[sdiy] Tape head collage (pretty much not synth DIY, sorry)

[jhno]

her boyfriend at the time was bob bielecki - one of the most
innovative equipment/sound designers i've ever met and/or
worked with. i believe he had a hand in the incredible
"talking sticks" hand-held midi controllers that laurie used in
the moby dick piece at bam. incredible.

nope... the 'talking stick' controller came from the secretive, legendary,
and defunct laboratory known as Interval Research. it was part of an
ongoing project there which also involved thomas dolby, michael brook,
brian eno, tom oberheim, max matthews, and many others over the years,
generally coordinated by ex-apple computer human interface guru joy
mountford and hammond organist extraordinaire, bob adams.

i wrote the granular synthesis software that made the thing work, using
Max/MSP. not long after i started working for the company that makes
Max/MSP instead. :)

i liked the moby dick show okay, but i thought the subject matter was kind
of forced, and the stick seemed to me a gimmick. what really made the whole
show work, for me, was when the confusion would stop and she would sit down
for a moment and just.... talk.... to the audience.... or sing.... a short
piece with her excellent touring band (some amazing bass player).

in person, or before a whole theater, she has the ability to capture
attention with her shining eyes, inimitable voice, and hold you in
suspended, indefinite rapture.

jhno