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HAL MCGEE
VS. BLACK BEAST OF ARRRGHHH
with deconstructed documentation
Picture
1-1. Hal McGee vs. black beast of arrrghhh 15:36
1-2. Hal McGee Audio Letter Side A 15:36
1-3. Hal McGee Audio Letter Side B 15:36
1-4. Hal McGee Audio Letter Mixed 15:37


2-1. bboa Audio Response Side A 15:36
2-2. bboa Audio Response Side B 15:36
2-3. bboa Audio Responses Mixed 15:36
 
November 2013-February 2014.
In November 2013 black beast of arrrghhh (Zachary Short of St. Petersburg, Florida) invited Hal McGee to do a
"versus" noise work which bboa would release on CDR. Hal recorded a personal correspondence audio letter
on a 30-minute microcassette for black beast of arrrghhh. For his part of the versus release Hal created a stereo mix
of the two 15-minute sides of his microcassette audio letter, and burned the 15-minute mix onto a CDR and mailed
it to BBOA along with the 30-minute audio letter tape. BBOA recorded an audio response on a 30-minute
microcassette. He then mixed the two sides of his tape together into one 15-minute track. BBOA combined his mix
with Hal's mix to create "Hal McGee vs. black beast of arrrghhh", a special personal edition CDR release.

The first track here is the final "Hal McGee vs. black beast of arrrghhh" mix created by BBOA for the CDR release.
Also included are the four sides of the two microcassette tapes, and the sub mixes created by McGee and BBOA.
In effect, you will hear a deconstructed documentation of the creation of "Hal McGee vs. black beast of arrrghhh".

black beast of arrrghhh sound sources and objects:
  - Dryer and dryer alarm, dishwasher, washing machine, other random kitchen noises, Yamaha Clavinova CVP-10,
  typing on a computer keyboard, Jiblit Dupree, field recording of crows and traffic, field recording of an electric
  saw, squeaky computer chair.

Recorded St. Petersburg, Florida, on a GE Microcassette recorder, Model No.3-53798.
"Embrace Your Messy Side" article from Good Housekeeping magazine. Final audio mix by bboa.
blackbeastofarrrghhh@yahoo.com

Hal McGee sound sources and objects:
  Hal talking to black beast of arrrghhh, silliness with co-worker, a strange talent of mine telling the correct
  temperature, power port erosion, Jiblit Dupree message for BBOA on my voicemail, a rock is not a rock,
  organic grain fed Bison hot dogs, Noisemusick iPhone app, talking with neighbor at the bus stop and sounds on
  the bus, volunteers needed for fatigue study, sounds from my job, dog squeaky toy, pelvic pain sensitivity

Recorded in Gainesville, Florida with a Sony M-470 microcassette recorder.
Review by Jerry Kranitz:
   black beast of arrrghhh (BBOA) is the moniker used by St. Petersburg, Florida based Zachary Short, who invited Hal to do a “versus” noise work which BBOA would release on CDR. Hal recorded an audio letter on microcassette, created a stereo mix of the audio letter, burned it onto a CDR and sent it to BBOA along with the audio letter tape. BBOA recorded a response on microcassette, mixed the two sides of his tape into one track and then combined his and Hal’s mixes. Fun, huh?
   There are seven tracks on this 105 minute double CDR set. The first track is the final 15 minute Hal McGee vs. black beast of arrrghhh mix created by BBOA. We’ve got Hal and BBOA talking simultaneously, though the mix is interesting, turning the two men’s separate chatter into a steadily choppy rhythmic stroll. Along with this we have a variety of every day sounds, including a pleasant piano melody and other people’s voices, though it’s the mix and presentation of the talking and arrangement with the not overly busy sounds that is the star of the show.
   The remaining tracks are the four sides of the two microcassette tapes and the sub mixes created by Hal and BBOA… Hence the “with deconstructed documentation” of the title. These tracks are a fun spin and should be of interest to all as they not only give us a feel for how these things come together, but for me the raw and sub mixed Hal audio letter is almost like another album. I’ve long been a fan of Hal’s diarist/dada/day-in-the-life verbalisms so I enjoyed these as a bonus.
homemade audio folk art by Hal McGee and friends 1981-2022
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