An unreleased Dion McGregor somniloquy, recorded a half-century before Hillary Clinton’s run for the USA’s top office. (Click on image for audio.)
Tag Archives: Dion McGregor
Terrific BBC Article on “Epic Sleep-Talker” Dion McGregor and His “Dark Tales”
23 FebThanks to David Robson for doing a splendid job sharing the story of legendary sleeptalker (and Torpor Vigil recording star) Dion McGregor!
The Dark Tales of the World’s Most Epic Sleep-Talker (BBC article by David Robson)
Noisey interview about Dreaming Like Mad with Dion McGregor
12 Feb
Dan Wilkinson interviewed me about Dion and the new album. Here it is on Noisey (Music by Vice).
—Steve
Last Summer
11 FebThis post from the great Richard Kirk makes me very happy. In the midst of his fascinating career, Rick made time to create two wonderful covers for Torpor Vigil releases—Songs of Elsewhere by Samuel Andreyev, and The Further Somniloquies of Dion McGregor. Thanks, Rick!
Steve
Last summer, my friend Steve Venright, and a car load of his wonderful family, came through for a visit. I’ve known Steve since we were teenagers (gasp). I just found this photo, which I had quite forgotten about, in my camera. It’s a good one don’t you think? Besides being an amazing poet, Steve is also the producer of Dreaming Like Mad with Dion McGregor. That beautiful art work is by Kerry Zentner. Check out Steve’s website at TVR.
– Richard.
Dion McGregor’s Love Scene — Strange Holiday (1945)
27 Jan
Dion McGregor’s film career was brief, and (what would you expect) odd. Here he is, under the pseudonym David Bradford, as “Boy Friend” in the 1945 film Strange Holiday. In the scene, he is called “Joe”—but I suspect it was cheaper to bill him generically in the credits. (He’s not seen again, by the way, after 1:36.)
The Great Mustard Fight
31 Dec
Great Mustard Fight passage from Moss Hart’s autobiography
Dion McGregor fan David Rolfe happened to be reading the autobiography of playwright/screenwriter Moss Hart when the remastered Dream World album was released. Listening to “The Mustard Battle,” David was struck by how its theme resonated with a passage from Hart’s book. It seems likely to me that lyricist and film buff Dion would have read this critically praised memoir by his fellow New Yorker, published around the time Michael Barr began taping Dion’s somniloquies. As to whether his spoken dream was inspired by the antics Hart recounts . . . well, I wouldn’t lose sleep over it, but it’s fun to speculate.
“The Mustard Battle” can be streamed or downloaded here:
https://dionmcgregor.bandcamp.com/track/the-mustard-battle-remastered
Media Funhouse on the Remastered Dream World Album
28 Dec
Edward Gorey’s original cover of the 1964 Decca LP release
Ed Grant of Media Funhouse has pulled through again with another fine blog entry on Dion–this time about the remastered Dream World album.
http://mediafunhouse.blogspot.ca/
Peter DeRome (1924-2014)
28 DecPioneering filmmaker, and friend of Dion McGregor, Peter DeRome passed away earlier this year. Here is David McGillvray’s obituary of the remarkable man (about whom he’d made the documentary Peter DeRome: Grandfather of Gay Porn).
http://blogs.indiewire.com/bent/rip-peter-de-rome-the-grandfather-of-gay-porn-20140626
And here’s his BFI obit:
http://www.bfi.org.uk/news-opinion/news-bfi/features/peter-de-rome-1924-2014
Who better to review an album of dreams . . .
13 Dec
I love this little article from the company that promises you “a better night’s sleep”!
http://www.urbanmattress.com/blog/sleeptalkingisfunnyandeducational/
The Equal Ground Says Dreaming Like Mad is “Great Entertainment”
13 Dec
Thanks to The Equal Ground’s Ted Rogen for this very positive and thoughtful review.
http://www.theequalground.com/indie-music-album-reviews/dion-mcgregor-dreaming-like-mad-with-dion-mcgregor
“Undiminished alchemy”—Bang the Bore’s Pete Coward Reviews Dreaming Like Mad
13 Dec
Pete Coward wrote about Dion McGregor for Bang the Bore in 2011. His ongoing curiosity about Dion’s somniloquies has yielded another perceptive article for that same adventurous blog. Here’s what he has to say about Dreaming Like Mad.
http://www.bangthebore.org/archives/5734
Digging Further Into a Surreal Oddball Dream Universe: The Sound Projector Reviews Dreaming Like Mad
13 Dec
Yet another splendid review of Dreaming Like Mad! Thanks to Nausika for this insightful piece.
http://www.thesoundprojector.com/2014/10/26/dreaming-like-mad-with-dion-mcgregor/
KFJC’s Thurston Hunger Reviews Dreaming Like Mad
13 Dec
KFJC 89.7 FM
KFJC 89.7 FM has long been an airwave voice for the somniloquies of Dion McGregor. This fine station has been at it again, featuring Dion’s dream world antics on several of its playlists. Thanks to all the hosts and programmers who’ve broadcast tracks from Dion’s album, including Thurston Hunger, who’s thoughts on Dreaming Like Mad can be found here:
http://spidey.kfjc.org/?p=21451
Media Funhouse on Dreaming Like Mad
13 Dec
Media Funhouse TV Show
Ed Grant of Media Funhouse* has written a compelling and delightful article about Dreaming Like Mad with Dion McGregor.
http://mediafunhouse.blogspot.ca/2014/10/review-new-album-by-sleeptalker-dion.html
* The blog for the cult Manhattan cable-access TV show that offers viewers the best in “everything from high art to low trash… and back again!” Find links to rare footage, original reviews, and reflections on pop culture and arthouse cinema.
TVR 