Floorshow. Help.

[Purple Light]

I have no idea what any of it means. I need help. Any thoughts on any lyrics or anything please post!!! Literally anything! I've never understood it & its one of my faves.

[Badlander]

Think dancefloor... It's about the clubs Von used to go to when he was studying politics and Chinese at University of Leeds. Which clubs in particular I'm not sure (The Phono ?), but I guess the subject has already been discussed.

BTW what was the Lizard club ? Was it the name of a club, or just an organisation ? They were active in the mid to late-90s, when I was studying politics.

[markfiend]

IIRC the Lizard club was basically just a DJ.

I may be thinking of the wrong guy, ...

Edit: Removed. I think I was thinking of the wrong guy.

[Doctor E]

I have no idea what any of it means. I need help. Any thoughts on any lyrics or anything please post!!! Literally anything! I've never understood it & its one of my faves.

Like Badlander says, think dancefloor. Now the definition of "floorshow" is "a series of acts presented in a nightclub," of course, but it seems that the showoffy dancers have become the show.

The song is about a fastidious, cynical, and world weary person watching hedonists having fun on a dancefloor. The intellectual speaker sees the mindless dancing as an example of the inane routines of modern life. The dancers are "mundane by day" and "inane [in the nightclub] by night." Dancing is the new religion ("The old religion redefined) "for the facile futile totally blind."

The dancers are dancing "in the violet hour to the violent sound." This, yes, once again, folks, is a reference to T. S. Eliot's The Waste Land:

At the violet hour, when the eyes and back
Turn upward from the desk, when the human engine waits
Like a taxi throbbing waiting . . . [the tired speaker of The Waste Land, Tiresias, goes on the describe a meaningless sexual encounter between a typist and a young man with bad skin]

Another top night out with Andy!

[eastmidswhizzkid]

as a long-time organiser/instigator of illegal raves/free parties i remember one night being struck by "floorshow"'s relevance to that whole experience; as if eldritch had prophecised that phenomena five years even before he invented techno!

[Badlander]

I even think it may just as well apply to any, every day (or night), middle of the road nightclub. Describing the clubbing experience in terms of pagan initiation makes it even more deliciously ironic.

BTW, "invented techno" ?
Kraftwerk ? Suicide ?

[eastmidswhizzkid]

no prizes for leaping on that rather stale bait and bringing up kraftwerk, the pioneers of modern electronic music. though obviously massively influential the music that fore-ran techno as we know it that they made was really electro and experimental variations thereof. suicide were a rock band that happened to use synths and drum machines but so were hawkwind (to a degree), as were the sisters (to a degree).

but "Jihad" predates the modern formula of techno by a good couple of years.

...and my tongue is at least half in my cheek.

[Badlander]

You dodged the - easy - question rather skilfully, I admit.

[eastmidswhizzkid]

[markfiend]

By the way, I've remembered: The Lizard Club was Claire's night.

...I was living above the chemist (as the Mekons put it) with Claire and Spiggy The Cat...

Yes, that Claire.

[Badlander]

Thanks Mark.

[Quiff Boy]

if it was claire's night then it was probably at the warehouse rather than le phonographique.

i can ask choque to verify if you want - he used to dj at the warehouse too

[markfiend]

She did The Lizard Club on Fridays at the Phono around 90-92 (and possibly later) but she may have used the same name for nights at other places.

She used to DJ the Wednesday night at the Phono too, but I haven't the foggiest what the night was called (or even if it was called anything!)

[Quiff Boy]

ahhh

[Badlander]

Anyway what was the name of that club under a mall ? (Merrion center if I remember correctly, the first one coming from the campus)
That's were I heard the name Lizard Club, back in 98.

[Quiff Boy]

Anyway what was the name of that club under a mall ? (Merrion center if I remember correctly, the first one coming from the campus)
That's were I heard the name Lizard Club, back in 98.

yep, that was the phono (known as "le phonographique" back then)

[Badlander]

Anyway what was the name of that club under a mall ? (Merrion center if I remember correctly, the first one coming from the campus)
That's were I heard the name Lizard Club, back in 98.

yep, that was the phono (known as "le phonographique" back then)

Then said to be Leeds' last remaining rock club. You be the judge.

[markfiend]

Now no longer remaining. Clicky

[Badlander]

Now no longer remaining. Clicky

[distanceovertime]

For me its about a frontline in a war and about ambient in a nightclub the point of joint between the two visions is the abuse of amphetamines.
But remember, Von dont belief in freedom of interpretation.

[Dark]

Anyway what was the name of that club under a mall ? (Merrion center if I remember correctly, the first one coming from the campus)
That's were I heard the name Lizard Club, back in 98.

yep, that was the phono (known as "le phonographique" back then)

Then said to be Leeds' last remaining rock club. You be the judge.

On my first visit to the People's Republic, Motz and I got a little lost in all the similar-looking shopping centres, and I ended up standing next to a door to try and get some idea as to where we were. The door turned out to be The Phono, confirmed by the license thing above allowing someone with the first name initial "P" to sell alcohol. Herr Phono Paul.

[eotunun]

Question:
What does the title of episode 5 remind you of, and what happens in that episode?
Watch it all, it´s worthwhile!

[stufarq]

The naked bodies line always made me assume it was about strippers. There aren't many nightclubs where they'll let the punters dance naked. Well, not in this country.

I even think it may just as well apply to any, every day (or night), middle of the road nightclub. Describing the clubbing experience in terms of pagan initiation makes it even more deliciously ironic.

BTW, "invented techno" ?
Kraftwerk ? Suicide ?

A lot of techno artists cite John Foxx (who was himself influenced by Kraftwerk) as their spiritual godfather, particularly the Metamatic album. Not that it sounds much like techno to me, but that's what they say.

[markfiend]

IIRC "word from god" is that Floorshow was inspired by The Phono.