Long live Pere Ubu!

I dunno if it was a Freudian slip or simply because I'm tired, but the post below was originally intended for--and is now posted at--the multi-author blog associated with an incredibly elaborate, 2 1/2-years-in-the-making production I am involved with next month in collaboration with my pals in the Real Dream Cabaret, these hi-tech folks here, other robot designers, and musician-about-town David Kane. For some reason, I almost posted it here instead. But what the hell--why not crosspost? The more people who hear about the project, the better! Plus, I'm really loving the ongoing blog we're maintaining as we put the show together--a rare chance to watch a show take shape before your very eyes--and this makes a convenient excuse to encourage you to check it out. I'm also a big Pere Ubu fan from way back, which makes the following all the more relevant in a different context ...



Like a lot of people my age--easing from high school to college as Pistols-era punk rock evolved into post-punk--I first became aware of Ubu Roi through the legendary avant-noise rock of Pere Ubu. The band is still around, more than 30 years later, albeit with an ever-changing lineup, and it's kinda surprising that it took them until 2008 to get around to actually staging Jarry's play.

The production, described here, sounds pretty interesting--and quite far from our own handling of the same material. Visual elements are by the Brothers Quay, and lead singer/songwriter/play adapter David Thomas performs as Pa Ubu himself--the role he was obviously born to play. Here's a sample:



(You can download a free MP3 of the same song here, or buy the whole album shortly.)