Hey R!

Sussed the lyrics.

Boy goes to the doctor with amnesia, but forgets who his doctor is.

Boy meets girl.

Girl meets Dalek.

Dalek exterminates everyone !

Easy.

Jack

Exactly right. It's a common enough story really. Well it is around these parts

Hey Hussettes !

From yesterday's blog.

Thursday, March 05, 2009
FOW appreciation Society

"We were listening to a lot of Fountains Of Wayne up North. This revolved around Fili having some great stuff on her laptop. I hadnt heard of the album. "Interstate people welcome you" "Welcome Freeway Interstate managers" "Managers welcome you to the motorway". "Fountains of Wayne's Freeway Paving Machine". F**k knows what it was called but like their old stuff it was solid gold easy action power pop magic. Even funnier, I kept saying "The first album is a classic have you heard it?". This was amusing the first time but I just had to keep saying it until it got monotonous and Fili pre empted me with "I know what you're going to say James.....the first album is a classic and I need to buy it". Then I'd say "Yes but you do need to get it. You'll get it for £2 on Amazon". Then some more songs would get played and we would go back to the beginning when another FOW song came on. "Is this Freeway Cafe assistants by Fountains of Wayne". To which Fili would scream "F**k off James and yes I need to get the first album".

Anyway, anyone reading this there's 4 FOW albums and they are all worth getting..... "


Always thought Fountains Of Wayne were one of my little secret bands that no one knew about.

Jack

P.S. For the writer of the blog F.O.W. do a live version of ELO's track 'Can't Get It Out Of My Head' on 'Out Of State Plates'

Eve Hussettes !

Yesterday’s blog was a little ‘twilight zone moment’ for moi that all happened in 15 minutes, not that anyone’s interested, but like usual I’ll continue….

After Hussy comments that the new album will be more like 80’s pop, I commented to someone that ‘Hot Electronics’ will probably sound like Dépêche Modes ‘I Just Can’t Get Enough’.

Then after discovering that I couldn’t make last nights gig, I sent R a text to try and rescue a set list for me to update the forum.

Then whilst still p*ss*d off at not making the gig ( especially as there was a good chance they’d play ‘Hot Electronics’ Gggrr!)I received a bulletin from Depeche Mode announcing that they were playing Scotland for the first time in 21 years and a presale for tix was now active.
(Was commenting recently to the gf that Dépêche Mode were one of the three bands on my “bands I haven’t seen yet”-The Beatles & Nirvana being the other two)
So am now the proud owner of two Depeche Mode tix !!

Not that any of the above has much to do with the blog, so here it is …..

“ Reach Out And Touch Faith !”

Jack


P.S. Maybe after last nights audience size, that should be Bon Jovi’s ‘Keep The Faith’ for The Hussy’s?

P.P.S. Proper comments on this little blog when the alcoholic poisoning wears off !

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4ybfkSTdzs



Thursday, March 26, 2009

Set Lists

“We were rehearsing the other night for our first gig in 3 months. The strange thing about music is that you think you’ve forgotten all the songs but as soon as you pick up the guitar it all comes back instantaneously. That is the old songs. When it comes to the new songs we have forgotten them completely even though we’ve spent the last 6 months working on them every week. This is quite funny since we haven’t even started recording them properly. They are in “song limbo”. Eventually we settled on “Japanese Graffiti” and “Hot Electronics”. These were the two most together of the new ones. They’ll do for the gig. I was struggling to remember the names of the new songs. They're colour coded in my head and Iknow what they sound like but I cant remember what they are called. We start in earnest next week so I’d better start remembering.

For some reason we keep booking rehearsal time at midnight. Everyone in the band works and gets up at 6.30-7am. Rachel was nodding off over her keyboard and then she would talk gibberish for 10 minutes to try and wake herself up and then nod off again like some demented children’s tv puppet creature. Steph started a discussion with Fili about Hi Tec trainers. Being an Adidas junkie I refused to even open my mouth. Chris is going to Mexico surfing for his holidays and he was detailing the problems about getting big things on aeroplanes.

