Long before electronic wizard Dan Deacon released his commercial debut, 2007’s Spiderman Of The Rings, he’d gigged with a high-school ska band, earned a computer-music-composition degree from SUNY at Purchase, blew tuba for Langhorne Slim, shredded improv grindcore guitar with Rated R, started a chamber ensemble, co-founded Baltimore’s Wham City arts/music collective and released a series of experimental computer-music/sine-wave recordings. Deacon continues to pursue an eclectic musical course—his Carnegie Hall debut in March was part of a John Cage tribute—but his greatest successes have been in the electronic/dance scene. America (Domino), Deacon’s new album and the follow-up to 2009’s highly regarded Bromst, could cement his status as one of the country’s most adventurous and inspired electronic architects. Deacon will also be guest editing magnetmagazine.com all week. Read our new feature on him.
Deacon: Billboard Dad entered my reality when a friend of mine bought it at a thrift store. No box accompanied it, it was just a VHS tape naked in the racks. With nothing but the title to go on, we had no idea what the movie could possibly be. The opening credits revealed that it starred the Olson twins and Tom Amandes, and that added another layer of absurdity. And while the movie didn’t quite live up to the surreal name, it was still preposterous. Commodified art like this is the perfect example of why we’re living in a culture that is begging for restructuring and revolution. Imagine the end of AI if they didn’t find Haley Joel Osment’s character, and instead they just found Billboard Dad. We are constantly creating future relics and ruins. There is a possibility that Billboard Dad will remain in this world long after billboards and maybe even after dads.
Video after the jump.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GUzSvFBts2E
