“The Dark Bob embraces pop culture at the same time that he parodies it. But above all else, he is a storyteller, and every facet of his visual art, live shows, his albums and films comes together to create a narrative; the abiding subject is love in all its permutations, and the dark forces that threaten it. He speaks with an exquisite combination of the absurd and the profound – and that is the source of his genius.”
– Kristine McKenna, author, critic
About The Dark Bob
Born in Santa Monica, The Dark Bob was part of the first generation of performance artists that flourished in the restless art scene of Los Angeles during the 1970’s. He earned a BFA at the Art Center College of Design in 1974 where he studied with notable artists including Richard Diebenkorn and Llyn Foulkes.
It was at Art Center that The Dark Bob laid the groundwork for his art career when he co-founded the “genre-blurring” conceptual art team Bob & Bob. Often cited as pioneers of performance art, Bob & Bob produced a large body of work that can be seen in public collections including the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, L.A.’s Museum of Contemporary Art, the Getty Museum and New York’s Museum of Modern Art.
The papers and archives of The Dark Bob’s solo career are housed in the Smithsonian Institute’s Archives of American Art, as are the papers and archives of Bob & Bob.
Meet The Dark Bob
Click Below To Play Video “Meet The Dark Bob”
CV
SELECTED PERFORMANCES – 1983 through present
The following shows are all one-man, multi-media performances combining song, dance, film, on-stage painting, comedy and storytelling.
Group shows and collaborations are indicated in parenthesis.
1983
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, Los Angeles, CA, Caught in the Act Performance Festival (with Chris Burden, Paul McCarthy, Rachel Rosenthal and Rudy Perez)
SAN FRANCISCO ART INSTITUTE, San Francisco, CA, Gold Coast Performance Art Festival (with John White, Paul McCarthy, Barbara T. Smith and Lewis MacAdams)
MADAME WONG’S WEST, Los Angeles, CA
LHASA CLUB, Hollywood, CA
1984
INSTITUTE OF CONTEMPORARY ART, Boston, MA, ICA Currents (with Nam June Paik, Ilene Segalove and Eleanor Antin)
SUSHI GALLERY, San Diego, CA Neo-Fest (with Tim Miller, Pat Oleszko and Jo Harvey Allen)
RANDOLPH STREET GALLERY, Chicago, IL
KANSAS CITY ART INSTITUTE, Kansas City, MO
HALLWALLS, Buffalo, NY
COCHISE FINE ARTS, Bisbee, AZ
1985
THE MARK TAPER FORUM and THE MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART, Los Angeles, CA, KabbaLAmobile, (a commissioned collaboration with Rachel Rosenthal)
LHASA CLUB, Hollywood, CA
NEW LANGTON ARTS, San Francisco, CA
INSTITUTE OF CONTEMPORARY ART, San Jose, CA
SAN JOSE MUSEUM OF ART, San Jose, CA
CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, Long Beach, CA
PHANTOM GALLERY, Tucson, AZ
C.A.G.E. GALLERY, Cincinnati, OH
THE METRO CLUB, Cincinnati, OH
RACE STREET GALLERY, Grand Rapids, MI
PAINTED BRIDE ART CENTER, Philadelphia, PA
1986
CHICAGO ART INSTITUTE, Chicago, IL
RANDOLPH STREET GALLERY, Chicago, IL
TUCSON POETRY FESTIVAL, Tucson, AZ
UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS, Amherst, MA
INSTITUTE OF CONTEMPORARY ART, Boston, MA
SWAIN SCHOOL OF DESIGN, New Bedford, MA
CLUB MAN RAY, Boston, MA
CLEVELAND STATE UNIVERSITY, Cleveland, OH
THREE RIVERS FESTIVAL, Pittsburgh, PA (with Smokey Robinson, Judy Collins, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and Jan & Dean)
PORTLAND CENTER FOR THE VISUAL ARTS, Portland, OR
PORTLAND STATE UNIVERSITY, Portland, OR
KANSAS CITY ART INSTITUTE, Kansas City, MO
DRURY COLLEGE, Springfield, MO
TOUCHSTONE ART CENTER, Farmington, PA
THEATRE X, Milwaukee, WI
LAWNDALE ART CENTER, Houston, TX
CHINO STATE PRISON, Chino, CA
CLUB 9, San Francisco, CA
LHASA CLUB, Hollywood, CA
1987
THE ROXY, Sunset Strip, Hollywood, CA
MADAM WONG WEST, Los Angeles, CA
SANTA BARBARA MUSEUM OF ART, Contemporary Arts Center, Santa Barbara, CA
OLIO THEATER, Los Angeles, CA (with Llyn Foulkes, Rachel Rosenthal and John Fleck)
D-ART VISUAL AND PERFORMING ARTS CENTER, Dallas, TX
DIVERSE WORKS, Houston, TX
PYRAMID ART CENTER, Rochester, NY
REAL ART WAYS, Hartford, CT
PAINTED BRIDE ART CENTER, Philadelphia, PA
TOUCHSTONE ART CENTER, Farmington, PA
UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO, Boulder, CO
FLOOD ZONE CONCERT HALL, Richmond, VA, Mountain Lake Symposium of Stony Brook (with Allan Kaprow). Sponsored by the Virginia State Arts Council
1708 MAIN GALLERY, Richmond, VA
JEROME HILL THEATER, St. Paul, MN. Sponsored by “Film In The Cities”
URBAN INSTITUTE OF CONTEMPORARY ART, Grand Rapids, MI
1988
BARNSDALL THEATER, Los Angeles, CA
UTAH MEDIA CENTER, Salt Lake City, UT
D.C. SPACES, Washington, D.C.
