MySpace
myspace music my music  featured playlists  top artists  music videos  karaoke  shows  forums 


MySpace.com | rss | sign in
Telefon Tel Aviv



Last Updated: 11/18/2009

Send Message
Instant Message
Email to a Friend
Subscribe

Status: Single
City: NEW ORLEANS
State: Louisiana
Country: US
Signup Date: 12/9/2005

Blog Archive
[Older      Newer]
 /  / 
Thursday, August 06, 2009 

Current mood:grateful
John W. Hughes, born February 18th, 1950, visionary, father, grandfather, husband, storyteller, oracle, has passed away.

This man was my "other" father, and I have forgotten more kindness, generosity, and love that this man has shown me than most people receive in an entire lifetime.

A lot of folks say that the candles that burn the brightest burn the fastest.  I agree.  To pass on at 59 years old is far too early, far too tragic.  But I think of things a bit differently, after the miserable year that I've had, in which Mr. Hughes's sons, John III and James (who are both more dear to me than our modern words can portray), have really had my back and come through for me in the most massive way that friends can.  I think of someone passing too soon in terms of their life's work, their calling - these people, especially Mr. John, have made so many people's lives richer, fuller, happier, that they have completed the tasks set out for them.  Whether you believe in God or an afterlife has nothing to do with it, this applies to everyone in this world.

I can only hope that you all remember with fondness all of the things that Mr. John has done for us in his life - all of those films, my goodness!  I've had stomach aches from laughing at Uncle Buck and Planes, Trains, and Automobiles more times than I can count.  That's just getting warm.  To be part of the flock of our generation and to have such a perfect spokesman for our heartache, our angst, our unrequited love, our sense of humor - this is a blessing to all of us, and we may never, ever have another.  

Keep this man and his family in your heart and grieve as though you lost a dear friend, because believe me, if anyone in this world understood you without ever meeting you, it was John W. Hughes, II.




Currently watching:
The Breakfast Club
Release date: 2008-09-16
9:45 PM 
10 Comments
(Add Comment) |
Translate
Monday, August 03, 2009 
They are on the front page.  Come out if you are bored and want to hear me sqeal like a stuck pig.  Sorry if we're not coming to your town; believe me, we would if we could.  Ultimately it's up to promoters who realize that making a profit off of a TTA show is a near-hopeless endeavour...

hugses

_J_

P.S. And please do not ask us to play any of our old songs, we probably aren't going to.  Damon is not coming on tour with us, neither is Lindsay, neither is Charlie, so it doesn't really make sense to try.  If you think about it, putting "Fahrenheit Fair Enough" in the middle of a set of "Immolate" material makes about as much sense as putting ketchup on sushi.
8:14 PM 
15 Comments
(Add Comment) |
Translate
Wednesday, July 22, 2009 

Current mood:bummed
Hello Everyone,

I'm writing this now, finally, to clarify some things I keep seeing on the internet that are driving me up the wall and causing Charlie's family to lose sleep.  I don't want to wind up in jail for braining a journalist, either.

1) The medical examiner of Cook County Chicago ruled that Charlie did not commit suicide.  There simply wasn't anything sinister in his blood at the time of his death.  No drugs, no weird stuff.  A sleeping pill and a glass of champagne, maybe a broken heart. Three separate autopsy reports have been made on this subject, all ruling inconclusively on a suicide, and calling it what is unfortunately referred to in the wasteland of the blogosphere as a "Heath Ledger".

2) If speculation about suicide is what makes some of you happy then please don't listen to our music anymore and don't come to the shows.  You make me sick.  And for you journalists out there running with your alarmist headlines, shame on you.

