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So Whaddaya Think?

by Mark Lint and the Fake

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1.
Shabby 01:52
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It's time to dress up my past And take it out for a cheap dinner And I'll talk as a man who feels shabby shabby Please, God, let this date go through And make it hold fast 'Cause I gotta live with this dumb mother And our problems are just too boring boring And there's not much pain in my love for you Sucking myself for inspiration A masochistic love of life And a feeling of wading through machination Waiting out the sprawling, shambling movement further from the time of my ambition It's time to dredge up the old faces And twist them 'till they cry murder And I'll talk as a man who feels happy happy Please slap me as I go through I don't want to go back I just want a push from my chosen direction And you can't know the comfort that you possess If you lost the sting of my previous mess Sucking myself for inspiration A masochistic love of life Sucking myself for inspiration The purifying stench of strife And a feeling of wading through machination Waiting out the sprawling, shambling movement further from the time of my ambition
2.
Wake Me 03:16
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Wake me - to comfort me Only got this voice to hold me Hovering around this room, my listening skills down Hate me, or marry me. Throw away this weight or carry me Get back in your body, or propel me around Half me - to study me Half left to collect, to muddy me Bonify this life of sort of paying attention Is it balance, is it food? Does it pin me down as crude? I can't just allocate my thoughts; they're busy playing around And will I wake up in a couple months and contemplate my death? Surrounded only by my breath with my own voice still incoherent sound... Speak now! You've captured me Your ghost just staring has enraptured me I'll speak for you to me to tell me what I can do Some dude created me - Ventriloquistic exportated me Meeting of the minds of him and her spectral vibe Wake me - Be true to me Solipsistic hands cut through to me Action of distraction here to keep me alive Is it balance, is it healthy? Can I rub it and get wealthy? Will it drive my friends away or keep me here on my toes? Is it what makes me intriguing? Is it what gives my life meaning? If it sings will I stay happy? Do I get what it knows? Fake me - and sing to me Only got this voice to bring to me Sure-fire entertainment that I label my life Float me! Rejoice with me! Come and gloat; you've got no choice with me ADD or God or something here at my side Taste me, and follow me Parley what you will to hollow me Sing a song in stasis and this voice will abide...
3.
The Last Time 02:53
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The last time that I felt that I had something to say Was the last time I got kicked in the head Versed as I am in the language of pain and its irony The last time I felt comfortable squeezing out a product Onto unwilling hands and their wrists Was back along a string of selves that's gotten shorter now but still twists And I don't know what I think of that, and I don't know what I think of that And I mean it. I mean it. And I don't know what I think of that, and maybe I'm just through with that And I mean it. I mean it. And I don't think that I'm meaning any harm By forgetting there's still meaning when there's no cause for alarm The last time that I felt that I had something to say I was wrong Maybe all I'm tryin' to do right now is to squeeze out one more tune Should I wait out my life for a rougher time or just a rougher mood There's already too much crappin' in this world Too much spelling out the obvious Only egomaniacs with nothing to say would bother to record it anyway And I don't think that I'm now a better man 'Cause I know next time my heart attacks I'll record it if I can And the next time that I feel that I've got nothing to say I'll play along
4.
Poor Lover 03:47
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Don't laugh so lightly Enjoying the sudden fall Don't leak so smug and drink it all Don't tax your powers Don't lessen none Raise your idols and talk it, talk it on Poor lover, I will offer something of me Poor lover, I will offer something of these Poor lover, I will offer something to leave Suck innocent questions Skew 'em as they lead Pass any regrets off as uninformed need Don't feed-love us only Continue acting your mind Glass figures and anvils, get riding this time Bark over the outcomes Fight "not anymore" Tell all that it matters what's it for Poor lover, I will offer something of me Poor lover, I will offer something of these Poor lover, I will offer something to leave Poor lover, I will offer something of me Something of me Play steel on the halo Laid close to the neck Five minutes of hoke that you're set to reject
5.
Luscious You 02:46
