The Ancient Mariner
Ancient Mariner
Not sure if anyone here has heard of Justice Yeldham And The Dynamic Ribbon Device. He is a homeless live performer from Australia who makes music in a different way to the norm.
His setup consists of two contact mikes connected to a sheet of glass which is connected to several effects pedals. The mikes pick up vibrations rather than sounds, so when he moves the glass it changes the pitch. He starts off by licking it and pressing his face against it, before he starts crushing the glass on his face, screaming into it, chewing it, running the edges under his lips/nose and spreading the blood over the ever shrinking sheet of glass and his face until at the end he smashes the last shard he's holding over his head and walks offstage without saying a word. He does the show in bare feet, with no painkillers and never gets stitches after a performance (even though he's had several instances where he should have done).
There's videos/pictures/reviews at http://www.dualplover.com/justice.htm and http://www.myspace.com/justiceyeldham (don't click the links if you're squeamish, have a weak heart or can't stand the sight of blood)
But the question is... would you say he's a genius for his ideas (he's done other projects in the past including mixing with broken records on modified turntables which go up to 3000rpm), a madman for the way he risks his life at every show and the pain he puts himself through, or is he just a man who's a bit wrong in the head and wants a bit of attention? You can't deny what he's doing is original and, in my opinion, it's quite a clever idea...
Any opinions?
His setup consists of two contact mikes connected to a sheet of glass which is connected to several effects pedals. The mikes pick up vibrations rather than sounds, so when he moves the glass it changes the pitch. He starts off by licking it and pressing his face against it, before he starts crushing the glass on his face, screaming into it, chewing it, running the edges under his lips/nose and spreading the blood over the ever shrinking sheet of glass and his face until at the end he smashes the last shard he's holding over his head and walks offstage without saying a word. He does the show in bare feet, with no painkillers and never gets stitches after a performance (even though he's had several instances where he should have done).
There's videos/pictures/reviews at http://www.dualplover.com/justice.htm and http://www.myspace.com/justiceyeldham (don't click the links if you're squeamish, have a weak heart or can't stand the sight of blood)
But the question is... would you say he's a genius for his ideas (he's done other projects in the past including mixing with broken records on modified turntables which go up to 3000rpm), a madman for the way he risks his life at every show and the pain he puts himself through, or is he just a man who's a bit wrong in the head and wants a bit of attention? You can't deny what he's doing is original and, in my opinion, it's quite a clever idea...
Any opinions?