Subject: The Essential Suzanne Vega -
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Subj: The Essential Suzanne Vega Part 1 of 3 Date: 97-01-09 09:31:55 EST From: Bruce_Miyashita@mckinsey.com (Bruce Miyashita) Greetings: I hope this note finds everyone in good shape. I apologize if you have received this note more than once. I've had some trouble posting it due, Eric informs me, to its size. So if you bear with me I'm resending it in three parts. Over the past few weeks I've been working on some material for a film documentary. The film would delve into a few, very different musical composers to see how they work etc. As many of you are no doubt aware, the process of getting a film made is similar to dental surgery, though less fun. These are early days for the project--they need to beg, borrow, or steal money etc. and as with all films there is less than a 10% chance of this thing ever getting off the ground. Aware of my interest in Suzanne's music, I was volunteered to write-up a synopsis of her work. The format was straightforward: write a brief paragraph on no more than 20 of the writer's songs to act as a guide to the producers on artists that might be subjects for the film. We were asked *not* to write a biography as publicly available information would be used for now, and since the film's researchers would do this when/if funding is secured and when a final roster of subjects is chosen, approached etc. In selecting the 20 songs I tried to spread them out as much as possible among the five albums so as to provide a perspective over several years. I also tried to touch on as many of the major themes as possible in Suzanne's work, as well as pick songs that highlight different melodic, lyrical, and instrumental approaches. I also tried to include the popular songs along with some lesser known ones. I hope you find it interesting and am interested in feedback. P.S. The PBS film may make this project redundant; if anyone has some info on what the PBS piece will cover, I'd be very interested to hear about it. ---------------------------- The Essential Suzanne Vega Songlist by album: SUZANNE VEGA (1985) 1. Cracking 2. Small Blue Thing 3. Marlene on the Wall 4. Queen and the Soldier SOLITUDE STANDING (1987) 5. Tom's Diner 6. Luka 7. Ironbound 8. Wooden Horse DAYS OF OPEN HAND (1990) 9. Tired of Sleeping 10.Men in a War 11.Rusted Pipe 12.Book of Dreams 13.Pilgrimage 99.9 (1993) 14.Blood Makes Noise 15.In Liverpool 16.Blood Sings NINE OBJECTS OF DESIRE (1996) 17.Birth-day 18.Caramel 19.Thin Man 20.World Before Columbus *** Cracking. The lead track from Suzanne's debut album made for a stunning introduction. The song is breathtaking in its simplicity. Its quality is evident in that almost 12 years after its release it does not sound dated at all; indeed, it's hard to pin the song down to any pop music trend, genre, or era. The song, and the album it comes from, exist in a timeless state of grace: the embarrassingly fadish lyrics, instrumentation, or topics found on most pop music is completely absent. It features several Vega songwriting hallmarks: the spare, finger-picked acoustic guitar accompaniment; the use--to use one of Vega's terms--of "crunchy" words ("got," "cracking," "brittle"); the subjective, first-person narrator; the economic lyric (no superfluous "yeahs," "uh huhs", let alone extraneous words); the subtle depiction of the narrator's unreliable mental state ("It's a one time thing, it just happens alot"). The song's minimalist structure--it's lack of an authoritative viewpoint, ambiguous resolution--is a signature element of Vega's writing style. Suzanne would return to the songwriting challenge of representing a person's psychological state in several other songs (e.g. Blood Makes Noise #14) demonstrating a gift, and interest, in writing songs from different perspectives. Small Blue Thing. One of Vega's most famous songs, combining an elegant acoustic guitar arrangement with a lyric, and vocal performance that established in the minds of the general public and many critics, the image of the "cool, aloof, waifish singer," an image, that for better or worse, still exists to some extent today. Vega's measured and controlled delivery on this song is the archetype for the unblinking, unflinching, and highly observant eye Suzanne has brought to every song she has written. Suzanne has said that the lyric was meant to convey, through metaphor, how her emotions and state of being felt to her. But it is also a song whose metaphors have been appropriated by groups as diverse as pro-life advocates (the small blue thing as fetus) and that has fueled hours of debate and analysis among listeners. Marlene on the Wall. Perhaps the most commercially successful song on the first album, Vega has sung this song in almost every concert she has performed. A poster of the enigmatic film star, Marlene Dietrich, that