meeting Jay and the boys

sam6025 · Post by **sam6025** » Thu May 31, 2007 9:58 am

Hey, I've had Jay speak to ME on an occassion, so I know he can be friendly...but like myself, I think he shys away from dealing with large groups of strangers.

I mean, I can talk to people via a message board and whatnot all day. In person, I won't talk nearly as much. Not because of the person, just the scenario of being surrounded by people I don't know and aren't comfortable with. It's taken me a year to get comfortable talking between songs at our shows.

countryfeedback · Post by **countryfeedback** » Thu May 31, 2007 9:29 am

Ok, so this is the post that others believe may have sent Calexico packing. Now I remember.

Sam, very interesting point. I think your comment about Jay playing smaller clubs than Tweedy, may cause a bit of a riot around here, but I completely agree.

p.s. Does Calexico really look like the dude on the Blue Bell box? That alone may have caused him to ditch the board.

sam6025 · Post by **sam6025** » Thu May 31, 2007 9:04 am

Wow, I wish I had been around for this thread.

Spencer doesn't represent a lot of musicians, I can say that. I've known a lot of musicians, played in some bands and spent damn near a decade doing music journalism (read: being a super-fanboy). I've met a few great artists and most have been gracious and friendly.

Some people just don't feel comfortable around people. It's why they're musicians. While most kids were out playing sports, picking up chicks and being hoodlums, these fine folks were at home learning to play guitar.

And as with some "outsider" kids, once they get an avenue to be cool in someone's eyes, they turn into the same asshole kids they once hated. Trashing letters, being annoyed by people wanting to hang with them for a second.

In the end, musicians need to realize, they're doing nothing earth-shattering, they're using steel, wood, plastic, nylon and various other substances to make noise. It's nothing that deserves them any special praise, they're less useful in society than a garbage man...at least in function. Sure, the great songwriters bring a little more. They give people sometime to rally around and an avenue for inspiration.

Hired gun musicians are no better than office workers...most are just as bitter as the asshole guy in accounting because they are stuck working a gig for someone else and being told what to do. They should be thankful they get to meet interesting people and enjoy a life like being a musician.

Being rude, disregarding or anti-social with your customers is bad business. It's the reason Jay Farrar is playing small clubs and Jeff Tweedy is playing arenas. While I think Jay is more psychological, he's afraid of people, (I'm much the same, hate groups of people)...some musicians are just assholes who feel better than their fans (see Spencer's comments above). If you treat your fans nice, they will come back...if you're a prick, you will fade away or spend your career on a downward path.

While in a way, Spencer's rant held some good advice...If I was a musician that paid him to play to my music, I'd be one pissed off boss if I saw that. Don't need your employees making you look bad to your customers.

Lawrence Fan · Post by **Lawrence Fan** » Wed Apr 25, 2007 5:51 pm

megaballs1 wrote:'Hey Jay, Did you get the name "primatives" from "Ride My Llama"?

or

"What's up with the Blues this year?

Better than they were last year, that's fo sho!

megaballs1 · Post by **megaballs1** » Wed Apr 25, 2007 5:25 pm

'Hey Jay, Did you get the name "primatives" from "Ride My Llama"?

or

"What's up with the Blues this year?

Talus · Post by **Talus** » Wed Apr 25, 2007 9:29 am

So Surge has suddenly become funny. Must be a plague of locusts coming.

Spark Mensa · Post by **Spark Mensa** » Wed Apr 25, 2007 9:02 am

sturgeongeneral wrote:Fan: Hi Jay, it me again.
Jay: Oh yeah, you're the guy with the yeast infection.
Fan: No, I only smell of yeast due to what I do for a living.
Jay: Where are the red shoes.
Fan: Listen Jay, that is a sore subject and a very old joke that is not funny anymore. Please quit beating a dead horse(shoe).
Jay: Uh, you also smell like frozen pizza and frozen tator tots.
Fan: That's because they are my next door neighbors.
Jay: Umm.
Fan: I have a couple of ideas for your setlist and some covers that I would recommend. How about 'Bad Buns Rising" or 'Lost Without Your Love' by my favorite group, Bread?
Jay: (muttering under his breath as he walks away) I need to find another way to make a living.

Far from walking away: Jay, like any self-respecting Seals and Crofts fan, would slit your throat in an explosion of rage for the mere suggestion.

