 Hessel and Nicole also were involved in the FANATIC-project. This project started after the Holland Festival shows in 1985. Willem de Ridder and Hessel already started making radio programmes in the late seventies and early eighties: normal stories and fairy-tales for children. But also did sound and storytelling performances with musicians like Alvin Curran, Han Reiziger, Francis Marie Uitti and Jon Rose. During all these recording sessions and travels abroad, Nicole and Cora became more and more part of the ’the sound-mindset’ of Willem and Hessel. A mindset of inspiring each other in making music, storytelling and singing. Listen to and download 320 kbps MP3, "Eronatic" by Fanatic (unreleased). A real-time impro chanting session @ the EXART studios. 
Cora Emens asked Hessel and Nicole Veldman and Willem to join when she was asked to make a sound-art-play. Willem started doing “singing” and making music. Nicole took her ‘playing with objects’ part. Hessel came out of his comfort zone, being a musician, and started chanting as well. The first release was called “Ei blot till list”, an sound-art piece by Cora Emens, released by Confrontation tapes. This worked out so well that Willem, Cora, Hessel and Nicole decided to make more music together and perform at churches and other venues. Willem named us the Fanatic which later became FNTC.  The Ei Blot Til Lyst box; released by Confrontation tapes.  Ei Blot Til Lyst extra info sheet, from the All Chemix Radio series booklet. Listen to "1st Radio Active Rain After Tsjernobil" [Chernobyl]. Made during the winter of 1986/87 by Fanatic, after a journey by Willem and Cora (1986), making fieldrecordings in Germany, outside and later sitting in their mobile-home when the first rain, after the Tsjernobil melt-down disaster, came down. It has this wonderful second part: if life is still there, we survived the disaster, by listening to the baby sounds of Aida, the just born daughter of Willem and Cora.
 During a visit of Annie Sprinkle to Amsterdam many pictures were made. Some have been used for promo illustrations. Many are in our archives.  So we needed a name: FANATIC was born. And FANATIC appeared more and more “on stage”, doing strange perverse performances while audiences were blindfolded and/or confronted with extreme sound-sculptures. In 1986 the name was changed into F.N.T.C. and several music- and videotapes were released during the late 80’s. “NEUROPA”(feat. William Levy) and “OPERA”(feat. Jon Rose) soon became top issues and were broadcasted in many different countries.  a moment during the Fanatic video-plays made in 1985, featuring Annie Sprinkle and Fakir Musafar @ the EXART studios.    Three videos, each 20 minutes were shot in real-time, same as the sound real-time sessions we did as a home farewell party. Just before we moved the studio to another area in IJmuiden. Pictured above are all three covers of the video-boxes.   The cassette Neuropa by Fanatic was released with the magazine Fanatic; the Special Low Mindedness Issue. The magazine was a historic issue, made by Willem de Ridder and William Levy during their publisher years, in London, UK. On the tape there were two radio-plays. Side one: "Europe In Flames" featuring William Levy reading his poem Europe in Flames on the soundscape real-time created by Fanatic. Side two was based on a fieldrecording Willem & Cora made in Belgium, and was called "AZY". Listen to Europe In Flames (excerpt) by Fanatic. A successful and price winning (New York sound-radio-art-festival) radio-art work (total time: 30 minutes) in collaboration with William Levy.
Europe In Flames was reissued on LP by Slowscan in 2016 (limited edition). Information here. Listen to side one of the ‘Opera’ recordings (featuring Jon Rose). Released by Staalplaat.
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First: The name Gorgonzola Legs was from an album by Vivian Stanshall (member of the Bonzo Dog Do-Dah Band) named ’Sir Henry At Rawlinson End’. Quoted: Lady Staines wants a 4th player for a game of bridge ... "Sir Henry" she says, "would you like to be the 4th man?" Henry glared at her wattled neck, gorgonzola legs ... " Madam", he intoned, "I wouldn't even have liked to be the first man!"  Vivian Stanshall. Album cover: Sir Henry At Rawlinson End From 1984 till 1989 one day a week the music collective Gorgonzola Legs gathered in the Fish Warehouse in the harbour of IJmuiden, the main port of Amsterdam. All these moments of making weird sounds and messing around with crazy objects were captured on a 4-track cassette recorder. Hours and hours of recordings were listened to and finally Hessel Veldman made a selection of tracks that were interesting to be remixed into ‘compositions’. Several tapes were released on the ExArt label. [See Post 2] But also two special tapes were released by LOR Tapes and Harsh Reality Music. Slimy Clupea Harengus (LOR Tapes) was a compilation of live recordings made at several venues in The Netherlands. Short Stories (Harsh Reality Music) was a compilation of improvised sound-poetry and storytelling, also recorded at the Fish Warehouse.  Flyer for Slimy Clupea Harengus and Short Stories Listen to and download a track recorded in Haarlem @ Patronaat. From Slimy Clupea Harengus.
April 1988 the cd ‘Piscatorial Debris’ was released. We did a presentation @ the Witte Theater in IJmuiden by playing a special impro-gig as support of Snakefinger. It was the start of Phil Lithman’s European tour. The tour he never finished, because he died in Austria two weeks later.  Newspaper interview, written by Peter Bruyn, on the release of Piscatorial Debris  Newspaper announcement for the Snakefinger / Gorgonzola Legs concert @ Witte Theater The live recording of the Witte Theater set became the soundtrack for the Piscatorial Debris video, made by Henry van Kleeff. The video was filmed @ the Fish Warehouse in the main hall, more than 150 meters long, on a forklift truck slowly moving backwards. It was the same slow movement as in the soundtrack.  Interview @ Witte Theater with Hessel and Henry van Kleeff Listen to and download an excerpt from the live-recording made @ the Witte Theater in IJmuiden & soundtrack of the ‘Piscatorial Debris’ video.
During the early days of home taping (1978-80) we regularly gathered @ Queekhoven estate in Utrecht. Every month Willem de Ridder did his Radiola Improvisatie Salon, a live radio broadcast for VPRO radio, instantly playing received music cassettes from people who visited the show live in Queekhoven or who had sent the tapes by mail.  Picture was made @ the salon where the broadcast was going on. With Rotterdans members Kees Beukelaar and Jos van Ommen and Hessel & Nicole.  Hessel during his three days Radiola session @ Queekhoven 1980.  Willem de Ridder @ Queekohoven during the three days Radiola session in 1980.  The original tape cover of Roots Off….#2. (1981)  Original painting (by Hessel) of Nicole. Used for the ’S.M. Tape’ cover. (The 4th ExArt release). Listen to and download an excerpt from the tape, below.
 Herman te Loo & Hessel Veldman during a live performance with Gorgonzola Legs. Already in 1982 Hessel and Herman started doing impro-sessions @ the ExArt studio’s. Listen to and download an early recording. Also released on the music-cassette Y Create Grey.
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