once hung on the wall of Suzanne's apartment provides the catalyst for the song which introduces several recurring motifs in her work: the unwavering, perhaps judgmental gaze of others (in this case from an image in a poster), the metaphor of a soldier, and the theme of inner conflict--"I'm fighting things I cannot see" (a metaphor for Vega's own struggle perhaps?) that would reappear in "The Queen and the Soldier." The Queen and the Soldier. Although this song might seem at first glance to be just a pretty folk ballad, subsequent listening reveals a portrait of a young Suzanne Vega setting two aspects of her inner life--the all-consuming Queen who demands sacrifice and the Soldier who must bear the burden--into the context of an epic song. Vega has been quoted as saying that she went through period in her life when she felt she needed to act as a "psychic soldier" who could endure hardships and stress. That insight, combined with the fact that Suzanne wanted to establish a performing career that had no debt to traditional music industry depictions of women, gives this song additional power when placed in the context of her career. Note: Suzanne Vega has acknowledged the influence of Leonard Cohen's songs on her own work. One can hear echoes of Cohen's songs in some of Vega's e.g. the image of the enduring soldier in Vega's work finds a parallel in Cohen's song "The Partisan" and her song "Predictions" (days of open Hand) was inspired by "Who By Fire" (a song she selected to sing in tribute to Leonard Cohen at his tribute concert in Toronto a few years ago). Subj: The Essential Suzanne Vega Part 2 of 3 Date: 97-01-09 09:29:38 EST From: Bruce_Miyashita@mckinsey.com (Bruce Miyashita) Tom's Diner. The lead track from Suzanne's second album, this song has made the subtle transition from a pop song to a cultural icon. Snippets of the song's famous melody have found their way into everything from a model humming the tune in a French lingerie commercial to an entire album of unsolicited versions of the song by fans around the world, including a dance club version by DJs DNA. One can imagine the tune surviving even through some sort of post-apocalpytic future. The song captures, in stream-of-consciousness form, the musing of a narrator sitting at Vega's favorite diner in Manhattan and utilizes, to good effect, Suzanne's nonchalant and off-the-cuff vocal delivery. Whether by design or not, its form opens the way for far more musical possibilities than if she had used a "traditional" folk song to open her second album. Note: Tom's Album (1991) A&M 75021 5363-2 contains several of the many Tom's Diner interpretations. Luka. No one could have anticipated that this song would provide Suzanne with her biggest hit to date. In hindsight its strengths are obvious: a strong melodic "hook" in the chorus, a distinctive electric guitar solo on the bridge, a memorable opening line, and a sharply-drawn portrait of the title character. Perhaps the song's popularity stemmed in large measure from how well Vega was able to make every listener feel they knew Luka or at least cared about what happened to the child. It is also a strong example of Vega's apparent preference to write about people who are on the margins and less powerful. Note: the UK CD single for "In Liverpool" AMCD 0029 contains a live solo acoustic version of Luka that, when stripped of the backing band, reveals the power inherent in the lyric. Ironbound/Fancy Poultry. A beautiful, delicate song, "Ironbound/Fancy Poultry" showcases Vega's talent for capturing the small details that help draw the listener into the song and creating powerful images that are almost cinematic in clarity. It also showcases Suzanne's obvious love and delight in word play and the sound of words: "poultry parts sold here"; "bound up in iron and wire and fate." Wooden Horse (Casper Hauser's Story). This song, the final cut on Solitude Standing, is a significant milestone in Vega's song writing career. It's a deeply evocative song inspired by the true story (and film ) about a "wild child" who was kept for years chained in a dark cellar in 18th century Germany and who was rumored to have been the abandoned child of a royal house. The song effectively utilizes the one phrase the boy knew when he was found ("I want to be a rider like my father") and takes its title from the toy wooden horse that was the boy's only possession in his prison. By deftly tackling such an unusual topic whilst producing a beautiful melody, Wooden Horse emphatically reinforced Vega's place among modern pop's finest composers and as well as destroying any illusions that Vega would let herself be bound by a narrow set of songwriting topics. The mantra-like interlude in the song that features several voices layered over each other ("Alive/And I fell under/A moving piece of sun/Freedom") foreshadows a similar device