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Luscious you And nothing new I'll wash the dead insects off of the lamp and regulate my sleep loosely Luscious you I believe that you Exist despite suspicions that I could never be so lucky Or even exist here at all A meteor after a fall Shouldn't be gadding around these parts and such Luscious you Please me to do What I think you may expect me to to regulate myself loosely Luscious you I think I forgot I knew More than second hand accounts of places that I used to be Might I exist here at all? It's Idiot's Day at the mall. You shouldn't be gadding around these parts and such Five of me uncertain Twelve of me benign Fourteen killed off twenty faces At the same time All of me unrestless Comfortable and stark Groovy tiny pictures Oozing 'round this mark Luscious you I thank, it's you I'll wash the dead insects off of the lamp and revel fate that you'd choose me. Luscious you
6.
I Die Desire 03:07
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I'd like to say something about you But I have no way to really speak my mind 'Cause English is a language that I haven't used much lately To say what I need to say I die desire I see require I need, I care, I fall, I fare fairly well It's just my mind's in hell Heart on my sleeve, leaving a stain And I don't know how I'll deal with the strain If the future gets warlike, I hope there's a truce For now I'm defending, remaining abstruce I'm chuckin' a torch down each blind alley Following through with a mental drain Getting back on the road that I've never been off of Licking the wounds that I've gouged in my brain Does it sound insane? I've long lost count of the mental "I love you"'s Guess I don't say them too much any more Maybe I'd like to just start it all up again Maybe that's what I've been singing this for I die desire I see require I need, I care, I fall, I fare, I eat those who approach my lair I live, I die, it's only fair, I fare... fairly well
7.
No Relief 02:51
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He gets no relief from it, no relief from it This unsettled watching, thinking something has gone wrong Calm but annoying, it's made its mark on him And he knows it has come creeping and will surely be along And there's no relief from it, no respite from it Someone is behind him, and he keeps the coals aglow And there is no relief for him; it seems the spell is locking in And it's blocking him from clocking in his usual functionzlust and such Time is sucking on; I said, time is sucking on And it's made for entertainment if you've got the stomach for it If you find that you're making all the mistaken sorts of gross assumptions, Then don't expect a single moment without that irritation He gets no relief from it; I get no relief from it Still unsettled listening for the gun about to drop It soothes as it dignifies, this mistaken morning steep surmise That you'll break the entertainment with this itch that's passing by, and I said... Time is sucking on me now. Time is sucking on you now Good for entertainment, but it's bad when it won't stop, and you think Time is fixing up a concoction that will prove suspicions Are you? Repeating question one, are you?
8.
Dumb 03:23
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Well, today I am dumb, and it doesn't feel good Today I feel dumb - 'bout as dumb as I could I feel a fog across my eyes and act a bit lobotomized 'Cause today I am dumb, yeah yeah And today I am sick, just a little bit sick 'Cause today I feel sick, and I hope it won't stick I'm gonna moan incessantly, can't get my focus off of me Oh, today I feel sick, yeah yeah Oh, today I am small, and it doesn't look good Today I feel small - do you think that I should? I scan the fog that fills my eyes; reflecting back, I'm undersized Oh, today I feel small, yeah yeah Let me go and sleep it off Don't wanna hold my head aloft I think that I'm still slowing down I'm not sure that I'm still around Today I feel dumb, and it's done me some good Well, today I feel dumb - not as dumb as I could feel To think too much will make you tense, so I've been trying this defense So today I am dumb, yeah yeah
9.
Job 05:52
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Make me an offer; make me a pair I don't think I've ever been this compromisable Call it a dare Show me no mercy; show me no arse Show me the patience I once held dearly As something to parse Pause, pause, pause, pause; leave me alone for a second Let me think over this fantastic scheme Do you mean to tell me that just be sitting here I'll completely get over a long dead dream? Show me my options; I'm told they are good Tell me it's not in a way about money I wish you could Show me an outlet, and let me plug in Show me the meaning of this self destruction, And I'll let you win Pause, pause, pause, pause; leave me alone for a second Let me think over this fantastic scheme Do you mean to tell me that just be waking up I'll completely get over a long dead dream Job Make me a bishop; make me a clerk Tell me of wonders that lay out before me, a typical jerk Follow my fellows, and suck it down Circumstance dictates you squander your talent and work shit around Pause, pause, pause, pause; leave me alone for a second Let me think over this fantastic scheme Do you mean to tell me that just be working here I'll completely abandon even modest dreams
