S.Y.R.I.P.
listen to the mp3
There exists on tape a definitive performance of this with Sara Lund on drums, Chet Chmielewski on samples, Matt on bass, and Bill & Tony on guitars. Performed in Bloomington at the dedication of a new Black Box theater (actually an unrenovated bus garage at the time) on Oct.31 1989, it is the most rock-n-roll Waffles ever. Witness: solid backbeat, clearly defined rhythm (Bill) & lead (Tony) guitar roles, conventional (=stoopid) rawk structure. Recorded by Dan Willems (shortly before he & Heather joined up) and released on his Blow Your Head Off compilation, this version features brilliant guitar work by a codiene & Beam besotted Woollard that could best be described as a clucking fusion of no wave & bebop. Indeed, so hard was this monster for Tony to live down that it spurred a guitar crisis deep enough to find him not even playing guitar on the '94 sessions that resulted in the 7". He has since recovered fully.
S.Y.R.I.P. stands for Sonic Youth Rest In Peace, or Sonic Youth Rest In Pieces, demonstrating a de rigueur adolescent punk rock arrogance . . . but hey, at least we don't write "apocolyptic" songs about fucking rock critics, fer chrissakes.
Rock hero Tony or no, we haven't been able to do this since Sara left (okay, maybe an even more Killdozeresque version or two with Jim Manion on drums). The logical conclusion would be that S.Y.R.I.P. was ultimately Sara's song, and I can't find fault with that. Love & kisses Sara, hope this one's on your resume.
[Bill]
