Internet Info 1994 March/Internet Info CD-ROM (Walnut Creek) (March 1994).iso/answers/alt/music/marillion-faq/part1

Internet Message Format | 1994-04-15 | 39KB

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From: [e-mail] (Ken Bibb)
Newsgroups: alt.music.progressive,alt.answers,news.answers
Subject: MUSIC: Marillion and Fish FAQ [1/2]
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Date: 15 Apr 1994 13:14:07 GMT
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Summary: A list of frequently asked questions and their answers about
     Marillion and Fish, their music and the mailinglist Freaks.
     Read this document before subscribing to Freaks.
Keywords: marillion fish freaks
Xref: bloom-beacon.mit.edu alt.music.progressive:21728 alt.answers:2435 news.answers:18072

Archive-name: music/marillion-faq/part1
Last-modified: 1994/02/09
Version: 2.0


           =================================================
           = MARILLION AND FISH FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS =
           =================================================

                             Version 2.0
                             Compiled by
                           Jeroen Schipper

------------------------------
Subject: INTRODUCTION

Welcome to the Marillion and Fish FAQ! The purpose of this FAQ is to
provide some basic background information about the bands and their music.
This will (hopefully) prevent these questions from being asked over and
over again by new subscribers to the list, which can be irritating for
other readers who have seen the answers before.  Many of the given answers
to the questions are taken from back issues of the Freaks digests. I'm
sorry, but I can't credit everyone whose explanations I used to put this
list together. It's teamwork!

Special thanks go to Brian Vogelsang for writing the first section and
proofreading this FAQ list, to Ken Bibb for proofreading and correcting
the second version and for setting up the automatic posting of the list.
And to Geoff Parks who helped a lot with Garden Party/Fifteen Stone First
Footer/Geezabun and other questions!

Other thank-you's go to Jason Giles, Jose Garcia, John Nash, Kristine
Kuss, Micheal J. Loux, Jr., Steve Chew, David Halm, Steve Smoot, Magne
Bergland, Andrew Brooks, Jeremy Lawrence, Lorna Banks, Dan Newcombe, Ben
Jos Walbeehm, Kenneth Drew, Frans P. de Vries and Duncan J. Batey for
their feedback on the faq list. Thanks all!

Mention to Graham Orndorff for starting the original Freaks list. You are
remembered :). And mention to Ken Bibb who started [e-mail] when
Graham had to give up "his" list. Currently Brian Vogelsang does a great
job at maintaining the list.

If you have any questions or comments, feel free to contact me via
electronic mail.

Freak on!

Jeroen Schipper ([e-mail])

------------------------------
Subject: CONTENTS

0. General information on this FAQ list
   0.1  What has changed since last time?
   0.2  Where can I find the latest version of this list?

1. E-mail server and anonymous ftp questions
   1.1  What is [e-mail]?
   1.2  How do I subscribe to the Freaks list?
   1.3  What addresses do I need to know to use the listserver?
   1.4  How do I receive the Freaks list in digest mode?
   1.5  How do I unsubscribe to the Freaks list?
   1.6  How do I post a message to the Freaks list?
   1.7  Are any files available via an archive server at bnf?
   1.8  What else can I do with the listserver?
   1.9  Where can I find Marillion-related files via ftp?
   1.10 Where can I read Marillion info on the World Wide Web (WWW)?

2. General freaks-list information
   2.1  What is netiquette?
   2.2  What's this "old" list someone mentioned?
   2.3  When is the new album coming out?
   2.4  What do these abbreviations mean?
   2.5  This list has T-shirts? Where can I get one?
   2.6  Where can I find lyrics to this song?
   2.7  Is there a complete dicscography available?

3. Old Marillion
   3.1  Who started Marillion and when?
   3.2  Where does the name Marillion come from?
   3.3  Which band members were/are in Marillion?
   3.4  Who's Mark Wilkinson?
   3.5  What albums can be found on the cover of "Script" and "Fugazi"?
   3.6  What are the spoken words in "Chelsea Monday"?
   3.7  Can anyone explain the lyrics of "Garden Party"?
   3.8  What does Fugazi mean?
   3.9  What's Brixton Chess?
   3.10 What is said in "Incubus"?
   3.11 What does Slainte Mhath mean?
   3.12 What's the story behind Geezabun?
   3.13 Who are the people on the cover of "Clutching at Straws"?
   3.14 What is the Fidra Lighthouse?
   3.15 What's a raincheck?
   3.16 Alternative Misplaced Childhood?!?!?! Please elaborate!!!!!!