PAINTED BRIDE ART CENTER, Philadelphia, PA
THE ANTI-CLUB, Hollywood, CA
LHASA CLUB, Hollywood, CA
1989
FRANKLIN FURNACE, New York, NY
HIGHWAYS PERFORMANCE SPACE, Opening Night, Santa Monica, CA (with George Carlin, Paul McCarthy, John Fleck, Barbara T. Smith and others)
CAFÉ LARGO, Los Angeles, CA
ONYX SEQUEL, Los Angeles, CA
IGUANA CAFE, N. Hollywood, CA
POWERHOUSE THEATER, Venice, CA
BOULDER CENTER FOR THE VISUAL ARTS, Concerning the Spiritual in Art, Boulder, CO
BLUE GALLERY, Portland, OR
MAINE FESTIVAL, Portland, MNE (with John Prine, Richie Havens and The Roches)
1990 thru 1994
The Dark Bob performed almost exclusively with The Dark Band, an 8-member troupe of musicians, singers, actors, acrobats, storytellers and dancers, presenting Tales From The Dark Bob, a multi media review, at art spaces and nightclubs throughout Los Angeles.
Venues included:
HIGHWAYS PERFORMANCE SPACE, Santa Monica, CA, multiple appearances
LOS ANGELES POETRY FESTIVAL, Los Angeles, CA
LOS ANGELES CONTEMPORARY EXHIBITIONS, Cotton Exchange, Los Angeles, CA
18th STREET ART COMPLEX, As We Like It, Santa Monica, CA
THE MUSIC MACHINE, Los Angeles, CA, multiple appearances
CAFE LARGO, Hollywood, CA
CITY OF SANTA MONICA SUMMER ARTS FESTIVAL, Santa Monicus: In Sea Major, Sponsored by the City of Santa Monica, Dept. of Cultural and Recreation Services, Arts Division ALLIGATOR LOUNGE, Hollywood, CA, three appearances
BOGART’S, Long Beach, CA
THE BREAKAWAY, Culver City, CA
CLUB LINGERIE, Hollywood, CA, two appearances
PIK-ME-UP, Los Angeles, four appearances
FM STATION CLUB, Burbank, CA
1997
WADSWORTH THEATER, Westwood, CA, Allen Ginsberg’s America (with Beck, Garth Hudson, Jack Nicholson, Johnny Depp, Tom Waits, Kurt Vonnegut Jr., Red Hot Chili Peppers and others)
BEYOND BAROQUE, Venice, CA, Nearly Fatal Women (with John Fleck, Anna Homler, Linda Albertano and others)
BARNSDALL GALLERY, Hollywood, CA
GLAXA THEATER, Silverlake, CA (with Rachel Rosenthal, John Fleck and Llyn Foulkes)
GLAXA THEATER ll, Los Angeles, CA (with Rachel Rosenthal, John Fleck and Llyn Foulkes)
DADA FESTIVAL, Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions, LACE Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
CRAFT & FOLK ART MUSEUM, Go Festival, Los Angeles, CA
BARBARTA T. SMITH SALON, Dark Night Memory, Venice, CA
1998
FRANKLIN FURNACE, New York, NY
1999
HIGHWAYS PERFORMANCE SPACE, Santa Monica, CA
CAST THEATRE, Los Angeles Poetry Festival, Los Angeles, CA
2000 – 2002
ALL STARS OF LA PERFORMANCE ART
To inaugurate the opening of the L.A. outpost of New York’s legendary Knitting Factory, The Dark Bob curated a retrospective overview of performance art in southern California. Broken down into eight shows that were presented in venues throughout the city, the series featured contributions from 24 artists including Linda Albertano, John Fleck, Simone Forti, George Herms, Anna Homler, Ulysses Jenkins and Johanna Went, among others.
2004
HIGHWAYS PERFORMANCE SPACE, Santa Monica, CA
SIDESTREET GALLERY, 18th Street Arts Center, Santa Monica, CA
CHURCH OF ART, Brewery Arts Colony, Los Angeles, CA, (with Llyn Foulkes, George Herms and others)
ARMORY CENTER FOR THE ARTS, Pasadena, CA, Whose Who’s California, (with Marnie Weber, Cheri Gaulke, Richard Newton, Susan Mogul and others),
EARJAM NEW MUSIC FESTIVAL, Los Angeles, CA
2005 thru the Present
In 2005 The Dark Bob essentially stopped doing live performances to focus more on his music and visual art projects.
