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exotica-digest       Saturday, October 21 2000       Volume 02 : Number 823



In This Digest:

(exotica) Re: ( exotica) Exotica "racism"
(exotica) Re: Ultra Chicks
Re: (exotica) Pat Collins
(exotica) CDMusic copy problems
(exotica) records that don't work
Re: (exotica) CDMusic copy problems
(exotica) In defense of ignorance...
Re: (exotica) commercials (was: My First Julie London Memory
(exotica) of peas, hix and mellotrons
(exotica) pea hix cd
Re: (exotica) Re: Nymphomania
Re: (exotica) Mellotron
(exotica) re: records that don't work/ Toronto show/ Vincent Price
Re: (exotica) Re:  Tiki / Exotica Music
Re: (exotica) Re:  Tiki / Exotica Music
Re: (exotica) Re: Tiki / Exotica Music
(exotica) Pepsi, Yellow Birds and Small Worlds
(exotica) the exotic in western music: an introduction
RE: (exotica) Pepsi, Yellow Birds and Small Worlds
Re:  (exotica) Pepsi, Yellow Birds and Small Worlds
(exotica) Feeling TIpsy???
(exotica) FYI: Tothar (& Los Straitjackets!) in Cleveland

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: Fri, 20 Oct 2000 12:51:38 -0400
From: "Brian Karasick" <[e-mail]>
Subject: (exotica) Re: ( exotica) Exotica "racism"

Vern wrote:

> Disney's 'It's a Small World' ride reminds me a bit of the Miss U.S.A.
> beauty pageant.  Especially the part where all the contestants are introduced
> wearing some costume that represents their state
> I see nothing wrong with this.  There's nothing wrong with identifying
> some  product or outfit with a certain country.  It does become a problem
> though, when one assumes that the costume is the norm for that country and that
> everyone dresses or acts that way.
The problem with say the Miss USA pagent is that this is the year
2000 and not the year 1950, yet many of those involved in as wel as
viewing such events still think as if it were 1950!

> A friend of mine recently took a 3 month trip to Africa.  At one point
> her group came upon a rural village that had the look and feel of a set from
> an old Tarzan movie, and some of the tourists became excited, saying that this
> was 'the real Africa' that they had been waiting for.
I think I mentioned my disgust with visiting the new park in Disney
world to find a section that was a reproduction of what could wel
have been that same African village, complete with artificial aging
and simulated look of broken down buildings.  I didn't half mind the
appearance as it really was well executed, but what I did mind was
finding only coke and hot dogs for sale and to make it worse, having
it being being sold by "real" African concesion workers hired not for
anything other than Disney could obviously not reproduce fake
authentic looking people to complete the look.  What we have here is
essentially a human zoo!

I think in looking at what we know as Exotica you have to consider
the particuar point in time it was created and how things are
different today.  Trying to reproduce the same feeling today really
isn't possible, no matter how many tiki lights, torches or whatever
objects you can assemble; It can at best only evoke a similar mood.
The same goes for African villages but what you also have to keep in
mind is the average consumer wants to think Africa looks this way and
this is about as close as many will ever come (or would want to come
for that matter) to the real thing.  This is the real disappoitment
of our age.. in a time of unlimited mobility, that fewer people than
ever have any sense of what the world is really like.  Do you blame
television, media, films, educational systems...  I don't know...
except that I find in general people are much lazier these days and
less interested in exploring new things than having them conveniently
packaged and sanitized for them. I'd like to think I'm wrong but the
mushrooming growth of the place they call "Vegas" surely says
it all...


Brian Karasick
Physical Planner
McGill University
Montreal, Canada


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------------------------------

Date: Fri, 20 Oct 2000 17:57:39 BST
From: "----> lgilotti" <[e-mail]>
Subject: (exotica) Re: Ultra Chicks

Other Music seems to have Vol 4 + 5 (but no Vol 2 - I guess that's the one
that had to be pulled).  I'd already managed to order 1 + 3 by the time I
got in touch with the owner of the series (plus, I live in the UK which
makes it risky for me to send cash and expensive for International
MO)...anyway...what's Nymphomania like?  Sounds intriguing.

(rest in peace, dearest Julie...)

