April 6, 2020
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Knockout

I posted the other day about the book Mandatory 8 Count, which Sheila Gregory and I did together back in 1991 at a gallery called Workscene. Workscene was on Bathurst St just north of Queen. Some of you may remember it. The book was part of an exhibition we did called Knockout. Here is a snapshot Sheila came up with of part of that exhibition.

The piece in the foreground was done on a 90 pound punching bag. It’s suspended from the ceiling in the gallery. I think we still have that one in storage. The piece in the background was also exhibited at the Art Gallery of Mississauga. A fellow named Elo Jessen rigged up this tondo for us with a little motor, such that it rotated very slowly, so slowly in fact that unless you were in the gallery for a few minutes you might not notice the movement.

April 4, 2020
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Mandatory 8 Count

As regular visitors to this oasis in the blog swamp are aware, Sheila and I have been working on some artist books. This is something we’re revisiting now but it is not a new format for us. Last night we pulled from the vault a book we created together back in 1991.

This book, called Mandatory 8 Count was exhibited in a show called Knockout at Workscene Gallery in 1991. It was a fully collaborative exhibition which included, among other things, a painting on a 90 pound punching bag, which was suspended from the ceiling, and another on a car hood.

Mandatory 8 Count was only exhibited once. For the past 29 years, it has been living in various book shelves and rarely seen by anyone. I hope you enjoy it.

Filed under: Art
April 3, 2020
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Wild Hog in Yonders Woods

I miss my regular music sessions with my friend Ted Meyerscough. Before social distancing kicked in, we were going to start working on a tune known by various names, which I know as Wild Hog in Yonders Woods. It’s also called Old Lionel or sometimes Old Bangham. It seems like an appropriate tune for these strange days, since it’s about an unseen menace in the woods, with the bones of 1,000 men in its den.

I recorded it in D for Ted. He’ll figure out a guitar part and later we’ll add in some singing.

Here is one set of lyrics (there are many versions):

There’s a wild hog in yonders woods,
        Diddle oh down, diddle oh day,
There’s a wild hog in yonders woods,
        Diddle oh down, oh day.
There’s a wild hog in yonders woods,
He cuts your throat, and he drinks your blood,
        Cut him down, cut him down, kill him if you can.

There’s a wild hog in yonders mast,
Cut his way through oak and ash.

Bangum, will you huntin’ ride?
Sword and a pistol by your side.

Followed that wild boar day and night,
‘Fore he’d a-taken that wild boar’s life.

Bangum went to the wild boar’s den,
Found the bones of a thousand men.

Fought that wild boar sword and knife,
‘Fore he could take that wild boar’s life.

Fought four hours in that day,
The wild boar fled and he stumped away.

Bangum threw his wee pen knife,
That was the end of the wild boar’s life.

April 3, 2020
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Another new book of collages…

Sheila and I worked on this book together. Our starting point was a copy of my little book, Squeeze Box Man – The Lazy Allen Stories. We used an assortment of collage material as well as some marker and a little paint.