Just revisiting Telephono and I got a couple questions. First, who's on the cover? Second, does anyone know the full story about Andy Maguire and the band? I came across a little of the story through Google but I'm wondering if there's more.
What story?
Now I can't find the damn link. It was an interview of some kind and she mentioned how she was in this band Spoon in Austin and she lamented that they signed with Matador instead of Geffen and that they kicked her out and then sued her for leaving the band (which kind of sounds like bullshit). She ended up getting a third of the advance money from Matador because of an agreement the band had made together. Obviously she wasn't in the band very long and she's never mentioned by anyone. It seems that Britt doesn't look too fondly on Telephono and I wondered if that was part of the reason - bad memories. Maybe that's the whole story. I was just curious if anyone else knew more.
Hmm, there're some good interviews that Raoul Hernandez did for the Austin Chronicle way back in 1999 that might have some information. I haven't read the article in a while and I don't have time now, but it might be some help.
http://weeklywire.com/ww/01-25-99/austin_music_feature1.html
Found this interview from a while back. Britt talks about the early days, and Wendel Stivers leaving the band.
(scroll down a bit)
http://web.archive.org/web/20011225212150/www.monotremata.com/dead/issues/da13.html
I always thought it was Britt on the cover but I haven't STUDIED the cover or anything. I'll look when I get home. It's probably not him but I remember reading or hearing somewhere that the photo on the 30 Gallon Tank EP was a personal photo of his. I'm probably misremembering, blah.
I always though that was him, too. That is interesting about 30 Gallon Tank, it certainly looks like an amateur photo.
Maybe it was a photo of a friend's little sister? I can't remember for the life of me. I remember reading that but I can't find anything mentioning it.
Nothing that Raoul Hernandez ever did can be described as "good".
Unfortunately, the Chronicle archives only go back as far as the tail end of the SPOON vs. Maguire battle, as you can read in this quote from Dec. 1996:
Silver and Spoon
Well, the legal battle between current members of Spoon and former bassist Andy Maguire has ended, with the only winners being -- as predicted -- the lawyers. Meanwhile, the band has broken off relations with yet another bassist, so Hunter Darby has been filling in since receiving a call from Knoxville asking if he'd be ready to perform with the band when they returned to town later that week. Asked if he were considering Darby as a permanent bassist (if there is such a thing), Spoon man Britt Daniel replied, "I just couldn't do that, at least until the Wannabes break up" -- adding quickly and sincerely, "and I really hope they don't."
Here's the very earliest brief mention that has been archived, from June 1996:
Of the legal battles currently in motion between Maguire and her former band-mates in Spoon, she declines to comment, noting only that "I'm really happy to be playing now with nice people." Britt Daniel was unavailable for comment since, as always, Spoon is out on the road...
And as I mentioned in another post, SPOON's very first bass player Al Marino turned 40 today, with Wendel Stivers in attendance at his b-day festivities!
- mnw
That's weird. I didn't know Britt had vampire teeth. That's CRAZY.
Several things:
1. I lied and never looked at the album.
2. I haven't studied the album and never noticed vampire teeth.
3. Are you stalking the Telephono album?
4. They do make fake fangs you know.
5. I studied the Telephono cover and it still looks like Britt to me.
6. I didn't notice vampire teeth.
7. I have an original pressing so the photo may be grainier than on the reissue
8. One of the art directors for Telephono was Mark Ohe who is still at Matador and can be contacted on their website or at marko@matadorrecords.com if you really need to know who that is.
Yikes, that is pretty close. However, one important thing is that the melody is not sampled but rather the beat. Hard to stake claim to a beat.
The guy on Telephono is Phillip Niemeyer. The woman on the back 30 Gallon Tank is Eleanor Friedberger.
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