Leslie


Brian, once:

While we're on the subject, volume 5 of Ultra Chicks is now out.
I
happened to find it by chance while visiting the store owned by
the guy
that produced the series, here in Montreal, and there it was,
along with a
copy of Nymphomania Vol.3 .á
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------------------------------

Date: Fri, 20 Oct 2000 10:01:36 -0700 (PDT)
From: "Domenic Ciccone" <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: (exotica) Pat Collins

[e-mail] wrote:
>
> Hey! Does anyone know what's happened to Pat Collins - The Hip
> Hypnotist
> since she recorded her album Turn On? Did she make more records?
> The album
> is  a scream....!!! Side One is her letting you in on how you can
> "Turn on"
> to the backing of a small jazz combo.  Side two is her
> singing..... yoiks!!!
> Brian Linds
>
Is this the one we hear as a Luxuria drop in all the time? A whole LP? Is it available anywhere?


Domenic Ciccone
"Martinis with Mancini" WJUL 91.5FM FridayÆs 6-9AM EST
http://www.geocities.com/martinimancini/
http://wjul.cs.uml.edu/misc/wjul/wjul.html (On Real Audio)
HEY Check This Out!
You Can Get A Free AT&T Phone @ http://www.buzzlink.com/fpn


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------------------------------

Date: Fri, 20 Oct 2000 13:27:41 -0400
From: "Brian Karasick" <[e-mail]>
Subject: (exotica) CDMusic copy problems

I'm a bit puzzled as I'm now at the fourth CD from a CD Music
original (I assume these are from stand-alone burners) that would not
work, and they came from three different sources.  I use EZ CdCreator
4 and I've rarely encountered problems in the past copying CDs.
I get errors whether i use copy mode or individual track compilation
copy mode.  Has anyone else had similar experiences or know more
about this?

Thanks,


Brian Karasick
Physical Planner
McGill University
Montreal, Canada


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------------------------------

Date: Fri, 20 Oct 2000 13:55:53 -0400
From: alan  zweig <[e-mail]>
Subject: (exotica) records that don't work

"Bossa Nova goes to Nashville, Harold Bradley".  What a bad record.  I
usually find something to like in these cross-pollenizations but this one I
couldn't stand to listen to.  I got this at the record show last weekend.
In spite of the pleasure I'm experiencing decimating my record
accumulation, there are still lotsa records I want to try out at least.
I've "decided" to try and collect film noir/crime jazz soundtracks.
So I allowed myself to pay realish money for these: "Sweet Love Bitter" by
Mal Waldron, "Odds Against Tomorrow" by John Lewis and "Mirage" by Quincy
Jones.
I also let myself buy the OST to "Quiller Memorandum" by John Barry.
I hope ebay will get me my money back on Quiller.  A nice soundtrack, not
what I'm looking for.  Sweet Love.. I would keep no matter what, just
because it's so cool that it even exist.  I thought it was too obscure to
have an official soundtrack released but I guess Mal Waldron was what got
it made.  Odds Against is nice, unusually quiet.  Not classic crime jazz
but if you're going to "collect" it...
Mirage is the real deal in almost every way.  Instant recognition.
The best record I bought might just "Lionel Hampton. Soft Vibes and Soaring
Strings", a record I've wanted for a long time.  It could easily be a
soundtrack.
What else can I mention?  I haven't read one of these "record acquisition"
things in a long time.
Oh I got "Hi Fi-reworks" by Art Ferrante and Lou Teicher.  Nice to see
their first names.  nice to get it cheap from someone who thought it was junk.
"Don Lonie talks to teenagers".  I already had the other one.  I never
listen to these spoken word things but I'm about to try and put samples of
them on CDR so I can get rid of them.  I'm not looking forward to it.
Good ones : "Bossa Nova" by Shorty Rogers, "Organ Shindig" by Dave Baby
Cortez and Oliver Nelson plays Michelle.
Big disappointments : The Now Generation.  Oh I had hope for this.  Two
gals with bad hair and five guys trying to decide whether to grow it long.
This could have been The Match or even the Lettermen but unfortunately it's
really nothing.  Indescribably mediocre.  No harmonies to speak of.
(Speaking of which, I got my first Free Design LP on ebay. Paid for it but
I don't care right now.  It's mint and it sounded great even if I do
already have some of the tunes on CD...)
Have a good weekend.

