Student Travels More Than 5000 Miles To Meet With A Complete Stranger Suggested By Facebook6/17/2019
So I remember a while back on the EC OG site, there was a lively discussion about social media, FB in particular, going on Lord Litter's site but in other threads as well. For me, it's very complicated, this relationship ( Not to ape social media language oops look out too late ) of which I present the following as evidence, to be sure, but also a bit of a calling card for those who might not know me -
https://www.boredpanda.com/film-student-travels-more-than-5000-miles-to-be-friends-with-a-complete-stranger/ 
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I was looking at the Electronic Cottage site on FB and saw a post by fellow EC member John M. Bennett entitled " Musical Score "  Well, this excited me & I dredged what I could up to accomplish the task. But feeling my lather, I realized it might be interesting to do a bit of cross pollination & create a version exclusive to the Electronic Cottage site - So flew as fast as I could to Las Vegas, put on my Gold Lamé tonsils, & created a intimate & incredibly sensual version exclusive to EC - Needless to say, you are all quite welcome. And needless to say, many thanks to John M. Bennett Stream 320 kbps MP3 Download WAV file version 
 I was on social media, and I saw this posting by Tom Carter -
Famous for his work in Charalambides, he has been active in the experimental / improvised underground music scenes for a while now - Here’s what he had to say - "I’m very happy to announce that I've been awarded a 2019 Let Creativity Happen grant for an upcoming gallery presentation on Houston Underground Cassette Culture 1980-1989. In contrast to its active hardcore scene, Houston experimental music of the 80s remains largely undocumented on vinyl apart from a few obvious signposts (the Pain Teens and Culturcide being the most visible). Houston Underground Cassette Culture 1980-1989 will focus on cassettes and other ephemera produced by this scene in tiny editions (sometimes as low as the single digits) throughout the 1980s. Planning for this show is in its infancy. If you're a musician or label owner from this era please get in touch — I am personally connected to a few players in this scene, but my knowledge is the tip of a very large iceberg and I need to collect a lot more information and artifacts. I'm also interested in hearing from anyone who might be interested in playing the exhibit opening. I'll be posting a lot more about this soon, including dates and locations. Thank you @houstonartsalliance and @HoustonMOCA! #letcreativityhappen19" 
Greetings All ~! Allow me to present , here for the first time, a release with myself ( {AN} EeL ) and fellow electronic cottager William Davison (Bim Prongs) - A Collection of live & studio material, with a very limited physical release (CD) available at the WOMEN FROM SPACE festival (womenfromspace.com) which is highly recommended for those in the area. Also available in person from us - Speaking from my end, it's always a pleasure playing with Bim Prongs and I'm happy we have a aural document to present.
Here's some verbiage from our surrealist news correspondent , C.R.W.
Track 1: Synaptic Tinphonic Ungent Dodecahedrons, Occasionally
Wire tension steam escapes as insect wing song from the chair. Drill bits break through metal plates. Guitars rumble through the train tunnel and castanet bicycle. Who’s that cat? Mumbling keys? Watch out for the snorkel rug animal hijinks and ping pong turkey. What grandma knows. The pomegranate lettuce factory engine. Just who is that bird call turntable wet tuba tape deck fridge echo iron light switch? Door alarm cone says so, maverick duck cloud across the balsa wood walks, in cymbal wheels and mouth gumball. Then a sudden hillside in any direction to Funky Town Ridge…after that bell. Track 2: Leaning Imperceptibly, Voracious Egret Catch the teapot! It’s that door--guitar door throat umpire ledge. A toy guitar drags behind a sack of car rims, a game glitch submarine stretch, rice paper crumble siren mouth rag & moth submarine. Shredder tube weathervane duster orc wind plexi: Eleven minutes of rain. Ticker tape amps listen and leap. A sleeping mouse slips through the wall, an utter string engine lathe. Swill grebe horns, blue twister dog. Lava laser spine arch. Clover light, glass ears and winter soprano--that pine cone piano so tall--and a card trick tongue. ~ C.R.W. Qkcofse at Facebook Qkcofse at Free Music Archive 
{AN} EeL I’ve known Matthew Schultz for many years, having spent some of our formative years in the same college town, running in similar unconventional circles in that milieu - We’ve since gone on to do many other things, but I thought it would be interesting to interview Mr. Schultz in that the entire time I’ve known him, he has constantly been vigorously pursuing the more challenging strains of art - Here’s the 23 Questions for Matthew Schultz.  Matthew Schultz #1) I think you are probably most widely known for your work in Lab Report / Pigface. Anything you’d like to say about that ? Mathew Schultz: Those were two very different projects, albeit aligned in the same appendage of alternative music. At the time, I had created my version of this instrument called the Anti Tank Guitar or ATG. It was a large lap steel behemoth that could generate incredibly low frequencies and percussive blasts. I used it in both bands and the music was predominantly dark ambient.  Anti Tank Guitar It was very much a form of shadow practice for me personally. Admittedly, I could not see it as clearly as I do now, but I used to say in interviews that I was "Expressing the collective unconscious of American culture." In other words, I was purging demons, mine, and the public. And in general, creating an aural darkness so black that people would want to turn from it. Unfortunately, they did not. They embraced it. So, I decided to call it quits and dissolve the project. #2) What is your current environment like? MS: Considering that the first question took us back almost 30 years, and it feels that my week is everyone else's year, where I am at now is in great contrast to the Pigface Lab Report days. I have lived 10 lifetimes. Personally, I believe in evolution and progression. If I were to be doing the same thing that I was back then, I would most certainly and immediately discontinue this incarnation. I feel that I need to keep building on my past, and my learned experiences and grow and evolve. With that said, I am now a college professor and I teach art and design. I live in a small quaint dwelling in a rural area of Illinois with very few possessions. Mostly, I have altars around my home in which I work on my Matgick, indigenous and shamanic practices. I run sweat lodges based on Lakota and Mesoamerican Mayan traditions and create art and what could be considered new age music. I run sweat lodges. You can visit that site here.  #3) You practice creative projects across a wide spectrum - Performance / Music / Visual Art / Etc.. What medium do you find the most consistency interesting to you ? MS: They all do. Honestly, I am interested in everything and I need to be involved in many different mediums. When I created The Division, I was working on music, sculpture, ceramics, bookbinding, and performance all in the same day. It was fantastic. I loved it. The Division is an entire hermetic order that I created, replete with a museum exhibition. You can visit that website here.  