Re: ART Regular Output vs. Inspiration

["mark francombe" <mark@markfrancombe.com>]

I too, found some real truth in what Rick is saying, and was
fascinated by the post and also have a similar story to relate. Firstly
I would like to point out something...
Everyone, just look back at your FIRST
EVER recordings (or memories) of explorations in music. Mine stems from
the very late 70īs early eighties. Despite the MASSIVE influences I
should have had at this time (punk, new wave, industrial electronics,
all exploded around this time) my own music, as a kid was completely
un-influenced by music of the time, or rather it was a MASSIVE random
hotch-potch of everything from punk, tangerine dream, gong, and bleepy
electronics, circa OMD, DM and krafwerk! As a kid I didnt care what I
was doing or where it was leading, I just produced all the time, no
barriers, just for fun, see what would happen. I sure I NEVER even
considered whether I was inspired that day or not... I just DID!
AND IT WAS ALL GREAT!!!!!
Amateurish, yes, messy, yes, very badly recorded, and completely original!!!!

My
story is that while I was at Art college ('84-89), my mentor was a
student, one year above me called Alisdair. He produced a new and
completely different installation in his space every week! We all knew
about his project and looked in to marvel at what he had come up with.
He never announced it, just did it. AND... (pissing off the lecturers)
he never documented any of it!
Come the end of year, his show consisted of some dual screen Super8
films with soundtracks playing back around the hall on cheap cassette
recorders. He was judged by his lecturers to get a 3rd (not a good
grade) however,when the visiting examiners came in for the final show, they
disagreed with the mark and put him up to a FIRST! (the highest grade
one can get in the UK). You see, despite his installations NOT being
included in his grading, that output had seeped through into his final
show.

I believe that constant work, and forcing yourself to play, will always seep through.

Alisdair
never became famous, for anything, however last time I spoke to him, he
informed me that his band Vitamin B12 had been recording every Tuesday
night for 2 hours for the last 15 years, only breaking for holidays and
sickness... He said that he was now looking for a record company that
would release it ALL... as ONE ALBUM!!!
He said that in total the running time, if you played it continuously
would be one complete month! I asked him if it was all good, he said it
wasnt for him to say, but that it WAS all music!

Mark