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Calendar • Contacts • Home • Reference • Protocols • Ubutique • Press Center || hearpen.com Ars longa, spectatores fugaces Last updated 5/8/08 Singing is a nasty social habit, like spitting in the street. Sometimes you gotta do it but you oughta be discreet. - David Thomas [Link] ![[WIHW SV banner]](art/wihwtarget.gif)
David Thomas will do a reading at the Palazzo Ducale, Genoa (I), on Thursday June 19, 9pm. Admission is free. An Italian language translation will be projected. Bring Me The Head Of Ubu Roi Pere Ubu premiered its musical adaptation of the theater of Ubu Roi, Alfred Jarry's groundbreaking 1896 play and the theatrical precursor to the Absurdist, Dada and Surrealist art movements, at the Queen Elizabeth Hall, London, on April 24 and 25. The adaptation, written by David Thomas, features 10 new songs as well as various musical "interludes." Independent film-makers The Brothers Quay have devised a unique visual staging in the form of animated projections. Sarah-Jane Morris (ex-Communards, Happy End, etc) features as Mere Ubu, partnering David Thomas as Pere Ubu. Gagarin adds an atmospheric soundtrack by means of electronica. Band members perform various minor roles. Click here for more information. Click here for background press fodder and interview questions. Click here for photos of the event. Report from David Thomas: Thursday night, opening night, was a bit of a shambles. For various reasons, it was the first time we were able to run thru the piece from beginning to end. And a number of structural and technical problems were exposed. The most disruptive problems were (1) on stage we were unable to identify fade to blacks at the end of scenes (the stage was dark to start with and a fade to black on an already dark stage, we discovered, is hard to determine. Confusion amongst on-stage cast and musicians ensued); and (2) since the play's narrative is driven by song lyrics the audience had a hard time making out what was supposed to be going on. (I have subsequently discovered that the narrative of a musical is not usually carried by song lyrics. Hey! Who's to know these things? I thought that was the deal.) In any case, I inserted brief narrative interludes between scenes for the Friday performance and this seemed to fix the principal issues. Friday went relatively smoothly though some noted that they missed the tension and chaos of Thursday's performance during which I tried to cover clunky bits by throwing "rages," which had always been the backup plan.
Jim JonesJim Jones died of a heart attack at his home in Cleveland on Monday, February 18. He was 57. Mike DeCapite posted a tribute. hearpen.com On December 11 hearpen.com went on line. It is a web site dedicated to sales of Ubu and Ubu-related downloads. It offers live recordings from across the decades, going all the way back to the Pirate's Cove days. As well there will be, from time to time, studio recordings that for one reason or another were not deemed "worthy" of a commercial release or that have become unavailable through commercial channels. A limited number of video releases will also be available. The plan is for new releases, music or video, to go online the first Tuesday of every month. We have hesitated to get involved in the download marketplace. We did not want to cede control of our productivity to others. Still, times change. The market changes. And though we do not (change) it's better that something of quality be heard than not heard, seen than not seen. We will therefore own and operate the download site ourselves ensuring editorial control and that musicians get paid. In any case there is a full-ish explanation of the aesthetic and technical issues involved. The site is run in conjunction with Smog Veil Records. They are Clevelanders. Discography Enquiry As has been noted elsewhere the only nearly definitive Ubu discography is maintained by French ultrafan Charlie Dontsurf, webmaster of Ubu Dance Party. I think we irked him by describing it as "nearly definitive." He is embarked on a project to make it utterly definitive. The first step is determining every single issue of Ubu studio albums on lp, cassette and cd. This link will get you his PDF file listing. Any additions or corrections are gratefully received. Here is his email. New Shirts The new shirts are in. All John Thompson designs. Two of our most popular designs - Return To The Avant Garage (black) and Modern Dance In French (white) - have been revised. The MDF shirt features the corrected French translation on the back (thanks to Charlie Dontsurf). We've also printed a trial run of a pink Why I Hate Women. Some of us are skeptical. Johnny is convinced. This is a consequence of allowing Johnny to establish pink as the official Pere Ubu color all those years ago. In any case it sports our new corporate slogan on the back: Ars longa, spectatores fugaces. (Thanks to Adrian Burns for his research.) Pere Ubu Radio Alexandre Horn, one of the cadre of French ultra-fans that includes Philippe Mury (Charlie Dontsurf), has posted Pere Ubu Radio on the dreaded MySpace. Though not official, it is an approved site. Mr Mury's site, BTW, ubudance.com is home to the most extensive discography available. European Taxes We have added a page summarizing the punitive taxes levied on musicians by various nation states. It is not comprehensive. Any contributions are welcome. Why I Remix Women Smog Veil, due to demand from distributors, has released Why I Remix Women commercially. The cd had only been previously available at concerts as a merch item. Fontana Reissues The four Fontana Years albums, The Tenement Year, Cloudland, Worlds In Collision, and Story Of My Life, have reissued as individual cds by Mercury Records, April 16 2007. The changes are:
The Tenement Year
Modern Dance in Surround Sound release RELEASED.
