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RIP Daevid Allen of Gong


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"Daevid Allen, an eccentric Australian-born guitarist, singer and poet who was an original member of the psychedelic rock group the Soft Machine and went on to found Gong, an aggressively avant-garde band whose influence far exceeded its relatively modest success, died on Friday in Australia. He was 77. Gong, which was formed in France in the late 1960s and began making records in 1970, never reached a wide audience. But it attracted a following and, with its emphasis on improvisation and unorthodox musical structures, became an early influence on the genre known as prog (short for progressive) rock. Its sound, however, was less grandiose than that of better-known prog-rock bands like Yes or Emerson, Lake and Palmer." http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/17/arts/music/daevid-allen-guitarist-and-leader-of-gong-and-soft-machine-dies-at-77.html?_r=0

 

(to continue the thought from the last line of the quote ) as a result Gong's music holds up much better over time than the grandiose pro bands

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I saw him perform with Gong at Spaceland in Silverlake, Los Angeles, and really loved the whole super positive spirit, playfulness, fun, and music that he was getting across. He would say things on stage like, "It's a rule that you have to make at least one mistake per song." :D I met him briefly and he was of course super super nice. R.I.P.

 

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