Stephin Merritt

god, this was a while ago. we were all so innocent in our indiscriminate genocidal impulses.

Yet I still count myself among his supplicants

http://www.playbill.com/news/article/92694.html

BTW, am I the only one here who LOVES both the music and the concept of the Gothic Archies. Has anybody listened to the songs he did for Lemony Snicket?

pure spinal tap!

anyone who loves (especially Holiday-era) Magnetic Fields should check The Russian Futurists
Matt tends more to the swoony heartache side of Merritt than ironic detachment
but nails the humour too. you can get choked up just reading the lyric sheet...
"A Telegram From The Future" has a melody as aching as anything Brian Wilson wrote!

Magnetic Fields/The 6ths?
Search especially Holiday, Charm..., Get Lost, Wasp's Nests, loads of good songs on those albums
Destroy? don't like the more campy ironic stuff as much - he can get rather cutesy
he's stronger when subversively straight

Hmm? Closer to pure Frank Loesser. "Inchworm, inchworm / Measuring the marigolds..."

>was just thinking today he must know about ILM<

You sure? When he was on Merge he bristled hugely when anyone attempted to place him in an 'indie' genre.

http://www.wfmu.org/playlists/ML

Tune in Friday, May 12 from noon-3pm as guest DJ Stephin Merritt joins
Monica for a celebration of the song "Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah." My, oh my,
it'll be a wonderful day.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=15859351

'wielder of flails and maces'

Almost like watching the Foxgloves at work, save that he is a better lead guitarist; certainly a better one than I had imagined.

This is very cool. I hope they do more.

Is there a thread about this yet?

http://www.strangepowersfilm.com/

I'm kind of surprised Merritt would agree to do this, pleasantly surprised.

I gotta say the trailer looks kinda disappointing though.

hadnt ever heard this, its on the obscurities collection now, <3

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Or8IdHEuvGA

as overrated as outkast.

― gareth, Thursday, April 26, 2001 7:00 PM (10 years ago) Bookmark

lol

http://watching-tv.ew.com/2011/11/01/craig-ferguson-neil-gaiman-stephin-merritt-moby-halloween/

The obscurities collection is horrible, but I'm still wanting to see the documentary about Merritt. Anyone seen it?

Haven't, but it's on Netflix.

I saw its one local cinema screening last year. Was weirdly compromised by trying not to get too indepth for casual viewers, and assuming large parts of the narrative would be commonly known. Would have enjoyed a longer, more leisurely cut more.

http://watching-tv.ew.com/2011/11/01/craig-ferguson-neil-gaiman-stephin-merritt-moby-halloween/

― Dr Morbois de Bologne (Dr Morbius), Saturday, November 5, 2011 5:47 AM (4 hours ago) Bookmark

I loved this!!

I like the Obscurities collection! Some real gems on there.

The doc is good, gets to the essence of his persona and m.o.

The Obscurities collection is OK, it works if you're in the mood for a Merritt mixtape, but there's nothing essential on there.

this is the greatest magnetic fields song of all, t/f

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WVEhNHIzJec

Enjoyed the documentary very much.

Resented the description of the typical Magnetic Fields fan as being variously "from Brooklyn or Manhattan," "looking like they're from Brooklyn or Manhattan," "gay," or "young." I am none of these things. I also disliked how they glossed over I, which I think is a way underrated album (I know I'm in the minority here).

maybe this was descriptive of a 1995 vintage MF fan?

It took me a while to come around to I, which was kind of his breakthrough in Britain (bunch of Guardian/Observer features etc).

Glossed over? They really don't talk about any of the albums in depth, and only mention Distortion and 69 Love Songs in any sort of detail at all. I suppose like most docs it captures the man/band at a particular time and place, with bits and pieces of interesting bio stuff scattered throughout.

exactly, it wasn't aiming for a career survey.

I know. I just thought it seemed abrupt to be showing footage of the 69 Love Songs shows and then immediately cut to the recording of Distortion.

http://la.curbed.com/archives/2012/06/magnetic_fields_frontman_lists_pink_craftsman_in_hollywood.php

tonight on WFMU's Morricone Island (7pm EDT):

Tue. May 14th, 7pm - 8pm: Stephin Merritt
Stephin Merritt stops by to discuss his upcoming original live score for Tod Browning's 1925 silent film "The Unholy Three" starring Lon Chaney at Town Hall on May 18th, with accordionist/novelist Daniel Handler and violist Pinky Weitzman. In addition to releasing albums with The Magnetic Fields, The 6ths, The Gothic Archies and Future Bible Heroes, Merritt has composed for films "Pieces of April," "Eban and Charley" and "In The Courtyard" as well live scored the 1916 silent "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea" and Tod Browning's 1927 "The Unknown."

http://www.wfmu.org/playlists/PE