HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: Gerald.Bliss@f281.n120.z1.fidonet.org
Newsgroups: alt.music.filk
Subject: Myth Debunking 201, part
X-Sender: newtout 0.02 Nov 17 1992
Date: 15 Nov 92  09:26:00

 On 11-11-92 Usenet wrote to All... 
 
 U > Organization: Sophomore, H&SS general, Carnegie Mellon, Pittsburgh, PA 
 U > From: Eli Brian Goldberg <eg1n+@andrew.cmu.edu> 
 U > Message-ID: Yf0L9le00iUz84uFhu@andrew.cmu.edu 
 U > Newsgroups: alt.music.filk 
 U > 
 U > I've _been_ accused of having guitar talent by a few filkers recently, 
 U > including Fish, and while I don't have any other option other than 
 U > smiling 
 U > and say thanks (or buying my face in my jacket and running away ;-), I 
 U > am quite convinced that ... at least in terms of the guitar (I'll 
 U > preach 
 U > about voice after I do 3.4 years of voice lessons ;-) ... it was 
 U > _purely_ a 
 U > matter of effort.  By your definition, I don't have talent on the 
 U > guitar.  [And 
U > I don't purport to, either.]  But I'm being accused of having it 
 U > because 
 U > I play the guitar fairly competently, which I think drives back the 
 U > previous 
 U > point that people consistently confuse this mythical talent for 
 U > hundreds of 
 U > hours of hard work! 
 U > 
 U > I'm willing to believe that talent is born experience PLUS a 
 U > multiplication 
 U > factor of the benefit derived from practicing, AND that this factor is 
 U > not constant, in that when people practice enough, it may or may not 
 U > reach 
 U > the same level of so-called "talented" people. 
 
In my own case, I can vouch for being able to play almost any instrument 
within a period of hours-to-days of struggle, which I consider to be 
talent.  However, I can only achieve a certain level of ability on each 
instrument, where I seem to freeze - almost regardless of the amount of 
heavy practice I put into it. 
 
I'm a fair guitarist, and I learned the thing in about a week of 
nonchalant practice.  But nobody would confuse me with Leslie Fish, let 
alone Stan Rogers or Gordon Bok, and there's not a bloody thing I can do 
about it.  I have gotten slightly better over the last 25 years, but not 
_significantly_ better. 
 
I was a brass instrument player in my youth.  My high school band 
director wanted me to try oboe.  I was playing the damm thing within 8 
days, and was up to par with the rest of a very good high school band 
within two weeks, and never got much better than that. 
 
Talent ain't all it's cracked up to be.  Either that or there are widely 
varying levels of talent. 
 
... OFFLINE 1.39 * The best way to accelerate a Mac is at 9.8 m/s^2 

--- DCQwk/T.A.G.  1.4a
From: Mary.Creasey@f524.n102.z1.fidonet.org
Newsgroups: alt.music.filk
Subject: Re: Looking for a song
X-Sender: newtout 0.02 Nov 17 1992
Date: 21 Nov 92 06:12:17

If it'll help anyone, I think I remember Duane Elms doing this at 
ConChord 3. I'll have to dig out my tapes of that one...
If I remember correctly, it was during his concert set.


---
Newsgroups: alt.music.filk
From: lola@lucid.com (Lola McCrary)
Subject: Re: answering machine filx
Organization: Lucid, Inc.
Date: Wed, 18 Nov 92 01:07:03 GMT


to the tune of the theme from Gilligan's Island

This is the tale of her wanderings,
Lola's gone for a short, short time.
Leave her a message, and she'll call you back.
Wait for the beep.

Lola
From: William.Hughes@f255.n387.z1.fidonet.org
Newsgroups: alt.music.filk
Subject: New Filk
X-Sender: newtout 0.02 Nov 17 1992
Date: 16 Nov 92  12:29:00

KS> WH>I wish I could, I really do, but creativity is not one of my
  > strong suits -- and I am not musically trained. At best, all I could
  > do would be to write lyrics to an existing tune or chant.
KS>What do you think a hefty portion of filks ARE?  There are a number of
  >reasons for this too - not always feelings of musical incompetance.
  >Most of my early published stuff is to other peoples' tunes and not
  >because I couldn't write my own.  You're far more likely to have your
  >songs _sung_ if they're to known tunes unless you're lucky enough to
  >have 'em recorded on a popular tape.  There's nothing wrong with that
  >approach.

