In My Blood
Girls On Fire
GOF 006
— originally issued in 1985 by the Vita Nova label, France
— personal edition by Leslie on her Girls On Fire label in late 1985
Girls On Fire
GOF 006
— originally issued in 1985 by the Vita Nova label, France
— personal edition by Leslie on her Girls On Fire label in late 1985
Scans and MP3 audio players of the GOF label version above
from Robin James' personal copy.
Scans and MP3 audio players of the Vita Nova label version below
from Hal McGee's personal copy.
from Robin James' personal copy.
Scans and MP3 audio players of the Vita Nova label version below
from Hal McGee's personal copy.
I don’t remember the name of the guy who contacted me from the Vita Nova label by mail but he seemed credible. He had set up a cassette label and wanted to get GOF distributed and heard in Europe. I can’t remember whose idea it was to do something new but I had some song and sound ideas floating around so putting IMB together was easy enough to do. I remember being excited about the project and having distribution / interest in France. He and I continued to correspond with me sending the copy of the tape as well as the cover photo. The last that I ever heard from him was that he received all the materials, everything was going well and the finished cassette would coming out shortly. I was supposed to get 10 copies. I wrote to him several times and received no answer. That is when I decided to issue IMB myself.
On the j-card of the master tape of In My Blood, Side A is dated January 13, 1985. Side B is dated January 20, 1985. I recorded IMB with all the same equipment that I had used on the previous GOF cassettes. I was already living at 159-B Bartlett Street when In My Blood was recorded so that would've been late 1984/early 1985. "Cat Vomit Punk House" is about that apartment. I remember that when I went to the photo session I was wearing a grey full length raincoat. I'm guessing that would be put the photo session to have taken place in early 1985. I remember doing it on a weekday as I was working part-time at FCA which was one of the reasons why I moved to the Bartlett apartment-- the rent was cheaper.
Editor's Note:
Leslie now (in 2018) considers her personal label version of In My Blood to be the definitive edition.
When she issued her version of In My Blood she did not assign to it a GOF label catalog number.
In October 2018 Leslie retroactively assigned catalog number GOF 006 to In My Blood.
On the j-card of the master tape of In My Blood, Side A is dated January 13, 1985. Side B is dated January 20, 1985. I recorded IMB with all the same equipment that I had used on the previous GOF cassettes. I was already living at 159-B Bartlett Street when In My Blood was recorded so that would've been late 1984/early 1985. "Cat Vomit Punk House" is about that apartment. I remember that when I went to the photo session I was wearing a grey full length raincoat. I'm guessing that would be put the photo session to have taken place in early 1985. I remember doing it on a weekday as I was working part-time at FCA which was one of the reasons why I moved to the Bartlett apartment-- the rent was cheaper.
Editor's Note:
Leslie now (in 2018) considers her personal label version of In My Blood to be the definitive edition.
When she issued her version of In My Blood she did not assign to it a GOF label catalog number.
In October 2018 Leslie retroactively assigned catalog number GOF 006 to In My Blood.
I had definitely met Frank Kogan [who is thanked, along with Clara Lusardi on the j-card of the GOF label version] by the time I moved onto Capp Street but had still been living at Bartlett Street during the recording and production of the Vita Nova version of In My Blood. Thinking back on it now, when I moved out of Bartlett Street and into the Capp Street flat it was persimmon season in California which is September to October. I remember meeting one of my roommates, David, to give him the check for my first months rent before right before I moved in as he was the leaseholder on the flat. He greeted me at the door and was eating a persimmon. I think to be polite and friendly, he offered me a bite of his half eaten persimmon. I hadn't met him before so I thanked him but declined his offer.
review of In My Blood from ND magazine, issue #8, 1987, presumably by Daniel Plunkett
Leslie Singer's Listening Notes for In My Blood
For this cassette, the focus was more on my voice and lyrics. No reverb, no screeching guitar. For some songs, I made backing percussion loops from tiny sampled bits that I recorded onto Radio Shack answering machine outgoing message tapes so the loop tape length was no more than 20 seconds long. Others I did live percussion or used the microphone as a percussive instrument. Several songs, “Ron Gilmore” and “Rotten Bananas” feature guitar and voice but the sound is more unplugged than electric. The song “In My Blood” is a cappella. I also did alternate versions of some of the songs which I added onto side A and B. I really get to singing on some of them such as "Portugal".
Side A
1.
I Had a Cow
I Had a Cow
(Radio Shack tape loops in effect right from the start with me saying: “Punk rock girls busted that door”. I think that was a direct quote from the landlord of the Bartlett Street apartment accusing one of my roommates of breaking the lock on the front door.) This song is about wanting to live freely but feeling the pressure of maintaining caution.
There’s a cow that sits on my bed, I don’t get raped
There’s a cow that sits on my bed, I don’t get raped
I don’t leave my doors open in the Tenderloin, I don’t get raped
I don’t go down to Mexico for Days of the Dead, I don’t get raped
There’s a cow that sits on my bed, I don’t get raped
I keep a knife stuck in my bed so I don’t get raped, that is what I said
I’m going to scream now if I get raped
There’s a cow that sits on my desk so I can scream like James Brown now
There’s a cow that sits on my desk, I don’t get raped when the lights are out
I don’t leave the doors open in the Tenderloin so I don’t get raped
I don’t go down to Mexico for Days of the Dead, I don’t want to get raped
I don’t eat cows, they don’t make me mellow
I don’t eat cows, I don’t feel mellow
I don’t eat cows, I don’t feel that mellow
Unless I’m at Clown Alley
Unless I’m at CLOWN ALLEY
There is a cow that sits on my bed, I don’t get raped
There’s two cats that sit out in the hallway
And one of them sounds, sounds like a rat
Squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak
What color shoes should I buy?
What color shoes should I buy?
There’s a cow that sits on my bed, I don’t get raped
There’s a cow that sits on my bed, I don’t get raped
I don’t leave my doors open in the Tenderloin, I don’t get raped
I don’t go down to Mexico for Days of the Dead, I don’t get raped
There’s a cow that sits on my bed, I don’t get raped
I keep a knife stuck in my bed so I don’t get raped, that is what I said
I’m going to scream now if I get raped
There’s a cow that sits on my desk so I can scream like James Brown now
There’s a cow that sits on my desk, I don’t get raped when the lights are out
I don’t leave the doors open in the Tenderloin so I don’t get raped
I don’t go down to Mexico for Days of the Dead, I don’t want to get raped
I don’t eat cows, they don’t make me mellow
I don’t eat cows, I don’t feel mellow
I don’t eat cows, I don’t feel that mellow
Unless I’m at Clown Alley
Unless I’m at CLOWN ALLEY
There is a cow that sits on my bed, I don’t get raped
There’s two cats that sit out in the hallway
And one of them sounds, sounds like a rat
Squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak
What color shoes should I buy?
What color shoes should I buy?
2.
Grace Kelly Never Used the Word Fuck
Grace Kelly Never Used the Word Fuck
Grace Kelly used the word fuck
If you don’t think so
You're and/or crazy and stupid
But you can’t use the term and/or because they contradict themselves
Under the Insurance of Accounts Handbook depending on which state you are a resident of
Grace Kelly never used the word fuck
And if you believe that you are crazy and/or stupid
But you can’t use the term and/or because it means separate things
You have to usually say Grace Kelly said the word fuck and you’re stupid
Or you say Grace Kelly used the word fuck or you’re crazy
But you can’t say and/or and you can’t be crazy and stupid at the same time
Not under the Insurance of Accounts guidelines
Grace Kelly
Never used the word FUCK
If you think so you’re crazy and/or STUPID
But you can’t use the term and/or because they both mean different things
Under the Insurance of Accounts Guidelines Handbook
That I can’t read, it is so BORING
Grace Kelly never used the word FUCK
If you don’t think so
You're and/or crazy and stupid
But you can’t use the term and/or because they contradict themselves
Under the Insurance of Accounts Handbook depending on which state you are a resident of
Grace Kelly never used the word fuck
And if you believe that you are crazy and/or stupid
But you can’t use the term and/or because it means separate things
You have to usually say Grace Kelly said the word fuck and you’re stupid
Or you say Grace Kelly used the word fuck or you’re crazy
But you can’t say and/or and you can’t be crazy and stupid at the same time
Not under the Insurance of Accounts guidelines
Grace Kelly
Never used the word FUCK
If you think so you’re crazy and/or STUPID
But you can’t use the term and/or because they both mean different things
Under the Insurance of Accounts Guidelines Handbook
That I can’t read, it is so BORING
Grace Kelly never used the word FUCK
Leslie's contribution to Level Mail Art Zine #7, early 1985, Indianapolis, Indiana
3.
