10.10
DGM HQ.
Local accents of the broad variety began on the other side of the office wall at 08.24. The sky is grey, the air is damp, here in the Chalke Valley.
Hooray! Great excitement of the morning – in a parcel, awaiting my return from travelling, Anthony Blake’s draft of Ways Of Higher Intelligence. At least, a major work. And some of the insights, breathtaking.
Soundscapes from the Seattle Guitar Circle’s space in Trinity (May 2nd. 2006) are tuning the air some 6,000 miles distant in geographical location, but not a jot apart in real space, not a second away in real time.
Q. Is this music entertaining?
A. No.
Q. Is this music exciting?
A. No.
Q. Is this music dull?
A. As dull, as entertaining, as exciting, as watching someone at prayer.
Q. So, what criteria can I apply to judge the success of the music?
A. What do you understand by success?
Q. Hey! That’s a question.
A. So, what’s the answer?
Q. Achieving the aim?
A. Then, what was the aim of the Soundscapes performance at Trinity?
Q. Hey! I only hand over my hard-earned pay! That’s a question for you!
A. Soundscapes, essentially, is a devotional music. This particular performance, in this place, with these persons, in that moment, was an act of worship.
Q. What’s an act of worship?
A. One possible answer: to arrive at a point where the performer, audience & music realise their unity. There is no distance: we are the same person. But, this assumes an audience entering the performance space with the intention of contributing to, and being part of, the performance. That is, the performance is collaborative.
Q. How does an audience contribute?
A. One quick answer: by listening. Listening isn’t possible unless one is present. Maintaining presence & intentional listening isn’t possible without a discipline. So, the assumption is that being an audient requires training & practising.
A second quick answer: an audient also puts money into The Hat.
Q. You venal, hypocritical brute!
A. Guilty as charged. But we all pay, one way or another.
11.12
Q. Well, now you’re at the end of the performance, is the Trinity Soundscape successful or not?
A. One definition of success is that there is no distinction between success & failure.
Q. And what does that mean?
A. It means that, if you have to ask, the answer is no.
Q. Other than insulting me, anything more to say?
A. I find it goes in and out, and keeps returning.
Any recording of a performance is not the performance: it is a recording & representation of only one aspect of the performance. And that may be useful, as an aide memoire; as an encouragement to continue to practice listening, and being.
The recording may even transmit part of the energy of the event. The mechanics of how that happens is a larger question. One approach might be this: a real event keeps going. It doesn’t stop when people go home. Actually, it continues growing in the presence of those who were part of the unity of the event. The recording, or representation, allows us to enter that continuing, developing performance; to which we make our own contribution.
12.57 Discussion in the kitchen with David addressing, inter alia, the new edition of The Concise King Crimson for release this autumn & an enquiry for Soundscapes in Instanbul.
View From The DGM Kitchen…
19.34 Afternoon tea in Lyndhurst with Cherry & Dr. Mike.
Among a variety of topics, including the whingeing of the English (which we all whinged about), we looked at the present & underway stage of Guitar Craft.
In this stage, and this time in the world, it is not realistic for many Crafties, with family commitments & job responsibilities, to frequently attend courses in distant places for extended periods of time. It seems obvious, to me, that Robert should visit Guitar Circles which are ongoing & committed, on a regular basis. Here, the criterion is more towards commitment than experience, although experience is useful. The primary difficulty is getting him there, and his availability.
The main practical difficulty, in England, is that the weekend is the most convenient time for Circlers to meet. The weekend is, usually, the only time I get to see the Minx.
The main practical difficulty getting to the Teams in Seattle & Argentina, is distance: a free ‘bus pass doesn’t carry an Old Goat from Bredonborough outside the borders of Worcestershire. Cattle Class to the East Coast is just do-able. But long haul & overnighters are now impossible in economy, my miles are just about burnt up, and the cost of business class tickets is prohibitive.
So, practicalities to address there.
Cherry serves far too much food, and cake, a failing I fully appreciated & acted upon.
Tooling there & Side Twoing back.
20.32 Why Downloading Is The Future…
At the back of DGM HQ are these two stacks of DGM CDs, returned from Pinnacle. We would happily give these gratis to any DGM artist featured on the CDs. All they have to do is arrange collection or despatch. No one has yet responded positively.
I might note that downloading is as successful, in providing the VRHL & David with an income, as was DGM the record company.
21.30 Well! Classic Rock Direct has changed its name to Warwick Media Distribution. I notice, with interest, that King Crimson – Inside The Music: An Independent Critical Review With David Cross is not a featured product.
I wonder to what extent DGM’s response to this pitiful product’s planned release, a product which violated a number of professional requirements, including proper licensing & accreditation, played a part in halting the shop release of this in the UK; although it was sold by mail order from the Classic Rock website, violating licensing & publishing requirements and, I suggest, also my moral rights as an artist. There is, in addition, no mention of this on Amazon in the UK. Only Eyes Wide Open is available, a legitimate release.
However, let’s look at Amazon in the US…
How about Germany?…
The cover artwork on all these sites has An Independent Critical Review, and not the An Independent Critical Review With David Cross cover. My own copy of the DVD, bought by mail order from the CRP website & sent from their warehouse on the Heathcote Industrial Estate, outside Warwick in the UK, has the alternative cover An Independent Critical Review With David Cross; and I have the receipt for this purchase, showing that despite the arguments our lawyer presented demonstrating the illegitimacy of the release, CRP was prepared to sell it to me, regardless, in July 2005.
CRP, or Warwick Media Distribution, has not contacted our lawyer regarding their exporting of stock from the UK. (Our threatened legal action against Pinnacle, the CRP distributor, halted distribution in UK shops prior to the release).
The question has come up from enthusiasts: then why doesn’t DGM release Beat Club (1972), Midnight Special (1973), the Paris TV show (1974) on DVD? The answer is simple: we don’t have any legal right to do so.
"Better to be present with a bad note than absent from a good note."
