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Dr Frank

Mar 4 2020 · 10:11 PM

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The Mr. T Experience's Frank Portman • Off Shelf

Words by Jim Testa Photo by Dawn Wilson It was 2004, and Frank Portman – affectionately known to generations of fans as Dr. Frank – had some serious

offshelf.net

Offshelf Digital Zine #10 is out now, featuring this interview I did with Jim Testa http://offshelf.net/2020/01/28/the-mr-t-experiences-frank-portman/ You can sign up for free here: http://offshelf.net/about/?fbclid=IwAR3XZQxsLEZ-RL2_zIcgyJDOlBPM9lRhio7Il8-KpHuNztUbCbn_5Q2PJnw #music #hype #minds

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Dr Frank - "I Feel for You"

Just me doing a laptop video of "I Fell for You", one of my better songs that never made it on many sets for some reason. In fact, I'm not sure we ever played it as a band outside of that one time in the studio. Anyway here I am strumming and shouting it. "Minor secrets" will be here. medium: ht...

youtu.be

So I feel for you, and when I do, you feel really nice... My friends (and members of the loyal opposition) another Wodnesdæg is upon us necessitating yet another Song for Odin. One need not like it. One need only acknowledge, with frank resignation if appropriate, that it is the case. So, brace yourself accordingly and I shall do the same. https://youtu.be/YqS5FZAwaFY What we have here is yours truly doing a laptop video of "I Feel for You", in the little bedroom of my little apartment, a glimpse at where the magic happens. The sword in the background is a Malatesta from Valiant Amoury. My mom made the quilt. This is where I've recorded most of my demos over the years, some tracks of which were used on records here and there. And in fact we actually recorded some vocals here, for Miracle of Shame and Yesterday Rules, with a borrowed Neumann mic, Kevin Army in the the bedroom cum control room and me in the kitchen as a makeshift vocal booth. It kind of worked, though it was hell on the neighbors. Surprised I wasn't kicked out of this place long ago, to be honest. Anyway, "I Feel for You" is one of my better songs, in that it does precisely what it's supposed to do with no misfires or lazy malfunctions. It's a tight little package. The multiple-entendred conceit is fully articulated and played out with economy and precision, after which it quickly exits stage left. It's quite an old-fashioned sort of song, really, the slightly risqué twist on different senses of the verb "to feel" undergirded by low-humor gags ("you feel pretty young to me...") with some pretty nice understated scene-setting: "when you lay beside me in the still of the night, I can hear you sigh and I'm hoping that you feel alright..." (Which she does, when the requisite test is performed.) Anyway, that's my view. I've heard from people who don't like it, or don't get it -- not necessarily the same thing, I suppose. "Oh, I get it, I just think it's stupid." Well, fair enough, I suppose, but this is my show and I'll do the withering critiques here, thank you very much. Despite my liking it so much, I don't think it made it on to too many live MTX sets, if ever. It may be that we only played it that one time in the studio. Which, unlike all the other Alcatraz tracks, was at Roof Brothers, basically live, on 16 track 2" tape: the song was meant as a minimalist basic rock and roll interlude to serve as a break or relief from all that sonic experimentation. I'd also wanted to do a mono mix, but that didn't happen. Anyway, that's why we did it. And I think the sequence of this song into the final track "We'll Get By" is one of the best transitions we ever managed. At any rate, that's another one done, Song for Odin I mean. The 124th entry / 103rd song. Still some more songs to go, if we keep going, which, knowing me, we probably will. What else is there to do? Like subscribe comment share etc. And be good to each other, because why not? By which I mean, make the world a better place by edging up the kindness knob, just a bit, in your daily interactions. We'll all appreciate that, I'm sure, because the status quo is a drag. Nobody knows how to ride that knob anymore, it seems. notes: -- studio recording: https://youtu.be/aOKojIg93CI -- discogs: https://www.discogs.com/The-Mr-T-Experience-Alcatraz/master/285326 -- Songs for Odin playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLommF46BbnATopffORs0YkspebJHka2o_ #music #songs #video #mtxforever #minds