Picasso’s Ghost
Picasso’s Ghost
Here comes Picasso’s Ghost
Here comes Picasso’s Ghost
Yesterday I was on the bus
Here comes Picasso’s Ghost
I was thinking about $45 worth of socks
Here comes Picasso’s Ghost
Red, yellow, purple, green, blue green, blue, pink, yellow, juicy fruit, tan, burgundy,
Cherry, neon green, yellow orange, brown, white
No black, no print socks
Here comes Picasso’s Ghost
And I looked out the window of the bus
And there were all these wrecked cars on the street
Here comes Picasso’s Ghost
And there was this couple looking into one
Here comes Picasso’s Ghost
And the car was like a yellow car
It was like a Chevrolet
Like a washed-out yellow
And they were looking inside of it and yelling into it like there was someone
inside of it but there was
No one inside of it
Here comes Picasso’s Ghost
Then I got to Sears and got off the bus
Here comes Picasso’s Ghost
And there was a papier-mâché Mexican bull there
He stepped out of Guernica New York City museum
But no one noticed he was missing because of all the graffiti
He caught a cab at six o’clock AM on Christmas Day
Here comes Picasso’s Ghost
So I busted him open and took a look inside
And he was purple and green with orange horns
He was a bull
And I realized and I looked in
And I realized and I looked in
And I realized
Here comes Picasso’s Ghost
I looked in and realized that he was empty
As that wrecked parked car
Here comes Picasso’s Ghost
Here comes Picasso’s Ghost
Here comes Picasso’s Ghost
Yesterday I was on the bus
Here comes Picasso’s Ghost
I was thinking about $45 worth of socks
Here comes Picasso’s Ghost
Red, yellow, purple, green, blue green, blue, pink, yellow, juicy fruit, tan, burgundy,
Cherry, neon green, yellow orange, brown, white
No black, no print socks
Here comes Picasso’s Ghost
And I looked out the window of the bus
And there were all these wrecked cars on the street
Here comes Picasso’s Ghost
And there was this couple looking into one
Here comes Picasso’s Ghost
And the car was like a yellow car
It was like a Chevrolet
Like a washed-out yellow
And they were looking inside of it and yelling into it like there was someone
inside of it but there was
No one inside of it
Here comes Picasso’s Ghost
Then I got to Sears and got off the bus
Here comes Picasso’s Ghost
And there was a papier-mâché Mexican bull there
He stepped out of Guernica New York City museum
But no one noticed he was missing because of all the graffiti
He caught a cab at six o’clock AM on Christmas Day
Here comes Picasso’s Ghost
So I busted him open and took a look inside
And he was purple and green with orange horns
He was a bull
And I realized and I looked in
And I realized and I looked in
And I realized
Here comes Picasso’s Ghost
I looked in and realized that he was empty
As that wrecked parked car
Here comes Picasso’s Ghost
Here comes Picasso’s Ghost
4.
Underwear with No Holes
Underwear with No Holes
That’s what I said
I’ve got no underwear with holes in it
That’s what I said
I broke my toe with a loaf of German bread
That’s what I said
I’ve got no underwear with holes in it
That’s what I said
I broke my big toe with a loaf of German Bread
That’s what I said
All my underwear is clean and white
All my underwear, that’s what I said
I don’t own a car anymore, it got wrecked
I don’t own a car anymore, that’s what I said
All my underwear has got no holes in it
That’s what I said
I broke my big toe with a loaf of German Bread [Editor's Note: I swear I hear "chitlin bread"]
That’s what I said
That’s what I said
All my underwear is white and clean
That’s what I said
I used to own a car, but it got wrecked
That’s what I said
We’re going to bring up a bit louder now
That’s what I said
Everybody get into it now, nice and loud
That’s what I said
All my underwear has got no holes in it
That’s what I said
I dropped on my big toe a big loaf of German Bread [Editor's Note: chitlin bread, but my hearing is BAD]
That’s what I said
All my underwear is clean and white like my couch that I used to have
That’s what I said
Then it caught on fire, burned down my house
That’s what I said
You ain’t never lied, cleaner than a Safeway chicken
That’s what I said
That’s what I said
I’ve got no underwear with holes in it
That’s what I said
I broke my toe with a loaf of German bread
That’s what I said
I’ve got no underwear with holes in it
That’s what I said
I broke my big toe with a loaf of German Bread
That’s what I said
All my underwear is clean and white
All my underwear, that’s what I said
I don’t own a car anymore, it got wrecked
I don’t own a car anymore, that’s what I said
All my underwear has got no holes in it
That’s what I said
I broke my big toe with a loaf of German Bread [Editor's Note: I swear I hear "chitlin bread"]
That’s what I said
That’s what I said
All my underwear is white and clean
That’s what I said
I used to own a car, but it got wrecked
That’s what I said
We’re going to bring up a bit louder now
That’s what I said
Everybody get into it now, nice and loud
That’s what I said
All my underwear has got no holes in it
That’s what I said
I dropped on my big toe a big loaf of German Bread [Editor's Note: chitlin bread, but my hearing is BAD]
That’s what I said
All my underwear is clean and white like my couch that I used to have
That’s what I said
Then it caught on fire, burned down my house
That’s what I said
You ain’t never lied, cleaner than a Safeway chicken
That’s what I said
That’s what I said
5.
Cat Vomit Punk House
Cat Vomit Punk House
is a snapshot of la vie bohème in late 20th-Century San Francisco
featuring sonics and tape editing by Leslie Singer
and sounds of feline regurgitation by
Mary Davis Kills Mary Davis Kills collaborator, Clara Lusardi.
featuring sonics and tape editing by Leslie Singer
and sounds of feline regurgitation by
Mary Davis Kills Mary Davis Kills collaborator, Clara Lusardi.
Editor's Note:
The first side of the original release of In My Blood, on the Vita Nova label in early 1985, was about 23 minutes in length and consisted of the first five songs above, in versions with different EQ settings and with other slight differences. For her personal issue of In My Blood in late 1985, Leslie Singer added the following guitar-and-vocal "demo versions" of four of the songs to fill out the 32-minute side of the cassette tape.
The first side of the original release of In My Blood, on the Vita Nova label in early 1985, was about 23 minutes in length and consisted of the first five songs above, in versions with different EQ settings and with other slight differences. For her personal issue of In My Blood in late 1985, Leslie Singer added the following guitar-and-vocal "demo versions" of four of the songs to fill out the 32-minute side of the cassette tape.
6.
I Had a Cow (Alternate version)
I Had a Cow (Alternate version)
7.
Grace Kelly Never Used the Word Fuck (Alternate version)
Grace Kelly Never Used the Word Fuck (Alternate version)
I changed the lyrics to:
“Grace Kelly never cussed”. I guess this was the “grandma version”, i.e. the version that one could play for one’s grandmother and not get into trouble
“Grace Kelly never cussed”. I guess this was the “grandma version”, i.e. the version that one could play for one’s grandmother and not get into trouble
8.
Picasso’s Ghost (Alternate version)
Picasso’s Ghost (Alternate version)
I changed enough of the lyrics for this guitar version that I wanted to add them in:
Here comes Picasso’s Ghost (repeated 4 times)
I was riding the bus the other day
And I was looking out the window and thinking about $25 worth of socks
Here comes Picasso’s Ghost
Red socks, yellow socks, orange socks, purple socks, brown socks, blue socks, green socks
Here comes Picasso’s Ghost
And I looked out the window, no black socks, no print socks
Here comes Picasso’s Ghost
And I looked out the window
Here comes Picasso’s Ghost
And I saw wrecked cars parked up and down the street
Here comes Picasso’s Ghost
And there was a couple standing by a yellow Chevrolet wreck of a car
Here comes Picasso’s Ghost
And the woman was peering inside of it and yelling into the inside of it even though no one was in the car
The car was empty
Here comes Picasso’s Ghost
Here comes Picasso’s Ghost
Here comes Picasso’s Ghost
And we go back [I think that Leslie sings "And the bull was black"] with scratches on it
He stepped right out of a New York City museum
He was a bull in Guernica
Guernica is missing a character but no one notices because of all the graffiti
Here comes Picasso’s Ghost
He caught a cab right away even though it was six o’clock in the morning on Christmas day
Here comes Picasso’s Ghost
He grabbed the bull by the horns and busted him open
Here come Picasso’s Ghost
And found out that he was as empty as that wrecked, parked car
Here comes Picasso’s Ghost
Here comes Picasso’s Ghost
Here comes Picasso’s Ghost
Here comes Picasso’s Ghost (repeated 4 times)
I was riding the bus the other day
And I was looking out the window and thinking about $25 worth of socks
Here comes Picasso’s Ghost
Red socks, yellow socks, orange socks, purple socks, brown socks, blue socks, green socks
Here comes Picasso’s Ghost
And I looked out the window, no black socks, no print socks
Here comes Picasso’s Ghost
And I looked out the window
Here comes Picasso’s Ghost
And I saw wrecked cars parked up and down the street
Here comes Picasso’s Ghost
And there was a couple standing by a yellow Chevrolet wreck of a car
Here comes Picasso’s Ghost
And the woman was peering inside of it and yelling into the inside of it even though no one was in the car
The car was empty
Here comes Picasso’s Ghost
Here comes Picasso’s Ghost
Here comes Picasso’s Ghost
And we go back [I think that Leslie sings "And the bull was black"] with scratches on it
He stepped right out of a New York City museum
He was a bull in Guernica
Guernica is missing a character but no one notices because of all the graffiti
Here comes Picasso’s Ghost
He caught a cab right away even though it was six o’clock in the morning on Christmas day
Here comes Picasso’s Ghost
He grabbed the bull by the horns and busted him open
Here come Picasso’s Ghost
And found out that he was as empty as that wrecked, parked car
Here comes Picasso’s Ghost
Here comes Picasso’s Ghost
Here comes Picasso’s Ghost
9.
