THE TOWER OF BABBLE RIDES AGAIN!
by Pamela Zero

Yes, you can put down the signs and bullhorns - once again the babbles will bubble on New Years Eve.  For those of you who did not join us last year, The Tower of Babble is Discord Aggregate’s way of saying, “Hey - thanks for a great year.  You know, you really need to have some excessive creative pressure put upon you and here’s just the way to do it...”. 

Picture this - it’s 10:59 pm on New Year’s Eve, US Pacific Standard Time.  You’re poised, fingers ready, curled up at your computer, tears slowly leaking down as you imagine the grueling ritual you are about to endure.  The clock clicks to 11:00- and you hop on to www.discord-aggregate.com/towerofbabble with a nervous bark of a laugh.  Foolish mortal!  Don’t you realize that you are now part of a  global (ack!) conglomeration of artists, poets, thinkers, writers, and People With Something To Say? For the next hour you will type thought upon thought into the input form of the construction page, hitting enter after each sentence is finished.  As you submit your words, each sentence will be placed on the floor being worked on.  Each floor has a theme assigned to it (such as The Umbrellas Lose Their Way or Whenever They Went Blue Then Red).  Each floor has a time limit.  As midnight closes in, the floors have less and less time assigned to them.  Yes, you are right, you will be typing faster and faster, trying with all your sweating soul to finish the thought and hit enter! enter! enter! before the floor times out and you are launched to the next level. 

And at midnight, after running the gauntlet of floors, you will laugh/cry/tremble with relief and anticipation, for now The Tower of Babble is taken in hand by your friendly Discord Aggregate Representatives of Joy and formatted, twisted, folded, into a printable tower of thoughts.  All of your words are wrapped, each floor is fully built and instantly, the completed Tower of Babble is accessible and ready to be printed out.  You visit the completed Tower page and hit print.  Your printer, unaccustomed to such diverse and random verbage, shudders and protests and then spews out page after page of The Tower.  Each floor is there in all its glory, and each floor is a bit narrower than the one below it.  Cut the floors out.  Tape them together. 

Raise The Tower of Babble 2000.

Read it, paint it, dance with it, on it, bring it to a public place and shout/sing it while carrying a sign reading, “The Truth Is Now And It’s A Great Conversationalist”.  Mail The Tower to your local political representative, get a T-shirt with excerpts, draw the words backwards on your windows.

Make a lot of copies, wrap them in leaves and flowers, leave them on the train. 

I will be there on New Year’s Eve to help raise The Tower of Babble.  A. Molotkov will be there, S. B. Reda will be there, and everyone else who has a thought in their head, an idea on the tip of their finger.  Write me at alemap@discord-aggregate.com and tell me you will be there with us.

IN THIS EDITION: instead of answering questions, we ask them.  Please reply promptly.  Here we go...

17. What can we do to make you less comfortable?

2. Does it ever come to mind that your existence is fleeting and poised to be replaced like an old pair of shoes? How does this make you feel? What are you going to do about it?

44. If you were us and we were you, what question would you ask?

GENRE CRUSHING: existentialism or self-delusion
or
The Road to “Can You Stay Forever?”

by A. Molotkov 

How does one become an artist?  That’s fairly simple: one just decides to become an artist, and then does whatever it takes to make this decision into reality.  Then one has to deal with all kinds of issues surrounding the decision: the lack of acceptance from those around (and not around), the lack of time, and the lack of inspirmotivation.  One learns to overcome these obstacles (or to ignore them, which is a very practical way to overcome them).  One becomes indifferent to negative opinions while still allowing themselves to enjoy positive ones.

This step was simplified for me: 14 years old at the time, I did not have too many broken illusions and crushed hopes weighing me down.  It didn't seem like a big commitment to decide to be an avant garde writer.  And once you start something, it is very easy to continue: much easier than to stop. 

Literature was an art form that seemed most accessible to mere mortals.  Unlike other disciplines, it didn't require any specific technical skills.  It felt like something that could be mastered.  Any literate individual can express their thoughts coherently and not without style.  It seemed the way to go.  It never occurred to me to venture into other art forms.  It was simply outside my realm. 

However, filmmaking had always fascinated me, and eventually I became open to the idea of trying it at some point in my life.  In 1994 I had the lucky chance to meet S.B. Reda.  He had already worked in video by then.  My intention became reality when we embarked upon the creation of “Glass Air”, a 50-minutes video film that took us over a year to finish – and one that fully lived up to our expectations.  Still, film is yet another art form that doesn't require any specific skills. 