The original 1988 Fontana release does not seem to have been mastered. David Thomas and Paul Hamann mastered it January 22-23 2007 at Suma. An alternate mix of Dream The Moon was substituted in the running order and five extras were added: the UK b-sides Postman Drove A Caddy and The B-Side, live in the studio recordings of Miss You and We Have The Technology for the John Peel Show (never previously released), and an alternate mix of The Hollow Earth (never previously released). As well, the sound of thunder that was found on the original Suma mix of the tracks was added - there was clearly some intention of including this somewhere for some reason. The packaging has been updated by John Thompson and added are extensive liner notes specific to the album by David Stubbs. Cloudland The album was originally mixed by Paul Hamann at Paisley Park Studios, Minneapolis MN. Subsequently four tracks were re-recorded in London and the others remixed for the 1989 Fontana release. This reissue substitutes in the running order the following Paisley Park mixes by Paul Hamann: Monday Night, Lost Nation Road, Nevada!, The Wire, The Waltz, and Pushin. Five extras have been added: the UK b-sides Wine Dark Sparks and Bang The Drum, the Paisley Park mix of Breath (never previously released), Bus Called Happiness recorded live in the studio for the John Peel Show (never previously released), and a dance remix of Love Love Love. The packaging has been updated by John Thompson and added are extensive liner notes specific to the album by David Stubbs. Worlds In Collision Four extras have been added, the UK b-sides Around The Fire, Down By The River, Like A Rolling Stone, and Invisible Man. These were demos recorded for what the band refers to as The Lost Album. The packaging has been updated by John Thompson and added are extensive liner notes specific to the album by David Stubbs. Story Of My Life Five extras have been added: an alternate mix of Come Home by Stephen Hague (never previously released), the UK b-side Fedora Satellite, and three b-sides recorded for Story Of My Life but never released - Gripless, Through The Windshield and Stoughton 529. The packaging has been updated by John Thompson and added are extensive liner notes specific to the album by David Stubbs. Somewhat delayed, the 5.1 surround-sound disk of THE MODERN DANCE was released July 31 2006 in England and Europe on Silverline (catalog 284402-2). It is unlikely at this point to have a US release. (Amazon is selling it as an import for $27.99.) Glitterhouse is also selling it. The format is DualDisc. We do not have a copy of the production release at this point. One side of the DualDisc is a DVD featuring a 5.1 surround sound remix of the entire album, a 30 minute interview with David Thomas, as well as a new mastering of the original stereo album mix at DVD audio quality (96khz/24 bit). The other side of the disk is a cd audio format of the new mastering of the original stereo album (44khz/16 bit) playable on standard audio cd players.
David Thomas, who attended the remix session by Chris Haynes, reports: "This is the way we heard The Modern Dance in the studio... no, it's better than that, it's the way we heard it when we were playing it. The detailing is fantastic. The space reveals everything while still retaining the album's intensity and original intention. And the best thing is, if you want to hear something louder or quieter you just move your head a foot. Everything is there!"
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Of Special Interest: Lyrics Other web sites Reissues & DIYZ FAQ Unlikely Releases News Archive European Taxes Where nowhere is Fan Input: Pere Ubu Releases David Thomas Releases Related Releases Other Pages Of Interest David Thomas and two pale boys The improvisational group featuring Keith Moline and Andy Diagram. Mirror Man The improvisational opera performed by David Thomas and the Pale Orchestra Disastodrome Disasto does NOT promote disorder. Disasto PRESERVES disorder. Accusations of Paranoia Odd but interesting notes thru the email. UBUDOLL The sometime partnership between David Thomas and Jackie Leven. |