We were trying to arrange a set of songs. Alan, who was there repairing the dreaded bass, chipped in that “You don’t usually start getting into it until Atom City which is 6 songs in…” so we decided that we should start with Atom City. Fili doesn’t want to play Tiger, because she hates it. Rachel suggested we start with a new one but I said that if we f**ked it up that would be the gig shafted after 1 song-from bitter personal experience of doing this kind of thing. We realised that by the time we’d discussed the set we could have rehearsed 6 songs.
That’s what bands are about, I suppose.”


Set for the gig was:

Atom City
Rachel
Japanese Graffiti
Tiger
We Expected
Roller Disco
Cheap Flowers
Hot Electronics
Napoleon
Rock Steady

Eve Hussettes !

Well the alcohol has kinda worn off as good as it gets ( ie I don't donate blood at medical centres, I donate blood at the local automobile respray centre for use as a thinner or paint removal ) so proper comments about the latest blog ?....


Was kinda worried that with The Hussy's stating that the new material would be like 80's power pop, all the guitar driven songs would be dropped, and we'd be left with all the 'splinky splonky' keyboard driven songs?

But see from the rehearsed set list in the blog that we still have guitar driven faves like Rachel , We Expected ,Cheap Flowers & Rock Steady as part of future live Hussy's days .

And see from the recent set list for Thursday nights gig that even though I missed hearing live renditions of Japanese Graffiti and Hot Electronics, The Hussy's veered away from being keyboard dominated by playing a Ska style cover version of Bowie's Quicksand and a punk style cover version of Sliks Forever And Ever (with a reggae style cover version of Bowie's Young Americans only being denied due to time constraints) so all is still excellent in one's little Hussyworld !!

Joe King

RETRACTION

Eve Hussettes !

For all those not in the know, I was only taking the urine when speaking about The Hussy's doin' cover versions at their last gig !!


Jack

Eve Hussettes !

Yester's blog ?
(Another little 'Twilight Zone Moment' !!)

Am actually starting to learn stuff about production and what's actually involved whilst recording an album.

Today, listened to a N.Y.C. radio show interview from a famous recording engineer,Tony Visconti talking about the recording process involving Bowie,Bolan and The Beatles (Tenuous link )

And to examplify this process, he plays a 48 second segment of a rough mix of David Bowie's 'Scary Monsters' (Never heard before today) alongside the proper released version.
(Think it's 6.15 minutes in on the link below )

A cowbell through a guitar fuzz pedal ?
Excellent !!!!
(Note to Jimmy & James... for the next The Hussy's album !!
Buy a cowbell !!!!!!!!! )

For all you folx interested in " sound " (Al, Hiho, The Hussy's & ? ) or for folx to just hear Tony Visconti's thoughts .....

Click this link ....

http://www.wnyc.org/shows/soundcheck/episodes/2009/03/23

(Think Al will agree with Tony Visconti's leaving comments about today's sound ?)



As for talk of teatowels enhancing the musical ambience of the sound ?

It really does work kids, as I seen a performance incorporating teatowels, and it really did enhance the sound !!



(Disclaimer -this photo will be removed forthwith If it annoys ! )


Well enough said ..

Yester's blog ..witty and informative, as usual, so here it is .


Jack




Wednesday, April 01, 2009
RTB


"Last night we were down at Jimmy’s recording the bass. Jimmy has a copy of RTB-Recording The Beatles. To explain, this is a huge book which costs (£120) and goes into great detail about the 8 years the Beatles spent at Abbey Road and Trident. There’s a lot of pictures of old studio equipment and Beatles looking serious- doing their thing. Basically it’s musician porn. Steph said that he’d “looked at it for 2 minutes but it had been very technical”. I took little 5 minute bursts of it, before exhausted, I had to put it down and wipe my face with a hankie. There were cartoons of the Beatles' studio seatig positions( with accurate moustaches and funny little flared jeans) but these were surrounded by complex discussion pages. At one point I was reading a piece on the headphones that the Beatles used and why in the opinion of the author they were rubbish- a whole page. Jimmy looked at me and said “You look tired”.