Alan



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------------------------------

Date: Fri, 20 Oct 2000 14:13:35 -0400
From: alan  zweig <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: (exotica) CDMusic copy problems

At 01:27 PM 10/20/00 -0400, Brian Karasick wrote:
>
>I'm a bit puzzled as I'm now at the fourth CD from a CD Music
>original (I assume these are from stand-alone burners) that would not
>work, and they came from three different sources.

Describe the set up.  The standalone music CDR's are copy protected.  You
can't copy them from one machine to another using digital in and out.  You
CAN copy them using analog ins and outs OR in those copying machines where
all the connections are inside.
It's so annoying, this whole standalone CDR thing. It's working for me but
I can see that down the road, I'm going to have to get a burner and figure
out how to turn my standalone CDR's into CDR's that the world can use.



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------------------------------

Date: Fri, 20 Oct 2000 12:22:05 -0700
From: "Stephen W. Worth" <[e-mail]>
Subject: (exotica) In defense of ignorance...

Vern wrote:

Re: It's A Small World

>I see nothing wrong with this.  There's nothing wrong with identifying some
>product or outfit with a certain country.  It does become a problem though,
>when one assumes that the costume is the norm for that country and that
>everyone dresses or acts that way.

If someone is stupid enough to make an assumption like that, it's
THEIR fault, not the person wearing the wooden shoes and leiderhosen.

>Back in the prime days of the circus sideshow, before the advent of
>television, the promoters would often hire a local black man, dress
>him up as a Zulu warrior or some wild outfit that usually included
>a spear, and tell him to jump and grunt and yell once in awhile.
>The audience would often leave these shows and assume that all
>Africans were wild and acted uncivilized.

What is wrong with that? The sideshow folks found a way to get the
rubes to PAY TO BE IGNORANT. I don't see anything wrong with that.
The "Zulu Warrior" picked up his cash at the end of the day for a
good day's work, and the audience went on being the stupid hicks
that they were... just a few bucks lighter and a little more amused.
That's a win-win.

The problem is that some folks expect entertainment to be "educational
and enlightening". THAT'S NOT THE PURPOSE OF ENTERTAINMENT. National
Geographic is educational and enlightening. Entertainment by definition
is a BIG FAT LIE... it's a fantasy diversion from reality. If someone
wants to find out what Africa is really like, why the hell are they
paying fifty cents to a carnival barker to find out? That is as dumb
as buying a Les Baxter record to find out about ethnomusicology.

I personally wish that there still were sideshows and medicine shows.
It would give people some healthy distrust of the information they
are being given in the media. As long as we continue to demand
"factual accuracy and fairness" in a blatantly fictional genre like
exotica, we cheat ourselves of any real pleasurable fantasy. YES,
WALLOWING IN IGNORANCE FEELS GOOD SOMETIMES, DADGUMMIT!

>I would say an exotica LP is generally neutral - but racism
>can be introduced by how the individual looking at the cover or
>listening to the music interprets it.  One person will see a LP
>cover depicting 'savages boiling the singer in a big pot' and
>be able to dismiss it simply as a funny joke and understand that
>it is probable that noone was ever actually boiled in a big pot.
>Others will see it as a confirmation that other areas of the
>world  are barbaric and need to become civilized.

The only thing that illustrates to me is that some people have no
sense of humor and are pretty darn STOOOPITT to boot!

See ya
Steve

      Stephen Worth
      [e-mail]

      The Web: http://www.spumco.com
      Usenet:  alt.animation.spumco
      Palace:  cartoonsforum.com:9994

      Spumco International
      1021 Grandview, 2nd Floor
      Glendale, CA 91201



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------------------------------

Date: Fri, 20 Oct 2000 15:41:27 -0400
From: "m.ace" <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: (exotica) commercials (was: My First Julie London Memory

>record. Not on the further bandmembers of Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick
>and Tich, one of my childhood's favorite groups. Were they ever big in
>the US? Here they had hit after hit: Hold Tight, Save Me, Last Night in
>Soho, Wreck of the Anoinette, The Legend of Xanadu, Zabadak.... even
>kind of exotic. Oh, and Bend It, of course, the song that Gilbert &
>George made a video for, ever seen that?

