(TV) U-2 & Television a Stretch? / We Love You Detroit! / Hifalutin We bster Collegiate Dictonary Says Band Television Delivers the Goods

["Casey, Leo J" <CaseyL@VOLPE.DOT.GOV>]

Keith, you're probably right.

On a number of levels it's true that it might be a bit
of a stretch that Television could appeal to or connect
with U-2 audiences (or bands who are U-2's musical
contemporaries and who also play the huge venues).  
Television's music and TV's lyrics----together with a 
deliberate lack of the usual banter with the audience 
and other show-biz antics such as a lot of jumping 
around on stage, derigeur for many young rock 
audiences of today-----could be problematical in
getting a good reception to Television from this 
particular segment of rock audiences.  Although I 
must say that I salute and love Television for their
choice of a mostly staid, sober stage presence, which
lets the music itself do the talking and supply the 
drama and camaraderie, instead of resorting to the
 usual bag of non musical tricks.

(I love that current SW Airlines "Need To Get Away?"
commercial on tv, in which after a thunderous first
song and screaming audience reception, the lead singer
yells out "WE LOVE YOU DETROIT !", followed by
deafening silence interrupted only by the bass player
sadly informing the lead singer that "Detroit" was
last night.)

Some of us remember several spontaneous 
things that happened at the Television Chicago show 
back in May not the least of which was the wonderful 
audience sing-a-long to "Venus" (and I'm sure that the
other Television concerts this year (and in the past!  I  
remember plenty of them) have had their spontaneous
and almost magical moments.  TV said in a 1979 interview:
"In terms of asking an audience to clap their hands?  I'm
not that style [but] I don't design to be a low-key, 
over-in-corner act ...." 

Television might be considered by some to be 
too intellectual, too cerebral, or "too clever" 
(for their own good) to be a support act for bands
that play to very large audiences.  
(I don't mean that in a snobby way.)

Others might consider Television and Verlaine
pretentious (remember I'm just playing the devil's advocate
here, and setting out possible theories held by a  
headliner band or its audience).  But then some people 
find U-2 pretentious and parts of their music to have an
almost solemn piousness 

On the other hand, let's analyze two of the more hifalultin
words frequently thrown around when describing U-2 and 
their music:  "anthemic" and "pyrotechnical". 
 
Merriam Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, 10th edition,
defines "anthemic" as: "of or relating to a song or hymn
of praise of gladness."  If that doesn't fit lots of Television's
songs like "Glory" and "1880 Or So" then I'll eat my hat
(and it's a powerful and a real fine hat).

"pyrotechnical":  "characterized by a spectacular display
(as of extreme virtuosity)". If that doesn't describe our boys
playing then I don't know what does.  
		
	Leo

-----Original Message-----
From: Keith Allison [mailto:keith@marquee.demon.co.uk]
Sent: Thursday, August 23, 2001 5:13 PM
To: tv@obbard.com
Subject: Re: (TV) TV as later-day Skinny Orson Welles / Just One! - A
Verlaine Rant Dennis Miller Would be Proud of


In message <00B717603414D21187AD00104B94A2DA41A404@EXCHANGE>, Cameron
Pulley <cpulley@navicominc.com> writes
>Television or Tom opening for U2?  That's not a bad idea at all.  After all,
>Television once went on tour with Peter Gabriel (of all people). 

Ah, Peter Gabriel to U2: from the sublime to the ridiculous, I'd say
(though Andy would disagree).
> U2 is not
>so much of a stretch.  

Oh, but it is, it is.

	Keith Allison
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