Written by Genie Davis The Dark Bob’s New Musical Work Hums with Fun and Reverence
The Dark Bob is bringing wit and musical wisdom to the ears of listeners in his new Ekphrasis Synesthesia – Songs for Artists, a double record set available for streaming on Spotify as well as on double vinyl and CD.
It’s a tribute to personal friends and renowned artists which The Dark Bob himself describes as “Love songs to the artists who have inspired and encouraged me in my own work and in my life. Many of them are personal friends such as Llyn Foulkes, Suzanne Lacy, Barbara T. Smith, Chris Burden, Mike Kelly, Carole Caroompas, Billy Al Bengston, and others. And then there are the songs for Picasso, Duchamp, Monet, Lee Krasner, and Jackson Pollock, who literally opened the doors of art making for me when I was a kid,” he explains.
According to The Dark Bob, the album is “…a collection of tribute songs to the visual and conceptual artists that many of us love.” He relates that this project among his many others was “particularly fun,” as he worked in the studio with top Los Angeles musicians on songs celebrating other artists. “We all have our heroes and it’s not often we can be vulnerable enough, or have the opportunity, to admit how important they are to us,” he says.
The artist explains that he was able to get collaborative performances with a wide range of talented musicians, at least in part because he knows them personally. “When I first started making art back in the mid to late 70s, the cultural climate and art scene in LA was relatively small compared to what it is today. The so-called ‘real art’ was still happening in New York, and nobody cared what was going on here.” He asserts that this situation was ultimately an advantage, because “it allowed for so much innovation to flourish” from performance art to feminist art, punk rock, and alternative presses. “Free from the constraints of highbrow criticism…back then all the ‘creatives’ knew each other… artists, writers, musicians, designers, and even chefs all went to the same openings, parties, and concerts, a situation that led to personal connections and friendships that have lasted through the years.”
So, in short, the stellar musical contributions from talented LA-area musicians came through The Dark Bob’s personal friendships as well as due to his work as a performance artist, leading to a situation where a wide range of talented musical artists were glad to join him creating songs that were unique due to their focus on “art about art.”
The album’s focus on visual artists specifically was influenced by the fact that “At my root I am a painter, a visual artist,” he says. While mainly known as a conceptual and performance artist and musician, creating drawings and paintings remains an intrinsic part of his core.
“I inherited drawing skills from my dad and grandmother, and I grew up always being identified as ‘the artist.’ In school I was the one tasked with doing the cover for our Christmas concerts or doing the cartoons in the school paper, and drawing dinosaurs on the chalk boards,” he explains. “But by high school a few of my more astute teachers brought ‘fine art’ to my attention and …that changed my life forever.”
The Dark Bob was recently inducted into the Smithsonian Institute’s Archives of American Art, with his contributions to both conceptual art and alternative music dating back to the 70s. Currently, he’s preparing for the 50th anniversary of Bob & Bob, which he describes as being “The first notoriety I had in LA’s art world…as half of a conceptual art team that did drawings, paintings, performances, films, records, and artist books.”
He notes that this period was an exciting one, in which “our work was pushing the boundaries of what art can be…we felt a freedom to explore our ideas.” Today, he says he’s grateful that Bob & Bob's work has had some institutional validation.
“Our drawings are in a few museum collections and the Smithsonian has collected all our ephemera for their Archives of American Art. It’s great knowing that they’ll keep all our stuff safe instead of it sitting around my apartment in banker’s boxes,” he asserts. “So, we’re planning a Bob & Bob exhibition in 2025 to celebrate all the multimedia work we’ve done, and we’re currently working together on some new stuff and planning a few surprises for our old fans.”
Along with The Smithsonian, The Dark Bob has exhibited his artwork both nationally and internationally, with many of his drawings in public collections including the permanent collection of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, The Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles, and The Getty Museum. His first solo album, One Bob Job (1980), is in the permanent collection of Museum of Modern Art in New York.
And, along the way, his songs and soundtracks have been a part of many films, TV shows and live performances. All that musical heritage has led to his current work, Ekphrasis Synesthesia – Songs for Artists, and its 26 songs in a variety of genres – and even multiple genres within songs. Among the high-powered musicians on the record are Wilco’s Nels Cline, Syd Straw, Peter Case, Dave Alvin, X’s DJ Bonebrake, and recording pros like Marty Rifkn and Danny Frankel.
The result is a sweepingly fun double album, packed with humor, catchy beats, and an infectious joy. Listening, one can’t help but smile – clearly all the participants were having a great time creating this music. We even “overhear” clips of conversation about the songs before the music kicks in at times.
“Superstar (for Jean Michael Basquiat)” has a compelling drumbeat, a touch of electronica, and is compulsively listenable as it asks repeatedly “Don’t you think?” Yes, it really “must be bizarre to be a superstar” as the song suggests.
In “Take Back the Night,” Syd Straw asks us to do so with “mourning and rage to turn the page…together we fight – we fight back – because art can change the world,” lyrics sung with an edgy punk aesthetic that revs you up and pulls you in.
“Hard Edge (for the four Abstract Classicists)” has a surf rock sound, not to mention harmonic, do-wop style interludes. And speaking of surf, its Beach Boys territory all the way with the tight melodies of The Butternotes in The Dark Bob’s tribute to Ed Ruscha, “The Museum’s On Fire.”
The fun “One Man Band” skews the sounds of Pete Seeger-like folk in its own unique way while paying tribute to Llyn Foulkes; a mix of that folky sound and some bossa nova shows up in a paean to Carole Caroompas with “Singing Songs to Herself.”
Tightly executed and ever jubilant, this is one eclectic album, full of inventive and fun songs, supported by impressive musical and production talent. Liner notes by Los Angeles gallerist Mat Gleason.
This joy-filled tribute to visual and conceptual artists – with consistently great beats - is currently available online and at LACMA, MOCA, and the Hauser Wirth gallery, making it easy to come on over to the dark side – The Dark Bob side, that is.
