Performance by David Thomas

The surviving leading voice of the Cleveland underground, David Thomas is a writer, singer, songwriter, actor, producer and director within the self-proclaimed genre of the Avant-Garage. Founder of two legendary bands, Rocket From The Tombs and Pere Ubu, and a multitude of musical collaborations, including David Thomas and two pale boys, Thomas is credited with rewriting the rules of both popular and experimental music since 1975. His career began as a writer and columnist for weekly magazine The Scene, in Cleveland, in the early 70s.

 

Thomas has written two operas, Mirror Man (1998) and Bring Me The Head Of Ubu Roi (2008), which both premiered at London's Queen Elizabeth Hall, before touring internationally. The latter was animated by cult filmmakers, The Brothers Quay. Thomas co-starred in a limited, sold out run of the 'junk opera' 'Shockheaded Peter' in London's West End in 2002. London's South Bank Centre and UCLA Performing Arts staged four and three day festivals, respectively, dedicated to his writing and music. The Knitting Factory in New York City presented a three-day festival of his work.

 

There is an opportunity for students to get maximum 1 credit for attending the three events- Panel discussion in the morning, Lunchtime discussions in the afternoon and performance by David Thomas in the evening. In order to get the credit, graduate students will sign up for Comparative Studies 8890 Colloquia, Workshops, and Departmental Seminars (#33070) and undergraduate students for Comparative Studies 2193 - 0020: Individual Studies with Dr. Katherine Borland (#16775). There will be a required reading and reflection paper (6 pages for grads and 3 pages for undergrads).

 

 

(Photo of David Thomas courtesy of Kiersty Boon on http://www.ubuprojex.com/dtpix.html; Bio excerpted from http://www.ubuprojex.com/bio.html#dt.)

 

If you require assistance to attend these events, please contact the organizers at karna.5@osu.edu.