Perhaps not, but it is beginning to look (from my point of view) like
current filk is more oriented towards completely new material, rather
than rewriting lyrics for older tunes. And of the few filks I have seen
that are rewrites, the tune is an original composition I've never heard
of! Particularly annoying when the tune is from an earler, original
filk -- which I've never heard.

For reference purposes, I dropped out of active filking shortly after
"Minus 10 and Counting" was released.


 * SLMR 2.1a * St. Dismas' Infirmary for the Incurably Informed

--- MsgToss 2.0b (r)
Newsgroups: alt.music.filk
From: chris@keris.demon.co.uk (Chris Croughton)
Subject: Myth Debunking, blah, blah... 
Distribution: world
Organization: Keristor Systems
Date: Sat, 14 Nov 1992 22:14:54 +0000


In article <Af1GAiS00awAA0xlJI@andrew.cmu.edu> eg1n+@andrew.cmu.edu writes:

>Alas, Mary lives on the other coast, Leslie shows up every other year
>to EC cons, and is very generous with what little spare time she has,
>Kristoph Klover's on the other coast, Mike Whitaker seemed like he was too
>busy at WorldCon, Roger Scime's somewhere in Arizona, and I don't think
>Joe Bethancourt ever comes to the East Coast.   In other words, I'm stuck
>teaching myself for the most part... ;)

Well, Mike also has this accomodation problem - he lives in Cambridge,
ENGLAND (not Mass.)!  He's the furthest away (I think) of all those you
mentioned...  Nearer to me, of course (although I haven't seen him since
MagiCon)...

Did he just 'seem' busy, or did you actually ask him?  He's normally
very willing to give instruction, or talk, or whatever (of course, he
was doing several programme items)...

>Hmm...I must admit that I have the bad habit of avoiding people who
>I consider to have extremely bad circle manners, so I tend not to associate
>with most filkhogs I've met.  Most filkhogs I've seen just tend to be people
>who are extremely insecure and need to prove to the people that they're
>"good" by singing a lot.

Bad habit?  I don't think so - it sounds like self-defense to me...

With filkhogs being 'insecure' [note that I'm not doubting that you've
met them!], I think it's the same excuse that's often given for why some
school kids bully others - that they are really insecure and
overcompensate.  I don't doubt that it happens, but it doesn't make them
any more popular...  I think that there's also the large number (I don't
know if it's 'most') of prolific writers who (understandably) want to
play / sing their latest songs.  Since one person may have 10-12 new
songs, that's an hour or two gone...  Put a few of them together, and
that's until breakfast <g>...  And it's not their fault, generally
(IMO, of course).

***********************************************************************
*  chris@keris.demon.co.uk      *                                     *
*  chriscr@cix.compulink.co.uk  *  FIAWOL (Filking Is A Way Of Life)  *
*  100014.3217@compuserve.com   *                                     *
***********************************************************************
From: Deborah.Weiss@f524.n102.z1.fidonet.org
Newsgroups: alt.music.filk
Subject: Filking at Loscon 1992
X-Sender: newtout 0.02 Nov 17 1992
Date: 16 Nov 92 23:48:33

Nick Smith has just informed me of filk activities at Loscon 1992 and asked me 
to pass the info on.  To wit:
 
        SATURDAY, 11/28
        ---------------
 
        4:00 PM        Panel: "What Is Filk?" with Nick Smith & others
 
        5:00 PM        Concert:        LA Filkharmonics
                                       Leslie Fish
 
Alas, Harold Groot has just broken his arm & Windbourne will not be attending 
the con.
 
Of course, there will be open filking throughout the con.  See you there!  (At 
the LAX Marriott, Friday - Sunday, 11/27 - 11/29.)


