60s EXPERIMENTAL 2

In our last post, Spy Vibe looked briefly at the experimental nature that is at the heart of what made much of 1960s art & design fresh and cool. Paul McCartney and John Lennon became enthralled with tape loops and experimental music (see last post), and two of McCartney's solo projects, including one that is an electronic New Wave piece, were released today in CD and vinyl editions. I've been watching many documentaries this week about John Cage (thank you Netflix), and thinking about the playful openness to create for the sake of discovering the unexpected. Our spy hero in The Ipcress File (1965), Harry Palmer, followed chance to investigate an abandoned factory, resulting in this nifty tape loop. Is it a Morton Subotnick piece? For those who have not seen this wonderful film, watch and see what unfolds. It's fun to see how musique concrete and sounds coming from the avant-garde and soundtrack labs were incorporated into the plot of the film. The digital noise in the clip below clears up quickly. Check out 60s experimental: BBC Doctor Who here.

AGENT J: ART PROJECTS

What lies behind the fab world of go go boots and fast cars for Spy Vibe's Agent J? When I'm not searching the globe for 1960s fashion, music, and spies, I'm in my secret lair working on new movie, music, and book projects. As a special treat for the weekend, I thought I'd invite Spy Vibers into the inner sanctum to check out some of the latest irons in the fire. My film for Yoko Ono, which features a soundtrack by me, Yoko Ono, and the Plastic Ono Band, recently screened at a gallery in NY and won an award at the Park City Film Music Festival. I also had a chance to assist with English subtitles for a new Japanese film produced by my pal, Kousuke Ono. The iPhone has proven to be a wonderful and spontaneous camera, much in the way that Polaroid, Holga, and Diana cameras were in the past. I've posted production shots from my Yoko Ono film, Japanese robots & monsters, Claudia at Point Reyes (below), and a portrait of the father of electronic music, Morton Subotnick, on my website. More info at JasonWhiton.com. Spy Vibers, what are your secret Art projects?