Fanclub Mailings
From InSocPedia
This is a couple of mailings from the Information Society fanclub of the late 80's / early nineties, before Control-Alt-Delete
[edit] Mailing 1
This is the greeting from the band featured on the back of the membership application.
My first rock concert blew me away, I was hooked. Now I gotta do it. And I love it. But turning out a good record is equally exciting, hope you're as excited about our next album as I am. It should be surprising.
Thanx for writing, we've been reading and looking at all these nasty pictures you've sent.
And thanx to all of you who came and saw us on tour last winter. We had a great time and are looking forward to more touring after the next album.
My spiked, seven-inch, leather boot heels are at the ready, should you be in the mood for heavy sport.
Rock On, James Cassidy
Good morning cyberfunksters and welcome to the other side of the island where we have constructed a massively parallel groove with coconuts and some parts that we found in the lagoon. You may want to know what's on our minds, but as Fred told Shaggy and Scoob, there's only one way to find out! Until then the guys and I will be making and replaying in hi-def cyberspace, cruising the infosphere. Remember, get the Bozack and see you online!
The Op of your Sys, (If you know what I mean) Paul Robb
What? Oh. Fan club. Right. Yes! I am here! I greet you! I'm very busy now building my AI core net, but my schedule alarm says "txh-9: address fan club," so here I go:
Well I grew up in the suburbs too. Lots of 1969 split levels and lawns. Scandinavian lower middle-class parent stock just like all the other kids, so I know how it is. Don't take me for one of those hip &groovy music business insiders. They all think I'm a jerk.
I do understand. Things will get better. Living on your own is great. Smilers never lose, frowners never win. Pain is your friend, so feel it. Friends don't let friends eat Twinkies.
And remember, as Thomas Mann said: "For the sake of goodness and love, man shall let death have no sovereignty over his thoughts."
Kurt Valaquen
[edit] Mailing 2
This is the first and only mailing for the fanclub.
Inside InSoc
The Official Newsletter Of The Information Society
Vol 1, No 1
IN YOUR HANDS YOU ARE HOLDING THE VERY FIRST, NUMBER ONE, PREMIER ISSUE OF THE INSOC NEWSLETTER! WE WANTED THIS ISSUE TO BE SPECIAL FOR YOU, OUR CHARTER MEMBERS. WE'VE GOT AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH JAMES AND HE'LL FILL YOU IN ON ALL THE LATEST INSOC HAPPENING INCLUDING ROAD STORIES FROM THEIR TOUR AND ALL THE SCOOP ON THE NEW ALBUM! WANT TO LINK UP WITh OTHER INSOC MEMBERS? WE'VE GOT THAT COVERED, TOO. JUST CHECK OUT THE DETAILS IN OUR LINK COLUMN. HOW ABOUT THE LATEST IN INSOC ATTIRE? TURN TO THE MERCHANDISE PAGE... IT'S ALL THERE.
WE WANT TO MAKE THIS FAN CLUB ONE OF SHARED EXPERIENCES AND WE NEED YOU FOR THAT. IF YOU'VE EVER MET ANY OF THE GUYS OR HAD ANY UNUSUAL INSOC ENCOUNTERS, LET US KNOW. WE'RE ALSO INTERESTED IN ANY PHOTOS YOU MAY HAVE TAKEN OF THE BAND, DRAWINGS, NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS & REVIEWS...ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING INVOLVING INSOC. SEND YOUR INPUT TO US IN CARE OF DEPT Z.
SO, WITHOUT FURTHER DELAY, TAKE IT AWAY JAMES...
[edit] Interview: James Cassidy
Let's start by talking about last year first. It was a pretty big year for the band. You had a gold album and three big hits...
J: Yeah, and we actually had another gold album in Brazil. We went gold in 10 days in Brazil. It was unbelievable. We went down there and played seven shows. There were two shows in San Paulo, two nights in a row, and we sold out both of them. We played for 23,000 people two nights in a row. We are super, super huge down there... like Bon Jovi size.
How were the audiences?
