The Gulf Coast Dispatch
Make-Do Arts

There’s an old Native American stereotype of a loinclothed brave coaxing fire from a stick by fiercely rolling the stick between his palms, creating a mighty friction as the sharpened tip bores into a bone-dry wooden slat at his knees. The smoke rises up through the tender, the brave gently blows on it, and – presto – fire!

Now that is make-do art. Creating something (like fire) from what happens to be strewn about (like a stick). It’s not as easy as it sounds; you break out in a sweat and blisters rise on the pads of your hands. The neighbors scoff and spirit their children indoors. The police may be called, especially if the fire gets out of hand.

The process seems better suited to sound recording than to writing (poetry, notwithstanding.) While numerous examples of the former exist (see Digging Up Bones, below), only the cut-ups of W.S. Burroughs come to mind as a widely known example of the latter. So-called “found art” is another example, but the championing of any "painterly" thing may be even more susceptible to trend, celebrity, and backstory than sound and prose combined.

Over the next few months I plan to fiddle around with make-do sounds.

Here’s what happened Monday night:

Preconception: none

Instruments: mop bucket w/ pocketknife, straw broom, Bic lighter in empty pint glass, plastic colander w/ metal teaspoon, voice

Tracks so far: 6

Time: about 6 minutes

Enough sound has been recorded, so the recording itself may now dictate the direction. No electric instruments. No traditional instruments. No manipulation beyond basic mix levels and pans.

We’ll see what happens.

JH