May 21, 1999

I arrived back in Waterloo just in time to do my regular radio show, and
was joined by the Ambassador (Peter Brown) who brought a selection of
songs.  (I labelled only one set as his, but the last half hour was
probably equally selected by the both of us)

As The Phantom Menace had just opened we played a few songs with a Star
Wars related theme, as well as playing some bands which are playing in the
area in the near future.  I also had to play the Dik Van Dykes
"Beachcombers" as the Monday before the show I was visiting my cousin
Linda in Gibson's and we had lunch at Molly's Reach, and while in
Vancouver I was at the CD release party for Boomdaddy.


Fireball XL5 Setlist May 21, 1999

Mumble Ducks - North of the Ridges
Dik Van Dykes - Beachcombers           
Boomdaddy - Hold Your Head High
 TALK-Theme
The Planet Smashers - Too Much Attitude
Skavenjah - Sunny Side of Life
The Flashing Lights - High School
Julie Dioron - Will You Still Love Me in December
Corduroy Leda - 80 Bucks
 TALK (Peter's Set)
Motorhead - Killed by Death                     **Note 1
Pavement - Rattled by the Rush                  **Note 1
Silver Jews - Advice to the Graduate          
Butterglory - The Skills of the Star Pilot      **Note 2
People from Earth - Join the Darkside           **Note 2
Billy Bragg & Wilco - California Stars
 TALK
Fountains of Wayne - Denise
Tom Waits - Eyeball Kid
Mayor McCa - Love song for Queen Victoria       **Note 1
Pavement - No more Kings
Starbean - No earthly means of Transportation
 TALK
Clash - Police on my back (request)
Look Blue, Go Purple - Wild rumour
Wedding Present - My Favourite Dress
Johnny Cash - Tennessee Stud
Ween - Help me scrape the mucus off my brain
 TALK
Guided by Voices- Acorns & Orioles

** Note 1: Performing live in the area in the near future
** Note 2: Phantom Menace connection, Peter said that according to Derek
the song was inspired by an original Star Wars trading card of Han Solo
piloting the Millenium Falcon with the caption "skills of the star pilot",
the people from earth songs has many a sample from the original Trilogy

May 7, 1999

Although it has only been four days since the show it seems a lot longer
as in the meantime I have travelled to Banff for a conference where I am
sending this e-mail.  After Banff I am travelling to Vancouver for a few
days to visit my relatives (Hey Wayne if you get this send me your phone
number so I can give you a call).

Anyway, about the show, Dave Fisher joined Michelle and I in what I called
"Dave's Revenge", as he said that he brought songs which he would like to
hear on CKMS (Dave listens to the station as much as I do) but they either
can't or won't play it.  Every song had an interesting story behind it, I
gave a brief description of one in particular after the setlist.  You can
contact Dave directly if you have anymore questions about his choices.



Fireball XL5 Setlist May 7, 1999

North of America - Bouyonet Point
Corduray Leda - Shut Down
The 6ths - When I'm out of town
 TALK-Theme
Mayor McCa - I'm so poor, buy my CD
Piggy - The person behind the counter
The Saboteurs - Man from E.N.I.G.M.A.
Cecil Seaskull - Bells On
Dan the Radio Man - Spooky Spooky Halloween
 TALK (Dave set 1)
Raymond Scott - The Happy Whistler         **Note 1
The Clears - Frozen Fun
Starbean - Starbeam
The Tornadoes - Telstar
Two Dollar Guitar - Patagonia
Stereolab - Doubt
 TALK (Michelle's set)
Lion Rock - Fire up the Showsaw
Poi Dog Pondering - Berry
Beck - Electric Music & the Summer people
Solex - One Louder
Bettie Seveert - What Friends?
Ben Lee - Cigarettes Will Kill You
 TALK (Dave Set 2)
Spastiks - Long Cold Walk
Ajejan dro Escovedo - I was Drunk      (request)
Quonset - Exodus
King Loser - Solid Sky Nine
 TALK
Colour Me Pyscho - My Favourite Nightmare

Note 1:  Raymond Scott was an electronic music pioneer, he experimented
with sound made entirely from synthesizers back in the early 60s.  This
album was supposed to be used to sedate children and put them to sleep, he
made three albums in this vain, this one was designed for children aged
6-12 months.  This particular songs didn't sound that far off of a lot of
today's electronic music.

April 22, 1999

It seems like just last week I was writing one of these, actually it was,
because Charlene (the person I alternate with) called me last Friday and
asked me to do the show because she was tired.  So this show I had an
excuse not to have anything prepared before the show, I threw together
some vinyl albums that I've been gradually transporting from my parents
house.  It also turned out that a lot of show was on vinyl.  In case you
are interested Charlene and I are now alternating so Fireball XL5 will be
back in two weeks.


