Kingtone

An ancient maxim and consequence in nature - In Death there is Rebirth.

Spring 2003. I was reading The King Must Die by Mary Renault. Set in the time when the Island of Crete ran the world and wehn select societies practiced a ritual wherein a new King was selected and then sacrificed on a yealy basis by a perpetual Queen, in order to give thanks for and ensure the continued fertility of the harvest. On Crete however, the Kings got wise to this deal and instead imported captives for sacrifice. Ultimately, the choicest of these subjects were beheaded using a Sacred Cretan Double Axe.

September 2003. I was doing a Reverend Screaming Fingers gig at the Rite Spot in San Francisco. It was not the best venue for the sometimes bizarre soundscapes but at least the fabulous Ralph Carney was in the crowd and told me he dug it. Compliments aside, Rev. gigs are quite an effort as I bring alot of gear - guitars that I keep in wierd tunings (including two very cool, cheap Japanese ones named Led and Zep), several amps, lots of effects, my laptop, and pretty much every other piece of gear I value.

After the set, several friends helped me load out and into the secure gear loft in the back of my ‘89 Dodge van. We left things there and continued the evening up the street at Dylan’s Pub. Hours later we returned to the corner of Folsom and 17th, a poorly lit and seedy intersection frequented by crack addicts and lower echelon whores and piled into the van. As I got into the driver seat, my friend Thad said, “Uh, the back door of the van is open.” *SHIT* I got out and walked to the rear of the van. With my heart beating furiously, I opened the van door. Then with my heart in my mouth, I opened the loft door (also ajar).

And all my gear…

was still there.

The van door was ajar, just the way I left it, in this neighborhood. For hours. After Midnight.

Seeing an opportunity to thank the universe for this judgement and put together a performance piece at the same time, I create a ritual along the lines of a Cretan sacrifice - but with overtones of Jimi at Monterrey. Performed at The Catfish Ranch warehouse space in Oakland on Halloween 2003, it was a celebration of Creative Death and Creative Rebirth.