*** THE FOLLOWING ARE ANSWERED IN PART 2 ***

   3.17 What studio albums were released?

4. New Marillion
   4.1  When and why did Fish leave Marillion?
   4.2  Who is Steve Hogarth and what did he do before Marillion?
   4.3  What is a banquo?
   4.4  What is a fifteen stone first-footer?
   4.5  Will there be a reunion show with Fish?
   4.6  Who is Privet Hedge?
   4.7  What's Brave all about?
   4.8  Who's John Helmer?
   4.9  What studio albums and singles were released?

5. Fish Solo
   5.1  Why is Fish called Fish?
   5.2  What's this talk about a new book called "The Masque"?
   5.3  What does Fish mumble at the end of "Vigil"?
   5.4  Doesn't the guy on the Vigil cover look like Mark Kelly?
   5.5  Who is "Speaking in Tongues" dedicated to and why?
   5.6  Does Fish have net access?
   5.7  Fish the actor?
   5.8  What solo projects did Fish do?
   5.9  What's the Funny Farm?
   5.10 Do you have some more info on Suits?
   5.11 What studio albums and singles were released?

6. Books, videos, bootlegs
   6.1  What books are there on Marillion/Fish?
   6.2  What videos are there?
   6.3  What's a bootleg?
   6.4  How many bootlegs are there?
   6.5  Where can I buy bootlegs?

7. Fanclubs
   7.1  Addresses of Marillion fanclubs
   7.2  Addresses of Fish fanclubs
   7.3  What about the official bootlegs?

8. Other bands
   8.1  I like Marillion. What other bands can you recommend?

------------------------------
Subject: 0.1  What has changed since the last version?

I started converting the FAQ to a general accepted format, including official
URL pointers for ftp files. This way the FAQ can more easily be converted for
use by internet software like WWW or Gopher. The FAQ layout is now consistent
with the RFC 1153 Digest Format. This is also the reason I increased the
version number to 2.0. I also added other comments I got, thanks to all who
send me info!

 - Corrected and added some info to the discographies (thanks Duncan)
 - Added a pointer to the WWW Marillion server as installed by Pierre-Yves
   Lochou (1.10)
 - Info on newly released stuff, like 'The Great Escape', 'Brave' and the
   3rd Racket CD 'Live At Glasgow Barrowlands' (4.9)
 - How to get the Musical List of Lists (8.1)
 - Corrected the address of The Company France (7.2)
 - New question: "What's a raincheck?" (3.15)
 - Included the addresses of Bill Frech and John Young, who have access
   to many live recordings/bootlegs (6.5)
 - Finally the info on the Alternative MC that I forgot to include in the
   previous FAQ! (3.16)
 - Who's John Helmer? After info on Privet Hedge and Mark Wilkinson, I had
   to include him as well ;) (4.8)

If you find any more incorrect/incomplete/just-not-there information in
this list, drop me a line!

------------------------------
Subject: 0.2  Where can I find the latest version of this list?

This FAQ list is posted on a regular (monthly) basis to the newsgroup
news.answers and crossposted to alt.answers and alt.music.progressive.
Posting is done by Ken Bibb, as I don't have access to UseNet.  It is also
available for ftp as

      ftp://rtfm.mit.edu:/pub/usenet/news.answers/music/marillion-faq/part1
      ftp://rtfm.mit.edu:/pub/usenet/news.answers/music/marillion-faq/part1

You can get the list via e-mail by sending mail to [e-mail]
with in the body:

      send /pub/usenet/news.answers/music/marillion-faq/part1
      send /pub/usenet/news.answers/music/marillion-faq/part2

Because of the size of this list it is split into two pieces.

You can also get it in one part from the Freaks mailinglist server. E-mail
[e-mail] with NO subject line, and the first line in the body
of the message left justified reading:

      get freaks faq

------------------------------
Subject: 1.1  What is [e-mail]?

[e-mail] is a mailing list for the discussion of Marillion, Fish,
and related bands and topics.

------------------------------
Subject: 1.2  How do I subscribe to the Freaks list?

E-mail [e-mail] with NO subject line, and the first line in
the body of the message left justified reading:

        subscribe freaks `your name here'

In place of `your name here' enter your REAL name, first and last.  For
example, if your name was Sharon Stone you would say:

        subscribe freaks Sharon Stone

Notice: you do NOT need to include your internet address in the message,
and please remember to keep the line left justified.