Admittedly, although I am not a musician, it seems that I have done a lot of music and that was my main interest for quite some time. I think I have been on some 35 albums now with 8 solo productions. Here is the link.  #4) I know you’ve worked with some pretty notable individuals - Are there any artists out there that you would really like to collaborate with?  MS: Genesis P-Orridge and Lydia Lunch were on my 2nd CD. Gen, in particular, was truly one of the most interesting individuals for me to collaborate with because I was such a huge TG fan growing up. I really feel that Throbbing Gristle was one of the most influential sound projects to me. I also love your work, Neal!! I love collaborating with you! If I could collaborate now? It's hard to pick because I have so many different avenues of production. Is this an "If you could hang out with anyone? Who would it be.... type questions?" I would like to work with Alejandro Jodorowsky on an esoteric film about the tarot. Oh, wait...!! Here is an image of a card from the tarot deck I am currently designing.  #5) What can you say about your film experiments? MS: I was a cinema student a long time ago and I my main interest was experimental shorts. More recently, I edited a feature on the Karmapa entitled "Never Give Up. ~ Karmapa 17." This was a straight forward documentary. I have to say that I do prefer the experimental. There is a poetry that film can create in which most film ignores, en lieu of straightforward narratives, and apparently now with superheroes. The ability to run overlays and multiple layers can so simultaneously express concepts that no other art can achieve. When Lab Report played, in its prime, I had over 13 movie projectors running super 8 and 16mm films in slow motion at the same time. There was a blending of 1970s stag porn and family home movies...everything was crossing each other and accompanied by the most horrific nightmare music. It was a textural field and fans after expressed that they wouldn’t have sex for months after a show. Mission accomplished, I thought. As cinema grew quicker, more staccato and progressive, and because I became interested and am still interested in slowing time down, both literally and figuratively, and because I already explored the multi-textural overlays, I started to create single shot experimental shorts. I completely understand that this has been done with Warhol’s 'Empire' but I wanted to explore the lack of manipulation and force the viewer to meditate on one simple idea. I feel that there was a meditative aspect to the film then. That and there is "a truth" in not editing. You can view some of those videos here.  #6) What keeps you busy these days? MS: Nowadays, I run sweat lodges and practice learning traditional indigenous songs, mostly Lakota. I also build ceramic instruments like ocarinas and drums. In 2007 I had started working with a Lakota medicine man. I was a fire tender and worked with him for years. At the same time, I started studying with Mayan elders and for two years frequented Guatemala and Mexico working with them and I was initiated in 2010. I did my vision quests and received my peace pipe in 2011.  #7) I know you are involved in a lot of critical thinking about art in general - What do you think the state of the Art world, or Art itself is art the current moment? MS: Simply put, fine art is dead. Almost all the true talent left and went into design, film, comics, animation, music, and motion graphics. Most of what I see nowadays in fine art, albeit may be good or moderately interesting, is really just rehashing old hack. Seriously, I feel the field is barren and void of any worth. 2 Dimensionally I find the visionary digital artists and painters are the last bastion of heartfelt work. #8) What is a perfect day for you? MS: A perfect day for me is getting up without an alarm. This is very important. I have created a life where I don't use an alarm. Naturally, I wake up with the sun so it is seasonal. I'll spend considerable time in the in-between state of sleep and awake. If it's really good, I will control the dream I just woke up from. While in this state, I will roll out of bed and move to an altar and begin to meditate. I do this for as long as necessary. I will then do yoga using a computer app that allows me to design my own routines. I will burn sage and copal. Then, I like to read my political articles while drinking coffee from my French Press. I usually post profanity and outrage on Facebook regarding these articles. Then I will move to my other FB account and read about spirituality and indigenous practices. I will then post a positive platitude. After that, I will assemble all my gear for my sweat lodge and proceed off the equestrian center where it is located. I can spend time with the horses and proceed to set up the lodge, build the fire and get ready for the ceremony. #9) What kind of things do you find have changed in the time we were in school together? MS: We were in school together back in the late 1980s. SO it has been quite some time. I think the world is completely backward now and we are witnessing mass madness and hysteria. Much of this has to do with living in a microwave of cellular tower frequencies and late stage capitalism. #10) Is Guava a Doughnut? Is Dover a seaport? #11) We live in scary times. What do you find most disturbing about the current situation? MS: This is really unprecedented! If one were to remove themselves from the situation and just drop in and review the data, it would appear that the world and humanity are on verge of collapse and an eventual dystopian nightmare. The United States has literally gone completely mad. It is run by a TV show celebrity who is a narcissist cocaine and woman abuser and a Russian agent. Right-wing, Neo-Nazi groups are taking over the world with Bolsonaro, Trump, and Duterte. Elon Musk wants to surround the planet in an unprecedented G5 poison. It is so insane, you can't even get upset anymore. I go to protests, create podcasts and try to spread the word but it's too far gone. Now, I spend my days resigning off that I will die miserably, but it was fun to see it all collapse. I am being harsh and hyperbolic. I am actually very hopeful. We have people like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez! What has happened is that all Americans are now seeing their shadow. It's no longer just me seeing it. Everyone is acting out. Unfortunately, most can't see it clearly and even less know how to deal with it. It has been, and always will be, my job to help people with their shadow. I just went from one approach 30 years ago to a new approach now with my sweat lodges and other healing modalities. My job has been and will always be a cultural destroyer. That is what the Mayans exposed to me. I am from the Blue Light Family. We are here to tear your system apart. #12) What do you do to restore your hope / faith in humanity? Ayahuasca. #13) What was your childhood like? MS: I am writing a book at the moment. It covers many stories from my past including being molested as a child, becoming a drug addict, recovery, and finally how I got to where I am now. In general, my childhood was totally fucked up. I wish we had shaman when we were growing up. #14) I really enjoy, for lack of a better way of putting it, some of your “ Art Pranks “ - Would you care to illustrate or elaborate on some of your projects that might fit this description? MS: Thanks! I love them and find that is where my art is being directed nowadays. I am very interested in social networking, the internet of things, crowd-sourced fundraising etc. So I put together campaigns. One was called "Get a Liberal Out of America" I made a commercial so that I could promote the project. Basically, it said that I was a liberal and that I know I am hated by the right-wing, so I asked them to pay for me to leave the country. I even built a series of bumper stickers as rewards for leaving. These were horrible anti-liberal stickers and if they gave enough I would actually give them an armband with a swastika on it. Albeit, it was the symbol of the Buhdda's heart and not the Nazi one. What was amazing about this project was that I had an intern at the time working on it with me. Collectively, we had spent over a month researching every possible website and Facebook group from both the left and the right in order to promote the project. My intern, who is not a paranoid conspiracy theorist finally said to me, "I cannot believe that there is not some type of gate from this IP address which will not allow this information to get to the public." I honestly think he was right. The only person who picked it up was Joe Rogan. The project can be found here.  #15) I’m interested in how the main thrust of creativity is like a living thing, ebbing from things as they move along & relocating into emergent genres - Where do you think the main thrust or dynamism of creative grist is found these days? MS: I think there are several avenues here. One is the magic that is Hollywood. I don't mean that in a cute adoring way. I mean that in the kind of Rosemary's Baby or The Wizard of Oz kind of way. The idea that there truly is a greater secretive cabal performing a twisted fucked up magic on the public via movies, TV and now Facebook and social media. I mean Grant Morrison admits it and does it in a cool way. A quick and recent example is that Thanos in 'Avengers: Infinity War' quite easily expresses a logical argument for genocide in order to protect the universe from overpopulation. He is kind of right, and that he won in the end and no viewer really cared. I mean if you bring this up people are flabbergasted and don't know what you are talking about. Another avenue is the creativity behind the American, Christian, fascism which is now fully out of the closet. I mean there are just hordes of people redirecting their creative energy into making photoshopped anti-Hillary memes and driving to local towns to stand in front of abortion centers and yell at people in the name of Jesus. They have these horribly designed placards but they have been designed by someone somewhere and printed and shipped. It's insanity, pure and total insanity. I did a podcast called the Max Podcast with my alter ego, Max Hertz.  I have an episode where I interviewed a woman, a conservative woman, who wrote on her Facebook wall that she did not really support the troops. It was very Bill Hicks and I and about 3 other people understood that. Hicks, the comedian, said that he may support a single troop if he met them and found out about them personally. He was stressing that he did not support the troops, en mass, because that would be falling victim to propaganda. Moreover, he was expressing that the troops volunteer and he had a hard time supporting someone who volunteered to murder people. Anywho, the Facebook group 'Dysfunctional Veterans' outright attacked her with the vigor they put into their campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan. It was unbelievable. I was shocked and in awe. In a couple short days, there was over a 1000 comments and memes on her post. They were calling her a 'Cunt' and actually took pictures off her FB page and photoshopped a vagina into her mouth. I shit you not. It was horrific. A link to the podcast can be found here. They researched her and her family and sent threats and destroyed her husband's business. Imagine that level of creativity redirected towards solving global warming or augmenting capitalism or space travel. We'd be living in a utopian socialist jungle with regular trips to Mars paid for by corporations and solar power. #16) What are you currently reading?? MS: • 'Animated Earth: A Story of Peruvian Whistles and Transformation' by Daniel Statnekov • 'The Biology of Belief' by Bruce Lipton • 'Invisibles' by Grant Morrison ( I KNOW! I am late) • 'Clay: A Studio Handbook' by Vince Pitelka #17) What draws you into mandalas? MS: I had spent years studying with Mayan eldersa and in the end, I was initiated. This involved smoking Bufo 5-MeO-DMT, and Datura, and many, many other rituals. This experience put me on the other side of reality for over a week. This is one of the main things I am writing about in my book now. With this experience, and being on the other side for so long, I wanted to express it and the best way seemed the Jungian practice of creating mandalas. For the next year, I created several every weekend and came up with over 250. I whittled those back to the best 50 for my book entitled 'Mandalas.' I then scored an album called 'Mandalas' and utilized the binaural beats systems. I created the patterns for Alpha, Beta, and Theta waves meditation practices. Then I masked that under new age music that I wrote. The viewer was meant to look at the mandala and listen to the music and meditate.  More recently I created a new series that are the chakras. I utilized cymatics to create the shape from the note that is the chakra. Again, the idea is that you are actually looking at the visual frequency of the chakra. A free copy of the Mandalas book and CD can be found here.  #18) Do you consider yourself to be a spiritual person? MS: Absolutely! Life is no fun without magical thinking. I tried science for a long time. That cult was way too dogmatic. #19) What is your preferred modus operandi? MS: I am a reactionary. Most of what I do is a reaction to my environment. I know that seems contradictory to what I've said previously. For instance, I was working on a particular body of work about serial killers in the early 2000s when 911 happened. I did not particularly want to create art about politics but I had to switch. I did all these stamp art projects.  It ended up where I was invited by the University of Illinois political science department to lecture on the rise of fascism in America and how my art was expressing that. I did the lecture and the video on Google Videos, some 15 years ago, had over 100K views. Someone had to point of the rise of Fascism in America. It was so obvious. The Division was still a reaction to that but also my reaction to studying the esoteric, alchemy, and mystic orders, etc. The mandala event is a reaction to my Mayan initiation. #20) What project of effort of yours do you wish people were more aware of? All of them. #21) What are you currently working on? MS: I am building shamanic camps for kids where they build musical instruments and masks and dance around large fires!! I run my sweat lodges over the summer. I also do holotropic breath workshops. #22) Heard any good jokes lately? America #23)
Why Resist? MS: I am not certain anymore that you should. In the kind of Tao of it... all things just are. They are as they should be. If you wish to resist and it effects you and you suffer from anxiety and hate your life; then what good is it? If you wish to change the world and like the fight; then let's go!
