Clinton from London, Ontario, Canada: Dear Sgt. Disco: What is the best Circus
Devils album to start with?
Dear Clint: SGT. DISCO, of course.
HOWEVER, to properly answer your question we will need to launch into an egghead discussion about Apollonian verses Dionysian musical expressions. For those
who need refreshed, where Apollo strives toward harmony and balance and higher
thought, Dionysus delves into the unconscious and gives over to dream and
sometimes to frenzy and mayhem.
This dichotomy can be used to categorize many
of the bands, artists, and albums you are already familiar with. By the same token, a
listener can also be classified the same way. Are you an Apollonian or a Dionysian
listener? Maybe it depends on your mood on any given day. For example, in an
Apollonian mood, you might enjoy Beethoven's Pastoral Symphony or the Beatles'
Abbey Road.
And if you're in a Dionysian mood, Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring
might be good, or Tom Waits’ Bone machine. So your question regarding which
circus devils album to start with depends on these factors as they apply to you
and/or your current mood. Here is a list of circus devils albums, classified with the
following letter abbreviations.
A= Appolonian / D= Dionysian.
- GRINGO (2009) A : The most accessible album tune-wise, and for this reason,
maybe the best introduction. A good preparation for the more challenging material
on the previous albums.
- ATAXIA (2008) D : Manic and dark. The best introduction if you are naturally
gravitated toward the D-side of life.
- Sgt. DISCO (2007) D + A : Something here for everyone. Chock full of listening
adventure.
- FIVE (2005) D : Pure id music, so much so that the band does not recall making
this album.
- PINBALL MARS (2004) D : Gut level rock and lullabies sung in half-sleep. Full of
characters and danger and good fun. Not bad for a first pick.
- The HAROLD PIG MEMORIAL (2002) A : Measured and sober. A full-fledged
concept album. For serious listeners.
- RINGWORM INTERIORS (2001) DD: This album represents circus devils as a
primordial creature climbing out of the muck and toward the light, and then back
into the muck. Not the best introduction. But rewarding for those who enjoy a
jarring ride.
I hope this summary will help you make an informed decision, Clint. Thanks for
giving circus devils a try. We recommend listening to each album from beginning to
end. The albums are written as albums, and can be approached the same way you
might approach a film, or a trip to a foreign land, or a night of sleep. And one
more thing. It may require patience on your part.
multiple listens to "get it."
Everyone tells us that it takes
We don't understand what they mean, but they all say
so.
Scott from Duluth, Minnesota: Dear Sgt. Disco: What will I expect from Gringo?
Should I expect something a little different than circus devils’ previous efforts?
Dear Scott: Yes you will! Gringo is an album that proves that a band can rock
without electric guitars. Well, maybe that's going too far. But folks tell me it's an
enjoyable, breezy listen compared to the other records. Gringo is an acoustic song
cycle, and as always, in terms of content, there is a trip. The action takes place
during an unspecified time period (probably the past, and probably the late 20th
century, and probably the 1970s and 1980s, and probably the American Southwest),
and it follows the life of a single character . . . Not you, Scott, but some other guy
that you probably never met.
His name is not Harold Pig, by the way.
The Bringer from British Columbia, Canada: Dear Sgt. Disco: What will be the next
Circus Devils album after Gringo?
Dear Bringer: The next album will be titled GRONGO. It will be sung entirely in the
language of the Shfarg people, a prehistoric tribe recently discovered living in
remote areas of Greenland. It will be the first ever rock album sung in a formerlyextinct language.
Newsworth Oaf from episode 3 of the prisoner series: Dear Sgt. Disco: It would be
cool if, on the next "pellet" that there would be a story on the gatefold sleeve, much
like Genesis' THE LAMB LIES DOWN ON BROADWAY.
I would like to see Circus
Devils take on The Lamb Lies Down. What the hell is it about? I have my own
opinions, but c'mon! Nobody ever wants to talk about it.
Dear Newsworth: I got Peter Gabriel on the phone this morning and asked him
your question about the LAMB. He says he doesn't want to talk about it. Maybe he
doesn't know what it means either. Pete reckons that we should just listen to the
songs and look to our own impressions for meaning. Maybe he's right. Sometimes
we should let sleeping lambs lie.
H. Dog from Alamogordo, New Mexico: Dear Sgt. Disco: I thought Ataxia was never
gonna come out. It was like waiting for Guns and Roses Chinese Democracy. But all
of a sudden, under a chilly twilight tinged sky there it was. In my mailbox. I put it
on. Played it twice. For the next month or so my dreams will be plagued. Note to
self: never listen to Circus Devils while making a sandwich. Arguments ensue that
end up in broken plates. Anyway--im gonna play this album for friends, then they
will say "is it in surroundsound? Is it gonna be remixed (in some f*&king bullshit
way) so I can play it in my blu-ray player? Quadrophonic? When I say no, my friends
will laugh me off as a charlatan. Thats OK though I guess.