Huh! I saw sheet music for "Bend It" last week! Don't remember which band
was pictured on the front cover though.


m.ace  [e-mail]
http://ookworld.com
http://ookworld.com/linkalog/


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------------------------------

Date: Fri, 20 Oct 2000 15:42:28 -0400
From: "Michael Greenberg" <[e-mail]>
Subject: (exotica) of peas, hix and mellotrons

I suspect the cd people are referring to is Pea's (and partner Rob
Crow's) latest Optigonally Yours cd, which features the Chilton
Talentmaker.  The details are available at:

http://www.optigan.com/oy.html

I am a proud Optigan owner, but the Talentmaker, which has been
described as a much more functional Optigan-like instrument is quite
rare, and I've neither heard nor seen one.  I haven't yet heard the
new cd, but I imagine it's full of interesting sounds.

Michael


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------------------------------

Date: Fri, 20 Oct 2000 15:47:22 -0400
From: "Michael Greenberg" <[e-mail]>
Subject: (exotica) pea hix cd

Actually, now that I think of it, whoever was asking about the
supposed Mellotron by Pea, mentioned some promo spots on the cd.
That would make it more likely it is the Johnny Largo
Christmas cd described on this page rather than the Talentmaker cd I
mentioned previously:

http://www.optigan.com/shoptigan.html

Michael


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------------------------------

Date: Fri, 20 Oct 2000 15:48:34 -0400
From: "Br. Cleve" <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: (exotica) Re: Nymphomania

At 5:57 PM +0100 10/20/00, ----> lgilotti wrote:

>what's Nymphomania like?  Sounds intriguing.

These are 3 volumes of (mostly German) 60's/70's sexadelic-a-go-go tracks
(mostly from 45's), compiled by DJ Franco, a German DJ now resideing in
NYC, where for over 4 years he has hosted the weekly "Vampyros Lesbos"
party, which features his spinning these gems while near naked nymphets
gyrate wildly in go-go cages and 70's European softcore porn is projected
on screens. A great party, worth a trip to New York. The comps are
bootlegs, of course, but you'd have to do a lot of searching to find the
originals. Highly recommended.

br cleve



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------------------------------

Date: Fri, 20 Oct 2000 16:04:02 -0400
From: "m.ace" <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: (exotica) Mellotron

>> >Have you got Pea Hicks' Mellotron CD?  It's a series odd promotional
>> >recordings that came with the
>>keyboard...?

Uh, dunno about that. His merchandise page
http://www.optigan.com/shoptigan.html
shows a recent(?) disc called, "Optiganally Yours Presents: Exclusively
Talentmaker!" which contains "NO optigan on this CD at all! Thrill to the
sounds of the Chilton Talentmaker and the Vako Orchestron!"

Here's a Mellotron site from Pea's links page:
http://www.mellotron.com/

>Im not sure about the Mellotron, but I know that Pea has a new recording out
>which features the Optigan which was basically a childs toy. Pea somehow has
>created 2 albums using this "toy".

It wasn't a pro-grade instrument, but I wouldn't call it a child's toy
either. It was intended more for the home organ market, I think.




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------------------------------

Date: Fri, 20 Oct 2000 22:22:09 GMT
From: "james brouwer" <[e-mail]>
Subject: (exotica) re: records that don't work/ Toronto show/ Vincent Price

>I also let myself buy the OST to "Quiller Memorandum" by John Barry.
>I hope ebay will get me my money back on Quiller.  A nice soundtrack, not
>what I'm looking for.

I was at the same record show. I don't remember seeing the "Quiller
Memorandum" but I had the album once and didn't really like it (except the
tony hatch track which I have on cd anyways) so I sold it. So yeah, I agree
with you. It's not a fave of mine either.

  Sweet Love.. I would keep no matter what, just
>because it's so cool that it even exist.

Is that on the "Impulse" label, and is very jazzy? I think I saw it there.
How good is the music?

>Odds Against Tomorrow is nice, unusually quiet.  Not classic crime jazz
>but if you're going to "collect" it...

I think I saw this film once - has Harry Belafonte in it? Sort of a
late-noir (early 60's). This right? (has a good 'night-club' sequence)

>Mirage is the real deal in almost every way.  Instant recognition.

It IS really good. I agree.

I saw the "$" soundtrack for only $10.00 but stupidly didn't buy it because
I already have a CDR of it. I probably could have doubled my money on ebay,
or just enjoyed having it on vinyl. What was I thinking? jeez..