If you have problems, email [e-mail] NOT [e-mail].

------------------------------
Subject: 1.3  What addresses do I need to know to use the listserver?

There are three addresses you need to know to properly use the listserver:

   1. [e-mail]  - When you mail [e-mail] your email message is
                        sent to every person on the list.  This is the
                        account that you email when you want to post a
                        message.

   2. [e-mail]  - This is the address that you should use to
                        subscribe, unsubscribe, get help, or get
                        information or statistics about the listserver.
                        freaks-request uses the auto reply feature of
                        the listserver.

   3. [e-mail] - This is the address that reaches the mailing
                        list owner.  Use this if you have any questions
                        that the auto-reply freaks-request address
                        cannot solve.

------------------------------
Subject: 1.4  How do I receive the Freaks list in digest mode?

Email [e-mail] with NO subject line, and the first line in
the body of the message left justified reading:

          set freaks mail digest

If you have problems, email [e-mail] NOT [e-mail].

------------------------------
Subject: 1.5  How do I unsubscribe to the Freaks list?

Email [e-mail] with NO subject line, and the first line in
the body of the message left justified reading:

          unsubscribe freaks

Notice: You do not need to include your internet address to unsubscribe.

If you have problems, email [e-mail] NOT [e-mail].

------------------------------
Subject: 1.6  How do I post a message to the Freaks list?

Email [e-mail] with your message included.  Your message will echo
to every person on the list.  You should see your message included in the
next digest issue (if you are in digest mode) within 24hrs. If you are NOT
in digest mode, you WILL NOT RECEIVE A COPY OF YOUR POST.  If you must see
a copy of your post send email to [e-mail] with NO subject
line, and the first line in the body of a message left justified reading:

          set freaks mail ack

Please read section 2.1 for some general guides for posting to the
mailinglist.

------------------------------
Subject: 1.7  Are any files available via an archive server at bnf?

Yes, currently several files can be requested from the Freaks listserver:
this FAQ list, the bootleg list, a comprehensive Marillion tour history file
compiled by Bill Frech and the results of a Freaks poll done in January 1994.
Getting files is easy:

E-mail [e-mail] with NO subject line, and in the body of the
message left justified reading:

           get freaks faq
           get freaks bootlist
           get freaks tourhistory
           get freaks pollresults

------------------------------
Subject: 1.8  What else can I do with the listserver?

For more information on the listservers features, send Email to
[e-mail] with NO subject line and the first line in
the body of the message left justified reading:

          help

For example, this will tell you how to request an overview of who is
subscribed to the mailinglist:

          recipients freaks
          statistics freaks

The recipients command will list all subscribers including their full name.
Statistics will show you how many messages each subscriber has posted to
the list.

------------------------------
Subject: 1.9  Where can I find Marillion related files via ftp?

Several Marillion and Fish related files can be found at the ftp site:

          ftp://ftp.uwp.edu (131.210.1.4).

This is an anonymous ftp site; this means you use "anonymous" as a
login, and your own email address as the password. The directory to look
for is:

          ftp://ftp.uwp.edu:/pub/music/lists/marillion/ or
          ftp://ftp.uwp.edu:/pub/music/artists/m/marillion/

Use dir to see the files available.  All files all compressed with Unix
compress(1), which adds the .Z extension to the files. Use uncompress to
restore the files.  uncompress also exists for other operating systems
including OS/2 and DOS.

------------------------------
Subject: 1.10 Where can I read Marillion info on the World Wide Web (WWW)?

This FAQ and other info is available in http format, the URL is:

     http://www.cnam.fr/Marillion/Marillion.html

It is setup and maintained by Pierry-Yves Lochou ([e-mail])
and has many hypertext links. It also has some extra background information
added that is not in the distributed FAQ (e.g. on Grendel). Plus it has
extra pictures, links to lyrics and other files and an indexed bootleg list!

It looks great, check it out!

------------------------------
Subject: 2.1  What is netiquette?

Netiquette is general guidelines on good behavior while using the
Internet. Everybody on the Freaks list is kindly asked to keep this in
mind. A short summary:

- Signatures:
  4 or 5 lines will suffice. Longer signatures usually bother people,
  especially those who read the digest format of Freaks.

- Posting personal messages:
  Keep in mind that whatever message you post will bounce to everybody
  on the list. Posting personal messages is not appreciated and should
  be avoided whenever possible.

