Wizard of AUS

After listening to Mirrors for what must be the 15th full rotation, I came about a late-night thread of thought. There's an apparent vibration or magnetism that surrounds Wally De Backer, something of which he himself seems to be at least partially nescient. It begins with the consumption of the music, the deep layers of sound that draw the listener away from their immediate, more concrete reality. But the incantations only begin there....

Once subsumed into the swelling splendor of the music, there seems to be a secondary condition that overtakes those who find the music especially stirring and transcendent. There is a visceral mesmerism that rapidly takes hold. It begins in the deep recesses of the emotional centers of the brain and suffuses through to the heart, the pit of the stomach, and beyond. The listener becomes the follower, becomes the lover. The lover becomes enslaved by a sometimes unnerving connection to the art and the artist. The lover's entanglement with both creator and created becomes a spiritual accord.

I have been witness to this power. I have been terrified by it but myself unable to turn from it entirely. I have seen many others netted by the unseen forces it creates. The embers glow constantly, and when in closer interface with the music and the man, the fire is spurred on with heavy breath till the flames lick upward and tower. At times the burning is so intense it causes one to wince and recoil. Other times we stand in the pyre, welcoming the juxtaposition of agony and bliss.

What is the dark magic produced within these chants? Is the maker of the music some quiet shaman come to cull the ancient spirits? Has he sussed forth the ghosts of Beethoven, Hendrix, Lennon, and other such creators of auditory wizardry?  Has he slipped some seductive substance into his songs to erase all sense of hazard and cause the listener to bend unquestioningly to his will?

There is no denying a certain insensate, almost orgasmic experience in absorbing the music, especially those songs which touch at deep personal realities. The assumed trifecta of mind, spirit and body become magnetized to the experience. As a not wholly transient effect, the creator of the experience becomes a source of lustful energy. It cannot be denied that he who is a somewhat unremarkable figure from some angles becomes a stunning, comely, utterly specious man. It is the force of the internal brilliance coupled with the artist's own passionate experience with his work that hypnotizes. He takes on an etherial aura that remains uninterrupted. He becomes divine, in certain fashion.

I must hasten to apologize to anyone who may find this exploration unnerving. Trust me that I do, as well, which is why it seems to warrant exploration. It would seem evident from images such as these that the process of the music is itself a ravishing experience for the man who creates it. Perhaps we are merely sensing that heat and responding to it as anyone would who shares similar proclivities to the artist. It is reasonable to consider that the tantalizing power of the experience is entirely intended. What else would sufficiently decipher the throngs of impassioned followers that have fallen at his feet?

I consider myself a normally pragmatic, perhaps even starkly reticent woman. But I will not deny my experiences with this music and its maker, lest I be unctuous in my reality as a so called 'super-fan.'

I mean all but respect for Wally De Backer and those who hold him genuinely dear. I mean only to deconstruct the magnetic, almost religious pull he has on his followers. I wholly believe that his intentions are genuine, gentle and virtuous. I truly believe he only wishes to touch the heart a bit as his has been touched before. He wishes to share the glow, for that we cannot thank him enough.