Dear Mr. Dog: Circus Devils can be heard in life-like Stereo. Your friends ask too
much. The band’s recording budget is the same as their budget for mouthwash.
Freddy from Madison, Wisconsin: Dear Sgt. Disco: Are you related to Sister Disco?
Or perhaps a distant cousin of Disco Duck? What about Disco in your mouth?
Dear Freddy: I believe your question is rhetorical and fashioned in an attempt to be
cute and funny. This will not be tolerated.
Sven from Erie, Pennsylvania: Dear Sgt. Disco: Is politics a concern of Circus Devils?
Dear Sven: Circus Devils proudly supports any candidate who willfully abandons
tradition in order to create healthy turmoil. Even unhealthy turmoil is better than
what we have endured so far this century. One day Circus Devils hopes to see the
first non-human elected President of the United States. You may think this is a joke,
but it's not. The future is a strange place only because you haven't been there yet.
There will be no end to the wonders and horrors found there.
Wulf from South Florida, USA: Dear Sgt. Disco: Is Ataxia going to kick my ass like it
says in all the pop magazines?
Dear Wulf: We don't know what will happen to you, friend. I can pretend to know
what will happen and say "Yes it will kick your ass hard." But that would be
arrogant and presumptuous. So I will not say it.
Buddy Love from Greeley, Colorado: Dear Sgt. Disco: em> Hey fella, I need to ask if
circus devils music is inspired by real devils or by THE DEVIL himself?
Dear Buddy: There is no room in this band for another devil. If you don't believe me,
consider that any rock band in league with Lucifer enjoys immense riches and the
allegiance of tens of thousands. Consider that circus devils doesn't have a single
human groupie. The truth is, Satan hates circus devils because their music is better
than anything he can do.
W.B. Treves from Cumberland Gap, Tennessee, USA: Dear Sgt. Disco: <em> What is
a good circus devils make out song?
Dear W.B.: The best circus devils make out song is Rose in Paradise. It will make
you and your lover clutch each other and weep hard.
Your intense wish to console
each other’s anguish will get out of hand to the point where you have no choice but
to smother each other with sofa cushions. I’m just saying. How can you get more
romantic than that?
Billy Mumpwater from Sacramento, CA (a future salt lake): Dear Sgt. Disco: The
album bearing your name sucked the first time I listened to it, except for two songs.
It sucked the second time I listened to it, except for four songs. It kinda sucked the
third time I listened to it, except for about every third song... Now that I'm on my
thirtieth or so listen, it's one of my top ten favorite albums ever. Good thing I listen
to albums that suck enough times to give them a chance to change my mind
(written as I make another probably futile attempt to get to know and/or like The
Jam's 'In The City')
Dear Billy: This is an inspiring story. It illustrates a truth that is not often admitted by
music critics, who must work with deadlines, and lack the time to explore a record
and allow it to grow on them. The records that stay with us are often those that
were difficult to take at first, or that seemed to alienate us by not giving us what we
expected. We hope that others will take your example, because the kind of patience
and sense of adventure you exhibit are not common in an age when music that one
has been trained to enjoy is obtainable on demand.
Robert from Los Angeles, CA: Dear Sgt. Disco: Circus Devils makes me want to move.
I want to pick up my things and move because I think Circus Devils’ albums sound
better outside of Los Angeles. Can you explain or pontificate?
Dear Robert: Everything sounds better away from Los Angeles. Even the crickets
and the nut hatch. If you want to enjoy music then just get out of there. But I
heard that some things look better in Los Angeles . . . some things with names like
Cindy and Ashley.
Jack from Muncie, Indiana: Dear Sgt. Disco: Does circus devils love America?
Dear Jack: Here is a better question: Do we love Americans?
We love most Americans. But we must answer no to this question when it applies
to two distinct groups of Americans in our midst. The first group is the
fundamentalist religious / pro-violence / anti-love set who are proud in their
ignorance, and seek the herd for safety. Remember, their vote at the polls is equal
to yours, so be cautious before you dismiss them as country kooks. Such Americans
can be seen at their feed troughs at the buffet in the local shopping plaza on a
saturday, or at the tractor pull, or worshiping on Sunday morning at one of those
mega-churches where they display the flag and preach of a Jesus who promises to
make all our American dreams come true.
It may surprise you to learn that the Americans we hate the most have been to
college. Yes, the second group of Americans we speak of are members of a secret
club called the SONS OF DRACO. These so-called "educated" men are the
privileged sons of certain wealthy families who deem it part of their offspring's
pedigree to be a member of this club. They meet in underground grottoes scattered
across the country. One of these underground clubhouses is right here in Ohio!