---
From: Joe.Bethancourt@f72.n114.z1.fidonet.org
Newsgroups: alt.music.filk
Subject: Re: myth debunking 101
X-Sender: newtout 0.02 Nov 17 1992
Date: 18 Nov 92  08:31:00

 -=> Lynn Gold said to All on 11-14-92  11:24 <=-

 LG> full-time and had no time for anything else.  Still, my guitar playing
 LG> is at best, passable. My left hand has suffered permanent nerve damage,
 LG> and I'm just not that coordinated to begin with.  All the practice in
 LG> the world isn't going to change that.

I would offer as a suggestion what I am doing with one of my students who
has both VERY tiny hands AND some nerve damage....retune the guitar to an
"open G" tuning (DGDGBD) and use 5-string banjo chords on it. Most of these
chordings can be made with only the first three fingers of the left hand,
or can be made by a straight barre across the appropriate fret. Key changes
can be handled by use of a capo, or by other open tunings, such as "open
E" (favored by Joni Mitchell) (EBEG#BE) and the like.

Try it. It just might open the guitar up for you.

Either that, or decide to be -really- annoying (like me!) and learn bodhran.

<evil grin!>


... The filk was great at this year's WesterCon!


--- WM v2.04/92-0475
From: Mike.Liebmann@f524.n102.z1.fidonet.org
Newsgroups: alt.music.filk
Subject: Re: Sandworm on the Roof.
X-Sender: newtout 0.02 Nov 17 1992
Date: 21 Nov 92 07:45:38

You may have started it, but now you have to do the WHOLE THING!
 
(hot frogs on the loose!!!!!)


---
From: Jeff.McClinton@f148.n129.z1.fidonet.org
Newsgroups: alt.music.filk
Subject: Huh????
X-Sender: newtout 0.02 Nov 17 1992
Date: 18 Nov 92  15:44:06

On <16 Nov 92  09:16:34> Eli Brian Goldberg lost it all and babbled the
following...

 Us> I recall being told by a filker that the area of the brain that deals
 Us> with math also deals with music.

 Us> Have any other filkers experienced a serious decline in mathematical
 Us> abilities after getting musically obsessed? (other than what would be
 Us> reasonably expected from a lack of practice?)

I've always been great at music, writing it and singing it and playing it,
but my math skills are worthless.  My brother is excellent at math, having
received a 5 on the AP Math test in high school and something in the 700s
on the SATs, yet his musical abilities are akin to a garbage disposal unit.
<g>

Jeff

... DOS = HIGH?  You know, I *thought* it was on SOMEthing!
--- Blue Wave/Max v2.10
From: Thomas.Baird@f2309.n151.z1.fidonet.org
Newsgroups: alt.music.filk
Subject: Filk?
X-Sender: newtout 0.02 Nov 17 1992
Date: 18 Nov 92  11:21:02

What is filk... the French version of Milk?

--- GEcho 1.00
Newsgroups: alt.music.filk
From: dani@netcom.com (Dani Zweig)
Subject: Re: Stave The Wails
Organization: Netcom - Online Communication Services  (408 241-9760 guest) 
Date: Sat, 21 Nov 1992 22:30:10 GMT

Kay.Shapero@f524.n102.z1.fidonet.org:
>Just looked and Little Teeny Eyes is ALSO in Stave the Wails. 

But what *tape* is it on?  I've looked and asked, and as near as
I can figure out, the song is in StW because it's a neat song,
not because Wail Songs carries it in any other format.  Or do they?

-----
Dani Zweig
dani@netcom.com

   Aphorism is better than none.
From: Kay.Shapero@f524.n102.z1.fidonet.org
Newsgroups: alt.music.filk
Subject: Wolfrider's Reflections
X-Sender: newtout 0.02 Nov 17 1992
Date: 17 Nov 92  09:38:24

As you'll note from Deborah's earlier comment, The Filking Times is up and
running again, with Issue 34, dated November 1992.  On the very first page is 
an announcement a lot of us are going to be glad to see:  The tape of Elfquest 
filk entitled "A Wolfrider's Reflections", originally issued by Off Centaur
and long, alas, out of print is being re-released by WaRP Graphics.  It's been 
remastered, and will be available on both cassette AND compact disc!  Which
latter I'm glad to see as Vicky has been practically wearing out my copy of
the tape...