But there is a strange power.....that cannot be ignored.

~~~c. P 2012

Sounds from the Mattress Fort

As we move forward on our Wall-nuts Social Action/Story project  it seems appropriate to address the voices I am privileged to listen to each day, to attempt to represent their resonance in some basic fashion.

I spend a surprising amount of energy absorbing their thoughts, feelings, words and whimsy....yet sometimes I find some sadness in the work. So many potentially brilliant minds feeling that their contributions barely merit, if at all. I am one who feels that way, at times. Yet I beg to differ, so today I take the possible risk of briefly speaking as a conduit. Perhaps the message does not become lost amongst the assumed 'refuse'....

There are countless sources of scrutiny and cogitation out there in the grand internet ether. As we scratch the surface of it, we find ourselves oft astounded by the apparent unceasing streams. Your name blips on the radar every millisecond, it would seem. We can separate our own selves from the constant noise, you cannot entirely, can you?

Perhaps it smacks of some level of profound entitlement, or lack of self-awareness, but we would like to believe our voices matter. We would like to believe we get through...although the stark reality seems to be that although the chorus of numerous chanting one message may be more powerful than the straining vocals of one...it would seem that at some point the choir is too large to be heard. Or perhaps we are not singing in harmony, perhaps we sound deranged and rampageous to you?

Are we made of packs of wild-eyed beasts with ravenous appetites, our guts groaning for another taste of your tender ankle? Are we the pack-wolves lurking in the bushes waiting to trample you? No, we are gentle creatures, made of the same fragile fragments and flesh as you.

We are a garden of immutable orchids, weaving our tendrils about one another, enclosed within the hot, redolent greenhouse you've built around us. We come in many colors, shapes, dimensions and fragrances. The blooms grow greater and stronger because of your consequence. Like any flowers, we adorn ourselves so that perhaps our disclosure will be granted a notice by the passing butterfly.


Ah, but you are a reticent gardener! You know not what to make of your bounty?!

Or perhaps there's no room on the windowsill for more fulsome decoration.

If we could convince you to lean over and see through our lens, the view may be too much to bare. You've woven stories that stripped us naked of our secrets-you made art that exposed our deepest truths, those things we told to no one. Those closed secrets are now open secrets, because of your own candor. You accepted the challenge from which many of us recoiled-you pieced together the heart puzzle. Now, upon sharing it with us, we find ourselves feeling small and feckless-that you had to make sense of it when we could not.

Now you shoulder a grand burden, having revealed your light and melodies, like Apollo, now a symbol of deep revelations. I am sorry....it is a role hocked with terrible and beautiful labor.

Our hope is to offer our deepest gratitude, and not to sound as a gaggle of spoiled children fighting over their beloved bauble. We only wish to stand behind our animus, and lift you up above the occasional ugliness that may be shot in your direction. We will do our best to remain a part of the harmony.



~~Thank you to my Wall-nuts for constantly inspiring!~~
     c. Paige 2012

Inside the Crucible

Part of the assumed responsibilities to the Wall-nuts community is the frequent screening of interviews and articles sent to me by members before posting. I admit that in busier times I may skim a piece or, if I have previously absorbed it, I might grant it a second, albeit perfunctory, glance. regardless, it is a privilege to regularly process these found gems. I am frequently amazed at the tracking skills of my colleagues!

Recently I've come across a few older pieces from mid to late 2011 in which Wally projects what may come of the release of Making Mirrors. He speaks of the previous slow-burn tendencies of prior albums, and the transitions from self-management and production to finally having powerful others looking over his shoulder, breathing down his willowy neck. At the chronological watermark of these interviews, Wally remained unblemished by the numerous challenges of world-wide fame. Perhaps it is merely supposition, but one can almost witness the glow of naivete emitting from him. He was still just Wally, the winsome young music man from Ballnaring with the curly hair and the oddly arresting smile, sifting through the vintage tees and forty-fives at the local Op-shop.

Now we return to the inescapable extant reality. We return to the molten,white-hot current that has swept up the music and inevitably, the man, in some manner. When the spark of humble genius is blended in, the mixture becomes all the more complex and potentially caustic.

We return to the stony crucible in which the artist and his art shift and boil. It is a space with unrelenting oppression, power, assumptions, expectations, criticisms and callousness. It is a place where that which came from the tender recesses of the heart and mind is objectified and stripped bare by any consumer passing by. Love, grief, frustration, joy are all repackaged and put on display for unbounded intrusion. Yet, does the art comes forth with that social contract understood? Do we have an accord, You and Us? 

There must be an astounding tension held between remaining temporal and calm when so many expect so much. As Wally said himself, there is a great deal of "space junk" floating about in the earthly orbit. How does a person reconcile that much of it may now be humming with their moniker, but they cannot expect to listen to all of it? What sounds are refuse and which are the refrain of some transient but valuable insight? What samples deserve a second glimpse? In one interview, recorded hastily in the corner of a noisy bar, Wally admits that he begrudgingly attends to his bursting email inbox, his glutted Twitter account, and often finds himself intransigent and flustered by the din of it all. It distracts him from the genuine fervor inside his mind-the music and its eager birth.

 How can one discern what is relevant when caught in the pressure and calidity of the crucible of fame?Are these very words merely more of the burning compound? Do you choose to ignore the heat and constriction, or do you use it to bring forward some sturdy, shining, alloyed creation?


~~c. P 2012

Making Many Mirrors

First order of Wall-nut business for today: A resounding Thank You to Wally and GotyeHQ for their message of appreciation. As of today, 65 international members strong, the "Wall-nut nation" is overjoyed to be some of the voices sharing the music and inspiration. We shall continue to work our hardest to represent with respect and collaboration.

                                                                                 ~~~
Some level of jest usually generates from the chatter amongst mutual enthusiasts. Among the dialogues on musical creation, the genesis of a song or the over-exposure of another, items dug from deep in the personal past of the artist punctuate the conversation. Like trinkets and talismans dusted off from trunks in the attic, these pieces of singular human history carry more meaning and message than perhaps any of us can truly comprehend.

Today, I step away from my ambiguity as the founder of the Wall-nuts, to examine what happens when a lifetime of personal exploration and collection draws to an apparent end.

Recently I was informed of the sudden failing health of my last remaining patriarch, the final elder of my family line. Born from first generation Scottish immigrants, he is an eclectic man with a sweeping personal narrative that I could never recount with genuine competency. He was a teacher of others, an artist, and an advocate to those who lived on the margins of society. He often abandoned his own Eurpoean, educated male privilege to listen to the voices who had long been silenced.

As my fellow 'nuts' assemble the available pieces of Wally's puzzle from often surprisingly insular sources, I consider to what extent are we doing justice to the gradually advancing life story of the man. Do we even have such a right, such a sanction, to attempt to understand his story? Of course, we are merely eroding the surface of the sand to reveal the most superficial relief of the structure. We try to care for it with great deference, like an anxious archeologist, gently applying one brush stroke at a time to uncover the treasure beneath. But can we ever overcome our naive comprehension of the being, or merely the marker left behind by fossilized history?

As I experience the impending end of a life, I wonder what stories the passing heart wishes remain for those still in the mortal coil. What memorial does a man aspire to when he sees his exit nigh?
 
I think back to an interview wherein Wally speaks of the image of an aging man impressing upon his youthful, inpatient kin the sterling merit of an antiquated organ propped stately in the lounge room. The younger mind finds the instrument quaint and quotidian, at best. But the old man reminisces on his long amity for the organ-it was the inspiration for song, for word, for plumbing the depths of the old man's soul. The child cannot bridge the gap to fathom what his elder recounts.

I myself may soon be sitting on the rickety bench of an aging organ that grew cobwebs and dust in the basement somewhere, having once been a source of grand sound and soulfulness. I may soon have but the stories told by technologically obsolete keys and chords.

Most of us will leave this life with only minute tales to be told, with only a few objects and images of our inner selves. Someone like Wally will someday leave behind a grand chronicle of music and imagery and inspiration. His story will be dear to many, and his passing will prompt the tears of countless eyes. But what will we have really known of him? Those of us who have not been-and may never be-genuinely dear to him as well....what will we have known?

We are but transient creatures in this ecology. Our own time in the environment is perhaps the only truly non-renewable resource we are given. What will we have done with it when the sands run down?
I will say this-I am glad to share in your stories, and those of our common source of creative inspiration. Someday those stories may be so much more than they seem. We ought to tell them while we have time.

