Jandek

[dave9199]

I just discovered this a few days ago & am very intrigued. Anyone familiar with his music?

http://www.jandekoncorwood.com/

[Guest Chaney]

Who / What is JANDEK, ??????????????????????

I still haven't summoned the necessary courage to shell out money for recordings of Jandek but I have read everything on the available sites. (I'm tempted to go the 20 CDs for $80 route if only to sate my curiousity.)

Maybe getting the DVD first would be a good idea?

Some day...

ON THE EDIT: There are some very slow loading but generous audio samples on the Aquarius Records site. (Search: corwood) (Be sure to check out the tracks from Blue Corpse. )

Here's a LINK to an article written in 2003 but FINALLY soon to appear in Signal to Noise magazine.

A recent question posted on the Jandek List:

Heelo all-

Just watched the doc 'Jandek on Corwood' so of course now I have to send

off for some of the music. I am thinking 3 to start with and I am hoping

that some of the more knowing Jandek connoisseurs will have suggestions

about which ones are their favorites or recommended.

thanks      D

And a proffered opinion:

Opinion Alert!

3 most accessible albums:

Blue Corpse

You Walk Alone

On the Way

(plus parts of Follow Your Footsteps, Lost Cause, One

Foot in the North, the Living End, and Somebody in the

Snow)

3 Least accessible albums:

Put My Dream on this Planet

This Narrow Road

Worthless Recluse

(honorable mentions: Six and Six, White Box Requiem,

Twelfth Apostle)

3 Weirdest Albums:

Telegraph Melts

Modern Dances

I Woke Up

3 albums that best approximate what one would imagine

to be the sound of souls in hell:

Six and Six

I Threw You Away

The Gone Wait

(honorable mentions: any of the last five albums,

really, plus some songs on Lost Cause like "God Came

Between Us")

3 most punk rock albums:

Interstellar Discussion

The Rocks Crumble

Telegraph Melts

(plus "the Electric End" from Lost Cause)

3 albums that, taken together, give an almost complete

display of Jandek's many styles up to 1988:

On the Way

Follow Your Footsteps

Interstellar Discussion

my 3 favorite albums:

Blue Corpse

You Walk Alone

Chair Beside a Window.

Of course, "Ready for the House" needs to be one of

your purchases. It's the alpha.

You've probably already read this but if not: "Jandek and Me" by Katy Vine

Is Jandek any good? Frankly, no, he's not. Does Jandek have any meaning? Nope, possibly none of that either. And should you spend money on him? I couldn't honestly recommend it. And yet....I was so intrigued by what I'd read and heard of him, I went and bought the above two albums...

These are the photos we recieved from Corwood Industries in response to Summersteps Records request for a cover photo for the Jandek tribute CD. We sent one disposable camera and recieved two full rolls back. Also included in the package was a letter on a plain piece of notebook paper stating "these are yours." We, at Summersteps, felt that Jandek fans would be interested in seeing these photos.

I Hate Music

Where For Art Thou Jandek?

THE UNITS (JANDEK) READY FOR THE HOUSE 1st LP 1978 ORIG

Edited August 29, 2004 by Chaney

[dave9199]

God Damn Chaney! Thanks for the link. I finally got to hear what he sounds like & I'm not sure what to think. I just played a couple for my wife who liked it. We're planning to go see a screening of the documentary in Cambridge, MA on Sept. 10th. I think I'm gonna like him. I also ordered the book Songs In The Key of Z which has a chapter on him in it.

Edited August 29, 2004 by dave9199

[Guest Chaney]

You're welcome!

With all of the above, I managed to convince myself that I need a dose of Jandek so I'll be sending Corwood Industries a check.

A GUIDE TO JANDEK

[dave9199]

How long have you known about him Chaney?

[Guest Chaney]

How long have you known about him Chaney?

I believe since I'd first read that Bagatellen piece of December 9, 2003 - which led me to beginning that other (Organissimo) thread on December 10, 2003.

Within that short span of time, fellow Big 'O' member Geoff led me and a few others to...

I Hate Music was on its own at the time but has since been welcomed under the Bagatellen umbrella. (The I Hate Music site tends to draw the stereotypical 'tragically hip' younger crowd -- where capitalizing words is frowned upon -- so I'm only an infrequent visitor. )

ON THE EDIT: Not a great deal of worthwhile material on Jandek is to be found at the I Hate Music site.

Edited September 11, 2004 by Chaney

[dave9199]

You can get 20 cds for only $80! That's almost half of his discography at the moment. I think he just put out #37.