AND I saw that old Vincent Price 'demons/witches/occult' double lp ( I
forget the actual title). It had some nasty scratches and the guy wanted
$20.00 for it, so I let it go. Anyone out there have this? is it good? was I
an idiot for not getting it? I couldn't tell whether there was any nutty
electronic stuff on it. both "$" and the Vincent Price were bought by the
time I left the show.

But I did get a beautiful copy of the "Girl from U.N.C.L.E." OST which I've
wanted for ages, and it was only $20.00, which ain't too bad. I also got
this 50's sex lp called "Seduction" which I saw discussed in 'Incredibly
Strange Music' (and it is really good) for $5.00, and "Blast-Off" by
Ferrante and Teicher for $2.00, "Zig-zag" OST which is o.k. for $10.00, plus
a bunch of country steel guitar albums. All in all not too bad.

I'm still amazed by how many record dealers don't have a clue what exotica
is, and whom, when asked about soundtracks, say they've left those at home
because not enough people are interested "in that stuff".

But there's never any shortage of Beatles records...

jb
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------------------------------

Date: Fri, 20 Oct 2000 20:13:13 EDT
From: [e-mail]
Subject: Re: (exotica) Re:  Tiki / Exotica Music

In a message dated 10/20/00 10:05:21 AM Eastern Daylight Time,
[e-mail] writes:

<< I really am convinced that if you asked a group of 60 year old on
 up people to hum the melody of Quiet Villiage or hum Yellow Bird
 that Yellow Bird is the better known song.   >>

only because it has lyrics - and the lyrics contain the phrase "yellow bird"
about 20 times.  they can remember that song by title better because of that.


i ask people all the time if they know martin denny and they say no (and they
would probably not remember lyman any better).  i ask them if they know the
song "quiet village" and they said no.  i ask them if they remember the song
"with the animal noises and bird calls" and watch the expression as a light
bulb goes off over their head.

also, while yellow bird is considered exotica (for sure), it is more of a
Jamacian associated song.  quiet village sits squarely as the center piece of
exotica music imho.

tb


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Date: Fri, 20 Oct 2000 20:15:04 EDT
From: [e-mail]
Subject: Re: (exotica) Re:  Tiki / Exotica Music

In a message dated 10/20/00 10:05:21 AM Eastern Daylight Time,
[e-mail] writes:

<< I really am convinced that if you asked a group of 60 year old on
 up people to hum the melody of Quiet Villiage or hum Yellow Bird
 that Yellow Bird is the better known song.   >>

and to qualify a little more, better known does not make it the ultimate
exotica song.

again, imho.

tb
(finalized my travel plans for a jan trip to hawaii today.  booyah!)


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Date: Fri, 20 Oct 2000 23:41:27 EDT
From: [e-mail]
Subject: Re: (exotica) Re: Tiki / Exotica Music

In a message dated 10/20/00 9:16:47 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
[e-mail] writes:

<< Oh. But Quiet Village does have lyrics. And you can thank Don Ho and the
 Aliis for those.

 "Aloooone, In My Quiet Village I wait" >>

but only about one or two versions out of about 50+ had the lyrics.  Don Ho's
version comes to mind.  i never said the song didn't have lyrics, just that
the versions that get the most play, denny's, does not have lyrics.

i still stand by my original post.

tb


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Date: Fri, 20 Oct 2000 21:10:44 -0700
From: "jim gerwitz" <[e-mail]>
Subject: (exotica) Pepsi, Yellow Birds and Small Worlds

chuck m wrote:
<And whoever sang in the mid 60s "Come Alive, Come Alive, you're in
the Pepsi generation, has the most fantastic voice!>

That was Joanie Sommers, pride of Buffalo NY where I was born.
First link below is Mr. Lucky's review of her Cd of standards backed by two
jazz combos, one led by Shelly Manne and the other by Bobby Troup! You all
know Bobby from the Les Baxter-scored film "Bop Girl Goes Calypso", dont
you?
Second link is some bio stuff about Joanie's pepsi gig. I think her pop
records are only on CD in Japan, and they deserve a reissue. Her albums show
up on eBay but these two bidders always sniped me so i gave up months ago.
Anyone remember K.D. Lang's performance of Joanie's big hit Johnny Get Angry
(w/lyrics by Hal David!!!!) on SNL about 10 years ago, when KD seemed to do
an apache dance with herself, ending up writhing on the floor?

http://www.mrlucky.com/html/music/rev09.html

http://www.grillecloth.com/sommers/sommers.html

chuckm went on to say:
<<<Of all the songs connected with Tiki/Exotica,   I personally
believe none were more played than Yellow Bird. >
Yellow Bird had a better hook than Quiet Village and somebody had a vocal
hit with YB. Everyone could remember the simple first line "YB up high in
banana tree", but who knows Quiet Village?  On Name That Tune any schmoe
could get Yellow Bird in 3 notes.