~~~c. P 2012

If you have a story to tell about how Wally's music touched your life or that of someone dear to you, please find The Wall-nuts on Facebook and join us in our first social action story-telling project "Many Mirrors" (c) where we give a space to those who have not yet felt free to use their voice.

Blessing and a Curse

As we delve ever deeper into the complex waters of electronic communication, I wonder what the world looks like through eyes that can never escape the view from aloft.

What features does the landscape present from such a high place as that of inescapable fame and recognition? Does reality become attenuated and blurred as it does out the window of an airplane mid flight? Or does one feel a sense of power, to see above all our heads? Would the perspective be a burden?

                                    

What sensations are evoked when thousands, millions of desultory voices like mine shout your name? Do you grow tired of your own title, of your own 'self' as you've presented it to an ever-enrapt species? What cost do you accrue assuming the empire? 

And what recompense do we-your followers-pay for the illusion of your glow? Is it an illusion, or are you truly refulgent? 

Are you one of those rare birds that perch atop the tallest tree branch and croon your most lovely, leaving packs of obsessive ornithologists at the forest floor frenetically snapping pictures. Perhaps you revel in the art of being an enigma, a wonder....a genius? Oh, or would you shrug off such a title? Would you defer to others before you whose art informed yours and excuse yourself as merely derivative of their brilliance? Are you merely a passing fancy in the glutted world of popular media? Would you say you feel as nothing more than a drop of honey in the ocean? 

Perhaps you feel distilled and reconstructed as much as your steadfast radio-exhausted single? Perhaps that is merely the nature of your paradigm. You have crafted a fresh axiom for the hearts and minds of many. What does that feel like for you? To be re-imagined within the minds of millions?

Do you recall your days as an eager younger musician bashing out whatever made sense on your drum kit with your high school friends? Do you remember how you belabored over Depeche Mode and Kate Bush albums, sensing some transcendent arc to your consumption of their art? Do you remember where you came from, mattresses piled against walls and sweltering Australian summers? Do you remember being driven by the music, and wondering how to shout your message back at the muse?

This is us....shouting back, through the cacophony. Hello.....thank you. Don't ever give up. It matters to us.



~~~on behalf of 'all'~~~c.P 2012

The Inevitable Nature

Recently I've had to sit with the occasional dualistic nature of being a fan and a supporter of fellow fans. When a tribe, of sorts, first gathers in some agreement of alliance, there is an initially positive sentiment amongst the natives. Assets may be shared, grand stories told, and the burden of struggles and challenges borne upon the shoulders of the community together, so as relieve the weight upon one. This is the image we all carry of the Utopian ideal-to join together under one unifying force. 

The reality seems to be that in the adoration of one 'idol', the natives sometimes fracture into hierarchies. Perhaps it does not systematically fragment one tribe per se, but it can cause the territories in the society to split off into quietly subversive factions. Some are given greater power, others denied it. Gatekeepers straighten their spines and stand tall at the entrance, ready to deflect weary travelers seeking shelter. Tectonic shifts in the landscape begin to rupture the joy of the original motivator.

This is the story that has been told since humans began telling them. This is the story of power and oppression, of merit and prohibition. It is the greyer shades of our nature-when we discover that we love the same love, feel the same passions, ache the same pains. We become afraid to be vulnerable to one another.

We are all equally complicit in the silent undercurrent of toil to gain some validation from powerful others or to pull a part of the power to our side. We are all victims to the cravings for merit, for recognition....for a name that resonates. We are all pleading to have the king kiss our hand when we genuflect at his feet.
In the contemporary context, the struggle to equalize or unequalize the power differential is often carried out through the diffused filters of media. The battlegrounds are electronic, now....yet another layer of challenge to our sense of personal and social safety.

In my heart of hearts I wish for a shared space, where all of the natives convene and tell their tales. I wish for the idealistic musings of the Utopia. I wish for you all to be my sisters and brothers. I wish for us all to take a drink from the fountain.

Just writing those words brings water to my eyes and hapless resignation to my heart. Do wishes become real?

I wish we could all feel the power in shared power, the potential in turning towards rather than away. I wish I myself could remember to always uphold my own hopes, to not falter in the face of challenge. I, too, am human, and fragile, and equally thirsty. I too am part of the problem, as much as I can be part of the solution. 

I suppose I have some point in my tiresome philosophical cogitating. I suppose I mean to say that I am thankful that we try, at least, to share what we are given. I am glad that we try.......and by we I mean everyone. We are all We. Perhaps, I entreat you, to let me be your collaborator and you mine. Let us create together rather than apart. Let us sing the songs with shared voices. 
I shall do my best, if you promise to do yours, too.

                                                                       ~~~~ P. 2012

Siren Song

Early Western mythology wove tales of creatures who beached on the shores of distant islands, crooning songs which lured wayward sailors to their unknowing doom. The Sirens were often portrayed as hybrid human-avian women with voices that rang like crystalline bells through the thick, humid ocean air. Vaguely preternatural and born from the God's themselves, the sirens kept an insidious secret about their aural incantations. The ultimate pursuit of the Siren was to capture and destroy their hapless mariner prey. All the while, the enchanted pilgrims would be utterly enrapt by the glorious songs of their captors. 

Perhaps their demise was one of both agony and ecstasy. 

From the flippant musings of the collective this morning, I am brought to an image of our beloved artist from the song and video that made of him a supernatural force in worldwide music culture. This image, a still from the ubiquitous "STIUTK" video, hints at the mythological imagery of the Siren. Salient even more so is the notion of the man as a dynamic, often emotionally devouring vocalist who imparts a range of halcyon notes into every song he creates. Often by his own perspective his vocals are questionably competent, yet the listener is swiftly conquered by the soft loveliness of his voice. The marriage of this visual imagery with that of the vocal brilliance of the musician evoke an uncanny allegory of The Siren. The film clip for the "Somebody" hit also seems to play upon the mythological modus operandi of the Siren-in its innate ability to conceal itself as both human-like and simultaneously  chimerical. The initial stark yet circuitous nudity of the musician and the focus upon his melancholy green eyes and downturned mouth invoke a sense of brooding vulnerability and pensiveness that begins to lure the viewer/listener in immediately. The music hypnotically pulses along, and as we are drawn deeper into the abyss we see the man transform into something strange and abberantly alluring. Once he is subsumed by vaguely earthy and oceanic tones and angles, we find the man now a beast of sorts, with stabbing eyes and gaping mouth. At that moment the song reaches a peak, and the Siren abandons pretense to unhinge its toothy jaw and swallow us whole. We are amongst the captive maritime travelers who have found their way to the Siren's beach and have been laid to waste as a result.

Perhaps our Wally indeed arose from the briney deep on a conch shell such as the mythical Venus. Perhaps he is some oceanic creature come to consume our souls for his own amusement. Or perhaps, he is only a man, whose own being has also been subsumed into his Siren song. 

