Dok ([info]cyberinsekt) wrote,
@ 2008-04-30 22:53:00
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The Family Cat - Albert Hoffmann's Bike
When did Albert Hofmann's bicycle acquire the cultural standing it has today? Hofmann first synthesised LSD in 1938. Allegedly he became aware of the extent of its psychoactive possibilities five years later during a bicycle ride home from the lab. Over the years his bike has become a minor talisman.

One of the earliest pop culture reference to the bike that I've discovered is in comics. [info]tchernabyelo introduced me to Grant Morrison's Doom Patrol, probably some time around 1990. One issue would feature Hofmann's machine being used as the power source for much strangeness in the name of an attempted dadaist revolution. It was that sort of comic.

The Family Cat released the album Tell 'Em We're Surfin' in 1989. It doesn't sound the way the title suggests, but it does have that '80s indie punk pop thing going for it. The LP did have a couple of good tunes, but never really broke any new ground. One thing firmly in its favour, however, is the remarkable opening instrumental, Albert Hoffmann's Bike (sic). It's like The Ventures reimagined by Buzzcocks, all trebly guitars and staccato rhythms, and sounds as good now as it ever did.

So, any earlier references I should be aware of?

The Family Cat - Albert Hoffmann's Bike



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[info]tchernabyelo
2008-05-01 09:36 am UTC (link)
Indeed, just last night as the Channel 4 News was talking about Hoffmann, I was grinning mightily and telling Robin (who's on lj as </a></b></a>[info]ailveancookingabout Mr Nobody, the New Brotherhood Of Dada, and Albert Hoffmann's bicycle...

Nick Mamatas (</a></b></a>[info]nihilistic_kid did a fine obituary yesterday.

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[info]tchernabyelo
2008-05-01 09:37 am UTC (link)
Arse. I really hate trying to do lj markup in comments. Especially when I misspell things. Robin is aliveandcooking. Never mind.

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[info]tchernabyelo
2008-05-02 12:20 pm UTC (link)
And now I've actually had time to listen to the track in question, and it's rather class.

I'd only previously come across The Family Cat when they did a cover of a Carter USM song (the title of which escapes me as is often the case with Carter USM, but it was the one with the "Lean On Me, I Won't Fall Over" chorus). I thoroughly enjoyed their approach (just as I still enjoy the wonderful blend of punk power, social outrage, and classic musical influenced lyrical patterns that Jim-Bob and Fruitbat uniquely provided).

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