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"Metabolic" by City of Worms (1987)




Paris, France: Sounds for Consciousness Rape (cassette), 1987/1990.
4.25" x 2.75" x 0.625", two sides.

Metabolic, a cassette by the Colorado Springs, Colorado based band City of Worms, as released by the label Sounds for Consciousness Rape (Paris, France) c.1990. The recording was done on 20 June 1987, and is intended to be used with the Dreamachine. Jeph Jerman, prolific industrial/field recording artist, performs in this recording along with George Ericson and Steve Beckner.

This cassette uses Brion Gysin's drawing "Peggy Guggenheim's Window on the Grand Canal, Venezia, 1962" as reproduced in Terry Wilson's Here To Go: Planet R-101 book of interviews with Gysin. Gysin is credited as "Bryon Gyson" in the liner notes.

Both tracks are untitled and the cassette is 90 minutes.

From member Jeph Jerman's website at ribexibalba.com: "city of worms was a trio (eventually duo) of sampler and tape deck players. we played and recorded every weekend in George's basement. our performances included projections of super8 films, and we played behind giant white scrims with light also projected from behind. i believe we were one of the first groups to do live sampling."

In discussion with Jeph about Metabolic, Gysin, and the information in the liner notes, Jeph noted: 

"I lived in Colorado Springs... there was a lot going on in the Springs at that time (mid to late '80's). There were countless bands playing punk or similar musics, a number of really good book and record stores. Poor Richard's had a small theater and would show interesting films most weeks. The owner of Poor Richard's also brought William Burroughs there to do a reading at the Unitarian Church. I still have a recording of that show. Did you know about KRCC, The Colorado College radio station? I worked there as a DJ up until 1984. The day after his reading, I got WSB to record a station ID for the radio station, which is kind of a story in itself.

"Big Body Parts [noted in the liner notes] was the tape/record label that I ran up until about 1990 or so. I put out some 40-odd cassettes, a couple of records and videos and published a small zine. The address on the Metabolic cassette was my apartment, where all the tape dubbing etc. took place. I was heavily involved in the tape trading 'scene' that was going on at the time, and that's how I connected with the label Sounds For Consciousness Rape. 

"I found Gysin's work after starting to read Burroughs, whose books were pretty easy to find back then. I found out about Burroughs from reading an old interview with him in Rolling Stone magazine, and I eventually found and read all of his books, and most of Gysin's as well. I have always been into non-mainstream art and literature, as were most of my friends at the time. What I couldn't find to buy I could usually borrow from someone...

"Oh. And City of Worms did have a couple of home-made Dreamachines that we used at a few of our live performances. We also sat in front of one after recording Metabolic. I found plans in a small booklet, published by TOPY US, that I borrowed from a friend."

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