Huh? Welcome to the Shop

To see a Site Map of the Shop, Click Here

Hellay, hellay. Having made your way here, you may now be asking yourself, "Where am I? What do these buttons do? Where is my beautiful house? Where is my beautiful wife?" and other such questions. I'll explain a bit, using the tried and true (and annoying) FAQ method. You wouldn't believe how frequently I am asked the following, utterly pertinent questions:

List of Frequently Asked Questions (click on any question to go directly to the answer listed on this page, or scroll down the page in a more casual fashion to read the answers in any order you wish--keep in mind that the questions in this initial list are not exactly identical in wording to the corresponding questions below, though the answers apply regardless):

1. Who are you (i.e., what is your name)? Where are you? What if I want to talk to you personally?

2. What's the deal with this site?

3. Why did you create this site?

4. Why should I visit this site instead of another Genesis site (i.e., what do you have to offer that's different than what other fan sites offer)?

5. How do I get around in this site? Where do I go?

6. Do you have a site map?

7. How do I get the music listed in your live recordings section? Where do I go to get answers to my bootleg-related questions?

8. Can you tell me about yourself some more? Can you answer some other questions?

9. Why is the site called "The Pet Shop (Which is Never Open)?"

10. Why does the web address include the phrase "bluesnaggletooth12" in it?

1. Who are you, where do you come from, how can I talk to you to ask you the questions that aren't listed in this shoddy FAQ?
My name is Steven Genzano. I live in New Jersey, on the east coast of the United States of America. I was born the same year the album ...And Then There Were Three... was released (1978). For most of their recording/performing career, I was not around to see Genesis live, but I found out about them when I was young and have since become a huge fan of them and their 70s ilk (progressive rock bands such as Yes and King Crimson). If you would like to e-mail me, try clicking on the first occurrence of the word "e-mail" in this sentence.

2. What's the deal with this site?
This is not in fact a place where you can purchase frozen mice over the Internet (I know that's what you were thinking, but just put your credit card away), but a fan site for the band Genesis. I would describe it as "The last great adventure left to mankind," just to be cute, but, well, it isn't. Over the years, after having collected all of their official releases, I began to get the impression that not too many people liked Genesis. Genesis seemed like this band that had been popular, that had sold millions of records even, and filled giant concert houses, all somehow without the benefit of any fans. Genesis were the ultimate "uncool" band, the band that even its fans were ashamed to bring up in conversation. Then I found the then-new official web site in the early 2000s (which has updated itself several times since then, God bless it), and discovered a whole community of perfectly enthusiastic fans, quietly strumming away. It was through that web site that my slumbering fandom received an electric jumpstart. I decided to collect the bootlegs I had been ignoring just because I had the Archive box sets, and I met Genesis fans (possible nickname: FoGs, acronym for "Fans of Genesis") who were all incredibly kind and generous, willing to answer any question or provide music free of any charge. And all of them were totally willing to admit that they liked Genesis.

3. Why did you go to the trouble of making your own site about Genesis when there's already an official one that's much prettier?
I've put this site together for a few reasons. The first and foremost was to karmically repay those Genesis fans who set me up with my first few bootlegs by duplicating their generosity. This means I'm open to freebie requests from new fans and generally having an open hand with what music/video I've managed to collect. See anything on my live recording pages that you like? Please e-mail me, and whether you have something to trade or not, you'll probably end up with what you want.

The second reason is simply to show my Genesis Pride. It's time for Genesis Freaks to unite, as a very old Friar's club ad proclaimed. Stand up and be counted, if only to encourage Tony Banks, who seems awfully down lately.

The third reason is to have fun. So have fun.

4. Why should I visit your site instead of the millions upon millions of other Genesis fan sites?
5. And how do I navigate the bewildering labyrinth of this confusing realm?
My site boasts some interesting features, which you may have seen cryptic descriptions of on the main page. The best way for me to detail what these features are is to run through a description of the site and what it contains. So there are eight main sections to the site, all of which can be reached from the main, home page. I also put the links to those eight sections at the top of nearly every page of the site, so they are easy to get to from almost anywhere. (The news page has a button for it on the main page, but is generally not linked to anywhere else; also, this page you are on now can only be reached from the main page--but a link to the main, or home, page is easy to find anywhere on the site. Confused? go to question 6 and visit my Site Map!) Some of the larger sections are broken up into subsections--if so, the links to those subsections will have buttons set just below the buttons for the eight main sections, at the top of the main section page. There is a lengthy introductory paragraph for each section which should help explain what that section is about, but just to be even lengthier and more explanatory, here (as promised) is a run-through of the different sections of the site:

The news page hopefully speaks for itself. The bio page is my own rather strange humor writing, related to the lives and personalities of the band members I love so well--it happens to feature various pictures of the band members. The live recordings section is gigantic--it's really the core of the site, and details nearly everything I own, audio or video, that is in any way related to the band Genesis (and also one page related to utterly non-Genesis material). Recordings are separated by media and/or tour, listed chronologically, and are helpfully cross-linked to hopefully make it very easy and quick to find whatever you may be looking for. If you have questions about that particular section, simply click on the "Live Recordings" button, which is located at the top of nearly every page on the site (along with the buttons for the other seven of the eight main sections), and the main page for that section should hopefully answer any questions you may have.

