To Mars and Tokyo

[gurdonark]

I received a nice note in the e mail from the Yahoo Discussion Group for MarsTokyo's Teenytheaters, in which marstokyo explained that she deleted her journal so that she could focus on her art at present. Her art is a wonderful collection of things, including in particular these miniature theaters which are breathtaking.

I am sorry to see her journal deleted, but at least those who, like me, are interested in her art can continue to interface through the yahoo discussion group. If you haven't joined the discussion group, but might be interested, it's an extremely simple format. Periodically, a link to photos of one of her tiny theater artworks will be posted, and then folks will post their interpretations. Frequently MarsTokyo will follow up with "what I was thinking", which is interesting. Sometimes I feel as though I "miss the mark" altogether, but then sometimes I like my interpretation better than what she was thinking :). I think all art is that way, and if ever I do a work of art, I'd be flattered by multiple interpretations. So I hope that more folks join the discussion group, sad as I am to see the LiveJournal go, and hopeful as I am (damn it) that it will be restored.

If you don't have the patience for discussion groups (and MarsTokyo was the one I signed up for after I thought I had sworn them off), you can see theaters on a grand scale at the website www.teenytheaters.com.

But I'll still miss reading marstokyo's journal.

Comments

[voodoukween.livejournal.com]

i will miss the photos and humor :(

and i completely understand her motive and necessity

i had to choose between nervousness and postcardx because i was spending way too much everything

i will ms tokyo and will follow the teenytheatres

and look into the discussion group

chats take up even more time so i stay away from them

p.s. picked up a Quail Gardens' baseball cap yesterday for a reasonable 18.95

will be sending it out this week disguised as a package

thank you for supporting the Botanical Gardens :)

[gurdonark.livejournal.com]

Great! thanks! I'll post 18.95 in short order to you.

I completely understand anyone wanting to focus their time. It just made me a bit sad. But I don't criticize her choice.

which did you pick, postcardx or nervousness?
I'm guessing your picked nervousness to keep.

[voodoukween.livejournal.com]

yes i did pick nervousness to keep because i love the LMAO's and exchanges

there are quite a few random mailing projects there too so still get that thrill :)

i do still send one or two things out to postcardx every week or so because there are some very kind people there

just put my big creative juice into nervousness

i will really miss marstokyo

[geisa.livejournal.com]

WOW!!! now i see why you are so upset. i went to the teenytheatre discussion page and viewed her artwork....VERY impressive!!! i LOVE the "theatre of in and out" that was my favorite. i even had to buy a t-shirt, yep, sure did! i got the one with the eyeball on it...because it reminded me of the residents, it's called "changes"...i think? but i liked so many, like "drowned woman" and the one with the pigs in front of the man in a tux, great, just great!!!

much of that artwork reminds me of stuff that can be seen at folk art shows here in the south...with much of the art being MUCH more bizarre, but done by little old ladies and very eccentric old men, alot of it is very over-the-top with it's religious themes as well, which i LOVE!!! i should take some pictures and post. a friend of mine has an EXCELLENT collection...he would like to see this teenytheatre stuff. i'll send him to the site.

i think the kentuck festival is coming soon. i'll definitely try to get some pictures...wait till you see the "whirlygigs" they are my favorite!!!!

[gurdonark.livejournal.com]

I love Outsider stuff. MT appeals to me because altho she is well aware of "insider" stuff and "gallery stuff" and Joseph Cornell and what have you, her stuff has that resonance of outsider stuff.

She's clearly aware of the Residents, and, yes,
it can hit some of the same chords. MT goes for a broader palette than the Rs, though, and can be both more and less jarring.

