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Van Dyke Parks Re-Emerges With A Set Of Singles, Each Covered By Works Of Art

Story by Erik Himmelsbach

LA Weekly
Oct. 13 2011

Van Dyke Parks lives on the fringes of the city, up the hill in the northeasternmost nook of Pasadena. He's comfortable there; it's a geographic mirror of his own five-decade career as a culty wingman whose fingerprints are conspicuous on several gargantuan moments in pop history. He's been a recording artist, film scorer, producer, arranger and, most famously, muse to Brian Wilson during the doomed Smile project.

Now 68, he's asserting his own body of work through an avenue of the record racket that has mostly escaped him during his five-decade career: live performance. "Being in a room, working without a net, flying like a Wallenda, acrobatically, with this thing that fascinates me, the song form," he says.

The urge struck him last year at the least likely of venues: Michigan's Grand Rapids Ladies Society Clubhouse, where he performed before an audience of 40. "That's outside the box. That is what's called discovering America. That's what I deserve. I know that."

Soon after, he performed before tens of thousands more at Denmark's Roskilde Festival, where he encountered a booking agent who told him he should tour with new material.

Parks has released seven albums, from 1968's lushly psychedelic Song Cycle to 1995's love letter to Northern California, Orange Crate Art.

But rather than tackle the expense -- and expanse -- of a long-player this time around, he now works with a smaller canvas. "A single represents a novella," he explains. "It's the short, short form in music, the through line. That's where I decided to put my faith."

For the past months he's been putting out a series of six singles on his own Bananastan imprint, with sleeves designed by a disparate crew of artists, including Ed Ruscha, Klaus Voormann, Billy Edd Wheeler and Frank Holmes (who designed the cover for the unreleased Smile album). The idea came when Parks asked New York artist Art Spiegelman to design the logo for his label. Parks played Spiegelman "Wall Street," his take on the events of 9/11; Spiegelman in turn showed the musician some artwork he'd created that was oddly simpatico, and, voilà, a concept was born.

"I sent a blanket letter to the artists, saying I have no money," Parks says. "I said, I'm not a man of property and I would like you to ... give me some sleeve art, to bless my work with your gift, which I admire. Not one red cent. Will you do it?"

No one turned Parks down. While Spiegelman's "Wall Street" cover mirrors the song's lyrics, Ruscha's contribution to the "Dreaming of Paris" single was a riff on a simple sketch he'd knocked off in 1963. The third release, out Oct. 18, is a heavenly orchestral take on "Amazing Grace" called "Amazing Graces," which features cover art from the sculptor Charles Ray. Ray created two life-size sculptures of the musician. Ray told Parks that one was how he sees him; the other is how he sees himself.

For his part, Parks was an uneasy guinea pig. "I stood in a tube that was like a pharaonic claustrophobic experience. I wanted to press a button. Get me out of here. Twenty minutes. And I got scanned like I'd never been scanned in a hospital or an airport."

Now an artist with new material to flog, Parks recently completed gigs opening for Fleet Foxes; he performs Nov. 5 at the Getty with Inara George, for whom he arranged and produced 2008 album An Invitation.

Even better, Parks says, is the possibility that his singles will be on view at the Whitney Museum's upcoming Biennial -- not as part of an exhibit but as items for sale. "If I can't get into the Whitney through the front door," he says, "I'm happy to go through the gift shop."

http://blogs.laweekly.com/westcoastsound/2011/10/van_dyke_parks_singles.php

Thanks for posting! Glad to see another release is coming in a few days!

I do love Van Dyke Parks. I really do. He's a real role model.

He is a paragon of idiosyncratic class and elegant iconoclasm.

You forgot to mention his plush seats of fine Corinthian leather.

...and the plethora of splendid lyrical and musical ideas that he spouts forth whenever his muse seeks to visit him - and with the passing of time, she does so ever more frequently.

Parks really needs to write a nice thick book on American music--what a joy that would be to read.

Elvis Costello needs to do something similar, perhaps covering all of 20th century pop.

Both great musicians who are great writers as well.

"They say that Vaaaan Dyke is back, well I never knew he was gone"

Yeah, but he'd probably only talk about things I've never heard of.

I'd like to hear Randy Newman's take on things more, perhaps.

Will he re-emerge to promote SMiLE? C'mon Van Dyke if you read this, you have some very important things to add to this whole story. Don't let Mike Love's 'revisionism' which you no doubt understandingly detest, get in the way.