Today I released a compilation album on my Bandcamp site called FRIENDS OF SOUNDS & NOISES, Vol. 2 - Like the first volume in this series, this volume is focused primarily on the music of others, although I always can’t help myself and have to join in the fun - I have an appearance here as well - But I’d like to go over some of my thoughts of the artists as they appear here.
ELMS - The Path (https://elms.bandcamp.com) -
I discovered the music of ELMS when I relocated here, and he appears regularly - As this track no doubt sheds some light on - I’d say my favorite part of the music is it’s soulful quality - And the dizzying landscapes it conveys.
Joel Crutcher - (https://panpanpanaviandistresscall.bandcamp.com/track/duct-tape-wont-fix-this_) - Like something out of a desert twilight, this one - A very atmospheric sonic treat.
Albert Negredo (http://albertnegredo.net) - I came across his work online & really glad to have done so - He appears twice on this release.
Wilfried Hanrath (https://www.youtube.com/user/flyingtonefish) - Another virtual connection, I’ve not known Wilfred that long but we’ve already got quite a catalog of various collaborations, and I’m always thrilled to hear what he has in store for us!!
Peter Wullen (https://soundcloud.com/peter-wullen) - I believe it was first on Soundcloud we became acquainted, but it’s hard to say - He’s a very busy boy & I’ve seen his work in a number of different contexts & across various media, with the aspect of a high quality across the board ~! Check it out.
The Bim Prongs (http://www.recordism.com/The_Bim_Prongs.html) one of my great joys in re-locating to Canada has been the opportunity to collaborate in a variety of ways with Electronic Cottage’s own W.A. Davison - AKA = THE BiM PRoNGS - Top Shelf Stuff ~!
Jaap Blonk & Nora Mulder - (http://www.jaapblonk.com) (http://noramulder.nl) - I’ve had the good fortune to interact with these two amazing musicians in the past, and was able to get them to record some collaborations they made during a recent tour - What can I say? Sit back & enjoy masters at their craft.
Antonella Eye Porchelluzzi
(https://antonellaeyeaynilporcelluzzi.bandcamp.com/) - Another international collaboration, coming to us from France with some tasty sounds.
Awkward Geisha
(https://awkwardgeisha.bandcamp.com) - One of the things about organizing these albums is the random nature of what happens - I'm sorry to say that Awkward Geisha - Primarily a rotating collective centered around Ade Rowe - Has closed up shop. I don't know if this is the last song released, but it is near the end of their run - And the end of an era. Happy to have been a small part of the legacy.
Eddie Lee Sausage & Infinite Article - (https://www.facebook.com/groups/24267847400/) -
Eddie Lee Sausage & myself have a personal history, having spent time in the trenches of the artist’s community in the driftless region of Wisc. - Still cherished memories - Speaking of which, Here’s Peter & Raymond - AKA SHUT UP LITTLE MAN, which Mr. Sausage had a pivotal role in bringing to the world.
#Grim6i6ter6 (https://www.mixcloud.com/thea-blachship/) is another guise of a collaborator of mine who works in a number of sonic realms - I've made albums with Diluadnumb another guise - Good stuff all around -
{AN} EeL (https://soundcloud.com/nealretke) - This guy - What the heck can you say about this guy ? He's setting the world on fire with his movie star good looks ? He's a virtual Lothario ? It seems like he's part toad ? - Truth is, folks, I just muddle along as best I can.
James Bailey (https://www.pinterest.ca/weirdcanada/weird-100-canadas-forgotten-underground/?lp=true) - His album DIMENSIONS cracked top 100 Canadian Underground sounds, and like the BIM PRONGS I’m delighted my location in Canada has allowed multiple collaborations.
Glenn Sogge ( https://auralfilms.bandcamp.com ) another prolific internet denizen, I’d encountered his work many times before we came together in a field recording project - And have collaborated from time to time since.
The Psycho Paranoid Flower Power Electro Shit Song Company
(https://psychoparanoidflowerpowerelectroshitsongcompany.bandcamp.com)- Full disclosure - I’ve been a member of this fluid & cryptic ensemble in the past - But this is all the enigmatic C. Viard ~!