The book is about the same size as a box of Sugar Puffs and weighs about the same as a fully grown Labrador. You couldn’t read it in the bath because it would probably drown you. Actually, you cant read it anywhere other than on top of a table. My legs were killing me after I’d read a bit about the recording of “Here Comes the Sun”. I held it above my head at one point and it blocked out the whole window and darkened the room.

Still, what I read was kind of interesting. Ringo Starr covered his drums in tea towels for the whole of the White Album. I assume that he got them from the canteen at Abbey Road..

We got the bass done on 4 songs. That took us 6 hours. The actual playing by Steph took 10 minutes on each. The rest of the time we were getting sounds using the painters bag of pedals and switching between 2 basses. There was a lot of “What do you think?” “Nah” “Too clicky” “Too distorted” “Too this” “Too that”.

I was going to suggest covering the bass in tea towels . "

MOTOWN & NORTHERN SOUL

Eve Hussettes !

Yester's blog ?

More to do with The Hussy's mud wrestling and iPods, than Hussy's music, but ....

Always feel that Motown and Northern Soul songs tend to have fans being like two old guys in a bar discussing fine malt whiskies (they both love it sooo much, but will argue all night about what 'classic' is better, like a malt ? )

If you're ever heartbroken ..... play The Supremes !

If you're ever happy ... play The Supremes !!

Then dig out more Motown and Northern Soul and you'll be happy either way !!

Now !

'Walk Away Renee '

Jack

http://open.spotify.com/user/halloweenjack84/playlist/1DrzyufomE5yUy4f0CAPyM

P.S. A wee typo ... It's The Velvelettes !



Monday, April 20, 2009

'Reach Out '

"We were having a carry on at the rehearsal for our Sleazys gig which revolved around Rachel playing the chords by accident to the start of “Reach Out “ by the Four Tops and me doing the “Urrghh” by Levi Stubbs far too loud. He doesn’t really shout it that loud but in my mind he did. Anyone walking past the rehearsal room would have thought there was a wrestling match going in in the room with a lot of grunting. Anyway what about this for a Motown playlist for your I pod"....


“Function at the Junction” – Shorty Long
“Come round here (I’m the one that you need)- Smokey Robinson & The Miracles
“I cant dance to that music you’re playing” – Martha Reeves and the Vandellas
“Heaven must have sent you”- The Elgins
“Jesus Children of ....America....” – Stevie Wonder
“Stoned Love”- Supremes
“He was really saying something”- The Velvettes
“Yesterdays Dreams”- Four Tops
“It’s a shame” – Detroit Spinners
“Up the ladder to the roof”- Supremes
“Can I get a witness” –Marvin Gaye

Oh yeah!

Eve Hussettes !

From Saturday's blog...

Nice to hear that the Hussy folx enjoyed the gig almost as much as the fans !

Also nice to hear Hussette mentalists from far afield getting a wee mention.

Jack








Saturday, April 25, 2009

Sleazy's

We were quite excited in the dressing room of Sleazy’s. We had been provided with hummus and carrots, along with beer. Anyone in the band could easily go and buy these things in a shop but there’s a strange frission of excitement when it is on the rider. Paul picked the hummus up, turned it over, looked at it, turned it over again, and then dropped it on the floor. That was that then. After the mix up on the tickets about the age limit for the gig things were looking pretty ropey.

There was an armless female bust on top of a wardrobe in the dressing room. Everytime I looked up she seemed to be straining to look round at us and say “Ooh look at you’s all lah di dah”. Through the walls you could hear Alan testing the PA system “One two, one two”.