Not music.  Or at least so I thought.  Because I couldn't tell a note from another (I’m still learning this skill innate to some people), I felt that I should never venture into that art form.  I couldn't play any instrument or sing.  As usual, all I had was a lot of experience perceiving music.  When "The Attack of the Absolute Zeros" was finished, DISCORD AGGREGATE started discussing what to do next.  Pamela Zero had written the music for the non-opera.  She proposed that for the next album, the three of us share the composing responsibility by taking on a third of the CD each.  Overcoming a million fears, I agreed.  The album was the recently completed "The Texture of the Sky".

It was not as bad as I had thought.  I didn't have any “standard” musical skills, but plenty of non-standard conceptual ideas.  Although I can't really call what I did composition (it’s more like sound collage), I was able to produce 24 minutes of music that I felt confident about (and I don't usually feel confident about anything unless I think that it is absolutely great…).  So there we are.  "The Texture of the Sky" is done, and I have invaded another art form. 

In 1998 I wrote “Not from Around Now (Poetry for a Small Choir)”.  In 1999 I finished the illustrated edition of this book, and so at this point it seems that a CD based on the book will be a natural next (and hopefully last) step.  This is how the decision to make a solo album came about. 

Entitled “Can You Stay Forever?” the album will have the poetry as its core.  In addition to recording my own text, I will invite several guest voices I have encountered in real life or on mp3.com (S.B. Reda and Pamela Zero among them, of course).  The instrumentation will be on a more gentle, acoustic side featuring violin, percussion, and several oriental instruments. 

All participants will record their own renditions of selected poems, without any instructions from me.  Because the poetry is very abstract in content, I hope to receive completely different interpretations.  This corresponds to the concept of non-simultaneous choir, which is the basis of the book.  Imagine perceiving events happening in different places at different times as parts of a singular process, and you will see what this concept is about.  In terms of the CD in question it means, among other things, that you will hear the same text several times, and each time it may tell you a new story. 

I am currently building a home recording studio, and expect to start the work on "Can You Stay Forever?" in the beginning of 2001.  Participating artists unable to record there will be asked to furnish their parts electronically.  I plan to begin by building a basic “storyline” for the entire CD, and then embellishing it with instruments and additional voices.  Back to sound collage, it seems.  And this is about as much as I know about the upcoming album. 

See you on the other side. 

31. Why haven't we heard from you lately?

1. In an average moment, how many times do you think of the Zeros from the non-opera "The Attack Of The Absolute Zeros"?

Living Backwards Creative Crunches
(or “What I Did Not Do Last Summer”)

by Pamela Zero 

You understand the dilemma- creative deadlines looming and no way to meet them.  How does one (especially a card carrying, lifetime, Discord Aggregate member) get past the empty, yawning abyss of No Good Ideas And Too Much To Finish?  As artists, we rely on our ability to create out of nothing (no pun intended) and insanely cartwheel into a project, trusting that our inherent tendencies to complete so we can get someone to see/listen to the piece will see us through at the (weary, feet slogging, barely moving) end.

Well, there I was, after much fanfare and ballyhoo, nearly done with my latest solo CD, “Living Backwards”, and completely stuck.  8 out of 10 tracks final mixed and 2 tracks hanging there, unfinished, no ideas, no momentum.  Unmixed.  On top of it all, I started the CD 3 years ago and my voice has changed substantially since then, leaving me with no real recourse as far as adding extensive vocal tracks even if I could think them up...

I will admit, I delayed.  I hesitated, made excuses, avoided the studio, started 8 million other projects in an effort to divert myself, and routinely blanked on the words living or backwards.  But I knew, and the gremlin that lives in the studio equipment knew, that my great white whale was tracking me as I swam through one, then two years of avoidance.  It was a Discord Aggregate project “The Texture of the Sky” that finally got me in the studio.   Here is a completely made up recreation of a Discord Aggregate conversation:

A.M.  “OK, so what’s next on the list of stuff to talk about at this meeting of elite yet humble cutting edge artists - ah yes, “The Texture of the Sky”.  Pamela,  S.B. Reda and I are done with our editing & mixing and are ready to master the CD.  Are you done with your editing/mixing?

