El pasado viernes, a medida que iba avanzando el concierto de Pere Ubu en la Sala Apolo, presentía que David Thomas no nos iba a obsequiar con ningún tema de la época legendaria del grupo o como él prefiere denominar mítica, solo hubo una excepción, toda una sorpresa la versión casi a capella del Sonic Reducer que en su momento llevaron a la fama a los Dead Boys. Quizá uno de los motivos a no revisar esta época tenga que ver con una nueva formación que incluye los teclados de Graham Dowdall "Gagarin", miembro del grupo Ludus y colaborador de gente como Eric Random o Nico, sus lineas atmosféricas representan un perfecto contrapunto al theremin de Robert Wheeler y los sintetizadores EML esencia pura del sonido Ubu debida a uno de sus fundadores Allen Ravestine, todo un ejercicio de concentración que requiere siempre un perfeccionista David Thomas.
En 1983 tuve el privilegio de entrevistar a David Thomas para Radio PICA junto a Anton Ignorant y Francisco Felipe en los camerinos del Rock-Ola madrileño, sus repuestas iban siempre alternadas con gracisos acudidos, un humor patafísico que también había llevado momentos antes al escenario junto a Lindsay Cooper, destacar lo que supone un concierto solo de voz más vientos (faltaba la batería de Chris Cutler), en el ambiente de una fiesta del sello Dro con formaciones basicamente nuevaoleras. Ha sido toda una sorpresa que David Thomas, rememorando a Lindsay Cooper fallecida el año pasado, recuerde en Ubu Projex de esta manera aquel concierto:
"Lindsay Cooper was a tough old bird. There are testimonials galore to her talent. The most significant is the body of her work. But, at a certain level of the masonic Brotherhood of the Unknown, talent is a given. 'Yeah, that was a great performance but that's what you're paid to do.' Deeper within the Order is a quality that endures and speaks to the heart. Lindsay was a tough old bird.
In the mid 80s, I had a trio that probably went by various names, mostly David Thomas and the Pedestrians. It was me, Lindsay and Chris Cutler. Voice, bassoon/sax, and drums. It was a surprisingly good listen, but far from conventional.
We were booked to play in Madrid two nights. It turned out to be a disco. The doors would open only after all the bars shut. The first night, we waited in a narrow 'dressing room' that was filthy beyond words. The flooring was sticky way past the point of being adhesive. Roaches and unidentifiable insects ran riot. Any time your eye rested on a spot on the wall, or floor, it moved. The smell was unique. The support was a Spanish cliche-punk band. The air compressed with every ill-timed foot drum beat. The audience had achieved a uniform post-drunkenness before we stepped on stage. We did the show, manfully enduring, manfully excelling, manfully uncompromised. It hurt bad. In the 'dressing room' afterwards someone said, "We get to do this all over again tomorrow."
The promoter swore up and down that the support band for the second night is much more "simpatico." Very simpatico. He kept saying it. We arrive as the support is finishing sound check. There are twelve of them on stage. The music is 80s Euro-pop of the worst kind. They are all made up to look like Adolph Hitler.
So, when I think of Lindsay, I remember Madrid. She was one for the trenches. You could count on her when the going got rough. Her art endured through the pain.
Chris, Lindsay and I will always have Madrid."
De todo este ambiente evento que tan bien rememora David Thomas es de destacar el single de regalo del Aviador Dro con el tema Rusos S.A. que más bien representa la antesala de Esplendor Geométrico, tecno de garaje que parecía sacado de algún combo de Akron o Düsseldorf.
Lamentablemente la entrevista está por ahora perdida pero no así gran parte del concierto que puede grabar de una manera rudimentaria.
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