Notable exceptions include:
2023
GETTY MUSEUM, “That’s A-What I’m A-Gonna Do (for Barbara T. Smith)”, Los Angeles, CA
2016
FRIENDS OF THE LOS ANGELES RIVER, Celebrating Founder Lewis MacAdams, Hosted by Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti,
2009 and 2014
HIGHWAYS PERFORMANCE SPACE’s “25th Anniversary Silver Jubilee, In 2009 and 2014, The The Dark Bob collaborated with Highways Performance Space where he curated A Recipe for Disaster, a two part celebration of the community of alternative artists that flourished in Los Angeles during the late ‘60s and ‘70s. Participants included Nancy Buchanan, Bob & Bob, Llyn Foulkes, Cheri Gaulke, Gronk, George Herms, Suzanne Lacy, Rudy Perez, Rachel Rosenthal, Ilene Segalove, Barbara T. Smith and Jeffrey Vallance.
2014
HIGHWAYS PERFORMANCE SPACE, Santa Monica, CA, Life in the Fast Lane, an extension of The Dark Bob’s A Recipe for Disaster project with Highways Performance Space, Life in the Fast Lane cast a wider net and featured performance art that incorporated elements of experimental choreography, music, comedy and theatre. Participating artists included Jacki Apple, Weba Garretson, Simone Gad, Michael Intriere, Marcus Kuiland-Nazario, Dan Kwong, Josie Roth, John M. White and others.
2012
TRACK 16 GALLERY, Monkey Do! (solo performance), Santa Monica, CA
2009
McCABE’S GUITAR SHOP, Santa Monica, CA (with Peter Case, Dave Alvin, Stan Ridgeway, Van Dyke Parks and others)
THE ART GUYS JUBILEE, Houston, TX (with Terry Allen, Joe Ely, Jad Faire, Ralph Carney and others)
2007
THEATRE OF NOTE and the CAST THEATER, Hollywood, CA, (with John Fleck and Phranc)
SELECTED PERFORMANCES BY BOB & BOB – 1975 thru 1983
From 1975 thru 1984 The Dark Bob created a number of historically valued performance art works as one half of the Los Angeles based, multi-media art duo Bob & Bob, which he co-founded with The Light Bob in 1974.
Bob & Bob’s artworks are in museums and public collections including the Museum of Modern Art, New York, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, L.A.’s Museum of Contemporary Art, the Getty Museum and their papers and archives are housed in the Smithsonian Institute’s Archives of American Art.
Selected Bob & Bob performances: http://bobandbob.net/project/performances/
DISCOGRAPHY – 1982 thru Present
2020
THE DARK ALBUM, 23 song double album written and arranged by The Dark Bob. Contributions by acclaimed guitarist Nels Cline, Grammy nominated pianist Larry Goldings, Danny Frankel, and Ryan Zin. Produced by The Dark Bob and Glenn Nishida
MONKEY DO, 16 songs written, arranged and performed by The Dark Bob on miniature and toy instruments. Produced by The Dark Bob and Glenn Nishida. NOTE: This reissue has been re-mastered with 2 bonus tracks (original release date 2012)
THE SADNESS OF SUPERMAN – A MUSICAL MALANGE FOR THE MAN OF STEEL, 19 compositions written, arranged and performed by The Dark Bob. Produced by The Dark Bob and Glenn Nishida. NOTE: This reissue has been re-mastered with a bonus track (original release date 2012)
2015
GOOD GRIEF!, 10 songs written, performed and produced by The Dark Bob and Lewis MacAdams. Contributions by 4-time Grammy nominated guitarist Nels Cline, DJ Bonebrake, Danny Frankel, Mike Bolger Horn Section, Glenn Nishida and Ryan Zin
2012
MONKEY DO, 14 songs written, arranged and performed by The Dark Bob. Produced by The Dark Bob and Glenn Nishida
THE SADNESS OF SUPERMAN – A MUSICAL MALANGE FOR THE MAN OF STEEL, 19 compositions written, arranged and performed by The Dark Bob. Produced by The Dark Bob and Glenn Nishida
2011
ADDICTION, Single record written, produced and performed by The Dark Bob and Andy Dick for Polywog Entertainment and MITB Records
2010
HA HA HA HA HAPPY BIRTHDAY b/w HA HA HA HA HAPPY NEW YEAR, single record written, arranged and produced by The Dark Bob and Jack Skelly, performed by The Dark Bob, Jack Skelley and DJ Bonebrake (DJ Bonebrake appears courtesy of Electra Records and “X” the band)
2007
DEAR OXYGEN, 8 songs written, arranged, produced and performed by The Dark Bob and Lewis MacAdams
2005
STOKED!, 13 songs written, arranged and produced by The Dark Bob. Contributions by Andy Dick, 2-time Grammy nominated musician Peter Case, Grammy winner Sheldon Gomberg, Danny Frankel, DJ Bonebrake and Glenn Nishida
WHEN I GROW UP TO BE A MAN, 12 songs written, arranged and produced by The Dark Bob. Contributions by Andy Dick, Peter Case, DJ Bonebrake, Sheldon Gomberg and Danny Frankel. NOTE: Second Edition re-mastered and reissued with bonus tracks (original release date 2002)
INTIFADADAVIDA: SONGS & MONOLOGUES 1988 THRU 1998, Compilation of 14 songs with The Dark Band, and 5 live performance monologues by The Dark Bob
2002
WHEN I GROW UP TO BE A MAN, 10 songs written, arranged and produced by The Dark Bob. Contributions by Andy Dick, Peter Case, DJ Bonebrake, Sheldon Gomberg, Danny Frankel and Glenn Nishida
2001
KINGDOM COME, 10 songs. Contributions by Peter Case, DJ Bonebrake and Andy Dick. Produced by 3-time Grammy winner John Chelew and The Dark Bob. NOTE: This reissue has been re-mastered with 2 bonus tracks (original release date 1998). Distributed by Printed Matter, New York
1998
KINGDOM COME, 8 songs. Produced by John Chelew and The Dark Bob. Contributions by Andy Dick, Peter Case, DJ Bonebrake, Sheldon Gomberg and Danny Frankel. Distributed by Printed Matter, New York
1995
AN EVER OMINOUS DREAM: THE DARK BOB SINGS 1991-1995. 13 song anthology of songs and live performance monologues. Produced by The Dark Bob for Chronic Interactive Music, Hollywood, CA and MITB Records, Beverly Hills, CA. Distributed by Printed Matter, New York
1993
DANGERTOWN (with The Dark Band), limited edition cassette, 10 songs. Produced by The Dark Bob. Out of print.