P.         “Greours doruel nrrffmmmplppe...”

S.B.R.  “Didn’t catch that – please repeat”

P.         “Well, you know that the whims and arrows of outrageous fortune have smiled upon us all.”

A.M.    “Thank you, oh inscrutable one, but are you done?

P.         “I seem to be having trouble with the speakerphone”

S.B.R.  “That’s probably because we’re talking here live all together...”

(Frantic scurrying noise)

A.M.    “Pamela?”

S.B.R.  “Good god!  A. Molotkov, look at this!  Pamela has turned herself into an inside-out roast chicken rather than answer the question!”

A.M.    “Hmmmmmm...”

Needless to say, my weakness was exposed.  I was caught, red handed, and had to deliver.  I tried to go to a different studio in an effort to avoid the too-knowledgeable Trakworx gremlin, but the results were a disaster and my courage sapped.   So I did the unthinkable.  I booked studio time at Trakworx and on the fateful day, rolled myself up in a large piece of foam and messengered myself to the studio.  Six hours later, the editing and mixing for my part of “The Texture of the Sky” was done.

I have to say that the six hours were painful.  I was torn to shreds by the music.  It laughed at me, scoffed in fact, and called me names.  I reminded it that I was its creator, that I gave it life and it owed me big time, but to no avail.  The studio gremlin lounged in plain site and idly cleaned its nails.  But I prevailed.  I called upon The Thoughts That Started It All and the Original Idea.  I summoned Emotions and Compulsions.  I prayed to the Goddess of Clarity and the God of Balance.  I drank a lot of water.  And in the end, the music succumbed and rolled over to have its belly scratched.

This was enough to get me moving.  I booked Trakworx again and had a cargo plane drop me into a nearby canal on the appropriate day.  I sloshed over to the studio, slammed open the door and shouted, “Alright, everybody out!  Gremlins, doubts, whales, mediocre musical intentions, all of you, outta here!”  It seemed to work.  The engineer was a bit surprised, but he’s a pro, so he managed to keep a straight face and ask, “So, what are you working on today?”.

There was a hush and the sound of silent snow when I replied, “Living Backwards”. 

Time fast forwarded, speeding up to an insane rate as I worked the 2 songs that needed mixing.   I was singing in a seemingly insane voice, then ticking, then I was pacing as panning was wrenched into place.  It took a total of 3 sessions to finish the two tracks and then master the whole album.  It seemed like about an hour- it took 16. 

And now I am done – a veteran, a survivor, a hero from the fields of insecure battles.  It is one thing to ride the waves of creation and drop message bottles occasionally that turn into CD’s.  It is another to slam to the bottom of an empty ocean, scrape back up to the top, and then call upon the clouds to storm and fill the seas again.    I am more aware of the joy of creating now – the speed and shimmering power of singing – the clarity and courage of deciding the unformed. 

And “Living Backwards” is done.  Let me know what you think of it.

16. If you knew that you life would last 150 years, what changes would you make?

121. At what point did you /will you become the rampant defender of creative freedom that you are today/will be soon/became famous for?

The Generican
by s.b. reda

            Who is the Generican? What is the Generican? Where is the Generican? These are questions I hear all the time. Unfortunately, it is I that is asking the questions (a topic for another article).  But seriously folks, the concept of “The Generican” is something that I have been considering for some time. Originally, it was the manifestation of some childish interests that I had when I was younger, but soon it morphed into a complete representation of my disdain with the American culture that exists today.

Who is the Generican?

When I was younger, I remember wondering what all the fuss was over comic books. Yeah, the pictures were neat, the pages glossy, and the storylines intriguing. But what’s all the fuss about? I wondered what I would create if I became a comic book artist – would I have characters that fought for justice, defeating their arch-nemesis with clever thinking and incredible weaponry? Would I have a bunch of kids running around in high school,  playing tag, and generally goofing off? Unlikely. It seemed to me that either option was a presence that was far removed from me, out of reach, non-existent (see: what’s all the fuss about).  So I would draw rather unassuming, unspectacular looking things that would star in whatever comic I would end up doing. So I had a body, but no spirit.

What is the Generican?