~~~

c. P. 2012

A Wonder Full Week

Congratulations, nuts! We have progressed through our first week of life meeting more of the 'developmental milestones' than I had anticipated! I am so thankful to be in your company, and to share your global perspectives on our beloved artist! As founder of this....uh....fanclub/nuthouse/lovely madness I am so thankful to have you join me in the continued efforts to process, consume and create from the inspirational existence of our grand muse. A resounding holler for Cris my co-creator, without her reaching out to me some...weeks..months ago, perhaps we would not be here now. The message I gather from this week of excitement and laughter-never forget that there is a grander sound when the voices of many join together. Here's to hoping we grow ever more as we proceed! Thank You, Wall-nuts!

If you find this message compelling as others did, find the Wall-Nuts on Face book! We welcome all fellow fans!

Image: Flickr-Gotye photostream

Tee Treats From Tim Shiel

Looking for something lovely to don at your upcoming Gotye show, or just to show some love to the guys? Tim Shiel shared with us one of his designs that managed to make an appearence on Wally during the high water mark of LDB. Much recommended! There are links for 2 other designs by our beloved master of the MIDI as well! 
http://fauxpas.bandcamp.com/album/mcheartney-t-shirt

Poetic Justice

What a creature are you
That winds these beguiling stories

That grab me by the bones
And pull me
towards occasionally begrudging insight

How do your tricks
Gain my trust
Then leave me stripped and startled
And somewhat saddened
By the distant drumbeats lingering in my chest?

How have you become axiom? What right have you?

What deeper cavities of the heart
Will you colonize
Before I clear my mind

Before I find
Some stillness in the madness?

Tell me pale and oceanic creature!
Why your seal is set inside the hidden places in my mind

c. Paige 2012

One Hour Away From the Real

Last night I stayed up far beyond my normal operational hours in order to absorb a wonderful treasure shared by one of the Wall-nuts on our bustling facebook page. It was a short but utterly transfixing live set done in July of 2007, as the waves began to crest from the release of Like Drawing Blood. What I watched was the humble yet beautifully constructed emergence of the artist who has now staked claim on a sizeable piece of my heart. Words fail me, in many ways, in attempting to explain the experience of subsuming myself into this hour-long experience. Camera angles swept across the stage, peeking through the transparent drum set where Wally sat and pummeled out his melodic perfection. I was especially captured by the candid and intimate moments where the focus placed onto Wally's face, and his eyes closed and mouth curled and he sang with presence and passion that I've rarely witnessed in any context. I found myself with knitted brow and eyes welling when he sang songs of sadness and introspection. I found myself grinning wide and buzzing with joy when he sang jubilant or humorous things. I found myself.....I found a part of myself while watching this. The part that connects from heart string to heart string, in the most remote yet salient way, to the man who makes the music that speaks to me. I hope you have the chance to sit with this as well, perhaps you will be transformed, as i was.

Watch Gotye and other great gigs on Moshcam.

Wall-nuts Unite!

G'day nuts! Just a quick nod this morning, this nut has to teach a class to an auditorium of somnolent undergraduates soon! Hope you've all kept abreast of the good news! We're now being followed by GotyeHQ and Lunatic Management (Wally's handlers) on that crazy thing called Twitter. Our membership on FB has swelled to almost 30 nuts from across the globe! Cheers to all of you for keeping the faith and fan-dom. May there be many more lovely and joyful tectonic shifts for our alliance!

The Reluctant King

This morning the nuts spent some time attempting to suss out the story behind a choice and questionable photograph that has grotesquely captured our attention: The image was found via a blog on Tumblr and has caused quite a stir. After some attempts at sourcing the image concretely, and some valiant validity screening efforts on the part of our in-house Photoshop gal, we were unable to fabricate the tale behind this strange image, which seems charged with implicit imagery of disturbance in the nature of power. there is no apparent originating locale, and thus no proper background context. The image leads me to some reflections on why we find it so incongruent with our collective cognitions about Wally and his work. As he states in his somewhat sardonic web bio, "OZ music industry parlace dictates that I should now be poised to 'conquer the world'" (Gotye.com) Clearly Wal himself senses a certain oppression of expectation laid upon him by the vast and complicated galaxy in which he orbits. Perhaps this deliberately unsettling image speaks to the tension held between creative license and popular culture expectation? The full image welcomes an interpretation of the 'mad majesty' digging his stocking heels into the ground to the point of injury as the archetypal Psychiatric orderlies cart him off. As a mental health specialist, this image is particularly salient, and especially unsettling. What is it about the sharp relief of fame and recognition that might bring forth the madness? Are we to expect a certain loss of the apparent innocence that Wally seems to portray? Is he even really all that pristine, or have we made of him some sort of false idol? I can say at this moment that I don't especially care who would criticize my adoration, I am fixed and stubborn in my commitment to the art. I will take my stance to the front lines if ever the need arose. I know I have a small but growing army that would join with me! I think my personal take-home message for the day is that there is a small scope through which we see Wally and his 'truer' self. Perhaps this image was his own creation. Perhaps the mirror is more cracked and chipped than we can comprehend. Perhaps when we hear him assert in interviews that his oft introspective and dark lyrics birth from a sample or sound or break, perhaps...perhaps the life he lives within himself is something far less jovial and resilient as the 'man' we see through the media filters. Perhaps The King laments his crown? That is a question we may never come to answer, even more so, He may never come to answer.

