The Magnetic Fields: Classic or Dud?

I'm not going to try and psychoanalyse Realism, but the extent of its regression to campfire twee - the sheer truculence of its withdrawal from anything resembling depth or complexity - is almost charming

Neurodivergent songwriters are often expected to cleave to expected paths of progress, development, complication and so forth, and when they don't, people often turn on them, as I've kind of been doing, but I'm gonna hand it to Merritt here, he's doing whatever the fuck he wants and trashing the brand, well fine y'know, fine

well i mean from the studio versions, they very rarely had live drums on record in the first place in the 90s

oh my god

I wasn't ready for how well my Realism comments paved the way for Love At The Bottom Of The Sea

he is unchained. unburdened. free

this is GLORIOUS omg

yep, on second listen I think I can firmly establish my great TMF trilogy: Charm, Holiday, Sea

I do not expect to be liked, nor understood, but there it is

Neurodivergent songwriters

????

He has said that he may be on the autism spectrum.[29][30]

have slightly calmed down re: LATBOTS - it isn't as good as the prime stuff, but I still find it a strikingly effective expression of creative freedom and full of little sonic delights

Oh I didn't know that about Merritt

good post that explains my great liking for Holiday - it isn't 'well recorded' or expensive-sounding (69LS feels MUCH more expensive) but it is a bedroom synth-layering masterpiece
if anything, The Charm... has an even more astonishing sound-world, with a sort of bizarro alt-country thrown in amongst the twinkling, meshing anti-pop
OTM, those are def my two favorite MF records for similar reasons, followed closely by Distortion, which is I think a perfect execution of its concept (Stephin Merritt songs + the sonic palette of Psychocandy)

He has said that he may be on the autism spectrum.[29][30]

Lots of people say this - about themselves and others.

It may be wise to be cautious and circumspect in applying these terms to people when full diagnoses are not available.

idk, cinical diagnostic criteria for most spectrum disorders were not available until very recently, so lots of adults who showed obvious spectrum traits as children went undiagnosed. if there are adults who believe they fit the profile & it helps explain challenges they have faced or continue to face & self-identify as being on the spectrum, but have little incentive to seek a formal diagnosis, then there's no need to be overly circumspect in applying these terms imo.

Finding 50 Song Memoir to be grand fun

Yeah, I kind of love it now. Particularly the stretch from Hustle 76 to Dreaming in Tetris, which is almost 100% solid, but there some winners on either side of that too.

"'69: Judy Garland" is great; I play it for my Gay Life & Culture class when I cover Stonewall.

Had a blast seeing them in Amsterdam yesterday. Claudia isn't there for this tour and that did feel like a gap on stage but the instrumentation was excellent nevertheless. They played 30 songs in one and a half hour (obviously including several short songs from Quickies, but most of their songs aren't long anyway), I was pleasantly surprised with some excellent picks from Holiday: Desert Island, The Flowers She Sent & The Flowers She Said She Sent; Take Ecstasy With Me - so good!

Someone posted their first show from 1990 recently (as well as another from 1990 on their channel)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bn8OrCNapZQ

Wow, thanks!! Other early live TMF videos from that same uploader:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jvRRPNhkKo4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0hcyZ0ep0w

And there's even a little TMF after this Swirlies show (the link brings you right to the TMF stuff):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-N73NEMlAc

So in addition to Stephin, Claudia and Sam, I think that's Johny Blood on tuba (only in the "first show" video), Nell Beram on guitar, and Phylene Amuso on bass.

Ah that last video (Swirlies) should've started at 38:58 - so just go to that time for the TMF content.

!!!

EXCITING NEWS! In celebration of the 25th anniversary of 69 Love Songs, we'll be doing a limited run of shows next year in which we will perform all 69 songs in order over 2-night residencies in March-April 2024.

Sign up for the presale now: https://t.co/IDdshJvOVQ pic.twitter.com/yFBO1n99v0

— The Magnetic Fields (@TheMagFields) June 22, 2023

Sadly no LD Beghtol, who died in 2020. Did they ever say what happened, Covid or something else?

Never saw cause of death spelled out

https://www.chickfactor.com/rip-ld-beghtol-splendid-butterfly/