Anganok (also known as Anganok/Zahabya) is a mini-opera composed by The Residents with San Francisco artist Mark "Spoonman" Petrakis. It was composed between 1990 and 1991, and performed live at the Overtone Festival of New Music in San Francisco, California in 1993.
A rehearsal recording of Anganok as performed by the group with Spoonman was released on Robot Selling Device in 2009, alongside an edited instrumental version. The full recording of Anganok received its first CD release on November 14th 2020 via Klanggalerie, featuring the previously unreleased complete versions of both the instrumental version and the rehearsal recording.
History[]
The music which came to comprise Anganok originated from a spring 1990 jam session held by The Residents (which also birthed "Benny The Bouncing Bump" from their 1990 concept album Freak Show).
When sessions for Freak Show began, the Anganok music was quietly shelved until early 1991, when The Residents discovered a local artist and poet, Mark Petrakis, otherwise known as Spoonman. Interested in each other's ideas, The Residents pulled out the unused music and began developing it, while Spoonman developed a spoken word story to accompany it.
Together these elements formed a mini-opera about a "madder than Ahab" sea captain chasing a transparent whale.[1] The opera was was performed live in a short run of performances at the Overtone Festival of New Music in San Francisco in 1993. As well as writing the script, Spoonman also created the character designs and directed the live performances.[2]
The Anganok instrumental music was used by The Residents in two further projects; parts were featured as "Willie's Theme", "Willie's Theme II" and "Finale" on the compilation CD accompanying the 1993 book Uncle Willie's Highly Opinionated Guide To The Residents, and other parts were adapted into the track "Daddy's Poems" on the 1996 album Have A Bad Day.
Release[]
Angnaok is a digital single released by The Residents on September 4th, 2009, containing an edited version of the un-released original cast recording from 1993. Beforehand, a six-minute excerpt of the instrumental was featured on the compilation Our Poor Our Tired Our Huddled Masses.
Two days later, The Residents released a studio instrumental version of the single, recorded as a demo circa 1991.
The complete versions of both recordings were ultimately released on the Klanggalerie compilation album Anganok in 2020. The instrumental is 19 minutes long on this release, and the rehearsal recording is 21 minutes (two minutes longer than the Robot Selling Device release). The shorter edit of the rehearsal recording (labelled as the "RSD Version") is also featured.
Track listing[]
Robot Selling Device release (2009)
- Anganok (19:05)
Klanggalerie release (2020)
- Anganok (Vocal) (20:45)
- Anganok (Instrumental) (18:52)
- Anganok (RSD Version) (19:06)
Lyrics[]
For the lord, god, a newborn term Bringeth. Shit upon your heads, my bodies Shit upon your heads Welcome to eternity I am the one called Anganok. The sad immortal Anganok.
Eternity is heavenly Let me set you straight It's boring here and lonesome like cold food on a paper plate
Here it's just us pale ghosts With nothing to do but worry Each day begins and ends the same Watching the humans hurry Oh look there's one over there There's a human behind the tree And over there, a little baby Isn't he cute?
But that was not for me I could not sit and watch I was an artist At least I used to be
Before I arrived here, and quickly misplaced My personality
So instead I commanded I conjured, I evoked Even though it's frowned upon Even though it's not done
Instead, I commanded, I conjured, I evoked I kicked the other human And I called him my son
My demon, my saviour, my ace in the hole All I needed, all I wanted Was a son, was a soul, was a son, was a soul My son, my soul
What could I repress? Still, it burns If I'd been more selective Taken a little bit longer I'll need a brighter boy Would the story be the same? Would I still be to blame? The year it was 1803 The raging sea Of the cold New England coast And hear's a sailor's toast
"To the most fearless captain, who'd ever sailed the sea! The man of name Zahabya and that plaque belongs to me!"
My demon, my saviour, my ace in the hole All I needed, all I wanted Was a son, was a soul, was a son, was a soul My son, my soul
The wave relinquished me Over everything, everything Sand and blood and everything, everything Water and wood and everything Bones of the living, bones of the dead "Bones of the dead?" Over you, over me, over everything "Fetch me my harpoon, Mr Smith" "Aye aye, Cap'n"
"What color, is the sea today, Mr Smith?" "It is the color, of tears, Captain Wild, black, tears, with colors, and smoking red fire She's all ablaze with fury captain" "Mr Smith!" Yes, Captain? Did you ever see the color of her eyes?
Once they were the color of birchbark No that's not right Swollen Puss, colored like death they were, water mixed with blood... No that's not right They were the color of ripped lungs, of poison, of death, it stinks! There she was, I looked deep into her eyes, and they talked at me with a smell... A smell!