used in the equally enigmatic and beautiful song "Pilgrimage" that would close her next album. Tired of Sleeping. The dream state implicit in many of Vega's songs is directly addressed in the opening cut in Suzanne's third, and arguably best all-round album, days of open Hand. Featuring the somnambulant Hammond C3 organ that figures prominently in most of the songs, balanced against the awakening chime of a tipple, "Tired of Sleeping" draws extensively on Suzanne's dream images. Indeed the album manages, with its pristine and consistent production, its selection of instrumentation, and its songs that are collectively the most conceptually ambitious of her career to date, to create a fully self-contained musical dreamscape. Trusting to her musical instincts, Vega uses some obtuse phrases (e.g. "clean quilted heart") that nevertheless seem "right", perhaps because she is tapping into the collective subconscious of the audience. Note: There are several other songs on the theme of dreams and the borderline of sleep and consciousness: her interpretation of "Stay Awake" from Various Interpretations of Music from Vintage Disney Films (1988) A&M 75021 3918-2 is an unintended but nevertheless interesting angle; another is "Night Vision" from Solitude Standing. "Calypso's" (Solitude Standing) and "Honeymoon Suite's" (Nine Objects of Desire) lyrics and production also hint at a dream state. Men in a War. As well as being one of Vega's best up-tempo concert numbers, the song tackles a fascinating topic: the illusive essence of memory and existence--the muscle memory of lost limbs, the loss of memory of things we possess, the frightening fragility of our state of being and how quickly (and often violently) it can vanish. Note: UK CD single When Heroes Go Down (1993) offers a solo acoustic version of "Men in a War" from 1991 in Nyon Switzerland that highlights the edgy lyric stripped of the backing band. The 1990 UK CD single "Men in a War" features showcases the superiority of the live performance of this song (Berlin June 22, 1989) over the original studio version. Rusted Pipe. The subject of language and the ability (or inability) to express oneself was the focus of an earlier song ("Language" from Solitude Standing). Revisiting the topic from another angle, Vega employs the metaphor of a rusted, clogged water pipe in one of the outstanding tracks from the album. Vega's growing mastery as a songwriter is evident in the economic, playful, and at times surprising wordplay ("Stagger, stumble/Trip, fumble/Creep along and trickle/Freeze and cough and grip"). Also of note is the impressive quality of the sound production and final mix in this song and the other songs on "days of open Hand", the result of Suzanne's first effort, along with Anton Sanko, to entirely produce one of her own albums. Book of Dreams. In stark contrast to many of the album's other, darker songs, "Book of Dreams" is bright and optimistic--3 minutes and 22 seconds of beautifully crafted pop music. A synthesizer begins the song like the first rays of sunshine, and then with a roll and snap of the snare drum the song is off and running, propelled by infectious bass work by Suzanne's long-time bassist, Michael Visceglia, and sweetened by some marvelously infectious backing vocals by Shawn Colvin. The sense of inclusion, of all-encompassing openness and acceptance, of hope, is rarely found in many of Suzanne's other songs. Pilgrimage. The closing track to "days of open Hand" is perhaps Suzanne's masterwork. It is a perfectly realized, intensely moving and emotional song. Combining the image of a burning line of incense (as used in Buddist ceremony) with the idea of a physical and emotional journey from end to source, from child to parent, from present to past, the song was inspired by Suzanne's journey to see her biological father. Much like a Buddist meditation mantra, the song builds towards a hypnotic melodic and lyric cycle at its finale. The sense of reaching out for one's origins, of finding completeness, provides a powerful companion piece to the abandoned child portrayed in "Wooden Horse." Subj: The Essential Suzanne Vega Part 3 of 3 Date: 97-01-09 09:33:28 EST From: Bruce_Miyashita@mckinsey.com (Bruce Miyashita) Blood Makes Noise. Suzanne Vega's desire to continue to evolve as a writer and performer, to avoid the trap of repeating herself, is manifested in this song from the album 99.9. Relying on percussion and synthesizer (Suzanne does not play guitar on the track), the song combines, for her, some very different instrumentation with a long-standing Vega theme: portraying the world from the perspective of an individual who may or may not be entirely together and who is trying to make sense of the world. In this respect the song makes a perfect matching set with "Cracking." In Liverpool. 