Let’s Get Wobbly! (#79)

It is really hard to have it sink in that December is here, and that this year is winding down. And since we were having such a good time last month, we decided to annex a day so that Negativland November could continue for one more week.

And this week, we interview another incredible artist who also happens to be in the band: Wobbly. (Jon Leidecker.) In this frank and wide-ranging conversation, we discuss his new work (and work yet to come), his role in Negativland and Over The Edge Radio, and pretty much everything else that came to mind as we bantered. As a long-time fan, it was a pleasure to chat, and I think anyone who is a fan of this show will enjoy this conversation, which gets at some of the philosophical impulses behind why we do what we do, and how there is always still a fight to be fought, somewhere.

For this program, MKUltramegaphone are in studio, and we had a blast stretching our audio legs again. horridus joins the show at around the 24 minute mark, and we jam it out all the way to the bitter end. There’s about six minutes of us “unwinding” that was podcast-only this week, and while it’s not essential to the interview part of the show, it does sort of put a cap on the show, for us, and is a fun “come down” period, too.

It has been so much fun to get to talk with all these artists who have left such a big mark on me, personally and creatively. Hopefully some of that excitement – when it does come through – is not not too distracting from the subjects of these chats.

And, more importantly, I hope you like them. I’m quite fond of how it all tuned out.

This show is most certainly to be part of the larger arc happening with my interviews with The Weatherman and Mark Hosler. But don’t let that fool you! We have more Negativ-fun on the program coming next year. Tim Maloney is going to talk about his role as a video artist for the group, and we will also have part two of my conversation with Mark. For those who want to follow all of my Negativland shows, this link may be incredibly useful to you: midvalleymutations.com/category/negativland/

The fun’s not over, and the holiday season is underway! Stay tuned for more excitement in the weeks to come.

Be seeing you!

Spinitron Playlist

Let’s Get Wobbly! (#79)

HOUR 1

Part I: “DJ Wobbly”

01.) Austin FM Theme * Paco Jones * Austin FM Theme * Self-Released (2016)
02.) Interview Part 1 * Wobbly * 9 November 2017 * Mid-Valley Mutations (2017)

Part II: “The glamour is sucked right out of it, and it just becomes the work.”

03.) Interview Part 2 * Wobbly * 9 November 2017 * Mid-Valley Mutations (2017)

• Familiar, working with Dieter Mobeius, Negativwobblyland, 2012, touring with Fred Frith, working with Tim Story, Music From the Hearts of Space, Cluster, Mobeius’ directness and studio habits, collaborations vs. solo work, People Like Us, the benefits of working with others.

Part III: “Art is this byproduct of being alive.”

04.) Interview Part 3 * Wobbly * 9 November 2017 * Mid-Valley Mutations (2017)

• More solo vs collaborations, playing recordings of other people as art, expressing a culture’s voice in the art we make, joining Negativland and working with them, honing your own creative voice.

Part IV: “15 year olds are growing up with the understanding that you don’t own your own self expression.”

05.) Interview Part 4 * Wobbly * 9 November 2017 * Mid-Valley Mutations (2017)

• Going to Negativland camp, Variations Radio Program and the culture wars, Kenny G (ubu.com), artist’s rights and the ownership of culture, the concept of the author, self expression through social media and the evaporation of owning our own expressions and data, the changing politics of culture jamming, post-vaporwave data profiles dictating our reality, artistic merit slipping away as time moves on, generational sea-changes, culture tacking to the libertarian center, It’s All In Your Head.

HOUR 2

Part V: “They’re inherently unpredictable!”

06.) Interview Part 5 * Wobbly * 9 November 2017 * Mid-Valley Mutations (2017)

• The changing technology and gear, 100% iPad album, his residency at the S1 Synth Library in Portland, the ergonomics of devices (for the audience), a Don way of doing things, more history about the original booper from 1974, The Booper Symphony, the live Negativland Experience.

Part VI: “Keep discovering mistakes.”

07.) Interview Part 6 * Wobbly * 9 November 2017 * Mid-Valley Mutations (2017)

• Over The Edge with Wobbly & KROB, Puzzling Evidence, Don as teacher, doing radio with him, making art and remaining open, how to stay confused, listening as a creative tool, a live performance every time you press play, making a “mix” show on live radio and why that’s difficult, radio and music reporting killing the mix show, KPFA supporting mix radio, approaches to sampling, discovering sample sources, natural record shopping habits.

Part VII: “Continuity.”

08.) Interview Part 7 * Wobbly * 9 November 2017 * Mid-Valley Mutations (2017)

• Finding music under your own power, our varying radio styles, Over The Edge stories, archive.org’s collection, more episodes being uncovered, Tim Maloney’s role behind the scenes, Don’s vision for the show, KROB’s role behind the scenes, Wobbly’s new record Monitress, the surveillance state, a Zeena Parkins record of duos, Sagan’s second album in 2018, Cosmos, Who Speaks For Earth?, pseudo-obscurity, the impulse behind these interviews, working on the new Negativland Record this month.