10.
Not a Woman 04:48
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I can't really talk to you, because you're not a woman Rather, I can't talk at you out loud to myself as I do But standing at this distance, I'd like to understand I didn't know it meant that much to you Yeah, I know I'm arrogant as hell at some points But it's empty - just a way of dealing with myself and things And you know how easy it is to be kind of a bastard You obviously need the defense You rip me, for doing what sustains you You rip my sentimentality, and I find this bloody mess You don't care what we're doing here, but you dote like hell on what we've done If it's just because you feel inept, I can't but think that you have cause But I didn't know it meant that much to you ...closed the piano on your paws 'Cause I was done using it And I was done using you You rip me - I take that crap too. Am I trying to apologize or rip back? Neither seems necessary, and I don't know which I want Standing at this distance, I hardly give a damn But I didn't know it meant that much to you If it's just because you feel inept, I can't but think that you have cause But I didn't know it meant that much to you ...Didn't get you much applause And now it's done using you... Now I'm done using you You rip me
11.
Minnesota Freak 03:20
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I'm searchin' in my pocket for a spare change of heart And I'm wondrin' if it's ever gonna come I'm fiddlin' with the locket that I swiped from K-mart And I'm feelin' like a viscous pool of scum Minnesota freak gunnin' down these parts; they're not where I belong Though the violence is ineffable it is nonetheless still wrong Minnesota freak ducking Jim-Bob Sartre's bleak avalanche of shame Though I'm fuzzy on the details I'll at least destroy the frame I wonder if the average fellow wants to wreck his brain Or if someone he once knew pushed him away Was she the type that looked for something well below plain? Or was she the type that thought death was okay? Minnesota freak gunnin' down these parts; they're not where I belong Though the violence is ineffable it is nonetheless still wrong Minnesota freak flipping off his heart to march off in a snit Is the aftermath still pleasing when your face is full of it? Minnesota freak pushing desperately to undermine this room Though the violence isn't obvious, it is nasty, and it's soon Minnesota freak tuning up his mind and dusting off his gun And I'm quite sure that he's not the only one
12.
Fall Away 03:43
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So you think you were lucky... So you think you were happy... So you feel kinda peppy; don't you now want to cry? Just before I had asked you, could the truth have relaxed you? Would you let down your act or just continue to lie? No more nibbling the carpet, while I'm dealing you dynamite Erecting a ruckus to entertain... Nothing left to explain Whoa-ay-oh-ay-oh, fall away You're defending a little, but I'm quick on the spittle Won't be long until it'll bubble up into froth You're looking slimy and toothless, and I'm hungry and ruthless And you'll be my snake in the grass in the broth No more dising you questions, 'cause you only run and hide And this is an instance where it does not pay to ask why Goodbye You could try to repent, but you don't care enough. You don't care enough You could give me some ground, but you don't care enough. You don't care enough Well the hell with you and this and everything, fall away...
13.
Spiritual Insect 05:06
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Seems like a good day to be inspired What with all the stuff that's been going on I just got some music - was going to put it on But I thought I should probably write my own Tryin' stoppin' being dull Get the stucco out of my skull When I thaw out, she'll be gone Bleedin' wheels come take me on It's not like I've been sittin' here doin' nothin' Got a spiritual insect preying on my knees And the stuff that I've been pushin' sends ya nowhere you can't go Slash your chest, let out the friggin' bees Don't think I know how to be inspired Not in music - Not in love However I try to focus I am forever outside my focus I can't seem to find too much to say these days Tryin' stoppin' being dull... ...Slash your chest, let out the friggin' bees and fleas and lots of other things And I will paste a cloth along side of my pillow To wipe the sweat that comes with my disease And I will pull the sheets up, nail them tight, and I will cough my teeth up Thought I might need every weapon I could get to vent my passion I have yet to vent my passion I have yet to vent it I will throw up what I can
14.
The Thickening 04:35
