Friday, March 10, 2006

Super-Rare XTC Video

This is from Georgetown University in 1980.

Life Begins at the Hop.

(I panicked, too, but you don't need to. Download it onto your desktop or whatever, and you can play it in itunes or Quicktime, even though it *says* it's a text file. It's lying. And it gets better, so don't let the galucoma-inducing first few seconds bum you out.)

XTC is maybe the most famous non-performing band in the world. The blog linked here notes that Andy Partidge collapsed on tour in 82, but there's more to it than that: he also developed a killer case of stage fright, to the point that a therapist, asking him about performing, managed to cause serious physical effects just sitting in the office. But Partidge can perform every so often, as long as he doesn't think about it. I recall reading once that he was pulled up onstage by Aimee Mann for a performance of the Dukes of the Stratosphear's "Collideascope."

Enjoy!

3 comments:

emerson said...

I saw them in 1981 at Privates in New York. I'm sorry they stopped touring but thankfully I never had to decide to see them on a Oranges and Lemons tour

Robert G. said...

I had tickets for the '82 show. Return for refund at point of purchase. Oh well.

Shiff, will you quit beating on O&L? Save your venom for Nonsuch, the most overvalued XTC album of the lot.

NYMary said...

I should think Apple Venus would be hardest to back up onstage, though.