The producer of Hoist lived next to Jonathan Frakes, whose mailbox is apparently uniquely decorated. Frakes, who plays Commander Riker on Star Trek: The Next Generation (thus the title "Riker's Mailbox"), also plays trombone, so sat in for a bit during the Hoist recording sessions.

<SPE9237@acfcluster.nyu.edu> reported 4/5/94 (reportedly from Mike) that the track "is a tiny fragment of a fully-recorded Hoist outtake, called either "Buffalo Bill" or "Buffalo Bob". You'll notice that everyone's shouting "Olaffub" during the song. "Buffalo Bill" --That IS the name, Trey just quoted it in a newsletter or somewhere--had all kinds of weird production shit on it. Some parts were played backwards, and some lyrics were recorded pronounced backwards to be played back-to front. It was left off the album because it was felt that it skewed the album towards being too goofy. I think it's a pretty long track, maybe 7 minutes--that number sticks in my mind. I also don't think they ever mixed the whole thing. I got the sense that there may be moments of the attempt at recording it in the upcoming documentary."

Buffalo Bill (which is reportedly a verb -- ever see Deliverence?) has been played only live 11/21/92, 10/29/94, 12/31/94, 8/17/97, 11/29/97, 11/27/98, 12/18/99.

Thanks also to Andreas Schaefer <jerry@muc.de<, Jake Morrill <jmorrill@vt.edu>, Brett Sterba <bwster@maila.wm.edu>, and Tom Baynes <tomspictureofnectar@yahoo.com>.

"Where words fail, music speaks."
-- Hans Christian Anderson