Underwear with No Holes (Alternate Version- part 1
Underwear with No Holes (Alternate Version- part 1
All my underwear is clean and white
That's what I said
All my underwear is white and clean
That's what I said
I've broken my big toe with a big loaf of German bread
That's what I said
I used to have a car to drive around in, but it got wrecked
That’s what I said
(Repeat)
All my underwear is white and clean
That's what I said
I've broken my big toe with a big loaf of German bread
That's what I said
You ain’t never lied, cleaner than a Safeway Chicken
That's what I said
All my underwear is white and clean
That's what I said
I've broken my big toe with a big loaf of German bread
That's what I said
I used to have a car to drive around in, but it got wrecked
That’s what I said
(Repeat)
All my underwear is white and clean
That's what I said
I've broken my big toe with a big loaf of German bread
That's what I said
You ain’t never lied, cleaner than a Safeway Chicken
Side B
10.
The Almighty Beat
The Almighty Beat
And the beat goes on,
And the beat goes on,
And the beat goes on,
And the beat goes on,
And the beat goes on,
And the beat goes on,
And the beat goes on,
And the beat goes on,
And the beat goes on,
And the beat goes on,
And the beat goes on,
And the beat goes on,
And the beat goes on,
And the beat goes on,
And the beat goes on,
And the beat goes on,
And the beat goes on,
We got the beat
Yeah, I got the beat
Yeah, I got the beat
Yeah, I got the beat
Yeah, I got the beat
And the beat goes on,
And the beat goes on,
And the beat goes on,
And the beat goes on,
And the beat goes on,
And the beat goes on,
And the beat goes on,
And the beat goes on,
And the beat goes on,
I got the beat
Yeah, I got the beat
Yeah, I got the beat
Yeah, I got the beat
Yeah, I got the beat
Yeah, I got the beat
Yeah, I got the beat
And the beat goes on,
And the beat goes on,
And the beat goes on,
And the beat goes on,
And the beat goes on,
And the beat goes on,
And the beat goes on,
And the beat goes on,
And the beat goes on,
And the beat goes on,
And the beat goes on,
And the beat goes on,
And the beat goes on,
And the beat goes on,
And the beat goes on,
And the beat goes on,
And the beat goes on,
And the beat goes on,
And the beat goes on,
And the beat goes on,
And the beat goes on,
And the beat goes on,
And the beat goes on,
And the beat goes on,
We got the beat
Yeah, I got the beat
Yeah, I got the beat
Yeah, I got the beat
Yeah, I got the beat
And the beat goes on,
And the beat goes on,
And the beat goes on,
And the beat goes on,
And the beat goes on,
And the beat goes on,
And the beat goes on,
And the beat goes on,
And the beat goes on,
I got the beat
Yeah, I got the beat
Yeah, I got the beat
Yeah, I got the beat
Yeah, I got the beat
Yeah, I got the beat
Yeah, I got the beat
And the beat goes on,
And the beat goes on,
And the beat goes on,
And the beat goes on,
And the beat goes on,
And the beat goes on,
And the beat goes on,
And the beat goes on,
11.
The Sky Up in the Sky
The Sky Up in the Sky
There is a sky up in the sky over our heads
And the sky
Is blue (is blue)
But in another city the sky is brown (is brown)
But in another city the sky is grey (the sky is grey)
In my room, there is a sitting plant that sits there (the plant sits there)
And the plant is green
But in another city the plant is brown
But in another city the plant is grey (the plant is grey)
There is a car parked outside my window, it’s parked there
And the car is stolen (is red)
Is stolen, in my new neighborhood the car is stolen
In another city the car is brown
In another city the car is grey (the car is grey)
There is the sky up in the sky over our heads
And the sky is blue (is blue)
But in another city the sky is brown
And in another city the sky is grey
And the sky
Is blue (is blue)
But in another city the sky is brown (is brown)
But in another city the sky is grey (the sky is grey)
In my room, there is a sitting plant that sits there (the plant sits there)
And the plant is green
But in another city the plant is brown
But in another city the plant is grey (the plant is grey)
There is a car parked outside my window, it’s parked there
And the car is stolen (is red)
Is stolen, in my new neighborhood the car is stolen
In another city the car is brown
In another city the car is grey (the car is grey)
There is the sky up in the sky over our heads
And the sky is blue (is blue)
But in another city the sky is brown
And in another city the sky is grey
12.
Sick of Don’ts
Sick of Don’ts
Sick of eating donuts that’s all there ever is at work
Sick of eating donuts that’s all there ever is at work
I’m sick of eating donuts that’s all there ever is at work
I’m sick of eating donuts that’s all there ever is at work
Refined white sugar, refined white flour
You'd think that with all that refinement there’d be culture
You'd think that with all that refinement there’d be poetry
But all there ever is, is calories
Sick of eating donuts that’s all it ever is at work
I’m sick of eating donuts that’s all it ever is at work
Pure white sugar, pure white flour, pure white glaze
They’re so racist
Sick of eating donuts that’s all it ever is at work
I’m sick of eating donuts that’s all it ever is at work
Pure white sugar, pure white flour, all refined
You'd think that with all that refinement there’d be culture
But there’s no poetry, just calories
Pure, useless calories
Sick of eating donuts that’s all there ever is at work
I’m sick of eating donuts that’s all there ever is at work
I’m sick of eating donuts that’s all there ever is at work
And all there ever is at work is all eating donuts
And all there ever is, is work
And all there ever is, is work, eating donuts
Sick of eating donuts that’s all there ever is at work
I’m sick of eating donuts that’s all there ever is at work
I’m sick of eating donuts that’s all there ever is at work
Refined white sugar, refined white flour
You'd think that with all that refinement there’d be culture
You'd think that with all that refinement there’d be poetry
But all there ever is, is calories
Sick of eating donuts that’s all it ever is at work
I’m sick of eating donuts that’s all it ever is at work
Pure white sugar, pure white flour, pure white glaze
They’re so racist
Sick of eating donuts that’s all it ever is at work
I’m sick of eating donuts that’s all it ever is at work
Pure white sugar, pure white flour, all refined
You'd think that with all that refinement there’d be culture
But there’s no poetry, just calories
Pure, useless calories
Sick of eating donuts that’s all there ever is at work
I’m sick of eating donuts that’s all there ever is at work
I’m sick of eating donuts that’s all there ever is at work
And all there ever is at work is all eating donuts
And all there ever is, is work
And all there ever is, is work, eating donuts
13.
Gun + Gum
Gun + Gum
(tape loop of gun shots from a carnival game)
Gun, gun, gun not gum
Gun, gun, gun not gum
Gun, gun, gun not gum
G-u-n, gun, G-u-m, gum
G-u-n, gun, G-u-m, gum
G-u-n, my mother finds a gun, puts a hole in the wall
G-u-m, my grandfather loses all his teeth because of his lousy gums
Gun, gun, gun not gum
Gun, gun, gun not gum
Give me a stick of gum
I’ll make a bubble
Give me a gun
I’ll make a hole in your head
Gun, gun, gun not gum
Gun, gun, gun not gum
Kids like to chew gum
Kids like to use guns
G-u-n, gun, G-u-m, gum
Gun, gun, gun not gum
Gun, gun, gun not gum
Gimme some gum,
Gimme a gun
Gimme some gum,
Gimme a gun
Gun, gun, gun not gum
And for one moment you almost looked like s_____
G-u-n, you shoot
G-u-m, you chew
Gun, gun, gun not gum
Gun, gun, gun not gum
Gun, gun, gun not gum
Gun, gun, gun not gum
G-u-n, gun, G-u-m, gum
G-u-n, gun, G-u-m, gum
G-u-n, my mother finds a gun, puts a hole in the wall
G-u-m, my grandfather loses all his teeth because of his lousy gums
Gun, gun, gun not gum
Gun, gun, gun not gum
Give me a stick of gum
I’ll make a bubble
Give me a gun
I’ll make a hole in your head
Gun, gun, gun not gum
Gun, gun, gun not gum
Kids like to chew gum
Kids like to use guns
G-u-n, gun, G-u-m, gum
Gun, gun, gun not gum
Gun, gun, gun not gum
Gimme some gum,
Gimme a gun
Gimme some gum,
Gimme a gun
Gun, gun, gun not gum
And for one moment you almost looked like s_____
G-u-n, you shoot
G-u-m, you chew
Gun, gun, gun not gum
14.