For the rest of the article and a _lot_ of other interesting information, see 
the Filking Times. 

--- msged 2.06
From: Deborah.Weiss@f524.n102.z1.fidonet.org
Newsgroups: alt.music.filk
Subject: TFT Issue #34 Just Released
X-Sender: newtout 0.02 Nov 17 1992
Date: 16 Nov 92 23:46:42

The Filking Times Issue #34 has just been reproed & dropped in the U.S. Mail
at the Orange County Main Post Office.  Check your mailboxes over the next few 
days!
 
Deborah Weiss
(Sticky-Tongued Stamp Licker)


---
From: UUCP@ofa123.fidonet.org
Newsgroups: alt.music.filk
Subject: Re:  Pagan Yule Carols
Date: 21 Nov 92 14:50:48 GMT
X-Sender: newtout 0.02 Nov 17 1992

From: MLW@MATH.AMS.ORG 
From  ucivax!vs3002.ams.com!math.ams.org!mlw
Cc:   MLW@MATH.AMS.ORG

AAH, the filk process strikes again.  I have a 1987 ammended version of
"Christians Roasting" from Land of the lost.  Permission given by Agni
Runningweed to pass it on.
WARNING:  The following may offend some of the same folks as last year's
discussion from about this time.  Apologies in advance.  The Weed is -as
ever- about as subtle as the proverbial concrete boulder.

Christians roasting on an open fire
Druids cutting mistletoe
Screams as the flames start to rise ever higher
And folks dressed up like buffalo
Everybody knows some frankincence, a little myrrh
Make the sacrifice go right
Those who know that tomorrow they'll glow
May find it hard to sleep tonight.

They know tomorrow is the day
When like they've never prayed before they'd better pray
They'll fold their hands in supplication to they sky
When they see witches really know how to fly

So I'm hoping that this simple fare
Will slake old Mabon's appetite
Tho' later on it was us they would light
we're roasting Christians, roasting Christians
Roasting Christians tonight.


rom  ucivax!vs3002.ams.com!math.ams.org!mlw
From: MLW@MATH.AMS.ORG ("Maxine L. Wolfson")
To:   filk.ml-error@ofa123.fidonet.orgDate: 19 Nov 1992 11:57:49 -0500 (EST)
Cc:   MLW@MATH.AMS.ORGAAH, the filk process strikes again.  I have a 1987
ammended version of
"Christians Roasting" from Land of the lost.  Permission given by Agni
Runningweed to pass it on.WARNING:  The following may offend some of the same 
folks as last year's
discussion from about this time.  Apologies in advance.  The Weed is -as
ever- about as subtle as the proverbial concrete boulder.
Christians roasting on an open fireDruids cutting mistletoeScreams as the
flames start to rise ever higher
And folks dressed up like buffalo
Everybody knows some frankincence, a little myrrhMake the sacrifice go right
Those who know that tomorrow they'll glowMay find it hard to sleep tonight.
They know tomorrow is the dayWhen like they've never prayed before they'd
better pray
They'll fold their hands in supplication to they skyWhen they see witches
really know how to fly
So I'm hoping that this simple fareWill slake old Mabon's appetite
Tho' later on it was us they would lightwe're roasting Christians, roasting
Christians
Roasting Christians
From: Dave.Aronson@p11.f120.n109.z1.fidonet.org
Newsgroups: alt.music.filk
Subject: Pagan Yule Carols
Date: 17 Nov 92 21:59:18 GMT
X-Sender: newtout 0.02 Nov 17 1992


 KL> I'm looking for Pagan or Paganized carols for the Yule 
 KL> circle this coming December.

At the risk of being highly offensive (so what else is new?), I'll post the
start of a Roman Saturnalia carol that I don't know the rest of:

    Christians roasting on an open fire,
    Lions nibbling at their toes....