99.9 is Suzanne Vega's most sonically inventive album. No song better exemplifies the marriage (figuratively and literally) of Vega's straightforward and lean approach with Mitchell Froom and Tchad Blake's free-form "let's try this sound" approach than this, perhaps Suzanne's best pop song. A sampled sound that resembles the crank and clash of a Victorian steam work is joined in turn by a ghostly piano chord, Vega's acoustic guitar, and finally an organ to create a rich sonic envelope. Vega paints a series of intensely powerful word-images--the pale light, a boy in a belfry, a hunchback in heaven--and marries them to one of her best melodic lines, a strong vocal delivery, and a subtle but effective electric guitar lick to produce a soaring, evocative piece that must be the envy of Oasis-type bands everywhere. Especially effective is the song's final, repeating riff, which in concert takes on an epic grandeur and majesty that is quite remarkable, and unexpected, given the song's quiet, meditative opening stanzas. Blood Sings. In some ways a sequel to "Pilgrimage," "Blood Sings" tells the story of a person who meets a blood relative and how "When blood sees blood/Of its own/It sings to see itself again." Suzanne's vocal--gentle and perfectly understated--is accompanied by her own acoustic guitar and the tastefully simple embellishments of her band. The lyric is evocative and sensuous in sound ("One body spilt and passed along the line/From the shoulder to the hip"). It also echoes back to images in other songs; the "child who had been left alone at birth/Left to fend and taught to fight" connects with Luka, with Casper Hauser, with the narrator of "Bad Wisdom" (from 99.9), and with that part of the listener that is still the vulnerable child. In one magnificent line S uzanne captures the essence of a childhood lost: "See his eyes and how they start with light/Getting colder as the pictures go." Seldom has so much been said with so few words. Birth-day (love made real). In the opening track of her most recent album, Suzanne tackles the act of child birth (perhaps the only song lyric by any writer to do so) and with her lyric ("shake all over like an old sick dog"), distorted vocal, and full-bodied bass and drum backing (a hallmark of the album), meets the challenge. Froom and Blake's production style are well suited to reproducing (no pun intended) the pain of creation, both literally and figuratively. In Nine Objects of Desire, the inventive instrumentation and sound sampling of 99.9 are reigned-in slightly and harnessed to Suzanne's most melodically rhythmic music to-date to create an album that is in many ways a synthesis of Vega's musical love's: wordplay, eclectic instrument and sound combinations, the acoustic guitar, simple melodic lines, and hard-driving rhythms and riffs. Caramel. Suzanne's longstanding love of Brazillian composer Antonio Carlos Jobim (1927-1995) and jazz singer Astrud Gilberto flowers into an on-the-mark, bossa nova-inspired song of longing and desire that exemplifies the album's considerably more sensuous and rhythmic feel. Suzanne's vibratoless vocal style has never been more appropriate given Gilberto's own vocal style. This song, as well as the others on Nine Objects of Desire, highlight Suzanne's much richer voice (the result, perhaps, of some weight gain from childbirth). Note: Verve's Antonio Carlos Jobum Songbook (1995) (314 525 472-2) is an excellent compendium of the composer's songs. A good resume of Astrud Gilberto's work is found on Verve's Jazz Masters series 314 519 824-2 (1993). Thin Man. This song--with its hip beat, electric piano, and cool muted trumpets--paints a portrait of the Grim Reaper himself and does so with a witty, playful, and light touch. Again, its hard to find many other pop music composers who would even think of constructing a song around such a concept. World Before Columbus. Perhaps the outstanding track from the album, Suzanne took the premise of how the world would look if you literally had one eye or saw in black and white and extended this into a metaphor for how one would feel if your loved one were taken from you. A rich vocal, acoustic guitar and backing percussion, as well as some rich Beatlesque piano fills on the chorus, are applied to some of Vega's most beautiful lines ("And they'll never know the gold/Or the copper in your hair") to create one her few, overt, love songs. *** A fastidious writer of moderate output, Suzanne Vega has created some of the best pop music in the past decade. It is virtually impossible to find a throwaway or careless word in a song by Suzanne Vega, much less a "filler" song. Her originality and commitment to quality--from song lyrics to the album liner material--has earned her deep respect from music professionals, artists from all media, and her notoriously loyal fans. --------------------------- P.S. Limited to just 20 songs, I had to omit a number of songs that I