Skyscrapers are Maternal
Skyscrapers are Maternal
(featuring me imitating the hum of city skyscrapers while beating a rhythm)
I think skyscrapers are maternal
Standing above, watching over us
I think skyscrapers are maternal
Walking by myself with them, they are so beautiful
I think skyscrapers are maternal
Some people don’t like skyscrapers
Some people don’t like their mothers either
So what's the difference?
They don’t like skyscrapers, they don’t like their mothers
So naturally they don’t like skyscrapers
Because skyscrapers are maternal
I think skyscrapers are maternal
Tall, sleek and beautiful
Standing above, protecting us from the universe
If something comes falling out of the universe
It will hit the skyscraper first before it hits me
Skyscrapers protect me like my mother
I think skyscrapers are maternal
I think skyscrapers are maternal
Some people don’t like skyscrapers
Some people don’t like their mothers
So naturally they don’t like skyscrapers
I think skyscrapers are maternal
I think skyscrapers are maternal
Standing above, watching over us
I think skyscrapers are maternal
Walking by myself with them, they are so beautiful
I think skyscrapers are maternal
Some people don’t like skyscrapers
Some people don’t like their mothers either
So what's the difference?
They don’t like skyscrapers, they don’t like their mothers
So naturally they don’t like skyscrapers
Because skyscrapers are maternal
I think skyscrapers are maternal
Tall, sleek and beautiful
Standing above, protecting us from the universe
If something comes falling out of the universe
It will hit the skyscraper first before it hits me
Skyscrapers protect me like my mother
I think skyscrapers are maternal
I think skyscrapers are maternal
Some people don’t like skyscrapers
Some people don’t like their mothers
So naturally they don’t like skyscrapers
I think skyscrapers are maternal
15.
Ron Gilmore
Ron Gilmore
(the guitar is back) I’m trying to remember who Ron Gilmore was. Somehow I think that he had something to do with FCA Asset Management but I can’t quite remember what.
Pig's feet are like fat people’s arms
Du,du,du,du,du,du,du,du
I like to eat pigs feet because they don’t drip blood on my walls
Du,du,du,du,du,du,du,du
And Ron Gilmore is a fat boy puke thief
Pig's feet are like fat people’s arms
Du,du,du,du,du,du,du,du
I like to eat pickled pigs feet because they don’t drip blood down my walls
And Ron Gilmore is a fat boy puke thief
Du,du,du,du,du,du,du,du
Pigs feet are like fat people’s arms
Du,du,du,du,du,du,du,du
I like to eat pigs feet because they don’t drip blood on my walls
Du,du,du,du,du,du,du,du
And Ron Gilmore is a fat boy puke thief
And Ron Gilmore is a fat boy puke thief
Pig's feet are like fat people’s arms
(Guitar drop)
Pig's feet are like fat people’s arms
Du,du,du,du,du,du,du,du
I like to eat pigs feet because they don’t drip blood on my walls
Du,du,du,du,du,du,du,du
And Ron Gilmore is a fat boy puke thief
Pig's feet are like fat people’s arms
Du,du,du,du,du,du,du,du
I like to eat pickled pigs feet because they don’t drip blood down my walls
And Ron Gilmore is a fat boy puke thief
Du,du,du,du,du,du,du,du
Pigs feet are like fat people’s arms
Du,du,du,du,du,du,du,du
I like to eat pigs feet because they don’t drip blood on my walls
Du,du,du,du,du,du,du,du
And Ron Gilmore is a fat boy puke thief
And Ron Gilmore is a fat boy puke thief
Pig's feet are like fat people’s arms
(Guitar drop)
16.
In My Blood
In My Blood
Wake up in the morning, look at my face
In the mirror, what do I say?
It’s in my blood, in my blood
It’s in my blood, in my blood
Why do I do, all the crazy things I do?
This I ask myself and you ask it too
Because it’s in my blood, it's in my blood
It’s in my blood, it's in my blood
The things I know don’t come from my heart
The things I know don’t come from my mind
I know them in my blood, I know them in my blood
I know them in my blood, I know them in my blood
In the mirror, what do I say?
It’s in my blood, in my blood
It’s in my blood, in my blood
Why do I do, all the crazy things I do?
This I ask myself and you ask it too
Because it’s in my blood, it's in my blood
It’s in my blood, it's in my blood
The things I know don’t come from my heart
The things I know don’t come from my mind
I know them in my blood, I know them in my blood
I know them in my blood, I know them in my blood
17.
Sweeper
Sweeper
(microphone imitating sweeping sounds, gives it a rhythm. I looked up from reading my Happenings book, and for a few seconds I thought that the man seated near the driver at the front of the bus was Andy Warhol. I got very excited but then I realized that it couldn’t be him because he wasn’t wearing a silver frightwig.
I think that this song ended up on a comp that the OP/Beat Happening folks put out in 1985.
[Editor's Note: Leslie is talking about Dangerous Business International, a cassette release on the K label. The version of "Sweeper" on DBI is notable because it sounds like her voice is chipmunked, with the vocals at a much higher pitch than the version on In My Blood. See the bottom of this page.]
I sweep my floor with my Bissell sweeper
My brand new Bissell sweeper
I bought it last week
On the bus, I saw a guy [who] looked like Andy Warhol
Except his hair was brown not grey
I saw him today
I bought my Bissell sweeper the other day
I saw Andy Warhol today
Except his hair was brown, not like my brown, not grey
I bought my Bissell sweeper the other day
I sweep my carpet with my brand new red Bissell sweeper
On the bus I saw a guy [who] looked like Andy Warhol but his hair was brown, not grey
I saw him on the bus today
I bought my Bissell sweeper the other day
His hair was brown, but a different brown from my brown, not grey, not grey
While I sweeped my carpet, I read a letter from a friend
Who told me Andy Warhol was dead
But I know that’s not true, I saw him on the bus today
And his hair was brown, not grey
It was a different shade of brown from my brown
And no matter what I always have my Bissell sweeper to sweep my carpet with
I think that this song ended up on a comp that the OP/Beat Happening folks put out in 1985.
[Editor's Note: Leslie is talking about Dangerous Business International, a cassette release on the K label. The version of "Sweeper" on DBI is notable because it sounds like her voice is chipmunked, with the vocals at a much higher pitch than the version on In My Blood. See the bottom of this page.]
I sweep my floor with my Bissell sweeper
My brand new Bissell sweeper
I bought it last week
On the bus, I saw a guy [who] looked like Andy Warhol
Except his hair was brown not grey
I saw him today
I bought my Bissell sweeper the other day
I saw Andy Warhol today
Except his hair was brown, not like my brown, not grey
I bought my Bissell sweeper the other day
I sweep my carpet with my brand new red Bissell sweeper
On the bus I saw a guy [who] looked like Andy Warhol but his hair was brown, not grey
I saw him on the bus today
I bought my Bissell sweeper the other day
His hair was brown, but a different brown from my brown, not grey, not grey
While I sweeped my carpet, I read a letter from a friend
Who told me Andy Warhol was dead
But I know that’s not true, I saw him on the bus today
And his hair was brown, not grey
It was a different shade of brown from my brown
And no matter what I always have my Bissell sweeper to sweep my carpet with
18.
Portugal
Portugal
(Empires come and go—a message to the USA)
Remember
Portugal used to be
A world power
But what do they now
They can sardines
What do they do now?
They smoke Danish cigarettes
But what do they do now?
They go to all night discotheques
But what do they do now?
They go to Rio de Janiero
Talking Portuguese
Remember
Portugal used to be
A big world power
But when was that?
That was 400 years ago
Remember
Portugal used to be
A world power
But you ask
What do they do now?
(What the hell do they do now?)
They can sardines
(I can’t stand sardines)
What do they do now?
They smoke Danish cigarettes
(I don’t smoke any kind of cigarettes)
What do they do now?
They go to all night discotheques
(Everything in California closes at 2 o’clock)
What do they do now?
They go to Rio de Janeiro
(I cannot rap in Portuguese, I’m not even going try)
Remember
That Portugal used to be
A world power
Remember
Portugal used to be
A world power
But what do they now
They can sardines
What do they do now?
