My mother just sent me a text message that simply consisted of the following:

T

What could it mean? She's arrived at a two way junction in the road? The clock's struck four? She's met the actor who plays B A Baracas? I don't know. Anyway, I replied “Excuse me?” to elicit more information; I'll be sure to let you know.

*

I'm looking forward immensely to seeing Pere Ubu play at the Festival Hall on Sunday, even though it will inevitably sound like a dog's dinner. Chum, or Pal, perhaps. There was an article in the Independent yesterday about the acoustics of the RFH, and how in 1951 when the thing was built the architects had panicked about orchestras being too loud, and had thus put carpet everywhere to deaden the sound. They would never have imagined that 53 years later a giant of a man in a black coat and trilby hat would be stalking across the stage, barefoot, and caterwauling through a gigantic PA about Caligari's Mirror. There wouldn't have been enough carpet in the WORLD to deal with that kind of thing.

I worked for Ubu and David Thomas for about 8 years, and was on the receiving end of many marvellous speeches about America, the French, the English, managers, sound engineers, agents, airlines, hotels, vans, cars, and taxes. (Not taxis, taxes.)

I was delighted, therefore, to go to his site today and see the following:

German, Dutch and Belgian Surcharge

The governments of Germany, Holland and Belgium have imposed anti-foreigner taxes on musicians playing in their countries. They are designed to exclude non-white and non-native influence. In America we call this bush-league, podunk… uh, déclassé. In any case, because it is an illegal tax the tax authority of England does not recognize it and, therefore, will not give credit for it. Consequently, in order to claw back the tax, Ubutique [his online shop - R] orders from individuals in these countries will be surcharged, 20% on German orders, 15% on Dutch orders and 18% on Belgian orders.

followed a couple of weeks later by:

“I Quit!” Shock

“I will no longer tolerate the injustice wherein if you create you are hounded and penalized by racist do-gooders,” Mr Thomas said. “Whereas if you simply suck the teat of the musical welfare state, i.e. if you DJ, you are not. From henceforth I shall suck the teat of the musical welfare state. I have become a DJ.”

I doubt very much that he has quit – “I quit” was a familiar phrase during the years I was at Ubu Projex – but I think that when he wrote it, he would have definitely meant it.

(I would love to see David Thomas DJing.)