Dirk(,) Rodney

Searches have proceeded (vigorously) for some of the electronic devices Rodney calls for in his scores (particularly the "Stevens Ultra-Fuzz" and something called a "Mechanowah" (similar, perhaps, to a contemporary auto-wah, but apparently a device in which the resonant chamber itself was physically modulated). To date, these electro-quests have been fruitless, and in contemporary performances, modern (no doubt inferior) devices have been employed.

Dirk wrote a large body of work (most of it lost) for electric guitar and for mandolin because, it has been suggested, that it was he had. For the musique concrete version of "La Noche Que Durissima" (only excerpts exist, transferred to four track VHS HiFI format, with the rear tracks of the original quad version on the analog audio tracks), Rodney's equipment seems to have consisted of a FiCord 202A tape recorder (like the one often used in early naturalist recordings, though Dirk was certainly no naturalist!) and a homemade hydrophone for the unusual trans-media sounds.
 

 Dirk Rodney? Rodney Dirk? Even Djerk (with the consonant silent) and Dj‘rk have been suggested (Dutch scholars have tried to claim Rodney, or "Roodney" as they have called him for at least 10 years). Rodney himself seemed determined to confound the issue further, even signing some scores as "Dirkney" and "Rodderk." The current, parenthetical commatic convention seems to be a useful, if not entirely aesthetically pleasing, solution to his nominal sequence.
 

Not much is known about Dirk(,) Rodney, but there is a recent surge of great interest in his work and life. His music, scattered, some half-finished, and shrouded in mystery, astonishingly presages contemporary musical styles and ideas, like the "new complexity," minimalism, avant-guitar-post-pop-classical, neosonism, process music, and others. His connection with the occult (like his membership in the legendary Oberholtzer Gruppen), his interest in space travel and early cybernetics, are still quite poorly understood. Clearly English, clearly Liverpudlian, Rodney seems to have been in his early to mid-thirties when he died under mysterious, perhaps even strange, circumstances.

A front-end tram repairman by trade (only one photo seems to exist to support this, and most of Dirk's upper body is obscured by the vehicle), and motorcycle afficiando, he also seems to have lived in various parts of London (including Arsenal, Clapham, near Archway, and, tellingly, in the heart of Southwark during a particularly fertile and imaginative period). The trips to the United States, an extended sojourn in Sweden, and substantial contact with East Berlin are all quite fuzzy from a musicological standpoint.

For more information, see the article in the e-zine Splendid by Tyler "Speedboy" Kingdom.
 

 Although the Dirk estate is currently dedicated to anonymity in this regard (there is hope that this will soon change), a few facts have come to light. In addition, a small number of important but somewhat difficult scores have surfaced. Some writings and interviews have also been uncovered. A small circle of young English experimental musicians, perhaps seeking their own aesthetic pedigree, have been able to unearth some of Rodney's scores (and poems) and journal writings in, of all places, the Liverpool Central library, and in some old London experimental music archives. In addition, certain highly-placed, even famous, contemporary rock musicians who feel indebted to Dirk's pioneering use of vernacular materials have donated, under condition of total anonymity, some additional Rodney-ana.

Much of the data on this site is gratefully drawn from these sources. Additional materials have been given to us by a prominent English musicologist, who has also chosen to remain in the background (for professional reasons). The estate has not given permission for the scores to be reproduced, except in a few instances involving assured performances.

The reasons for the anonymity on both the part of the estate and researchers is still sensitive, but it is hoped that it will be disclosed at a later date. It has been suggested that Dirk's rather vague association with the Beatles (see the guitar pieces) places some restrictions on how information may be released at this time.

One additional extant photo, although this remains unconfirmed, is a partial body-shot of Rodney holding his 1958 blue Fender Jaguar guitar, for which it appears a number of the pieces were composed directly. Dirk's head is not visible in this shot, but the words "Hugh's Pro-Mart" are clearly seen in the left background. This establishment has not been traced so far.