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I'm kinda movin' in to the living thing, yeah I'm kinda movin' out of my bleedin' heart I'm kinda movin' on. It's a different thing, yeah I'm kinda movin' sweet, I'm slidin' off my feet to an even start I'm sidling along, I'm locked to looking strong to the anything, yeah My property elite, I size my simple seat: It doesn't look so wrong I've risen from the bed, I'm waving up ahead to the given thing, yeah I've stapled up my wrists, and lost them down my fists Where they once belonged This is is your right now the way things have come to pass This is the fight since the day you were born This is the right thing, the day will be yours at last To test and to love and to speak and to form I'm kinda movin' on to a different scene, yeah I'm kinda throwin' out all that let me down I'm stocking up a soul to reap what I cajole, gonna make me mean, yeah I'm cocking on the door, I'm pressuring for more Waving miracles around Think about me when you cough and cry. Understand me pay me off and die Like a stink in the depths of a whale I'm not sure what you were counting on I think you'll get it when the whole thing's gone Pulverized and pale I'm kinda movin' in to the living thing, yeah I'm kinda movin' out of my bleedin' heart I'm kinda movin' on to the thickening, yeah I've laced another bet, I think I'm finally set for an even start
15.
Her Death 03:17
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Her death has nothing to do with my weightlessness, Or the shape of my hands On the line that I'm keeping to be re-informed I'm still waiting for plans to get by I'll feed at the usual pace But it's coming to be the lack of good taste That I'm using to see that I can be reborn If I'm reckless and wrong and I'm quickly erased Her death has nothing to do with it Promise me next and be through with it Later you'll want something more than it's going to be, or what's coming to me Her death has nothing to do with me She was merely awake and cut through to me (2nd time: Promise me next and be through with me) Her death has nothing to do with what's going to be or what's coming to me Her death has nothing to do with the usual waste Though I've much more to lose and the back of my face Is beginning to peel I imagine the worst and forget what to feel Her death has nothing to do with my anger with you I'm afraid I don't need what this fix gave before And I don't know what more I can say to you
16.
Some Act 04:08
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Now and again I feel okay I can barely recall that I've passed away I guess it's just something you get used to I'm here alone, and I still love you That was some act I showed you I feel weak, but I don't want to forget I can't speak to you; I'm not dead yet I know I told you I would never get over it The last word is what you get That was some act indeed Showing you what I need Though it's asking a lot, I control what I've got I will carry this through: my belonging to you That was some act I told you That you're what I need If this is noble then I am still. It's so pathetic to do your will When I'm under I see your face And no one's come to take your place Though I doubt I'm the kind that you'd miss You never wanted to leave me like this I'd catch your ear, but I don't know how I want you totally here and now Yes, it's asking a lot, but I know what you've got Though I've tried to let go, I just won't 'till I know: Tell me, pain, what you need
17.
So Whaddaya Think? 03:59
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Put it together, love it up, free the market, and sew it shut We only want to be here and not go home Sell it lightly, cut it short, kill for nothin', and hold the fort Beg 'em all to come 'round and bless this idle horde And if I feel that it's in my power to make you happy, you betcha I will If I feel better by the hour, I'll let it all float down on you, darlin' Smoke a lucky, drive a mite, no rehearsal on tonight We only want to be here and not go home Spin a homely, fire a light; action also in my sight Monumental spectacle is almost gonna blow And if I feel... We've done a long hard lot to be here Do you need to be alone? I could bless this knot I see here, but I won't Fishing horny, loving tight, arguably our best night I'm aware we're good for something... Am I right? Rolled together, all stuffed up, happy till we bust a gut And I ask this with trepidation: So Whaddaya think? 'Cause if I feel...
18.
Obvious Boy 01:43
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When you're sick of yourself, and nobody loves you And nobody learns, and it doesn't matter anyway A freak of remorse, a monster of loving You don't want to think, and it's not worth crying about Sick, sickly voice, come heal me, baby Nobody here but me and God (2nd time: the gods) Obvious boy can't feel me lately Castigate him with a gentle prod Feeling sorry for hurting yourself No one to dump on and no safety net Was this just pisspoor planning Or an endless repeat of a scene that you can't forget? A chunk of divorce A bored pack of brooding It seems useless to think And your head hurts too much anyway Sick,sickly voice, go jump it baby Nobody likes you, can't you tell Obvious boy will pass this shortly Mock him now to make him well