otherwise would have included. For those interested, the one's that just missed the cut were: 21. Woman on the Tier (I'll See You Through). In his introduction to the soundtrack to the film Dead Man Walking, Tim Robbins wrote that "I sent them (a file of clippings and a rough cut of the film) to songwriters whose music tells stories, artists that do not write songs with hooks or tricks." Suzanne and Mitchell Froom create an oppressively noisy and hot setting that perfectly captures how one imagines a maximum security facility. Suzanne's delivery of the blunt and elemental lyric is mixed up front as if her words were coming from within the listener's head as you approach the bars of the prison. The backing percussion and drums create an ever more stressful and chaotic feeling within the listener--it's with some relief that you "emerge" from the song. 22. Freezing. Lyrics by Suzanne Vega, music by Phillip Glass. From the 1986 album Songs from Liquid Days. 23. Language. 24. Big Space. 25. 99.9 Subj: Re: The Essential Suzanne Vega Part 2 of 3 Date: 97-01-09 12:43:50 EST From: rwalters@lafayette.unocal.com (Rob Walters) Hello everyone, [most of a great post snipped] Fantastic descriptions, Bruce! I'm saving this one. I think most of your synopsis is 'spot on', as they say. A couple of things: >...Suzanne's third, and arguably best all-round >album, days of open Hand. I won't argue with that statement, but you'd better watch it! You'll re-open the old "Which album is best?" controversy! ;) <- attempt at humor >Pilgrimage. The closing track to "days of open Hand" is perhaps Suzanne's >masterwork. It is a perfectly realized, intensely moving and emotional song. Exactly. It baffles me as to why this song (and the album as well) was so underrated and/or ignored. Maybe the "difficult to classify" thing? >P.S. Limited to just 20 songs, I had to omit a number of songs that I otherwise >would have included. For those interested, the one's that just missed the cut >were: I would've tried to also include "Neighborhood Girls" in there somewhere. It's the quintessential 'detached observation' song, for me. And there is no formal resolution to the story - in the end, the reference to the girl's disappearance ("I just wonder where she's gone.' 'Oh, she's gone?' 'Yes, she's gone, gone, gone.'") is disturbingly casual. I would also have substituted "Gypsy" for "Wooden Horse," or else left out "Book of Dreams," but that's just my own preference. The lyrics in "Gypsy" are some of the best she's written, with phrases like "night is the cathedral where we recognize the sign/ we strangers know each other now as part of the whole design," not to mention the chorus, beautiful melody, and arrangement. Thanks again, Bruce - good luck with your project. Oh, and I thought the PBS special was supposed to be just the concert. Anyone know for sure? -Rob Subj: Re: The Essential Suzanne Vega Part 2 of 3 Date: 97-01-10 06:48:45 EST From: 74211.3515@CompuServe.COM (Christopher Gerby) << I would also have substituted "Gypsy" for "Wooden Horse," >> I second that. "Gypsy" is easily my favorite song on "Solitude Standing". I've always been rather inspired by the fact that Suzanne was able to write such a beautiful song when she was just -- if I have my numbers straight -- 18 years old. I first heard it when I was about 18 myself and an aspiring writer (not of music, but the principle holds). Perhaps now would be an appropriate time to mention the songs I selected for the home made "Best of Suzanne Vega" tape I put together a few years ago. I was able to fit 26 of my favorites onto one 90 minute cassette. Of course, I'd now have to amend it considerably to accomodate the "Nine Objects of Desire" cuts. For the time being, though, here's what is on the tape... SIDE ONE: Tom's Diner Men Will Be Men Neighborhood Girls Blood Makes Noise Big Space As Girls Go Room Off the Street Knight Moves When Heroes Go Down Luka Fifty-Fifty Chance Undertow Song of Sand Rusted Pipe SIDE TWO: Solitude Standing Blood Sings Fat Man and Dancing Girl Book of Dreams Some Journey Rock in This Pocket Tired of Sleeping Gypsy Left of Center In Liverpool Marlene on the Wall Pilgrimage The order is more or less random, except that I deliberately finished strong with five of my all-time favorites. I also tried to space them out by album, rather than have three in a row from "Days of Open Hand", for instance. Anyhow, it makes for a transcendent hour and a half of music. --Chris G. Subj: two thoughts Date: 97-01-11 23:54:07 EST From: wchase@silcom.com (Will Keightley) Chris Gerby posted his tracklist for his SV tape. I thought that was interesting. I happen to be extremely precise when I make audio tapes. There are only certain songs which work as "final cuts" on a compilation tape. I have to say that regardless of the previous 85 minutes you've got assembled, Chris, your choice of "Pilgrimage" as the final track is right on the money. Of all of her songs, it's got the most graceful build and the most nerve-tingling finish. It's the best way to round out any SV session--my choice for final encore in every live performance. The whole "Days" album is perfect, easily my favorite of the whole discography (and I discovered them in chronological order!), but "Pilgrimage" especially so. William. Subj: Re: two thoughts Date: 97-01-12 03:37:58 EST From: 74211.3515@compuserve.com (Christopher Gerby) << I have to say that regardless of the previous 85 minutes you've got assembled, Chris, your choice of "Pilgrimage" as the final track is right on the money >> Thanks. Closing with "Pilgrimage" was one of the first decisions I made when putting the tape together. --Chris G. Subj: Re: The Essential Suzanne Vega-Gypsy Date: 97-01-13 10:30:49 EST From: Bruce_Miyashita@mckinsey.com (Bruce Miyashita) Greetings! In response to Christopher Gerby and Rob Walters on the topic of "Gypsy," I may be running the risk of receiving a severe stoning, but while I enjoy the song "Gypsy"--in concert it's a very effective number, due in large part to the drama of Suzanne singing it solo and the ghostly vocal--I nevertheless have tended to view the song as an example of a good early effort, but not in the same league lyrically, musically, or thematically as most of her later material e.g. Pilgrimage, Blood Sings, 50/50 Chance, Men in a War etc. IMHO, I don't think "Gypsy" breaks much new ground, takes many risks, or surprises the listener--it's well constructed, but not especially innovative. "Wooden Horse", on the other hand, takes more risks. Although it takes most listeners awhile to warm-up to the song, I think the song withstands more scrutiny over the long run because there are so many layers to it. The number of postings devoted to "Wooden Horse" shows how powerfully the song makes people think. Although I don't know the history of the its creation, I also guess that "Wooden Horse" was part of the spark for the creative leap it took to write the songs for days of open Hand. "Gypsy" is probably the better choice to sing in concert--it's a sure-thing, but "Wooden Horse" is the kind of song I would point out to someone who wanted to know why we on the undertow think SV is such a big deal. Regards, Bruce. Subj: Re: The Essential Suzanne Vega-Gypsy Date: 97-01-13 17:42:48 EST From: rwalters@lafayette.unocal.com (Rob Walters) Hello everyone, Bruce wrote: >In response to Christopher Gerby and Rob Walters on the topic of "Gypsy," I may >be running the risk of receiving a severe stoning Lllllllet's get ready to rrrrrrrummmmbbbllllle!!.... ;) >I don't >think "Gypsy" breaks much new ground, takes many risks, or surprises the >listener--it's well constructed, but not especially innovative. I'll agree that it's not especially ground-breaking, but it does have a few unexpected lyrical twists. "The Queen and the Soldier" (which you did include) and quite a few other songs could also fall into this category. Nevertheless, they're part of what makes Suzanne who she is. The subject of "Gypsy" has served as an insipiration for at least one other of her songs ("In Liverpool"), so to me, it's an important building block of her career. Maybe not as innovative as some later songs, but still 'essential.' >"Wooden Horse", on the other hand, takes more risks. Although it takes most >listeners awhile to warm-up to the song, I think the song withstands more >scrutiny over the long run because there are so many layers to it. >... >"Wooden Horse" is the kind of song I would point out to someone who wanted >to know why we on the undertow think SV is such a big deal. Can't argue with that, but for someone uninitiated into her music, "Gypsy" may be a better starting point. Perhaps both songs could be included, with "Gypsy" near the beginning. Thanks for the well-reasoned response, -Rob Subj: Re: The Essential Suzanne Vega-Gypsy Date: 97-01-13 21:36:41 EST From: Bruce_Miyashita@mckinsey.com (Bruce Miyashita) On 01/13/97 Benjamin wrote: Start cut--------------- Hi Bruce ! I think the power and intensity of the "Wooden Horse" is first of all the result of Suzanne's work with the story, the song is involved with. What she made out of the story "Caspar Hauser" wich maybe you and some other "small blue things" =;) (or Undertowers or whatever we call ourselves ) might know. The story itself is so intense because of the various impressions discribed when Caspar was set free and got confrontated with the social life. So the reader is on one hand fascinated by Caspar's new life and gets involved emotional as well by the charakter itself. In my opinion Suzanne managed it to capture the listeners emotion and interest as well as the book does, if not even better. Having read the book in the German lesson in school has let me love the song more than before, because