For Squirrels

Message Board - Wow! Drama! read first

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Wow! Drama! read first Posted by: an onny moose on: 2007-10-23 20:20:56 (post a reply)
For some reason, Max must have missed my intelligent, thoughful comment i left on his message board. I will reprint it here in full, so he can read it.

I honestly think that he must have missed it on accident, and then got all bent out of shape over it. If this is just a misunderstanding, then, oops...hopefully the host of this board can simply delete Max's previous posts, as I am sure he did not mean to berate fans of For Squirrels.

He was reacting irrationally, taking something personally, even though he did not have anything to do with the original music. Yes, he did the legwork of getting other artists to record versions of the songs, and he posted them, and that takes effort, so kudos and 3 cheers for Max. Everyone needs a little ego boost now and then, no harm or shame in that.

I chalk it up to a heated moment, where Max must feel like he is casting pearls before swine and "no one gets it", because no one is thanking Him for being the one to deliver us these pearls of wisdom, or juicy tidbits of musical ear candy . But We have to be doubly careful when promoting Music That Has Changed Our Lives.

Neither Max nor any of us had anything to do with the creation of the music of For Squirrels, we just happen to dig it and are lucky enough to have ears to hear.

Artists access realms of sound and structure and chords and words and assemble it all for their own sake, and for the sake of the audience, and society as a whole. The most direct, pure relationship between Artist and the Viewer/Listener/Receiver is when they are playing live right in front of your eyes and you have your mind blown.

I know there are people who check this board out every now and then that have seen For Squirrels and Subrosa play, and that somehow, it feels sometimes that Travis is singing directly to you personally, as if the song is about your life, too.

"Everybody wants to be in my band"
I think that says is most succintly. Alot of people felt like they were "part of the scene. They were "there" when it all went down. And now that times have gone and past, sometimes nostalgia causes pangs in the heart.

I myself learned how to play guitar mostly by the chords provided in this site. I've sung along and belted out at home and in the car "Blood from a Stone!" and all the rest...but
The sad truth is that most of the covers of the tribute albums pale in comparison to the original tracks. No one wrote in, probably because most of the songs just left us with that empty feeling: we will miss Jack V forever, and we've missed Travis for the past 5 years or so.

Only Travis can fill that void, not some clumsy drunk, slurred version of R.O. by some Ani Defranco wannabe. Now, that woman actually may be friends with Travis, but, Christ, man, leave that song alone! She practically ruined it for me. I had to listen to the real version 10 times in a row so as to let Jack "reclaim" it.

For Squirrels themselves played cover songs, and one could make a point that when For Squirrels went back on tour after the accident, For Squirrels was covering For Squirrels.

So a more interesting studio albulm would be, I think, Travis on Vocals, Andy on Bass, and Jack on Drums, "covering" all the old material: Baypath and Example. I know that there is concert footage of them playing Baypath songs, and they were pretty spirited.

If it suits Travis, and he feels it is appropriate, some of those songs might get played Dec 7th, although he has so much new material, i would rather just hear all that.

At the end of the day, I think what is important is that finally the world is going to get to share in what Gainesville has had the priveledge to experience: Travis Michael Tooke and his Amazing Technicolor Soundtrack.


Currently Listening to: eddie vedder
Re: Wow! Drama! read first Posted by: Max Mooney on: 2007-10-23 20:47:58 (post a reply)
"even though he did not have anything to do with the original music."

wow, apparently this idiot doesn't know that I did have something to do with the original band (if not the actual song compositions).

For Squirrels (before they were For Squirrels) sat on the floor of Y&T Records on University Ave and recorded demos on John Kuge's 4-Track recorder. For Squirrels played my Home G.R.O.A.N Benefit at the Covered Dish to a standing ovation. I WAS there at the beginning.

I miss JackV (and Bill and Tim) as much as anyone so for him to attack me personally is an affront that can not go unchecked. And I wish Travis nothing but the best and I will be the first in line (or online) to buy his CD.

And I (and Y&T paid for their first "real" studio time. So I am appalled when you leave a comment like:

"a lengthy, intelligent reply.

Kinda happy now?"

which sounds sarcastic to say the least...

the comment was excellent... the post was not...

I am not irrational, I am emotional. For Squirrels were my friends and still are one of my favorite bands. JackVs walking out of Rose's (Miami Beach) while the band played on until he returned is still one of my all-time favorite live band moments. I love and miss them all.

Currently Listening to: Jose Gonzalez
ok, apparently i am a retard Posted by: an onny moose on: 2007-10-23 22:39:21 (post a reply)
and i owe Max an apology. My bad. I forgot it was you who was there in the beginning, and facilitated the whole operation. no, i am not being sarcastic. i guess i did not know what i was talking about, and saying you were not in on it was untrue.

i personally remain unnamed because this is not about me, so to make it about you, i mean i apologise if i fed that.

All i know is what i have heard from the Subrosa CD extras: Travis describing how songs start with him wailing away like its the end of the world, (or something, i cant remember exact) and then the band takes hold and fleshes it out.

so as far as the music goes, i guess that all originates within the band. apparently you housed and clothed and fed them and rented their instruments and provided space to play in, and all that, and were one of the original groupies, (not in a bad way). so that is cool. I get it now. My bad.

Still, the tribute was only half-good. I would rather hear an album by Mark V.

Oh, and apologies to this board for causing such a ruckus. i guess silly things happen when people like me start typing. i did not mean to inflame anything.
if everything is cool with For Squirrel fans and Max Mooney, then everything is cool with me.

i admit i am just an idiot at a computer with an opinion about music that i like, but did not make.



Currently Listening to: barbara streisand
Re: ok, apparently i am a retard Posted by: Max Mooney on: 2007-10-23 23:34:19 (post a reply)
no, "retards" as you call them, can't do anything about it... you are an asshole by choice:
"apparently you housed and clothed and fed them and rented their instruments and provided space to play in, and all that, and were one of the original groupies, (not in a bad way). so that is cool. I get it now. My bad."

I never said nor implied that.

My time speaking to you about this over.

You are an asshole.
I mean, I am an a$$-ole, not a retard Posted by: an assy moose on: 2007-10-23 23:57:29 (post a reply)
see, kids, this is why it is better not to post to these things. turns out, this whole project was not about you fawning over the tribute to FS, its about max. max is feeling a little disconnected from the totalitarian dictatorship of colonial imperial democracy of the continental united states of my opinion, so solicits it, needing conflict, and nostalgia, and cursing. it gets frustrating in bangkok thailand. apparently no one gets excited over things like this in thailand.

Max, i miss you. lets bury the hatchet, dude. write me a song. or maybe me you?

seriously, i just have some time off work to keep posting you now and then. we can be pen pals.

here is something else to argue about: Randy Macho Man Savage crushed Ricky the Dragon Steamboat's larynyx, effectively ending his career, and then Macho Man slaps around Miss Elizabeth, for being concerned about Ricky. Then Hulk says "whoah, Macho Man, that is messed up." AND THEN Miss Elizabeth changes sides, and goes with Hulk! But Terry is married with children! Is this all fake, real, or who is fooling who?
Were you for Brutus the Barber Beefcake, or Adrian Adonis?

Currently Listening to: DethLok
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