about

Allow me to introduce you to a band who met once a week or so for about two years spanning 1997-1999. We worked up a few hours of material, played some shows, and generally got along splendidly. This is the document of that coming together that brought out the best musically from each of us.

Mark wrote most of these songs from 1996-1998, with a few stragglers turning up from earlier times that seemed just right for the groovy, Texan-twanged sound that the Fake emitted. The songs on this album are about inspiration, frustration, and otherwise getting through the day.

Why “the Fake?” With this band, Mark attempted to leech off of “genre bands,” bands that market themselves as funk, country, blues, zydeco, salsa, ska, punk, swing, etc. Despite the ethos of authenticity surrounding these forms, a certain amount of fakery must be required to squash one’s complex mélange of thoughts and emotions into music that so narrowly adheres to a form that the generic term is sufficient to do it justice. When Mark play-acts styles that are themselves already play-acting, can true expression result? You decide.

The backing tracks for this album were recorded in Dave’s practice room in a rural suburb of Austin during the spring and summer of 1999: Mark, Dave, Jamie, and Sam, all playing in the same room, at the same time, just like we had done most every other week, except with mics and headphones and cords strewn all over the place. In the first half of 2000, many of the guitars were re-recorded/elaborated, vocals laid down, and great guest musicians recruited, sometimes via recordings sent by mail or over the internet. Still, a preference was given for the original live performances, and all drums and nearly all bass and acoustic guitars are from the live sessions.

Band members then moved out of state, had kids, lost and gained jobs, changed marital status, played heavily with new bands, and ran into all the other distractions that keep large projects from being finished. It wasn’t until two years after recording was completed until mixing, mastering, and packaging this collection took place. What started as a potential career-building effort has become an exercise in nostalgia, a note to posterity, a way of proving to ourselves and our friends and children’s children’s children that we had a pretty damn good thing going.

So, now that no one’s career is at stake, now that no one will harass you to come see these guys play out, now that it’s far enough behind us that we can pretend that we were different people back then…
…Whaddaya Think?

credits

released November 14, 2002

Mark Linsenmayer - Singing and playing the nylon-string guitar
Jamie Nichols - Playing lots of electric guitars and singing Texan-sounding backup vocals (like in the 1st chorus of Spiritual Insect)
Dave Hamilton - Playing drums and singing elfin-sounding backup vocals (hear him exposed in the 2nd verse of Job)
Sam Ray - Playing bass and singing the occasional wispy and/or jaunty backup vocal (like in Not a Woman).

Featuring John LeBec - Piano, Tony Ginko - Organ/Vibraphone, Brian Drake - Harmonica, Steve Petrinko - Percussion, Cliff Kaminsky - Accordion, Mike McPherson - Trumpet, Mike Stocklin - Saxophones, Ken Labarre - 12-string Acoustic Guitar, and Lisa Johnson – Vocal.

All songs written by Mark Linsenmayer, ©2002. Arrangements by the musicians, except Mark arranged all the vocals and the horn sections. Live backing tracks recorded by Mark with help from the band, overdubs recorded by Sam and/or Mark, mixing by Mark with some elements worked out by Sam. Mastered by Mark based on instruction from Steve Petrinko. Steve, Brian, and Cliff recorded parts remotely. Cover photos by Jeff Rosenberg, cover design by Mark.

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Mark Lint Madison, Wisconsin

Catchy, homespun tunes ranging in style from power pop to folk ballads to alt country, laced with a sense of the absurd.

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