Fireball XL5 Setlist April 22/ 1999

B'Ehl - Mies Pleez *
Jim Guthrie - Roads & Paper Routes
Justin Curtis - Just Tell My Why
 TALK - Theme
Piggy - Gottingen Street *               These two songs were not
Spirit of the West - Gottingen Street *  the same.
Ron Sexsmith - Average Joe
One Shot Left - For Granted
Sons of Freedom - Mona Lisa *
 TALK
Dead Milkmen - You'll Dance to Anything * (Request) ** see Note 1
The Cure - Standing on a Beach
New Order - ICB *
Bad March + Shri - Distrubed Synapses
Random - Crate on a Sofa
Fatboy Slim - Soul Surfing
Stereolab - The Light the will Cease to fail
Saint Etienne - You're in a Bad Way
 TALK
Ben Lee - Burn to Shine
Wilton Said - In My Dreams
Poi Dog Pondering - Hard Sometime
Wilco - ELT
King Missle - Detachable Penis (Request)
 TALK
Grover Washington Jr - Just the Two of Us *
Marilyn McCoo & Billy Davis - You Don't Need to be a Star *
Lou Rawls - You'll Never Find *
The Gap Band - Early in the Morning *
Earth, Wind, and Fire - Can't Let Go *
 TALK
The Gruesomes  - Why Me *

* Vinyl

** Note 1 - I always play the Cure after the Dead Milkmen song as it seems
like they are talking about Robert Smith "they come over here with their
big hair intent on taking our money" but when they go through the bands at
the end they mention the Smiths, Depeche Mode, etc. but they don't mention
the Cure.  I have always wondered if this was on purpose.

April 16, 1999

My friend Jayson Innes joined me for this show which featured an absentee
set from Michelle featureing some of her favourite summer songs.  I also
surprised Jayson by forcing him to put together a set and of course I had
to play one about Wayne Gretzky as it was in the middle of his retirement.
As a challenge try to guess what each song has to do with Gretzky and I'll
put the answers after the setlist.


Fireball XL5 Setlist April 16

Ron Sexsmith - Thinking Out Loud
Tom Waits - Cold Cold Ground
 TALK-Theme
Cate Friesen - Broken Ship
Plumtree - Latitude
Derivation - Ancient History
TV Iris - Electric
Stereolab - Au Grand Tour
 TALK (Michelle's Summer Set)
Ben Lee - I am a Sunflower
The Smiths - Please, Please, Please, Let me get what I want
Martha and the Muffins - Echo Beach
Wilco - Summer Teeth
Rufus Wainwright - Milbrook
Beat Happening - Indian Summer
Fatboy Slim - Ganster Tripping
 TALK (Jayson's Set)
Lowest of the Low - So Long Bernie
Hayden - Take
BT with Richard Butler - Shineaway
Propellerheads - Skybreak
Orb - Little Fluffy Clouds
 TALK (Gretzky Set)
King Missle - Jesus was way cool
Bran Van 3000 - Drinking in LA
Chixdiggit - I feel like Gerry Cheevers
Pursuit of Happiness - She's the Devil
B'Ehl - Happening Again
Creation - Making Time
 TALK
Johnny Cash - Beans for Breakfast


Answer's Below:





















King Missle - Jesus was way cool  
    - song mentions that Jesus could have scored more goals than Gretzky

Bran Van 3000 - Drinking in LA
    - Gretzky playing for the Kings

Chixdiggit - I feel like Gerry Cheevers
    - apart from the hockey reference, Michelle told me the band
      was from Edmonton (actually from Calgary)

Pursuit of Happiness - She's the Devil
    - Pursuit of Happiness is from Edmonton

B'Ehl - Happening Again
    - Kind of a stretch, Gretzky's from Brantford, Alexander Graham Bell
      emigrated to Brantford from Scotland before moving to the United
      States and inventing something.  OK so you try thinking of five
      songs about Gretzky at 4:00 pm on a Friday.

Creation - Making Time
    - Not actually part of the set, just something to fill up the show

March 22, 1999

I've got to get this thing out quicker.

My friend Steven Fassnacht joined me on this show, to play his angry
german music as well a tape of one his own projects (Reborne Airjects).  I
finally got to my Housemartins-Beautiful South-Fatboy Slim set, the one
thing which surprised me when I was doing research for it was that the
Housemartins only released proper 2 albums, for some reason I thought they
had a lot more.  There were also a few songs dedicated to events at the
Jane Bond Cafe (Tom Waits and The Pogues) where I ended up 4 times in the
week before the show, I had fun but now I have a lot really smokeyclothes.

