Instagon Player's Choice #6
for CHARLES ARDINGER
session #53
"A Live Noise Experimental Tribute to Theodore Giesel/Dr.Seuss"
September 23, 1994
The Natural Fudge Cafe, Los Angeles,CA
http://www.archive.org/details/instagon1994-09-23.flac16
for CHARLES ARDINGER
session #53
"A Live Noise Experimental Tribute to Theodore Giesel/Dr.Seuss"
September 23, 1994
The Natural Fudge Cafe, Los Angeles,CA
http://www.archive.org/details/instagon1994-09-23.flac16
Charles Ardinger, the Punk Nerd.. has been involved with Instagon since very very early on appearing in his first show in Spring of 1994...since then he has continued to be a part of the instagon experience whenever we have the chance to include him...he has a regular standing invitation and is always welcome. Currently, according the most recent records, he has appeared with Instagon in 46 sessions.. giving him the #6 position currently in the 10 Top Players list. Charles is a one of a kind person.. a unique character to say the least (and that is actually nearly an understatement) He is one of the very special people that has been drawn into the magickal vortex that is Instagon whom we are seriously happy to have been given the chance to work with. THIS show, that Charles chose, was actually a pretty easy guess as to the show that Charles WOULD pick..hehe it was his 9th appearance with Instagon.. He was the front man for the band.. we were doing Giesel .. if you know Charles, this is obviously a show that was conceptualized for him..and so it is one of his favorites..
During the first few years that Instagon was doing live appearances...we used to do this thing called a "noise/experimental tribute" ..and we would pick a subject, and they would be the subject matter that a conceptual based performance would be created around.. we did them for W.S.Burroughs, Charles Bukowski, Richard Nixon, Charles Manson, David Koresh, and a few others... THIS recording is just one such of these performances.. with our honoree being Dr. Seuss. The plan was to have a few sound artists with random instruments play accompaniment while a poet, Charles Ardinger, the punk nerd, reads 3 books by Dr. Seuss...this was the entire concept for the performance. But what happened was so much more.. and this recording does so little to convey just what really happened on that day. A few close friends and allies were present for this nights performance..
We drove into the heart of Los Angeles.. the east hollywood/silverlake side of town..if you are familiar with a venue called the IL CORRAL then this is exactly that same part of town..but long before the days of Il Corral. The space was called NATURAL FUDGE CAFE.. it was an underground legend in the LA area.. it was owned and operated by a woman and her husband.. and i cannot for the life of me remember thier names.. the husband passed and the woman continued to run the space.. renting to bands ..rockers, punks, mods, whatever.. she also sold cold sodas and was really quite an animated character in her own right. We, meaning Instagon, somehow got on a show with a few other bands.. i think Opus might have set this show up.. the other bands were high school aged pop punks.. we did not think this was gonna go over well.. but we proceeded anyways. On the mound for the deamon with me (Lob) was Sharon444 playing floor tom percussion.. Opus23 playing guitar.. and Reverend Andy Warthog (RIP) mixing noises and samples live with a 4-track cassette machine. .on the microphone ..reading the Seuss, Charles Ardinger. When Charles stepped out onto the stage space he was wearing his signature fedora hat..glasses.. a sports coat.. and black & red speedo underwear. .black socks.. hard shoes. it was QUITE the site.. (ANY PHOTOS THAT MAY EXIST HAVE YET TO BE SEEN) Charles took the mic and told us some fun facts about Dr. Seuss.. and then read Cat In The Hat, Green Eggs & Ham, and Hop Up Pop.. while the teenage crowd from the other band gathered and gawked in disbelief.. I remember there were a group of young girls.. barely of legal age i am sure.. they gathered together in front of the stage and got on their knees and bowed and praised Charles as he read the Dr. Seuss.. it was most incredible to behold.. and these sort of things really just cannot be made up. The performance ended.. I tried to engage the crowd in some dialogue about Dr. Seuss..but they were not really up for it.. Andy played some great samples and we faded away into the Los Angeles night never to been again at the Natural Fudge Cafe.
During the first few years that Instagon was doing live appearances...we used to do this thing called a "noise/experimental tribute" ..and we would pick a subject, and they would be the subject matter that a conceptual based performance would be created around.. we did them for W.S.Burroughs, Charles Bukowski, Richard Nixon, Charles Manson, David Koresh, and a few others... THIS recording is just one such of these performances.. with our honoree being Dr. Seuss. The plan was to have a few sound artists with random instruments play accompaniment while a poet, Charles Ardinger, the punk nerd, reads 3 books by Dr. Seuss...this was the entire concept for the performance. But what happened was so much more.. and this recording does so little to convey just what really happened on that day. A few close friends and allies were present for this nights performance..
We drove into the heart of Los Angeles.. the east hollywood/silverlake side of town..if you are familiar with a venue called the IL CORRAL then this is exactly that same part of town..but long before the days of Il Corral. The space was called NATURAL FUDGE CAFE.. it was an underground legend in the LA area.. it was owned and operated by a woman and her husband.. and i cannot for the life of me remember thier names.. the husband passed and the woman continued to run the space.. renting to bands ..rockers, punks, mods, whatever.. she also sold cold sodas and was really quite an animated character in her own right. We, meaning Instagon, somehow got on a show with a few other bands.. i think Opus might have set this show up.. the other bands were high school aged pop punks.. we did not think this was gonna go over well.. but we proceeded anyways. On the mound for the deamon with me (Lob) was Sharon444 playing floor tom percussion.. Opus23 playing guitar.. and Reverend Andy Warthog (RIP) mixing noises and samples live with a 4-track cassette machine. .on the microphone ..reading the Seuss, Charles Ardinger. When Charles stepped out onto the stage space he was wearing his signature fedora hat..glasses.. a sports coat.. and black & red speedo underwear. .black socks.. hard shoes. it was QUITE the site.. (ANY PHOTOS THAT MAY EXIST HAVE YET TO BE SEEN) Charles took the mic and told us some fun facts about Dr. Seuss.. and then read Cat In The Hat, Green Eggs & Ham, and Hop Up Pop.. while the teenage crowd from the other band gathered and gawked in disbelief.. I remember there were a group of young girls.. barely of legal age i am sure.. they gathered together in front of the stage and got on their knees and bowed and praised Charles as he read the Dr. Seuss.. it was most incredible to behold.. and these sort of things really just cannot be made up. The performance ended.. I tried to engage the crowd in some dialogue about Dr. Seuss..but they were not really up for it.. Andy played some great samples and we faded away into the Los Angeles night never to been again at the Natural Fudge Cafe.
You can click the link above to hear this session or download it and hear it later. The recording is not the best..as its an old school walkman style cassette recording. you can hear me messing with the microphone in the beginning trying to get the best placement for sound before we start. So I apologize for the not so listenable quality..this posting is mostly for historical fact and documentation, which is just how it should be anyways.. enjoy the show!
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