And there you have it - I am always amazed at how selfless & stunning the artist who work with me are - These volumes often have sparks & fire, and it’s always down to the high level of quality of the artists that I am happily fortunate enough to work with -
And keep this in mind dear reader, I enjoy collaborations and am open to projects, so if you have something in mind do not hesitate to get in touch ~! https://panpanpanaviandistresscall.bandcamp.com/album/friends-of-sounds-noises-vol-2 Volodymyr Bilyk is a Poet from Ukraine who writes in English. I first encountered his works online and been fascinated with it ever since. He works in a variety of styles all aimed to pushing aesthetic boundaries as far as possible. I find his work to be compelling at that. Over the years we have collaborated on a numerous recordings including the Scott Telles collaboration. A few weeks ago I caught up with him to figure it all out.  *** # 1 ) Describe the area around you The word that best describes an area around me is "drab". In a bad way. Kyiv is like Adam Sandler trying to pull off Kafka. In other words - rather disjointed and displaced affair with conflicting tones, everstumbling pacing and mishmash of dissonant styles. The whole thing is missing the point of itself. It is a architectural equivalent of pink noise. Terrible place to live in unless you like killing yourself as slow as possible. # 2 ) When did you first become interested in poetry? The answer is twofold. On one hand, my first real encounter with poetry started a chain reaction that led to me rediscovering my real cultural identity. On the other hand, it took me quite a while to start writing poetry on my own. The thing is - Ukraine is heavily damaged by the years of russian occupation. The toll of it is felt to this day and it makes really hard to express your cultural identity without being judged as a phoney neanderthal. I lived in an intensely russified community that dismissed all things ukrainian because that was the state of things for generations. I felt numb, almost catatonic for the majority of my early life, i couldn't really express my thoughts the way i want - it was all contorted and bland on the way out. I was meandering. Then i've stumbled upon an old issue of YI magazine and there was a selection of modern ukrainian poetry. I have never seen modern ukrainian poetry before that - all i saw was some stuff from school which was unrepresentative of the real ukrainian literature and often ukrainian culture in general. Because of that - reading those poems was like encountering an alien life. One poem in particular struck me the most. It was Oleh Lysheha's Song 551. It went like this: "Bang your head against the ice before it is too late" and "You're human - no one will ever catch you". That was it. Song 551 caused a seismic shift in my mind. There was a notion that i’ve just entered another world and it was just right for me. I felt at home and things were never the same again. It shattered my mind - literally. The shackles of the russian language had fallen off me and was free to go where i belonged. However, this interest in poetry never really went beyond reading. I didn't felt like i was ready to do something of my own. I was reading like crazy - but it never really went further. My language skills left a lot to be desired and it took almost a decade to gain confidence in my writing skills.  # 3 ) Does your Hair hang low ? Do you tie it in a Bow ? “Answer”: Not at all. However, there is a chance for it to be so, but there is no reason for it to be that way. In fact, there is no point for it at all. But so-and-so is definitely so-so regarding that matter. But who cares? This doesn’t even address the question. In a way, this is a loop of perplexion. Real answer: Nothing to talk about. It is short. # 4 ) At what point did you know you were a poet? As I've mentioned before - it took me a while to really start writing my own stuff. Three reasons for that. 1 - i needed to get a better grasp on language; 2 - i needed to expand my frame of reference; 3 - there was no one to help. The thing is - Ukrainian literary community is not the place where you can really learn the ropes and get any constructive lessons. It actively neuters any form of expression that is not conventional or acceptable by the silent majority. I've tried to fit in for some time but it wasn't working so i became an exile pretty fast. I had nowhere to go but into the depths of internet hoping to break through some day. For years i was floundering without much of a purpose before the fateful acquaintance. In late 2011, early 2012 i was introduced to Andriy Antonovskiy (the greatest living poet) who was doing all things experimental in Barcelona with occasional crusades to Ukraine. It was he who really gave me the confidence to find my own way and never look back. Andriy was a force of nature that was coming out of nowhere just because - a visceral representation of the concept known as "My Way". He could turn anything into a piece of art by sheer force of will without even breaking a sweat. I adopted this attitude from him and it really helped me to stand on my own over the years. When it came to making a decision to write poetry in english - it was Yuriy Tarnawsky who showed me how to make it. He combined ukrainian language mindset with the flexibility of english language and forged something completely different out of it. # 5 ) I think of you as being a poet foremost, but you have other areas of interest as well what are some other things you are into that I might not know about ? I started out as a "musician". Zhytomyr had a big extreme metal scene back in mid-00s with a particular emphasis on black metal aesthetics. I was part of several of such bands. It was part ridiculous and part pathetic "kids are taking things too serious". One of them, titled Aba Wartus was especially stupid. We've tried to play long, drawned out monotonous stomps but our drummer was low on endurance so our songs were rearranged into ultra-short grindcore-like blasts. The lyrics were mostly scary-scary-spooky word salad. I even had a devilock once - until it failed to caught fire. Then i've tried my hand in book illustration. I was doing all sorts of stuff here and there - caricatures, abstracts, commentary pieces... but it didn't end well because it turned out that some book and magazine publishers don't really like to pay for what they have commissioned. It left me demotivated  # 6 ) What are some of your favorite artworks? I really like Ernest Hemingway's Blank Verse because of what it represents. It is a phoney poem made by a very young and immature man who was just poking fun at pretentious folks over the sea. Nothing really special but that is what makes it special. On the other hand, there is nothing better than John Cage's "4'33" because it is always a chance to discover something new  # 7 ) You are a very prolific artist - Can you tell us about your latest project ? To be honest, I don't think i can be considered prolific. Sure, I do a lot of stuff but the majority of it is not actually a piece of work itself but rather an exploration of some methods or concepts for it. Sometimes it works, sometimes - don't. The actual projects are few and far between. For the last three years the only thing i really did was the book of poems "Roadrage". In one way or another, every piece of writing i did over this period of time was an exploration of possibilities for this book. Some of it can stand on its own, most