Fireball XL5 Setlist March 22/1999

Inconnu - Green Boat
Tom Waits - I hope that I don't fall in love with you
The Pogues - Lullaby of London
 TALK-Theme
The Kramdens - Down
Frank Black and the Catholics - You're such a Wire
Wilco - I'm Always in Love
Sleeter King - The End of you
Leo Soileau - Demain C'est pas dimanche
 TALK
Husker Du - I Apologize
Skydiggers - Pull me down
Uisce Beatha - Bottle's End
Dwight Yoakim - Train in Vain
Brent Hagerman - Pound Dog Blues
 TALK
Dayglo Abortions - Stupid World
Reborne Airjects - Shit Shack (Fassnacht's band)
Red Lorry Yellow Lorry - Talk about the weather
Strassenjungs - Daver Lutscher
Neil Young - Piece of Crap
Johnny Cowell - Carnival of Venice
 TALK
Housemartins - Me and the Farmer
Housemartins - Sheep
Beautiful South - A Little Time
Beats International - Change your mind
 TALK
Fatboy Slim - Praise You

March 5, 1999

For this past show I was joined by Garth Wittich of the now defunkt group
Finnigan's Tongue (formerly War Wagon), according to Garth it was a
peaceful split with the burden of weekly practices being too much without
the sense that the band was moving forward.  The break up was finalized
when lead singer Mike Wirt announced he was moving to Ottawa at the end of
his summer where his girlfriend just got a job.

But enough about that, I asked Garth to bring with him a sample of what he
is listening to now, his response were the recent albums by Boards of
Canada, an American electronica band released on Matador records, which
doesn't seem to fit with most of the bands on that record label and his
other album was by Archers of Loaf, an album he described as hard to get
into as it differs greatly from their previous material.

We obviously talked a lot as we only played 22 songs, one of the subjects
was the video for the new Fatboy Slim song 'Praise You', both of us had
been told about it but at the time neither of us had seen it.  The next
morning I did end up seening the video and yes it is pretty fucked up and
cool.

Fireball XL5   Playlist March 5/1999

The Rubber Dinosaurs - Lonely Girl
Stephanie Earp - Portland Maine
 TALK-Theme
Cecil Seaskull - Friends Again
Grievous Angels - Thunderbird Town
Inconnu - Yukon Song
Legion of Green Men - Owls in the Apple Tree
Chris Murphy - Blowin the Horn
 TALK
Fatboy Slim - Praise You
Kool & the Gang - Ladies Night
Morphine - You^Òre and Artist
Bob the Singing Bass Player - Strickly Local
Hank Dogs - Let Go
Smog - 37 Push ups
 TALK
Boards of Canada - Rue the Whirl
Dimitri from Paris - Love Love Mode
Archers of Loaf - Fashion Bleeds
Buddy Rich - Beat Goes On
 TALK
Hugh Cornwell - Black hair, Black Eyes, Black Suit
The Stranglers - G.m.B.H.
Paul Westerberg - Best Thing that Never Happened
The Replacements - Answering Machine
 TALK
David Sinclair - Past Progressions

February 19, 1999

Michelle only took over for one set this week, so I got to play my set of
bands releasing albums this year and my final gasp of 1998 best of, all
albums Michelle and I have acquired since the Jan 1 show.

And of course a few songs about the Clemens trade and the start of spring
training.

Fireball XL5 - Feb 19/1999

Load - Suckity II
Monarch Brothers - Rocket
The Bookmen - Hugging at my Pillow
 TALK-Theme
Moody - I wouldn't trade you for the world
David Sinclair - Farruca
The Pop Narcotic - Pollen on a thorn
Bran Van 3000 - Rainshine
 TALK   (Michelle's girl set)
Liz Phair - Girl's Room
Jale - All Ready
Cub - New York City
Ani Difranco - Virtue
Blondie - Maria
Hole - Garbage  (request)
 TALK
Dave Matthews Band - Crash into me
Massive Attack - Intertia Creeps
Tobinsprout - Digging up wooden teeth
Thrush Hermit - Western Dreamz
Bob the Singing Bass Player - Supermarket Girl
 TALK
Ron Sexsmith - Word we never use (Spring)        Note 1
Billy Bragg - Jeane (Sept)
Magnetic Fields - You me and the Moon (Summer)
Sebadoh - Ocean (February)
Wilco - Outtasite (outtamind) (Fall)
Luna - Were both confused (Summer)
 TALK
Belle and Sebastian - Chickfactor                Note 2
Beck - Cancelled Check
Jonathan Richman - I Can hear her fighting with herself
 TALK
Dimitri from Paris - Nothing to Lose

Note 1: Bands who should be releasing albums this year (release date in
brackets)

Note 2: The final gasp of 1998