EVER WONDER WHY DADAISTS LOVE UMBRELLAS?

i read an article this morning about jandek, an "outsider" musician and recent subject of a doc entitled jandek on corwood, which i will go see on sunday at the NFB. i'd like to get a hold of this gary gold guy, if he still resides in toronto i'd like to have him on my new radio show in the coming weeks to discuss the film and jandek himself. i'd also like to see how he feels about "outsider" music. does he think the term appropriatly represents jandek and other musicians associated with the genre, like daniel johnston and the langley schools music project?

i suppose you could find it surprising that someone like jandek renders himself so reclusive. he's apparently never played live or made public appearances as jandek. he's only consented to a couple of official interviews. it cannot be confirmed that the pictures of the young man which accompany his albums are photos of himself. but then again, if you consider the fact that the beatles stopped playing live after '66 and refrained from public appearances so vehemently, it makes a lot of sense.

we know how much reverence people have for their favourite artists. we've seen it go to excess time and time again. a guy like jandek, i suppose, feels that there's no need for such overwhelming adulation. perhaps he feels that any artist is at risk to the terrorism of rabid fandom, so he chooses to not to partake in any activity that could jeopardize his love of making music. after all, artists want their work to stand alone, and it's more often than not the case that an artist's public image taints the way people receive them. i'm sure john lennon had desires like those of jandek on a daily basis.

i can certainly understand the temptation to drive yourself into obscurity. having played in FUN! there were moments when i was a bit upset about the positive response. people loved us and liked to tell us that as much as possible. being praised can often be torturous, and you can't really understand why. i always felt that after a set, i just wanted to blend in and relax, but often it feels like an assault on your nerves when one person after the other approaches you right then and there. there's a tranquility after you'v played that you don't want to lose, but you can get the feeling that no one lets you have it to yourself, so you grow resentful of the people who love you.

but without the blatant approval, you'd have no idea what kind of an effect your music has on people. there are some of us who don't care what others think, but everyone has some inclination to enrich their surroundings with their life's work. when their art is recognized as beneficial to someone's consciousness or instrumental in the growth of a certain culture, the artist likes to know that.

the truth is, when you look back on it, it's far better to have the knowledge that what you've done has bettered someone's life. to everyone who ever said "stevo, that show was fuckin awesome! you guys are amazing!" i 'll always be grateful for it.

perhaps what satisfies jandek is the fact that despite his obscurity and reclusivity, people still mail him requests for his albums. that's got to make you feel like your work means something.