Fili had done her microphone stand up to add some razzmatazz. She’d spent 3 days spray painting it pink and green and her hair was green at the rehearsal on Friday night. After the soundcheck I’d put my guitars in the beer cellar and I was still hanging around the stage after everyone had set up for the gig. I was waiting for my strings to warm up but it looked like I was lingering around the stage trying to get some love.
I was just waiting for my strings to stretch.

The gig was great with loads of people singing the songs back to us. The stage felt like the inside of a coal fire on a winter night. We managed to hold it together. A few mentalists had travelled from Dundee, Coventry and Manchester which was quite touching, in a genuine way.

A good night all round.

Morn Hussettes !

Today's blog ..

A little video by Jase .

Now that's what I'm talking about !


ROLLER DISCO By Jason Shand

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pxu7TwJj1hA

Jack

Eve Hussettes !

Been absent without official leave, but isn't that what weekend's are for?

Past couple of blogs? ......



MORE HUMAN THAN HUMAN

Monday, May 04, 2009

The flat

“Last week it was Fili and Rachel’s turn to try and squeeze into Jimmy’s flat for some recordings. Actually, Rachel was playing some synthesiser and Fili was offering moral support. They both came in full of chat and enthusiasm but by 10.30pm (both were working the next morning) their heads were bowed and their rock spirits temporarily broken. Jimmy, however, who we have discovered has this uncanny ability to just keep going like some kind of version 2.0 engineer was running around like Yosemite Sam and still wanting to record at midnight- offering input cables.

After the girls had gone I played a little piano on Brian Ferry and I felt my forehead slowly touching the plastic piano keys and I gave up as well. Maybe because one of the keys on the piano sticks out at 90 degrees like it has been sexually aroused and you just have to avoid playing it and let your fingers dance around it. That makes it sound exciting but in reality “you’re going to have to get that fixed it’s ridiculous” seems to be the response from everyone.

On Thursday we were in the bigger studio at night. The guy who runs the studio hasn’t replaced the toilet light bulb and every time I go in there it’s like being locked in a coffin and I have this fear that a rat will crawl up the toilet bowl and mistake me for a discarded fish supper. Toilet visits generally last about 3 seconds on this album. We’ve given up on trying amps and guitars for the time being. Generally it seems to be the Ibanez Destroyer and the WEM on everything. It sounds amazing. I made a joke about heavy metal and Jimmy pointed out to me that I was sitting with a Rob Zombie Destroyer guitar round my neck plugged into a “metal zone” pedal which is a bit like these people who print everything on double sided paper and then drive to Office World for some more recycled paper in their Hummers.”

Nice to hear talk on thoughts of the new album recordings ....

"Generally it seems to be the Ibanez Destroyer and the WEM on everything. It sounds amazing.
Rob Zombie Destroyer guitar round my neck plugged into a “metal zone” pedal "


VAN MORRISON
( Flogging A Dead Horse)

Monday, May 04, 2009

Get in the van to the 'van

"There was a run down second hand shop in Girvan’s high street selling clothes and brick a brac. In the window was a sign on lined paper, written in red magic marker saying “Grand Opening Wednesday”.

Back at the venue Fili had some photos from the album sessions at the Byre studio. There was one of a horse in a field that Fili and Rachel had snapped when they were out doing a Wainwright. The horse seems to be making a suggestive, sexual look at the camera. Apparently everyone who sees the picture flicks through a few more snaps but then always goes back to the horse. Then they wave the picture in the air and say “that’s hilarious” and flick through some more and then go back to the horse and say “check its expression!” Rachel has coined a phrase “Show me sexy” which sums the horse up.

The gig went well and I enjoyed it. We were playing in a youth centre. Half the audience were disappointed we weren’t playing rap but the other half seemed to get into it. One bonus of playing an alcohol free zone was the Pringles and diet Irn Bru on the rider.

