Even though it’s a pretty short book (the entire volume is around 200 pages), a whole lot of time and energy went into making The Music and Mythocracy of Col. Bruce Hampton: A Basically True Biography. About eight years’ worth. So, I’ve got a ton or two of notes, way more than I was able to use. There should be a miniseries, there are so many notes.
Anyway, I thought it might be fun from time to time to share some of the process with the two or three of you that might get lost on this lonesome backroad of the worldwide interwebs. I’ll call it Making the Sausage and it’ll be a place where I can share some inside stories of how the book came together. Some of it might even be interesting and eye-opening. This first installment, though, is doodling; scrawls made during work on the Bruce book, including some drawings that probably can be used to have me committed, if anyone’s interested (or committed).
My first notes from Johnny Knapp, plus illustrations, because I’m a compulsive doodler.
Something about Zambiland, apparently. With illustrations. This is from an interview with Bruce, though the drawings are mine, the kind of weird shit that happens subconsciously when I’m on the phone or taking notes. Bruce seemed to understand.
This was from some notes about Bruce’s movie work, doodles and random words that I made while recording an interview with one of the film directors that worked with the Colonel.
Honestly, I’m not sure what this one is all about. Some compulsive doodling while talking on the phone, but I’m not sure who I was interviewing in this case.
More autopilot doodling, during an interview with Jeff Calder. I was sitting in my car in a Georgia Tech parking garage recording Jeff tell some fabulous stories. This was one of the highlights of the process – not the drawing, the chance to interview the co-founder of the Swimming Pool Q’s, who is a great writer and insightful observer and, it turns out, an old friend of a very good friend of mine here in Northeast Georgia. Bruce would have been pleased with all the synergy that unveiled itself during the making of this book.
Other Random Lunatic Scrawls Found Among Bruce Research and Interviews:
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