Monday, August 11, 2008

I've Got Eyes In the Back of My Head!



The Bevis Frond - Live at Speaking In Tongues, Cleveland, OH (10-16-99) Part 1
The Bevis Frond - Live at Speaking In Tongues, Cleveland, OH (10-16-99) Part 2

Do the Frond, kids! Wave them arms, twitchilate that torso, boogy that balloon! This is an ultra-rare Bevis Frond show that I got directly from the taper a few years ago. I've only listened to it once before. But it's great and you will love it.

I first heard Mr. Nick Salomon so long ago that I don't remember how or where or when or what I was wearing. Probably something in blue jeans and flannel over a white t-shirt. Or the same pants and t-shirt with a blue rayon bowling shirt. That was about all I wore outside of work from 1984-1990. I had the flannel flying way before anyone else.

But those first three 'Frond albums, especially the CD versions with the million bonus tunes, were templates to me of what is possible for one person to achieve inside their mind with lo-fi production and sometimes sloppy musicality. Face it, except on guitar, Nick's no musical genuis. But he's one of the great weirdos and songwriters and wild-men of guitar of all time.

Regarding the title of this post, I used to play this song for The Boy when he was very young and tell him it was about me and that all parents have multiple sets of eyes only kids can't see them, so he'd better behave. Perhaps that was sick and wrong of me. But it used to make him laugh.

BTW, that's a carving by Clark Ashton Smith up there, of one of them crazy-ass ol' Elder Gods he and Lovecraft and their gang were always going on about. Any Smith fans out there?

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Excellent... Thee drummer is overbearing, but that said, nice set. Thanks...davek

gomonkeygo said...

Overbearing or at times just plain bad drumming is seemingly a Bevis hallmark! Those early albums, the drums sound like tie pie plates being smashed. But I kinda like it.

Anonymous said...

Grazie Amici!!!...Questo è uno dei blog-bootleg migliori in internet...Non i soliti concerti ma cose veramente uniche,come questo dei BEVIS!...
More Garage,MORE Psychedekic,More New Wave,,,
Muchas Gracias a todos!!!

Anonymous said...

I think I saw them on this tour, in Chicago, on the stage in a little bar downtown. That was one of the best shows I've ever seen--why Nick Saloman was never a bigger star is beyond me. Anyhow, this is pretty good, but not amazing. Boy, I wish they'd tour in the US again.

gomonkeygo said...

Cool - They played all over the Midwest on this tour. I tried very hard to get up to Madison to see them, but had no luck. It was a free show, too. The timing was all wrong.

Anonymous said...

I entered the blog in search of Ashton Smith but was cunningly ensnared by a frond in the miasma....

gomonkeygo said...

Yeah, they'll do that to ya. Eventually you'll get out. Though you may have to gnaw your own wrist off.

Anonymous said...

Clark Ashton Smith was an incredible artist/writer, one of the few whose best field of endeavor cannot be picked.

j said...

bevis frond AND clark ashton smith! Nice. I'm currently nursing a nick saloman obsession, so i thank you for the rarities. Keep up the good work!

gomonkeygo said...

Glad you're enjoying. Wish I had the time to rip and upload new stuff, but I just don't. I'll try and keep everything up here as long as possible, though.

If I had all of the time in the world, I'd get me some soapstone and make my own creepy carvings like CAS did, but leave them around town in odd places for people to find and ponder about.