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Local
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I first heard of the band Gong
in 1978 when a friend asked me to listen to an album called Gazeuse.
The musicianship of the players on this album blew my weeny mind, a mixture
of Jazz, Rock and Fusion and Funk.
As I set about to find more albums by this band I discovered another side to
Gong which started 12 years earlier.
The story of GONG begins, full moon Easter 1966. Daevid Allen had a vision which
was to change his, and many other people’s lives.
He was founding member of legendary
60's act 'Soft Machine' and toured with 'Pink Floyd' in those formative years.
Rubbing shoulders and Hanging out with the likes of one James Hendrix who used
to play the bass in jam sessions they held.
Allen gained the impression that he was an experiment being supervised by intelligences
far beyond his normal level of awareness that he was later to call ‘the
octave doctors’, seeing himself on stage in front of a large rock festival
audience and experiencing an intense connection with them that had the quality
of intense LOVE, at the same time being surrounded by an enormous
cone of etheric light... simultaneously drawing astral shadows from deep below
us and dissolving them in the downpouring radiance focused at its peak.
ALLEN: “for a time i forgot about this revelation, but before long, the
act of offering myself to the powers that combine energise and transform all
that lives through music became my only reason to exist, at this point I became
aware of my lifes’ porpoise”.
He spent the next couple of months in Paris experimenting with his electric
guitar and a boxful of nineteenth century gynaecological surgical instruments
processed through an echo box and other effects. Whilst playing around the left
bank cafe scene, Daevid and wife Gilli met up with magic brothers and mystic
sisters; Elson, Taner, Ziska and Natch.
The six of them obtained a residency at La Vielle Grille and began to realise
the concept of TOTAL SPACE MUSIC together with Daevid’s glissando guitar,
Gilli and Ziska on Space Whisper (a.k.a. atlantean temple chant), Elson and
Natch on flutes and Taner mixing it all through his pride and joy, a state of
the art 6 channel semprini echo chamber, becoming the very first in a sacred
lineage of ‘switch doctors’. Daevid described the whole experience
as “eight of the maddest musicians imaginable....improvising around nothing
for hours on end, completely stoned.”
At this point Daevid reconnected
with the original vision that had spurred him on, he realised that he was “one
of the many human, and thus flawed, instruments creating a cultural and spiritual
revolution... “It was very clear to me that laughter was a vital ingredient
and could be used as camouflage, absurdity was the ideal shield.”
By july ’68 a three year contract had been signed & Allen & Smyth
wasted no time in pulling together a team of virtuoso musicians to form the
first proper Gong band in Paris and began recording in September.
Between 68 - 73 the band went through many different incarnations and several
classic albums,
'Magic Brother, Banana M oon, Camembert Electric, Angels Egg, You & ‘Flying
Teapot’ were amongst them.
But Allen leaves the band and plans are made for the band to continue without
him as PARAGONG.
Allen forms Planet Gong.
Many incarnations of Gong have come and gong.
On one side is the serious musicianship, the incarnation I described as my earliest
recollections and the theatrical, ethereal visions of Daevid Allen and Gilli
Smyth on the other.
Daevid, Gilli and son Orlando live in Ocean Shores most of the time and perform
locally and abroad as Gong.
In fact they are playing this weekend 15th Feb
at Kohinur Hall upper Main Arm.
In the meantime you can find out all about the band its history and mystery
on their website
www.planetgong.co.uk
or
http://users.swing.be/gillismyth/index.htm
Gilli also has written and published a book titled"Historico Politico Spirito"which
documents in detail the true events.
My sincere apologies to Gilli if My historical or grammatical accuracy differs
to that of the written version.
Gong Live @ Kohinur Hall, Upper Main Arm 16/2/03
Its dusk and first ethereal sounds
from D.J. Booth begin to entice the arriving crowds to enter the wonderful Kohinur
Hall.
It functions not only as a gig, but a community hall which the youth of the
area use as a local hang.
Complete with modern kitchen, pool tables, childrens’ room, stage and
sunken dance floor. A Great Community project.
3 members of the band hit the stage for the first set. ‘Stranglers’
like guitar from Josh Pollock over an underpinning of jazz rock bass and drums.
Daevid Allen on ‘glissando guitar’ and Jilli on
‘space whisper’ joined the proceedings. Daevid like some ‘druid
switch doctor extracts from his array of pedals, syth like expressions which
invite one to join his astral cause. Gilli Smythe on ‘space whisper’
vocals, range from angelic transportation to ethereal worlds to where you’d
swear a screaming banshee coming down from the sky to swoop you away. Allen’s
vocal lyrics/poetry, come self styled mantra chants were a feature in the set
as was his Glissando Guitar.
The intermission break saw MC ‘Glitter Girl’ from
Bay FM congratulate the bands 2nd only official gig in Australia and to their
ongoing quest to play truly independent music. She then went on to introduce
a succession of female poets. The first Gina la Costa’s LOVE/
NO WAR hit sensitive but appreciative nerves which was followed by Turiya
Bruce with Civil Disobedience. Gypsy Goddess Misbah
followed with ‘Woman is Word Virus’ and finally Vasudha
with a performed poem she sung and put a lot of feeling into called ‘Radiate
like the Sun’, which brought a great response from the throng. She also
informed me later that the Womens Writers Festival will be around that area
on March 8th . @ Duranbul Hall
(or for info call Vasudha 0438182553)
DJ Booth continued the deluge of acid grooves as frenzied dancers soaked up
the atmosphere. Sumptuous Vegan Food was available from the servery at a moderate
price as were refreshments.
Finally Gong returned in the form of Makoto and Cotton, two
Japanese musicians who arrived in Brisbane that morning, they sounded like they
had just escaped from Yoko Ono’s school of advanced white noise. A very
competent guitar player, Makoto gyrated around like a vegetarian
in butchers cold room and Cotton I’m told plays the keyboard behind her
back but didn’t tonite. Soon joined by drummer Orlando Allen (Gilli and
Daevid’s son, ex Earth Reggae) and Dharmavan
a youthful 5 string bassist They explored and experimented with loose
structured grooves like YOU and the Gong Mantra some grooves had reached there
use by date 15 turnarounds before the piece actually finished, but at other
times some of the feels evolved into different hybrids and had a very special
nature about them.
In saying that I suppose you could say that’s what Gong is, an experimental
band, a band which doesn’t cow tow to expectation from anybody or anything.
In the nature of the true artist striving to constantly re invent themselves
through fear of becoming stayed and clichéd.
A good time was seemed to be had by all. I praise the venue, the food and the
band .
Gong at the present time are Daevid Allen, Jilli Smythe, Josh Pollock, Orlando
Allen, Dharmevan, Makoto and Cotton
Dale G.Ryan
Linda Dickens Benefit Night
Please get along to the Benefit night being held @ Uki Sports Ground on March
1st to help Linda Dickens & family in a very needy time.
Linda has played drums in many and various bands (including the Country Cousins)
around the area for many years.
She has not felt real flash of late and any support that we can give for ongoing
medical help and expenses would be much appreciated.
