I watched a bit of that (a bit was all I could take). It's really quite a sad story. The man apparently was actually a decent guitarist once but is now in deteriorating mental and physical health. Yet he continues to do the thing he that loves most. The most disgusting thing about this, though, is that people actually come to his shows to throw things on him. Truly sick.
I don't think you can chalk up his atrocious style on guitar to mental illness. Pretty sure that was always in place.
If you want some real performance art then give Mrs Smith a listen:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gg005vmnr9U
I thought The Shaggs were considered the worst.But maybe he's taken on things being thrown at him as part of his performance art sort of like G G Allin. Still I'm sure he'd rather them not throw things, but hopefully he still enjoys performing in some way.
why is it that when Fred Frith plays exactly the same thing, then its art?
Okay, so it wasn't so much about mental illness as it was arthritis plus a severe back injury. Here's a video in which Fil from Wings of Pegasus explains and delves into some guitar work from Benson's past and presents him in a much more positive way. And I have to give a big thumbs up to Fil's integrity.
Thanks for posting the video, a very sad story though. Arthritis is a crippling disease and I've seen people who've suffered with it. ):
Soundcloud page: Richard Hermans, musical meanderings https://soundcloud.com/precipice YouTube: [https://www.youtube.com/@richardhermans4457
Originally Posted by Koreabruce
Sad stuff right down the line; crippling disease and cruel audiences.
That's not Tommy Wiseau?
Mongrel dog soils actor's feet
man if I had some eggs I would chuck them at that boob
Which one?
Wow what a strange, interesting and sad story. Buon Vecchio Charlie is quite a good album, he was on 16 at the time. It's really weird how it has become a thing for people to go to his shows and throw food and stuff.
Thanks for posting that.
Truly a sad state of things that some people will turn up at a performance just to throw eggs at the person on stage. Really deplorable.
An age old argument, of course...
Robert Fripp vs. Gordon Haskell re: Keith Tippett (circa 1970):
GH: "He sounds just like a cat who jumps up on the piano and runs up the keys.."
RF: "But Keith knows what he is doing, that's the difference."
GH: "Yeah, but it sounds the same!"
For those of us who enjoy experimental music, I guess it will always be an open question. I think some people like hearing people explore, and some find it boring and self indulgent and only want to hear the perfected practice (or "composition recital") ...
The act of going to throw shit at a suffering human being strikes me as a bit reprehensible, but what the hell do I know?
Either it's all performance-art or his narcissism is so great that any attention is preferable to none.
Mongrel dog soils actor's feet
And if it is performance-art, each to their own I suppose.
This is appalling, both on the abuser's side and on the abused's.
Both coming from the public/crowd, who must know by now how terrible he's bedcome (which is why they're paying the price to get in and for the shit they're going to throw at him).... and the (in?)-voluntary buffoon, who's probably getting paid for his TV appearances and concert performances... I mean which stage owner would want to clean up the shit afterwards, unless raking in some kind of dough??
Can't help but thinking that this is part of la Comedia Divine or Comedia De L'Arte...
Remember that Italy institutionalized decadence... From Roman times to Venice's poison-happy decadence or the Borgia family in Rome.
Yup, he certainly seems to be a gluton for punishment, that's for sure.
His mid-80's Van-Halen-ish antics were OK, but seemed incredibly narcistic and poseur-type (for a guy in his 30's - the commenter is wrong saying he was 20) , but there was certainly some dexterity and virtuoso
There may some of that, but I really think that to stoop that low, there vmust be some kind of mental disorder as well.
I mean , unlike the freak circus shows of 100 years ago, this guy seems to be doing it all by himself to himself (maybe someone's behind it as well)
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No time now, but i've brought out my BVC album to give it a spin.
Last edited by Trane; 04-01-2019 at 08:38 AM.
my music collection increased tenfolds when I switched from drug-addicts to complete nutcases.
Behind the curtain story, Richard Benson 'led a show' -athough I would argue with the real meaning of this statement- in the 90s. At my knowledge this show lasted until the early 2000s and started somewhere in time in the 80s. It was aired on a local network, available not even in whole country -Italy-, but basically only in Rome and nearbies.
The show was about him introducing barely misknown artists, ranging from progressive, to jazz-fusion, to death metal, including a multitude of shredding guitarists, hyper-fast fingers moving on the keyboards as well as incredibly creative acts. To name a few: he could have played a song by Yngwie Malmsteen and Allan Holdsworth in the same show. I remember knowing bands such like Birdsong of Mesozoic, a huge ton of guitarists from the shred era, as well as finest jazz artists. He played just a couple of tunes, then added comments -use your immagination here.
Eight note, that was one the name of one of the incarnations of his personal show, was pivotal for many people, musicians as well, to get exposed to stuff that in the pre-internet era was basically impossible to conceive. If you asked multiple people, they will tell you they never watched it. Being linked with Richard Benson is, you can expect, not increasing your status. However, credit where credit is due, Richard Benson oddly played a role in many people's access to very good and weird music. My two pennies.
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It's nice he could do some good for others that way! Sort of makes up for the mindless wanking.
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