“It’s so refreshing to play in an intimate setting for the true music fans…” – David J

This Spring, the Museum of Craft and Design announces a new line up of programs and events inviting guest artists of all mediums to share the art and stories behind their craft. On March 24, MCD welcomes musician, artist and writer David J (founding member of Bauhaus and Love & Rockets) for an intimate performance in the galleries.

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MCD’s Associate Director, Tracy Bays-Boothe invited David to speak with the museum in advance of this special engagement and asked him to share a bit about his artistic roots, inspiration and process. 

MCD: David – thank you for speaking with us in advance of your upcoming show at the Museum of Craft and Design. We are honored and excited to be featuring you as a guest artist at the museum this spring. Of course, as a craft and design museum, we’d be remiss if we didn’t ask you about the naming of your group Bauhaus. It is our understanding the original name of the band was Bauhaus 1919, a direct reference to the opening year of the famous German school of design. Could you speak a little about the origin of the band’s name and why you choose it?

DAVID J: Yes, I came up with the name as I saw the music as being very stripped down and stark with nothing superfluous there and that resonated with the ideals of the original Bauhaus movement. Ironic that we would become associated with the Gothic, as in architectural terms that was the complete opposite of the Bauhaus!

MCD: After leaving Bauhaus, you worked with the original Weimar Bauhaus poet René Halkett on a collaborative single. Can you tell us about that experience and how you connected?

DAVID J: Rene was a wonderful man and I feel so privileged to have met him and to have become his friend and collaborator. This all came about when a young friend of his, Ben Israel told him that he had heard a track called, ‘Bela Lugosi’s Dead’ by a new band called Bauhaus when it was played on the John Peel show in the late 70s. Rene was intrigued by our adoption of the name and also very much liked the music so he wrote to Peel asking to get in touch with us. Peel forwarded the letter to me and I leapt on it and replied immediately. Rene invited me down to his little cottage in Cornwall where he regaled me with many wonderful stories relating to his extraordinary life. We continued an epistolary correspondence right up to the end of his life.

MCD: In addition to being an influential musician in such groups as Bauhaus and Love and Rockets, you are also a playwright and composer, including an original production on the life of Warhol star Edie Sedgwick. What about Sedgwick inspired you to create this project?

DAVID J: When I was staying with my old friend, Shepard Fairy, he had a copy of a script about Edie which was written by David Weisman and Paul Schrader. I read it and was inspired to write a song which had the same title as the (never to be made) movie, namely, ‘Girl On Fire’. I met David Weisman after Shepard suggested that I should give him a call and after I played him the song he enthusiastically encouraged me to write more on the subject of Edie and to possibly develop a theatrical/cabaret piece. This I did. I had always been fascinated by her iconic image but the more I researched, the more intriguing she became. I discovered that she was far more than simply a beautiful fashion plate but rather a complicated, soulful, intelligent, vibrant free spirit. I shall always be indebted to Mr. Weisman for giving me the push. It is my dream to one day stage the play in New York City, Off-Broadway or possibly even on!

MCD: You are also a recognized visual artist – who are your favorite visual artists and why?

DAVID J: I have loved the Surrealists ever since discovering them as a precocious 11-year-old schoolboy. My world was turned upside down once I had encountered that group led by the imperious Andre Breton. I especially like Max Ernst, Rene Magritte and Man Ray. Rene told me about meeting most of them and remarked that Breton was an ass! I also love Picasso because he was Picasso. Today, Joe Coleman is making incredible work and all with a single hairbrush! The German Expressionists were also a huge influence on me and that aesthetic was certainly applied to the band (Bauhaus). I also love Munch, Schiele and Klimt. And seeing Van Gogh in the Rijksmuseum brought me to tears. The only other time this has happened was when I attended a Cecil Collins exhibition in London. Edward Burra is another favorite. I could go on and on!

MCD: With so many skills and interests across the arts, how do you select your next project? How would you define your creative process?

DAVID J: It’s more like the project selects me! I never go looking for an idea but rather am seized by the idea itself and as David Lynch says, “You fall in love with an idea and that is one of the most beautiful experiences that you can have.”

MCD: Can you tell us a bit about what audiences will see and hear at your performance in our galleries March 24?

DAVID J: An acoustic performance where I play a nylon string classical guitar and sing. The songs span my entire career including Bauhaus, Love and Rockets, solo as well as the odd cover. I endeavor to weave these disparate pieces together through subtle connecting story lines and lace the whole performance with a healthy dose of humor. I will be accompanied for part of the set by the very talented Darwin on bass guitar. Darwin will also be opening the proceedings with a solo set. I am very much looking forward to this special event!