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[Neoism]
"Lt. Murnau"
"Lieutenant Murnau was invented as the name of a ghost
musical group. It was started in 1980 and ended in 1984.
The image came from a photograph
of film director Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau while serving
as lieutenant in the German army. This photograph was taken and
reproduced onto posters, leaflets, fanzines, badges and all
other memorabilia of pop mythology to create an interest in
something that did not exist. The next step was to provide
Lt. Murnau fans with invisible music. I managed to produce
various records and cassettes without playing a single note,
simply releasing mixages of recorded music. The
"Meet Lt. Murnau" tape, for example, was a deliberate
confusion of Beatles and Residents records. I also used
soundtracks of F.W. Murnau's films and music provided by other
groups in hommage to Murnau. To mess up things even more, I had
some of these tapes and records released in different countries by
different people. Lt. Murnau also appeared on stage, masked,
mixing different records and crucifying a Beatles LP. Hundreds
of life-size Lt. Murnau-cardboard masks were printed which people
could wear. Anybody could make Lt. Murnau music and become
Lt. Murnau, and a few people did it. The whole project was
focussed on a very limited idea, that of underground music, and
did not have the broader implications of the
Monty Cantsin
philosophy. Yet, I think, the problems remain the same."
Lt. Murnau