Playing cards from a special deck by Maximilian Frommann commemorating the first German Shooting Festival, 1862
So Chris Knox had a pretty serious stroke a couple weeks ago. The New Zealand musician and cartoonist is apparently doing a lot better already - according to a recent report from the New Zealand Herald, he sang "Happy Birthday" to his wife this week in the hospital. I hope this is the beginning of a quick recovery. Chris Knox is a key figure in the history of kiwi pop, having been involved in Flying Nun Records from the label's very early days. He signed and recorded many of the label's bands when they were first getting started. I get the impression that he is a little bit of a divisive figure - some of the musicians interviewed in the documentary Heavenly Pop Hits had some less-than-nice things to say about him. I'd guess that, especially in the early '80s, his strong opinions and commitment to the DIY aesthetic probably rubbed a lot of people in the wrong way. But he was instrumental in getting some of my favorite music released, so I'm grateful to him for his part in getting the early music of the Chills, the Verlaines, the Bats, the Clean, and the Sneaky Feelings from his bedroom 4-track to the world.
I don't know Chris Knox's solo work very well, but I'm a big fan of the Tall Dwarfs, his collaboration with Alec Bathgate from the '80s. In 1987, they released the Dogma EP, one of their best recordings. I'd feel bad posting the EP's best song, "The Slide", since it's about euthanasia, but I like "Cant" a lot as well. Like many Tall Dwarfs songs, it starts with a shuffling percussion loop, with Knox and Bathgate singing/caterwauling over the top. The song includes the odd invocation, "Heal me Satan!" - I don't know if Satan will have anything to do with Knox's convalescence, but I hope he continues to get better and is able to return home soon.
"Cant" by Tall Dwarfs
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