All is Quiet on the Homefront

The lines are rather silent this morning, so I take a moment to reflect upon developments from the last week. I am thankful for the resonance happening on the facebook page, we have become quite the gaggle! I am excited for the continual conversations, and the voices surfacing from the ether to join the delightful din! There is nothing as clear and honest as the mirrors we hold up to one another, as they cast an image we often cannot see on our own. Without the collaborative humor, insights and musings of my fellow 'nuts', mine would be yet another lonely voice in the noise. Now that we connect, the voices become a (often silly) symphony! As we all know and deeply appreciate, the mixing and meshing of many sounds can create unspeakably lovely music! Without my fellow followers, I would be a solitary note or two in a dark room. Without the inspiration gleaned from the works of others, Wally himself would likely be little more than a muffled drumbeat in the distance. There is great power in numbers, and also great expectations and responsibilities. I look forward to the indefinite discourse and shared experiences! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~if you've yet to join the Wall-nuts, please find us on FB (see link above in blog intro) and we will gladly invite you to the table~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ In other news, the "Fractured Heart" installation from Wally and Kimbra's stellar 2011 ARIA performance is now on display in Walsh Bay in the Sydney area. The piece illuminates with brilliant colors and sounds in response to movement. here are some great stills from the site: It comes as veritably no surprise that Wally was involved in the genesis of the piece, as is his collaborative tendency. Here's to hoping it becomes a permanent fixture such that myself and my fellow Wall-nuts might interface with it one day while on a giddy Australia trip! Someday, indeed...someday. ~~ images: Flickr, Gotye.com

Crystal Clear insights from Cris

I strongly suggest a trip over to my sister Wall-nut's profound prose. Here is merely a sample of the lovely musings she provides us. As a fellow academic, I attest that one can find the world of writing a banal, disenchanting landscape. For a moment, Cris takes us away from the pressures of peer reviewed journal discourse and stacatto sentiments of the social media sphere to a lovely space exploring the music of our dear Wally. Take some time for this one, it is well worth it..... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "It seems pretty preposterous to “introduce” or even begin to discuss someone who’s spent a lifetime (or, at least, his adult life and about half his complete life) making music, and at least ten years doing so professionally, but April 18, 2012 may be a promising day to begin, on this blog, a discussion about Belgian-born, Melbourne-dwelling Wouter / Walter “Wally” De Backer (his parents and he moved to Australia for a better life and opportunity when Wally was two), also known by his performing/recording name Gotye. Taken from Mrs. De Backer’s pet-name for her son (she is a French teacher and speaker), it’s pronounced like the French “Gaultier” or “Gautier.” (Go ahead. Take your time. I’ll wait while you practice pronouncing it with your best foreign-sounding inflection.) Sampling sounds, “investigating the sort of underground world of music,” hunting through dust bins, and “searching through artwork from our [the De Backer family’s] past” (De Backer, qtd. in Bentley): Gotye’s frame of artistic reference and creative process—tackled in this blog entry—is infused with the sorts of quirks and habits of someone deeply-rooted in a sense of sentimentality. And sentimentality, the inward and backward turn towards nostalgia, and even the perverse sense of clinging to old pains and wounds for fear of forgetting any memory whatsoever are key interests of mine, especially when it comes to recreating these interests in various artistic media..." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ More loveliness at http://certainhalf-desertedstreets.blogspot.com/2012/04/somebody-whom-you-need-to-know.html photos: Google (diggin' deep)

Welcome Wall-Nuts of the World!

A fond hello to my fellow committed followers and fans of the Wall-rus,who have recently adopted the durable moniker of the "Wall-nuts." I sincerely hope we can continue to share our 'givinanlovin' in ongoing honor of our dear Wally and his work. If you are not yet joined into the fold, feel free to find us on FaceBook and either myself or my 'sister' admin will gather you into our joyful noise! We have a good ol' time sharing bits and blathering about the magic of the music and the man behind it. The Wall-nuts hail from around the globe, with diverse and wonderful experiences and insights. We openly welcome fellow devotees and ask only that you join willing and happy to share and collaborate, with a promise to respect your fellow Wall-nuts. Check us out at https://www.facebook.com/groups/427503373936709/. We work hard to deliver content that we can all enjoy, and we love a good dialogue! ~~~In other news~~~ The recent victories abound for Wally at the APRA music awards, where he downright wiped the floor! Photo and video courtesy of The Australian

The Synthesis of Sampling

This is the second of a two part video from sometime 2008, likely after LDB had been released and Wally had won some level of local artistic recognition. Thus far this seems to be one of the best frames of reference for comprehending the complex process Wally engages in to create his puzzle-piece style, aside from the mini docos made for Mirrors. This is especially fun as some of his musings foreshadow what becomes the map for Making Mirrors. This highlights the early artistic challenges and limitations he encountered, which are likely to become merely a memory in light of his massive recent success!

AudioTechnology Magazine presents Gotye Part 2 from AudioTechnology on Vimeo.