3) Regardless of the lyrical content of the last record record, which I have clarified in interviews prior to Charlie's death as vaguely suicidal in places, and which was completed WELL before Charlie's life took a darker turn than normal, I would say that it is the only thing about that record that is specifically NOT romantic, and we weren't trying to portray it as something glamorous or desirable.  I have had suicidal thoughts many, many times in my life, but never have I allowed them to manifest themselves physically or with any real weight in my life.  I've merely explored the lowest depths of what my heart can hold, and the same goes for Charlie in his life, and his art.  What happened to him afterwards wasn't a suicide, it was a tragedy, and I'm going to leave it at that.

4) None of you, especially some certain contrarian "journalists", are experts on Charlie and his life.  I am, however, so I am the only person that any of you will ever know, directly or indirectly, who can speak with real authority on this matter (short of Charlie's family, who most certainly will never say a word about this whole disaster, as well they shouldn't). Anything that does not come directly from me is speculation at best, and therefore bullshit.

5) Charlie wasn't a man looking for attention or trying to leave behind some kind of legend or heroic self-sacrifice for the behoof of his art, much less something so insignificant as a Long Player album.  Give me a break.  He was a regular guy; easy-going, creative, talented, polished, obliging, witty, heartbroken, victim of terrible luck and even more frightful timing.  That's it.  

So, basically, everyone can just put that in their pipe and smoke it for a while because it's the last and only time I will ever speak publicly of the worst tragedy of my life.  I don't care what the consequences of my silence are from here forward; after the year I've had, I can handle absolutely anything that morons in this world are going to throw at me.

Yours in music,

Joshua Eustis


*EDIT*

I would also like to point out that the source of the data was an interview that I did with a good mutual friend of mine and Charlie's, three weeks after the news came, which ran on March 1st.  Since then, the definitive ruling of an accident has become official. This is old news...
8:32 PM 
23 Comments
(Add Comment) |
Translate
Wednesday, June 03, 2009 
Hello Everyone,

I hate doing this, but you all should be aware that I've had to cancel two shows this weekend - Friday June 5th in St. Petersburg and Saturday June 6th in Bra, Italy.

Something came up and I have to go back to New Orleans for a few days over the weekend.  We are working with promoters to play makeup shows in the end of June, at the end of the tour.  Much of that will hinge on whether or not we can get Russian visas again, which can be a bit of a process sometimes.

I don't cancel shows for anything less than life and death issues, so believe me when I tell you it was necessary.  I'm sorry to everyone who planned to come, and I will do my best to make it up to you in the best way that I can.

Until then, be patient with me!  It has been a terrible year that keeps getting worse, but I am doing my best to keep my head up and move forward with the band and touring, etc.  Sometimes life gets in the way of what we want to do and we have to divert our attention to something that we NEED to do, for the support of friends or family.

love

_J_

4:48 AM 
14 Comments
(Add Comment) |
Translate
Saturday, May 23, 2009 
Hello, Everyone,


There have been some dates and venues changing on the tour coming up - specifically the Volume festival show in Italy, which swapped dates from the 14th to the 6th of June.


As well, we have tentative shows in:


Pisa. IT on the 14th

Madrid. ESP on the 21st


Those details will be finalized in days to come.


Hope to see you out there!


xo


_J_

4:28 PM 
4 Comments
(Add Comment) |
Translate
Tuesday, May 05, 2009 
Hey Everyone,


We've finished posting all the dates for the upcoming May/June shows.


I know we're not getting out to all of you but it's difficult this time of year with festivals going on and clubs being shut down for the Summer.


We'll do our best to get to France, Spain, Scandinavia, and Eastern Europe later in the year.  That is to say nothing of Japan, or Asia in general, or South America!


The US/Canada tour is forming nicely, 20 shows in September/early October, seaboard to seaboard.  I'll post those dates as details crystallize.  We are still deciding which venues in which cities will be possible.  Hard to get booked in the US (actually North America, really...).


At any rate, those of you in the cities posted on the front page, come see us and come say hi, if you like.


