David Jones, artist and poet (1895-1974) begins his PREFACE TO THE ANATHEMATA :
'I have made a heap of all that I could find.' (1) So wrote Nennius, or whoever composed the introductory matter to Historia Brittonum. He speaks of an 'inward wound' which was caused by the fear that certain things dear to him 'should be like smoke dissipated'. Further, he says, 'not trusting my own learning, which is none at all, but partly from writings and monuments of the ancient inhabitants of Britain, partly from the annals of the Romans and the chronicles of the sacred fathers, Isidore, Hieronymous, Prosper, Eusebius and from the histories of the Scots and Saxons although our enemies . . . I have lispingly put together this . . . about past transactions, that [this material] might not be trodden under foot'. (2)
(1) The actual words are coacervavi omne quod inveni, and occur in Prologue 2 to the Historia. (2) Quoted from the translation of Prologue 1. See The Works of Gildas and Nennius, J.A.Giles, London 1841.
"I am sitting in a room different from the one you are in now. I am recording the sound of my speaking voice and I am going to play it back into the room again and again until the resonant frequencies of the room reinforce themselves so that any semblance of my speech, with perhaps the exception of rhythm, is destroyed. What you will hear, then, are the natural resonant frequencies of the room articulated by speech. I regard this activity not so much as a demonstration of a physical fact, but more as a way to smooth out any irregularities my speech might have."
Following on from yesterday's album cover photography by Gordon Parks : today, two other promotional images from that 1956 visit of the Chico Hamilton Quintet and Slave Guitars to the studio of artist Vito Paulekas and his 'Counterpoints' sculpture.
We go together Like rama lama lama ka dinga da dinga dong Remembered forever As shoo-bop sha wadda wadda yippity boom de boom Chang chang changitty chang sha-bop That's the way it should be Wah-oooh, yeah! We're one of a kind Like dip da-dip da-dip doo-wop da doo-bee doo Our names are signed Boogedy boogedy boogedy boogedy Shooby doo-wop she-bop Chang chang changitty chang sha-bop We'll always be like one, wa-wa-wa-one...
We Go Together : songwriters Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil
Cubism and guiTAR go together like Picasso and Braque
Pablo Picasso
Guitar, Gas-Jet and Bottle
1913 Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art
Georges Braque
Man with a Guitar
1911-1912
MoMA
And later, like...
Roy De Maistre Figure with guitar c.1932 – 35 soon for auction in Sydney :
smash and guiTAR go together
like Simonon and The Clash Hendrix and The Who Tai-ki, Sengai and the slave guiTARs of the ages
guiTAR Theatre of the Actors of Regard
Slave Guitars of the Art Cult | The Laugh-ist - 1979 -
Fifty years ago last month, on 26 May 1967, The Beatles released their astonishing new LP with an introduction to another band :
It was twenty years ago today Sgt. Pepper taught the band to play They've been going in and out of style But they're guaranteed to raise a smile So may I introduce to you The act you've known for all these years Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
One week later, on 4 June , The Jimi Hendrix Experience boldly opened their set at the Saville Club, London, their final gig in the UK, with the same but-go-one-better meta-fiction :
We're Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band We hope you will enjoy the show Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band Sit back and let the evening go Sgt. Pepper's Lonely, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band It's wonderful to be here It's certainly a thrill You're such a lovely audience We'd like to take you home with us We'd love to take you home
Then they left for the US. Paul McCartney had recommended Hendrix and The Who for the line-up of the Monterey International Pop Festival. From London, England...
The Who ended their set with My Generation, with Pete Townshend smashing his guitar and Keith Moon kicking over his drums as the band left the stage.
photo Henry Diltz
Next comes Hendrix. Electric guitar genius. To top The Who finale, to Wild Thing, he lays the black Strat on the stage, kneels and kisses it, simulates fucking it, ejaculates lighter fluid onto it and sets it on fire. He smashes his flaming axe on the stage seven times then tosses its broken remains into the stunned crowd. Fifty years ago today, 18 June 1967.
X + X +
Six months later, in Australia, kid correspondent buys Eric Burdon's record of that instantly famous, prototype youth music festival.
