The Impacted Nectarine Vexations of Mouldy Vinyl Re-incarnations
1st performance: Cinecycle, Toronto, 1991
The KBZ 200 presents 18 hour performances where different cover versions of three exotic songs (Taboo, Caravan, and Quiet Village) are repeated endlessly, both from mouldy vinyl presentations and from live musical performances and re-enactments. This is set in a tableau of ersatz exoticism manifested by continuous projection of travelog films of exotic locations, processions of large tiki-god heads, pullulating maneouvres of coconut bras oozing sweet nectar, and bread hats flamed during exotic food preparation. This is the mouldy reincarnation of orchid rot, the impacted nectarine vexations of Baghdadianism; an hommage to the performance artist Jack Smith. Collaboration with Gordon W. and Laura Kikauka, Gordon Monahan and members of KB Zed.
Vexations (1893) by Erik Satie was an extremely avant garde work when it was composed. Approximately 50 years later, the concept of ‘furniture music’ was co-opted by the Muzak Corporation and used as background shopping music. The KB Zed takes 3 songs often heard as shopping music and uses them to create this ersatz exotic tableau that returns the music to its primitive state, causing delirious frenzy amongst listeners subjected to a full 18 hour listening.
