My Phil of the missing 25 cents

[tiverson@xxxxxxx (Thor Iverson)]

Ed:

>Sometimes Thor reads my mind. Like, last night I was listening to
>Coverdale/Page, and he called up, screaming, "Turn it off, turn it off!"

Nah, that wasn't me -- I liked C/P.  You sure you weren't playing _FoN_?

> <phone rings>
> Thor: "Hello?"
> Jimmy: "'ello Thor! Would you like a few front row seats? On us!"
> Thor: "No thanks Jimmy, I don't want to see any of the shows because they
>don't have enough *artistic integrity*."
> Jimmy: "Right ..... So I can go scalp them then?"

Joking aside, it has nothing to do with integrity, or the lack thereof.  It
has to do with repetition.  If they're just going to play a bunch of the
same Zeppelin songs they played last time...well, I've already seen that --
6 times.  (And it was very, very good everywhere but New Jersey.)

Of course, if Jimmy actually calls me, I'll have to suggest that he drop
that Phil guy (what is it with them and guys named "Phil"?) and let me play
keyboards for the balance of the tour...

>  Speaking of vocal virtuosity, can anyone who's heard the latest P/P
>material (live or in Clarksdale) comment on Bob' progress with quarter
>tones? It's quarter tones, right? Or is it half-tones? Well, if you know
>what I mean, you know what I mean.

Quarter-tones; more accurately, semi-tones.

Adam, on _Fast Times_:

>Never heard of it...thanx for the tid bit...is the movie good enough to
>see?  Or should I just see the big 'Kashmir" scene...

Definitely see the whole movie.  It's somewhat amusingly "of its time,"
which makes it come off as a bit dated, but all in all a very good film.

Another Adam:

>There was lots of previous talk about how people liked/disliked P/P's drummer.
>I have one question though, wouldnt it seem right to have Jason Bonham as
>their drummer?

Why?

>Or does he just not compare to his father?

In my opinion he does not, and Lee seems particularly adept at firing
Jimmy's energy, which is the crucial task for any P/P drummer.  I've never
sensed any chemistry between Jimmy and Jason.

Dave:

>   Wow. Never heard of Fast Times at Ridgemont High? It's a classic! The
>Kashmir scene is actually very short. The main guy in the movie is
>driving in his car with a date and playing Kashmir on his stereo. He is
>told to do this by another guy (a big ticket scalper), who tells him to
>"play side 2 from Led Zeppelin IV" I think. (Yes, I know Kashmir is from
>side 1 of PG! It's a mistake in the movie!)

Given Cameron Crowe's Zeppelin knowledge, I seriously doubt it's a mistake.
Considering the context (extremely nervous and non-adept guy on a date,
borrowing an absurd car, going to a ridiculous restaurant and not having
the cash to pay for it, etc.) I think it's part of the characterisation; he
can't get anything right.

McCue:

>2. If you have it in your collection, go back and check out Robert Plant's
>appearance at the Knebworth Festival in 1990. To say/write that Percy and
>his band kicked so much ass that day...would probably be the understatement
>of the year.

Uh-huh.  Bob and Doug Boyle sounded really good.  Phil was more useless
than usual -- from the sound of things, he was playing the keyboard with
his ass.  Then again, maybe I give him too much credit for dexterity...

But you're right:  the Knebworth performance was a kick, even if Page and
Boyle couldn't possibly have sounded less in-tune.

Ed again:

> 1. So who's going to call up Zerxes and invite him to Zepfest? I'm still
>trying to figure out how the hell he managed to drive his car onto that
>concrete slab in Niagara Falls.

Me!  Me!!  Me!!!

Think he'd accept?

McCue again:

>I can just see Zerxes and Pouya backpacking their way along a lovely English
>countryside road....

...with romance in the air...

Brett:

>DG Update: DG is no longer a mailing list, it is now a newsletter.  So
>far: two digests, only one guy posting.  He goes by the name of Flavius
>Merculius, or something like that.  He even reposted Hugh's review of
>WIC from FBO.  The list/newsletter is still moderated, Zerxes claims
>he's not doing it, but entrusted it to a few "trusted" members.

I'll just bet he's delegating to his trusted member...

Grant:

>If I was strongly in agreement with Bill's position on this issue, I would
>send a  letter or a fax to Trinifold to inform them of the Zeptrek website.

Alternatively, both those in agreement and in disagreement with McCue could
hold out the hope that this dispute could somehow be settled amicably,
without further bloodshed.  And certainly not by once again appealing to
authority figures to settle our arguments for us; in case anyone has
forgotten, we had rather a problem with that very thing a few months back.

Getting Trinifold involved would be horrible.  First, because one would
hope they have better things to do than monitor the Internet for content
relating to the acts they represent.  Second, because an initial
intervention will inevitably lead to a subsequent one, and then a
third...and pretty soon, all these well-meaning fans with a small scan of
the Swan Song logo and a couple old .wav files will be getting "cease and
desist" letters from Trinifold, Atlantic, ASCAP, BMI, and every other legal
authority in the music biz.

Either the people responsible for the site will come around to Bill's way
of thinking and take it down, or they'll agree to disagree and won't.  But
I don't think asking asking Trinifold, Judge Ito, or Alex Trebek to step in
and arbitrate this thing is the answer.  Let people take personal
responsbility for their own actions and conduct.  Now is not the time to go
running to Mommy.

The exceedingly clever and level-headed "Sheridan, Clive - Axon AKL" opines:

>There's no way on this planet, no way in this galaxy, no way in the
>universe that a true Led Zeppelin can actually prefer "Presence" to any
>other Led Zeppelin album. It's just not possible.

It's not the first time I've been accused of somehow lacking "true fandom,"
though I think last time it was due to some failure to scream
"JIMMMAAAAAYYYYY!" and drool all over my too-small Sabbath t-shirt at every
concert I attended.  But I prefer _Presence_ to _Coda_, _II_, and rank it
at least even with _ITtOD_ and _HotH_.  There is an energy on that album
that is found nowhere else; on _I_ it was an uncontrolled explosion of
youthful hormones.  On _Presence_, it's a tightly controlled whipsaw of
bitterness, despair, and unwanted rage.  It's a brilliant album, even
though only half the songs measure up to the evocative nature of the whole.

As to your other seven content-free posts, "Sheridan, Clive - Axon AKL," I
would remind you that a spittle-covered chin is not universally considered
the babe magnet it was for you in your early days in the Virgin cloakroom.

- --Thor

"There are people who strictly deprive themselves of each and every
eatable, drinkable, and smokable which has in any way acquired a shady
reputation. They pay this price for health. And health is all they get
for it. How strange it is. It is like paying out your whole fortune for
a cow that has gone dry."  - Mark Twain