Subj : Re: The Mannequin Smiles
To   : JIM STAAL
From : STEVE KEMP
Date : Thu Sep 21 2000 08:31 am

JS> SK> The Mannequin Smiles
JS> SK> by Rocco Flamefart and the Ultimate Death-Trip Chinese Icebox
JS> SK> Jug Band (recited to white noise, intermittent sirens, and slow
JS> SK> hammered anvil)

JS> Hey, thanks! Deep thoughts from the mind of Steve Kemp. I like it.

Why thank you. (curtsy) :-P

Rocco Flamefart a.t.U.D.C.I.J. was my solo performance art/noise music 
project. I even played the Northern California Noise Fest and Exposition
many years ago. I utilized my couple of synths, an old C-64 for 
sequencing and samples, my drum machine and a theremin I put together in
college, among other items. I had some lighting and projection equipment
as well for general ambience and strangeness and oft wore a gorilla suit
with antennas on top of the head. :-P

Oh, in one production I hooked my theremin to a little powered toy 
airplane which was in turn attached to a center pole by a string so that
it went around and around altering the theremin tone. While this 
occurred I climbed a cheaply constructed Empire State Building like King
Kong and did the King Kong thing. Then some female friends shot me with 
BB guns and I fell to Earth. A sample of "Oh no, it wasn't the 
airplanes...it was beauty killed the beast" (the final line in the 
original King Kong) was then played.

Fun and funny stuff. ;)

My other projects were K.B.G. (The Kemp/Burchard Group) that was a 
pretty standard 3 piece party band (my younger brother was on bass), and 
Hard Times, which was a power trio ala Band of Gypsies mixed with "freak
outs" and extended guitar fiddlin' jams ala Frank Zappa.

My main instrument is guitar. But I played synth (sometimes while 
playing guitar...hee he) and I composed all the original tunes and did 
vocals. 

All of my equipment was stolen in a burglary several years ago. 
I had insurance but the jerk of a claims adjuster put depreciation 
schedules on the stuff like mad and I never was able to get it all back.
Plus my Gibson L-6S and Takemine 12 string acoustic and my British 
Marshall stack were so treasured by me that it completely broke my 
heart. Man, I cried my eyes out.

Then, about a year later I got all messed up with hard drugs for several
years and nearly lost everything else I had in the world. Never did get 
back into the music scene.

I have great memories though, and about 50 something cassette tapes of 
recordings to listen to. I made a couple of amateur videos too. I bore 
friends and family with them all the time. ;)  Wish I had thought to 
have had someone videotape my performance art things though.

JS>:-) Maybe I could post one sometime as well.

Hey, this be da place for it. Please do.

þ CMPQwk 1.42 18775 þ http://www.angelfire.com/ca/devilmusic
--- Platinum Xpress/Win/WINServer v3.0pr5
 * Origin: Get all your fido mail here: www.docsplace.org (1:3603/140)

.