← Older Comments
  • http://bucky4eyes.com Bucky Four-Eyes

    I’ll wager Gwen could ask for a little more than two bits…

  • http://www.threequestionmarks.com/blog/blog.html merkley???

    I just did a search on limewire — most of the stuff is out there already for whoever wants it. also for the last run cd’s we made we overprinted artwork in case we ever did a second run — believe it or not, i still have enough of the old packaging materials in a trunk in the garage to do another run of 1000 (i think) not that we would but for those of you — (including former bandmates obviously) that would like some of these to accompany your mp3 burns — it i think those could probably be made available unless one of you old herschel dudes wants to do a run.

    somehow i doubt that.

    i also have 24 hours of footage i shot at gwen’s wedding in london that could be made available for 5 thousand hundred gazillion dollars and a lobotomy and whatever other surgery would be required to strip me of my morals and give me the powers to resist being murdered ten thousand times by an angry gwen. i had a picture of her i took in the limo on the way to the chapel on my site when only 1 person a day came there and it ended up in gavin’s band’s site forums — where she found it and then killed me 12 times.

  • http://www.threequestionmarks.com/blog/blog.html merkley???

    also, i remember where the name came from.

    rod was working on a student project at BYU with jon, jon wrote the music rod wrote the words, there was a line in that song that was something to the effect of “swimming in circles” or something and rod and jon and i were in jon’s room on his mac classic, (which changed my life btw) john was transcribing rod’s lyrics and when it came to that line, i think jon was unclear as to what the lyric was and so rod started yelling “SWIM HOYRSCHEL SWIM” because at that point everyone was doing the eddie murphy impersonation always saying {_________ herschel ___________! everything.

    then if memory serves, and i think it does, that became the name of that song and then i suggested that it should be the name of the band and after a brief campaign on my part (the type of which eventually became a great problem between rod and I) everyone agreed and that was that.

    whew — long one.

    the end.

  • http://www.blurbomat.com blurb

    Merkley: I remember now! We did a vocal session at the studio and Rod and I decided to change the order of the lyrics. I stopped into the library and typed up the new lyric order and put Swim Herschel Swim at the top. Rod liked it and after we all agreed, he had a moment a week later where he decided he didn’t like it, but after all the time we had spent coming up with a name, we decided to go with it.

    Such a boring band name story. It would have been better if Herschel was former gay lover of one of the band members and in the breakup, it was said in parting, “Swim herschel, swim,” our eyes full of tears. Herschel went on to a successful law career as a closeted BYU grad, working in an urban center for Arthur Andersen before the scandal.

  • MK

    Why did so many local ska bands of the early/mid 90s call themselves “x something x”? Bim Skala Bim was pretty big in the Boston area and Fly Spinach Fly was a great band out of UNH. Now the trend continued (or started with?) Swim Hershel Swim? Anyway… you and dooce are trying to make a buck doin what you do… Dig out those old tapes and sell em on line. I’d like to add another “X something X” to my early 90s ska collection.

  • http://www.threequestionmarks.com/blog/blog.html merkley???

    yes. that moment when rod didn’t like it was in your room. i’m pretty certain i remember you with your hands on the keyboard messing those words around and the subsequent campaigning.

    the funny thing is that the memory is more tied with my early fascination with your computer and desktop publishing than it is with the dynamics of the early participants in the band.

    another good story that you need to tell is that moment when you received the phone call from your bank telling you that you won that mac classic. there was a lot of jumping around hooting and hollering Price Is Right Style.

    Who would have known at the time that it would be such a huge moment in your entire future. funnier still (for me) is what a huge thing it was for me.

    there was no looking back after TypeStyler.

  • http://www.blurbomat.com blurb

    Oh man. That computer changed everything for me. Everything. I’ll write that up. That’s a great story.

    I remember buying a second floppy to work from, because I couldn’t afford a hard drive for another year or so and spending HOURS in Typestyler.

  • http://www.tattoostation.co.uk minxlj

    Ah, memories. I remember the first thing I ever designed (school Christmas newsletter) at the age of 12 on the Mac Classic II — everyone thought that computer was incredibly powerful and it was like the best newsletter ever, haha. And my god, the drooling that ensued when the LCIII arrived!!! ;-)

  • http://www.margaretmaloney.com Margaret

    I’ll have to dust off the ol’ file sharing software, then. I have managed to secure the Skarmageddon CD, but that’s just one song…

  • BNB

    Due to a recently unearthed memory box in the basement, my kids are all currently wearing SWIM t-shirts as pajamas. That began to stir some memories, so I recently broke out my old SWIM tapes. Ahh! Good times.

    Now, I stumbled upon this post. Karma. Itís time for a revival. I bet a show in Provo would still fill the house. Iíll work the door for a free shirt.

  • http://highbenchmusic.com David Western

    I am looking to get my hands on some Swim Herschel swim music. I’ve been a huge fan since I was a kid. Can anyone help with this? Where can I download or buy their stuff?

    Thanks,

    David

  • Steve in Va. from SLC

    I was just listening to my fine swim herschel swim album, admiring the cover art, and found your little blog. I think I still have a tape recording of Billion when it was played on the x-96 locals show.
    Good stuff.

  • lara

    hey, didn’t i see your show with ND in Seattle, or was it SF? hey pat! i was just telling eva, my fifteen-year-old, that i know gwen is cool, but she shoulda heard ND. i’m up for a shs reunion, now that the new york dolls have done it.

  • http://replymail.ne1.net Jason

    if you have art work and a scanner, and i can get better bitrate copies of the album, i would gladly build a website to host files and downloads for oldtime fans :)

    nothing like getting hard to find old local bands online.. look at froglick’s site :)

    anyone have a copy of the KRCL CD Release show when you guys explained the flying/burning toaster and gave commentary before every song?

    any additional artwork that might be lying around.. demo music? copies of your original tape that i could convert from analog?

    consider me your bitch if it means getting more media out there…

← Older Comments