[Guest Chaney]

Yep!

I thought I'd get the first 20 Jandek releases and by the time I digest them, Jandek should have completed CD number 40. If I'm still eager, I can then order CDs 21 through 40 for $4 each. (There's a method to my madness!)

I'm also holding out a tiny bit of hope that Corwood will send MORE than the 20 I order. (Of course, that'll then foul up my plan.) (Gee, maybe I'll also get an invite to jam with Jandek! I play a mean stretched rubberband. )

[dave9199]

I was thinking of ordering the exact same way. I'll wait until I see the documentary & I bet I'll be jonesing for his stuff by then. Though when I think about it, it can feel like an OVERLOAD of mental illness. I'll have to go slow through them. The a cappella ones sound like the hardest ones to get through.

At the rate he's been releasing stuff (2 a year), it looks like #40 will be his first one of 2006. I wonder if his prices will go up if a lot of people start ordering after seeing the documentary.

Edited August 30, 2004 by dave9199

[John B]

a kind soul is sending me a compilation of his favorite Jandek tracks, so I'll finally have a chance to hear his music soon. I'm not quite sure what to expect, but I am definitely looking forward to hearing it. I wonder if a large part of his appeal is the "mythology" that has been built up around him. Hopefully hearing the music will not be anticlimactic. Getting 20 cds for $80 is very tempting but, as I need to curtail buying music for a while, it makes sense to test the waters slowly.

Let us know what you think of the documentary and of any cds you pick up!

Edited August 30, 2004 by John B

[dave9199]

John B, go to Chaney's 1st post & click on Aquarius Records. Put in Corwood for a keyword.

[Guest Chaney]

It's a mystery to me what the effect of the release of the documentary might be. We'll obviously just have to wait and see. (The guy's never seemed to be in it for the money so I'd be a bit surprised if his prices increase. Even at current prices, I'm guessing that he's supplementing his income nicely with these recordings.)

John: Speaking for myself, I'll admit that the Jandek mythology is part of the allure -- at least it'll be that way until I'm properly exposed to his music. After that, he'll sink or swim based upon my personal perception of his talents. (Not saying that you were implying otherwise. )

Edited August 30, 2004 by Chaney

[dave9199]

Hey Chaney & John B, here's my first post to the Jandek board:

Hello all,

My name is Dave & this is my first post on this board. I stumbled over

Jandek about a month ago on a Guided By Voices board

that had a thread about him. That led to Seth's site & the rest will be

history. My wife and I (who live in Connecticut) drove to

Cambridge, Mass to see the opening screening of Jandek On Corwood. We enjoyed

it very much though were very tired from

having driven to Boston the night before to see Guided By Voices at The

Paradise. (Anyone else married or with someone who

likes Jandek? I consider myself very lucky.). I've read through all Seth's

archives and didn't quite understand when someone said

that there was laughter from the audience during the showing. I thought it was

laughing at, but once I saw it, I understood as I

laughed also, just the way things were said, (I love Eric Clapton) or captions

from reviews. Having been to Point Judith when we

lived in Providence, it was cool to say we recognized the lighthouse and the

area. It was also cool to see exactly where my $80

check will end up in the post office in Houston. The end was the most

intriguing. Listening to Sterling Smith's voice, I realized,

aside from a long pause, he's just a regular guy, no more no less. And his

voice looks like it comes from that head (know what I

mean?) without a doubt. I was very surprised no one mentioned about the origin

of the Jandek name nor will I except to say that it

makes you laugh at it's normalcy. It was then that I thought about the Katy

Vine interview question, "Do you want people to "get"

your music?" "There's nothing to get." I understand that now.

The only difference is when Sterling Smith puts 2 + 2 together, it

doesn't always come out to 4, it sometimes comes out around 17. Lots of people

connect irrelevant things together & make

something new. That's all he does & it's great & it's normal. He's kept that

child-like wonder into adulthood, very hard to do, let

alone express. Pure & honest, nothing more, nothing less.

P.S. At first I wasn't going to mention this, but I think this part will

interest the board. I called Corwood to make sure that the first 20

cds are available as this is really what I wanted to hear. I left a message

with my phone number. Being Labor Day weekend and

excited at a new musical discovery, I called again & left the same message. I

got a call a couple of days later from Sterling Smith (I

asked if it was Sterling & he said yes). I asked if the first 20 were

available, they were & I said; "I've read sometimes you give

freebies out & I wanted to make sure I wasn't going to get any as I'm waiting

for the 40th album to come out so I can order another

box of 20." He laughed at this. I said; "By my reckoning, the 40th

album should be out in the first half of 2006." He said; "It'll

probably be sooner."