I'm now instinctially connecting all the discribtions from the book while listening to the song. In my opinion the book helps to ....... (sorry I can't find the fitting english word)... I wanted to say it's not like reading a book or listening to music, it's more like beeing involved personal. regards Benjamin End cut-- Benjamin: It's interesting that Casper Hauser's story is the subject of a book. Is it in German only or is there an English translation? I couldn't agree more about the emotions his story generates in the people who hear it. This is probably a big part of why I react so strongly to Suzanne's song. Regards, Bruce. Subj: Re: The Essential Suzanne Vega-Gypsy Date: 97-01-14 05:53:43 EST From: 74211.3515@compuserve.com (Christopher Gerby) << I don't think "Gypsy" breaks much new ground, takes many risks, or surprises the listener--it's well constructed, but not especially innovative >> I'm afraid my tastes in music sometimes wander into the realm of "I can't define why, but I know what I like." I realize that "Gypsy" doesn't provide quite as much lyrical meat to chew on as many of Suzanne's songs. However, I still think it's a really beautiful tune and I always enjoy listening to it. Much of her other work is more effective at engaging the mind, but "Gypsy" is one (along with "Pilgrimage" and "In Liverpool") which I think stirs the soul. Pardon me if that sounds maudlin. --Chris G. Subj: Re: The Essential Suzanne Vega (private) Date: 97-01-14 11:32:17 EST From: Bruce_Miyashita@mckinsey.com (Bruce Miyashita) On 01/13/97 Guida wrote: Start cut------- Hi Bruce ! So you aren't a film student, interesting !!! I was under the impression that you were ! What are you studying then ? You talk so much about movies and Suzanne cinamatic views, that I was really convicted ! Well, my post to you was kind of a joke, well not really a joke - did you see "Trainspotting" ? You did ! Great , there's this line when Spud goes to a job interview and they ask him what or why was he interested in the travelling business, there's this short term of silence and then, if I recall the camera turns to him and he answers : "in a word ?" "Pleasure !" with that marvelous Glasgow accent ! So my minimal post to you was: In a word ? Superb ! -> Just this, because there were really no more words that I could describe your long/interesting post ! Sorry if I disapointed you ! But that was it ! May I ask you something more ??? Where are you from ? See you, Guida :) End cut----------- Guida: Now I get it! I did see the movie "Trainspotting" but I wasn't sharp enough to catch the reference. To answer your question, I live in Toronto and work for a management consulting firm doing business strategy. So I spend a lot of my day analyzing things and thinking about new business concepts. I'm in the process of changing jobs since I've been working in consulting for 8 years and need a change--it's very time-intensive work with alot of travelling. Like Wendy! I'm considering the computer field, perhaps in business development and strategic planning for a computer-related company. I have two brains stuffed in my head. One brain is interested in business and technical things like the Internet and how things work. I can't go into a store or business without wanting to know how it works, how to improve it etc. My other brain likes creative concepts--movies, films, theatre--and to think about how to generate emotional responses through an artistic technique. This is why I really enjoy the "closed" film directors like Hitchcock, Kubrick etc. Like everyone in the undertow I like a wide variety of musicians but especially (in addition to SV) Shawn Colvin, Frank Sinatra (mainly his '50s stuff), Pretenders, Oscar Peterson, 1960's girl groups (e.g. Ronettes), Elvis Presley, REM, and Spinal Tap :-) To get some SV-content in this non-SV post, Suzanne's music has always been very important to me. I'm struggling right now to explain to my film producer friends why her music goes beyond other pop/rock/folk performers. Hugo touched on it when he said Suzanne's music brings poetry into our everyday lives. I think it's also the fact that many recording artists actually don't have much to say, let alone talk about things intelligently. It's the care that goes into the work, the fact that words or sounds are used very deliberately, and the striving for quality (a word which has been debased by misuse)--quality in that there's a respect for the people who'll listen to the material. I think Suzanne's fans feel that the artist has respect for them as an audience and this strengthens the bond. There's a powerful sense that Suzanne DID IT, that she beat the odds, that she has through ability and effort done what we'd all like to do and has exceeded our wildest fantasies about the kind of music we would have made. Well, I should sign off for now. Regards, Bruce.