Post by Will DockeryVocals: Will Dockery, Guitar: Henry Conley, Bass: Doug Conley, Flute: Geno Woolfolk, Jr. Drums: John Phillips.
Review of "Twilight Girl" by Michael Pendragon: "This is the best... I've seen of yours to date... it's got a really nice look and great sound. The song has a definite mood to it: a sustained quiet sadness, a sense of loss. Bluesy, but in a reflective, mellow way. I'm having a little (okay, a lot of) difficulty following the narrative, but I get the impression that it's supposed to be abstract. I'm thinking that Twilight Girl is the memory of a lover who died, possibly in a car or plane crash, but that's just the feeling I get from the song. You've got a terrific voice -- in too many of the live performance videos, it's often hard to hear you over the music, but in this one your voice and the music maintain the perfect balance. There are times when your voice gives the impression that you could sing quite smoothly if you wanted to -- or, that you once sang quite smoothly, but ruined your voice from too many cigarettes (legal and otherwise) and drinks. Either way, the end result has a very distinctive sound and a strong personality..."
Read more at: https://groups.google.com/d/msg/alt.arts.poetry.comments/nFyNImuZYeU/SOGOkMyREAAJ
And thanks again, and again, for listening and commenting.
http://youtu.be/BYETTK16jQI
Vocals: Will Dockery, Guitar: Henry Conley, Bass: Doug Conley, Flute: Geno Woolfolk, Jr. Drums: John Phillips.
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"This is the best... I've seen of yours to date...
IOW: The rest of your videos are horrendous.
it's got a really nice look and great sound.
Neither of which you are responsible for. It looks and sounds superior to the videos recorded on a mobile gizmo by one of your friends in the audience.
The song has a definite mood to it: a sustained quiet sadness, a sense of loss. Bluesy, but in a reflective, mellow way.
I've identified the genre I would classify under. None of the above statements have any bearing on the quality of the piece; they merely note that it is a sad, blues-tinged song.
I'm having a little (okay, a lot of) difficulty following the narrative,
A key passage in the review. It seems that the narrative (i.e., your poem) is incomprehensible.
but I get the impression that it's supposed to be abstract. I'm thinking that Twilight Girl is the memory of a lover who died, possibly in a car or plane crash, but that's just the feeling I get from the song.
I have a vague notion that it's about a dead woman. Again, this is not in any way a comment on the quality of the poem. I'm simply trying to make some sense out of a poem that hasn't got any.
You've got a terrific voice --
A slight exaggeration, but I had, at the time, been under the impression that I was addressing a friend.
in too many of the live performance videos, it's often hard to hear you over the music,
This admission is virtually a blanket condemnation of the bulk of your videos.
but in this one your voice and the music maintain the perfect balance.
I'm basically repeating my earlier statement that this video was recorded with equipment somewhat better than your usual mobile gizmo.
There are times when your voice gives the impression that you could sing quite smoothly if you wanted to -- or, that you once sang quite smoothly, but ruined your voice from too many cigarettes (legal and otherwise) and drinks.
A sad observation. You might have had a good voice once, had you not destroyed it with drink and drugs.
Either way, the end result has a very distinctive sound and a strong personality..."
It's distinctive: that is, more or less unique to you (and the pissbum drunkenly singing himself to sleep on the step of an abandoned building on 40th Street between 9th and 10th).
And... [drum roll] it has a strong personality.
Imagine you're watching a comedy where a man with a horrible voice attempts to sing. His friends don't want to hurt his feelings, so they tell him that he certainly has an unique gift, etc.
In short: as your (then) friend, I wanted to give you a glowing review. However, your videos were so laughably bad that I usually remained silent... or noted that your poem works better as a song (especially when drowned out by the guitars). When you put up a competently made video of "Twilight Girl," I did my best to praise it without compromising my credibility as a critic.
So I wrote (in as positive a tone as I could manage without slipping into camp) that the sound and picture quality is a step up from the unwatchable crap you usually post; that it appears to be a blues-flavored song; and that you give the impression that you'd once possessed a smooth voice.
Sorry to disillusion you, but for some strange reason you seem to feel that faint praise is worth repeating.
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I just tried to post this and found that your post had been removed.
Yes, I found the review, posted it, and then decided to delete it, but here it is in the original post, in context.