[circebleu.livejournal.com]

Its been years since I've heard the Residents. In all honesty, I didn't "get it" when I was in my early 20's. I developed such a disdain to constantly being subjected to what I considered noise that I don't know if I can break through the aversion to listen again... But my question is...what do the Residents have to do with visual art?

art and residents

[gurdonark.livejournal.com]

The Residents understood that under the surface of rock and pop music lies buried dark things best disturbed and unearthed. Their approach was to use noise and dissonance to help show some of the fallacies of rock and roll--hero worship bordering on fascism of "rock stars", celebrations of obsessive "burning love" by "suspicious minds" and the dark undercurrents of urges that underpin all the "release" of rock and roll. I can't claim to like all Residents work. Some of it is too dark for me. But the Residents took established musical forms--they have a deep understanding of jazz and and pop and country and modernist forms from Sun Ra through Harry Partch through John Cage through Sousa and Hank Williams--and reprocessed them into little avant-fun horror stories.

The Residents have now gone "digital, and actually put out computer programs which are both visual art pieces and musical art pieces. So in this way, I suppose they are now visual artists.
But even before their move into cyberspace, their shows always had an "art" component. The Residents work on a level in which more is going on than the songs. The reaction to the parodies they put in the songs is what is going on.

Still, in some ways this is altogether different than what MT does.
The answer to your question "what does this have to do with the visual arts" may be "nothing". But just as Satie had a lot to do with dada and surrealism, I think that the Residents are a sort of soundtrack to a certain form of outre art, a step outside the gallery, but not quite outside enough to be naive.

But I freely admit I am less informed about art than many.

Re: art and residents

[geisa.livejournal.com]

just a side note:

the residents have ALWAYS been about the visual. in fact, after recording their first album, 'meet the residents' in the early 70's, released in 1972, as was the 'santa dog' single. their next album to be released was 'the residents present the third reich and roll' which did not come out until 1976. they spent most of their time in between then making a movie that was never fully completed known as 'the mole show'. there was however an album made in between these two known as 'not available' but it was not released until 1978. 'not available' was never intended to be released, as they were strictly following the artistic concept handed down to them by the mysterious n. senada (actually harry partch ideas) that espouse the belief that the only valid art can be done truly in obscurity. only if the artist is working by himself and for his satisfaction, without any knowledge of the world to influence him, can he come out with something pure for himself, pure art. the residents took this concept even further by refusing to release 'not available', it was to remain "pure". but it was eventually released due to contract negotiations and hold-ups in the release of the much anticipated 'eskimo' album.

anyway, performance art and visuals have always been a key concept to the residents, from almost abandoning music for filmaking in the early 70's to having extremely complex and expensive costumes and performance art mixed with their live shows.

the residents have been pioneers in music videos as well. winning many, many awards world wide for their creative genius in this medium. in fact, they are credited by music historians as making the FIRST music "video" ever!!! they did this in the seventies by using footage from the unfinished "mole show" movie and put it to music from 'the third reich and roll' called "the third reich and roll". this video and many more of their award winning visuals can be found on a recently released DVD called 'icky flix', it is PHENOMENAL!!! they were and still are so far ahead of their time.

as to going digital...the residents HAD to, in order to play live and put on their accompanying performance art shows. and they did this in the seventies with the help of newly invented technology by the emu synthesizer company who sent technicians to the residents "hidden" recording facilities and were able to build synthesizers with floppy discs that contained all of the samples needed to perform their very unique music live. people don't realize that the residents were using samples, noise, sound loops everything that is common in most electronic music today, way back then, but they were doing it with reel to reel tape decks and creative recording techniques...which made it possible to make records but impossible to reproduce live.

the residents story is as fascinating as their music AND visuals. some day someone will make a movie about their story...it is a true story of the american dream, at it's best!!! there is a really good book about them called "meet the residents-america's most eccentric band".

NOBODY tops the residents...i'll put them up against anybody on any artistic level, but that's just me. also, that DVD will blow your mind...you will see what the resident's have to do with VISUAL ART!!!;>

Re: art and residents

[gurdonark.livejournal.com]

Yes, I almost launched into the part about how they are the first "performance artists", but wanted to keep the post manageable.
I see you and marstokyo have linked up. I think that's great, because I know she'll enjoy the interface about those fun theaters.

