Bitch Magnet was more of a late 80s thing iirc and I'm pretty sure I rc.
― City of Jorts (Steve Shasta), Thursday, 31 March 2011 16:38 (thirteen years ago) link
Yeah but their influence is all over the 90s.
― scott pgwp (pgwp), Friday, 1 April 2011 02:43 (thirteen years ago) link
I always used to see their name back in the day, but was put off by it (which is odd, in retrospect) and then I never thought much of Seam aside from the odd song or two.
Anyway, the reissue is on Spotify now, and I'm liking it a whole lot (and it sounds fantastic). At the moment I'd probably take it over Slint, who never amazed me as much as they amaze everyone else. Very fond of Americruiser at the moment. Also, if you listen to that on headphones on the subway, it really sounds like the girl voice is an announcement over the PA system: the spacial location is very interesting...
― dlp9001, Friday, 20 January 2012 16:01 (twelve years ago) link
Umber is a great album - Goat-Legged Country God and Punch & Judy are so fucking good.
― Derartu Cthulhu (NickB), Friday, 20 January 2012 16:13 (twelve years ago) link
these reissues are v well done
― bro-one (electricsound), Saturday, 21 January 2012 01:18 (twelve years ago) link
I loved Seam but completely ignored Bitch Magnet. it might have been a case of being unable to find or otherwise access the albums. if it was something else then I was pretty stupid. these reissues are fantastic.
― fffv, Wednesday, 1 February 2012 03:14 (twelve years ago) link
Seeing them tonight at the Empty Bottle!
― Fastnbulbous, Monday, 29 October 2012 00:28 (eleven years ago) link
Their last show ever. http://www.emptybottle.com/show/4807885/
― Fastnbulbous, Monday, 29 October 2012 00:34 (eleven years ago) link
http://fastnbulbous.com/bitch-magnet-at-empty-bottle/
― Fastnbulbous, Tuesday, 30 October 2012 19:18 (eleven years ago) link
The Seattle and SF shows a week or so ago were amazing.
― ma ck ro ma ck ro (mackro mackro), Wednesday, 31 October 2012 23:16 (eleven years ago) link
http://www.amazon.com/Your-Band-Sucks-Failed-Revolution/dp/067002659X/
― Jersey Al (Albert R. Broccoli), Tuesday, 26 August 2014 14:58 (ten years ago) link
Jon Fine keeps popping up in my social media streams today thanks to this -->
10 Bands You Weren’t Cool Enough to Like in the 80s and 90shttp://www.vanityfair.com/culture/2015/05/jon-fine-your-band-sucks-playlist
― yeovil knievel (NickB), Thursday, 21 May 2015 16:47 (nine years ago) link
i liked 7 of those bands in the 80s and 90s btw if yr counting. never got round to hearing pitchblende, autoclave or breadwinner
― yeovil knievel (NickB), Thursday, 21 May 2015 16:49 (nine years ago) link
"Walking About" is such a fucking awesome song
― chr1sb3singer, Thursday, 21 May 2015 17:05 (nine years ago) link
lol "tedious" Dischord
― Master of Treacle, Thursday, 21 May 2015 17:38 (nine years ago) link
Has anyone started the book?
I've caught two excerpts online.
― Jersey Al (Albert R. Broccoli), Thursday, 21 May 2015 19:01 (nine years ago) link
excerpt on Pfork piqued my curiosity, altho he seems kinda like a dick (full disclosure I never paid any attention to Bitch Magnet, primarily because of the godawful name)
― Οὖτις, Thursday, 21 May 2015 19:03 (nine years ago) link
i started and finished the book like 2 days later in spite of it committing two of my least favorite acts of writing about musici have a lot of thoughts but mostly it confirmed my suspicions about that particular time of rock music. i was not into bitch magnet at the time, but i definitely was around and his descriptions of the scene, however you wanna put it, were illuminating in a number of ways
he is definitely kind of whiny and dogmatic -- not sure if that = dick
― Florianne Fracke (La Lechera), Wednesday, 10 June 2015 17:39 (nine years ago) link
not whiny -- petulantbut dedicated for sure
― Florianne Fracke (La Lechera), Wednesday, 10 June 2015 17:50 (nine years ago) link
also there is a whole chapter about that last show mentioned upthread
― Florianne Fracke (La Lechera), Wednesday, 10 June 2015 17:51 (nine years ago) link
LL,
Would you recommend the book? I was a fan of BM back in the day, but probably more of a fan of JF's bands post-BM.