Dizzyland redux:
About 6 years ago I ran my camcorder while riding Small World, Pirates and
in the Tiki Room. (god only knows where the tape is, but...)  What was so
cool about Small World was the cacophony as the boat rounds each bend and
one style of music fades out and another fades in with different
instrumental textures, especially chiming and percussive effects.  It was
really quite psychedelic, like some exotic ritual chant
repeating...repeating..... repeating. I couldn't believe my ears so I did
the ride again, much to the dismay of my wife and son who considered it
torture.

JB LeNoir,
(Off to spend a manly weekend hunting for my videotape of beer, cigarette
and razor blade commercials, after I sample the 4-hr DVD of Hullabaloo shows
that arrived in today's mail!!!!)










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Date: Sat, 21 Oct 2000 00:58:54 -0400
From: Lou Smith <[e-mail]>
Subject: (exotica) the exotic in western music: an introduction

I don't have much to say specifically about the Exotica=racism thread
(except that I'm enjoying it, particularly Mr. S.W. Worth's contributions)
but thought I'd toss this into the mix. I'm going to violate copyright and
type in most of Jonathan Bellman's introduction to the 1998 collection "The
Exotic In Western Music." Hope y'all find at least some of it of interest.
- -Lou
- ------------------------------
On one level, the idea of "musical exoticism" is almost self-explanatory; it
may be defined as the borrowing or use of musical materials that evoke
distant locales or alien frames of reference. The essays in this volume
address Western repertoires that seek to remind us either of foreign lands
(such as the Arab countries, Bali and Java, India, Spain) or various
discrete groups within the home society who are regarded as exotic (Romani
Gypsies, Native Americans, African Americans, even women). In each of these
cases, characteristic and easily recognized musical gestures from the alien
culture are assimilated into a more familiar style, giving it an exotic
color and suggestiveness. On this nuts-and-bolts level, musical exoticism is
a matter of compositional craft, of making the notes do something different
from what they usually do.

The parallels between exoticism and musical folklorism -- the use of folk
materials from the home culture to evoke a national sound or sensibility --
have been observed before, but there are crucial differences as well. Both
folklorism and exoticism use musical gestures derived from folk, indigenous,
or popular musics to flavor an artwork and to evoke a particular
geographical and cultural frame of reference. But a Balakirev symphony, for
example, which to American concertgoers sounds boundlessly exotic and
suggestive of Ancient Mother Russia (truncated phrasing, modal melodic and
harmonic vocabulary, low sonorities characteristic of Russian Orthodox
Church music, high string writing suggestive of bleak, snow-covered
landscapes), was intended more as a work of Russian nationalism, that is,
Russian music for Russians. Conversely, the Gershwinesque inflections of Jim
Parker's A Londoner In New York for brass ensemble might sound familiar to
most Americans, but in reality have an exotic tint because they were penned
by an English composer and project a bemused but excited visitor's unspoiled
reactions to a new place and pace of life. For all the unmistakable musical
codes, therefore, much depends on who is doing the composing and who is
doing the listening.

<<snip>>

The groundwork for many Self-and-Other inquiries was laid by Edward Said's
Orientalism (1978). Said's study is a masterful and meticulous
deconstruction of "Orientalism," which to that point was usually the
standard name for the broad field of scholarly study of the Middle East
(including biblical archaelogy, travelers' reports, and studies in Arabic
literature), but could include the study of Asian peoples and cultures as
well. With constant use of primary sources to support his arguments, Said
laid bare many of Orientalism's subtexts, including colonialism and racial
and ethnic condescension, in what came to be a canonic text in the area of
Cultural Criticism. For all the weight of scholarly proof and righteous
indignation that Said brings to the issue, though, his perspective is not
crudely reductivist: he consistently acknowledges the complexities of the
multifaceted West-East equation, the tendencies of the West to "read" the
East not as itself but rather as an idealized object of desire, focus of
evil, focus of good, bastion of purity, bastion of decay, or any of myriad
other interpretations. Indeed as he acknowledges in a later book (Culture
and Imperialism, 1993), the Orientalist discourse is only one of the many
present in the East-West encounter. There is, in short, a bewildering number
of simultaneous conversations intrinsic to this cultural and geographic
exchange.

