Resident cartoonist and CatSynth TV co-host J.B. shares his 1992 “special guest appearance” with the band Psychic TV.

The text from the story in the comics:

CIrca 1994, Psychic TV were one of my tavorile bands. was really Inspired by The lechno-Acid-Trance-Rock Thing They were doing at The time. As fate would have it, the band had moved their base of operations from London to the San Francisco Bay Area (long story…), and were playing around town a lot.

On 29 May, 1992, Psychic TV played at 177 Townsend in San Francisco. Surprisingly, They then had a saxophonisi, Gamall Awad, playing some Free Jazz improvised lines over their thundering electro beats.

This was a revelation. I had a cassette That I would listen To over and over – It had the Pat Metheny /Ornette Coleman album Song X on one side, and PTY’s Towards Thee Infinite Beat on The other. I daydreamed about what it would sound like to weave those two threads together. And here it was!

Jus over Iwo months laler, on Augus 5th, Psychic TV played at The Edge In Palo Allo.

Once again, Gamall was playing with the band. During the performance, Genesis P-Orridge spotled someone in The audience holding up a sitar.

Genesis signalled to this person to join the band onstage.
The sitarist, Chandra Shukla, joined the band onstage for an improvisation.

A few thoughts came to mind. It seemed like audience parlicipation was an option here. And, since the band now had this saxophonist doing some Ornette-flavored alto lines, why not add some Eric Dolphy-type bass clarinet?

decided That I was going to play with The band.

My bass clarinel was in my Truck; I had gone siraighi lo The gig from a Vacuum Tree Head recording session.

I went and grabbed The insirument.

I Told the bouncers,

“The band said that I could play with them”.

Unbelievably, they let me back in.

Chulzpah? Definitely!

When the moment felt right, I “invited myself” onstage, went up To a mic, and look a brief solo.

The band seemed alternately confused and amused by this.

I finished up and jumped off.

Later, Genesis waved both Chandra and I back onslage. There was an Improvisalion wilh myself on bass clarinet, Genesis on shehnai, and Chandra on sitar over one of Fred’s programmed beats.

There is a recordng of all of his out there.