- Posting test messages:
  Don't! Messages like "Is this list still running?" are very
  irritating to others. If the list is still running and you don't
  receive any mail, you're probably not subscribed (anymore). Try
  resubscribing or contacting the listowner. You can also request an
  overview of who is subscribed to the list by using the freaks-request
  auto reply feature.  See section 1.3 for more info.  Remember, there
  is always a chance the list may be temporarily down.

- Quoting:
  When quoting someone else's message, quote only the part to which you
  are responding. Leave out the rest (like the signature of the other
  person), as it is a waste of bandwidth and annoys other people.

Please keep these basic guidelines in mind when posting to [e-mail]
(and any other mailing list or UseNet as well).

------------------------------
Subject: 2.2  What's the "old" list someone mentioned?

Back in October 1990, Graham Orndorff started the Marillion mailing list
Freaks, at andrew.cmu.edu. This list ran successfully for quite a while,
but at some point Graham stopped moderating it when he got a job in the
"real world" which demanded all of his time. Nobody was able to contact
him anymore but the list went on. (Un)subscribing was no longer possible
as it was not automated but done by Graham himself. This runaway list went
on for quite a while, but died a slow death.

In September 1992, Ken Bibb started a parallel list at bnf.com, which is
still up and running. The current listowner is Brian Vogelsang.

------------------------------
Subject: 2.3  When is the new album coming?

To know the answer to this question, subscribe to the Freaks mailinglist
and read it on a regular basis. "The New Album" is always a hot topic
and as soon as it is released somewhere is the world (though usually
first in Europe) you'll read about it.

Currently we're waiting for the following Fish album:

Fish - "Suits"

   "Suits" is the _long_ awaited new Fish album of which several tracks
   were played at concerts during 1992. These include "Raw Meat",
   "Pipeline" and "Out of My Life". See also question 5.10.

   Release date: May 1994

------------------------------
Subject: 2.4  What do these abbreviations mean?

Often people do not type the whole title of an album they are referring
to, but use acronyms like CaS, HiY and SftM instead. This can be confusing
for people who have just subscribed, and also for people who 'lost the
thread'.  I prefer writing the first word in full and abbreviating the
rest, which makes the acronyms easier to understand.

   CaS  = Clutching_aS = Clutching at Straws
   HiY  = Hooks_iY = Hooks in You
   SftM = Songs_ftM = Songs from the Mirror

Further, a lot of "regular" net acronyms are used. More comprehensive
lists are available:

   IMO  = In My Opinion
   IMHO = In My Humble/Honest Opinion
   FYI  = For Your Information
   RSN  = Real Soon Now

Smileys are also used a lot (turn you head 90 degrees to the left):

   :-)   Smile!  [often means "this was meant humorously"]
   ;-)   Wink    [often means you're being sly or that you've
                  just said an inside joke]
   8^)   One of the endless variations  |*)

------------------------------
Subject: 2.5  This list has T-shirts? Where can I get one?

At times Jason Giles offers T-shirts for purchase by the members of the
Freaks list and Marillion/Fish fans in general. So far there has been
an "All the Best FREAKS Are Here" shirt, a Fish solo shirt, and also a
Hogarth Marillion shirt. He sometimes carries extras so it never hurts
to ask. When he re-orders the shirts, he will post to the net with all
the pertinent information.  Jason is also open for ideas for new shirts.

He is planning on doing a new shirt in the near future, keep reading the
Freaks mailinglist for the latest news!

His address is:  [e-mail]
            or:  [e-mail]

[Note from the editor: these shirts are great! check'em out if you can!]
[Agreed!  Buy the whole set!!  Wear them to progfests for easy
 identification!--kbibb]

------------------------------
Subject: 2.6  Where can I find lyrics to this song?

Some time ago Jose Garcia put together a lyrics book that contains every
single lyric available for both Marillion and Fish.

He says: "The idea was to have a high quality document with all the
lyrics, and being these as accurate as possible, not the official versions
that appear on the CD booklets or the LPs."

The lyrics book is available via anonymous ftp. See question 1.8 for more
info on ftp. For more information about the book, see:

   ftp://ftp.uwp.edu:/pub/music/lists/marillion/lyrics-book/0_README

The book is in postscript format and has several nice logos included; it
looks really nice! Jose is working on a plain ASCII version of the book,
which he'll upload to the ftp site as soon as it is finished. Before
downloading the lyrics-book, get the above mentioned readme file.