--- Maximus 2.01wb
From: Mary.Creasey@f524.n102.z1.fidonet.org
Newsgroups: alt.music.filk
Subject: Practice
X-Sender: newtout 0.02 Nov 17 1992
Date: 19 Nov 92 13:15:15

Not NEARLY enough; if we didn't have once-a-month LAFA meetings,
I'd let it slip even more. I TRY to play at least once a week to
keep the callouses hard; even my light-action Guild 12-string will 
let you know if you've left it too long. [Guild D-212, bought 1985,
for those into such details.]
But every now & then I get it out for no special reason and run 
through half-a-dozen memorized songs, or a few Kippled Fish riffs,
or something...maybe I'm waiting for the next song to come out; I
haven't written one in a year and a half.


---
From: Suzanne.Buck@f12.n312.z1.fidonet.org
Newsgroups: alt.music.filk
Subject: Dementoids in SLC
Date: 14 Nov 92 05:56:43 GMT
X-Sender: newtout 0.02 Nov 17 1992


 KS> KRSP    103.5      UT   Salt Lake City              10 pm

Actually, it now comes on at midnight here (much to my dismay; Monday morning
comes too early for me...)


--- Blue Wave/TG v2.10 [NR]
From: lanih@herald.Berkeley.EDU (J. Lani Herrmann)
Newsgroups: alt.music.filk
Subject: Re: Pagan Yule Carols
Date: 20 Nov 1992 11:00:09 GMT
Organization: University of California, Berkeley
NNTP-Posting-Host: herald.berkeley.edu

This is a parody which I have heard attributed to Joseph Hickerson of the
Archive of Folk Culture, Library of Congress. He is a renowned (and
fundamentally unintentional, if unregenerate) punster, has the memory of
a rhinoceros, and collects parodies. (He's also a cracking good reference
librarian.) Anyway, the rest of it goes:

	Christians roasting on an open fire,
	Lions nibbling on their toes.
	Pagan carols sung by a choir,
	Soldiers raffling off their clothes,
		Everybody knows
	Why Nero played his violin:
	Ancient Rome was all aglow.
	One dead Jew, or an Arab or two,
	Merry Christmas, that's all.

(Do I really need to post a disclaimer?) -- Lani
From: bard@spuddy.uucp (Mike Whitaker)
Newsgroups: alt.music.filk
Subject: Re: Myth Debunking, blah, blah...
Date: 18 Nov 92 22:48:46 GMT
Organization: Spuddy's Public Usenet Domain

In article <721779294snx@keris.demon.co.uk> chris@keris.demon.co.uk (Chris Croughton) writes:
>
>In article <Af1GAiS00awAA0xlJI@andrew.cmu.edu> eg1n+@andrew.cmu.edu writes:
>
>>Alas, Mary lives on the other coast, Leslie shows up every other year
>>to EC cons, and is very generous with what little spare time she has,
>>Kristoph Klover's on the other coast, Mike Whitaker seemed like he was too
>>busy at WorldCon, Roger Scime's somewhere in Arizona, and I don't think
>>Joe Bethancourt ever comes to the East Coast.   In other words, I'm stuck
>>teaching myself for the most part... ;)
>
>Well, Mike also has this accomodation problem - he lives in Cambridge,
>ENGLAND (not Mass.)!  He's the furthest away (I think) of all those you
>mentioned...  Nearer to me, of course (although I haven't seen him since
>MagiCon)...
>
>Did he just 'seem' busy, or did you actually ask him?  He's normally
>very willing to give instruction, or talk, or whatever (of course, he
>was doing several programme items)...
I plead guilt to neglect at WorldCon. My heavy social schedule did include a
promise to Eli to show him "Skybound blues", but it never happened due mostly
to Anne landing me with other engagements (that's my future wife!).. e.g. we're
out to dinner with Bill Sutton 2note.. you did remember we promised to help Bob
with the Wailsongs stall... etcetc

