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Subject: 06/05/91 - The National Midnight Star #252
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The National Midnight Star, Number 252
Wednesday, 5 June 1991
Today's Topics:
Administrivia
Black Holes
2112 (Figured out?)
Album Title
A syllogism and the odd occurence that Females don't like 'the boyz'
RUSH Fortune File
Fritz Leiber's "Gonna Roll the Bones"
Blackholes...
Women, Men And RUSH
cygnus x-1
Rollin Dem Bones
Holy cow I'm right for once!
RUSH Party--How's about Midwest?
How does the king do it?
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From: Editor, The National Midnight Star <rush-mgr@syrinx.umd.edu>
Subject: Administrivia
Just FYI, the FAQL will be distributed in two sections from now on,
as special editions. This reverses the previous policy on posting it
because the size limits on mailers (50K and 60K that I know of) will
be satisfied by this arrangement. The first installment should arrive
a few hours after this digest.
rush-mgr
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Date: Tue, 4 Jun 91 15:29:00 EST
Subject: Black Holes
From: DSchmidt.311@postman.gsfc.nasa.gov!
It's no coincidence that the black hole in the Disney movie was
called Cygnus. I believe that Cygnus X-1 was the name given to the
first astronomical object that was thought to be a Black Hole.
(nobody has ever proved that they exist, but this is still the
best guess by astonomers)
----------------------------------------------------------
Date: Tue, 04 Jun 91 15:17:14 CDT
From: The Neck Romancer <MV012791@VM1.NoDak.EDU>
Subject: 2112 (Figured out?)
I haven't posted for a while...(or read everything yet, ahem).
I hope I'm not covering settled ground here, but someone mentioned a few
issues back that the syrinx was a part of the throat, and that sparked
my conclusion to the theme of 2112. Even if this has been presented
before, I'll share my experience--rare as it is--of self-enlightenment
on a RUSH lyric.
The temples of Syrinx are the media. The priests are the people in high
places in magazines, broadcasts, and telecasts. These may be editors
and programming directors, etc. It's just my opinion, but I can back
it up with the 2112 insert.
"...then watching Templevision or reading a Temple Paper..."
The media is a voice that ultimately controls everything we hear.
(Except for word-of-mouth for which I am grateful, introducing me to
RUSH 'n' all.) The song says that there is an elite group editing
what we should(?) have the right to choose to be exposed to. That
includes things like music, all types of data, trains of thought,
art, and truth. The priests decided that destroying the guitar
would be best for the people (or best for the longevity of their
reign). That brings a parallel to Which Hunt, of course, but I'm
not going to get into that because I think (and hope) I've already
presented by points and thoughts with brilliance and ease.
YEAH RIGHT!!!
E-mail or post any of your own thoughts on this classic.
[ Reading "Anthem" by Ayn Rand will go a long way to explaining the
source of the song... :rush-mgr ]
Craig Rindy
Mayville State University student (and damn ashamed to be living in hell)
My own quote: If a length freezes to a chicken, will I be in Pakistan?
Another: If you must, please ignore my humor, but steer my plastic.
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Date: Tue, 4 Jun 91 17:02:12 PDT
From: 6600clem%ucsbuxa@hub.ucsb.edu (The Sphere)
Subject: Album Title
Hello! Yes, I am the guy who revealed the "Throwing the Stones" title.
Again, this is what I read last MARCH in _Metal Hammer_ magazine(I had
previously stated my source as KERRANG, I checked again and I found that
the album title was found in _Metal Hammer_). Again, I just relayed ifo that
I read to other Rush fans. Forgive me if my info was incorrect, but that's
just what I read.
Also, what is it about new releases that they get delayed for so long.
METALLICA seems to be very effective when it comes to delaying albums(like
the new one, which I heard would be out last Feb. Now they(?) are saying
it will come out either in July or August). Rush, I belive seems to follow
the same route. Guns and Roses has already started their tour for their new
album, which won't be released for another month(I hear). Any comments on
the reasons for these kinds of delays??
I drink to "Perfect Parkinglot!!"( sorry, UCSB joke).
----------------------------------------------------------
Date: Tue, 4 Jun 91 21:56:04 EDT
From: Mike_Sebaly@ub.cc.umich.edu
Subject: A syllogism and the odd occurence that Females don't like 'the boyz'
I was 'rush'-ing through the list and noticed the message about women
not liking Rush. I liked the syllogism that one (apparantly living,
breathing woman) wrote on the subject. She states something like:
I like Rush and I am a woman; therefore all women must not hate Rush.
Well, ever since reading an incredably stupid French book for a class
(The Rhinoceros), I have really liked syllogisms (all you out there
who had to take French as a requirement know what I'm talking about).
Thanks for the message though. I'll try to think of a 'doosie'
and post it soon.
