what I can afford. Geoff ----- Original Message ----- From: Kendrick Kay To: Sent: Monday, May 31, 1999 3:18 AM Subject: Re: SU vinyl & TDITTL vinyl > >info on this? You know, how many pressed, how rare it is, how much its > >worth, blah blah blah. Thanks. > > i've been wondering about the whole vinyl/rare/collector's thing.. for > those who do collect things and care about how many pressed, etc., can you > explain how doing that makes you feel? personally, i own only the official > albums, Alive in the Superunknown (for the extra computer stuff), tons of > bootlegs (on CD-R and video, no "real" bootlegs), t-shirts (only the ones > that look stylish (to wear that is)), and posters (only the nicely designed > ones (that I would/do display)).. singles do not seem to be > cost-effective to me.. neither does owning the compilation albums... > (though i do have all of the recordings in some form.) and vinyl seems > like an inferior and inconvenient recording medium (i.e., playing it > repeatedly degrades the sound quality??). i'm just wondering what attracts > people to collect stuff like that. (plus, i wonder what drives people to > own "real" bootleg CDs, instead of CD copies.) I guess this post is > somewhat general, but it strikes deep ... concerns.. > ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 31 May 1999 13:28:48 EDT From: Eric Odegaard Subject: Re: BMF/SOMMS >Hey SOMMSsters, > >Over this wonderful Memorial Day weekend, I happened to come across a >copy of BMF/SOMMS. If anyone is interested, please reply to me. I will >be selling the CD for the price that I bought it for ($25.00) will an >additional $3 for shipping. > >Have a great Monday off....if you live in the US that is. It was new, wasn't it? I'd hope so, because a used copy of BMF/SOMMS was selling for $12.99 at the Disc Go Round near my school. They are also the only store I've seen sell bootlegs (haven't seen Soundgarden ones though), although I haven't bought any. I bought a used copy of an English import Lithium (Nirvana) single featuring "D7" as a 4th track for only $4.99 over there. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 31 May 1999 14:02:31 -0400 From: Kendrick N Kay Subject: Re: almighty dollar << you're close but oh so far.. we're talking about real happiness. Fulfillment.. not this song makes me smile-happiness, but everything is so perfect i could die today and not feel my life was lacking in anything-happiness. >> hold on. how do you know that Piece of Eat Burger doesn't experience such feelings when she/he listens to Soundgarden? Maybe (and it's not implausible) listening to such music is one of the most pleasing/fulfilling experiences for him/her. << You sign your letter with "Peace" but it means nothing more to you than just being something that sounds 'hip'.. or maybe you think it's witty because of your handle.. >> I don't think you can assume that much. how do you know for sure that Piece of Eat Burger does it because it sounds "hip" or is witty? Signing a letter with "Peace" can in fact represent meaningful intentions. It can reflect a particular perspective on life (namely, one that stresses the importance of easygoingness, cooperation, and general conciliation). On the other hand, maybe he/she does not intend to be very meaningful with his/her signing a letter with "Peace" (i.e., it's just a closing). If this is the case, your attack on him/her is misguided to begin with. << arghhh I give up.. It's not my job to explain these sorts of moral theories to you. >> you have not suggested any deep moral theories. all you have asserted (this is my _interpretation_, as you are not very explicit/clear in your explanation) is that there are different levels of happiness and that materialism lies on a lower level of happiness. but even this idea is not definite--maybe for some people, buying expensive houses/cars/etc. is the highest form of happiness for them (which I personally find disturbing). and moreover, who has the final word on the matter?--only that person himself/herself (i.e., how do you know what someone else _feels_?). maybe for you (and for me, too), there are pleasures higher than materialism, but to declare that this is the truth for everyone is nonsensical (that is, unless you have a biological measure of pleasure, which is not that implausible for the future). and in any case, Piece of Eat Burger merely stated that "money=happiness" to the extent that money is needed to achieve the happiness given by the music of soundgarden--that was it. your attack was unfounded. please use better sense in the future. Kendrick ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 31 May 1999 16:49:34 EDT From: Michelle Herndon Subject: Re: SU vinyl & TDITTL vinyl speaking on the issue of vinyl..strictly as one of those old people pushing 40..cassettes& CDs have never lived up to the magic of vinyl...its apples and oranges i guess.....Michelle ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 31 May 1999 17:19:46 EDT From: Michelle Herndon Subject: Re: almighty dollar.....