I just got my copy of "Letters from Jail." Ask me anything!

[Beware the Beast Man]

I found it when I was browsing ebay a couple weeks ago. Lo and behold someone had a long out-of-print copy of Don Copenhaver's "Letters From Jail." I remember hearing it way back (must have been around 9th grade). Some of the best spoken word EVER.
Anyone remember what band he was in? The name escapes me...


edit for spelling

[Wat_Tyler]

1. 'zat the Australian guy with the hair?

Or was he a Kiwi? Can't bloody recall.

[Beware the Beast Man]

2. Yeah, it was the hair.

Sort of post-breakdown Syd Barrett look.

[Wat_Tyler]

5. Yeah. I've never actually heard 'Letters from Jail'.

When'd that come out? 1986 or so? Couple of years before he died, anyway.

[Beware the Beast Man]

6. 1986

:cry:

[Wat_Tyler]

12. I say died, but they never did find his body, of course.

Crazy, crazy shit.

[Wat_Tyler]

3. Ah! Got it.

He was in The Irrationals, wasn't he? Mates of Solar Radio, great lost 80's band.

[Beware the Beast Man]

4. THAT'S IT!

It was on the tip of my tongue. Lyrical genius on "Heartbreak and Piss."

Holy shit, I can't believe you know them. Cool! :thumbsup:

[eyesroll]

8. Oh, do not even get me started on Solar Radio.

My tenth-grade boyfriend was enamored with them. He tried to get me interested, but I kept confusing them with The Federals, and we eventually broke up.

Oh, and great...I've now got an earworm of a tune and I CAN'T EVEN FUCKING REMEMBER THE LYRICS.

It's the song about the jail.

Dammit.

[Beware the Beast Man]

10. "Poison green is all you find...

crumpled, spent and left behind,
Leaving nothing more..."

[eyesroll]

14. AAAARRRGHHH!

And I guess, in a bizarre way...thank you...

I did kind of like how my boyfriend did the bass from the bridge (poorly, but it was cute)...

[Wat_Tyler]

16. Slap bass is never cute.

[Wat_Tyler]

15. How the hell do you know Solar Radio but not the Go-Betweens?

Fuck, I'm surprised any Americans know Solar Radio given the enormous screwing they were given by three seperate record labels.

[Beware the Beast Man]

19. They were on Auto/Reverse, right?

Great underrated label.

[Wat_Tyler]

21. Straight out of Robert Kilgour's mum's basement in Melbourne.

[eyesroll]

24. Blame the boyfriend.

I don't know what the hell was up with his musical tastes.

[Magrittes Pipe]

20. Solar Radio?!

Holy fuck, what a brilliant band. The Wilson brothers were every bit as important to southern-hemisphere songcraft as were the Finns. And DAMN, Nick is one of the best guitarists I've ever heard.

Damn pity about Roger, though.

[Donkeyboy75]

22. Do you have any music you could burn for me?

Don't see my uncle much anymore, and he probably doesn't have any of their stuff anymore...

[Magrittes Pipe]

32. Sure! PM me your addy.

[Wat_Tyler]

25. Roger always had weird political views.

Makes sense what happened, I guess.

[Wat_Tyler]

26. Roger was never actually in Solar Radio, really.

Just a few gigs and so. He's totally responsible for The Federals, though.

[Magrittes Pipe]

30. Ugh.

Yes. :scared:

[Magrittes Pipe]

31. What does being shot dead in a Perth bordello have to do...

...with his political views? :shrug:

[Wat_Tyler]

33. If you're referring to his ludicrous movie role.

Don't go there.

[Magrittes Pipe]

35. Holy shit! I'd forgotten about that!

Odd how life can imitate art....

[Wat_Tyler]

37. Huh?

On edit - you mean his disease? I didn't know he'd gotten that from a prostitute.

Still, if it works for Pamela Anderson.

[Magrittes Pipe]

38. You didn't know about that? Just a couple of years ago.

'01 or '02, I think.

[Magrittes Pipe]

40. In re: your edit...

Yes, the syphillis was from his frequent whoring, but a couple of years ago, he was shot by an off-duty cop in a Perth whorehouse. Died about a week later of sepsis.

Fuckin' tragic, in a rather funny way.

[Donkeyboy75]

7. Don Copenhaver?

Christ, I thought his music died out along with him. It's a shame it's resurfaced somewhere. Pretentious crap.

[Beware the Beast Man]

9. Don't be a hater.

[Donkeyboy75]

11. Not a hater.

My heart is full of pity for you. Your taste is an abomination.

[Beware the Beast Man]

13. Yeah, and I bet you're a Federals fan, too.

totally derivative of Solar Radio. Garbage.

[Donkeyboy75]

17. Never heard of the Federals.

But I liked what I heard of Solar Radio. My uncle liked them a lot when I was younger.

[Wat_Tyler]

18. Yeah, they were one of the more obscure eighties acts

who were into the whole 12-string Rickenbacker and metaphysical poetry thang.

[asthmaticeog]

23. You're not trashing Solar, I hope.

Yeah, the Federals were a freakin' homage band - lame, given that the object of their homage still existed, lamer still given that the Feds weren't any good at it, but Solar Radio had many, many moments that transcended typical kiwi-pop.

[Wat_Tyler]

28. Roger Wilson. What a dick.

Guy had talent, mind. His solo album 'Fire in the Wheatfield' is actually really good. It's just sad he formed that band to piss off his brother by ripping him off.

[asthmaticeog]

34. He was Nick Wilson's brother?

Fuckin' a - it's such a common surname I never made the connection.

[Magrittes Pipe]

36. Yeah, Roger was in Solar for a time around '79-'80.

When they were playing the Boar's Teat in Cranbourne.

[Wat_Tyler]

39. Dude.

It was Kelburn.

[Magrittes Pipe]

41. That's right. Shit.

I knew Cranbourne was too... suburban.

[Beware the Beast Man]

27. "When I think of all the times,

You destroyed me with your lines.."
shit, how does that go?

[Wat_Tyler]

29. You came but never could

take fortune in it's mood. IIRC.

I always found 'Taken down drinking in a dead man's bar, giving head to Jesus in a stolen car' to be the most ludicrous lines in rockenroll history, mind.