Session Start: Wed Mar 26 1997
<GaryD> Ok, folks, veterans of these events know that when I set
moderation, that means the
event is ready to get underway. David Torn is with us now, although
not in this room. David is
internet challenged being on AOL...However, I have both AOL and an
ISP so I can be in this
room and in AOL simultaneously. Anil is going to help with this
event tonight. If you have a
question, just shoot it to him in a private message. Anil will
paste it to the room and I'll paste it to
David. And then paste in his responses. You'll know it's
David speaking by his AOL screen
name, Texture444.
<Texture444>: hi, folkses: dt, here. whassup?
<GaryD> This chat is brought to you by The Artist Shop. If
you get a chance, I hope you'll stop
by for a visit <http://www.artist-shop.com>. OK folks, if
you have a question for David Torn,
send it in a private message to AnilP.
<AnilP> From Kenzak: I've read about your health problems and loss
of hearing in one ear.
What impresses me about your recent work is the soundstage of the recordings.
They are
definitely not monophonic and possess tons of aural surprises.
Do you feel you've re-learned to
hear in stereo or compensated in some way?
<Texture444>:hi, and: wow:
big question for a 1st-timer!
so.....
1) *inside* my addled head, i still hear in stereo, so since my studio-expertise
is growing, it's just
not that great a leap to actualise in tw0-eared stereo.
2) the first track of "traveller" was mixed (by moi) in mono.
thanks fer asking!
<AnilP> From Murkie: You recently toured Japan with Ryuichi Sakamoto
and DJ Spooky. How
was Japan and any recording plans with those guys?
<Texture444>: hi, murk: sorry if i've been distant.
we recorded *all* of the orchestral concerts; i believe that mr. sakamoto
will release
1) a cd, 2) a cd-rom & 3) a video of the show.
so i been told!
<AnilP> From Brevas_de_Canario: Your cover of Hendrix's "Voodoo Chile"
in _Door X_ is
wonderful. If you were to record another cover song right
now, what would it be?
<Texture444>: herro: hmmm!
cover tunes?
1) god, my heart is ready now: chris whitley
2) don't interrupt the sorrow: joni mitchell
3) up from the skies: jimi hendrix
<AnilP> From Trav2: What's excited you most, musically, in the last year?
<Texture444> trav2: dost thou mean of my *own* work, or as a listener?
<AnilP> Either or
<Texture444>: ok.
just so ya know, "excitement" is not the primary motivating factor
for my enjoyment of (&
immersion in) music, but:
that being said:
this last coupla months, working w/k.d. lang, sakamoto, tony levin,
covenant, carter burwell, j.
durant, jewel, chris massey, richard julian, michael whalen, tim berne,
etc has been pretty
amazingly great & schizophrenic, to boot, so.....
and.....
i love chris whitley's cd, din of ecstacy.....
i adore my recently acquired national steel-bodied guitar, and my fuzz-factory.and
my baby
taylor acoustic, w/the new e-bow!
btw, y'all: my son (and sometimes advisor) cody says: hey!
<AnilP> from Number6: Any plans to tour North America in any incarnation?
Solo, with
Sakamoto/Spooky, or others?
<Texture444>: n6: if a label would pick up "traveller", i'd
like to tour that music w/ matt
chamberlain & mark degliantoni, but: we'll see.
there are rumors about sakamoto, and:
more rumors that k.d. lang might ask me out for a minute.....
<AnilP> From Larsen: When are you going to work with Tony Levin and/or
Bill Bruford again?
and from Craig: Any plans to work with DJ Spooky?
<Texture444>: L:
i *am* currently working in the studio w/tony & bill, on their
project for late '97/early '98 release
(also w/ chris botti).
C:
i do hope to do something w/mr. spooky; we *almost* were booked in
an improv-trio (w/jack
dejohnette) for the summer. almost!, but sounded pretty dang groovy
to me!<AnilP> From
JosephBuck: What are your major influences outside of music?
<Texture444>: jb:
you, sir know me well!
my family, the inner workings of the cerebral glop, pain & the
awareness of suffering, twentieth
century novelists, antoni tapies, the void, odd nerdrum,
practical mysticism & a number of its teachers.....
sorry for the slowitude!my favorite food is: coffee, of a high &
particular quality! (see t-lev's
website).
<AnilP> From Panchito_El_Bello: Will you record a _Polytown 2_? and
from Larsen: Have you
and Mick Karn worked together recently?
<Texture444>: it'd be great to do another polytown, but: cmp
is in deep flux, at the moment.
don't know: but, we continue to play @ some euro-festivals!
mickey k. & i are just getting ready to do *something* else; god
knows what! but, as he's one of
my great friends, it's likely that we will continue in some capacity.....
<AnilP> From Windharp: I've noticed a lot of ambient artists
(not to imply that your work is in
any way limited to that genre) record very long compositions. What
are the chances of a DT
album that is just one, or a very few pieces?
<Texture444>: windy: interesting question:
i am considering (just thinking about) another kind of record, for
the next one:
very long, very ambient, likely w/orchestral elements:
just thinking.it wouldn't be that far off from my first cd-rom, tonal
textures, nah?
<AnilP> From Number6: Could you tell us how a track like "What Means
Solid Traveller?" comes
into being? Did you have a more or less complete "picture" in mind
prior to recording? Or did you
start layering tracks from nothingness?
