Oh Sees, Thee - Thee Hounds Of Foggy Notion - New LP
black vinyl. 2019 reissue of “Thee Hounds of Foggy Notion / Live Performances Sans Stages And Whatnots With Thee Oh Sees (2008), is a film we made just over a decade ago, and this record is the soundtrack. I loved making it, and I love all that were involved. I’m honestly blissed-out proud to hear over the years that it somehow is loved by so many others, too.
“I first met John Dwyer on Flag Day. I was blown away by a trio of roving Coachwhips guerrilla street shows that climaxed at the the scenic vista parking lot high above San Francisco atop Mt. Sutro. Amongst the gathered uninitiated hordes of souvenir sweatshirt selling families, and puzzled elderly global tourist translators, and a white weirdo tuxedo wedding party, was the sonic corruption of the Coachwhips...I’m certain that this exact event was the idea seed for Thee Hounds Of Foggy Notion, and that it saved my life a little bit. “When JPD asked me to consider making a video for Thee Oh Sees with the sole stipulation that he didn’t want to do anything fake-y to playback, my head started swimming. What we mutually agreed upon was to essentially reprise Flag Day, and film Thee Oh Sees performing live, but not on stages. “I rented a 15-passenger van, a generator, and the minimal cinematic equipment my trusted cinematographer friend James Wall deemed we needed. Everything sound wise was JPD territory and went through an ancient mixing board that Johnny had housed within a Samsonite suitcase. We ran all the plate mics from the drums, and the li’l pedestal mics from the amps through this old mixer, and we all believed that all would be well and swell.” —Brian Lee Hughes
“I had moved from Denmark to San Francisco in 2003 to set up a better life for me and my family. Turns out my Danish wife changed her mind and stayed in Copenhagen with my daughter, which needless to say, made it a dark, weird, and lonely time for me. The only peek at some shining light of funny hope for the future was when I met John Dwyer. Twas on a Flag Day when I was blown away by a roving Coachwhips trio of street shows powered by a generator from a decommissioned ambulance. After stops on Market Street, and at the beach, the trio of shows climaxed at the scenic vista atop Mt. Sutro accompanied by the art rocker performance crew Double Dutchess attired in fake pregnancy bellies, and a choke-chained pitbull shredding a plastic baby doll, all amongst the hordes of souvenir sweatshirt selling families, and the dozens of Chinese elderly tour bus tourists, and the fantasy tuxedo rich white people wedding party goers belching off of a synthetic trolly car limo thing. I’m certain that was anarchic freedom comedy event saved my life, and that it was the seed of THEE HOUNDS OF FOGGY NOTION.
Instead of shooting myself, I started shooting a film called Rock Star Scars. It forced me to go out every night to film a member of a band telling me a story about a scar they had. SF was thriving at that time, and JPD was in a handful of bands that were central to the scene. When Coachwhips suddenly broke up, it sucked. I didn’t just like Coachwhips, I needed them as my musical medicine.
OCS was just getting started, and its rapid evolution of shifting members, monikers, and music became my next main fascination. I followed along and filmed them live many times and I caught myself smiling again. Then, JPD mentioned to me that he was going to break it up, too. Not because he hit a creative wall like he did with Coachwhips, but because his label at the time was an archaic crack-head horror show. It was then that I offered up to co-found a label with him that dispatched with the bullshit and let the bands own their masters. He said “OK”, and that was the birth of Castle-Face.
When he asked me to consider making a vid for Thee Oh Sees I was blissed. His stipulation was that he didn’t want to do anything to playback. I understood that to be a live film, but I had filmed them live to the point of creative exhaustion at that point. What we somehow mutually agreed upon was to film Thee Oh Sees live, but not on stages. My secret caveat was to document his process and mix in some interstitial interviews. He shut that down after I asked the first question. Instead, what we got was infinitely more insightful and true to the free fun reality of the scene in the form of glorious stories.
So, armed with a 15 passenger van, a generator and minimal gear, my cinematographer friend James Wall and dove in. Everything sound wise went through an ancient mixing board that Johnny had housed within a Samsonite suitcase. We ran all the plate mics from the drums, and the lil pedestal mics from the amps through this old mixer, and we all believed that all would be well and swell. My only fear-based bonus was the rental of a 12” Sennheiser directional mic in a fluffy wind muff that was directly feeding into one of our Canon XL-2s. My residual fears proved true, that the only thing that ruins docs or indie films is shit sound; the goddamn suitcase based mixer had a short in it. It wasn’t until the edit that it was clear that all the multi tracking through the mixer was hopelessly covered in geiger counter static tics. So the source of all that you hear on the LP is the single Sennheiser mono mic, muffed and faux-stereo’d via doubling mono. The interstitial stories on the video were recorded along the way by a Handicam.
As great as he is as a performer, John was in even better-er rapid fire story-teller genius mode during every spare second of the journey. Brigid Dawson added some delicious gems as she always does. Petey Dammit is a pretty quiet private guy, but even he proved to be very funny when he gets loose. Patrick Mullins on the other hand is literally Castleface. After editing through 40+ hours of footage of live performances and interstitial whatnots, it became very shockingly clear to myself, and editor Akiko Iwakawa, that his expression never ever ever changes. He is Castleface.
I love that Thee Hounds of Foggy Notion is loved by others, I loved the lucid, fluid, perfectly imperfect process of making it, and I am blissed out proud of the live album audio and the honest documentation of Thee Oh Sees at a certain time and place. It is heaven to hear from so many artists over the years that it was inspiring to them, and I hope that you enjoy it too.”