<<snip>>

But is exoticism simply exotic? At this point the picture grows cloudier.
Exotic does not mean merely distant (indeed, distance is not even a
necessary prerequisite). The suggestion of strangeness is the overriding
factor: not only does the music _sound_ different from "our" music, but it
also suggests a specifically alien culture or ethos. To the fertile
imagination, a different culture or distant place suggests far more than the
sum of its external musical indicators -- indicators such as new uses of
percussion, an increased use of drones, or perhaps a modal scale. Such aural
signifiers suggest the different mores, goals, circumstances, and practices
of the exotic culture. In turn, the very acknowledgement of difference
carries within it an implicit comparison and judgement; that is, the idea
that "they are different from us" cannot help becoming "they are happier,
sadder, more serious, more pleasure-loving, purer, more corrupt." For
example, we in the West tend to associate alien cultures with a range of
forbidden and desirable sexualities; indeed, well over half the musical
exoticisms discussed in this volume have a specific and amply demonstrated
sexual component. But whether or not we imagine an alien culture to be more
sexual, violent, haughty, ancient, pure, or noble than our own, music with
that particular tint of exoticism reminds us not merely of a geographic
locale or ethnic group but more powerfully of an elemental sexuality,
violence, haughtiness, and so on, be such qualities desirable,
understandable, or some measure of both. The exotic equation, therefore,
goes well beyond familiar versus unfamiliar, and it is in large part the
attendant cultural connections, tensions, and suggestions that make such
stylistic blends as compelling, alluring, and ultimately troubling as they are.

Musical exoticism above all seeks to state the otherwise unstatable. The
shock of a foreign phrase deployed in a native language is a twofold
acknowledgment: first, that the hearer, though not a fluent speaker of the
foreign tongue, will understand the phrase, and second, that no native
phrase would have made the point in the same way -- in other words, that the
native language falls short. One speaks less convincingly of the strange and
shocking, after all, in the language of the everyday. Inherent in the
compositional choice to use a foreign language, musically, is the desire to
evoke something titillatingly out of the ordinary. Nonetheless, musical
exoticism is not equivalent to the ethnomusicological versimilitude, to the
foreign music in its true form. The exotic equation is a balance of familiar
and unfamiliar: just enough "there" to spice the "here" but remain
comprehensible in making the point. Exoticism is not about the ernest study
of foreign cultures; it is about drama, effect, and evocation. The listener
is intigued, hears something new and savory, but is not aurally desabilized
enough to feel uncomfortable.

<<snip>>

The greatest danger inherent in approaching musical exoticism from a
rigorously postcolonial perspective, then, is the breezy facility with which
it may be judged and subsequently dismissed. No one denies the popularity
and atractiveness of musical exotica, but it seems almost invariably to be
castigated as artistically or culturally objectionable, as resulting in
artworks that are somehow not as authentic as those free of exotic stimuli,
as either imperialistic or at least a poor imitation of the real music of a
particular foreign land or alien culture, and -- following from all these
objections -- as inhabiting a lower plane than other varieties of music.

But music that has proven as consistently captivating, resilient, and
ultimately as powerful as much of this repertoire deserves more careful
analysis, regardless of whether the conclusions reached are positive or
negative, admiring or excoriating, or perhaps all of the above in shifting
proportions.
====================
Thanks for sticking with this if you enjoyed it, and sorry to have wasted
bandwidth for those who didn't.

In closing, let me end with a description of the CONTEMPO EXOTICA condom:
This condom is the smallest one in our catalog. It's 15% shorter than
average and 6% narrower than average. Ideal for those of you who just can't
find a condom that fits.


Lou














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------------------------------

Date: Fri, 20 Oct 2000 23:07:13 -0700
From: "Benito Vergara" <[e-mail]>
Subject: RE: (exotica) Pepsi, Yellow Birds and Small Worlds

> -----Original Message-----
> From: [e-mail]
> [mailto:[e-mail]]On Behalf Of jim gerwitz
> Sent: Friday, October 20, 2000 9:11 PM

Yellow Bird had a better hook than Quiet Village and somebody had a vocal
hit with YB.

