the female race and hawkwind

[Doug Pearson]

On Tue, 18 Feb 2003 23:07:25 -0600, Tom Clark <tclark at PETRONET.NET> wrote:
>Then instead of beginning with females, how about first ask those questions
>to baggy-pants-wearing ambient freaks, then perhaps go on to orange spikey
>mowhawked folks, then ohh....lessee...short haired horned rimmed glasses
who
>speak with a lisp, and perhaps people who look like me (a terrifying
>thought!)....then females who wear butch haircuts, black leather jackets
>weigh over 200 lbs, and ride Harleys (an even scarier
>thought!)....oh...nudist HW fans would be a great topic, however!

That's why I wrote, "Anyone wanna give me a grant to do some taxonomy work
on the audience at the next Hawkwind show I attend?".  Does this mean that
you've approved my grant application ;^) ?

>Point is each of us is unique in our own way,

Yes.

>and like Hawkwind music for most of the same reasons,

Mostly yes (I'm sure there are a few people out there who like Hawkwind for
mutually-exclusive reasons).

>and our own unique ones as well,

Yes.  Absolutely.

>which has nothing to do with what pants we wear.

No.  (Taking "what pants we wear" as a metaphor for "which sociological
groups, demographics and/or subcultures we, or those observing us, would
associate us with"; please correct me if I'm misinterpreting you - any
mention I make of articles of clothing, personal accoutrements, or
hairstyles in these messages is intended to be metaphorical in that
sense.)  I'm not saying that everyone who wears the same color & style of
pants thinks in exactly the same way.  But I am saying that it *does* have
something to do with the way we perceive and describe things.  The reviewer
for 'Kerrang!' is going to have *entirely* different things to say about
IitBotFtbD (or 'Choose Your Masques') than a reviewer from 'Magical Blend'
is, even though they're describing the exact same album.  Therefore it's
important for the informed reader of those reviews to know that 'Kerrang's
readers are probably wearing leather jackets, and 'Magical Blend's are
wearing crystals.

And surely my signature made it painfully obvious that no one wears just
one pair of pants, anyway (at least I don't, and don't believe that anyone
else is so one-dimensional as to do so - certainly no one on this list!).

Although as I said in my other message, wrt this thread, I'm more
interested in what non-Hawkwind fans (no matter what pants they wear - or,
as you point out - don't wear ... check out the reviews of the Devon
Hawkfest 2002, or Strange Daze 1997 at Brushwood for more on THAT subject)
have to say about Hawkwind's music, both positive and negative.  ESPECIALLY
when those are valid criticisms (such as, "all their songs sound the same" -
 a true statement on certain levels, but the use of minimalism/repetition
is part of the reason why I like HW).  But *especially* those non-Hawkwind
fans who are close to us.  Not just long-suffering
spouses/boyfriends/girlfriends, but parents & kids (and other relatives),
housemates & co-workers.  Anyone who thinks of you as "that crazy Hawkwind
fan".

>C'mon, Doug..that's high school shite!

But Tom, we're all here on the Internet talking about a *rock band*!  If
that isn't already a symptom of arrested development, I don't know what is
(the only thing worse being actually *playing* in a rock band)?

And yes, Dez Cadena was Black Flag's coolest singer, even if the DC3
weren't that great (Hawkwind covers notwithstanding - their versions
of "Psi Power" and "Angels of Death" can be heard on the currently-
circulating 'Hawkwind Covers All vol.6' CD-R).  And yes, he was rhythm
guitarist on "T.V. Party", the track they contributed to the 'Repo Man'
soundtrack.  One of my favorite subculture-specific Hawkwind anecdotes
comes from an interview he & Al Flipside did with Dave & Richard on the '89
US tour.  Dez was talking about Black Flag's first UK tour ... after weeks
on the road, playing every night, they finally got back to the London squat
where they were "based", and had a night off.  So their (metaphor alert!)
mohawked hosts, being nice folks and all, offer to take the band out to see
a show on their free night.  "Who do you want to see?  Crass?  Exploited?
Sham 69?  Conflict?"  To which Greg and Dez immediately reply, much to the
dismay of their hosts, "We wanna see Hawkwind!".  "THOSE old hippies?!?!??!"

Cheers,

    -Doug (apologies for stereotypes of metalheads, punk rockers & new
agers; you can all come beat me up outside the cafeteria after 5th period
if you're offended)
     jasret at mindspring.com