Hm. I said it was dead, didn’t I? The Kaoss Pad Mod story. In fact, I went so far as to say something like: “www.make-phil-and-his-fucking-contraption-history.com”. Well, I was wrong to do that, partly because it was a negative and abusive thing to say (Particularly of someone who hides from society, seeking solace in vandalising his musical equipment; the guy needs a therapist. Or a slap.), but mostly because not long after posting that story, I found that someone close to where I live is using the Kaoss Pad Mod in a very interesting and creative way.
One Jack Freeney, Painter and Decorator, has installed the Kaoss Pad on the front gate of his house over on Roselawn Road, whch I pass every day to and from the train station. And what a gate it is too. Granted, even mobility-impaired dwarves (And there are more than ever now, since the EU started handing out grants for them.) could hop over it, and it’s probably there to discourage people from getting to close to the house and being disorientated by all the tasteless ‘decoration’ on and in the house, but it has a set of controls just outside of it that would put a Boeing 747 cockpit to shame. I can only assume that he’s an extremely busy man or has attention deficit disorder or perhaps even is just remarkably thick, and that is why it takes so much hardware to get him to temporarily stop transforming his house into a grotesque, gold-veneered plasterwork nightmare and come out to open the door. Including having installed the Kaoss Pad beside everything else; presumably if he’s being particularly intransigent, or perhaps working on an entirely turgid and completely unoriginal home decoration concept, then you can lure him out by playing tunes on the keypad and use the Kaoss Pad to fuck with his sense of reality. Or maybe, as a light relief from his efforts, he comes out some evenings as the light is fading and gently plays a few tunes which he thought up that afternoon, poetic ruminations of the nature of silicone sealant, gently touching the keys and stroking with the lightest of passes, the Kaoss Pad. In reality I have no idea what goes on in the mind of Jack Freeney, Painter and Decorator.
I got as far as playing two thirds of the guitar noodling sequence from ‘I am The Resurrection’ on it the other night before he came out to shout at me for using the wrong chords. I was disappointed, but also secretly pleased in a way. He’s my hero.
The old coot.
Nice Blog Kev, touching, not in the cloth sense.
Will you photograph Jack Freeney’s house and Kaoss Pad Mod Gate? It sounds spectacular.
I actually began a little photo-documentary project last year, taking pics of ludicrously pimped houses in and around the city centre.
It got waylaid after I took one photo of a house on Patrick’s Terrace, just down from Croker.
Must get back to it. Maybe we can work on it together. Everyone. Would make a nice book/ site.
Actually David I thought about taking and posting the photo, but finally decided to describe it alone and let people imagine how it should look. If you saw it, then you’d see that it is less impressive, and I’d used poetic licence to make it impressive. It’s like how people were disappointed with ‘Lord of The Rings’ having read the books and imagined it for themselves, how it might look.
I think you have a good idea for a project there, with a photo of the house and maybe a word from the owner too. Especially with Christmas coming up, see how the builders ‘decorate’ their houses; it’s often spectacular in every way. Mostly bad ways.
Thats A great idea and I’ve thought of it from time to time myself, Crumblin is a wash with amazing houses not just at Christmass either.
Incredible cladding some of them look like some mystical giant has eaten half a granite quarey and then shate it all over the front of a council house, hey presto instant vindication that you are indeed superiour to all your lowly neighbours who are behind the Ziegest with their pebble dash!
There is of course the mock – tudor look some people taking it to extrems of course, wearing Those elizabeathian pine apple rings around their necks.
A new addition is of course the classic white poucelain lady that is croping up with greater frequency in peoples windows.
Seriously this needs to be documented, me thinks website best. some day and its in the post People in ireland will start getting into this whole taste thing but not in the wonderful rita and jack duckworth way they once were. I am up for it and if we don’t do it someone else will.
Oh yeh lets not forget all those stone Eagles at peoples gates all over Ireland….inspired.
HERE’S TO SENTENCE CONSTRUCTION WITHOUT USING “of course” “some” and “Oh yeh.”
Oh yeh check out George Lucas directs Lord of the rings on youtube.
I hear that one georges chins has declared itself an independent state.