1987
UNCONTROLLABLE LOVE, 5 song vinyl EP. Produced by 2-time Grammy nominated Henry Lewy with The Dark Bob and Heidi Zin for An Illuminated Nation Records, Los Angeles. A re-mastered version with bonus tracks is scheduled for release.
1985
KABBALAMOBILE, commissioned by the Mark Taper Forum Theater, Los Angeles and L.A.’s Museum of Contemporary Art. Text: Rachel Rosenthal, Music: The Dark Bob. Cassette produced by The Dark Bob for M.I.T.B. Records and MOCA. Distributed by Printed Matter, New York
1983
THE LEAST I CAN DO b/w ON PICO, 33 1/3 rpm vinyl single. Side A: The Least I Can Do, Side B: On Pico. Written, arranged, performed and produced by The Dark Bob. Limited Edition of 1,000 released and distributed by The San Francisco Art Institute for the Gold Coast Performance Art Festival
1982
ONE BOB JOB, One-sided 12 inch vinyl LP. 3 songs by The Dark Bob. Produced by Bob & Bob. NOTE: One Bob Job is in the permanent collection of New York’s Museum of Modern Art in the The Steven Leiber Artist’s Audio Collection in the Department of Drawings and Prints. Credited as “Bob & Bob”. Object number 854.2013.45. Requests for Audio from Scala Archives.
BEIRUT, 45rpm vinyl single. Written by Lewis MacAdams and The Dark Bob. Produced by Wippo for High Performance Records, Los Angeles, CA. NOTE: Beirut was subsequently re-recorded and re-released on the 2007 cd Dear Oxygen by Lewis MacAdams and The Dark Bob.
BOB & BOB DISCOGRAPHY – 1976 – 84
From 1976 thru 1984 The Dark Bob released 7 notable recordings as one half of the Los Angeles based art duo Bob & Bob, the multi-media team he co-founded with The Light Bob in 1974.
See the DISCOGRAPHY section at www.darkbob.com for more info and audio samples.
THE DARK BOB – FILM and TELEVISION SOUNDTRACKS
Selected films and documentaries featuring songs or music by The Dark Bob:
THE RAVEN, feature film, directed by Lawrence Lanoff, starring Carmen Electra
DANNY ROANE: FIRST TIME DIRECTOR, feature film, directed by Andy Dick, starring Ben Stiller and Jack Black
STOKED!, film documentary by Eric Minh Swenson
YOUNG TURKS, film documentary by Stephen Seemayer and Pam Wilson
THE HEART OF NO PLACE, feature film by Rika Ohara. The Dark Bob appears in the film and contributes to the soundtrack with Yoko Ono and Dieter Moebius)
HOLD YOUR MUD, L.A., performance documentary by Barbara T. Smith, The Dark Bob appears and contributes to the soundtrack
THE UNDOING: FORGIVENESS, a film by Sharon Kagen, featuring a monologue by The Dark Bob
BEQUEST, short film directed by Ulysses Jenkins. The Dark Bob appears in the film and contributes to the soundtrack
PAINTING IS HELL, a film by Rachel Rosenthal w/ an appearance by The Dark Bob
CALL OF DESTINY, a film by Gordy Grundy
Selected Television Shows featuring songs or music by The Dark Bob:
GOOD MORNING AMERICA, CBS-TV
THE TALK, CBS-TV
THE ANDY DICK SHOW, Music Television, MTV
LIFE & TIMES, KCET–TV PBS
CALIFORNIA STORIES, Artist Profile, hosted by Jess Marlow, KCET-TV, and PBS – TV
WHERE ART HAPPENS, television show hosted by The Dark Bob, produced by Robin Gee, Directed by Wolf Bukowski, Santa Monica City TV and The 18th Street Arts Complex
NPR, Artist Profile, by Elizabeth Perez Luna, PBS
VIEWS FROM L.A., by MVC – TV
The Pacifica Network Interview with The Dark Bob, Pacifica Cable
SELECTED FILMS and VIDEO – 1983 thru Present
2018 thru PRESENT
Experimental, abstract videos (posting soon)
2020
A MILLION VIEWS, music video
SINGIN’ A SONG, music video
2015
RIVER BOY: THE MASK, music video with Lewis MacAdams, directed by Lisa Adams
2012
THE SADNESS OF SUPERMAN, music video
SIMONE, music video
MONKEY SEE, MONKEY DO, music video
2009
THE PALACE OF NICOTINE, a video by The Dark Bob
THE ORIGIN OF DUALITY, a video by The Dark Bob
HA HA HA HA HAPPY NEW YEAR, music video, with DJ Bonebrake and Jack Skelley, filmed by Mark Walsh for LAXARTSCENE
HA HA HA HA HAPPY BIRTHDAY, music video, with DJ Bonebrake and Jack Skelley, filmed by Mark Walsh for LAXARTSCENE
THE HEART OF NO PLACE, feature film by Rika Ohara. The Dark Bob appears in the film and contributes to the soundtrack with Yoko Ono and Dieter Moebius)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9eR-Wbc6Eg
2004
PAINTING IS HELL, a film by Rachel Rosenthal w/ an appearance by The Dark Bob
2002 – 2003
THE ANDY DICK SHOW, MTV, The Dark Bob appeared in several comedy skits
WHERE ART HAPPENS, hosted by The Dark Bob, produced by Wolf Blitzer for Santa Monica City TV
BEQUEST, short film directed by Ulysses Jenkins. The Dark Bob appears in the film and contributes to the soundtrack.