They smoke Danish cigarettes
But what do they do now?
They go to all night discotheques
But what do they do now?
They go to Rio de Janiero
Talking Portuguese
Remember
Portugal used to be
A big world power
But when was that?
That was 400 years ago
Remember
Portugal used to be
A world power
But you ask
What do they do now?
(What the hell do they do now?)
They can sardines
(I can’t stand sardines)
What do they do now?
They smoke Danish cigarettes
(I don’t smoke any kind of cigarettes)
What do they do now?
They go to all night discotheques
(Everything in California closes at 2 o’clock)
What do they do now?
They go to Rio de Janeiro
(I cannot rap in Portuguese, I’m not even going try)
Remember
That Portugal used to be
A world power
19.
Helen Schwab
Helen Schwab
Helen Schwab was a real person who was a friend of a work colleague, Peggy Skipper, at FCA Asset Management. According to Peggy, this is what Helen Schwab would say, pretty much verbatim.
Hi
Hi
Hi
Hi
My name is Helen Schwab
I’m married to man named Bob
Selling life insurance is my job
I’m three months pregnant with our first child
And my philosophy on life is:
EAT SHIT AND DIE MOTHERFUCKER
Hi
Hi
Hi
Hi
My name is Helen Schwab
I've lived in California for a long time
And I have a philosophy on life
And it goes well with everything
And it is:
EAT SHIT AND DIE MOTHERFUCKER
Hi
Hi
Hi
Hi
My name is Helen Schwab
And I’m friends with all the Jews
Because I’m married to a Jew
And I’m half a Jew too
And my philosophy on life is:
EAT SHIT AND DIE MOTHERFUCKER
Hi
Hi
Hi
Hi
My name is Helen Schwab
I’m married to man named Bob
Selling life insurance is my job
I’m seven months pregnant with our first child
And my philosophy on life is:
EAT SHIT AND DIE MOTHERFUCKER
Hi
Hi
Hi
Hi
My name is Helen Schwab
I’m married to man named Bob
Selling life insurance is my job
I’m three months pregnant with our first child
And my philosophy on life is:
EAT SHIT AND DIE MOTHERFUCKER
Hi
Hi
Hi
Hi
My name is Helen Schwab
I've lived in California for a long time
And I have a philosophy on life
And it goes well with everything
And it is:
EAT SHIT AND DIE MOTHERFUCKER
Hi
Hi
Hi
Hi
My name is Helen Schwab
And I’m friends with all the Jews
Because I’m married to a Jew
And I’m half a Jew too
And my philosophy on life is:
EAT SHIT AND DIE MOTHERFUCKER
Hi
Hi
Hi
Hi
My name is Helen Schwab
I’m married to man named Bob
Selling life insurance is my job
I’m seven months pregnant with our first child
And my philosophy on life is:
EAT SHIT AND DIE MOTHERFUCKER
20.
Rotten Bananas
Rotten Bananas
Contains a description of the actions in my performance video, Rotten Bananas.
I get the word “picture” to rhyme with “Rauschenberg”. I think that Bob would’ve like that.
And now for my next song, Rotten Bananas
Rotten bananas make me puke
They almost made me puke in my room
Doesn’t matter where they’re from
They can be from Ecuador, they can be from Peru
Rotten bananas make me sick
They make me puke in my room
Rotten bananas make me puke
Only thing they are good for is filming them
I screw the yellow, green, red, blue, pink mix on them
I set them on a big white piece of paper
The back of a calendar
I threw around some film on top of them and a picture
And I said that it was Robin, Robert Rauschenberg
Rotten bananas [they] make me sick
They make me puke in my room
Rotten bananas make me sick
I see people riding down the street on their motorcycles
I can’t ride with them because I’m in the bathroom trying to puke up bananas
I get the word “picture” to rhyme with “Rauschenberg”. I think that Bob would’ve like that.
And now for my next song, Rotten Bananas
Rotten bananas make me puke
They almost made me puke in my room
Doesn’t matter where they’re from
They can be from Ecuador, they can be from Peru
Rotten bananas make me sick
They make me puke in my room
Rotten bananas make me puke
Only thing they are good for is filming them
I screw the yellow, green, red, blue, pink mix on them
I set them on a big white piece of paper
The back of a calendar
I threw around some film on top of them and a picture
And I said that it was Robin, Robert Rauschenberg
Rotten bananas [they] make me sick
They make me puke in my room
Rotten bananas make me sick
I see people riding down the street on their motorcycles
I can’t ride with them because I’m in the bathroom trying to puke up bananas
Freud's Snack Bar video collection by Leslie Singer. "Rotten Bananas" starts at 3:27.
21.
Underwear with No Holes (Alternate version- part 2)
Underwear with No Holes (Alternate version- part 2)
22.
Portugal (Alternate version)
I actually sing on this one. Wow!
[Editor's Note: preview of coming attractions?]
Portugal (Alternate version)
I actually sing on this one. Wow!
[Editor's Note: preview of coming attractions?]
23.
Helen Schwab (Alternate version)
I got the guitar to sound like a banjo. And I also changed Helen’s philosophy on life but I can’t decipher what I’m saying it is. I feel like Agent Cooper when Laura Palmer appeared to him in his dream and told him who her killer was but then he couldn’t remember what she said once he woke up.
Helen Schwab (Alternate version)
I got the guitar to sound like a banjo. And I also changed Helen’s philosophy on life but I can’t decipher what I’m saying it is. I feel like Agent Cooper when Laura Palmer appeared to him in his dream and told him who her killer was but then he couldn’t remember what she said once he woke up.
Dangerous Business International compilation, K label, 1985
November 3, 2018
Hal:
Leslie, now that I have listened to the songs on In My Blood numerous times, and having read your transcriptions of the lyrics above, the first big question (among many questions) that occurs to me is...
What happened in the year between the release of Life is Too Funny — I Think I’ll $hoot Myself in early 1984 and the creation of In My Blood in early 1985?
Prior to that you had been turning out new tapes like every three or four months. Why the slow-down? Or maybe it really wasn't a slow-down? Was 1984 a creative dry period music-wise?
From what I understand you didn't start making your first films until 1985. But maybe I'm wrong?...
Leslie:
Between Life is Too Funny — I Think I’ll $hoot Myself and In My Blood, I got caught up in making Super 8 films. You are correct— in 1985, I began making videos but in 1984, I first borrowed Clara’s box camera and then bought my own silent Super 8 camera. I made a number of short, slightly mawkish, droll films with inanimate objects like rutabagas and the piñata mentioned in "Picasso’s Ghost". I had a number of screenings at the SF Cinematheque in 1984 and 1985. Later on a few of my films were included in the Big as Life: An American History of 8mm Films survey at the Museum of Modern Art in 1998. Like William Davison mentioned in his comment in the Deprogramming Center Show posting at Electronic Cottage, Super 8 films are difficult and expensive to transfer to video so they remain tucked away in a box in my closet.
According to Leslie's Artist Resume (2003), these films were:
Selected Super-8 Filmography
"Picasso's Ghost," 1985, 3 minutes
"Dead Jailbird Languages," 1985, 3 minutes
"Bellyfull of Gasoline," 1985, 3 minutes
"The Eyes of Jean-Paul Sartre," 1984, 3 minutes
"A New Life," 1984, 3 minutes
"Blood Poisoning," 1984, 3 minutes
"After God 11," 1984, 3 minutes
"Fountain of Youth," 1984, 3 minutes
"How to Fuck Friends and Keep Them," 1984, 3 minutes
"Hebbie and the Cupcake," 1984, 4 minutes
Hal:
Leslie, now that I have listened to the songs on In My Blood numerous times, and having read your transcriptions of the lyrics above, the first big question (among many questions) that occurs to me is...
What happened in the year between the release of Life is Too Funny — I Think I’ll $hoot Myself in early 1984 and the creation of In My Blood in early 1985?
Prior to that you had been turning out new tapes like every three or four months. Why the slow-down? Or maybe it really wasn't a slow-down? Was 1984 a creative dry period music-wise?
From what I understand you didn't start making your first films until 1985. But maybe I'm wrong?...
Leslie:
Between Life is Too Funny — I Think I’ll $hoot Myself and In My Blood, I got caught up in making Super 8 films. You are correct— in 1985, I began making videos but in 1984, I first borrowed Clara’s box camera and then bought my own silent Super 8 camera. I made a number of short, slightly mawkish, droll films with inanimate objects like rutabagas and the piñata mentioned in "Picasso’s Ghost". I had a number of screenings at the SF Cinematheque in 1984 and 1985. Later on a few of my films were included in the Big as Life: An American History of 8mm Films survey at the Museum of Modern Art in 1998. Like William Davison mentioned in his comment in the Deprogramming Center Show posting at Electronic Cottage, Super 8 films are difficult and expensive to transfer to video so they remain tucked away in a box in my closet.