"The wind's picking up, Captain." "Like the stench of a million dead fish, all rushing at once up my nose! Until... it exploded! AGH! You'll be sure to tell us when the wind begins to carry us like that, Mr Smith"
"You'll be the first to know, Captain." "You take the wheel now, Mr Crow here will take the watch. There you go, be off now." "Aye aye, Captain."
Ship's log, June 16th, 1803. Nothing like... Today I felt her again, I know she is nearby. Her bubbles come up from below. I know. And soon we shall look upon each other, face, to face.
The great whale. The great transparent whale returns. The great whale. The great transparent whale returns. The one without color, with liquid skin, The great whale The great transparent whale, that is the very shape of terror! AGH!
Easy, my captain, this is all but fancy! Fancy? Call ye my fear fancy? My terror? My bleeding nose, fancy? Um.. but captain, if the whale be truly transparent, how shall we know to see it? I am captain here! I will tell you what to see, though, you will never comprehend. See anything yet, Captain? Silent! Mercy, captain... Mercy?!
Suddenly it comes to me, the beast cannot be chased down, it is waiting there, just beyond the horizon, waiting for me to come! "How blind I have been! Thar she blows! Thar she blows! Avast, lower the longboat, the time has come! Be not afraid, your fate is in my hands now! Into the boat, now! Row harder, it is close!" "Captain... there's nothing there"
"Listen. There it is. The sound of her blowhorn. The roar. The roars my dear. Listen to the roar." "Captain.. let's turn back." "Pull steady men, it be close. It be beneath us now. Pull steady. Pull steady.
A moment of silence means the devil is near, come to frighten us away. Kiss my ass, fish face!" "Oh... God sakes, Captain!" "She rises!" "Jesus! It stinks! AUGH!" "Thar, she's... huge beyond compare! Its open jaws bigger than the sky! Behold the snapping skeletons of the dead! Who dangle and flap Dangle and flap against the claggy dentine cliff! And the smell! The smell's so strong that it penetrates you, and desenses all but my face! AUGH!!"
I caught his nose.. then I caught his eyes.. and he caught mine... I looked at my crew, all frozen white in terror, and then myself, suddenly frozen too. Like them, I was, suddenly white Like them, I was, suddenly small Of the same stuff, were we, my crew and I Each of us human, Each of us helpless In an instant we were made equal, together we had become in that moment, a speck of white dust, disappearing into the black mouth of eternal night. Stripped of illusion, we were now transparent, like the great beast itself, in who's acid breathing belly we were to lay for a snug eternity or two!
Now, I am here. In the belly of the monster's belly, with my idiot son. Who must be fed raw fish parts, or else he cries in his sleep, and keeps both heaven and hell, awake with his dreams. I don't have time now, to remember, or to care, or to think about tomorrow. I am behind in my chores, and will never catch up. We sail on in this foul stink, in search of wayward sons, Other offspring of unruly angels, who dare to challenge the great ship giver Transparent leader of illusion, mother of great and deadly dreams.
They will find peace in their madness, just as I have in mine.
Reception[]
Retrospective[]
Reviewing the digital EP in March 2010,[3] freelance music reviewer Mark Prindle described the "barely-performed" Anganok as a "bizarre narrative" that is "a little hard to follow", highlighting Spoonman's vocals (comparing his voice to "an avant-garde theatrical agent") but ultimately finding the opera to be one of The Residents' "least memorable outings ever".[4]
Credits[]
Still from Anganok
2020 release[]
- Vocals by Spoonman
- Mastered by Christian Loebenstein
- Front Cover Image by Porno Graphics
- Layout by Lisa Robotka
- Thanks to Homer Flynn, Richard Anderson and Paulie Kraynak
- Issued under licence from Cherry Red Records Ltd.
See also[]
- Spoonman
- Anganok Instrumental
- Uncle Willie's Highly Opinionated Guide To The Residents
- Our Tired, Our Poor, Our Huddled Masses
External links and references[]
- Anganok at The Residents HIstorical
- Anganok at Discogs
- Anganok at Klanggalerie
- Anganok at Spot Lyrics
- ↑ "Anganok/Zahabya" on TeleCircus
- ↑ "Character Design" at TeleCircus
- ↑ Mark Prindle, "The 'What's New?' Page", Mark's Record Reviews, March 13th 2010 (archived via archive.org)
- ↑ Mark Prindle, "Anganok EP", Mark's Record Reviews, March 13th 2010