The people came and listened Some of them came and played Others gave flowers away, yes they did Down in Monterey Down in Monterey
Young Gods smiled upon the crowd Their music being born of love Children danced night and day Religion was being born Down in Monterey
The birds and the airplane did fly Oh, Ravi Shankars music made me cry The Who exploded into fire and light Hugh Masakela's music was black as night The Grateful Dead blew everybodies mind Jimi Hendrix baby,believe me, set the world on fire, yeah His Majesty, Prince Jones, smiled as he moved among the crowd Ten thousand electric guitars were grooving real loud, yeah
You want to find the truth in life Don't pass music by And you know I would not lie, no I would not lie No, I would not lie Down in Monterey
Three days of understanding of moving with one another Even the cops grooved with us Do you believe me, yeah? Down in Monterey
I think that maybe I'm dreaming Monterey Down in monterey Did you hear what I said?
Reading Michael Dwyer's review of the Melbourne Festival concert of Melbourne's own Lisa Gerrard and Arf Arf in The Age yesterday brought back lots of c.1980 memories|ries|ries|ries|ries|ries MELBOURNE FESTIVAL 2016 Lisa Gerrard ★★★★ Hamer Hall, 19 October 2017 Michael Dwyer / The Age
Lisa Gerrard's performance a revelation
The first time they came to hiss like pestilence and cackle like demons. The next time they bickered in lockstep stutters and harmonic drones. The fourth time they just stood there and bore witness to Lisa Gerrard's unearthly wail.
Arf Arf is a trio of … let's call them poets: Marisa Stirpe, Frank Lovece and Michael Buckley. Part comedy, part anxiety, their scurrying invented-language chatterings were gritty relief to the immense airborne sound sculptures that ultimately silenced them.
photo: Carbie Warbie
It was an unfair fight from the leading lady's grand entrance, swathed in voluminous bolts of regal cloth that hung deathly still from her perfectly poised frame. Her musicians were attired as medieval courtesans, or maybe angels, offering cello, bamboo flute, congas and keys to the sonic cathedral where the high priestess channelled her message of love. Yep, channelled. "Singing" doesn't describe the way Gerrard commands the air to behave, rumbling from the deep and soaring to astonishing contralto highs, ringing in endless caverns of reverb, somehow more revelation than invention. As always she spoke almost exclusively in tongues to disarm logical thought; in her own words to "defy the prisons of judgment and academia". So we surrendered, as cascades of glorious, unthinkable melody took flight in mystical middle-eastern swirls and trance rhythms and lofty operatics suddenly cut with playful soul and gospel asides. Sleep came at last in words we could literally understand: the earth mother's sublime murmur of comfort in a bickering and stuttering world. Funnily enough, we'd been feeling that all along.
By 1980Lisa Gerrard wasan already charismatic regular performer at the little bands nights around Melbourne. Sometimes she held our focus solo, accompanying herself with a dulcimer or accordion; other times, we remember her performances with fellow high stylist Lee Smith (RIP) on thrash guitar, together as Junk Logic as listed in the poster paste-up below.
Another from around then.
Michael Buckley, Marcus Bergner, Marisa Stirpe and Frank Loveceformed Arf Arf in 1985.
All were part of the little bands scene from the start. Michael and Marcus in Too Fat To Fit Through The Door, Marisa in Thrush and the Cunts, and Frank in Primitive Calculators.
In 1978, members of Primitive Calculators, an experimentalpost-punk group from Melbourne, formed a short-lived side band, the Leapfrogs. Using it as their own opening act, Primitive Calculators decided to form other "little bands" with friends, including members of Whirlywirld, who lived next door to the group in Fitzroy North, with rehearsal spaces in each house.[4] By sharing their equipment with the little bands, it made it easier to practice and set up for each gig. Soon they started staging "Little Band nights" at various inner city venues, and at first, rules were strictly imposed: no little band was allowed to play more than twice and could have no more than fifteen minutes worth of material.[1] According to Primitive Calculators frontman Stuart Grant, it was "the punk ethos of disposability, novelty and working against the grain of the standard modes of procedure in the music business."[5] Many of the little bands were composed of non-musicians who enjoyed the opportunity to realise their naive musical ideas. - Wikipedia
When Primitive Calculators played their break-up gig at The Seaview in 1981, they shared it with another of the little band cores Use No Hooks.
No poster for that, but here's one for the Equal Localdebut, with Use No Hooks again in support. (Dean Richards and Philip Jackson formed Equal Local video here after their departure from Whirlywirld in 1979.)
