Speaker: Ed Kuepper: a legend interviewed
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Really looking forward to Ed. And when I say that, I mean "I'm just gonna die every time he plays a song from one of the first three Saints albums."
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In other music news, coming to the Arts Festival in Wellington next February: Charles Bradley, Neko Case and Yo La Tengo
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And I'll die of excitement if he plays any Laughing Clowns songs!
Geoff - Yo La Tengo! Fantastic!
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Electrical Storm was the soundtrack of my year in Sydney, and moving in with my partner. Love it still. Serene Machine is very strong too.
We saw a couple of great Keupper gigs at the Trade Union (and one stinker somewhere else). So wish I could get to this.
Television too of course. A feast of guitars :) -
Ed Kuepper. If he does 'Everything I got Belongs to You' that'll do just fine. He's got a mammoth song list. I saw him in Melbourne in '88. Came on with a band, slayed the place, hardly said a word and walked off. Cool as. It's going to be a pretty good night.
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yep, there with bells on tonight - once I get the boys to bed. bloody kids.
and for the trainspotters here's Ed's most recent setlist - although I assume he'll only do 45 mins tonight.
http://www.setlist.fm/setlist/ed-kuepper/2013/the-vanguard-sydney-australia-7bc77edc.html
I'll be the one calling for River Deep Mountain High. really hoping for some Laughing Clowns, but dunno what sort of band he's bringing.
also see Pete Murphy is playing the Studio on Dec 14 - looks like being a Bauhaus reprise.
cool, although there is the small matter of this...
http://articles.latimes.com/2013/oct/11/news/la-bauhaus-peter-murphy-glendale-crash-20131011here's hoping he's all better.
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oops, should have read to the bottom of the interview - solo acoustic it is then.
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Russell Brown, in reply to
I’ll be the one calling for River Deep Mountain High.
'Swing for the Crime' is on the list! Fingers crossed ...
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I saw his two Dunedin shows just over a year ago.
He played for about one-and-a-half hours at taste Merchants, then for well over two hours at above-mentioned Muso's Club gig.
Russell, he opened with 'Swing For The Crime' both times, so you should be in luck.
Richard, so should you, he played 'Everything I've Got...', too.
He then proceeded to play a mixture of Laughing Clowns' classics, including a stonking version of 'Eternally Yours' and a gripping version of 'Collapse Board', plus solo classics like 'Electrical Storm'.Apart from the official solo studio albums, I also highly recommend the Prince Melon Bootleg Series of official live recordings, loads of great stuff, as he often plays longer, different versions of songs live.
The Laughing Clowns' output is best available on the 3CD set Cruel But Fair, great liner notes from Kuepper and drummer Jeffery Wegener, too.
I was lucky enough to see both the original Saints line-up and the Laughing Clowns at ATP Sydney, on Cockatoo Island, in early 2009, both were outstanding.
About half-way through the Saints' set, Chris Bailey began telling the crowd about how "in the mid-seventies, we'd come down to Sydney..." and how it all seemed so modern, etc, "...and it just showed how isolated we were in Brisbane...", etc, - he went on like this for about a minute, you could've heard a pin drop.
He then ended by saying"...and we went back to Brisbane and wrote a song called [dramatic pause]...'I'm Stranded'" - at which point 8,000 people went absolutely ape-shit.
It was one of the greatest pieces of frontsmanship I've ever seen. -
Rob Stowell, in reply to
It was one of the greatest pieces of frontsmanship I’ve ever seen.
Not the same without Kuepper, but Bailey's Saints (the 'Latter Day Saints) played a great gig at the Gladstone some time in the early/mid 80s. (Unlike most saints, I guess, they had horns.) Bailey seemed a tad ... defensive. Guess the Saints had a messy breakup. But still a fine front-man, and the sound was stonking.
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So apparently I will see All the Music Nerds of PAS tonight then.
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Martin Lindberg, in reply to
All the Music Nerds of PAS
Just be careful in case there is a repeat of that fateful Yo La Tengo disaster of 2002.
37 Record-Store Clerks Feared Dead In Yo La Tengo Concert Disaster
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Any idea what time Ed is on ?
I still have a pack of his used guitar strings from the Gluepot show mid 80's stashed somewhere. Brilliant show, looking forward to tonight
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Ed Kuepper was magnificent tonight. I got there in time to see him play 'Swing for the Crime' from the third Saints album, then 'Messin' With the Kid' from the first, which actually made me cry. Then he played 'Everything I've Got Belongs to You' because Richard Langston asked him to on Twitter.
Television? Had their moments, but largely lacked urgency.
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Here’s Ed Kuepper, and triple Television…
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yep, Ed was the man - even managed to sneak the setlist. heh. really hoping he's back again soon. seems he's chatting to the promoter.
took some time to engage with Television, the limp initial mix didn't help - Ed made more of a racket than they did - but they have always been about dynamics in a what, geek rock stylee? helped when the soundie put more punch into the drums.
loved Jim Bolger's younger brother on bass. he wasn't as flash as the duelling banjos up front but he held it all together - apart from lapse later on - and Marquee Moon wouldn't be the same with that opening groove.
would have liked Jimmy Rip to have been let off the leash a bit more too. that early solo of his was something else.bloody good times were had and jesus yeah, that was an aged crowd.
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Saint Christopher...
I think I may've told this story here years ago - I still remember an abortive punk-godfather-chris-cross-pollination attempt...The scene a terrace house, nearly leaning against the Windsor Castle (in Paddngton, Sydney, I know, spooky...), it's late and nary a soul is stirring, apart from a hapless roadie diligently doing the dishes beyond the witching hour, when comes a-knocking at the door, t'is none other than the Idle Idols' Jamie Jetson with no lesser luminary in tow than Chris Bailey - whom she had brought around to introduce to Chris Knox, who was not at all interested at being dragged out of bed at that time (nor was anyone else) so after about quarter an hour of stilted conversation Jamie & Chris B departed, back into the Sydney nightlife, and I finally got to bed...
Somewhere in another timeline, things went differently.... -
Danielle, in reply to
loved Jim Bolger’s younger brother on bass
I thought he looked like Bob Odenkirk from certain angles. :) Better call Saul!
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Russell Brown, in reply to
Somewhere in another timeline, things went differently….
Don't you love alternative histories?
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Loved it. Great night. Sound was a bit muddy sometimes, true, and could have been louder but I guess PS has good-neighbour issues.
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Ken Double, in reply to
apart from a hapless roadie diligently doing the dishes beyond the witching hour
Somehow I can picture that scene perfectly Mr Dalziel.
I loved Ed. That beautifully processed acoustic guitar made him sound like a one man orchestra. Must admit I was hoping for "Black Ticket Day" but what the hell. Perhaps when he comes back.....
Television were indeed a little soft focus. Verlaine seems to have lost interest in singing and made little effort to project those epic songs in a way that might have galvanised his great band. Such shyness and diffidence. And I say this as a paid up, evangelical, avoid-me-at-parties Television bore.
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Russell Brown, in reply to
I loved Ed. That beautifully processed acoustic guitar made him sound like a one man orchestra.
Didn't he just. I thought it underlined what a remarkable guitarist he really is -- the sheer spectrum of sound he wrought from his instrument was amazing.
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JacksonP, in reply to
Here’s Ed Kuepper, and triple Television…
Jonathan Ganley took some more excellent photos, which are posted (on) Elsewhere.
And Ed K just favourited my link to the photos on Twitter, which I think is pretty ace.
Nice work JG.
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