2000
NIHILIST FILM FESTIVAL
2001
“Life & Times”, Artist Profile, by Jess Marlow, KCET-TV, Los Angeles
1997
VALERY, music video filmed by The Dark Bob in Morocco.
1993
PARFECTIJED (FOR EVERYONE), music video
1991
THE DARK BOB – PRIVATE DETECTIVE, Feature length video, story and script by John Dorr and Lewis MacAdams. Directed by John Dorr. Produced by Metropolitan Pictures and EZTV, Hollywood, CA. (unreleased due to John Dorr’s untimely death (footage available in the EZTV Archives)
1990
S.M.A.R.T.S. FESTIVAL, Santa Monicus: In Sea Major by The Dark Bob, filmed by John Dorr, of EZTV. Produced by the City of Santa Monica, Dept. of Cultural and Recreation Services, Arts Division
1988
MISTER WHISKER, short film written by The Dark Bob. Directed with Heidi Zin. Super 8mm film, 11 min.
1987
THE UNTOLD ORIGIN OF THE SUPER THE DARK BOB, short film written by The Dark Bob. Directed with Heidi Zin. Super 8mm film, 12 min.
1986
GOOD MORNING BALCONY, short film written by The Dark Bob. Directed with Heidi Zin. Super 8mm film, 3 min.
1984
A DAY AND A NIGHT IN THE LIFE AND THE DEATH, short film written and directed by The Dark Bob. Super 8mm film, 8 min. Filmed by Tom Sewell and Craig O’Rourke.
1983
THE FOSSIL DIG, short film written and directed by The Dark Bob. Filmed by Tom Sewell. Super 8mm film, 14 min.
MEET THE DARK BOB, short film written and directed by The Dark Bob. Featuring Jackson Hughs. Super 8mm film, 2 min. Filmed by Tom Sewell.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yN-BLsvow28&list=PLuNjTIOTnj3Ach5rLnYvX-xCrXv5vOVO-&index=1
BOB & BOB – SELECTED FILMS AND VIDEOS – 1975 thru 2021
From 1975 thru 1982 The Dark Bob made nearly a dozen short films and videos as one half of the Los Angeles based art duo Bob & Bob, the multi-media team he co-founded in 1974.
ON THE SCENE, Super 8 film, 1975
A BRIEF HISTORY OF BOB & BOB, Super 8 film, 1976
A VISIT WITH BOB & BOB, video by Stephen Seemayer, 1978
TUESDAY MORNING BOBS, video by Ilene Segalove, 1979
HERE’S THE NEWS, Super 8 film, 1980
NATURE IS PERFECT, ANIMALS ARE PERFECT, WHAT ARE HUMANS?, WHO ARE BOB & BOB?, Super 8 film, 1980
THURSDAY MORNING BOBS, video by Ilene Segalove, 1982
BOB & BOB – DRAWINGS FOR A POET, video by Mark Walsh for LAXART, with Lewis MacAdams, 2014
BOB & BOB SMITHSONIAN ARCHIVE COVID INTERVIEW, with art historian Matthew Simms, 2021
SELECTED LECTURES AND WORKSHOPS
For The Dark Bob and Bob & Bob
MOCA, Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, CA
ARTBOOK@HAUSER WIRTH GALLERY, Los Angeles, CA
ART CENTER COLLEGE OF DESIGN, Pasadena, CA
OTIS/PARSON SCHOOL, Los Angeles, CA
CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF THE ARTS, Valencia, CA
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, Berkeley, CA
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, Irvine, CA
SAN FRANCISCO ART INSTITUTE, San Francisco, CA
STATE COLLEGE, San Francisco, CA
CAMERAWORKS, San Francisco, CA
SAN JOSE MUSEUM OF ART (workshop), San Jose, CA
UTAH MEDIA CENTER, Salt Lake City, UT
UNIVERSITY OF OREGON, Eugene, OR
UNIVERSITY OF OREGON, Portland, OR
TRINITY COLLEGE, Hartford, CT
CLEVELAND ART INSTITUTE, Cleveland, OH
THE ARCADE GALLERY, Cleveland, OH
CONTEMPORARY MEDIA STUDY CENTER, Dayton, OH
CAGE GALLERY, Cincinnati, OH
THE ATLANTA COLLEGE OF ART, Atlanta, GA
CONTEMPORARY ART CENTER, New Orleans, LA
UNIVERSITY ART DEPARTMENT, Washington, D.C.
UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO, Boulder, CO
UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO, Denver, CO
KANSAS CITY ART INSTITUTE, Kansas City, MO
TUCSON POETRY FESTIVAL (workshop), Tucson, AZ
FILM IN THE CITIES (workshop), St. Paul, MN
BOOKSPACE ART BOOKS, Chicago, IL
ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO, Chicago, IL
RANDOLF STREET GALLERY, Chicago, IL
HALLWALLS, Buffalo, NY
THE UPSTAIRS GALLERY, Tryon, NC
SWAIN SCHOOL OF DESIGN, New Bedford, MA
SELECTED BOOKS AND CATALOGS
Featuring The Dark Bob and/or Bob & Bob
BOOKS
BOB & BOB: THE FIRST FIVE YEARS, 1980, by Linda Frye Burnham, introduction by Llyn Foulkes. 100pp. with 40 color reproductions. Published by Astro Artz, Inc., Los Angeles
BOB & BOB: A RETRO-SELECTIVE 1980-1986, text by Kristine McKenna, Peter Frank and Adolpho Nodal. 50pp with 28 color plates. Essay by Peter Frank, interview by Kristine McKenna. Published by Otis/Parson
BOB & BOB: 40 MONTHS/40 STORIES, 2016, essay by Andrew Berardini, notes by Llyn Foulkes, MITB Press/Artbook@Hauser Wirth
CREATING THE FUTURE: ART AND LOS ANGELES IN THE 1970’s, 2014, by Michael Fallon. Published by Counterpoint Press
ARTSPEAK: A GUIDE TO CONTEMPORARY ART: 1945-Present, 2013, edited by Robert Atkins. Published by Abbeville Press, New York, NY
PERFORMANCE ARTISTS TALKING IN THE EIGHTIES, 2000, edited by Linda M. Montano. Published by University of California Press
CATALOG LA: 1955 to 1985, edited by Catherine Grenier. Published by Chronicle Press
MAKING WET: The Magazine of Gourmet Bathing, 2012, by Leonard Koren. Published by Imperfect Publishing
PERFORMANCE ANTHOLOGY, 1985, edited by Carl Loeffler and Nancy Frank. Published by Contemporary Arts Press, San Francisco, CA
YOUNG TURKS, 1981, by Stephen Seemayer. Published by Astro Artz Inc., Los Angeles, CA
CATALOGS
UNDER THE BIG, BLACK SUN: CALIFORNIA ART 1974-1981, 2011, essays by Paul Schimmel, Lisa Gabrielle Mark, Frances Colpitt, Peter Frank and Thomas Crow. Published by MOCA, The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles
L.A.C.E.: THE LIVING ARCHIVE: SELECTED PUBLICATIONS & PRINT EPHEMERA FROM THE L.A.C.E. ARCHIVES 1978 – 2008, 2010, edited by Liz Kotz. Published by Lace (Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions)
COLLABORATION LABS: SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA ARTISTS IN THE ARTIST’S SPACE MOVEMENT, 2011, by Alex Donis. Published by 18th Street Arts Complex for The Getty Museum’s Pacific Standard Time
BIRTH OF AN ART CAPITAL: LOS ANGELES ART 1955-1985, 2006, edited by Catherine Grenier. Published by Centre Pompidou, Paris, France
L.A. RISING: SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA ARTISTS BEFORE 1980, 2010, by Lyn Kienholz with Barbara Isenberg and edited by Corinne Nelson, 2010. Published by the Getty Research Institute and the California International Arts Foundation
PUBLIC SPIRIT, 1980 catalog, organized by Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions (LACE), Highland Art Agency and High Performance Magazine
HUMOR IN ART, 1983, essay by John McCowsky. Published by Media Center, Buffalo, NY
PERFOTIJD, 1983 catalog, essay by W. Van Kempen. International Performance Art Festival organized by Lantaren Venster. Published by Lantaren Venster, Rotterdam and Amsterdam, Holland
ASSESSORATO ALLA CULTURA, 1984 and 1986. Catalog published by Duchessa di Galleria, Genova, Italy
NOVELS
CAPTIAN SQUID AND THE TENTACLE ROOM, 2020, by Michael McCall, Published by Fabrik Press, 2020
TWO PERFORMANCE ARTISTS KIDNAP THEIR BOSS AND DO THINGS WITH HIM, 2014, by Scotch Wichmann, Published by Freakshow Books (book dedication to Bob & Bob)
AN ARTIST FOR PRESIDENT, 2011, by Susanna Dakin, Published by Hyphen Books
THE DARK BOB
PERFORMANCE REVIEWS
There is no category of artist, which fully describes the Dark Bob. To his roots he is a painter. Yet he is also a media-manipulator; an artist whose palette is the public’s electronic consciousness, a model-actor, a producer, a bag-lady, a fledgling saint, a sybarite, a dramaturge, a filmmaker and a clown. His two-night stand in darkest Hollywood was only a surprise in the sense of its overwhelmingly inspirational quality of humorous, intense honesty.
