Awkwardness/Celebrity/Sampling Virus

Once I interviewed the film director Kurosawa Kiyoshi. After about an hour of fascinating discussion, I looked down at my MD recorder and realized that it hadn't started recording yet. I was completely devastated but tried not to show it, thanking him politely a couple minutes later and then wanting to throw myself out a window once he left. With the opportunity to interview Otomo Yoshihide (a musical hero of mine), I was much more careful and Otomo, perhaps being a sound guy, tapped on my player and asked, Haitte iru? (Is it recording). That time there was no problem but the interview wasn't as fruitful. I was very interested in his idea of a sampling virus that he addressed through his group Ground Zero during the 1990s. Everything felt rushed and if I was probably too casual with Kurosawa, I was way too formal with Otomo. Something like using the Queen's English to interview the Sex Pistols. I usually don't consider myself much a worshipper of idols, false or otherwise (I have to learn my celebrity gossip from Anne and I am usually a few relationships behind). But when it comes to meeting them face to face (even people who aren't breaking sales records in the arts), I manage to bungle it. Fortunately, the arts can speak for themselves better than I can. This is a live recording of Ground Zero's noted Consume Red recording, which is fortified by the absolutely breathtaking (sampled) sound of the Hojok, a Korean instrument. Pretty unbelievable.
Ground Zero-Consume Red Live MP3

LOOOOOOVE

I first heard Junior Delahaye from the Wackie's sampler. There's a photo of him on his album cover that looks very unassuming, like someone just stopped him in the hall at school and snapped a picture of him as he was on his way to the bathroom. I love that song on the Wackie's sampler and wanted to find more so I got a Junior Delahaye CD, seems to be simply titled "Reggae". Phil was in China for a few weeks, I was in the midst of a detox diet, and had just gotten my first ever colonic when I went to buy this CD. That day I was also to begin a top-to-bottom cleaning out of the apartment after spotting the umpteenth cockroach. I was cleaning out me insides and outsides!! Because it was summertime, there was a population boom of cockroaches everywhere and after spotting the third juvenile roach in the utensil drawer, I was like, THAT'S IT!!! I learned about non-toxic environmentally friendly roach-ridding methods by the friendly folks of West Harlem Environmental Action and was more than ready to put that knowledge to use. Anyhow, it being summertime, everyone has their windows open. The apartment across the alley from us blasts this horrible Christian-adult-contemporary-esque music for hours on end. I mean, it is so bad. But what's worse is she sometimes plays the same song on repeat. So I, in return, blast our music back when I'm feeling particularly sassy. The last few times I blasted back the Choubi Choubi-Music from Iraq CD and the Terry Riley - You No Good 15 minute endlessly looped what-the-fuck song that will drive anyone crazy. So this time, for day one of cockroach assault, I put in this Junior Delahaye CD, blasted it, and just about melted into a puddle with this first song Love. Enjoy.


Love

The World According to Richard Pryor

A couple years ago for the winter holidays, Anne and I sent out cards with silkscreened images of Richard Pryor's face (that you see on the left) with a note on the inside from his Mudbone personna-"Splash a little sunshine on your face!" Not sure how well those cards went over but we liked to imagine them decorating hearths, next to pretty seasonal cards with reindeer and fireplaces and trees and whatnot. We actually used the same image as a decoration for our wedding last year (in 2004, that is). Mr. Pryor passed away this year after a long battle with MS (he joked about this too!) We were sad to hear it, but happy he had graced us with his comedy for a couple decades. As my first posting on this blog, I am putting up twoRP track. The first is the brilliant closing track from his album Bicentennial Ni**er. The second is in the famous Mudbone persona (maybe all those cards will make sense now!) There are so many tracks to choose from but I think these tracks demonstrate well the way that Pryor turned pain (both personal and racial) into the most thoughtful and thought-provoking comedy. Enjoy!

Richard Pryor RIP Part 2 Mudbone

From Tupelo!