Mike Sebaly
Ann Arbor, Michigan
'...catch the spirit, catch the spit...'
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Date: Tue, 4 Jun 91 22:03 EDT
From: Erin Sasaki <USAGI@jhuvms.hcf.jhu.edu>
Subject: RUSH Fortune File
Hello everyone --
Since the new album is coming out soon, I thought I'd take this
opportunity to spread around something fun ...
I have a short fortune script and a RUSH quotes file that I am
willing to distribute to people if they are interested. The quotes are
only from songs through the album _Presto_, plus a couple of miscellaneous
quotes. The nice thing about this file is that it is easily updatable when
the new album comes out, plus it's easy to add your own favorite quotes to
make it more of a generic fortune ...
Anyway, if you are interested in getting a copy of the script file
and/or the quotes file, let me know (through email - *not* the digest).
The script file is not originally mine, it is modified from an old Star
Trek script file (so my sources tell me...)
By the way, people at jhunix.hcf.jhu.edu can run the program from
their own account. The full path name of the fortune file is:
/i/ins5/.sasak_ee/rush
-- Erin Sasaki
usagi@jhuvms.hcf.jhu.edu
----------------------------------------------------------
Date: Tue, 4 Jun 91 22:16:46 EDT
From: gordon@Stars.Reston.Unisys.COM
Subject: Fritz Leiber's "Gonna Roll the Bones"
Hello,
Ben Ragunton writes:
--| ... My friend, Kevin Anderson, who is friends with Neil, just received
--| a letter from Neil a few days ago, and Neil told him that the new album is
--| indeed called "Roll the Bones" which is from a 1960s book by Franz(or is it
--| Fritz? I can't remember....)Leiber that Neil read and enjoyed. The album
--| title has also been mentioned in various music magazines as well.
Wow, a friend of Neil's, eh? Pretty cool (even if
once-removed =^). If the new Rush album was inspired by "Gonna
Roll the Bones," by Fritz Leiber, we may be in for a wild ride.
Here's some tidbits about "Gonna Roll the Bones," a story I first
read half my lifetime ago and just finished re-reading.
"Gonna Roll the Bones" is a short story, or novelette, that
came out in 1967, and won the Hugo and Nebula awards for that year.
It first appeared in Harlan Ellison's anthology _Dangerous
Visions_.
The story is indeed all about gambling, crap-shooting in
particular, and rolling the dice figures prominently in the tale.
The bones are the dice in gambler's slang, but bones are used
throughout the story in several different ways. For example, as
the main character, Joe Slattermill, walks by a cemetery one night,
feeling depressed, he thinks of his own bones:
The feeling of deep misery stuck with Joe and deepened
and he was tempted to turn aside and curl up in any
convenient tomb or around some half-toppled head board
and cheat his Wife and the other two behind him out of a
shared doom. He thought: Gonna roll the bones, gonna
roll 'em up and go to sleep.
Previously, Joe had made other references to bones:
...he heaved up himself and his heavy, muffled clanking
pockets and shuffled straight to the door, muttering,
"Guess I'll roll the bones, up the pike a stretch and
back," swinging his bent, knobbly-elbowed arms like
paddlewheels to make a joke about his words.
I'm sure you'll all be thrilled to the bone to hear that the
story has more than one layer of meaning, and that the themes of
hell, the devil, and Christianity are played upon. There are also
some interesting characters in the story like Mr. Guts, Mr. Bones,
and Big Gambler. Here's a couple of metaphors that are the
clinchers: "...by now the waves of pain had stopped running up his
left arm and his nerves were like metal-wrapped new guitar
strings..." and "...with the power surging in his right hand like
chained lightning." So, it certainly seems plausible to me that
it's a story Neil would really like.
Theodore Sturgeon said of this story in a review, "Fritz
Leiber is at his cadenced, ringing best in a completely successful
blend of science fiction and myth, and adventure and horror."
Personally, I'd say the story's more myth and horror that it is
science fiction or adventure, but I still recommend reading it.
Just doing my sci-fi duty, gonna roll my bones outta here,
/\ /\ /\ 1-0-0-1-0-0-1, S.O.S. 1-0-0-1-0-0-1, in distress.
/ \ /\/ \ /\/ \ /-------------------------------------------------------
\/ \/ \/ |>el <-ordon gordon@stars.reston.unisys.com |><-
----------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Blackholes...
Date: Wed, 5 Jun 91 9:59:32 WET
From: Moschops <M.ODonnell@computing-services.thames.ac.uk>
Hey,
The names of those robots in the Blackhole film :-
V.I.N.CENT.
&
B.O.B.