Primitive Calculators returned at The Tote in 2009 after 29 years. (here)
Always there : Alan Bamford, participant, advocate and key archivist of the Melbourne little bands scene
Tomorrow night at the Belleville in cbd Melbourne, the founding duo of Use No Hooks, Mick Earls and Arne Hanna will return as Use No Hooks after 32 years.
40 years ago this month Brisbane band The Saints recorded (I'm) Stranded
THE SAINTS Australian punk band. The 1st album have been announced in 77 early, even in the early punk band release time is entering the fast category. The sound, however, oldies rock 'n' roll as it is, such as the gain-up feeling, more purely garage of feeling so-called punk. The 1st album I have really cool. The other really shake not rock 'n' roll a linear and stubborn. And charmed. Char Aznable are most character to enter the strongest class in Gundam history Once you shake off the doubts. What I suddenly I'm coming out is what in the Gundam? I do not know. Well, anyway I might have wanted to tell that I'm I really amazing is the I lost no rock 'n' roll. Excuse me is Mr. things Char Forget. Now is the Saints. Saints first, looks is explosively please. Toka it did not receive much in the classy British youth in the cause. Or lie or truth . But, it looks aside, Garejii rock 'n' roll in the punk is the best. It digs a Gibson guitar in Marshall, turn the knob to appropriate to Peppe and right, feel Well ze !! like a graciousness's rock 'n' roll. Toka how the sound, where the play is not a how Toka kind of dimension.The Replacements and the Saints is the-top of the garage punk rock 'n' roll in me. After, I Devil Dogs. Listening to this three of the band, I wonder if not anymore something music Toka hup Demoin?And it has think. Well, so short, music is the what, it is what the expression, play I Toka ~ is ~ personality, something like that's stupid Do with . Yeah. Zukyun !! its punk something that Yu me. Whether not you just have it. Saints, this I also say to The Replacements, but I do not even mean a separate song What amazing. Until it Once only say that skip something Mini. It does not also mean there is a great good melody . Are many Toka rust songs equivocal. However, it's there is good. No, I'm sorry, is hup Demoin. You say something. Maybe it is you think I'm to trust Toka love of sportiness of a place I shake is not for the rock 'n' roll . No, I'm sorry, it is such a thing hup Demoin. You know if you listen.
Up the pole Prime Minister Turnbull Next election comin' into sight... Yesterday, very butch indeed Impress th' right wing - Those hard liners!
Asylum Seekers
Mr VARVARIS(Barton) (14:06): My question is to the Prime Minister. Will the Prime Minister update the House on the government's steadfast commitment to keeping Australia's borders secure?
Mr Husic interjecting—
The SPEAKER: Member for Chifley, if you interject again you will be leaving the House.
Mr TURNBULL(Wentworth—Prime Minister) (14:06): Nobody should ever doubt the resolve of this government to keep our borders secure, to prevent the people-smuggling racket, to break their business model and keep lives safe, to prevent drownings at sea and to protect vulnerable people from being exploited by ruthless criminal gangs. Twice in our history, coalition governments have acted decisively to ensure that the pernicious, criminal trade of people-smuggling cannot succeed. Our commitment today is simply this: the people smugglers will not prevail over our sovereignty. Our borders are secure.The line has to be drawn somewhere, and it is drawn at our border.
I note today that a very significant judgement was handed down by the High Court of Australia. By a six to one majority, the High Court rejected a challenge to Australia's offshore detention arrangements, and it upheld the existing framework as legally and constitutionally valid. Now, we will consider the judgement and its implications carefully. But what I can say is this: our system of deterrence remains robust and has recently been reinforced to deal with immediate and enduring threats to our maritime security and sovereignty.
- extract from Hansard : Questions without Notice , 3 February 2016 (full extract here)
End offshore detention of refugees now (here) Editorial : The Age
4 February 2016
For deport to Naura : Canberra Lineman
with apology to Glen Campbell
I am the lineman for this country and I drive the main road While searchin' on the sea for another boat overload I hear you singin' in the wire, I can hear you through the whine And the Canberra Lineman is still drawing the line
I know I need our re-election, it's coming all too soon If those tow-backs were all known could we ever stand the strain And I need you more than want you, and I want you for all time And the Canberra Lineman is still drawing the line
[Slave Guitars - Instrumental Interlude] And I need you more than want you, and I want you for all time And the Canberra Lineman is still drawing the line [Slave Guitars - Instrumentalto end]
For deport to Naura :
detail
A Person Looks At A Work Of Art/ someone looks at something...
