The written, but especially the graphic work of Edward Gorey was so influential on me as an artist when I was younger. I learned a lot from his gothic stark pen and ink work and have always been thankful for the profound warp he gave to my concept of what could be considered "humorous".
In 1974, some of my very favorite musicians in the world recorded a collaborative effort with Mr. Gorey.
The recording was called The Hapless Child. The compositions were by Michael Mantler and the musicians were the inscrutable Robert Wyatt on vocals, Mantlers wife at the time, Carla Bley, who as I have mentioned many times on this blog, I have an unrequited love for...I've met her a few times and have always been reduced to a stuttering adolescent in her presence. The bassist is Carla's present husband, Steve Swallow and the drummer is one of the greatest percussionists of the later 20th century, Jack deJohnette. The guitarist is one of my very favorite instrumentalists, who profoundly influenced me and my concepts of guitar technique as a musician, Terje Rypdal. This piece, The Insect God was from the recording.
The following set of gif images is from a recent Simpsons episode which I saw here in France then tracked down. They tell a short story in the Gorey style and pay profound homage to the master.
2 comments:
Great post.
the Ol'Buzzard
The Tiger Lillies were on their way to work with Edward Gorey when he died, & later recorded an album of his stories with the Kronos Quartet. Meanwhile, composer Dan Wolf had just completed the music for EG's wonderful "The White Canoe: an Opera Seria for Hand Puppets"; as Edward's longtime assistant director, I directed its posthumous world premiere. See my book "Edward Gorey Plays Cape Cod" for more. -- Carol Verburg
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