According to Leslie's Artist Resume (2003), these films were:
Selected Super-8 Filmography
"Picasso's Ghost," 1985, 3 minutes
"Dead Jailbird Languages," 1985, 3 minutes
"Bellyfull of Gasoline," 1985, 3 minutes
"The Eyes of Jean-Paul Sartre," 1984, 3 minutes
"A New Life," 1984, 3 minutes
"Blood Poisoning," 1984, 3 minutes
"After God 11," 1984, 3 minutes
"Fountain of Youth," 1984, 3 minutes
"How to Fuck Friends and Keep Them," 1984, 3 minutes
"Hebbie and the Cupcake," 1984, 4 minutes
Hal:
Were you doing a lot of tape-trading with other cassette artists? Please talk about this at any length that you want. Who were your earliest contacts in the cassette scene? How did you find them?
Leslie:
In my Psychodrama days, I traded tapes with members of this weird Futurist influenced noise group, Bomis Prendin. Several members were originally from Richmond, VA and had moved up to the DC area. Come to think of it, that may be how Psychodrama got its first show in Richmond.... As I think I might’ve mentioned before, I traded tapes with pre- Beat Happening Calvin Johnson and fellow Olympian, Rich Jensen as well as the Calypso Now guys, Martin Bisi and Rüdiger Tuscher. I also traded tapes with David Greenberger of Duplex Planet fame and of course our buddies in Walls of Genius. I also did tape trading in the early days with Rick Franecki if F/i and the Uddersounds label. I came into contact with all these folks through first OP and then Sound Choice magazine.
Were you doing a lot of tape-trading with other cassette artists? Please talk about this at any length that you want. Who were your earliest contacts in the cassette scene? How did you find them?
Leslie:
In my Psychodrama days, I traded tapes with members of this weird Futurist influenced noise group, Bomis Prendin. Several members were originally from Richmond, VA and had moved up to the DC area. Come to think of it, that may be how Psychodrama got its first show in Richmond.... As I think I might’ve mentioned before, I traded tapes with pre- Beat Happening Calvin Johnson and fellow Olympian, Rich Jensen as well as the Calypso Now guys, Martin Bisi and Rüdiger Tuscher. I also traded tapes with David Greenberger of Duplex Planet fame and of course our buddies in Walls of Genius. I also did tape trading in the early days with Rick Franecki if F/i and the Uddersounds label. I came into contact with all these folks through first OP and then Sound Choice magazine.
Hal:
I guess that the reason that I asked about what seems like a fairly long gap between your GOF 005 and In My Blood is that there is such a drastic difference between the songs on IMB and the previous Girls On Fire tapes. The songs on IMB are presented in a very clear (by comparison) style. I can pick out 90% of the lyrics on IMB — that's one significant indicator of a stylistic change! It's like you reached an artistic zenith with IMB — the songs were very distinctive, and it seems like many of the themes you had been exploring in previous GOF tapes reached a kind of crystallization on IMB: Common, everyday objects and occurrences, people at your job, food, appliances, celebrities, car crashes, etc.
Not only that, but you used repeating/repetitive tape loops as backing on most of the songs!
Why is the cow sitting on your bed and how is that preventing you from getting raped? I mean I suppose a would-be rapist might be deterred by the presence of a cow on your bed... Is the image of a cow sitting on your bed inspired by Buñuel's L'Age d'Or?
I guess that the reason that I asked about what seems like a fairly long gap between your GOF 005 and In My Blood is that there is such a drastic difference between the songs on IMB and the previous Girls On Fire tapes. The songs on IMB are presented in a very clear (by comparison) style. I can pick out 90% of the lyrics on IMB — that's one significant indicator of a stylistic change! It's like you reached an artistic zenith with IMB — the songs were very distinctive, and it seems like many of the themes you had been exploring in previous GOF tapes reached a kind of crystallization on IMB: Common, everyday objects and occurrences, people at your job, food, appliances, celebrities, car crashes, etc.
Not only that, but you used repeating/repetitive tape loops as backing on most of the songs!
Why is the cow sitting on your bed and how is that preventing you from getting raped? I mean I suppose a would-be rapist might be deterred by the presence of a cow on your bed... Is the image of a cow sitting on your bed inspired by Buñuel's L'Age d'Or?
Hal:
The Tenderloin is a rough part of San Francisco, right? A high crime area... But you didn't exactly live in the Tenderloin at the time, did you? Wasn't it a bit northeast of you? And how did the bit about Day Of The Dead come up? Did you ever attend that?
Leslie:
Regarding "I Had a Cow"- during the time I was working on In My Blood, several female acquaintances claimed to have been sexually assaulted. One was a roommate of Killer’s when she had a loft in the Tenderloin. We used to do film and video screenings and music jams in that loft. The other woman said that she was attacked when she visited Mexico during the Day of the Dead celebration. So all of these reports got me scared and paranoid. The cow was a small figurine that was supposed to have some sort of protective powers. Thanks for the still from L’Age D’Or. That is an interesting connection that you have made there. I remember really liking that film when I first saw it at an art theatre in DC when I was 17. It may have stuck in my unconscious.
Hal:
Did anyone ever suggest to you the possibility that Grace Kelly never used the word "fuck"? Or was this just an "excuse" to talk about celebrity car crashes and somehow connect it with mundane stuff from your job?
Leslie:
Grace Kelly always seemed to project an image of being high class and proper. I thought it would be funny and irreverent to ponder what goes on behind that image.
Hal:
I'll admit that I have no idea why you keep singing "Here comes Picasso's Ghost". Other than the connection between the piñata bull and the Guernica bull. But the $45 of socks in various colors?... Uh, why no black or print socks? These are matters our readers will be dying to know.
Leslie:
"Picasso’s Ghost" is inspired by a description of Tristan Tzara that I read about. He supposedly liked to wear mismatched socks. During this period I took to wearing mismatched colored socks as some sort of fashion statement to Cinematheque screenings and would get a wonderful response. I think that my repeating of "Here comes Picasso’s Ghost" is some sort of incantation/exhortation for him to stay dead as I’ve never been a big fan of Picasso.
Hal:
It's great that all of your underwear had no holes in it and that it was all clean and white. These are matters of great pride, but what the hell? Why was it important that all of your underwear had no holes in it and was all clean and white? And why did you only wear white underwear? No colors, and again, no prints or black.
Did you ever really break your big toe by dropping a loaf of German bread on it? Or "chitlin bread" for that matter?
Leslie:
Yes, what the hell is going on with "Underwear with No Holes"?!? I think that I was making fun of some social mores and received ideas of the period. In high school and at FCA Asset Management, there was always much discussion on the importance of never leaving the house unless one was wearing clean fully intact underwear. The reason for this was that if one got into an accident or was suddenly stricken ill and had to be rushed to the emergency room, one didn’t want to risk the embarrassment of the ER doctors and staff seeing one wearing dirty, worn out underwear. While this mostly seemed to be a female concern, there was one male colleague who was concerned about about having his ”balls” hanging out. The song is about nonsensical concerns and ridiculous claims. Needless to say I’ve never broken a toe by dropping a loaf of German or chitlin bread on it though German bread can be very dense and brick like.
Hal:
The subject of puke and vomit is treated in three songs on In My Blood. Why was it the "Cat vomit punk house"? I recall you saying something about your landlord?
Leslie:
Yes, those “punk rock girls that busted that door” were definitely the inspiration for "Cat Vomit Punk House". Anita and Vodjka were their names. Vodjka’s real name was Susan. Anita went on to transition to being a man named Max. Anita was a poet always between jobs. She stored some 8 track tapes under the sink for a friend of hers. One of them was More Songs About Buildings and Food. That tape would probably be worth $20 now. Vodjka worked at the Tower Records in SF and had an affair with her woman boss after about 2 days of working there. Vodjka looked like Molly Ringwald meets Siouxsie Sioux. She claimed her dad was a high school football coach who enjoyed dressing up in women’s clothes. Living with Anita and Vodjka was quite the punk rock experience. Both were into “chipping” heroin and being all around completely irresponsible. Always late with rent, never buying toilet paper, etc. Vodjka had two cats (one of them named Kumbya) and a lizard who stayed glued to its hot rock until Kumbya got to it. And then there was the evening that Anita and several of her idiot friends took speed and stayed up all night loudly playing Julian Lennon and even more loudly discussing how great and talented he was. That was the last straw for me. I moved out shortly thereafter.
Hal:
The song "The Almighty Beat" — okay, so this is the melody of the Sonny & Cher song, "The Beat Goes On", mixed with the melody of "We Got the Beat" by The Go-Go's... kinda sorta. Are you happy or unhappy that the beat goes on and that we got the beat?