Do you have some problem with learning things?

Facetious comment, I know, but still. I'd like to read any book by Parks about something, the guy is hugely intelligent, and balances it nicely with charm and wit. I've learnt a lot about different sorts of music from his recordings anyway, so a book would be a natural progression.

Randy Newman's 'History Of American Music' would also be amazing, granted. These guys...

I just don't know about Parks' absence on TSS. It will probably be revealed at some point....

Yes hopefully, although I do recall David Anderle and Michael Vosse also promoting BWPS in 2004. They too are conspicuously missing.

Actually in the book there's a whole page of a dialog between Vosse, Anderle, and Danny Hutton. It doesn't say when this dialog took place, but I have never read any of this quotes.

Anyone know when the next set of singles will become available?

It has said on his website that a new single will be here "early November" - however that time has come and gone.

Sounds cool, but can't see the difference between releasing six singles (ie 12 tracks) separately and this be a smaller workload than an album  ::). I suppose it's a marketing strategy targetting certain singles fans. Hope he brings the stuff out as a proper CD compilation at some point though.

I hope he never releases them on CD

Why, BGAS? So that I won't get to hear them legitimately?

Hmmm - I just caught your response to my post and I have to say you were right to call me on my crap. I'm not sure what I was thinking when I wrote that. I guess I just meant that a History of American Music should probably contain both mainstream and non-canonical work and my assumption was that Parks would mostly focus on the non-canonical. But screw that, you're right, a text about anything written by Van Dyke would be awesome.

In fact, now that it comes it, I wonder if he's ever considered trying his hand at fiction. The guy seems more and more like Faukner as he grows older.

They are being sold individually on iTunes as well.

At some point Van Dyke will be cornered into speaking about the Smile Sessions, and no doubt he will give a gentlemanly answer.  But don't expect him to volunteer.  The episode ended unpleasantly for him; as he says in the Smile 2004 tour book about the 1967 shelving, "I avoided the mention of it."  And having said what he wanted to say there - his happiness at helping complete the thing in 2003 - he won't repeat himself unless "forced" to do so.

It is interesting he has chosen the 45 rpm single as his platform; it is certainly true that making each one costs at least as much as manufacturing a run of full-length CD's.

Really, Tom Nolan is providing both the perspective and defense of Van Dyke in  the TSS book and this is a lot more tasteful than if Van Dyke himself tried to argue his position.

He's a nice guy, I have emailed him out of the blue just to ask him a question about some album
or some group where we have a mutual friend, he has ended up emailing me back where we had
significant chat time. As Long as I dont ask him about Beach Boys stuff I found him to be very
witty and generous with his time.

He gave me some nice insights on recording techniques and shop talk, I loved it! Cool dude

Re: the singles, I can tell you that:

"Here is our updated release schedule:

'Black Gold/Aquarium'  (with Frank Holmes sleeve art) and
'Hold Back Time/Amazing Graces' (with Charles Ray sleeve art) - 12/13/11

'Sassafrass/The All Golden' 3/20/12 (with Billy Ed Wheeler/Klaus Voormann sleeve art) and
'Missin' Missippi/The Parting Hand" (with Sally Parks/Stanley Dorfman sleeve art)  -  3/20/12"


http://bananastan.com/singles_gallery.html

^thanks for the update Willy!
________

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/music_blog/2011/10/van-dyke-parks-talks-early-arrangements-skrillex-collaboration-.html (http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/music_blog/2011/10/van-dyke-parks-talks-early-arrangements-skrillex-collaboration-.html)

Van Dyke Parks collaborates with Skrillex:

“I had 40 musicians in a Capitol studio on a job that took me two weeks, 24/7, from before sunrise to well into the night. I worked very hard on what I hoped would be my best work. I did it for this guy by the name of Skrillex, who I’ve never heard of.”

I can't say I'm a huge fan of dubstep/Skrillex - but this should be an interesting mix! Can't wait to hear the final product!

Skrillix is huge in my area, and i am kind of a casual fan. My anti-old music friends are going to listening to Van Dyke Parks. :lol

That's completely bitching. Wonder how those sessions are going....

Looking forward to this and the new 45.

Also confirmed as we suspected: Van Dyke, who happily essayed about finishing BWPS in 2004,  refuses to talk (anymore) about TSS.