We were talking on the way back about tricks to play on friends when they are drunk and/or asleep. I remember a former bandmate getting a bottle of Lea and Perrins substituted for a Budweiser and him then finishing it off none the wiser. Chris had the best- putting empty Pringles tubes over the drunk’s hands and then tickling their face. "

So??

Maybe the forthcoming The Hussy's album will be called 'SHOW ME SEXY' with a photo of a horny horse adorning the cover ?

Best prank ?

Years ago in S.A.

Whilst having night shift access to a large retail department store, said *inebriated male victim* had cosmetics and women's lingerie applied, before being placed in a big comfy double bed in the middle of the sales floor.

Needless to say, he had an excellent sleep that eve, so could never understand why I received severe slaps ( followed by *man beers* when he eventually seen the funny side ) when the shop staff appeared in the a.m. to give him an 'alarm call'?


Jack

P.S. Would be nice to see some of the proposed pix for the new The Hussy's album somewhere, maybe here?

Changing 35mm negatives to digital would take me like ten seconds, or you could go on eBay and buy a 35mm negative and Slide convertor for something like 40 GBP ?



Shop Dummies (Demo)

Woh Oh Oh Oh Oh
Woh Oh Oh Oh Oh
Woh Oh Oh Oh Oh
Woh Oh Oh Oh Oh
Woh Oh Oh Oh Oh

Holding hands when the shutters come down.
That's a nice wig and your bodies so smooth.
Let's sneak out the back door.
The guard is reading his paper.
It's 3a.m. there's no one around.
The dark city streets.

Look out !
We're the shop dummies.
Look out !
We're the shop dummies.
Look out !
We're the shop dummies.
But we don't feel plastic tonight.
Oh no, our feelings aren't plastic tonight.

Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh
Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh

I love you so much
Even though you don't say much.
I've been watching you all day.
And you've been watching me.

Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh
Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh

Look out !
We're the shop dummies.
Look out !
We're the shop dummies.
Look out !
We're the shop dummies.
But our feelings aren't plastic tonight.
But our feelings aren't plastic tonight.

Woh Oh Oh Oh Oh
Woh Oh Oh Oh Oh
Woh Oh Oh Oh Oh

That expression in your eyes.
It's unchanging.

Look out !
We're the shop dummies.
Look out !
We're the shop dummies.
Look out !
We're the shop dummies.

But our feelings aren't plastic tonight.
But our feelings aren't plastic tonight.
Oh and on the dark city streets.

Woh Oh Oh Oh Oh
Woh Oh Oh Oh Oh

That expression in your eyes.
It's unchanging.
I like it that way.
It makes things so easy.

Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh ...







,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

" OR ARE YOU LISTENING TO YOUR T-REX RECORDS IN HEAVEN "



Eve Hussettes !

Today's blog ? ....

(Which I meant to comment on earlier but had to do a bit of gardening .. Don't laugh , I know it sounds sooo uncool, but If I don't do it at least once a year, I keep finding little Japanese guys wandering around in the undergrowth at the bottom of my garden thinking World War Two is still ongoing ! )

Excellent to hear that the new forthcoming The Hussy's album 2009 is still ongoing and that fun is being had by The Hussy's one and all but ...

Sounds like James spends more time reading books and manuals, reading *Tunnock's latest products* brochures, has *fleeting visits* to the scary toilet (where he avoids rats biting his pecker), tries to understand why Jimmy is plugging that gizmo into that gizmo , pees in plant pots, nips out in Dr Who's Tardis to go back in time to visit some past musical era and generally has lottsa " are you playing your T - Rex records in heaven " moments, whilst the rest of The Hussy's actually record the album .

The Hussy's are a band, as Debbie Harry once said !

As always ......


