Every Saturday, we’ll be posting a new illustration by David Lester. The Mecca Normal guitarist is visually documenting people, places and events from his band’s 29-year run, with text by vocalist Jean Smith.
The music and art of Mecca Normal (Jean Smith and David Lester) are part of the 2014 Whitney Biennial (March 7-May 25, 2014) in New York City. The exhibit, Public Collectors: Malachi Ritscher, was organized by Chicago-based artist Marc Fischer.
Malachi Ritscher (1954-2006) was a Chicago-based documentarian, activist, artist, musician, photographer and supporter of experimental and improvised music who in an act of protest against the U.S. war in Iraq self-immolated. He had also set up a camera and filmed this act.
“It was Malachi’s intention for the video of his protest, his death, to reach people through mainstream media, to jar them from complacency, to have them raise their voices to end the war. But that wasn’t what happened. The video was not released in that way. When we added our song—and David’s poster—to our performances and classroom events, we regarded them as extensions of Malachi’s intention. We had created documents about the documentarian whose final statement on war was not heard. We created art and music because Malachi’s voice was not heard.” —Jean Smith, from the official 2014 Whitney Biennial catalog.
“Malachi”—the Mecca Normal song about Malachi Ritsher’s intentions and his death—was released as a seven-inch record in 2010 by Olympia, Wash.’s K Records.
“Fallen Skier,” from The Observer (Kill Rock Stars, 2006) (download):