The lists page is a collection of lists related to Genesis, featuring my own rankings for a lot of my favorite or least favorite things about the band. That section also has a lot of interesting informational objective lists that I'm rather proud of. You'll see comprehensive, painstakingly researched lists of: all of the rare, non-album songs Genesis has composed over the years; the Genesis songs that were most and least frequently performed by the band; all the interesting medleys Genesis has played over the years; a list of the Genesis songs written during Peter Gabriel tenure that were performed live while Phil was lead singer; a list of all the various line-ups and formations of the band from its earliest origins in Charterhouse to the Ray Wilson years; and, the list I'm most proud of: a comprehensive look at all set lists from all of the major and minor Genesis tours. And there are many more lists than just these, some humorous and some providing interesting definitions of Genesis mythology and terminology that I use elsewhere on the site.

Also included in the lists section are a list of links to other Genesis and Genesis-related sites, and a list of the sources used by me in putting together the site and my collection of music and video. These sources helped me to get information, pictures, and music.

The goodies page is a page that catalogues some downloadable stuff that I've created that has to do with Genesis: desktop images, Genesis logos, album covers from official albums, album covers that I have created for live shows, an insert I made for the Genesis Way We Walk DVD, and a few small but rare mp3s. Also included are reviews of my experiences going to see the fantastic Genesis cover band, The Musical Box, and (eventually) reviews of the Turn It on Again tour shows I attended.

The caption test page is another humor section of the site, in which I exercise my ability to write humorous captions to interesting photos of the band throughout their history. Think of it as a unique photo gallery that's slightly interactive and may produce a few chuckles.

The contest page is actually an area where from time to time I hold contests wherein people can enter and possibly win music/video from out of my large and still-growing collection. Unfortunately, since running the contest is work-intensive and time-consuming, I have hardly held any contests since the inception of this site. When I do run a contest, I like to announce it in a couple of obvious Genesis sites (such as the official site's discussion forum and the genesis-trades Yahoo! mailing list), so that people know to join in. I'll admit that I'm usually pretty lenient when it comes to judging the contest, and usually a good five or six people end up walking away with some music. The only problem is, it could be years between contests!

Finally there's the mystery page, which is a look into some of the Genesis folklore and more commonly debated issues.

6. Do you have a site map?
Well, I'm not entirely sure if it follows the strict rules of site map construction, but check this out.

7. How do I get the music listed in your live recordings section? Where do I go to get answers to my bootleg-related questions?
If you have any questions about my bootleg (AKA "live recording") collection, including video or audio material, please visit the main page of that section by clicking on the "live recording" button at the top of this page (or at the top of nearly every other page on this site). The "live recording" main page will hopefully answer any of your questions. If not, feel free to ask me directly through e-mail--though I warn you that I may become inordinately irritated if you ask me questions that are clearly answered on the web site! Don't let that stop you, though.

8. Can you provide me with other boring details about your life, or answer the ridiculous questions at the beginning of this page?
Still have questions? Well, I don't know where your beautiful house or wife are. My beautiful house is in the USA, New Jersey, Bruce Springsteen country. My beautiful wife likes the first Genesis album but thinks The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway is "boring." I have two cats who probably don't listen to music, a little girl who is not choosy yet but will hopefully one day be a fan, and a twin brother who was there with me the first time we listened to Nursery Cryme (I was eating a peanut butter and jelly sandwich). I also enjoy other nerdy things, like Doctor Who, Star Wars, the Lord of the Rings, Radiohead, Miyazaki films, Apple Computers, indie rock, King Crimson, the Velvet Underground, Bruce, most art history but especially 20th century, Transformers, and making my own CD inserts. I know how to play the opening notes of "That's All," "Mad Man Moon," and bits of "Cinema Show" and "Firth of Fifth" on the keyboard.

9. What is "The Pet Shop (Which is Never Open)?" And why the heck would you give your web site such a stupid and misleading name?
In the live version of "Supper's Ready" which can be heard on the third disc of Archive #1 (from the Rainbow Theatre show of 20 October '73), Pete tells a story which begins "Old Henry walked past the pet shop which was never open, into the park, which was never closed." This was in fact the beginning of his standard introduction to the song.

10. What is "bluesnaggletooth12" doing in your url?
I had to pick a user name when I got my web space on Yahoo!'s Geocities server (though my site is no longer located on that server, the name stuck when I got my own domain). The Blue Snaggletooth is the most rare and valued Star Wars action figure. It was produced only in the Mos Eisley Cantina action playset, which was sold only at Sears department stores in the late '70s and early '80s. It is also rare because Snaggletooth action figures sold on cards were in fact red--not blue--and much shorter. They also did not sport huge silver disco boots. (I now have a nearly mint condition copy of this figure! Aren't you excited?) If you'd like to know more, see the picture at the bottom of this page or go here.

11. I've been wandering through your site and noticed that you sometimes mention names of people I don't know ("Simon," "Hewitt") or phrases that don't make sense ("The Movement," "a-z site," "FoF," "IMO"). What do these things mean?
If you want to know what this stuff means, or are confused by any other foreign phrases I use in the course of the site, the best place to look for possible definitions is Abbreviations part of my Objective Lists page. Of course, if you still don't understand something after consulting this list, feel free to ask me about it personally.

I hope I answered most of the main questions one might have upon visiting this place, and provided what may not be an informative, but is at least a lengthy, introduction to the site. I think I've said about all I can say for this section. The only other thing I can think of for now is: Enjoy the site.