of it - not. Some of it spawned other kinds of developments but it is too soon to say whether anything of it will come into fruition in any way. As for the latest project - at the moment, i'm developing a closet sitcom (i.e. reading only) for one of website. It is a hack job but a great exercise in throwing things against the wall and analyzing the results. # 8 ) What is your average day like ? I get up at 7 and spent the next hour meditating. I’m a night person and even though i’ve spent the most of my life getting up early - i have troubles getting a decent sleep. After a meditation, i take a shot of coffee and go to work where i spend the majority of the day. I try not to think about anything artistic during my working hours. Not that it really distracts me from work, I just really enjoy to put "not thinking about it" constraint and then unleash it as if it was a dam bust after hours. Not the greatest technique, but the best i’ve came up with. Usually, i take a walk during a lunchtime. Sometimes i improvise a piece or two, sometimes - not. It is too noisy on the streets to really concentrate. Upon returning home i take a nap and then proceed to do some creative stuff. I start with writing gibberish and getting used to keyboard. It is something of a transitional technique. After a couple of minutes i’m in the right mindset and ready to work. Then i go to sleep and the whole thing repeats.  # 9 ) How to you see poetry , or perhaps even the word itself, faring in the tech world ahead ? I think poetry and written word in general is doing better than ever in the digital domain. I don’t think we should oppose technology, especially in case if one doesn’t get how it contributes to the craft. Technology is a tool and as such it should be used. Merged with creative intuition - it is capable of incredible things. That’s an obvious fact. There are many possibilities to explore. The adoption of various technologies can really push the boundaries of writing in a new direction and make some truly unique things. There are many tools that make the writing process more focused and efficient. There are many dictionaries at hand, automatic editing/formatting tools and so on. All that provides writer with opportunities. For instance, cryptography is really exciting - both classical and modern. It shows the text as a completely different entity and it is something really worth exploring. Then there are passwords. The whole idea of a password contains so much artistic potential. I'm really excited about conversational technologies and voice synthesis. I think that it can be a great opportunity for theater and video-art. On the other hand, natural language processing had reached a level when an algorithm is capable of producing semi-coherent text out of large corpuses that require significantly less editing than it was before. Then there are generative and manipulative tools for all sorts of things that can give you an unexpected idea or two and show something from a very different perspective. With that being said, it doesn't mean that technology can substitute writing skills itself.  # 10 ) I don’t really remember how we came to collaborate, I know it just sort of happened - I love the organic nature of collaborations, and appreciate ours. If you could collaborate with any artist, living or dead, who would that be & why ? The whole point of artistic collaboration is to make something out of the ordinary for both artists. It gives a different perspective. As for which artists i would like to collaborate with - I tend to be realistic about the possibilities of collaborating with this or that artist and not to fantasize about it. # 11 ) How would you describe what you do ? (cue Pinhead voice) Exploration of the further regions of comprehension. To be honest, i’m a phoney, so it doesn’t really matter how i describe what i do - it is always a con. # 12 ) How do you feel about traveling ? Due to budget constraints and dayjob i don't have much mobility, but i really like travelling elsewhere just to hang out in a different environment and feel different kinds of vibes. In fact, i would like to move out from Ukraine to a greener pastures but i don't think it would happen anytime soon due to all the issues connected with immigration. # 13 ) What is the biggest influence on your creative work ? My primary writing training came while working as a journalist and trying out ever possible topic in every imaginable form. It was disposable, throwaway stuff no one really cared about. Not really inspiring creatively, but good for developing discipline and mastering a variety of technique. This state of things taught me to use everything at my disposal to do something else, something new or inappropriate. Since no one cared about it, i had a lot of space to poke fun at the establishment and conventions. For example, I did a sonnet about police corruption based on an official press-release. It was back and forth - comparing statements with reality. When belated decommunization came around - i did a series of eulogy limericks for the removed communist monuments. It was scathing cognitive dissonance melodrama aimed at no one. My favorite victim were court hearings and legal language. I’ve spent hundred of hours composing word salads out of legal terms to cover bunch of stuff that made zero sense from any perspective. Overall, the thing with influences depends on a particular piece of work. For example, "Roadrage" was sparked out of a notion of a wreckage, a carcrash i was experiencing at that point of time. On the other hand, "Lisa Simpson Poems" were driven by "let's mess with the dictionary" method. "Eellogofusciouhipoppokunurious" was influenced by wingding font and dada collages. Codex Abyssus was inspired by the concept of Horror Vacui and maze-like structures.  # 14 ) Can you give us an example of something really weird that happened to you ? I’ve met an apparition of William Faulkner once. It was back when i was in the university. The year was probably 2010 or 2011. I was coming back from lunch - going through the yard before the university campus and there was an old gentlemen sitting on a bench in a middle of the yard. I only had a side glance on him but it struck me that something was wrong about him. He looked too different from anybody else and for some reason i felt i knew him. But i’d shrugged it off and went to the classroom. But while i was going there - the notion was growing and by the time i’d reached the door it was unbearable. It hit me - it was William Faulkner! William Faulkner! But why? He was dead for a long time and didn’t even cared much about his stuff. But it was definitely Faulkner. And so i ran back to the yard and there was this man sitting on a bench, definitely enjoying himself. I’ve looked at him and greeted and he did the same and then there was this prolonged awkward pause and he asked me “anything i can help?”