Tom DesLongchamp:
What’s your cassette story??
Gordon:
Ok… here goes–
(Ballard is a neighborhood in the northwestern area of Seattle. I lived there with many other friends in an old church that was also my Ars Divina music and art headquarters. In 1986 it burnt down due to an electrical fire)
In that church fire I lost all my life’s belongings, instruments. clothes. souvenirs. love letters etc.
miraculously– one drawer in one desk was safe… and it contained cassette tapes of my own music.
All the master tapes and original videos up to that point got burnt up, cuz they were in the church’s library outside of my room. In fact my bedroom was the control room of the church’s 4-room recording studio.
My girlfriend Debe and I found a place to go in New York right then. Ray Charles White, photographer and John Holbrook, producer– offered to help me get re-started with my music. I left one box of my cassette tapes and some other small possessions in the care of a trusted,
and wealthy friend in North Seattle (his name was Sigmund) while I tried to find my way
in NYC. After I was gone (about 6 months) I returned to Seattle
to get my box of tapes- and Sigmund looked straight in my eyes and told me that
“God had told him to throw those tapes away”– and so he did. !!!!!!!!F#CK!!!!!!
—YES I was mad as hell.
Tom DesLongchamp:
Omg WTF
that’s so weird!
Gordon:
I had lots of my songs (cassettes) with me in NYC to show people, but much of my first 8 years of work was now completely lost!
Tom DesLongchamp:
Did he say how he threw them away?
like, garbage or thrift store
Gordon:
I have reconstructed many, if not most of those songs from memory, and recorded many versions of these over the years.
—he chucked them in the garbage!
Tom DesLongchamp:
Ugh, that’s horrible
Gordon:
Yeah! surely.
There are several songs that I have not heard the original versions of– since the fire, and some of them I actually “pine away” for– because I wish I knew what they sounded like for real.
Well, in March 2017… I got a random, unexpected email from a person named Lauren Croney – who found an unusual cassette tape at Value Village in Renton, a hand made job with the word “Gordotronic” on it..
and from that she tracked me down!
Tom DesLongchamp:
Whoaaa!
Gordon
On that cassette tape were a few of the songs I had really wanted to hear, and I now have digital dubs that are quite clear of those! Can you imagine how very happy and thrilled I was to be hearing those LOST songs?
Tom DesLongchamp:
That is amazing!
Gordon:
There are still at least 10 songs I think I may never hear…
BUT that was a great experience.
oddly- it wasn’t a cassette cover I had made!
but they were my songs for sure!
Tom DesLongchamp:
Maybe a fan or friend will find another lost cassette and your collection will be more complete!