Thanks,


_J_


and


_F_


P.S.  Aside from North America which WE ARE GOING TO PLAY IN SEPTEMBER, OK, if we aren't coming to your city, it means we couldn't get booked there and all the promoters in your town are assholes who hate us. It also probably means that you are the only person in your town who gives a shit about Telefon Tel Aviv.  Congratulations.

6:37 PM 
33 Comments
(Add Comment) |
Translate
Thursday, April 09, 2009 
I put info for the first batch of shows up there. More to come soon.

Thanks,

_J_

P.S. We ARE working on locking down a large grip of US dates in September, so please be patient with us!
10:27 PM 
13 Comments
(Add Comment) |
Translate
Monday, March 30, 2009 
My notebook. Also, the only sheet I could find of Charlie's. The rest you'll just have to imagine, because we maybe never wrote them down...

Notebook-Lyrics1


Lyrics-Helen
9:33 PM 
23 Comments
(Add Comment) |
Translate
Thursday, March 26, 2009 

Ok, Everyone.

Several people have pointed out to me that some of our back catalog is selling for exorbitant rates on amazon.com and on ebay.  The idea that Fahrenheit Fair Enough is selling for over $100 really burns me up.

DO NOT PAY CRAZY AMOUNTS OF MONEY for hard copies of our records.  The only things that are out of print are the original single vinyl pressing of Fahrenheit Fair Enough (which has been repressed as a double LP) and the original vinyl pressing of the Immediate Action #9 EP, of which CD's are still available.

EVERYTHING else is still available directly from Hefty Records for totally reasonable prices:

CD's - $10, $7 CDEP
Vinyl 2xLP's - $11 for Fahrenheit Fair Enough (remastered 2xlp) and $10 for Map of What is Effortless 2xLP.

Please direct your browser to Hefty Records and click the STORE link at the top, then the Telefon Tel Aviv link under artist, and voila.

I'm not trying to make any of you randomly buy anything - this is for those of you who are looking for the back catalog and feel thwarted by the horrors of the music industry and the rancid bowels of its distribution channels, which are the very fetid intestines wherein money vanishes, and refuse is all that remains.

It is always my intention, and the intention of John Hughes III of Hefty Records, to make music readily available to listeners for as low a profit margin as is possible.  If assholes are charging exorbitant rates for our back catalog, it hurts the artist and the listener as well, because it will encourage people to steal the music, which may be unavoidable - however, if you can have a fancy hard copy on vinyl or cd for $10, it becomes far less painful to purchase, and it makes all the difference in the world for musicians such as we are, who have no money anyway and mostly do this for the fans, or for vanity, in my case.

I will be posting links on the front page here that will take you to the Hefty store to buy hard copies, and a link to Beatport and iTunes, or whatever, all that stuff.

I never thought I would be angry at music stores, but - shame on you.



Currently reading:
Les Liaisons dangereuses (Oxford World's Classics)
By Pierre Choderlos de Laclos
1:06 AM 
19 Comments
(Add Comment) |
Translate
Sunday, March 22, 2009 

Hey Everyone

I've decided to play shows (I know, I know, it's not exactly a big deal, but hey...).  Fredo is going to come with me and play keyboards and sing backups.  Some of you may know who he is already, but if not, he has co-written some things with TTA and basically been our best friend for a million years.  He's always around when we're making a record. We'll be playing mostly stuff from the new LP, and some even newer stuff, so please come out and help us move things forward!

We start in Europe, the end of May, and are continuing through June or longer, ideally.  US dates to follow in August.

If any promoters are interested in booking us, please contact the people on our front page that correspond with your territory.  I've listed them below in case you are having trouble reading that silly font.

luca del muratore for italy
luca@locusta.net

daniel meteo for germany
meteo@snafu.de

trey many for US and Canada
trey@billions.com

naomi palmer for the rest of the world
naomi@elasticartists.net


We hope to see you there.  Thank you.

Peace,

_J_

1:01 AM 
51 Comments
(Add Comment) |
Translate