[THE] End
Recently, while browsing my alma mater's website, I discovered that a number of the factulty that were there when I was there have retired. This is obviously something that happens to everyone, and if I live long enough all of the faculty who were there when I was will eventually retire.
But these two were a little infamous, and I think there story is worth mentioning.
Ed Harkins and Phil Larson were hired by the UCSD Music Department in the 1970s to teach trumpet and voice, respectively. Apparently the were also both hired for their interest in avant garde performance techniques. Phil Larson founded the "Extended Vocal Techniques Ensemble" of which Ed Harkins was a member for a ten years.
The Extended Vocal Technique Ensemble. Larson on far left, Harkins on far right.
However, the thing which they are most famous for, and most infamous for, was [THE]. In 1977, The two created [THE] -- which was initially some kind of performance-art dup, and eventually became almost a lifestyle. When I was at school, some 25 years after the creation of [THE], the word was passed around like some kind of rumor, a campus legend which explained each professor's erratic behavior.
Ed Harkins, as far as I can tell, was always the more eccentric and withdrawn of the two. I only took a couple of classes from him, but never failed to entertain students by spontaneously bursting into these brief fits of rhythmic "extended techniques." People who spontaneously start beatboxing have nothing on this guy. He was also known for sniffing the dry-erase markers on a regular basis, and demonstrating his ability to perform complex polyrhythms (for example snapping 15 beats with his left hand and 14 with his right simultaneously).
Phil Larson was more approachable. He had to be, since he also was the head condunctor for the vocal ensembles on campus. Less eccentric than Harkins, he was mostly just profoundly easygoing. I imagine that he founded the Extended Vocal Techniques group not out of a desire to create a performance ensemble for modern avant garde vocal music, but because he wanted an excuse to hang out with his buddies and make funny noises. Nevertheless he always managed to retain just enough [THE] in his daily life to keep students wondering if he was really as sane as he looked.
Extended Vocal Techniques Ensemble (I think). Harkins far left, Larson 2nd from right.
The mystique of the [THE] was maintained in part because neither of the two was willing to do a full on performance. They were always throwing little bits of body percussion, vocal percussion, and odd vocal noises into their daily lives -- apparently to keep themselves entertained more so than to entertain others -- but if you asked them about what it was, they'd sort of change the subject.
But they both clearly knew that [THE] was one of the things that kept up their popularity among students, and in my opinion, there was nothing entirely random about what they were doing. In some sense, they were riding their laurels, knowing well that without some level of mystique, people would stop caring and stop being impressed by their oddness. But to at least some degree, I think there was an honest interest among their students about [THE], and I think they also honestly liked acting the way they did.
In any case, by the time I was a student there, the basic situation was that a lot of students knew that Ed Harkins and Phil Larson were both a little crazy, quite a few student knew about [THE], but nobody knew exactly what [THE] was.
So I was very glad to see that at their retirement party, the duo did a performance as [THE] for one last time, and that it wound up on youtube.
in this video, Ed is on the left, and Phil on the Right.
I couldn't find a very current photo of Ed Harkins, but here's what Phil Larson looks like these days:
(Maddy used to babysit his daughter, who was much younger than you'd expect her to be -- I think she was about 3 at the time. Consequently, I occassionally found myself at his home in La Jolla. He is the only professor I've ever sat down and had a beer with.)
But these two were a little infamous, and I think there story is worth mentioning.
Ed Harkins and Phil Larson were hired by the UCSD Music Department in the 1970s to teach trumpet and voice, respectively. Apparently the were also both hired for their interest in avant garde performance techniques. Phil Larson founded the "Extended Vocal Techniques Ensemble" of which Ed Harkins was a member for a ten years.
The Extended Vocal Technique Ensemble. Larson on far left, Harkins on far right.
However, the thing which they are most famous for, and most infamous for, was [THE]. In 1977, The two created [THE] -- which was initially some kind of performance-art dup, and eventually became almost a lifestyle. When I was at school, some 25 years after the creation of [THE], the word was passed around like some kind of rumor, a campus legend which explained each professor's erratic behavior.
Ed Harkins, as far as I can tell, was always the more eccentric and withdrawn of the two. I only took a couple of classes from him, but never failed to entertain students by spontaneously bursting into these brief fits of rhythmic "extended techniques." People who spontaneously start beatboxing have nothing on this guy. He was also known for sniffing the dry-erase markers on a regular basis, and demonstrating his ability to perform complex polyrhythms (for example snapping 15 beats with his left hand and 14 with his right simultaneously).
Phil Larson was more approachable. He had to be, since he also was the head condunctor for the vocal ensembles on campus. Less eccentric than Harkins, he was mostly just profoundly easygoing. I imagine that he founded the Extended Vocal Techniques group not out of a desire to create a performance ensemble for modern avant garde vocal music, but because he wanted an excuse to hang out with his buddies and make funny noises. Nevertheless he always managed to retain just enough [THE] in his daily life to keep students wondering if he was really as sane as he looked.
Extended Vocal Techniques Ensemble (I think). Harkins far left, Larson 2nd from right.
The mystique of the [THE] was maintained in part because neither of the two was willing to do a full on performance. They were always throwing little bits of body percussion, vocal percussion, and odd vocal noises into their daily lives -- apparently to keep themselves entertained more so than to entertain others -- but if you asked them about what it was, they'd sort of change the subject.
But they both clearly knew that [THE] was one of the things that kept up their popularity among students, and in my opinion, there was nothing entirely random about what they were doing. In some sense, they were riding their laurels, knowing well that without some level of mystique, people would stop caring and stop being impressed by their oddness. But to at least some degree, I think there was an honest interest among their students about [THE], and I think they also honestly liked acting the way they did.
In any case, by the time I was a student there, the basic situation was that a lot of students knew that Ed Harkins and Phil Larson were both a little crazy, quite a few student knew about [THE], but nobody knew exactly what [THE] was.
So I was very glad to see that at their retirement party, the duo did a performance as [THE] for one last time, and that it wound up on youtube.
Click to viewin this video, Ed is on the left, and Phil on the Right.
I couldn't find a very current photo of Ed Harkins, but here's what Phil Larson looks like these days:
(Maddy used to babysit his daughter, who was much younger than you'd expect her to be -- I think she was about 3 at the time. Consequently, I occassionally found myself at his home in La Jolla. He is the only professor I've ever sat down and had a beer with.)