-Lewis MacAdams, High Performance Magazine
To describe The Dark Bob as an artist or an entertainer doesn’t begin to tell the story of what he does, but it will do as a beginning. A freewheeling combination of Will Rogers, Marcel Duchamp and David Bowie, The Dark Bob embraces pop culture at the same time that he parodies it.
-Kristine McKenna, author, critic
Moving full speed against the grain of some cherished middle-American mores…The Dark Bob’s on stage antics can be quite shocking and down right threatening. He is a clone of none and follows in the footsteps of all… to create a blend of shock with controversy that is all wrapped up as entertainment.
-Greg Crawford, Philadelphia Tribune, The Perry Weekly
Inspired by influences diverse as Robert Rauschenberg, Dean Martin and Spiderman, The Dark Bob’s style recalls the pranksterism of Andy Kaufman, the sharp social commentary of the best stand-up comedy and the musical stylings of the incredibly strange variety (think of Esquivel, Elvis and Ennio Morricone turned inside out).
-Denise Sullivan, author, music critic, The San Francisco Examiner
The Dark Bob is a compelling performer. He has an open sensibility with a neat sense of the ironic, the witty and the lunatic. That’s apparently what it takes to make it through our times.
-Mike Steele, Minneapolis Star and Tribune
The Dark Bob, mutant man, stepped on stage cloaked in the persona of an anti-rock star singing lyrics of radical love. Watching his act is a bit like stepping back into the coffeehouse culture of the early 60’s and seeing it crossed with the hustling hipness of the brave new global village. With a pop persona that sardonically apes the American dream machine, DB moves easily from entertainer to nagging international conscience. It’s heavy stuff for a radical entertainer, but The Dark Bob transcends mushy wide-eyed do goodism, for a lot of reasons.
-Bob Hicks, The Oregonian, Portland
The Dark Bob has opted for passion over distanced irony, emotional intensity over conceptual cool, and the formality of ‘classic’ performance art over high-tech production. He has a deeply appealing, romantic idealism and a popular appeal because of his undaunted optimism and his belief in people. He has been dubbed a modern tribal voice for a global family.
-Jacki Apple, LA Weekly
His music is as hybrid as his stage persona. Middle Eastern chants, country western music and avant guard mannerisms are tied together by Brian Ferry-esque vocals that owe as much to the pathos of Merle Haggard and the crooning powers of Dean Martin as to the strident edge of the Clash.
-Colin Gardner, Santa Monica Evening Outlook
Prophet, poet or performance artist? One of the brightest lights I’m aware of shines through an artist who calls himself The Dark Bob.
-Cindy Lamb, LA Weekly
Performance artist The Dark Bob stylishly crossed over into the role of pop singer.
-Gregg Weger, Los Angeles Times
There is a combination of sensitivity and romance in DB’s performance of this material that is utterly gripping. Many in the audience around me clearly felt moved.
-Linda Frye Burnham, High Performance Magazine
The Dark Bob makes intense music that draws from myriad schools – country, rock, Middle Eastern, surf, avant-garde, industrial, and more – and comes up with a fascinating hybrid…you should listen.
-Natalie Nichols, L.A.WEEKLY
The Dark Bob is one of the Big Orange’s premier crossover mix master’s and a staple of the L.A. alternative art scene. His shows are notable for their emphasis on wit, narrative bent and his comfort with musical, verbal and theatrical reference. That’s PERFOTAINMENT!
-Peter Frank, LA Weekly
This frenetic performer seems to be double jointed in places where this author does not even have joints. All the better for The Dark Bob as he goes through his routine of on-stage painting, singing, dancing, movie-making and sorts through topics that range from politics to sex to death.
-Mike Steele, Minneapolis Star Tribune
His wild intermedia performances are legendary for their excitement. They embody the very spirit of ‘Pop’.
-Carl Loeffler, La Mammel, ArtCom Magazine
…witty…often riveting…something for everyone.
-Philip Brandes, Los Angeles Times
Yet another LA audience succumbs to The Dark Bob.
-Dianne Bates, Los Angeles Times (Calendar Section cover story)
A hilarious shtick that predates Ali G by 25 years
-New York Times
“THE DARK ALBUM, by seminal Los Angeles performance artist The Dark Bob, delivers an astonishing 23 song mash-up of musical styles that explores themes of remorse, renewal and redemption in a tour de force performance.” -Harvey Kubernik, Record Collector News
“Above all else, The Dark Bob is a storyteller, and every facet of his songs come together to create a narrative; the abiding subject of his stories is love, in all it’s permutations, and the dark forces that threaten it.”
-Denise Sullivan, music critic and author
“There is a combination of sensitivity and romance in DB’s performance of this material that is utterly gripping”
-Linda Frye Burnham, High Performance Magazine
“The Dark Bob is as much a staple of The L.A. alternative scene as anybody or anything that breathes smog and sings. But he’s not just any songster, mind you, but one who has always sung from the gut about gut wrenching stuff – be it the pain o’ love, the insanity o’ the world, or more arcane (if no less touching) topics – and who has drawn on an apparently bottomless well of musical styles and abilities.”
