here is the original sketch for the cover of mr. music head.
sometimes I do a preliminary sketch like this before I do the real thing,
but usually not as detailed as this one.
you can see the japanese fans used as tom toms
being the eyeballs of Howard the piano's head.
the back of the Dobro I played in 1967 is the nose.
a vintage 1955 Ludwig snare drum is the right eye
while a hi-hat cymbal is the left.
drum sticks and mallets make the eyebrows.
the african slit drum used in pygmies is the mouth.
on top of that is a set of paraffin lips like you wear at halloween.
in the case of mr. music head it was my first foray
into computer art. once we got into the computer
the idea evolved into the image you see on the cover.
Cool. I like the fact that your first foray into computer art ended up looking like it was done with real (analog?) materials. I assumed it was done using cutouts and paint.
ReplyDeleteThose Japanese fans must be kinda quiet and delicate. I assume that they are a studio-only sort of instrument. They must have good tone. I recently bought a bunch of terracotta flowerpots that sound absolutrely beautiful when I play them with mallets. Much like the delicate sounds on the Crimson song "Shoganai" on the "Happy With..." CD.
I look forward to anecdotes about "Desire caught by the tail" someday, if you have any.
TC
Cool! So how did the piano come to be named Howard?
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