RE: The Curse of Knob-Twiddling

["Mike Biffle" <Mbiffle@svg.com>]

>> From: Mike Biffle [mailto:Mbiffle@svg.com] 
>> I think antique furniture and tea cosies set a very nice mood... Just 
>come out, sit down in an easy chair, and act like you're in your living 
>room. (Of course your living room may be bristling with hi-tech gear, but 
>hey... it'll blend with the homey atmosphere plus you'll have some nice 
>tea to sooth your jangled nerves.)

> I've actually done something along these lines. Earlier this year I did 
>a solo performance as part of a now deceased improviser's series. The 
>furniture was more vintage than antique, both dating from about the 
>thirties or forties, and included a small armchair (that, nonetheless, 
>weighed a ton!), a large-ish table lamp, and an old console radio/phono 
>(78 r.p.m.!) that I used as an amplifier - the turntable connected to the 
>amp with a phono plug, so I just ran everything through a mixer and into 
>that. Naturally it was all in mono. Not really any looping, unless you 
>include an analogue delay in that category, but I was hoping that the 
>cracked copy of Elvis' "Love Me Tender" would skip, providing a sort of 
>loop (but of course it didn't).

Actually playing through antique/vintage stuff may be taking it a bit too 
far! 8-)

I've often thought that motorcycle helmets... the completely enclosed 
kind... combined with a pair of in-ear-monitors and a mic built into the 
mouth area might provide a nicely anonymous persona as well as lend itself 
to the metaphor of modern disenfranchisement... a distopian sort of thing.

> It wasn't a totally original idea, though. I was inspired by the photo 
>inside Henry Cow's "Concerts" LP. I really enjoyed the experience, and 
>would recommend trying it if you want something different. Jim Bailey

Well... there ya go! My referential port of entry as well... The Cow has 
left many indelible marks on my person.

Best,
-Miko