            It took some time – maybe 10 years – to feel the need to go down this path again. I began fiddling around in my sketchbook, scratching away whenever I had a moment. I started getting in the habit of drawing these exceptionally ill-proportioned, angular bodies. After a while, a persona began to develop – the average, middle-class American person. Crumpled tie, rustled jacket, draped on a body that supported a 30-foot neck! I know, not everyone has a crumpled tie, but just pretend for a moment. Great! I have this character now – no name yet – but it has no soul. What to do?

Over the last 2 years, I have been keeping a regular diary, whereby I would transcribe my daily observations, ideas, and so on. Soon I had a pretty massive compilation – a bunch of notebooks full – but nothing to do with them. Some of the ideas are exempt from use because I want to save them and develop them sometime down the road. Even still, there was a lot left over, and more piling on by the day (still is!)

Most of what was written into those diaries involved my observance of people throughout the course of the day – in person or on television. I would listen to some of the conversations I would hear on the bus, watch how people behaved with each other, view a commercial – sometimes, late at night, I would climb a ladder outside of the neighbors’ apartment and watch them while they slept. (it is impossible to carry that ladder more than one block!)

I would take what I observed and twist it up a bit – change the context of a conversation (or topic), change the scenery, and so on. Doing this was fun, but I thought about it a bit, and decided (for therapeutic reasons) to vent my overwhelming detest of “pop culture” and the American way of life. Everything I hate about it – the business, the consumers, people in general! Gee, shucks, I’m sorry. I know that doesn’t leave much room, but trust me, there is a little crack in the door that a disappointingly tiny percentage of the population sneaks through. But alas … this is fodder for yet another article.

Where is the Generican?

The Generican is a full functioning, totally operational, Generican idiot guidebook that will be coming to annoy a brain near you soon. It will be in almost 100% comic book structure, with slight deviations and diversions. Many of The Generican’s panels will contain the characters of the wonderful land of Generica – ruled by The Generican Itself! I thought about including an image of The Generican in this bulletin, but per its request, I have omitted the picture. You’re just going to have wait for the comic book, folks!

112. Quick, quick, quick, think of 2 unrelated things. Now add some sort of food item. Now add an audience. OK, get busy, film it and send us the dailies.

1. How long are you planning to wait?

Transparent Ducks and the Universe
or
DISCORD AGGREGATE and Others

 by A. Molotkov

One’s philosophical background is never complete until one has fully understood what ducks are about.  Cindy Lubar Bishop and Peter Girard of Code One + the three Discord Aggregate members have recently recorded two improvised pieces.  The recording, which took place at Peter Girard’s studio, incorporates vocals, spoken voices, guitar, keyboards, tabla, doumbek, bells, coffee cups, milk bottles, small children and animals. 

The first track, which is nearly an hour long, is rather ambient, with a good deal of unusual twists and turns.  The second track is ten minutes long and is centered around a discussion between Cindy Lubar Bishop and Pamela Zero.  They draw from an email received by Cindy Lubar Bishop, which abounds in all kinds of advice designed to deliver aspiring artists from oblivion into the warm den of success.  Getting one’s ducks in a row is the central message of this epistolary masterpiece responsibly channeled by the performers. 

It is expected that parts of both tracks will be discarded, while remaining material will go into the golden fund of Code One/Discord Aggregate collaborations.  Hopefully, after a few more sessions like this we can talk about putting together a CD.  But for now – it’s all in the hands of ducks. 

In the meantime, “DISCORD AGGREGATE Universe” has received a facelift – and a new participant.  With his set of “Weird Illustrations”, Claudio Parentela joins the space formerly inhabited by writers only.  Although DISCORD AGGREGATE Universe is larger than it seems and includes all objects, known and unknown, the portion presented at the URL above is limited to three artists.  Plato, Bach and Dali have also been invited to participate, but we haven't heard back from them yet.  So if you have art works of historical value, don't hesitate to submit! 

And what about “Eventual Transparency”?  Conceived by Sasha Uritsky and yours truly in 1999, this collaborative writing tool started with 40 sentences.  Now it has grown to 1646 entries made by 90 authors.  To each user, Eventual Transparency presents a unique short story built from their own entries as well as from those made by previous authors.  We expect that by the year 2698 more than half of the Earth’s population will have become eventually transparent.  You can do it too – why wait till 2698?

I’m not even mentioning “The Tower of Babble”.  Not a word about it!  See the description and call for participation elsewhere in this Bulletin. 

So, as you see, working with other people can be fun.  It can also be a drag, but this is an entirely different story.  

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