Treasures From Teammates, Tickets and Cookies

My dear fellow stateside Wally habitue/collaborative informational consultant shared some lovely little nuggets from the Wally-verse. The first is a signed photo from Wal and Kimbra, the second is a signed CD jacket. "Brillo," as they say. Many thanks to my New York maven for her kindness in practicing a "lil' givinanlovin." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ For those of you still feeling the burn, tickets for public sale of most US shows release in...oh...30 minutes or so. My curiosity is piqued, and perhaps I might see what is available, lest I miss a chance at even closer seats. Methinks it would be awful fun to get close enough to stage to slide a tin of freshly baked "Wall-nut" cookies just shy of Wally's feet at the end of the night (labeled "c/o the Unified Gotye Alliance.") Hope he's not allergic to tree nuts. And that he wouldn't accidentally step on them, or trip on them, or forget a tall glass of milk before eating them...or >gasp< even worse...forget to share with Lucas Taranto and Tim Shiel. The "Shielburger" would hate missing out, I suspect. Alas, my baked-with-love confections will likely be apprehended by venue security upon entrance. Thusly, I doubt such a show of appreciation will be carried out in actuality. Maybe I'll send him one of those horrid 'jam of the month' subscriptions. People like jam...right? Vegimite can't be the only spreadable 'delight' enjoyed by the AUS folk. Okay, perhaps no jam....or vegimite. Nasty stuff, really. In other...well...not 'news' per se, but interesting tidbits: http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/gotye-wouter-de-backer-somebody-that-i-used-to-know/1/199772.html Thanks to the Gotyettes for sussing out that piece. Short and sweet!

What A Day, Indeed....

It appears the acrid smoke from this morning's technical fumbles has cleared. I hope your thirst is slaked as is mine, now that we're on our way to interface with Wally and his work in our own ways when he embarks on tour. There's a certain sense of unfinished business, I think. I suspect there are a few neurons in my brain that are trembling with paranoia that it's all too good to be true-that something has to go wrong. Doesn't make sense, I know. Gladly, I have a billion or so other neurons that are far more laid-back, and most of them are in repose, sighing with relief. ~~~ Of late, I have discovered the connections that a common passion can create. The sense of community one feels when they join the 'following' fold can be very empowering. Granted, in the contemporary context, such connections are often passed across wires and satellites and signals, not the organic contact of bygone years. Although I would love to gather together with you all, like some mad book club, I realize the confines of each of our respective realities. I am honored to join you all in deep appreciation of the music. I end this maniacal day of booked flights and bank balances thankful to share with you a moment of something bigger than all of us. Something bigger than the very man who made it, something that soars above all our heads. That something is not just the music itself, or the bright lights and lovely images, it is the visceral joy we will feel at our moment to connect...not just with Wally, but with each other. We may experience that half a world away from each other, but in the end, we were all there. I hope Wally, as the inspired creator of the thread that passed through, will feel a sense of it as well.~~~ Rest easy, 'Wall-nuts,' we're on our way to __________ XO-Paige Image Courtesy: Daniel Boud

Gone to (Denver) In My Mind

Great little ditty from the RED ROCKS venue on the upcoming show. This Wall-nut is already packing her bags!~~~ “Making Mirrors finds Gotye making the most of a canny notion: that the pop sounds of the '80s didn't fall out of fashion so much as fall victim to dated production. By freshening up the feel but maintaining the drama, he lands on a batch of songs timeless enough to survive the next 30 years.”- NPR.org “It’s safe to say Gotye has entered the annals of legendary, inescapable crossover breakup hits.” –TIME.com “…Ingenious, oddly touching, refreshingly emphatic bedroom pop.” –Rolling Stone “…pop magician” – The New Yorker~~~ "Special guests on the tour include acclaimed Australian singer/songwriter Missy Higgins, Brooklyn buzz band Chairlift and indie pop outfit Givers. South African born multi-instrumentalist Jonti will open most dates with cult hero Zammuto (ex-The Books) playing first at some shows. Kimbra - who featured on Gotye's chart topping song "Somebody That I Used To Know" - will make a one off appearance on the Dallas date. It was also announced today that Gotye will finally release his cult album Like Drawing Blood on CD and vinyl for the first time in the US through Fairfax/Universal Republic Records this July; it is available digitally now. Like Drawing Blood, originally released in Australia in 2006, is the album that first put Gotye on the map. In his homeland it was the ultimate indie 'word of mouth' project; eventually going platinum without ever making the top 40. It eventually earned Gotye the Australian equivalent of a Grammy and went on to top numerous critics polls in Europe before being named iTunes “Album of the Year” for 2007 in the UK. The album features his cult classic "Hearts A Mess" with its unforgettable video; watch HERE. Next month, fans will get another bonus release from Gotye – ten remixes of the song that changed everything for him - “Somebody That I Used To Know” [Featuring Kimbra] - from his most recent album Making Mirrors (Fairfax/Universal Republic Records). The bundle, available June 8th via iTunes, will feature remixes by Tiesto, Adrock, 4FRNT, Gang Colours, M-Phazes, and many more; full track list below! There are over 1,000 unapproved remixes of this song scattered across the internet so this release collects most of Gotye's favorite versions in one place. “Somebody That I Used To Know” [Feat. Kimbra] has been #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for the last seven weeks. It also recently reached #1 at Top 40 and #1 at Hot AC and thus sits on top at four radio formats - an historic accomplishment. The music video recently crossed the200 million mark on YouTube, making it one of the most-viewed clips ever; watch HERE. Gotye’s most recent offering Making Mirrors has already sold nearly two millions copies globally. The recordings were created over the duration of more than two and a half years. To write and record its dozen intricate songs, Gotye moved from Melbourne to a barn on his parents’ remote land in Australia’s Mornington Peninsula. Making Mirrors, is pop at its most precise, but also electronic music at its most emotional. The record delves into dub, Detroit-era Motown soul, stadium-size politi-pop, synth-folk and world music on glorious, sprawling, huge-hearted songs" Agreed!

That Was Close...