( I dug the book out of the closet!!!! - Classically Bad film
Count Floyd should show it!!! )
Mos
---
--
I Don't Believe in Love, I never have I never Will
I Don't Believe in Love, I'll Just pretend she never was real
I Don't Believe in Love, I need to forget her face I see it still
I Don't Believe in Love, It's never worth the pain that you feel
Mike O'Donnell - M.ODonnell@uk.ac.thames.csc - Thames Poly - London
----------------------------------------------------------
Date: Wed, 5 Jun 91 09:36 EDT
From: DEGE@jhuvms.hcf.jhu.edu
Subject: Women, Men And RUSH
Hi, out there. I just thought I'd add in my two cents worth on this women
and RUSH thing. IMHO it is all kind of pointless, we all like RUSH, wether
male or female. And that is what counts, I guess. Actually though, after
reading the past couple of NMS's, there seems to be alot more women out there
that listen to RUSH then some people think. I don't usually make
generalizations, and won't now. I know about the same number of women that
listen to RUSH as men who listen to RUSH. So the only generalization that
I would make is that people who listen to RUSH have a similiar mind set,
or outlook on life, no generalizations as to what sex listens to RUSH more
or less. Well, that's MHO, and enough babbling on an early wednesday
morning.
RIO
p.s. After 4 years, I funally have gotten my sister to actually want to
listen to some RUSH songs, she even wants me to make a mix for her. SEEYA
ALL!!
----------------------------------------------------------
Date: Wed, 5 Jun 91 10:29:28 EDT
From: adam@paix.sw.stratus.com (Mark Adam)
Subject: cygnus x-1
you're all in trouble now... the fountain of useless knowledge runneth
over.
back some time ago (sorry, don't know the year) when radio telescopes
were new, a massive, and i do mean massive, x-ray source was found in
the constellation cygnus. since this was the first x-ray source
located in cygnus, and astronomers are what they are, it was named
cygnus x-1. catchy, eh. black holes are still a theory; but, there is
large body of information supporting the theories.
now that we've go that out of the way, we can get to the real trivia.
the event horizon of cygnus x-1 is about 9.1 miles in diameter. the
event horizon is the point where light can no longer escape and time
stands still. :-> it is quite possible that the star is even smaller
than the event horizon. cygnus x-1 is orbiting epsilon eridani. this
is a blue star about three times the size of the sun, or roughly 2.5
million miles in diameter. currently cygnus x-1 is playing the role of
cosmic vacuum cleaner. hard to imagine something that small will
eventually suck up something that large.
whew!. enough.
hmm... rolling the bones?
throwing the stones, reading the tomes, i'll damned if we're playing nome!
mark ----------------------------
"Logic is a wreath of pretty flowers that smell bad."
"I am NOT a merry man!"
----------------------------------------------------------
Date: Wed, 5 Jun 91 10:17:06 edt
From: Marshall_Robin@CEO_SWD.ceo.dg.com
Subject: Rollin Dem Bones
I was quite suprised to see that the title was gotten from
the Fritz Leiber story. I've read it a few times over the years,
so thought it was pretty weird. Anyways, it is basically about this
miner who comes from a drab industrial town who decides one night
to go gambling with the high rollers, one of which turns out to
be death! Very good story, I advise it. Might give someone new
speculations about the upcoming album. (Gotta wait til sept :( )
Marshall (cygnus@wpi.wpi.edu)
"You know how that rabbit feels going under your spinning wheels"
Nope, can't say as I do, but it must hurt like a bitch!
----------------------------------------------------------
Date: Wed, 5 Jun 91 13:30:54 -0400
From: Jeff Wilson <jwilson@ncratl.atlantaga.NCR.COM>
Subject: Holy cow I'm right for once!
>>Date: Tue, 28 May 91 10:05:17 -0400
>>From: Jeff Wilson <jwilson@ncratl.atlantaga.NCR.COM>
>>Subject: "Rolling the Bones"??
>>"Rolling the Bones" could be taken from a short fantasy story written by
>>Fritz Leiber in the late '60's called "Gonna Roll the Bones".
>>"Roll the Bones" in that story meant crap shooting. Only the protagonist of
>>the story was rolling the bones with the devil . . .
>Date: Tue, 4 Jun 91 10:23 PST
>From: RAGUNTON@WATER.llnl.gov
>Subject: New Album Title
>Moschops <M.ODonnell@computing-services.thames.ac.uk> writes:
>Hey Gang.
> Did I miss something or has "Rolling the Bones" been confirmed
>as the next album title?
>Yes it has. My friend, Kevin Anderson, who is friends with Neil, just
>received
>a letter from Neil a few days ago, and Neil told him that the new album is
>indeed called "Roll the Bones" which is from a 1960s book by Franz(or is it
>Fritz? I can't remember....)Leiber that Neil read and enjoyed. The album
>title has also been mentioned in various music magazines as well.
Good guess on my part! At least that's *one* thing going right today . . .