ScottZeagle · Post by **ScottZeagle** » Wed Apr 25, 2007 8:50 am

sturgeongeneral wrote:Fan: Hi Jay, it me again.
Jay: Oh yeah, you're the guy with the yeast infection.
Fan: No, I only smell of yeast due to what I do for a living.
Jay: Where are the red shoes.
Fan: Listen Jay, that is a sore subject and a very old joke that is not funny anymore. Please quit beating a dead horse(shoe).
Jay: Uh, you also smell like frozen pizza and frozen tator tots.
Fan: That's because they are my next door neighbors.
Jay: Umm.
Fan: I have a couple of ideas for your setlist and some covers that I would recommend. How about 'Bad Buns Rising" or 'Lost Without Your Love' by my favorite group, Bread?
Jay: (muttering under his breath as he walks away) I need to find another way to make a living.

Ouch....that's gonna leave a mark.

Linwood Thorpe · Post by **Linwood Thorpe** » Wed Apr 25, 2007 7:42 am

Fenrisinho wrote:
Dude, Bruce Campell is from Royal Oak, just a few blocks northa here!

YO! How you doing?

I see there are some Thorpe Originals up there...

sturgeongeneral · Post by **sturgeongeneral** » Wed Apr 25, 2007 6:20 am

Fan: Hi Jay, it me again.
Jay: Oh yeah, you're the guy with the yeast infection.
Fan: No, I only smell of yeast due to what I do for a living.
Jay: Where are the red shoes.
Fan: Listen Jay, that is a sore subject and a very old joke that is not funny anymore. Please quit beating a dead horse(shoe).
Jay: Uh, you also smell like frozen pizza and frozen tator tots.
Fan: That's because they are my next door neighbors.
Jay: Umm.
Fan: I have a couple of ideas for your setlist and some covers that I would recommend. How about 'Bad Buns Rising" or 'Lost Without Your Love' by my favorite group, Bread?
Jay: (muttering under his breath as he walks away) I need to find another way to make a living.

Fenrisinho · Post by **Fenrisinho** » Tue Apr 24, 2007 8:53 pm

Linwood Thorpe wrote:
Mark Spencer wrote:
trousersnakeandlarry wrote:The last time I tried to talk to Mark Spencer after a show we ended up arguing for two hours about how many squares of toilet paper you should wipe with. Then I taught him how to play Smoke on the Water. That was awesome.
Yea, sorry I wouldn't let you show me that tune on my guitar but your fingers seemed really brown and smelled funny.
That was probably just the leftover hot fudge sundae he ate between the set and encore. I won't dare explain the smell. Probably onions.

Dude, Bruce Campell is from Royal Oak, just a few blocks northa here!

Fenrisinho · Post by **Fenrisinho** » Tue Apr 24, 2007 8:50 pm

Talus wrote:This is funny:

Grifterwithafunnylittleha · Tue Apr 24, 2007 7:01 pm

It's like the good old days in here again. Record is out. People all riled up.

Likey,

Grifter

calexico · Post by **calexico** » Tue Apr 24, 2007 5:46 pm

Mark Spencer wrote:
TinyElvis wrote:
calexico wrote:
Mark Spencer wrote: this would also be a good rule of thumb for all general living and enjoyment of music and art). Another item widely considered a creepout is the heartfelt 2 to 5 page "special letter" (often delivered, dutifully, to the artist by the GUITAR PLAYER). I am sad to tell some of you future gut-spillers how often those land in the dust-bin like so many cute, dead, chipmunks....YIKES!
Jesus, you are a petty little prick. Anyone reading this would think you were a successful rock musician.

Thanks for the advice on how to live and appreciate works of art. What would we have done without you?
Ditto.

maybe you need to read this book...

Nah, but while perusing that site I did notice this:

Ghost in Me (THIS TITLE IS CURRENTLY NOT AVAILABLE)
Mark Spencer
Amazon.com Sales Rank: #706,987 in Music

Perfect from Now On: How Indie Rock Saved My Life
John Sellers
Amazon.com Sales Rank: #13,475 in Books

But hey, you made the charts....way to go trooper.

Talus · Post by **Talus** » Tue Apr 24, 2007 5:19 pm

The feet thing has been done to death...

meeting Jay and the boys

SON VOLT is cool.