Okay, looks like technical challenges were resolved, and at least one fellow Wall-nut got her goods after all! My comments below still stand, for those who may not have been so lucky, or perhaps for Wally most of all. Keep your stick on the ice, man! See you in Denver...I'll be the one wearing the t-shirt with a giant cookie on it....maybe. 'You girls are daft! Thanks for padding my wall-et!' image courtesy: Tumblr

A Little Miffed...

Wow.... Just surfaced from the dramatics of the pre-sale release of N. American tour. Technical difficulties and fiery-swift sell-outs abound! I am genuinely disappointed for my fellow Wall-nuts who hit the...well...wall. Several venues ran dry within seconds or minutes. In the case of one fellow friend/fan, tickets were gone before she could finish logging into the website. ~~~~ I am brought to a certain level of surprise and shock, I dare admit. I suppose I had little conceptualization of just how explosive this has become. And that is from the entirely remote perspective of a dedicated fan. Can you imagine what Wally must be sensing right now? What his harried management team must be considering? Did they know the nature of the beast? What happens when something that generated from a seed of obscurity and creative isolation suddenly shoots up into a great, towering beanstalk the likes of fairy tales? What monster hides above the cloud line? Further, what feelings and thoughts must roam about in the once insular mind of the artist when the work soars beyond even their reach? Damn....the very minimal imagination I can muster for this evinces feelings of quiet terror. What anxious reality must Wally be mired in at this moment? Actually, he's probably asleep right now, so perhaps the newsreel has yet to be absorbed. It will be, I imagine. I am thankful to have obtained tickets for the Denver opening show in August, despite the somewhat horrid timing. However, I am simultaneously disappointed for the other fans/friends who exerted equal emotional energy and were left wanting. That is a genuine shame. My hope is that there are chances floating in the ether, somewhere, that might be made available to those who were never afforded a chance. It is a bitter turn of events, indeed, and suddenly the words of the song perhaps most responsible for this state of inaccessible super-stardom come to mind; "But you didn't have to cut me off...."

Thoughts On The Road

This is a nice little piece about the very dualistic nature of fame and the touring orbit, especially poignant as Wally prepares to embark again: www.brisbanetimes.com.au/entertainment/music/a-certain-kind-of-stardom-20120316-1v9zq.html#ixzz1wntE8GiA ~~~Now that I have surfaced from this morning's migranous oppression, I can reflect a bit more, which I am eager to do in light of the anxious anticipation of my chance to purchase tickets to the Denver show. I loved the insights of the author of the above article, throwing into sharp relief the ho-hum musings Wally offers in interview as compared with his apparent euphoria onstage. An ordinary person like myself can hardly understand the bone-aching fatigue such a life must cause. But, on the other side of the enigmatic coin, one can also imagine the joy that must be felt by Wally when he fully engages with his art as he does on stage. Can you imagine-looking out onto the ocean of faces, each one viscerally connected to your product? The power must be somewhat enslaving. In fact, I appreciated that Wally eeks out a brief admission that sometimes he wonders what the ecstastic state of the stage could lead him to. It is my sincere hope that he remains genuine, especially to his most dear and loved ones. I find myself recoiling at the thought of him becoming the archetypal 'rock star.' I suspect I would notice a bitter tast in my mouth. Perhaps one so acutely sour I could be compelled to turn away entirely. His humble nature and quiet humanity are a part of his simple magnificanece as an artist. It is my hope that Wally continues to enact those things which keep him grounded, be they a bit of exercise before a show, a good book, or a phone call home from yet another remote hotel room. My therapist persona would also suggest he take some time to talk out his dialectical feelings about the world in which he exists. He has chosen this path, and now must negotiate the lanscape. I think it would serve him to seek the skills of a well-grounded counselor...I'll admit I am biased on that matter. For all my fellow Wall-nuts out there also wringing their hands tonight, awaiting their chance for admission to the upcoming tour dates, let's be thankful that our guy is 'giving us (another) chance.'

Mucking About in Preparation

Wally and the Gents are laboring away at rehearsals for the upcoming massive world tour. Here we have an odd little clip courtesy of MIDI keyboard and synth master Tim Shiel (or as I've dubbed him, Timshel-he was complicit in accepting that moniker after a back-and-forth string of tacky Jew jokes.) This vid is very fresh, as in hours ago! http://www.twitvid.com/RRRHX ~~ I would offer more thoughts and tidbits this morning, but alas, I'm midway through a migraine, so I'll be back later with more Wall-nut cookies. **Yep, Wally...that's about how I look right now, with less cheeky half-grin. Thanks for the visual. image courtesy: Tumblr

Giving Blood

Quoting Gotye HQ: Like Drawing Blood to be released in the US 2012-06-04 12:14 by Kate "We're pleased to announced Gotye will release his cult album Like Drawing Blood on CD and vinyl for the first time in the US this July; it is available digitally now. Like Drawing Blood, originally released in Australia in 2006, is the album that first put Gotye on the map. In his homeland it was the ultimate indie 'word of mouth' project; eventually going platinum without ever making the top 40. It eventually earned Gotye the Australian equivalent of a Grammy and went on to top numerous critics polls in Europe before being named iTunes “Album of the Year” for 2008 in the UK. The album features his cult classic "Hearts A Mess" with its unforgettable video." >Love Love Love those Heart's a Mess creatures!!!< ~~~ Dammit....already spent way too much to have the magical shipping kangaroo deliver the Aussie import to my door. However, my instincts are that >perhaps< the new US release will come with the Frank Tetaz remastered "Only Thing I Know" which was, without a doubt, one of the most acute and promising tracks from Boardface. The digital album contains the remastered version, with auditory proof that a few tiny adjustments and sophistications can really bring a track to life. For those of us who bought the Aussie release, I suspect a second cop or download will be in order. ~~~ In Other News: Wally Just wiped the floor at the 2012 APRA awards, and is looking a bit tired and unkempt, I must admit. Also, the auction of the one-off Emma Hack/Gotye art piece "Voices in the Mirror" wrapped recently. Here are some gems I have sussed from the ether, and simply must share! Image citations may not be evident (please don't delete me, oh internet deities.)

