March 07, 2004

Reynols. The first reaction one might have on hearing of the escapades of the Argentinean group Reynols is one of open-mouthed incredulity. Quite apart from the mythical status that group members Alan Courtis and Roberto Conlazo have conferred on their drummer, 39 year old Miguel Tomasin, who suffers from Down's Syndrome (though, as we shall see, "suffers" is not a word Conlazo and Courtis would accept to describe Tomasin's extraordinary abilities and sense of reality), these are the guys whose first album was a "dematerialised CD" - i.e. an empty CD box - and who were nearly arrested by the local police for plugging their guitars into a pumpkin and not playing in public.

A good selection of their music can be found here, along with an introduction to Tomasin's (Non)Philosophy. Question: Do you think the universe exists? Miguel Tomasin: No, it doesn't exist. It's just fantasy. Another recent interview, again talking about their appalling treatment last year by the British immigration authorities, when the group attempted to travel here to play a short tour. (I was prompted into posting this because of news of the bands demise. Apologies for the self indulgence)

  • Zippy the Pinhead meets Bitches Brew.
  • Very interesting! I like their ideas. Thankyou for the link.
  • Musicians who isten as well as make music -- whatever project(s) they may come up with in furure, I'll be interested in hearing more of them. Thanks, dng.
  • Classic performance art. This is a fantastic post, dng. A wonderful story and I hope their great work continues.