6^th May 2011

Bob Parks

Leicester market, Tuesday afternoon. Second hand record stall. I bought 3 records for £3: Gather in the Mushrooms by Benny Hill, Winklepicker Shoes by Bernard Cribbins and an E.P. by the Yodelling Comedians who hardly yodel and are not humorous. The 4 tracks on the E.P. are Glamorous Alpine World, My Sweetheart lives in a Chalet, Water from the Glacier and Yodelling is my Hobby. The illustrated paper sleeve is autographed by all 3 members of the troupe. Returning to London I visited the ICA Gallery showing an exhibition by Nathaniel Mellors until May 15th which includes a mechanical mobile sculpture of 2 almost identical, lifelike, male heads, one blue, one flesh-coloured connected by mutual long facial hair, that roll their eyes and talk, entitled “Hippy Dialectic”. Highly recommended! In 2007, Nathaniel Mellors was looking for 3 people to film shouting dialogue whilst strapped to trees. Robin Klassnik of Matt’s Gallery suggested Bob Parks, recalling some unusual performances Bob had realised when they were both art students in Leicester in the 1960s. Bob Parks: “I did loads of different things, such as the time I got a 15 foot No Parking sign which I carried on my head around Leicester for 2 weeks”. The following tracks are by Bob Parks from the limited edition L.P. on the Junior Aspirin label issued in 2008 called “The R&B Feeling”.