I've seen the Rs twice. I can't remember if you said you got to see them, or not?

Isn't it odd how many people they influenced? All by just doing it themselves and not worrying about what other people thought.

Re: art and residents

[gurdonark.livejournal.com]

Funny that you mention buying the book on line. I not only read the book, but I sold mine on ebay.com.
I also wrote a positive review on amazon.com. Very good read.

Re: art and residents

[geisa.livejournal.com]

gosh...you caught me editing again...i hate when the order gets messed up!!!

i got my copy from ebay. i wonder if i got it from you, ha...that would be funny!!!;)

Re: art and residents

[geisa.livejournal.com]

well...i tried, i really, really tried to keep my post manageable, but i can't help it. i could talk about the residents forever!!!;) there was so much more that i wanted to say...but will leave it at that. you can get a copy of that book off of ebay pretty cheaply. it really is a FASCINATING story. they start from the very beginning and go on through the cube e tour and freakshow cd rom. great stories about the development of much technology, not only to produce and reproduce their music and visuals, especially live, but also very interesting performance, tour stories and technology development companies vying for performances and residents use of their technology as if "it" is "resident approved". i still wanted more though, more, more!!!

you told me about seeing them. i haven't YET!!! it is so amazing that a band that has been around so long can still be so interesting and prolific. i still hear that every tour is better and more amazing than the last...30 YEARS LATER...name one other artist that can do that!!! i think alot of it has to do with the "obscurity concepts" of the mysterious n. senada (partch) it really allows them a certain artistic freedom that few others have and allows them a certain timelessness. don't you just think this whole story is fascinating?! it amazes me how people like apple, ibm, microsoft, nec and many other corporations get THE RESIDENTS to work their unique genius to demonstrate the potential of new technologies, etc. THE RESIDENTS, could you imagine being in a boardroom with a bunch of exec's or a trade show for ultra-advanced technology and the whole thing is this visual, musical odyssey created by the residents...with them in it as well, they are the cutting edge always!!! they have just trampled so many boundaries and, yes, never selling their soul to do it...everything always on their own terms, their own unique way (senada taught them well) ok, see this one is getting unmanageable also...i just can't help it!!!;) one more thing, the last resident's cd that i got was a soundtrack that the DISCOVERY channel asked them to do for a 10 part nature series called "the hunters" in 1994. the soundtrack was released on cd in 1995. you see, resident's are EVERYWHERE, and their influence is SO universal, just amazing!!!;) there really should be an in depth movie made about their story...it is SO unbelievable...but i think the moral is...do it yourself, be honest to yourself and don't worry about what other people think...i believe that translates to INTEGRITY and HONESTY, period, no matter what you do!!! ...and never let them know who you "really" are!!!;) it doesn't "really" matter anyway, and it is required to be pure!!! ok...stop!!!;)

yes, marstokyo...what a sweet, sweet person!!! i never went to her journal or anything until i saw how upset that you got when she deleted...so my curiosity was peaked, and i went to teenytheaters and was just BLOWN AWAY!!! really, i just couldn't believe it...bought a shirt, have at least three more that i want (i have a huge t shirt collection and am VERY picky about the ones that i wear) but, mostly, she is a lovely person...and she let me know that zoot horn rollo (original captain beefheart and his magic band guitarist) has put out a solo cd recently, so i'm in the process of tracking that down. but i see why everyone likes her so much also. she is very sweet, interesting and a GREAT artist!!! i think i have a BIG crush on her!!!;) shhhhhh!!!;)

anyway, sorry to ramble on so, but, yeah, don't get me going on the residents!!!;)

but get that book...pleeeeeaaaaaaassssse!!!

Re: art and residents + quotes

[geisa.livejournal.com]

the first page of the above referenced book on the residents, "meet the residents-america's most eccentric band" contain two very profound quotes that describe the residents very clearly...

"obscurity and a competence-that is the life that is best worth living."

-mark twain

"one must choose between obscurity with efficiency, and fame with its inevitable collateral of bluff."

-william mcfee