[Guest Chaney]

Dave! You fabulous bastard! That's GOOD STUFF!

Wonderful post (to the Jandek List) and getting to speak with Mr. Smith!

By the way, I ordered the first twenty Jandek CDs -- paying with a personal check -- and my package arrived in only one week. (Others on the Jandek list mention it possibly taking two to three weeks for an order to arrive.)

I'm going to have a few more listens to CD1 and I'll post a few comments.

[John B]

Great story! As far as I recall, Jandek is releasing around 3-4 discs a year these days, and #37 or 38 just came out last month. He should hit 40 by the middle of next year. I'm looking forward to reading both of your comments on the discs you received. Once I come off of this cd buying moratorium I'll be buying a box of 20 myself, most likely.

[.:.impossible]

I like to imagine that those stories of Jandek are really about a "body double" or something. A decoy. Same with Sterling R. Smith. Sure, they're real people, but are they Jandek of Corwood Industries?

He's probably not even in Houston. He probably has a friend in Houston who believes in this elaborate scheme as much as the recorded Jandek and fulfills orders. Jandek sends boxes of new recordings to Houston.

Keep the hellhounds off my trail.

[dave9199]

Impossible, I figured you would have at least heard of Jandek. Do you own any of his albums?

[John B]

Hey Chaney & John B, here's my first post to the Jandek board:

There is a Jandek board?

[Guest Chaney]

JANDEK: Mailing List

I started posting bits from the Jandek List here but decided to delete what I had posted as it felt too much like stealing.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

By the way, first Jandek album is excellent. His abilities as vocalist and guitarist are lacking but it makes no difference. I feel that his vocals are very creative and his guitar playing abilities effective (affective? never could get those words straight). Lyrically, there's great mystery as to what he's trying to convey so each song is a puzzle. (Better print out the lyrics from Tisue's site as Jandek often sings with a folksy, bluesy-type slur.)

Also listened to his second album, Six And Six - released in 1981 - and find his guitar playing abilities greatly improved. (I've read other opinions that CD2 is just more of the same -- song-wise and ability-wise -- NOT true, in my opinion. His playing is much more creative on Six And Six and he plays with a great deal more confidence and strength.)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

C'mon CD40! Can't wait to order the next 20!

Edited September 16, 2004 by Chaney

[John B]

C'mon CD40! Can't wait to order the next 20!

I spent some downtime I had this morning putting together my list of 20 discs to buy. Mostly I'm sticking with the first 20, but I've got a few randow later ones mixed in. Now I just need to wait for my next paycheck to place the order!

[John B]

did any of you notice this link to a Jandek merchandise (unofficial) webpage on the Jandek list?

The coffee mug would be a great gift for a coworker who has no clue who Jandek is. Someone on the list replied with the idea of adding "Jandek World Tour 2004" to the back of the shirts, which is pretty funny, if you know the back story.

[fent99]

Can't hear the streaming and you've got me intrigued. Love to hear some of this anyone help me with a primer?

[dave9199]

The intrigue will always get ya. Have you tried the Aquarius Records site?

[Guest Chaney]

did any of you notice this link to a Jandek merchandise (unofficial) webpage on the Jandek list?

The coffee mug would be a great gift for a coworker who has no clue who Jandek is.  Someone on the list replied with the idea of adding "Jandek World Tour 2004" to the back of the shirts, which is pretty funny, if you know the back story.

fent99:  If you're having problems with the Aquarius Records Real Media steams, you might want to consider updating your Real Media player.

I'll look around on the Internet when I get home from work and see if I can locte any mp3s.

HA!

I never noticed that.

A Jandek lunchbox. No child should be without one. Daily beatings guaranteed.

Dave: I believe that the origin of the title Corwood is divulged in the Jandek on Corwood documentary. True? If yes, can you remember the answer?

fent99: If you're having problems with the Aquarius Records Real Media streams, you may want to update your Real player. You may also want to do a search for Jandek mp3s. (I'd lend a hand on this but I'm at work right now.)

[John B]

Can't hear the streaming and you've got me intrigued. Love to hear some of this anyone help me with a primer?

If I ever get the Jandek mix that is supposed to be on its way to me I'll burn you a copy. I've never heard him either, as MS Media Player refuses to recognize the sound samples on the Aquarius site.