Pynchon Music: The Jazz Butcher
Photo: © 1988 David Whittemore
A Song from the Fishcoteque
Pat Fish (1957–2021)
Active in the 1980’s and 1990’s, the Jazz Butcher (real name: Pat Fish; also known as “Butch”) was one of England’s most idiosyncratic artists, recording in almost every style under the sun, including folk, punk, pop, country, blues, Merseybeat, funk, jazz, cabaret, and so on. His wide stylistic range, sense of humour, and biting satire earned him a cult following. Fish’s backing band underwent many changes, at various points including guitarist Max Eider (Max Eider, Best Kisser in the World, Big Time Records 1987) and David J., the bassist from Bauhaus and Love and Rockets. Fish also played saxophone on the country album Soul Kiss (Glide Divine), Silvertone Records 1992, by a band called Spectrum. (Spectrum is Sonic Boom’s post-Spaceman 3 outfit. Like his previous group, Spectrum explores a trippy, minimalistic psychedelia with lots of reverb and repeated phrases.)
Track 6 of Pat Fish’s delightfully titled album Fishcoteque (Combat Records 1988), is called “Looking for Lot 49,” and is obviously indebted to Thomas Pynchon. Fishcoteque is far better than the last LP with former collaborator Max Eider. Called Big Questions (The Gift of Music Volume 2), Glass Records 1987, Butch’s lounge-parody affectations slipped dreadfully close to genuine schlock. Here, the Jazz Butcher rocks out with more of an edge and a greater variety of material. He’s back to his usual literary self, with such references as the Pynchon-inspired rocker. There’s a strange rap number called “Chickentown,” which has a few twists that keep it from being an embarrassing schtick. There are a few obtrusive saxophone parts that don’t mesh well with the Jazz Butcher’s sound; perhaps he needed a horn player with a more sympathetic style? All in all, though, it’s a smart, probing set of tunes that manage to be simultaneously cool and aggressive.
Lyrics
“Looking for Lot 49”
You know I’m exactly like everyone else
Sometimes I get sick and sometimes I get tired
Sometimes I turn ugly it’s bad for my health
Sometimes I get frantic and think I’m inspired
Well now I try to be useful and I try to do good
I try to do kindness, act like I should
Sometimes I’m downhearted, then far-away friends
Will write me a line, will fire me up, and start me running again.
Just when I feel like I should be dead and gone
You make me want to carry on
“The cold light of day” and “the heat of the night”
Make me wonder if language has turned out quite right
The scene is quite normal: a Saturday morning,
The breakfast in ruins, the newspaper torn
And I’m starting to wish that I’d never been born
When a letter comes in with your handwriting on
And—
Just when I feel like I should be dead and gone
You make me want to carry on
A room full of postcards a room with a view
I stare at the street just for something to do
There’s a man on the sidewalk with egg in his hair
He’s got hands like Des Nilsen, I don’t like his stare
Everytime I look out of my window he’s there
But he’s only the postman so what do I care?
It’s just that I seem to be spending all my time
Looking for Lot 49
Lot 49—
Sometimes I get sick and sometimes I get tired
Sometimes I turn ugly it’s bad for my health
Sometimes I get frantic and think I’m inspired
Well now I try to be useful and I try to do good
I try to do kindness, act like I should
Sometimes I’m downhearted, then far-away friends
Will write me a line, will fire me up, and start me running again.
Just when I feel like I should be dead and gone
You make me want to carry on
“The cold light of day” and “the heat of the night”
Make me wonder if language has turned out quite right
The scene is quite normal: a Saturday morning,
The breakfast in ruins, the newspaper torn
And I’m starting to wish that I’d never been born
When a letter comes in with your handwriting on
And—
Just when I feel like I should be dead and gone
You make me want to carry on
A room full of postcards a room with a view
I stare at the street just for something to do
There’s a man on the sidewalk with egg in his hair
He’s got hands like Des Nilsen, I don’t like his stare
Everytime I look out of my window he’s there
But he’s only the postman so what do I care?
It’s just that I seem to be spending all my time
Looking for Lot 49
Lot 49—
Additional Information
Fishcoteque
Jazz Butcher
Jazz Butcher
Creation, 1988
Track Listing
1. Next Move Sideways
2. Out of Touch
3. Get It Wrong
4. Living In a Village
5. Swell
6. Looking for Lot 49
7. The Best Way
8. Chickentown
9. Susie
10. Keeping the Curtains Closed
2. Out of Touch
3. Get It Wrong
4. Living In a Village
5. Swell
6. Looking for Lot 49
7. The Best Way
8. Chickentown
9. Susie
10. Keeping the Curtains Closed
Musicians
Pat Fish—guitar, vocals.
Greenwood Goulding—bass.
Dave Morgan—drums.
Kizzy O’Callaghan—guitar, vocals.
Alex Green—saxophone.
Pat Fish—guitar, vocals.
Greenwood Goulding—bass.
Dave Morgan—drums.
Kizzy O’Callaghan—guitar, vocals.
Alex Green—saxophone.
Listen to “Looking for Lot 49” — Listen to “Looking for Lot 49” on YouTube.
Jazz Butcher Homepage — Contains a moving eulogy to Pat Fish from Alan Moore.
Jazz Butcher Facebook Page — Pat Fish maintained a Facebook page.
Jazz Butcher Wikipedia Page — You can read more about Pat Fish and the Jazz Butcher on Wikipedia.
Jazz Butcher Discog Page — Collects album covers and information on the Jazz Butcher’s releases.
Fire Records Jazz Butcher Page — A page on Fish’s music based on his label, Fire Records. You can purchase his music on vinyl.
Pynchon on Record
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Authors: Dr Larry Daw & Allen B. Ruch
Last Modified: 10 November 2021
Main Pynchon Page: Spermatikos Logos
Contact: quail(at)shipwrecklibrary(dot)com
Last Modified: 10 November 2021
Main Pynchon Page: Spermatikos Logos
Contact: quail(at)shipwrecklibrary(dot)com