------------------------------
Subject: 2.7  Is there a complete dicscography available?

At the moment there is unfortunately no good/complete discography of
Marillion and Fish. There are some files available that are incomplete or
haven't been updated in a while. In Freaks issue 47 Adrie van Hoogstraten
posted a very extensive discography, which is available for ftp:

    ftp://ftp.uwp.edu:/pub/music/lists/marillion/maril.discography.Z

At the end of the sections 3, 4 and 5 there's a brief listing of which
albums and singles were released.

------------------------------
Subject: 3.1  Who started Marillion and when?

In 1979 Steve Rothery (guitars) joined Mick Pointer (drums), Doug Irvine
(bass), and local keyboardist Brian Jelliman in an instrumental band.
There was no singer, but in the winter of 79/80, Doug took up the vocals
and they recorded their first demo which included the songs "Alice" and
"Lady Fantasy". These demos, and some instrumentals can be found on
the bootleg "Haunters Having Lots of Fun" (see the section on bootlegs).

------------------------------
Subject: 3.2  Were does the name Marillion come from?

When the band needed a name, the book "Silmarillion" by J.R.R. Tolkien
happened to be laying on the table so the band decided to call themselves
"Silmarillion". Later, to avoid legal problems, they dropped the "Sil"
part and "Marillion" was born.

It may be a coincidence, but Tolkien also once gave a very good speach on
Beowulf. This is the classic story on wich the song Grendel is based.

------------------------------
Subject: 3.3  Which band members were/are in Marillion?

Here's a short overview of all member changes Marillion have had:

1979: Steve Rothery (guitars)
      Mick Pointer (drums)
      Doug Irvine (bass + vocals)
      Brian Jelliman (keyboards)

1980: Diz Minnit on bass
      Derek William Dick (Fish) on vocals

1981: Mark Kelly on keyboards

1982: Pete Trewavas on bass

1983: Andy Ward on drums
      John Martyr was on drums (3 months later)
      Jonathan Mover on drums (weeks later)

1984: Ian Mosley on drums (weeks later)

[...]

1988: Fish leaves Marillion and goes solo in the game...

1989: Steve Hogarth on vocals

This leaves the current line as:

     MARILLION
     Steve Hogarth (vocals) (born 14 May, 1956 in Kendal)
     Pete Trewavas (bass) (born 15th January, 1959 in Middlesbrough)
     Ian Mosley (drums) (born 16th June, 1953 in Paddington, London)
     Mark Kelly (keyboards) (born 9th April, 1961 in Dublin)
     Steve Rothery (guitars) (25th November, 1959, Brampton, S-Yorkshire)

     FISH SOLO
     Fish (born 25th April, 1958)

------------------------------
Subject: 3.4  Who's Mark Wilkinson?

Mark Wilkinson is an artist who has done the cover art of every Marillion
album and single (up to Clutching at Straws). Recently, he has done cover
art for Fish's first 2 solo albums and singles. The concepts for the
paintings always come from Fish, and usually contain many symbols that are
somehow related to the lyrics.

The album covers are extremely detailed, and only come to their right on
LP's (the CD booklets are just too small). The covers of the singles are
usually much simpler and less detailed.

Mark Wilkinson has also done album covers for other bands.  Recently he
did the cover for Judas Priest's album "Ram It Down".

Fish's cover album "Songs from the Mirror" was not done by Wilkinson. He
and Fish decided they "needed a break" from each other. Rumors say that
Wilkinson _will_ do the cover of the forthcoming album "Suits".


------------------------------
Subject: 3.5  What albums can be found on the cover of "Script" and "Fugazi"?

On the back of the album "Script for a Jester's Tear" you will see the
following albums lying on the floor (from left to right):

  "Can You Dream in Color?" - Bill Nelson
  "Saucerful of Secrets" - Pink Floyd
  "He Knows You Know" - Marillion
  "Forgotten Sons" - Marillion

On "Fugazi" there are also some albums on the floor (left to right):

  "Punch and Judy" - Marillion
  "The Wall" - Pink Floyd
  "Fool's Mate" - Peter Hammill
  "Over" - Peter Hammill

The paintings that are hanging on the wall on Fugazi are real paintings
that were painted by Mark Wilkinson's wife.

------------------------------
Subject: 3.6  What are the spoken words in Chelsea Monday?