J: Fantastic! They were just insane. They know all the lyrics. They were crying and stuff. It was pretty emotional, the quintessential, exciting experience.
So you guys were headlining?
J: We were the only band playing. It was amazing. It took us nearly an hour to get through to the stadium. Last year we did really well in Japan, too. Hopefully this year we'll be able to nail Europe to the bloody cross. That's one of our targets.
How did you like the Japanese audiences?
J: They're very reserved. In Japan we're really big with the record company and play decent sized shows, but in Brazil we're really big with the audiences. Somewhere in the middle is good news.
How was the Club MTV tour?
J: I think it was a good experience on the whole, although the actual day-to-day of it was draining. We kind of felt awkward in that show with some of the other groups, but the experience of playing for l5,000 plus was invaluable and I think it really prepared us for next year. Hopefully we'll be playing the same size arenas.
How was it working with all the different acts?
J: It was like us and Tone Loc really tried to get this unity kind of thing going even though nobody really got along. Every act was so completely different. It seemed like it still could have been a lot of fun, partying and stuff, but there were some egos and shit that was kind of stupid. Our group had a lot of fun, though. We're like a family. We played poker every night on the bus and we had good parties. We like to roll every night. In fact we have a song called "Roll 'Em, Roll 'Em". When you get to a town it's like you're nobody and you're normal and then after the show you want to get the hell out of there hecause people treat you like you're different. We prefer reality.
Any favorite cities along the way?
J: Montreal was a very cool city. God, we played in so many cities. We didn't get to play the pacific northwest on that tour which was really disappointing. We love Portland and Seattle and but we didn't get to play there. Texas was incredible. We're huge in Texas and that was a blast. They're really nice people down there. We played New Orleans and that was cool. In fact we got the key to the city from the mayor.
Did you go out and try it out anywhere?
J: Well, it doesn't open a lot of locks (laughs), but it does open a lot of hearts and it dees get you a lot of free drinks.
Any interesting stories or incidents while you were out on the road?
J: On the MTV tour or the other tour?
Any of them.
J: Well, on the other tour we were like a band of Gypsies on a tiny bus. The whole crew and all the equipment was on one bus. That was a blast, really. I remember this one incident when Kurt was doing a reality experiment where he wears roller skates all the time and in some of these rural southern truck stops, we used to make quite a scene. One time I was eating with the bus driver, Carl Bird, (Carl is always our bus driver, he's from Virginia and he's really cool)... anyway, Kurt comes flying in on his skates and totally wipes out into our table! The table and all the food crashed to the floor! So Kurt tries to get up and everybody in the place, and this place is like, well, filled with guys wearing leather chaps with the big belt buckles that say "Truckin' for God," and stuff like that, just stopped and looked at us and we thought, this is it, we're dead! Kurt was trying to pick stuff up when the waitress comes bolting over, screaming, "get outta here with them skates on!" Kurt says, "Well, I just thought I'd help you and she says "get outta here!" So he tries to get up and he grabs another table and the other table slips and falls! So we all got up and paid the bill so we could get outta there. (laughs) He'll probably be angry that I told that story, but...
It's too bad you didn't have a video camera. That would be a great scene for a video.
J: No kidding. We always carry video equipment now so that kind of thing will be captured from now on.
You guys also pinch-hit for Prince at the opening of Batman.
J: Yeah, that was kind of cool, but we found it boring to play for rock stars bigger than us. Jack Nicholson was the coolest person there. At the end of the night everybody left and it was just us and our manager, Scott, and about four other people. They were playing James Brown and cool dance songs and we were all dancing to it. My manager and Jack Nicholson were at the bar and they were totally blasted. When we left, he left with us and just walked out side by himself. He was all alone and had just caught a cab. It was totally cool. He's just like this normal guy. I really can appreciate that. We try to stay as regular as we can.
Which is hard to do in this business.
J: Like Joe Walsh says, "It's not me that's changed, it's everyone else." I feel exactly the same. I haven't changed, I'm just a little happier. What's the big deal? I don't have to wash dishes any more.