+ my 2 cents mums the word...huh koggle? S doesn't =happiness but its a damn close facsimile...i understand your point koggle.....moral issues and all...im just wondering which of us would part with our S collections and for what cause....materialistic,soundgarden grubbing addict that i am, well youd just have to pry it from my cold dead hands......and when you face the facts...money sure as hell does=soundgarden.....oh im going to shut-up now...and slither back into lurker mode. Michelle ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 31 May 1999 19:42:56 EDT From: Catherine Veit Subject: "I'll call you beautiful if I call at all..." the july issue of A.P. mag is out ( chili peppers cover) soundgarden was chosen as one of the 14 bands/artists who shaped A.P. Magazine into what it has become, what that is exactly is up for deliberation, but still! you gotta see chris in this one gals..they picked a honey of a shot! giggling non-stop here...i feel just as i did while gazing through Bop and Tiger Beat for those cheesy yet fetching photos of river and keanu!! -cats4kim (yeah, yeah..i know!) ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 31 May 1999 17:10:28 PDT From: thomas brinkerhoff Subject: $$$$$$ Who the hell do u think u are Koggle?? U always Put other people down for their views and opinions on different subjects... Just cuz u may not agree w/Piece of Eat Burger, doesn't mean he/she's wrong...U always believe u r the right one, and u do assume way to fucking much....And then burger puts "peace" at the end of his/her e-mail, and u go off on it...Why?...I don't know why u seem kinda bitchy at times, i don't really care either....But u're just making SOMMS a worse place by shutting people up and telling them what to think....later>> <<>> joe667* _______________________________________________________________ Get Free Email and Do More On The Web. Visit http://www.msn.com ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 31 May 1999 18:59:21 PDT From: Dave George-Cosh Subject: Stop The Flaming Hey y'all, I'm going to come out and say it, SOMMS has become a worse place due to all the flaming that has occured recently. One or two posts is ok, but when it comes to a point where half the mail I receive has one user putting another down, it gets to the point where I have to write this letter. I hate calling myself a vet on SOMMS, as there are quite a few which have longer tenures than I, but I've been here for 3 years. The flame wars come and go, but I can see that once one starts, its tough to get it to stop, and usually the only for it to stop if for Seth to cancel some accounts. We all love Soundgarden, if not, we wouldn't be on this list, would we? The band might not exist anymore, but its music and philosophies do. I'd rather discuss those aspects of Soundgarden, rather than putting someone down based on their opinions. If you do have something to say, and if you intend it to be a harse message, please due it privately. I'm not fully sure how many SOMMSters are out there, but I'm sure each one hates getting a flame. Just my thoughts on the matter. Dave =====================---------------------================== http://come.to/rftcfp The Rocket From The Crypt Fun Page.... You're playing with gas, You're playing with fire, You're playing with matches, You're playing like LIARS! -- U.S. Army, Rocket From The Crypt =====================---------------------================== ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 1 Jun 1999 00:04:56 EDT From: Niki Freer Subject: turn on vh1 RIGHT NOW because at the end of this half hour show, the rock show, they're going to play "blow up the outside world" the video. well. ok not the end, but i'm betting it's the last video of the 4 they play. the vh1 rock show. check yr local listings. i'm on the east and my friends on the west so it's on everywhere right now. ozzy's "iron man is onright now. enjoy! mindriot ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 1 Jun 1999 06:56:30 +0100 From: Deborah Baker Subject: Re: "I'll call you beautiful if I call at all..." > the july issue of A.P. mag is out ( chili peppers cover) soundgarden was > chosen as one of the 14 bands/artists who shaped A.P. Magazine into what it > has become, Wow - and they did that with just one major feature (1994) in said magazine throughout their entire career! :-; And in an article which began: "Just when you thought Soundgarden were safely relegated to the pages of Circus magazine between hair farmers with spandex-encased cucumbers--what's this?!" Deborah ------------------------------ End of SOMMS Digest - 31 May 1999 to 1 Jun 1999 ***********************************************