Gong

Message Topic Search Topic Options Post Reply Create New Topic Printable Version Translate Topic

 wiz_d_kidd wrote:

I think the key to fully appreciating the band you have to understand the mythology they've concocted which was integral to their early material -- especially You, Angel's Egg, and Flying Teapot. We're talking about Octave Doctors, Radio Gnome's, Pothead Pixies, Orgone Accumulators, The Invisible Opera Company of Tibet, the Gong Power Symbol, and all kinds of other fantastic (literally) entities. Their lyrics directly relate. You cannot separate their music (at least during that early period) from their underlying mythology.

I have a 32-page booklet written by Daevid Allen in 1979 which he handed out at concerts. I'll try to scan it and put it online if there's any interest.

Hi,

I might be mistaken and we should ask Johnny (Green if he is still around at GAS) ... about it ... but to my knowledge, all of those things, including some things I have off emails and other articles from many years ago, I would imagine/think that it is all rather well known, though not in America, where the band was not as much appreciated and seen in concert with a much larger crowd than the bar locations that GONG was a part of, which even Pierre Moerlin made a comment about it at their 2nd tour here in Portland. He didn't mind the music, but he was not excited about the bar crowd. Bloomdido and him spent a lot of time yapping at the veranda in the hotel (next to the venue - Crystal Ballroom) ... you could easily take a picture of them and they would likely wave at you! To Mike H. (talked to him more than once) it didn't matter and he said it was about the music, not anything else, and he didn't care of there were 10 folks or a thousand out there ... he'll still be the dependable Mike H. each and every time! His funniest comment was in the sound check in Eugene ... "is it too bass'y?" ... I didn't think so at all ... but it wasn't my call!

GAS, at one time had at least 2 CD's full of comments by Daevid and various interviews. I would think that if there was a booklet, that Johnny would have some of them ... and Daevid also gave away some paperwork during his first go round on his own when he was in Santa Barbara at a friend's house, and played a couple of shows at a place called "The Wolf" ... it was him, several tapes and a speaker or two as tall as he was! it was a wonderful, lovely, intimate show ... and he called it The Divided Alien ... I'll try to find those bits and pieces and notes. I also have a "Professor's Certificate" made by Daevid for me. 

The one part that is apparently lost is the Gilly stuff ... she had massive amounts of poetry and written works, and we shared a lot of poems in various emails ... and no one knows anything about it, or seems to know about it, and the folks in Australia for some reason never (either) bothered, or simply could not find anything ... being the "beat poet" that she was ... it would not surprise me if she did not keep anything, so that tomorrow's line and poem will be fresh and new.

Edited by moshkito - September 28 2023 at 13:26