Waiting for Mary

February 20, 2008 5:48 PM

Pere Ubu guitarist Jim Jones dead. Jones also played in The electric eels.

Tangential, insane electric eels site here.

posted by klangklangston (33 comments total)

This is very sad. Until recently, I lived just a few doors down the street from Jim. He was in very poor health for quite a long time; hopefully this is some sort of release.
posted by googly at 5:55 PM on February 20

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Pere Ubu is good.
posted by brevator at 5:55 PM on February 20

.?
posted by tmcw at 5:57 PM on February 20

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posted by TrialByMedia at 5:59 PM on February 20

I was kinda surprised that there weren't any videos that I could find for the electric eels or for The Mirrors, and that first post pretty much grabs all the best JJ-era Pere Ubu vids.
posted by klangklangston at 6:00 PM on February 20

Damn. That's sad. There's an appropriate tribute song here, recorded some years ago by Cleveland weirdo musician Supie T. (warning: Myspace. Listen to the third song, "God Bless you Jimmy Jones")
posted by Kronoss at 6:04 PM on February 20

Now that is sad........
posted by caddis at 6:07 PM on February 20

So long those methanol soaked toilet-paper rolls in a tobacco can arguing with my best friend in the back winter shed over labour and MRR columns. Immensely missed by too few.
posted by malwilde at 6:11 PM on February 20

So sad. A visionary guitarist from a visionary group.
posted by Item at 6:16 PM on February 20

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Paging koeselitz...

oh yeah,

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posted by -t at 6:18 PM on February 20

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posted by UbuRoivas at 6:27 PM on February 20 [1 favorite]

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truly loved that band, will break them out again. am saddened.
posted by kingfisher, his musclebound cat at 6:33 PM on February 20

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posted by ardgedee at 6:34 PM on February 20

sad

A great band and he was certainly one of the reasons they were.
posted by mattoxic at 6:39 PM on February 20

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posted by These Premises Are Alarmed at 7:06 PM on February 20

This is sad. I saw Pere Ubu play SF the last time they were through, several months back. There was some prick in the audience who kept goading the band; at one point their drummer leapt offstage, punched the guy in the face knocking him over, and scrambled back on stage, immediately picking the beat back up perfectly while bouncers gave the interloper the old heave ho. It was the climax of a feeling of hostility between the band and the audience that did not seem at all faked, and I'm not sure what exactly was at the root of it. The feeling was not at all comfortable; it put me off at the time but in retrospect maybe it was a reminder of how their music was experienced when they were first making it. (Just as possibly, there were more assholes than usual in the crowd that night, or the band was just having a bad night.)
posted by whir at 7:20 PM on February 20

Some Pere Ubu mp3s here.
posted by whir at 7:25 PM on February 20 [1 favorite]

Another.
posted by Sailormom at 7:29 PM on February 20

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posted by backupjesus at 7:34 PM on February 20

I didn't even know you existed, but both bands added so much to my world... Thank you

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posted by dnial at 7:39 PM on February 20

I once saw Pere Ubu mop the floor with the Pixies.

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posted by dobbs at 8:16 PM on February 20

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wow. This is tremendously sad. Ubu were my high-school heroes.

David Thomas used to tell stories about Jones's unique tuning system; lore has it that fans would occasionally walk up to the stage and faux-casually brush his strings to try to figure out the tuning.
posted by mykescipark at 8:30 PM on February 20

That's bad news. He was an amazingly gifted guitarist. RIP, dear sir.
posted by sleepy pete at 9:10 PM on February 20

Damn it.

Goodnite, Irene
I see you in my dreams
I play the part you know so well
Long live...
carnival rain king
king bee
the king of Mars
They're all like me

Treat me like the king of Mars
he fell to Earth and ended up behind bars
he tried to live in a one horse town
his breaking heart tore the whole place down

It's my calling
and I'm falling
driven by the will of the wind
I know it
and I know it
posted by maudlin at 9:34 PM on February 20

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posted by El Brendano at 2:18 AM on February 21

"What is the delicate etiquette - on such a day?"

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posted by progosk at 3:04 AM on February 21

"designate" - damn.
posted by progosk at 3:06 AM on February 21

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posted by paddbear at 3:24 AM on February 21

♪
posted by Smart Dalek at 4:05 AM on February 21

Damn.
posted by OmieWise at 4:51 AM on February 21

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posted by lupus_yonderboy at 8:00 AM on February 21

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posted by languagehat at 9:43 AM on February 21

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posted by klausness at 5:11 PM on February 23