Leslie:
"The Almighty Beat" is how the beat is like gravity. It simply goes on/occurs. I have mixed feelings about it. Sometimes, like Yoko Ono, it makes me happy. Sometimes, like Captain Beefheart, it makes me mad. I think that he was actually referring to 4/4 time.
Hal:
"The Sky Up in the Sky" is almost like a nonsensical nursery rhyme. Why and how is there a sky up in the sky? There's a sky up within the sky? You talk about colors again, almost like you're listing them — and it echoes back to the colors of socks and your underwear and the bull.
Leslie:
"The Sky Up in The Sky" is about how the sky can look different within itself depending on the weather, time of day or year.
Hal:
Okay, I get it... Don'ts = Donuts. Is this really a riff on donuts or more about the drudgery of your job? Was it killing you to go to that job and turn off your artistic mind while there? You only wore white underwear, which seemed to be a good thing, but white donuts made from plain white flour and white sugar were NOT good things.
Leslie:
Yeah, it was the job I didn’t like, not donuts. I think donuts are great. Your the assemblage IS the story has got some great references to donut holes. I still wonder sometimes about what happened to the Log Lady’s husband in real life, Jack Nance. As I recall he was killed during a fight at a donut shop in LA. Terrible!
Hal:
What brought up the connection between the words "gun" and "gum" in your mind? This SEEMS to be about family experiences....
Leslie:
Yes, this is about the morning when I was in high school and my mother shot a hole in the kitchen wall. She suffered from manic depression. Luckily no one was hurt.
Hal:
"Skyscrapers are Maternal" — Okay, here's one of those gender role reversal or inversion things... The Transamerica Pyramid was very near your office at FCA, right? Looming over it...
Leslie:
Now looking back on it, this is quite the song to follow "Gun+Gum". Yes, you are correct, the Transamerica Pyramid was very near the FCA office, and I was working with gender role reversals/inversions.
Hal:
What exactly is a "fat boy puke thief"? How are pickled pig's feet like fat people's arms? I'm not sure I get it.
Leslie:
I had seen a stack of pig's feet in a butcher shop and they looked like fat arms to me. “Puke face thief” was an insult that I thought I heard someone use on the bus and I thought that it was very funny. I think that Ron Gilmore was a client of Peggy Skipper’s at FCA Asset Management. There was a client that we used to call “Shock the Monkey” who was a real piece of work. As a teenager I was a fan of the Adverts’ song, “Gary Gilmore’s Eyes".
Hal:
Is the title track as confessional as it seems? Did you come to some kind of realization about yourself, that you were BORN THAT WAY? Or are you also talking about how you were the way you were because of brain chemistry inherited from your mom and dad and/or (see what I did there?) the way your mom and dad raised you? It's that whole nature versus nurture thing. Or is it really something simpler and more mundane?
Leslie:
Yes, "In My Blood" (the song) is confessional. I like what you did there with and/or. Have you ever seen that movie from the 1950’s, The Bad Seed? I guess I believe in heredity AND environment as factors that shape and influence one’s personality and behavior. What do you think?
Hal:
Okay, on the song "Sweeper" we've got Andy Warhol, a guy who looked like him on the bus except for his hair which was brown but not your brown... and your new Bissell sweeper. Did your ironing board and Bissell sweeper keep each other in good company while you were gone to work?
Leslie:
That is very funny and cute to ask if the ironing board and the Bissell sweeper kept each other company while I was at work. I do think sometimes that inanimate objects have feelings.
Hal:
What brought up the subject of Portugal?
Leslie:
"Portugal" was inspired by the Alain Tanner film from 1983, In the White City. It’s set in Lisbon and is very existential with the main character making super 8 films and playing harmonica and his portable cassette tape recorder. During that time, I considered visiting Lisbon because it seemed kind of cool in the film but I haven’t yet done it.
Hal:
Back on the I Think about Jackson Pollock page you wrote:
Well, reality called and I ended up working at FCA Asset Management (at 301 Broadway) which was part of State Savings and Loan. State Savings and Loan was a major player in the savings and loan crisis of the mid 1980's. Some of this makes it into I Think About Jackson Pollock, and songs like "Helen Schwab" and the cover art of the In My Blood tape.
What was it about Helen Schwab and her behavior (or maybe the contradictions in her behavior?) which had meaning for you? Lame question, sorry!
Leslie:
I get a kick out of the contrast of the sweet, conforming Helen Schwab and her ruthless, take no prisoners philosophy of life. It is all of a piece, right?
Hal:
What's the deal with rotten bananas? Did you really have a problem with vomiting - there's that subject again - at the smell of rotten bananas?
This leads me to the thought that In My Blood seems to be about contamination, nausea, and disconnectedness, and contradictions. You wanted to live an artistic life, but were forced to deal with mundane realities of everyday life, especially a mind-numbing ultra-conservative job situation. Having to dress in business attire except on Fridays, boring-ass code manuals, having to deal with people you otherwise wouldn't (Helen and Ron). You look in the mirror, and what do you see? Do you see Artistic Leslie? Or do you see the Leslie in Business Attire?
Colors and puking were big themes, it seems.
Leslie:
I think that I was being punk rock here and a slightly spoiled bunch of bananas went onto inspire not only a song but a video. Those are some hard working decayed bananas.
The Tenderloin is a rough part of San Francisco, right? A high crime area... But you didn't exactly live in the Tenderloin at the time, did you? Wasn't it a bit northeast of you? And how did the bit about Day Of The Dead come up? Did you ever attend that?
Leslie:
Regarding "I Had a Cow"- during the time I was working on In My Blood, several female acquaintances claimed to have been sexually assaulted. One was a roommate of Killer’s when she had a loft in the Tenderloin. We used to do film and video screenings and music jams in that loft. The other woman said that she was attacked when she visited Mexico during the Day of the Dead celebration. So all of these reports got me scared and paranoid. The cow was a small figurine that was supposed to have some sort of protective powers. Thanks for the still from L’Age D’Or. That is an interesting connection that you have made there. I remember really liking that film when I first saw it at an art theatre in DC when I was 17. It may have stuck in my unconscious.
Hal:
Did anyone ever suggest to you the possibility that Grace Kelly never used the word "fuck"? Or was this just an "excuse" to talk about celebrity car crashes and somehow connect it with mundane stuff from your job?
Leslie:
Grace Kelly always seemed to project an image of being high class and proper. I thought it would be funny and irreverent to ponder what goes on behind that image.
Hal:
I'll admit that I have no idea why you keep singing "Here comes Picasso's Ghost". Other than the connection between the piñata bull and the Guernica bull. But the $45 of socks in various colors?... Uh, why no black or print socks? These are matters our readers will be dying to know.
Leslie:
"Picasso’s Ghost" is inspired by a description of Tristan Tzara that I read about. He supposedly liked to wear mismatched socks. During this period I took to wearing mismatched colored socks as some sort of fashion statement to Cinematheque screenings and would get a wonderful response. I think that my repeating of "Here comes Picasso’s Ghost" is some sort of incantation/exhortation for him to stay dead as I’ve never been a big fan of Picasso.
Hal:
It's great that all of your underwear had no holes in it and that it was all clean and white. These are matters of great pride, but what the hell? Why was it important that all of your underwear had no holes in it and was all clean and white? And why did you only wear white underwear? No colors, and again, no prints or black.
Did you ever really break your big toe by dropping a loaf of German bread on it? Or "chitlin bread" for that matter?
Leslie:
Yes, what the hell is going on with "Underwear with No Holes"?!? I think that I was making fun of some social mores and received ideas of the period. In high school and at FCA Asset Management, there was always much discussion on the importance of never leaving the house unless one was wearing clean fully intact underwear. The reason for this was that if one got into an accident or was suddenly stricken ill and had to be rushed to the emergency room, one didn’t want to risk the embarrassment of the ER doctors and staff seeing one wearing dirty, worn out underwear. While this mostly seemed to be a female concern, there was one male colleague who was concerned about about having his ”balls” hanging out. The song is about nonsensical concerns and ridiculous claims. Needless to say I’ve never broken a toe by dropping a loaf of German or chitlin bread on it though German bread can be very dense and brick like.
Hal:
The subject of puke and vomit is treated in three songs on In My Blood. Why was it the "Cat vomit punk house"? I recall you saying something about your landlord?
