d.e.a.f. : w e b and the elusive history of D.E.A.F.
D.E.A.F. is the brain child of D.E.A.F. P.R.A.T. (see who is this D.E.A.F. P.R.A.T.? below). In early 2002 the then "D.E.A.F. gang" of two members stood for Dedicatedly Enduring Anarchic Frequencies.
Since then, chinese whispers and village people have taken over and the acronym D.E.A.F. has taken on different meanings. Its members, ever growing in number are often heard to say in hushed tones to one another, 'What does D.E.A.F. actually stand for?!', to which the reply has always been, 'eeeeeeer, I dunno......' At the time of D.E.A.F. Bulletin No.10 (May 2002), D.E.A.F. stood for Derek's Enobled Avant Fellowship. I quote The P.R.A.T. himself:
Who is Derek? Derek Bailey is a 72 year old improvising guitarist,
whom some of us believe is the 4th person of the trinity.
I am your humble D.E.A.F. P.R.A.T.{Post Rational Anarchic Team-leader}.
The nature of the bulletin is to reflect the wide ranging serendipitous
nature of Mr Bailey's world view.
D.E.A.F. P.R.A.T.
D.E.A.F. Bulletin No.10 2 May 2002
d.e.a.f. : w e b is a space affiliated with, but independent of D.E.A.F. It acts as a silent witness, aiming to promote D.E.A.F.ness to a wider community, spreading the love of Derek. The dream is to create a highly informative and entirely interactive space for D.E.A.F. members to share, but alas, there is no money for great chunks of web space (any funding offers or ideas are indeed welcome). So for now, this space will provide members of D.E.A.F., particularly new recruits, a comprehensive archive of D.E.A.F. Bulletins, and a chance to 'sign the guestbook' (watch out, the comment boxes aren't as generous as they seem). The dream is yet to come.
P.R.A.T., like the acronym D.E.A.F., has caused some confusion amongst the villagers and has been known to stand for
Periodically Rational Avant Torturer
Post Rational Anarchic Team-leader
Pretty Random And Tasteless
However, most D.E.A.F. members refer to him simply as PRAT.
Rabid LeeK
13 October 2002