--
jwilson@ncratl.AtlantaGA.NCR.COM (Jeff Wilson)
"It takes a lot of inner strength to be a Braves fan." -Peter Buck
----------------------------------------------------------
Date: Wed, 05 Jun 91 13:11:20 CDT
From: Steven Pulitzer-Williams WHAT? <MV012791@VM1.NoDak.EDU>
Subject: RUSH Party--How's about Midwest?
I've heard about these Rush parties every now and then, and I'm jealous.
I have never seen one person that is into RUSH as much as I am. I live
in Mayville, North Dakota (or as I say -- "Middletown"). I'm also an
amateur guitarist looking to meet some RUSH fans and have a party to jam
and celebrate the existance of the boyz. I would be willing to set up
something at a hotel or something in either Grand Forks or Fargo, ND.
If someone else would be interested, I would attend (but not plan) a
party in Bismarck, ND Winnipeg, Manitoba or Minneapolis, MN.
PLEASE, I have a severe need to jam one whole night of RUSH tunes, and
I'm sure there are a lot of listees who wouldn't mind hearing some live
RUSH for "almost free" (wow, a whole two-word quote from The Spirit).
You can help me get this thing going by e-mailing me at:
MV012791@NDSUVM1 (bitnet or something)
[ or "MV012791@NDSUVM1.bitnet@cunyvm.cuny.edu" for those Internet-ers out
there. :rush-mgr ]
If there is a chance to have a Rush party in the Upper Mid West, let's
do it. I'm not sure how these things were set-up or run before, so if
there is someone who has planned one of these, please send me any ideas
at the aforementioned address. I have a few ideas of my own; let me
know what you think of this:
[ We basically just threw a party in our own humble abodes. Party/BBQ
type food, equipment for tapes/CDs/videos, varieties of drinks, etc.
A band would be nice, but we couldn't pull it off in two tries. Maybe
the third time's a charm? Ya gotta be willing to drive a few hours,
and the host might want to consider crash space for long-distance guests.
:rush-mgr ]
We could get advanced registration at a hotel after we see how many
people (on the list, fans in the area, friends who are interested, and
otherwise) are going to show up. We can save some money on the rooms
by sharing rooms (I would bring my sleeping bag and sleep on the floor
in a room if we could keep the cost per person down). We probably
wouldn't be using the rooms much anyway. Then, we would get one of
those "special" rooms in which to have the shindig. Beforehand, I
and the other musicians (if there are any on the list in this area)
would converse through e-mail and establish who will be playing, a
song list, what equipment we will need (hopefully whatever each of
us has will be fine), and exchange music if anyone needs any hints
on how to play some of the songs. The way I see it, we could have:
1. Me and another guitarist so we won't get tired and we can
meet some people instead of being on stage the *whole* night
and we can do some stuff that has more than one guitar in
it (see my other post in this issue).
2. A keyboardist so we have someone specialized in that area
so it can sound good. A keyboardist will also usually have
better equipment than me with my Casio CZ-101.
3. A bassist OF COURSE! someone who can handle Dirk's stuff.
4. Maybe a singer if none of us can sing. I'm alright, but
I would probably want to concentrate more on guitar and
having a good time instead of screwing up the guitar parts
while trying to sing. If talent permits, we can have just
about anyone present come up and sing their favorite song.
[ Hey, what about a drummer???? :rush-mgr ]
As you can tell, I've put plenty of thought into this. That's
because it seems like a damn good idea to me! I urge anyone to
contact me if you are interested. There's no one around here who
understands the magic of Rush (even the other guitarist in my band).
Craig Rindy Now *that's* my real name. mv012791@ndsuvm1
My humor is one of many faces and prescriptions. I need some love
because my sphincter calls a doughnut for a press of hyperglow. SEE?
----------------------------------------------------------
Date: Wed, 05 Jun 91 13:55:15 CDT
From: Steven Pulitzer-Williams HUH? <MV012791@VM1.NoDak.EDU>
Subject: How does the king do it?
I was wonder how Alex (I love the name King Lerxst) does _Chain
Lightning_ live. Since I became a RUSH fan late last summer with
the first listen of MP, I did not have the chance to see RUSH on
the last tour. As if I had a chance of them coming close to here
anyway. The end of this tune has a (possibly very slightly distorted)
guitar doing the G C# D thing and also a (definitely) distorted
guitar doing the synchopation unison to the bass.
Does he let Ged do the heavy chords on the bass?
Does he do both at moderate distortion?
Is one of the parts sampled?
Who says "That's Nice" and do they use a voice modulator? live, that is
And is the rhythm guitar on _Passage to Bangkok_ sampled? live, that is
Craig Rindy if that is your *real* name
mv012791@ndsuvm1
Quote: The rest of the stool is a hat with sause. me
----------------------------------------------------------
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Copyright The Rush Fans Mailing List, 1991.
Editor, The National Midnight Star
(Rush Fans Mailing List)
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End of The National Midnight Star Number 252
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