Entries this day: Negativland

Negativland

12:38am CDT Tuesday 16 May 2000

I just got home from Negativeland concert. TRUE FALSE tour. Wow. Overload. What is music? What is information? Overlays. Video collages. Sound collages. and loops and loops and loops and loops and loops and loops and loops and loops and loops

The show began with a cross-dressed man, happily recounting in first person the brutal story of mother spanking her child, already covered in 3rd degree burns.

From Sound of Music, mixed with ZZ Top's "Sharp Dressed Man", shredding "A few of my favorite things"
When the bee stings..
I just remember a few of my dog bites..
And then I start feeeling... baaaaaad!

Female gymnasts video overlayed with close-up of meat grinder churning

Disembodied head on TV telling a story from living in a sewer, turning invisible, stealing a vacuum cleaner, cleaning up dog juice, turning invisble again to return the vacuum, returning happily to his sewer.

Shreiking squeaking feedback. Intentionally melting film in the projector.

T-shirts: "Christianity is Stupid. Give up."

You would have hated it.

Commercials mixed and remixed. "I'd like to teach the world to sing, in perfect harmony... I'd like to serve the world a Pepsi..."

Information overloaded me at the end.

- - - -

Before the show started, I hung out with Mondro and Vikki outside in the sun. Bought a book "Tales of a Punk Rock Nothing" self published and signed by the author for $8.

We were near the last of the pile going inside, but were able to find 3 seats together. Then Alexis walked by (she helped set up the show) and I jumped up to give her a hug - so happy she hadn't left the country for a year without me having a chance to say Bye.

Got to sit by Alexis way closer up, near the projectors in the middle of the audience. Cool to watch the Negativeland peeps cue up the loops of film, yank them in and out of focus, point the images around the stage, flutter hands in front of the projector... Shredded art.

I almost left before the show ended. But it ended first. Hugs to Alexis and then purchased milk and cereal for Wende's breakfast tomorrow morning.

It's 1am; I'm going to bed.

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