The Kingston Trio, maybe? I'm one of those people who, as a newbie to
exotica, knew Yellow Bird way before Quiet Village.

What constituted exotica, however, when I was growing up (in the
Philippines) was, without a doubt, Don Ho's version of Tiny Bubbles. There's
still an odd tradition of some little girls learning to dance the hula in
elementary school (translation: because it's *exotic*), and Tiny Bubbles was
the soundtrack to all of this. As a little boy I saw too many of these
performances...

Later,
Ben

http://www.bigfoot.com/~bvergara/
ICQ# 12832406



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------------------------------

Date: Sat, 21 Oct 2000 03:02:40 EDT
From: [e-mail]
Subject: Re:  (exotica) Pepsi, Yellow Birds and Small Worlds

In a message dated 10/21/0 12:09:29 AM, [e-mail] wrote:

>Bobby Troup! You all know Bobby from the Les Baxter-scored film "Bop Girl
Goes >Calypso", dont you?

No, but as Mr. Julie London and as the composer of "Route 66 (Get your kicks
on..)" he was ok at this address


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------------------------------

Date: Sat, 21 Oct 2000 07:42:21 -0400
From: Bump <[e-mail]>
Subject: (exotica) Feeling TIpsy???

Curious if anyone went to the Tipsy gig in NYC on thursday
and could push me more into a state of shame that i did not make it up there.

bump




******************************************************
*****************************
*************
DJ Bump
"Primitive Rhythms for Evolved Minds"
Defective Records-Executive Producer
[e-mail]
http://www.defectiverecords.com
"Music, Non-Stop" -- Ralf + Florian




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------------------------------

Date: Sat, 21 Oct 00 17:25:40 -0400
From: "Michael D. Toth" <[e-mail]>
Subject: (exotica) FYI: Tothar (& Los Straitjackets!) in Cleveland

For anyone around Cleveland or willing to travel, this Friday night Oct
27 has some groovy entertainment options.

*** FIRST:

7:00-9:00 PM - Gooey Gaudy Glitzy Girls Night Out @ the Cleveland Center
for Contemporary Art

Tothar will be there to prove the girls won't be allowed to have ALL the
fun,
from http://www.contemporaryart.org --

>The girls are back in town for this bawdy bash. Inspired by featured
>artist Tara Giannini's bold redefinition of beauty, clash your prints in
>our "worst dressed" contest while kicking up your heels to the tacky tunes
>of the live band Lounge Kitty and exotica DJ Michael Toth. Last year's
>party attracted some of the smartest girls in town. Don't miss this night
>of bad taste and good times. Admission $5.00; Free for students and Center
>members.


*** SECOND:

10:00? -?:00 - Los Straitjackets @ the Beachland Ballroom - everyone's
fave Mexican-Wrestler-schtick surf-instrumental band! Enough time to get
there after GGGG @ CCCA!


Also, for anyone in the Akron/NE Ohio area at 91.3 FM (or anyone with a
decent internet connection for streaming media through www.wapsfm.com ),
I recorded some arguably cool radio shows for this weekend. It's too late
for the one that aired Friday night, but you still might be able to catch
these:

* Saturday night 10/21 Midnight EST - "The RCA Stereo Action Special"
After recently completing his Stereo Action collection (including the
"Demonstration Record"!), Tothar rubs it in the face of his listeners
with an hour of highlights from the series, most songs being unavailable
on CD. (NOTE: it's still not a complete overview -- some lesser LPs like
Vic Schoen's go unrepresented to allow double-duty for masterworks by
Esquivel, The Three Suns, and Bernie Green)

* Sunday night 10/22 11:00 PM EST - "Tothar's Adventures in Shopping"
A rollercoaster ride through retail reality with Raymond Scott,
Negativland, Ladytron, Daniel Amos, Sparks, Tom Jones, Nancy Sinatra,
plus the "RCA Hot Spots" and "Osmond 1st Choice" generic-jingle music
libraries...AND MORE! Follow Ladytron's advice for maximum shopping
enjoyment: "You don't have to spend, you just have to pretend..."

E-mail me if you have any questions/are in a position to turn out for
Friday's activities.

Michael David Toth
[e-mail]
[e-mail]



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End of exotica-digest V2 #823
*****************************