(TV) Parsing Tom's Voice / P. Smith / Verlaine on WFMU archive

["Casey, Leo J" <Leo.J.Casey@Volpe.dot.gov>]

I've heard many of his interviews on the radio, 
but it was still interesting to hear the 
person---who has a 'reputation' for sometimes 
being an 'infante terrible' in interviews 
(although mostly unwarranted IMHO), and 
supposedly very moody, who suffers fools 
badly-----sound so relaxed, happy, and 
goofy.  Dare I say it, he sounded like a 
very shy, sensitive guy---almost sweet! 

Smith once wrote, " ... he's - fragile yet strong. 
He's a creature of opposites. The way he comes 
on like a dirt farmer and a prince ..." 

What we got for two hours was the 'dirt farmer' half.
No matter how many of his radio interviews I listen 
to, it's always a surprise to hear the way the guy 
(who wrote "MM" and plays all those great solos) 
actually sounds when he talks.

No disrespect [to Tom or the state of W. Virginia], 
but his manner of speaking sounded like a poor, 
backwoods, Depression-era guy from Appalachia (a 
character out of Agee's 'Let Us Now Praise Famous Men'. 
And that *affect* and intonation, of his words/voice! 
[and to me the accent (not to be confused with 'affect') 
more of Delaware then New Yawk accent]--almost Southern 
but more strange than any Southern affect-intonation 
I've ever encountered in movies and travel. 

I would say that he and P. Smith have the two most 
bizarre 'affects' of any performer I've ever heard 
speak. Although for me it makes them both more 
endearing creatures, and esp. in Smith's case, her 
flat monotone, sing-song affect makes a lot of what 
she says between songs more credible and honest than 
embarrassing or silly. 

>I'd be happy if I never heard any of it ever again.
But, music selection-wise, gotta agree with Keith.

Except for maybe the Twighlight Zone and Bond 
themes---thought he might play more classical 
stuff and maybe A. Ayler or Dolphy. (In fact, I 
believe that he was holding back, and that he 
deliberately chose to limit his selections to 
just his 'Thrift-shop' discoveries rather than 
to all of what he likes).  

>What a wag he is, eh?

Keith or anyone:  In UK is a 'wag' a wuss or 
worse? In the federal govt. work we do here, 
a 'wag' stands for a 'wild-ass guess' 

-----Original Message-----
From: tv-owner@obbard.com On Behalf Of Keith
Allison
Sent: Tuesday, January 10, 2006 5:41 AM
To: tv@obbard.com
Subject: Re: (TV) Verlaine on WFMU archive


In message <8C7E37A4D971E13-4D0-C302@MBLK-M04.sysops.aol.com>, 
davmarrnr@aol.com writes
>Played some STRANGE stuff - old 50's/60's instrumental guitar and organ 
>stuff (always denied whatever he played had any influence on his own 
>music)

Oddly enough, all the stuff he played sounded *exactly* what I thought 
it would sound like and I
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