Joe King

a.k.a. ' The Greatest Living Actor '





Thursday, May 14, 2009

The "shout abuse at bystanders" screen

Jimmy had a copy of Sound on Sound in his room with a feature about a band called Heavy Zebra from the early 1970’s. Apparently Kate Bush wrote “Man with the child in his eyes” about the singer. One of their studio “tricks” was to sit under an apple tree and wait for an apple to drop. They had 3 microphones set up and waited for a day and a half empty handed. Steph suggested that it may have been better to actually just drop an apple but apparently it “had to be real” which is an ongoing problem of recording music. On another occasion the “man with the child in his eyes” sacked Heavy Zebra, took a pony into the studio and tried to get it to play 6/8 time. If he’d been in The Hussy’s he would have been told we couldn’t afford to waste time, “couldn’t the pony play 4/4/?” and the pony would have to pay a sixth of rehearsals and recording costs.

Rachel was on keyboard duties but at the same time she was alternating with Fili on backing vocals and each time one of them was on “record” the other would try and make the other laugh. Jimmy has a metal vocal screen which basically covers your face when you sing. It may sound good but it looks completely ridiculous, like some failed cold war weapon experiment to protect soldiers faces from shrapnel while allowing them to advance slowly with a little set of wheels attached. Fili did her bvs for “Greatest Living Actor”out in the hallway of the flat with the microphone at one end. One of Jimmy’s flatmates was having a bath and walked past in his bathrobe.

PLANNED ACCIDENTS


Eve Hussettes !

Hope all you UK folx can't remember some of the fun that you had this 'Bank Holiday Weekend' ?

Today's blog ?

Made me laugh and remember *the food* served at past 'festival gigs'.
( Or did I add the grass myself? )

Nice to hear that the new The Hussy's album is still progressing (even with *added misadventures* )

Sometimes things going A.W.O.L. and planned accidents make albums and life more fun ?

No ?

Right !!

Off to *cruise* around Motherwell and 'Sauchiehall Street' to see If I can *happen* to come across a female sitting at the lights wailing like a banshee more than norm, to hear an embryonic version of a new The Hussy's song


"I screamed and ran to smash my favorite slot machine
And jumped the silent cars that slept at traffic lights ..."




'There Is A Light That Never Goes Out ! "


Jack





Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Le Kit Le Kat

"Friday in the studio was one of those days. We got down early with the intention of getting loads done and Jimmy had forgotten his key for his Pro Tools so we had to make a rendezvous back to Maryhill to get them. Then the hard drive that we’ve been making the album on started acting up and demanding some respect. Then one of the speakers stopped working and we were in mono for a while- which I didn’t notice but Jimmy bat ears was on the case. Most annoyingly I went down to this Mediterranean sandwich bar for some food and I thought I was being all cosmopolitan. The guy asked if I’d ever tasted a Syrian Samosa before. When I got them back to the studio they tasted like pasties with Glasgow Parks Department grass in them. I’m sure the guy was using grass from the football pitch across the road. I got a six pack of kit kats which I didn’t think were Mediterranean but maybe they’re called Les Kits de Choc de Chat De Carcassone or something down there.

We got “Pick A Love Heart” finished and tidied up most of the rough instrumentals for Fili to play in her car and eventually got home after a frustrating day. The singer’s always the last in the conveyor belt of the recording process and the only song we’ve done where Fili had an instrumental before was Snowboard so if you hear someone at traffic lights in Glasgow singing along to karaoke Hussy’s instrumental versions you’ll know who it is. "

Eve Hussettes !

See from today's little blog that The Hussy's have some copies of the Japanese Super Pro + up for grabs on Ebay if anyone hasn't managed to obtain a copy yet ?

Sure if you want it scribbled on by all of The Hussy's they might be happy to oblige?

You know you want to !

Jack

P.S. Can picture The Hussy's having endless hours of fun in the pub inventing Fili's new name.

F.O'Rourke?
Now has me with a mental picture of F's new name in my head- Fork
(Unglamourous and another slap for moi at the next The Hussy's gig )


Super Pro + On Ebay
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=280353784871&BackToListReferer=http%3A%2F%2Fmy.ebay.co.uk%2Fws%2FeBayISAPI.dll%3FMyEbayBeta