Members include almost every famous American who is NOT in show business,
except one. Van you guess his name?
Know them by their beady eyes and thin
lips.
Because we love America, we must do everything in our power to protect it from
both of these groups mentioned above. Both the working class, flag-waving,
fundamentalist church-goers, and the lipless, WASP, ivy league elite must be resisted
if our great nation is to survive and retain its soul.
Kirill from Moscow, Russia: Dear Sgt. Disco: Yesterday I played "Outlasting Girafolo"
like 12 times in a row. I'm a seminarian and supposed to pray all day but now I'm
only able to hum "Girafolo" to Jesus. Bob's his favorite!
Dearest Kirill: Jesus knows what is cool. Trust Jesus.
Valerie from Manchester, New Hampshire: Dear Sgt. Disco: I read somewhere that
the world will end on December 21st, 2012. Is this true? I am worried about this
because I'm 13, so I will still be a teenager when the end of the world comes. Do
you realize how much that sucks?! Well anyway, circus devils rules! Did I say that
right?
Dear Valerie: High marks for you. Circus devils is singular. Hence, it rules.
The world as we know it is ending all the time. If you want to worry, then worry
about all that has already been lost. For all we know, the collected fruits of
mankind's imagination are like shining jewels in the crown of our galaxy. Then again,
it may be the case that all of humanity's achievements amount to a hill of rotten
beans. Whatever the case, as humans we should bear witness to all that has come
before as the bounty of mankind's collected imagination, and strive to decorate our
souls with it. Rejoice young lady in your youth. Don't waste energy fretting about
the approaching end. Observe the following excerpt from the essay entitled "the
Library is On Fire" by Steve Five:
Art is ephemeral. Life is ephemeral. Man's feeble attempt to make his mark on
history throughout the ages reflects these facts. A prime and literal example of this
is the destruction of the library at Alexandria, Egypt in ancient times. Man had spent
the ages of his intellectual dawning fighting against the ephemeral nature of art and
history, creating cuneiform and whole documented systems of communication - only
for these recordings to be lost forever for future generations. Laughable or sad? You
decide.
Geronimo Mason from Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Dayton, Ohio, USA: Dear
Sgt. Disco: I am in possession of sound recordings of myself and others behaving
scandalously; do Circus Devils have a mailing address where I can send them? Why
did Oswald have to go home to get his revolver if he had already smuggled his rifle
into work? Wouldn't he have just taken the revolver with him as well?
Dear Geronimo: If you want to email circus devils, it's easy. Just write to
circusdevils777@gmail.com. What kind of scandalous things are you and your
friends doing at Wright Patterson Air Force Base? Could it be heavy petting with
aliens? Yes, I mean the kind captured from crashed spacecraft.
We have no quarrel with those who dredge up the past, because we don't wish to
repeat the mistakes of history. But why continue to struggle with the lone gunman
theory? Even if your aim is to prove the theory wrong, the fact that you still give
credence to it is a sign of a constipated imagination. Forget about Oswald. The men
who planned to kill JFK would have made certain that the last connecting dot in the
investigation would not land on them. How could it be otherwise? In other words,
conspiracy is a given when men commit high crimes and don't wish to be caught.
This is a matter of common sense. Anyone who says otherwise is either stupid or
gripped with fear.
Now carry on with your important government work interrogating those captured
space men. But remember, just because a space alien has no rights under the law
doesn't give you and your friends the right to make sexual sport of them. Even if
you deem it payback for the anal probe the aliens forced you to endure, remember,
that was done in the spirit of science. What you are doing is depraved and reflects
poorly on our species and our planet.
Heinrich Wang from the Land of Plenty: Dear Sgt. Disco: I tried and tried but I can't
turn my friends on to circus devils. After they hear a few bars of music, they say it's
the worst thing they ever heard. What does this mean? Do you think I should seek
help? Or get new friends?
Dear Heinrich: We believe there is an inner mutant in every one of us. Circus devils
music will coax out the inner mutant, but this process is often met with fierce
resistance, especially by smug individuals who seek the middle of the road. So don't
be surprised or discouraged by the reaction of your friends. Remember Beauty and
the Beast? (the story, not the TV show) Circus devils is like the beast. Upon your first
encounter, your impulse is to run away, or fight it back. But with time, the beast is
discovered to possess a human soul! The trouble is, we can only ask nicely for this
crucial period of time needed for people to warm to the music. Things would be
different if we could capture people and make them listen to the music here in the
enchanted castle. That task is left to you, Heinrich. Now press on with your crusade,
and I guarantee that some of your friends will come around.
One trick you can do is give smokes to your friends before playing the records. If
they still think it's the worst music in the world while they are high, then they are
probably right, and the band members are just addled creeps.