by don campau

interview with Joe Newman
Early on Joe called his label Rat Scum Tapes. You can tell just from his titles that he was in different territory than most. Above, the 1986 tape, Plastic Containers Retain Odors. Below, the 1985 release, Moslem Beach Party.

Bryan Baker

I first came across Joe Newman's music in 1989 when I received The Rudy Schwartz Project's 1987 cassette release, Bowling for Appliances. I immediately called it "One of my deserted island tapes." I was blown away by the brilliant technique and wowed by the music's combined complexity and wit. Layers of MIDI keyboards countered with scored guitars and biting lyrics with a generous Zappa influence.

I published an interview with Joe conducted by Dino DiMuro in 1990's GAJOOB #5 where the two talk about recording and many other things. It was done in 1987 upon the release of Bowling For Appliances and, although Newman wrote to me afterwards saying he had changed his mind about a lot of things and was hopeful he wasn't "... as big a dumbshit now," the interview gives lots of insight into the RSP recording process. He reveals spending months editing individual songs; a day getting the sound of a telephone operator just right. Painstaking editing and sampling, etc. Yet he still seemed to be never quite satisfied with many things.

There were many cassette artists producing music in the late 1980's early 1990's that explored similar territory in fresh and exciting ways. A great compilation of such artists might include: Russ Stedman, Dino DiMuro, YU, Thomas Pradel (L'edarps A Moth), Timo, Sir Millard Mulch, Shadwell's Jacket, Mouth Bandits, Don Campau, Rob Sutton (Big Poo Generator, Gland Puppies, et al), The Panting Antics, Eric Hausmann, Charile Mangold, and Brian Nolan (The Hard Orange X-tet). Along with The Rudy Schwartz Project, of course.

"The Fog and the Dew" from RSP's Bowling For Appliances appears on GAJOOB's first compilation tape, GAJOOBilation 1. You can hear the song and read the interview here: http://www.indieonestop.com/jamroom/index.php?see=285

For my money, Joe Newman is one of the greatest home tapers ever and his run of Rudy Schwartz Project tapes are among the best ever done by ANY home recordist. Not only are they laugh out loud funny but they are finely honed art works of scatological and sociological irreverence.

There were also tapes called: Yodelin Satan, Don't Get Charred Get Puffy, and Enhanced Florence Henderson. Some of his early material has been re-issued and there have been CD issues of some tapes as well.

See my interview with Joe Newman ( link above) for more information.

The excellent art work for many of these tapes was done by Roy Tompkins, an artist from Austin at that time.He's still at it: http://www.royt.com/

 

Above, 1988's Bowling For Appliances. The first track is called "Lynyrd Skynrd Memorial Tractor Pull". On side two a track named "Nice Lawn, Asshole"  which also appeared on USA Goes Pop (Check out track ten ), a compilation I posted here:http://www.archive.org/details/UsaGoesPop1989Compilation

 

living archive home

don campau.com

interview home page

Artist Spotlight

Rudy Schwartz Project

(Joe Newman)

November 2009

Russ Stedman

I listened to lots of home-taper music between 1986 and 1993. LOTS. I always had hope for every new cassette in my mailbox. More often than not, I lost hope by the end of side A. On occasion, however, there would be that "one-in-a-hundred" tape. One that I would listen to until it was worn. One that made wading through the mountains of toss-off noise and try-too-hard demos all worth it. One that I could proudly play for my weirdo friends with a "check THIS shit out" fire in my eyes. One that made me jealous that my own music wasn't even close. "Salmon Dave", the 1988 cassette by Joe Newman's Rudy Schwartz Project was one of those. The Rudy Schwartz Project, to coin a phrase I attribute the origination of to Ice-T, was THE SHIT.

I had to have more, and I set out to collect as many of Joe's tapes as he would send me. I suppose it's pretty obvious what the main ingredient that kept me listening was: a healthy dose of Zappa-isims. Songs like "Jimmy Swaggart", "The Dallas Cowboys, Jesus and Me", "Miracles", "Ho Daddy", "An Orange Is Nothing But A Juicy Pumpkin", "Asparagus Makes Your Urine Smell Funny", "Kill For God", and so many more literally pick up right where the then-ailing Zappa left off. It was EXACTLY the kind of music I wanted to hear. But I digress...

Joe wasn't just some guy trying to cop a Zappa vibe. There's so much more.

One day a number of years ago when I was working in a record store (see, son; there used to be these buildings you would go to in person and search through aisles and aisles of these round things until you found just the right one...), I discovered in one our distributors catalogs (they were these giant books with really thin paper...like the bible), that SEELAND records had released a collection of some of the best RSP on a CD. It was awesome! Now, I thought; The RUDY SCHWARTZ PROJECT will finally have it's due. Lots of people know who NEGATIVLAND is!

Sadly (or thankfully), it was not to be. Joe disappeared for years.  I even wrote to his old Austin address now and again and sent tapes and CD's on the outside chance that they would somehow be miraculously forwarded. I always wondered where he went. Turns out he became Canadian. Who could blame him?

I'm still listening to The Rudy Schwartz Project. If there was any justice in the world, all of these amazing tapes would be digitally remastered and offered for our instant consumption. Maybe I'll just do it myself.

Thanks for all the tacos, Joe.