In the beginning of the song you hear a man selling newspapers. What
exactly is said is not clear. According to Fish it is:

  "Evening Standard: final one!"

This may not be correct. More accurate is:

  "Evening Standard: late one!"

or:

  "News or Standard: late one!"

The speaker of the words is a Newspaper seller who, in London, stands
outside the subway stations selling evening papers to commuters on their
way home. The Evening Standard is a well known London newspaper published
in two editions. I believe that back in the early eighties there was also
a short-lived newspaper called the Evening News.

Halfway through the song, the following text is spoken, it describes what
was in the newspaper:

VOICE: "Hello John, did you see The Standard about four hours ago?
        Fished a young chick out of the Old Father
        Blonde hair, Blue eyes
        She said she wanted to be an actress or something
        Nobody knows where she came from, where she was going
        Funny thing was she had a smile on her face
        She was smiling
        What a waste!"

The Old Father is the river Thames, which runs through London, including
the Chelsea Area.

------------------------------
Subject: 3.7  Can anyone explain the lyrics of Garden Party?

Garden Party seems to raise many questions, therefore I have included
a long -but good- explanation of this song. I have included the full
message that was posted to the (old) Freaks list on March 13, 1991, by
Geoff Parks. Later he made some modifications to the original message:

[=== Start of included message ===]

> Anyway, on with today's song : 'Garden Party' [insert kermit's "yeeee-
> aaah" here].

Having spent 8 years of my life at Cambridge University I am in a good
position to pontificate about this one!

> I won't offend your intelligence by stating what the subject of this
> song is supposed to be :-) .

> invites call the debs to play : this is an idiom I am totally unfami-
> liar with. Anybody ?

`Deb' is short for debutant. By tradition, the daughters of the `ruling
class' in Britain are presented at court (i.e., introduced to the king or
queen) when they reach the age of 18 - they make their debut in social
circles, hence the term `debutant'. Over the summer which following this
these debutants attend all the `essential' social events and each host a
`coming out' party. The object of all this is to find a husband. It is all
a very elaborate mating ritual!

By extrapolation the term deb is applied to any girl from the upper
classes whose main purpose in life seems to be to find a rich (or
potentially rich) husband. There are lots of these at Cambridge!

> edgy eggs ??? Cumbers : in Latin 'cumbere' means 'to lie down'. Is
> this too far-fetched ? It would fit in nicely with the slumber.
> Or does 'cumber' exist in English ? If so, what does it mean ?

`Cumber' is short for cucumber (the salad vegetable). Two of the most
common delicacies at garden parties are cucumber sandwiches and egg
sandwiches. In Britain the construction of a sandwich is much simpler than
here in the US - it is: slice of bread, butter, filling, butter, slice of
bread. At the `best' garden parties such sandwiches will have had the
crusts removed and be cut into little triangles. Many hundreds of these
will be consumed hence `The Great Cucumber Massacre' sub-title.

> The 'Cam' waters. I don't get this one.

The river which flows through Cambridge is the River Cam.

> The first verse clearly pictured the preparations. But you all knew
> that.

> Straafed, eaves : anyone can give the meaning (my guess at straafed is
> that it means 'tortured'. eaves, like in eavesdropping ??)

Straaf is originally a German word I believe. I've always understood it
to mean `to bomb to bits' or something similarly destructive.

During WWII, Stukas were known for their straafing runs.  Think back to
the old WWII movie footage of the fighter swooping down and firing bullets
down a road, across a field, etc.  That is strafing.

Eaves are the part of the roof that hangs over the wall.  The area
underneath the eaves is called the eavesdrop.

> Punting on the Cam : Is Cam a game of sorts ? played in water ?
> Beagling ? Rugger is the tops ?

`Punting' is a leisure pursuit. A punt is long shallow rectangular boat.
This is propelled along the river by standing at one end with a long pole
which one pushes against the river bed. It takes quite a bit of practice
to get the thing to go in a straight line. Usually a bunch of friends go
punting. Each takes a turn doing the `driving'. The others sit in the punt
talking, drinking, trying to catch ducks etc. On a nice day and in the
right company it is actually quite a pleasant way to while away the hours.

`Beagling' is a low budget version of foxhunting. A beagle is a type of
dog similar to a fox hound. To go beagling one assembles a pack of these
dogs and a bunch of hunters (on foot) and sets off across the fields in
search of a hare, rabbit or some similarly inoffensive creature. I knew
someone who used to go beagling at Cambridge and, as far as I know, they
never actually managed to catch anything. They did however get lots of
exercise and large cleaning bills out of it!