Leslie:
Yes, those “punk rock girls that busted that door” were definitely the inspiration for "Cat Vomit Punk House". Anita and Vodjka were their names. Vodjka’s real name was Susan. Anita went on to transition to being a man named Max. Anita was a poet always between jobs. She stored some 8 track tapes under the sink for a friend of hers. One of them was More Songs About Buildings and Food. That tape would probably be worth $20 now. Vodjka worked at the Tower Records in SF and had an affair with her woman boss after about 2 days of working there. Vodjka looked like Molly Ringwald meets Siouxsie Sioux. She claimed her dad was a high school football coach who enjoyed dressing up in women’s clothes. Living with Anita and Vodjka was quite the punk rock experience. Both were into “chipping” heroin and being all around completely irresponsible. Always late with rent, never buying toilet paper, etc. Vodjka had two cats (one of them named Kumbya) and a lizard who stayed glued to its hot rock until Kumbya got to it. And then there was the evening that Anita and several of her idiot friends took speed and stayed up all night loudly playing Julian Lennon and even more loudly discussing how great and talented he was. That was the last straw for me. I moved out shortly thereafter.
Hal:
The song "The Almighty Beat" — okay, so this is the melody of the Sonny & Cher song, "The Beat Goes On", mixed with the melody of "We Got the Beat" by The Go-Go's... kinda sorta. Are you happy or unhappy that the beat goes on and that we got the beat?
Leslie:
"The Almighty Beat" is how the beat is like gravity. It simply goes on/occurs. I have mixed feelings about it. Sometimes, like Yoko Ono, it makes me happy. Sometimes, like Captain Beefheart, it makes me mad. I think that he was actually referring to 4/4 time.
Hal:
"The Sky Up in the Sky" is almost like a nonsensical nursery rhyme. Why and how is there a sky up in the sky? There's a sky up within the sky? You talk about colors again, almost like you're listing them — and it echoes back to the colors of socks and your underwear and the bull.
Leslie:
"The Sky Up in The Sky" is about how the sky can look different within itself depending on the weather, time of day or year.
Hal:
Okay, I get it... Don'ts = Donuts. Is this really a riff on donuts or more about the drudgery of your job? Was it killing you to go to that job and turn off your artistic mind while there? You only wore white underwear, which seemed to be a good thing, but white donuts made from plain white flour and white sugar were NOT good things.
Leslie:
Yeah, it was the job I didn’t like, not donuts. I think donuts are great. Your the assemblage IS the story has got some great references to donut holes. I still wonder sometimes about what happened to the Log Lady’s husband in real life, Jack Nance. As I recall he was killed during a fight at a donut shop in LA. Terrible!
Hal:
What brought up the connection between the words "gun" and "gum" in your mind? This SEEMS to be about family experiences....
Leslie:
Yes, this is about the morning when I was in high school and my mother shot a hole in the kitchen wall. She suffered from manic depression. Luckily no one was hurt.
Hal:
"Skyscrapers are Maternal" — Okay, here's one of those gender role reversal or inversion things... The Transamerica Pyramid was very near your office at FCA, right? Looming over it...
Leslie:
Now looking back on it, this is quite the song to follow "Gun+Gum". Yes, you are correct, the Transamerica Pyramid was very near the FCA office, and I was working with gender role reversals/inversions.
Hal:
What exactly is a "fat boy puke thief"? How are pickled pig's feet like fat people's arms? I'm not sure I get it.
Leslie:
I had seen a stack of pig's feet in a butcher shop and they looked like fat arms to me. “Puke face thief” was an insult that I thought I heard someone use on the bus and I thought that it was very funny. I think that Ron Gilmore was a client of Peggy Skipper’s at FCA Asset Management. There was a client that we used to call “Shock the Monkey” who was a real piece of work. As a teenager I was a fan of the Adverts’ song, “Gary Gilmore’s Eyes".
Hal:
Is the title track as confessional as it seems? Did you come to some kind of realization about yourself, that you were BORN THAT WAY? Or are you also talking about how you were the way you were because of brain chemistry inherited from your mom and dad and/or (see what I did there?) the way your mom and dad raised you? It's that whole nature versus nurture thing. Or is it really something simpler and more mundane?
Leslie:
Yes, "In My Blood" (the song) is confessional. I like what you did there with and/or. Have you ever seen that movie from the 1950’s, The Bad Seed? I guess I believe in heredity AND environment as factors that shape and influence one’s personality and behavior. What do you think?
Hal:
Okay, on the song "Sweeper" we've got Andy Warhol, a guy who looked like him on the bus except for his hair which was brown but not your brown... and your new Bissell sweeper. Did your ironing board and Bissell sweeper keep each other in good company while you were gone to work?
Leslie:
That is very funny and cute to ask if the ironing board and the Bissell sweeper kept each other company while I was at work. I do think sometimes that inanimate objects have feelings.
Hal:
What brought up the subject of Portugal?
Leslie:
"Portugal" was inspired by the Alain Tanner film from 1983, In the White City. It’s set in Lisbon and is very existential with the main character making super 8 films and playing harmonica and his portable cassette tape recorder. During that time, I considered visiting Lisbon because it seemed kind of cool in the film but I haven’t yet done it.
Hal:
Back on the I Think about Jackson Pollock page you wrote:
Well, reality called and I ended up working at FCA Asset Management (at 301 Broadway) which was part of State Savings and Loan. State Savings and Loan was a major player in the savings and loan crisis of the mid 1980's. Some of this makes it into I Think About Jackson Pollock, and songs like "Helen Schwab" and the cover art of the In My Blood tape.
What was it about Helen Schwab and her behavior (or maybe the contradictions in her behavior?) which had meaning for you? Lame question, sorry!
Leslie:
I get a kick out of the contrast of the sweet, conforming Helen Schwab and her ruthless, take no prisoners philosophy of life. It is all of a piece, right?
Hal:
What's the deal with rotten bananas? Did you really have a problem with vomiting - there's that subject again - at the smell of rotten bananas?
This leads me to the thought that In My Blood seems to be about contamination, nausea, and disconnectedness, and contradictions. You wanted to live an artistic life, but were forced to deal with mundane realities of everyday life, especially a mind-numbing ultra-conservative job situation. Having to dress in business attire except on Fridays, boring-ass code manuals, having to deal with people you otherwise wouldn't (Helen and Ron). You look in the mirror, and what do you see? Do you see Artistic Leslie? Or do you see the Leslie in Business Attire?
Colors and puking were big themes, it seems.
Leslie:
I think that I was being punk rock here and a slightly spoiled bunch of bananas went onto inspire not only a song but a video. Those are some hard working decayed bananas.
Materials below are from Language is the Enemy,
a four-part series of language and noise, presented by William Davenport and Ellen Zweig on Wednesday evenings in June 1985,
at Intersection, People's Theatre Coalition, Fort Mason Center, San Francisco.
Leslie's Girls On Fire performance on June 12, 1985 was billed as
"a must for all people into a sickening reality".
The series also presented performances by Walls Of Genius, Psyclones, and Ed Sanders.
a four-part series of language and noise, presented by William Davenport and Ellen Zweig on Wednesday evenings in June 1985,
at Intersection, People's Theatre Coalition, Fort Mason Center, San Francisco.
Leslie's Girls On Fire performance on June 12, 1985 was billed as
"a must for all people into a sickening reality".
The series also presented performances by Walls Of Genius, Psyclones, and Ed Sanders.
Editor's Note:
The photo of Leslie eating a TV dinner was taken at Club Foot in SF on November 18, 1983. It is similar to the photo of Leslie that was originally published in Unsound magazine — see Life is Too Funny — I Think I’ll $hoot Myself.
The photo of Leslie eating a TV dinner was taken at Club Foot in SF on November 18, 1983. It is similar to the photo of Leslie that was originally published in Unsound magazine — see Life is Too Funny — I Think I’ll $hoot Myself.
Leslie:
Apparently I screened some of my videos and called it Girls on Fire. I think that this would've been the videos on Freud's Snack Bar. My artist resume says that I screened a selection of videos including "Refried Broccoli". As I recall Clara Lusardi was there with me at this show. John Hricko may have been there too. I'm guessing, based on the available technology of that period, that I showed up with my TV and VCR, put them in the middle of the stage area and hit the "play" button when it came my turn to perform. I did a number of shows like that during this period. The crowds were always 20-40 people and watching my madness on a dinky tv with the volume turned up all the way didn't seem to be an issue. Let's say nobody complained that they couldn't hear or see it well enough!
Apparently I screened some of my videos and called it Girls on Fire. I think that this would've been the videos on Freud's Snack Bar. My artist resume says that I screened a selection of videos including "Refried Broccoli". As I recall Clara Lusardi was there with me at this show. John Hricko may have been there too. I'm guessing, based on the available technology of that period, that I showed up with my TV and VCR, put them in the middle of the stage area and hit the "play" button when it came my turn to perform. I did a number of shows like that during this period. The crowds were always 20-40 people and watching my madness on a dinky tv with the volume turned up all the way didn't seem to be an issue. Let's say nobody complained that they couldn't hear or see it well enough!