Time Traveling

The words of the ever-clever Matthew Inman come to mind; "Jesus Rollerblading Christ!" Why am I compelled to take the lord's name in comedic vain? International post finally delivered the parsimonious glory of a copy of Boardface, the raw freshman album of our dear Wally. I expected tiny sparks of brilliance punctuating aural confusion. Perhaps I was imagining an early-twenties Wally, cloistered in a dark bedroom, positioning old mattresses precariously to mum as many noises of the world outside as possible. I imagined a collection of bemused tracks conveying the fumbling, winsome young artist grappling with those matters we all remember were so deeply relevant at that time in life. Instead, I was awash with constant waves of emerging beauty and complexity that I would never expect from a mind so youthful. Truly, at such a tender stage in life, some ten or so years past, Wally De Backer, under the guise of his mother's affectionate moniker "Gotye" was piecing together the first parts of an awesome puzzle (now in its third stage, a decade later.)

I made the rash mistake of playing Boardface while driving 70 MPH on a crowded bypass. Were it not for the cognitive jolt I forced upon myself midway through the pre-Frank Tetaz remastered "Only Thing I Know" I am certain I would have drifted through three lanes of traffic in a state of ignorant ecstasy. That was close...and a bit thrilling, I must admit. If you've yet to absorb this first, green sprout of the statuesque bloom that is the contemporary Gotye, I implore you to download it or be stubbornly antiquated like me and purchase the CD from the source, Gotye.com. I consider myself a decently educated fan (or at least I have deluded myself into said state) yet I was thoroughly stunned while listening to Boardface. I am still a bit shaken and dubious that such talent and imagination could have already been stirring about in Wally's brain so early in his development. For a moment I pause and daydream that I was one of the earliest followers in Melbourne in the days when he scribbled the designs of the liner notes for each disc. The seventeen year old girl I was then-having grown up listening to the likes of The Beatles, Depeche Mode and Portishead as much as Sesame Street-would have rapped on his door indefatigably, with Australian bills in hand, ready to exhaust my summer-job budget for a few copies. Part of me finds it a bit melancholy; that young girl I was missed out on discovering this amazing music at a time when I needed my mind to be opened so badly. Now, ten years on, I finally touch in with the work, and see it in its brilliantly-colored spectrum. From Boardface to Like Drawing Blood to Making Mirrors, the aural artwork of our fine Wally stirs the soul in the finest fashion. Thanks, as always, Wally. I know you're out there brimming with more beauty to share. See you soon, in August! Much love.

"A part of me, Apart from me"

Ah, Bon Iver, you say it well. I love your music, too, but partly because one line sums up the sentiments of my "fan" state for the Wall-rus... I recently had the joy of some mental meanderings with a fellow lover/inspiree/committed researcher who shares a similar interest in deconstructing the nature of what Wally does with his music, and the reflections it casts upon his interpersonal truths (although he retains a certain level of ambiguity and privacy, which I can respect.) My 'conversations' with my fellow devotee bring about further introspection from the lens of the 'fan.' As a function of creating this blog, and my commitment as a follower of the art, I stumble upon other pieces of the grand puzzle through that good/evil wonder called the internet. My reaction to some pieces is pleasant and agreeable, to some I find myself unsettled. I especially find bother in the seemingly endless commentaries on Wally's sex appeal and unusual good looks. There's a shocking rash of downright rude comments regarding his looks. I won't disagree with the general sentiment-he has a certain angle about him-I think it's his "smiling eyes" and sheepish expressions that swiftly disarm and fascinate. However, the litany of commentary on the carnal interests of some fans begins to irritate a bit; what about the work? What about the music? Is there not a greater segment of the soul that has been colonized by his beautiful art? I know that is my feeling-that a part of my "spirit, soul, heart" (whatever you wish to call it) has been forever annexed by Wally's work. And yes, undoubtedly a part of the artist themselves comes with that-I cannot deny a love for him as the brilliant brain-factory behind my favorite music. But I cannot "love" him, nor do I feel the right to profess such a deeply intimate sentiment. I cannot love "him," I don't really know him. My direct contact to him has been brief and transient. I haven't the honor of real "knowing." I have that honor with others in my life, one person specifically, and it is a gift that is only given to very few in one's life. My fact-heavy 'fan' brain makes an educated guess about who shares such "knowing" with Wally (Tash, hold onto that man, he's a treasure.)

The counselor in me wonders about the nature of transference, a phenomenon that is all to real when people make deep emotional connections to others. At first, my insatiable interest in Wally's music and life worried me a bit, from the therapeutic perspective. Was I placing on this person some intimacy I was missing in my own life? Since some deeper reflections on those questions, I have come to a more stable foundation of self-awareness on the matter. I am experiencing the unique shift of being truly touched by art-to be shaken to the core. It happens, and I think if one never feels that way about anything in their life, they have been bereft of true passion. I have stumbled across other great muses, although Wally serves as one of the most durable and complex-sortof' a personal paradigm shift, I suppose. I digress. What I mean to convey with these thoughts-to my fellow fans and perhaps to myself-is that there are boundaries, indeed. But inspiration must not be caged, lest the product of it be denied to the world. if you are inspired, let it be a part of you, but remember that it is also "apart from you."

Oh The Bliss for Us Yanks....

Good news for the N. American crowd, not just a massive tour, but some sure-to-be-amazing remixes and the first release of LDB officially in the states! Guess demand has become too much to ignore! Part of me feels a bit bad for Wally, he must be so overwhelmed. Hope he's had that sherry...and that nap. http://consequenceofsound.net/2012/05/gotye-announces-massive-north-american-tour/

image courtesy: Tumblr