Rugger is another name for rugby (the game). The two most important sports
played in Cambridge are rowing and rugby. University sport in Britain has
nowhere near the status it does in the US but the annual rowing and rugby
contests between Oxford and Cambridge (the Boat Race and the Varsity
Match) are televised nationally. `Rugger is the tops' simply means `rugby
is the most enjoyable sport'. Incidentally, the term `rucking' which
appears in the song is a technical term from rugby.

> I guess ye can all see I haven't experienced one of these parties yet.
> Lucky me !

> To chalk another blue ?
> Come on guys, enlighten me !

A `blue' is a sporting honour. To obtain a blue you have to represent
Cambridge University against Oxford in a major sport. You could be in the
team all year but if you miss the Oxford game due to injury you don't get
your blue. The major sports are rowing, rugby, football (aka soccer),
cricket, (field) hockey, boxing + perhaps one or two others.  If you
represent the university in a minor sport (eg.  tennis, squash, badminton,
ice hockey, basketball...) you get a `half-blue'. Receiving a blue
entitles you to numerous privileges, such wearing a hideous light blue
blazer (dark blue at Oxford), and gives you considerable status amongst
those who consider athletics more important than academics.

[Further comments added later:]

Thus `Angie chalks another blue' can on one level be interpreted as
meaning that Angie is a sort of sports groupie, who is perhaps trying to
sleep with all the members of the university rugby team and has just
succeeded in bedding another player - and chalked up (tallied) this
conquest on her personal score sheet.

In addition, this line can also be taken as a reference to snooker (a game
with some basic similarities to pool which is popular among the upper
classes in Britain). One of the balls used in snooker is blue. Also the
chalk rubbed on the tips of the cues used in snooker is blue - so
conceivably this line contains all sorts of phallic imagery!

Furthermore:

[actually, I've heard that it's slang for taking uppers, ie blues.
there are other references to blues in Quadraphenia.--kbibb]

So, in conclusion, this one line (four words) manages to make allusions to
three different aspects of upper class decadence - a fine example of
Fish's lyrical brilliance.

[=== End of included message ===]

Please note that Fish did _not_ write the original lyrics of Garden Party.
He may have touched them up a little however. There's a pre-Fish demo on
which someone else sings Garden Party.

------------------------------
Subject: 3.8  What does Fugazi mean?

Fugazi is a word that was used by Americans in Vietnam, and is slang
for "all fucked up". This explains pretty well what Fish is trying to say
with the album: "This world is totally fugazi". Fugazi is close to a
popular net-acronym, Foobar, which is derived from Fubar and means "Fucked
up beyond all recognition" (sorry for the language...)

Fugazi is definately _not_ a vietnamese word as there is no Z in the
vietnamese alphabet.

------------------------------
Subject: 3.9  What's Brixton Chess?

Brixton is a suburb of London where there were major riots in April 1981.
(These events coincided with the first Space Shuttle flight, which may
explain a lack of coverage in the US media.)

"Chess" has several levels of meaning. The chess game is used as a
metaphor for conflict in general. The riots were partly race riots (for
want of a better term), and "Chess" implicity refers to black and white in
opposition.  It also suggests a larger game beyond the knowledge of the
pawns - this refers to the political power play in the background.  An
inquiry into the riots partially blamed them on the economic policies of
Margaret Thatcher's Conservative government, which seemed to inflict the
poor with the economic cost of restructuring while leaving the more
affluent (the Conservatives' major supporters) relatively unscathed.

Which is all consistent with the themes of Fugazi.

------------------------------
Subject: 3.10 What is said in "Incubus"?

The correct line is:
   "An irritating speck of dirt that came from absolutely nowhere..."

------------------------------
Subject: 3.11 What does "Slainte Mhath" mean?

The word "slainte" which is pronounced "slon'te" in the Irish derivation
('o' as in all, and an upside down 'e'), has the meaning "health, to your
health!": a toast.

It is a gaelic word, too, which is where Fish picked it up.  Irish, gaelic
(scottish), and welsh are all related languages.

------------------------------
Subject: 3.12 What's the story behind Geezabun?

This is ancient Marillion history. It seems that once during a break
between songs (possibly while some technical problem was being fixed) Fish
entertained the audience at a gig with the following "joke":

Q: How does an elephant tell you it's hungry?

