Take a pinch of Larry Carlson, half a cup of Bizzart, a tablespoon of Danny Gomez, one Primus video, the guttural monotone twanged vocal cords and swagger of Bubba Sparxxx, a hefty glob of colored Play-Doh, stuffed animals, a box of melted crayons, a jar of unicorns, a nature trail, centaurs bearing the bodies of princess lionesses with wide-spread eagle wings and the heads of majestic pachyderms, futuristic weapons and galaxies spinning in orbit, and you've got yourself an inkling of the imagination of Portland-via-Chicago-via New York multi-media artist and emcee extraordinaire, Alexis Gideon. Take a look for yourself:
Video Musics, Gideon's latest dream sequence, "a six chapter animated/Claymated video opera based on Hungarian mythology and folk tales," officially drops in January of next year, but you can find his older work on his website and floating around YouTube. Here's the video Gideon made for the aptly titled "Liophant," from his '07 release, Flight of the Liophant:
Video Musics is a visually-explosive double scoop of candied bubble gum ice cream that's been coated in cocaine fairy dust. Gideon story-boarded the six mini videos to tell a tale of world which is embedded with intricately weaved surreal characters and details. The series begins with a video entitled, "Rock Waves (Creation Myth)" and starts off, "It is before the beginning of time...". What follows is an intensely spiraling Alice In Wonderland-like trip based around a mystical mother and father and their son and daughter, who journey to the bottom of the sea to fetch "magical eggs/eyes" so that the world can successfully be hatched.
The myth continues with a Rabbit Shephard, a Princess Zuska, lords, dukes, magic golden apples and red scarves, outer space, the future, ghost children, bushels of silver and the highly entertaining Brimstone Blaine, an alligator "space cowboy card shark" who gallantly zooms around land, sea and sky on his "rocket cycle ship" bearing a bazooka gun in one hand and various objects in the other. Again, the visual pretty much says it all:
Most of the soundtrack is Gideon—who also plays crazy-sounding experimental guitar with Carcrashlander and moonlights as Shelley Short's accompanist—gone giddy on beat machines, synthesizers, drum pads, chimes, bass lines, brassy knocks and, at times, his own human image (which appears in double exposure form). Gideon, who says the music is inspired by such disparate influences as "Brian Eno, Stevie Wonder, John Zorn and Outkast," also makes fine use of his lyrical prowess—which sounds something like a Timbaland and Snoop Dog collaboration after both look hearty licks off LSD-dipped lollipops. His voice is baritone-deep, a tad monotone, Southern-twanged and rather addictive. The entire auditory experience comes out as a largely electronic hip-hopped box wrapped in polka dots and tied with a big, fat, shimmery purple ribbon. In Gideon's words, the project aims to "explore hip-hop as a narrative form for creating a story that oscillates between an abstract, free-flowing childlike fairytale and a more traditional straight forward one."
Visually, Gideon stretches the silly putty of any preconceived art notions and melds, marries and mashes charcoal sketches, paintings, Claymation, animation, flip-book drawings and video footage of forests into a kaleidescopic, psycho-delic merry-go-round. It is the ultimate adult cartoon.
The six videos are each short enough (few minutes tops), and since each one builds on the video before it to complete the story line, it was likely Gideon's intent for Video Musics to be consumed all in one sitting. Don't bother with analysis—simply kick back and allow the wacky wonderfulness wash over you.
Gideon plays tonight, Wednesday, July 16, with Ryan Dolliver, Matt Sheehy and DJ Honeydripper at Holocene. 9 pm. Free ($5 with Dolliver's new disc). 21+.
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