Art dumps on us

In 2001, Abed and I were invited to perform at a couple of art happenings in San Diego. They were both organized by Erid, who had put together the Hotels/Motels event in 2000. We were both excited about the opportunity to also be considered part of the local art scene. It was set to take place at the Sushi Gallery in Downtown San Diego. It would be a mixture of various art and music forms.

A lot of people we'd collaborated with from the experimental music scene were also invited to take part, including Ferd, Marrad and Hird. It was shaping up to be a major happening.

Prior to the event, I had read an article in the San Diego Reader about a local DJ who was going to be part of a big mob music and dance experience. He was told he would get to set up outside the bathrooms. He felt that was beneath his level of experience and reputation, so he turned it down. I could see his point. I would consider that an insult as well. But certainly, it would be a good opportunity for someone just starting out.

Abed and I arrived to find someone presenting himself as a live exhibit outside the front door of Sushi. He was wearing a chef's hat with "@" on the front. He was sitting down next to a typewriter, a music stand and other items on a table. Hofd (who covered the Hotels/Motels event) was taking photos of him, Erid was shooting video of Hofd taking the photos and Hird was behind a sign, watching everything. I brought my camera and took a few photos.

We went inside where a lot of artists were setting up their displays. We caught up with our experimental music friends while they were preparing their equipment. A lot of people were already taking part in the interactive displays. There was a wall with poster paper and paints in which attendees were invited to contribute to a larger artwork. I saw an ex-girlfriend of Abed's and this cute woman with short dark hair adding to the display. I took pictures of them.

At some point, Abed had been given a time and location where we were supposed to perform. A few minutes before we were supposed to start, we determined that we were delegated to performing in the foyer area outside the main exhibit hall, RIGHT NEXT TO THE BATHROOMS! We knew we were in the right place because there was a DJ who was playing music. I could tell he didn't like the location either. Abed and I decided to make the best of it and waited for him to stop and take down his equipment. Even though it was about five minutes before our scheduled slot, he continued playing. He was definitely not going to stop until his hour was up, even though we were the only two people paying any attention. This meant he would be cutting into our time and we'd have to waste more getting our stuff ready. Abed said, "Let's go back inside and set up there."

We started getting our instruments ready next to Ferd's ensemble, who had just finished their set. Just then, this guy came up and asked if we would play while his group performed their poetry. We agreed and we were able to perform experimental music as background to their verbal presentation. But one member of the group was really upset that we were were drowning them out and started to shout his poetry. Soon, all he was saying was "This is noise! This is noise!" over and over. I could tell he wanted us to stop, but we were still upset about the bathroom insult, so we didn't care what anybody thought at that point. It seemed like some members of the audience believed it was part of the act. We joked later about how we should do a reunion.

A few weeks later, Erid invited us to be part of a smaller event at a coffeehouse in Downtown San Diego. We were going to perform our songs in addition to experimental music. After we arrived, I noticed the cute woman from Sushi there. I told her I remembered her from the Sushi event. Her name was Iaz and she did video art, along with other forms of expression. We talked for a bit. I got brave and asked for her phone number.

Abed had originally been told by Erid that we were going to go on at 11pm. However, I guess something happened and things got started late. We had to wait for this one guy to do his thing first. He could best be described as a Jewish rapper. He was pretty good, but we were getting irritated because we were supposed to go on at that time. Abed kept trying to talk to Erid, but all he would do was shrug his shoulders. The Jewish rapper finished his set around 11:45pm. By this time, the peak crowd had dissipated. Our performance went well, but we didn't like that we could have had a larger audience if we had gone on at the time we were told.

A few days later, I called Iaz. I told her Abed and I were going to be doing a show at Lestat's with Hend. She said she would definitely be there. I was rather excited about this. She did show up. And so did Erid. In fact, without them being that close to each other, I got the distinct impression that they were a couple. This was not apparent at the last two events. In addition, the Jewish rapper was there, too. It appeared Iaz and Erid had asked him to come, too.

I didn't know what to make of this. I mean, I felt like all Erid did was show us disrespect at the last two bookings. But I couldn't stay mad at him if he was willing to come out and support us like this and bring other people. It's nice when someone helps to increase the size of your audience. It makes you feel like you're doing something worth other people's time.

As it turned out, Erid and Iaz were a couple and did get married. They're still married and I'm friends with both of them on Facebook. I don't know what happened to the Jewish rapper.