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By Max Conroy
On Saturday, May 17th Jandek played a free concert at the University of Michigan’s Lydia Mendelssohn Theater. The show was sponsored by WCBN-FM (88.3 on your FM dial), the student-run station of the University, booked by Brendt Rioux, and featured James Cornish on trumpet, Christian Matjias on harpsichord, and Biba Bell on vocals and improv dance. Apparently this was the first Jandek performance to feature live improv dancing. Jandek played hollow body bass and sang. This is what’s known.
This is what’s unknown: the identity of Jandek, the aim of his endeavors, and virtually everything about the production and meaning behind his music. Jandek has put out fifty-three albums in thirty years. The records range from atonal bluesy folk to thirty minute vocal-only tracks and some feature other musicians most likely (even though he does overdub tracks). The lyrical content of his songs are most definitely poetic in nature, possibly autobiographical, and definitely surreal, causing people to speculate as to whether or not this is a sort of diary of a person suffering from mental illness or records to be enjoyed as such, art for art’s sake.
There are only a handful of people who have ever spoken to or communicated with Jandek; and in these instances, the person is known only as a “representative of Corwood Industries.” Corwood Industries is Jandek’s record label and in his only recorded interview, by John Trubee for Spin in 1985, featured on YouTube and as an extra on the Jandek on Corwood DVD, he discloses that he is the “sole proprietor” of Corwood, which has maintained the same PO Box in Houston since 1978. All of his records and DVDs are purchased directly from Corwood/Jandek, cheaply, and none are sold to record stores or libraries. Jandek also mentions in that interview that at the time he was working as a machinist and living in Houston, Texas. The name on the copyright information for Jandek’s records in the Library of Congress is Sterling Richard Smith, born in Rhode Island in 1945 (he mentions Rhode Island in several songs). He originally recorded one record under the name The Units and sent his record to radio stations and record stores, and was forced to change the name when a guy whom he sent the record to in San Francisco threatened to sue him as that was the name of his band. As a result he wanted to find a name that no one could possibly have, so he ended up speaking to a fellow named Dekker in January and came up with Jandek.
The more that I research Jandek, the more his history or what he’s illuminated for us seems to be the creation of a highly intelligent, very sane person, very similar to the way a novelist comes up with material culled from his past, subconscious, and ability to tell a convincing story. Before his days as Jandek, he allegedly wrote seven novels, which he burned after being rejected by publishers. He tells Trubee that, “I put out a product, and that’s it. I don’t want to get too involved.” This smells like bullshit to me, but very good bullshit.
Piero Umiliani is an Italian film score composer best known for the song Mah Na Mah Na, later used as the muppet show theme song. Some wonderful person has posted the scene of the movie, Sweden Heaven and Hell, that Mah Na Mah Na appeared in HERE. Don’t get lost in that YouTube hole too long as there are a few clips of the movie up. This is the continuation of that groove along with another great tune in Contestazione. As long as the Muppet show song has been stuck in my head, I never knew the story behind it, and now that I know I like it even more. After hearing these two songs I would love to get some more of his work. As always both sound files are from the 45 that is for sale.
Beer Vermouth and Gin
Contestazione
Wolfman Mac is bringing back the horror AND the funk with a classic 50s and 60s horror film program called Nightmare SINema airing on Channel 20 in Detroit at 1:00 AM Friday nights (really Saturday morning).
From the article in the freep:
“Wolfman Mac’s Nightmare Sinema” premieres on TV 20 Friday night at 1 a.m. (technically Saturday morning), with a furry, wisecracking host presenting the best of the worst black-and-white horror movies, as well as demented skits. It’s a return to the kind of local programming that used to be a staple of the TV dial in the early days of the medium in the 1950s and into the ’60s, but was largely dumped by local stations for syndicated fare in the ’80s….
It helps the show’s bottom line that most of the films Wolfman Mac shows are in the public domain, and thus don’t cost anything to air.
But Kelly says he might soon have access to the Universal Pictures vault, so he could be presenting some classic Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff movies by Halloween. Still, he delights in the awfulness of the public domain, Ed Wood/Roger Corman/William Castle films.
“In ‘Plan 9 From Outer Space,’ the flying saucers are held up by string,” Kelly says. “It’s so campy, so bad, that it really is like happening upon a car accident. You don’t really want to stay and watch because you know it’s wrong, but you just can’t walk away.”
Yes! The host, Wolfman Mac, seems like he’ll add a lot to the program, which is entirely his creation and idea, he also works as a wedding DJ, and I guess that “horror hosts” used to be a more common thing back in the 60s. Check the same freep article for a cool list of some other famous horror hosts. Also, check out out the Nightmare SINema website here.
Apparently, advertising space is super cheap and they’ll act out the commercial for you - the guy gives an example of an ad for a dentist done by a vampire, ’cause he’s got a toothache from so much blood sucking. Maybe Cousins Vinyl should air a spot - what do you think a good idea would be? How about Wolfman Mac and Howlin’ Wolf fighting over a box of records?