. I asked him “Are you William Faulkner?” and he looked at me as if i have pointed out something eerily apparent and said “yeah, so what?” and i felt really lost. This was William Faulkner. He was sitting on a bench near the university campus for some reason. And i was talking to him. After another overstretched awkward pause i said “well, i gotta go” and went back to the campus feeling really confused. # 15 ) Why Poetry ? Why not more conventional writing methods ? I don’t think it is correct to differentiate writing methods as conventional and unconventional. It all depends on what goals you are pursuing in a particular piece. The fact that some of them are more accepted than the others doesn’t really matter in the end. Why poetry? Poetry is a the purest expression of language. It can bend whatever way you need it. As a form of artistic exploration - it is as good as it gets. Huzzah, right? # 16 ) What do you think the state of the world of poetry is ? No idea. Don't really care about it. # 17 ) Do you think that your art is political ? For sure. Anything is political in one way or another. The whole establishment over what can be and cannot be done in certain artistic forms and mediums is political. Thus my work is political because i'm doing something different and that opposes general status quo by the very fact of its existence. In more conventional terms - i don’t really care about it.  # 18 ) You had a post about giving a word & you providing an adventure - Could you provide an adventure here for the word - Opulence ? The whole "give me the word and i'll give you an adventure" is an exercise in what can be described as "shooting from the hip". You want a piece on “Opulence”, here it is: Bee's Bumble Dreaming Whispering Digesting Boredom... Pallid dew of nothing Running forsaken... (“confounded opacification”) Never-Ending Black Torrent Turns into Olive and Gray Vortex . # 19 ) Do you consider yourself a spiritual person ? Making art is a form of mysticism. It is about going beyond, into the parts unknown. That makes me a spiritual person by default. As for other spiritual stuff - I'm trying to be open-minded regarding anything but i don't like believing in something abstract just because it might be something worthwhile to believe in. # 20 ) What is the factor that most slows your artistic output ? I don't think there is anything that slows me down really. I'm naturally slow person. In fact, i'm so slow sometimes i feel like a starfish - to the point people would think i'm doing nothing while i'm actually slowly but surely moving forward. (That's why i dig Van Sant's "Gerry" and Bela Tarr stuff). Sure, i can list many obvious things that can be considered as slowdown factors. Dayjob, procrastination, relationships, physical exhaustion, mental burnout, lack of interest, and so on - but these are the things i have to deal with regardless of what whether i want it or not. While it seems like i'm doing a lot of stuff - most of it are just studies for something bigger and that is usually the thing that grows very slowly. As i've mentioned before - writing "Roadrage" took me three years and I don't think things will get faster over time. On the other hand, i think it is good that things are going slow as it makes every next step matter more. # 21 ) Any projects / groups you are involved with you’d like folks to know about ? One of my longest running projects is a TUMBLR blog that collects various abstract black panels from the comic books. It creates a unique found and appropriated narrative full of vacuoussness and opacity. Black panels blog can be found here: https://bil-sabab-black-panels.tumblr.com . Then there is another TUMBLR blog titled Cut’n’Splash that makes similar kind of narrative with all sorts of panels from comic books. It is a kind of neverending appropriated exquisite corpse. Cut’n’Splash can be found here: https://cut-n-splash.tumblr.com # 22 ) What are your plans for the future ?
I live by the rule of "Don't think about it - do it". Because of that, i'm not really planning anything ahead. Aside from, probably, writing a song based on JG Ballard's short story "Concentration City" for ST37. # 23 ) Why Resist ? Because The Beatles "Because".  I saw a recent update where Hal proposed that we have projects with an emphasis on mutual collaboration within the EC community.
In the spirit of that, I’d like to propose a project where an album of sonic material is created by using tracks consisting of myself and other EC members in a series of Duets. I would also propose that each Duet collaborate on an image for their tracks together. Depending on the interest level & logistics, the cover could also be a sort of “ Jam “ Session whereby all the collaborators create an image. While I’m not inclined to propose a deadline at this point, I’m thinking something later this year in the late fall / winter - If you are interested, please let me know here or send me an email directly  G.X. JUPITTER-LARSEN is a legendary figure in the underground cultural scene - One of the major figures & pioneers of the North American Noise scene, his work as THE HATERS still resonates & stirs today - G.X. Jupitter-Larsen at Bandcamp - However, his vision is very much beyond any simple genre of art - In the time I’ve known of his work, he’s been a manager of a pro wrestling team & holder of a title belt, drilled a hole in the sky, written novels, organized seminal compilations series, created movies, collected collections, and much, much more - I thought I would catch up with him & ask a few questions to perchance gain some insight to this huge underground icon - 1: So, G.X. - What are you up to these days? GX: Peachy keen…!!! 2: You are very much an international artist - You currently reside in the USA - Any thought about being an international artist living in the states these days? GX: I have lived all over the world, yes, but I keep coming back to America. It’s the only place that’s ever really felt like home to me. 3: You have a long track record, and have been a witness & key player in many different scenes as they have risen & fallen. What are your thoughts on the current state of - for lack of a better way of putting it - the underground music scene? GX: The noise scene remains unique. After some 40-plus years, there are more participants than ever, but there are still very few, if any, real stars or heroes. For a scene, it’s very non-hierarchical. It kind of always has been, but it’s even more so these days. It’ll be very interesting to see where it goes from here.  4: You have worked in many different creative mediums - Is there any particular one that you have not yet explored that you would be keen on doing so? GX: To be a human cannonball. I’d like to get shot out of a cannon. I think that’d be fun. 5: One of my biggest problems with noise music, as a genre, is the negativity & nihilism involved in so much of it. Your work itself references destruction & uses entropy as a source material very often - However, with your work & most noise I enjoy there is actually a unbridled optimism, I find it brimming with life & energy - How would you address someone such as myself who has problems with the negativity & nihilism in noise music? GX: A true nihilist will tell you they’re the only one out there not being negative. 6: You have collaborated with so many different artists, and from a personal standpoint it was a thrill & honor to collaborate with you. What artist were you or are you gobsmacked / starstruck to work with? GX: Tom Baker, the fourth Doctor Who. I love that guy’s voice. I’d love to do some radio work with him. Or maybe some film work. One or the other; or both.  7: I find that a lot of your work is difficult by design. Yet there seems to me as if there is always an underlying current or logic that exists there - How important to you is it that people who are exposed to your art understand ( or think they do ) the art that you present? Or is that not the point? GX: A casual observer's literacy of my vernacular is optional. I employ all misunderstandings as kind of a calibration. Comparing a reinterpretation to the original intent gives me a deeper awareness of my own thought process. By this means, there is no passive audience, only collaborators. 