I'm truly sorry Eli. Ther WILL be a next time and you have my full permission
to sit on me and (if you dare) tell what will then be my wife to take a hike!
-- 
    "Bard's just *know* things" - Me to the Grey Lady, in a rash moment
E-mail to: mikew@mdcbbs.com, mwhitaker@cix.compulink.co.uk or bard@spuddy.uucp
And remember folks, Spuddy sez dial 0203 638780 for free Usenet access - Mrowr
Newsgroups: alt.music.filk
From: chris@keris.demon.co.uk (Chris Croughton)
Subject: Re: Wolfrider 
Distribution: world
Organization: Keristor Systems
X-Mailer: Simple NEWS 1.90c (ka9q DIS 1.18, CC 1.18c)
Date: Sun, 22 Nov 1992 17:17:00 +0000


In article <Ef3ZYs200awEQsllgZ@andrew.cmu.edu> eg1n+@andrew.cmu.edu writes:

>It's not like people aren't copying all the out of print tapes for
>people who want them anyway; it would, of course, be preferable to see
>the songwriters and performers properly compensated...  ;-)

Well, I think most of us would agree that we'd *rather* have the
official tapes.  My (unofficial) policy is that if a tape is OOP, then
I'll copy it for personal use.  If the tape ever gets republished, I'll
buy it.  In that way it's not infringing the 'spirit' of the copyright,
as the original authors etc. aren't losing out - I *want* to pay them
royalties, but I am prevented from doing so by the publishers not
producing the tape.  If I actually know the author, I'll offer to pay
them royalties (just bypassing the publisher) - generally the response
has been "Buy me a drink at the next con, if you feel guilty".

***********************************************************************
*  chris@keris.demon.co.uk      *                                     *
*  chriscr@cix.compulink.co.uk  *  FIAWOL (Filking Is A Way Of Life)  *
*  100014.3217@compuserve.com   *                                     *
***********************************************************************
From: Mary.Creasey@f524.n102.z1.fidonet.org
Newsgroups: alt.music.filk
Subject: Re: New from Saint Iggy!
X-Sender: newtout 0.02 Nov 17 1992
Date: 21 Nov 92 06:20:37

Gaggh! Arrggh! Uh..could you ask Saint Iggy if he'd like this
....uh, work to appear in _The Bastard Children Of Argo_? If
so, please send me a note saying so, with a snailmail address
for his contributor's copy. E-mail is fine. (And if any of you
haven't tried St. Iggy's _Ten Cents A Filk_ filkzine--it's 
quite a bargain--and good, too!)


---
Organization: Sophomore, H&SS general, Carnegie Mellon, Pittsburgh, PA
Newsgroups: alt.music.filk
Date: Mon, 16 Nov 1992 12:16:34 -0500 
From: Eli Brian Goldberg <eg1n+@andrew.cmu.edu>
Subject: Huh????

I recall being told by a filker that the area of the brain that deals with
math also deals with music.

Have any other filkers experienced a serious decline in mathematical abilities
after getting musically obsessed? (other than what would be reasonably expected
from a lack of practice?)
From: Dave.Aronson@p11.f120.n109.z1.fidonet.org
Newsgroups: alt.music.filk
Subject: Re: ConCertino last year/etc
X-Sender: newtout 0.02 Nov  5 1992
Date: 16 Nov 92  10:44:20

phydeaux@src4src.linet.org (Dave Weingart) writes:

 DW> Particle Man, Particle Man, doing the things a particle can...

But can Particle Man do The Wave?

--- Maximus 2.01wb
From: Suzanne.Alexander@f1701.n291.z1.fidonet.org
Newsgroups: alt.music.filk
Subject: Tom Lehrer
Date: 17 Nov 92 23:57:41 GMT
X-Sender: newtout 0.02 Nov 17 1992

On October 16, 1992 (I think) you asked:
 BA> speaking of tom lehrer, does anyone know what happened to him?
(I've been a little slow getting to my mail)

Last I heard, he was still teaching up at the university in Mass. that told 
him he had to stop singing such outrageous songs in order to get his tenure 
(at least, that's the story I was told).  Do you know any more about that?

I wish he would publish some new stuff--I like the way he looks at things.


Suzanne
... File not found. Should I fake it? (Y/N)
--- GEcho 1.00/beta+