You guys are working on the new album.
J: Yeah, and it's great! It's really got a kick to it. We just finished the demo tape and it has 23 songs on it. There is a lot of segue material between the songs. Vintage stuff from concerts from eight years ago. We've been a band for eight years this month. I've known Kurt for twelve years and Paul for ten. We went to high school and everything together. So this is gonna be a cool album and we're really looking forward to it. It should have a May release. I see two very serious top ten type hits on there right now and there are three other candidates that could go... it depends on the climate at the time. Hopefully we'll be touring by then. It all depends on what the album is doing, but we have big plans for a tour with incredibly cool stage ideas. We're going to have a new group of associate members backing us up in the live setting called the Think Tank. One of them is going to be a computer operator, one is going to he a video and message board operator and we'll have additional members rounding out music and vocals. We'll have our own stage sound mixed from the Think Tank as well. Paul and I will only play pads patched to samples. Occasionally I'll go back and play bass and he'll go back and play electronic saxophone and Kurt will play the pads. Hopefully they'll allow us to do what we want to do. The popularity of the group will hopefully be such that we can put a super cool show together. I think it's gonna be good. We've got a lot of record company support and we're fighting for more every day.
Do you guys have a formula when you sit down to write music?
J: No, not really. The last album was two years ago and we've done a lot of developing since then. Now everybody has their own space and a studio in their homes. Paul is the most prolific songwriter in the group, but songwriting is only one aspect of what makes a group perform or survive.. not to mention, succeed. I'll be featured as a vocalist on this album. All the songs are about some personal things that have happened to us, but you could never tell unless you knew the story. Anybody could understand the concept of the lyrics and hopefully apply it to their own lives, but they are generally inspired by poople who have been in and around the band.
Who Is producing the record?
J: Fred Maher again.
Are you doing all of the recording in New York?
J: Oh, yeah. We hope to get in there by January 4th, and then by February 4th we'll be laying all the basic tracks. That will take a month and then the vocals will be two or three more weeks, and finally re-mixing will take two or three weeks. Then it will be ready.
Do you guys ever work on any solo stuff or work with any other artists?
J: Yeah. Paul is producing an album for Red Flag and produced a track or two for the new India album. I'm performing with India right now as a bass player. She's got a fantastic album. We have the same manager so it's kind of in the family. Its two tracks but I bring this huge stack of bass cabinets and I play a live heavy metal bass over the top of this hip-hop music, it's kind of cool. And Mathew Sweet, a friend of mine signed to A&M records, has asked me to play banjo on his next LP. So that's kind of exciting for me to be doing stuff like that. Kurt is pretty much concentrating on Information Society. He did a couple of outside production things for a group from Cleveland called the Exotic Birds, and a Minneapolis group, A.K.A.
Any special plans for the holidays?
J: Well, I got my tree. It's the first tree I've ever had and I've got to tell you it's quite nice. We all performed in the "Bang Communications Annual Christmas Pageant and Revue," and that was great. But we're all going back to Minneapolis. Kurt is driving back in his Super Sonic Bonic Death Hump; with a parrot as his driving companion. Paul and I are flying back. We'll probably hang out a little bit there.
Does Kurt have trouble driving with the roller skates?
J: It's surprising, it's really no trouble. He's gotten it down pretty good. He may have a problem with the snow since it's over two feet deep there now. I think he may have to change the roller skates to ice skates. (laughs)
Anything else you'd lIke to talk about?
J: Hum. It's snowing right now. We love this weather cause it reminds us of home so much. I've been cooking a lot, making all the holiday meals for the family. I'm collecting a lot of skulls right now.
Any special message for the fans?
J: Well, we hope that they still like us. We'd like to thank them for being so patient. We've been so busy but this next record is definitely going to he worth the wait. We can't wait to get on the road again and start meeting the fans again. We really like doing that. We want everyone to keep writing the fan club and sending us snap shots of themselves and not to be to shy (laughs). Happy New Year...welcome to the future!