<Texture444>: n6:
that piece, like most of my stuff, comes directly outta nothing:
no guides, but for what i'm receptive to at the moment:
'composing' becoming an outgrowth of inspiration.isn't life strange,
anyway?
<AnilP> From Noize (come on feel the): Have you considered teaching
at a university like
CalArts where Miroslav Tadic does?
<AnilP> Also, who were your original teachers?
<Texture444>: Noize:
i *really* enjoy talking to younger musicians (not to mention *working*
w/them!), but the
opportunity has only arisen infrequently..... a college in denmark,
some clinics, a master
class at calarts, once.....teachers of note:
leonard bernstein (in symposium), frank basile, john abercrombie, pat
martino, officially
speaking.....
<AnilP> DT: Did you ever play with Tony Williams? Even if you didn't,
can you offer some
reflections on that cat?
<Texture444>: anil? is that *really* you?
<AnilP> Hey DT, yep, it's me.
<Texture444>: wow: tony w: what can *i* possibly say about
tony, other than:
i wish we'd played together!
sadly, it never went.....
<AnilP> From Craig: You bought an instrument similar to a koto when
you were in Japan, have
you used it on a recording yet?
<Texture444>: the kikuyae: the chrysanthemum harp: has made
it to kd lang's record, & to chris
massey's record.
btw, craig:
didja ever go back to the hilton to pick up those books i'd left forya?
<AnilP> From Murkie: Have you heard the _DoorX_ mailing list compilation of fan tapes yet?
<Texture444>: murkie:
no: sorry:
i'm lame:
and been shockingly busy:
but:
i will!
<AnilP> From Jbrainin: Would you ever work with Robert Fripp?
and from Formless: Any plans
to collaborate with Bill Laswell?
<Texture444>: i'd love to work w/mr.fripp!
never heard nothing from laswell, though.....
<AnilP> From mb: I've read that you've throughly abused your wounds
with your Mac. Are you
still using it as heavily as before? What kind of software/hardware?
<Texture444>: wounds? abused? splain yerself.....
<AnilP> that was supposed to be sounds, not wounds btw.
<AnilP> :-) sorry
<GaryD> Yes, I can see that that was a bit confusing!
<Texture444>: i do use the mac to organise material, as well
as to fuck things up (as i would
w/any other piece o'gear), but: it certainly ain't critical to my flow.
(i do love the thang).i use a
centris 650, logic audio, SDII w/waves plugs, hyperprism, a roland
s760.
<AnilP> From JosephBuck: Where does redemption come from?
<Texture444>: i think that redemption comes, like everything
else, from within.
or: is it the most expensive of calvin klein odours?redemption, btw,
does imply some kind of
recovery: going back: return to an original state, eh?
<AnilP> From El_Chileno: Have you ever been approached to do a film
soundtrack? And who is
your favorite film director?
<Texture444>: el chileno: as you might know, i regularly *play*
on lotsa soundtracks.
i've only written for a few smallies, but: i hope there'll be more
(& more interesting ones) in
future.
i *love* the coens, the delicatessen folk, etc.....
<AnilP> From formless: Ever feel any desire to put the guitar down
and concentrate on another
instrument for a bit?
<Texture444>: lucky for me, that's *exActly* what i do do (not
doo-doo, but do do):
that's why i loop, that's why i play so many instruments, that's why
i often won't play anything at
all for good long whiles:
to refresh:
to stay naive.
<AnilP> From El_Chileno: I'm always wondered what your thoughts are
on Allan Holdsworth.
You sound influenced by him but you don't sound like him at all. Both
of you don't sound like
guitarists, either, which is nice!
<Texture444>: thanks for the compliment!
allan? truly a genius: changed the instrument forever.
<AnilP> From PaulG: By any chance, do you have live or studio recordings
of other Zobo tunes
and have you any plans to release them? Also, how did the band get
that name?
<Texture444>: zobo: wow.
i don't know what zobo material i've got, but i know that tons o' live
material floats about.....i,
myself, have no plans to release that stuff.....zobo:
it was chosen randomly, outta a early 20th century sears catalog!zobo:
also, it's the name for some tribe of nomadic tibetan minstrels! eek.....
<GaryD> Well, David's been with us for an hour and a half and it's
time to wrap things up.... I
want to give a big thanks to Anil Prasad for helping out tonight.
If you get a chance, you should
definitely check out his website, Innerviews. Give'em the URL
Anil.
<AnilP> http://www.innerviews.org -- there's a couple of Torn interviews on there.
<AnilP> thanks gary
<GaryD> And I most definitely want to thank David Torn. It
almost seems as though he shows
up on half of the albums in The Artist Shop. Everything on Alchemy
Records....Jansen, Barbieri
and Karn....Gongzilla and Bon on LoLo Records...
<Texture444>: thanks to y'all for being around, and interested;
if i could type faster (& my kids weren't buggin' my punk-ass to
get off their Mac), i'd probly offer
ya some more in-depth answers: and i've got some shit to say without
even
being queried, dontcha know!
so:
maybe we'll do this again?, if you wanna.
my best regards to all,
dt
<GaryD> If you get a chance, stop on over and visit The Artist Shop
at http://www.artist-
shop.com Next week we'll be chatting with Buck Dharma
of Blue Oyster Cult. I hope some of
you can make it. And, as always, at the end of a chat I unmoderate
so the music chat can go on!
Session Close: Wed Mar 26 1997