The Sleepytime Gorilla Museum opened its doors to the public in 1916, only to show them a well-managed fire. Its doors were closed shortly thereafter and remained so for the rest of the century. Almost. The last year of the 20th century found the improbable trio of words once again adorning a placard posted outside a derelict urban building, with the addendum- "No Humans Allowed." Indeed, the awkward re-inaugural movements were witnessed by a lone banana slug (Ariolimax dolichophallus)-- a suitable beginning for a group that would soon shelter Oakland California's hindmost interpreters of Anti-Humanist literature. Their incessant travels since 2001 have brought new life to the Movement. Like their namesake and its instigators (Futurist Lala Rolo and Black-Mathematician John Kane) the new museum embraces the essential weakness of the Movement. But also like their predecessors they reject the elitism of the avant-garde in favor of a reckless populism: They are entertainers. Though not without humor, their often wide-ranging musical and theatrical choices are rarely ironic.
The Sleepytime Gorilla Museum ethos of sensory subversion via meticulously crafted, mad-music mayhem can be traced directly to the so-called prog rock explorations of the late '70s by the Art Bears, a notoriously daring U.K. trio, which included Chris Cutler (drums, electronics, et al.) and Fred Frith (guitar, violin, et al.), both of whom currently enjoy considerable renown as avant-garde improviser/composers. - SF Weekly
www.sleepytimegorillamuseum.com