ARB
― Jersey Al (Albert R. Broccoli), Wednesday, 10 June 2015 21:17 (nine years ago) link
ARB, Yes, I would, esp if you already like this band/Jon Fine and his other bands. He goes into excruciating detail about the ebb/flow of the personal relationships and their relationship to the music/work of creating it. Also fun to see inside something I could only otherwise observe from the outside. The way he was describing Coptic Light made it sound like something I'd be interested in. I might check them out now! LL
― Florianne Fracke (La Lechera), Wednesday, 10 June 2015 21:35 (nine years ago) link
Thanks, might pick up a copy tonight. Coptic Light was fantastic.
― Jersey Al (Albert R. Broccoli), Wednesday, 10 June 2015 22:14 (nine years ago) link
has anyone else read this book?
― La Lechera, Friday, 28 August 2015 17:52 (nine years ago) link
Yeah, I liked it OK. I was a pretty big BM fan and I like Coptic Light a whole lot, but I found the tone pretty off-putting. I also don't love the way he writes about women, but then again, dude was in a band called "Bitch Magnet."
For nerdy inside baseball stuff, it's probably worth a read.
― Wimmels, Friday, 28 August 2015 22:47 (nine years ago) link
Yeah that's about right. I strongly disliked the way he wrote about women -- reminded me of the olden times and confirmed my anecdotal experience.
― La Lechera, Friday, 28 August 2015 23:02 (nine years ago) link
sooyoung's not a dick though, right?
if he is, don't tell me
― mookieproof, Saturday, 29 August 2015 01:47 (nine years ago) link
Would it be off base to suggest that the way this guy writes/tone is a bit Albini in Forced Exposure, except he's about 50 and it's a bit unbecoming?
― Master of Treacle, Saturday, 29 August 2015 02:45 (nine years ago) link
he definitely has strongly held beliefs that he expresses without hesitation, and admits that the even more strongly dogmatic beliefs of his younger days were kinda ott
dunno if that's what you mean. doesn't matter how old he is but dude wouldn't stop talking about his hair (and eventual lack of it), that's for sure.
― La Lechera, Saturday, 29 August 2015 14:29 (nine years ago) link
I thought the book was an interesting and entertaining read despite finding Fine not really remotely likable (to be fair I don't think Fine is pitching himself as likable either).
― One bad call from barely losing to (Alex in SF), Wednesday, 9 September 2015 16:00 (nine years ago) link
Sooyoung was definitely pretty aloof, in my years-ago experience, but not a bad dude.
― Josh in Chicago, Wednesday, 9 September 2015 18:31 (nine years ago) link
I liked the book, I felt it didn't come off nearly as misogynist as it comes off a half-dozen or so posts upthread, I feel like JF championed quite a few female/mixed-gender bands/artists. Well... unless maybe if you were a Simple Machines fan, that may have been pretty pointed.
What stuck with me was how low-/pre-tech life rather recently: payphones, cheap gas, no internet/email, etc. Looking back it seems incredulous anything got done but somehow it did.
JF definitely pulls no punches about himself and his flaws, and not in a cutesy self-depricating manner. Might be a metro NYC cultural thing tho, or possibly a cathartic therapeutical "let me get this off my chest" memoir.
Is he (or SYP) a dick? I think they're both nice guys, JF is still seems enthusiastic about music as ever whereas today SYP is more reclusive and/or purposefully obtuse*.
*Can't remember if it's mentioned in the end of the book but SYP & Orestes kind of anonymously/pseudonymously joined this band shortly after the BM reunions: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y7DCkI4iATY (SYP is off-camera stage right playing bass).
― Jersey Al (Albert R. Broccoli), Wednesday, 9 September 2015 19:21 (nine years ago) link
The hardcover of Fine's book is £3.69 on Amazon UK right now, which is weird considering the paperback is £12.
― MaresNest, Wednesday, 24 February 2016 20:15 (eight years ago) link
i must have missed this when it was posted but i saw it with this latest bump
I felt it didn't come off nearly as misogynist as it comes off a half-dozen or so posts upthread, I feel like JF championed quite a few female/mixed-gender bands/artists.
1) I didn't say he was a misogynist, I said I didn't like the way he wrote about women.
2) Championing bands with women in them is not some kind of misogyny-free pass
― La Lechuza (La Lechera), Wednesday, 24 February 2016 22:06 (eight years ago) link