Wichita State University - Parnassus Yearbook (Wichita, KS)

Page 32 text:

PORTRAIT

Page 31 text:

xv ' f qw V7 .,... ,- -' X :T-1f.3TZQ1 ' -2- Df'!5 ,ix Q Q Ns VE 5 x x F' . 'fm 1 g F .SN i X x N 3 X X Ax 4' 1' J I ,. fix' 5 I F 2 V .Wi i, A My W 5 5- .. - ,fe f if NM N3 g a N K 3 fx s g f M, S 5: k ' 5 My X Q ML 9 N Q X ' I QL 3 9 X x f Q x Y, x x -I' .4 Q xi el' Q 5' 5 I ' 5 ? 3:5 Q. I 0 I w E K x Q Q ,. I ' , E-Wg! s A N g -3 ,, ,:w, :psy ji. 56151 -... 'lu 'h-ri 1 nxt E ix M.,

Page 33 text:

Faith In Abilities Make A Musical Dream Impossible To Beat In one sense, Gary Gibson's approach to music can be compared to Masters and johnson. Well, the penis is really behind the whole philosophy I'm trying to get across in my music, Gibson said. I think the penis plays a large, large role in what I'm trying to say as a musician. Gibson's mind often works tangentially - what he says is not always what he means. When the idea of paralleling sexual terms with musical terms entered his mind near the end of the interview, it was clear he was not serious but felt compelled to follow the line of argument to its resolution. Gibson decided early on that he would be a musician - a continual process, he said. By the time he was in junior high he had plotted out his goal of being a percussionist and saw the need to approach his career choice pragmatically. 'Music is a business as well as an art in these modern days,' Gibson said. 'The ideal is to be a musician in a king's court where the king is going to provide your living as long as you provide him with music. Now it's dog-eat-dog. Even if you have some music that you know will only appeal to a very few people - it can be very elitist music - you want to disseminate it to as many people as possible. And that's where the business side comes,in. There hasn't been a musician in the history of the world that hasn't had to make major compromises. I mean, I don't know every specific individual case in music history but I seriously doubt there are excep- tions to that. He said he has no aspirations beyond recognition and respect from his peers. That's first and foremost in my goals as a musician. But if I can get past that to a more catholic audience, that's great.' Studying and performing at Wichita State University has given him the most freedom to pursue what he wants to be as a musician. He studied briefly at North Texas State University in Denton, Texas, but left un- satisfied after one year. Now he is finishing his master's degree at WSU. Between his year at NTSU and WSU, Gibson spent time in Colorado as a street musician. He developed a repertoire and played steel drums for a passing audience. That allowed time to gel ideas for a band, develop as a performer and put some money in the bank - street musicians are not known for paying taxes. 'But if you want to talk compromise, pro- bably the biggest compromise I've ever had to make was being a street musicianf' He grew to know his musical sets by heart and was often bored, playing mechanically, which he didn't like. He also curbed his music to ap- peal to the tastes of his transient audien- ces. He feels it was one of the greatest experiences he's had because it taught him how to be a performer. 'For me, I can't enjoy music unless I know others are enjoying it. Which is one reason why I don't consider making adjustments to make it more comprehensi- ble to an audience a compromise. I like it when there's an audience out there really en- joying the music in some form or another. This brings back the strained concept of music being analogous to sex, so he jokingly suggested that a musical performance is much like a sexual encounter. Now, what I really don't like is when an audience shows up and you start playing a tune and they get up and leave. It's the rudest thing, I think, for that to happen. It's a tease or it's interrup- tis or something. But yeah, the penis is a very important part of music. I mean, I couldn't perform without it. Gibson has had to struggle with trying to curb his confidence, which sometimes comes out as arrogance. Let's put is this way: If anybody could ever file a class-action suit against one person for appearing to be conceited I suppose they would file it against me. But I really don't know why. 'I know I have an ego. And there are a few people either brave or rude enough to point it out to me. But I'm really careful since those people have pointed it out to me five or so years ago.' If something were to happen so he would no longer be able to perform, he would turn to another aspect of music. 'I think I've got it nailed down pretty much so that I can be in music in several different ways. If I was to lose a limb and could no longer play, I could still compose and I could still teach. And those are just as fulfilling to me as playing is, really - although playing is a special kick. A lot depends on the audiencelperformer relationship, with emphasis on the type of relationship. 'Homosexuality would be when you have an audience of musicians. Heterosexuality, of course, would be the usual musicians and listeners. Necrophelia is a junior high band concert because the au- dience is completely unentertained and basically dead - boy, I think we've opened up a whole new musical language heref' Story by Peter Ingmire Photo by Madeline McCullough