They were never a particularly good band. But they did have their moments and knew from the get go they weren’t going for the band-in-a-van sort of sacrifices some called living the dream. I think they had more real fun this way anyway –being that they really didn’t get along all that well and had many striking taste differences.
For instance, Hammur liked mostly black metal and seemed to live to make others as uncomfortable with this fact as he could. Gretchen listened mostly to beeps and clicks set on top of a repetitive thud. Occasionally I heard gargled voices or British accents from her stuff. Somehow together these two really did it for a lot of people though (myself included).
There was the guy from Portugal, who if he ever was one of those Latin Lover types must have been retired from it already. He was an unexpected surprise. I really liked his contribution to the band. Never understood a word he was saying but he said it really nicely. And it fit really well because it didn’t fit really well because that other guy, the one I always call “the white guy,” sounded just like him, but with a completely “white guy” voice –I can stand a passionate Latin thing balanced by an equally passionate White Guy thing. I guess I relate to the White Guy thing and that makes the Latin thing less exotic and more dorky and the White Guy thing a little more exotic and -the more I explain it the more it doesn’t work.
The White Guy was the first to leave the original line up; and unfortunately –though they were never particularly good to begin with– they didn’t get any better after that.
But I do miss that line up. They really didn’t hang on to their best players. The keyboardist stuck around and the guy who can’t keep his guitar in tune to friggin save his life. They also didn’t replace the guys and girls that left with musicians I can relate too. Sure I call that guy the White Guy. And honestly, I do call that Portuguese guy Latin Lover to myself. Doesn’t sound like a very deep relationship to have with a band. But these new cats they have, I don’t have names for.
They’re much nicer guys though. They don’t pick fights like the founding bassist who I call McFleetwood Cortez though that’s not his real name or even his stage name. (I’m wondering if I should drop the personal info. It doesn’t really have anything to do with anything and even I am starting to think I’m a little weird because I gave the original Modern Dance bassist a nickname just for myself. I also gave nicknames to most of the other players except Hammur and Gretchen who already had names that pretty much fit the image of them the way I like to remember them.)
Anyway I wouldn’t even bring them up but to say they really did have their moments. Totally worthwhile. I’ll see if I can dig some up and show you.
Are you making this up? Isn’t Modern Dance the Pere Ubu record that has the Non Alignment Pact song on it?
either way, love this post. even if its fake. actually, a little more if it’s fake.
I’m slow. I think I just got it.
Ha ha very sweet and cute if I’m reading this correctly.
Coo Coo Cachoo.
Classy, as always. A gentleman to boot.
Not sure why, but Hammur tells me he misses the band. Funny how that works.
Things probably would have turned out better if they had just fired the keyboardist. He puts those shitty fake string sounds on everything, so it’s no wonder people moved on.
aw now. he uses a lot of samples but awesome sources.