8: It seems to me that with art, as with religion, there are two main approaches to full immersion, - A course of minimalism or maximalism - That is to say, sort of like the idea of natural sciences reproducing Malthusian or Logistic - you strike me as a maximalist - Do you agree with this assessment? If so, what made or makes you commit to this level of intensity & output? GX: Each morning when I wake up I tell myself that this is it. This will be the day I become the minimalist I’ve always wanted to be. But everyday I fail.  9: I know you have done a number of things that have been overtly political - Do you consider your art to be political, and if so why is that the case / how important is that to you? GX: My core political belief is this… Liberty can only be effectively expressed in the company of others. Liberty can only be found in a balance, between a commitment to one’s self and one’s commitment to others. Freedom can only be achieved through responsibility, not greed. Neighbors must be allies, not competitors. Loners will always the first to tell you, we’re all in this together. 10: A lot of people would consider your music / art to be very extreme or “ strange “ - Having been a gigging performer for the length of time you have been, I wonder what show(s) you have witness yourself that you would consider to be particularly extreme / strange? GX: Capitalism is extreme and bizarre. American police are bizarre and extreme. Both the Democrats and Republicans are extreme and bizarre. Everything else is either just interesting or boring. Most things are pretty boring. The noise scene is still pretty interesting. 11: I have to ask - Are you paying any attention to wrestling these days? If so, anything in particular of interest to you? I think we are ( If you move away from the WWE ) in a bit of a golden era for this - As a sub-inquiry, I’d like to comment on your history with Pro-Wrestling if you would. GX: I’ve been watching wrestling since I was a kid. Used to go to live matches every week when I was a teenager. By the time I finally had the opportunity to actually perform in the squared circle I was too old to really do that much. But I gave it my all any way. In the short-lived Oaktown Wrestling Association, about 15 years ago now, I was the manger for the heels. And so I did exactly what you would expect a heel manger would do. I interfered in matches. I interfered as much as possible. It was great fun. Loved every second of it.  12: I think a lot of people who listen to mainstream music would find your sounds to be annoying / dissonant. I can only imagine that the reverse might be the same for you. Are there any genres of music, or particular artists, that you find to be more difficult to listen to than others? Or is it all just sound? GX: I find pop music really depressing. Back in the 70’s I was into Punk, but that got real lame real quick. There’s nothing surprising about most music. At all. I hate being bored. I didn’t really listen to much music of any kind for the longest time till recently. Lately I’ve really gotten into early Mississippi bluegrass. Only the really early stuff. Mississippi Fred McDowell is the best hateful old man who’s really pissed off. Ha! Love that guy! Eddie Son House is another one. Ace Ford from Smegma turned me on to him. Now, when I say I wasn’t listening to music, that doesn’t mean I wasn’t listening to noise. I was. I still do. Most of the time actually. I like to be surprised. Good noise always contains surprises. The one release I’ve listened to the most has to be White Elephant by Speculum Fight. Even after 20 years, I don’t think a week has gone by when I didn’t listen it at least once. Even now, I hear new details for the first time. It might just be Damion Romero’s greatest masterpiece. A release that recently came to my attention is Bronze Cassette by Mansfield Deathtrap Rerecordings. It’s an actual cassette that was actually bronzed. It was done as a limited edition of 27 or so. You play it by dropping it on the floor. Best cassette release ever. Really messing up my hardwood floors though. 13: What is your relationship to nature / the outdoors? GX: I prefer city life. The bigger the city the better. 14: I know there is an aspect of anonymousness to your work - ( I know some people who have been honorary HATERS ) - I don’t think I’ve ever really heard why this is important to you - Would you care to elaborate? GX: There’s nothing anonymous about The Haters. Such “masks” reveal one’s true face. Any way, if we didn’t wear our hoods how would anyone know it was really us? 15: I think it’s very interested that we’ve lived in an era when many genres of music have really come into being - Industrial, Witch House, Rap, Techno, Ect… Is there any new realm of music or new genre of sound that you find particularly compelling? GX: No. 16: You have been very active & very creative for a long time, weathering many storms. If you had to attribute this to a couple of factors, what would you say has allowed you this longevity? GX: Adapt, adopt; and improve…!!! 17: Do you consider yourself a spiritual / religious person? GX: No. Once someone is reabsorbed back into the void, one’s conscious would serve no purpose and therefore be discarded. 18: Is there anything that you wish was more widely known about your work, or any particular aspect that you think people should pay more attention to? GX: No.  19: You’ve worked with many collaborators, in large & small scale ensembles. I know you have people that you’ve worked with for years, decades even. What is the biggest difference for you between collaboration & working as a solo artist? GX: Collaborations are just a nice way of giving your ego a rest and honoring a friendship. 20: I know myself, as I get older, I find myself thinking in terms of a legacy. And I’ve got such a limited history compared to someone such as yourself - If it were entirely up to you, what would you want to be considered as your legacy? How would you like your art to be viewed by future generations since you do have such an expansive body of work? GX: If I were going to be remembered for one thing only, I would want that one thing to be my number system, the Transexpansion Numeral Units. 21: A lot of your work, while not specifically performance art, has a very integral aspect of performance connected to it. Why is this element of physicality & tactile immersion so prevalent in your work? Do you consider performance or documentation to be more reflective of your creative output? GX: Actually, I would say all my work is quite specifically performance art. Sound was quite secondary in my performances for the longest time. It’s only been in the past 20 years that sound became interesting for me. But sound for me is still mainly used as a means of reenforcing the physicality of the action being performed. 22: So It’s a beautiful summer this season - I wonder, what is it that would describe a perfect day for you? What sort of things would happen to put it in that category?
GX: Traveling to some unknown place or parts unknown. 23: Why Resist? GX: It’s more interesting that way… Images Courtesy G.X. JUPITTER-LARSEN I approached William Davison (Recordism) and Qkcofse to collaborate on a virtual / digital collage and this is the result.  |
{AN} EeLNeal D. Retke Archives
June 2019
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