A: It says "Geezabun".

[Explanatory notes for non-Brits:

 1. "Geezabun" = "Give us a bun" said very fast by a Scotsman.

 2. Many years ago children used to be allowed to feed buns to elephants
    at British zoos, so buns are widely held to be part of the standard
    elephant diet.

 3. A bun is a fairly simple form of cake. There are two standard
    varieties: the currant bun (slightly sweetened dough mixed with dried
    currants) and the iced bun (slightly sweetened dough covered with
    icing [frosting]).  There are also specialist buns, eg. the
    hot-crossed bun (traditionally eaten on Good Friday), Bath buns,
    Chelsea buns etc.]

Anyway, the telling of this joke became standard procedure at Marillion
gigs and members of the audience would bombard the stage with buns at the
appropriate moment.

Note that the choir on Fish' version of "Fearless" is called Geezabun!
Also the bootleg "The Mask" contains a disc that has Geezabun on it (which
is the only recording available on bootleg).

------------------------------
Subject: 3.13 Who are the people on the cover of "Clutching at Straws"?

The people you see on the cover are all famous people that died of
drugs/alcohol. Fish was influenced by most of these people.

On the front from left to right:
    Robert Burns, Dylan Thomas, Truman Capote and Lenny Bruce

On the back from left to right:
    John Lennon, James Dean and Jack Kerouac

Here's the story behind those people:

James Dean died in a car crash, but was probably drunk when it happened.
He was an alcoholic and also used drugs. Jack Kerouac died of alcohol
poisoning, but also used drugs. Dylan Thomas also died of alcohol
poisoning. Truman Capote died of a combination of alcohol, drugs, and
whatever pills (probably suicide). Robert Burns died of alcohol poisoning,
Lenny Bruce died of an overdoses heroine... John Lennon does not exactly
fit in this (pleasant) group of people, he was not an alcoholic, nor a
heavy drugs user. But, as someone put it: he probably died of an overdose
of fame...

------------------------------
Subject: 3.14  What is the Fidra Lighthouse?

>From Warm Wet Circles:

  "She nervously undressed in the dancing beams of the Fidra Lighthouse"

Fidra is a small rocky island just off the coast of East Lothian (East
of Edinburgh, Scotland).  There is a nature reserve on this part of the
coast and is the type of place that people go "to be together" and
alone.  It's a beautiful area.  There is a small automatic lighthouse on
the island.

------------------------------
Subject: 3.15 What's a raincheck?

In the song Sugar Mice, Fish explains that "daddy took a raincheck". A
raincheck is something that is given out:

    a) at events when it rains, like a baseball game.  Usually it means the
       game is being cancelled at the current time, and the raincheck will
       allow you into the rescheduled game.
    b) When you go to buy something at a store and it is on sale.  If
       something is supposed to be on sale, but it's sold out, they can
       give you a raincheck to pick the item up later at the sale price.
    c) When talking about social occasions, as in "Would you like to come
       over for a drink?" "No thanks, I'll take a raincheck"
       meaning either a) Can't do it right now, how about later.  or b) a
       polite way of saying bugger off.

Fish's use of the term "raincheck" goes even further.  "Your daddy took a
raincheck", implies that "daddy" has no intentions of fulfilling his duties
and living up to his responsibilities (as a father?) at this time.  (And
perhaps never will in the future either...)  This is a key point.   Daddy
is bowing out to his real or perceived pressures and leaving without any
excuses or other reasons.  He just can't cope with his responsibilities, so
he takes a raincheck.  So mom is left to raise the kids on her own, and
left to explain to the kids why dad left.  He took a raincheck.  Quite the
powerful imagery, really...

------------------------------
Subject: 3.16 Alternative Misplaced Childhood?!?!?! Please elaborate!!!!!!

The alternative part 1 to Misplaced Childhood is a non definite version of
Misplaced Childhood. It has other lyrics and slightly different music. It
was tried out on public in the beginning of 1985, as to check out how the
public's attitude was towards the new album. The different lyrics are mostly
Kayleigh, which sounds very different (and refreshing!).

The alternative MC is only available on bootlegs, like Garden Party UK 84
and Childhood Rehearsels. It's available on tapes from Bill Frech (see
6.5).

--
Ken Bibb        "When all but hope is lost
[e-mail]     You believe at any cost
[e-mail]     In things that make the living lighter"
                --David Sylvian