Inappropriate content, sampling, copyright and national emergencies…and pentagrams

Back to the subject of drummers. Let’s talk this moment to remember and educate ourselves on two other drum greats: Chick Webb and Randy Castillo. For two-thirds of his life, Webb (you might remember) suffered from tuberculosis of the spine. After a doctor’s recommendation to take up drumming, young Webb, all but 11 years old, worked as a newspaper boy in order to save up enough cash to buy a set of drums. Webb did not let tuberculosis stop him, continuing to tour in order to help other struggling musicians make ends meet. Check out Webb’s interesting drum setup…unique indeed.

Webb died at the ripe age of 34. Albuquerque, New Mexico native Randy Castillo is thought to be the first heavy metal drummer of Native American/Mexican descent to make the big stage, playing with the osmosatic Ozzy Ozbourne and Motley Crue. For a little energy, check out Castillo on this drum solo. Castillo passed away in March of 2002 of Squamous Cell Carcinoma at the also ripe age of 55. In 2012 Castillo’s name was chosen to adorn the performing arts center of his former high-school, West Mesa High. Some cool drum cats indeed.

Let’s get started. I do not miss sports at all. Which to some of you signifies that I have finally graduated from dragging my knuckles to walking upright. But seriously, at a time when cheating scandals abound in the sports arena and every sporting event, including college drafting, has become a money-making spectacle, the escape it used to be from the art industry ironically now reminds me of how similar the sports and arts industries are.

Earlier this month, ARTnews ran an article on “13 Notable Removals of Artwork.” While this list is appreciated, it also lacks at least two art projects by Swiss artist, Christoph Büchel. Certainly the decade-old fiasco initiated by the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art against Büchel has to rank in the top 10, if not top 5. Some of you may be old enough to remember that Mass MoCA sued Büchel in federal court seeking a court order allowing the museum to exhibit Büchel’s project, “Training Ground for Democracy,” without his permission. In part, the lawsuit engendered a clusterfuck court order allowing Mass MoCA to make Büchel’s project available to the public. This court order was then rightly corrected by three federal judges who actually attended law school, holding in part that Mass MoCA may have infringed Büchel’s copyrights and moral rights.

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