-Peter Frank, LA Weekly
“KINGDOM COME is a captivating listen, attractive and foreboding at the same time, with a lyrical bent more apocalyptic than polemic. Strong yet vulnerable vocals by Dark Bob spiced with lovelorn world weary crooning. The propulsive beat in the music would sound great in some hookah-induced backwater Kasbah…these 8 tracks pack a lot of clout when all’s said and done. Recommended.”
-Doppelganger, Land of Caterwauls Reviews, Amazon
“For a person interested in seeing how a broad range of musical styles from around the world can be merged, this a buy, no question.”
-Ben Baker, Indie-Music.com
MUSIC REVIEWS
“With UNCONTROLLABLE LOVE, The Dark Bob deals with two drives, one is the need to have fun, the other is the responsibility to act against human suffering. The Dark Bob is polished at manipulating both these drives. Bob becomes Super Bob, Caped Comedian, Savior of the Human Spirit!”
-G.P. Meyer, Music Connection
UNCONTROLLABLE LOVE is multi-layered, contextual and worthwhile…full of treats and surprises. And the amazing thing is, that in these freaked out days, I can listen to The Dark Bob and feel unafraid – ah, art!”
-Laura Weber, Vinyl Magazine
“I’ll never forget a day one summer in the late 80’s when someone gifted me the album UNCONTROLLABLE LOVE. I was blown away on the first listen. I wish I could convey what an absolute disgrace it is that so few people know about this unique talent. Wonderful music, wonderful voice filled with love. I’m so glad his music has been a part of my life.”
-Dan Williams, Amazon
“The Dark Bob is tranced-out as he sings. He wrings his hands and struts, dressed in feathers and a skirt, a poet-hero in his own mind, a Frank Sinatra from Mars. His performance is loaded with anthems and the feel of pageant in the power of his sound, his presence, volume and audacity. The audience seemed to hang on to every nuance of his performance with hand clapping and easy laughter.
-Carl Heyward, High Performance Magazine
“A brilliant tour de force…KABBALAMOBILE was a Masterpiece”
–Artweek
“Unforgettable…it felt like power and it felt like beauty”
–Los Angeles Herald Examiner
“Utterly thrilling”
–High Performance Magazine
“A triumph…a model for further new combinations of art forms”
–Artforum
“This suite of music/poems is unbelievably good. No poet has ever been heard or backed this well. I fell in love with the poems of Lewis McAdams in San Francisco in 1969, when I found his work in a ‘zine in North Beach. I even carried one of his poems with me for about 20 years. I have loved The Dark Bob most of my life and it’s just breathtaking how each and every one of his musical artworks is better than the last. What a glorious pleasure this is.”
-Linda Frye Burnham, HIGH PERFORMANCE MAGAZINE
“With performances, paintings, drawings, films and albums, Bob & Bob are fast becoming one of the quality acts of West Coast art. Just the notion of an “art team” carries with it a certain irreverence toward the presumed imperative of a solitary effort; irreverence that invokes the spirit of Dada but disguised in three-piece suits.
They are diviners of our most plastic selves; they are shamans posing as schlemiels as they navigate an ideological course that is absolute mainstream, only backwards.
The content on SIMPLE & EFFECTIVE is pure Bob & Bob, apparently ridiculous dalliances with philosophical inquiry and social comment. The music is clearly designed to sanitize the message and ingratiate the listener. It’s pop structure keeps one smug and unsuspecting. Then they flip into subversion virtually unnoticed, or at least until it’s too late.”
-Joan Hugo, Artweek
FURTHER BACKGROUND INFORMATION – 1974 – 82
During this time, The Dark Bob worked exclusively within the multi-media art team of Bob & Bob which he co-founded with artist Paul Velick in 1974 at the Art Center College of Design.
Although best known for their performances, the team produced drawings, paintings, sculptures, happenings, films, videos and records.
In addition to their wry political and social observations, Bob & Bob brought a much needed sense of humor to the early world of performance art and conceptual art.
Since the mid-80’s both Bobs have continued making art on their own and are always looking forward to an opportunity to collaborate.
Their visual artworks are in many public collections including New York’s Museum of Modern Art, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, L.A.’s Museum of Contemporary Art, and The Getty Museum.
The Dark Bob’s papers and archives are housed in The Smithsonian Institute’s Archives of American Art, as are the papers and archives of Bob & Bob.
Please visit the Bob & Bob website at: www.bobandbob.net
BOB & BOB REVIEW
Bob & Bob pulls a hardcore fan base. It was a special event, due to not only having a new book, but the fact is they are officially back together again to make new art. Bob & Bob work in mysterious ways. The two bicker a lot, but in a hysterical fashion. They tell jokes that fit in the art performance stance such as “I went to the dentist to get Matisse fixed.” My wife and I laughed very hard at that joke.
Bob & Bob are like an after-mint after a spicy meal. The work that they did in the 1970s and 1980s is just as fresh as in 2017. As they chatted away, my eyes were very much glued to the screen behind them showing their past as well as current work. The beauty of them is that they can do the performance material, but their art on paper, or as Bob says “their 2D work” is pretty superb. Accessible but clearly not dumb. Their drawings are cartoon like but done with such great wit and energy.
They met in art school (Art Center to be exact) and were turned off by the stuffiness of the arts at that time, and what they feel was a lack of humor and openness. Luck has it that they got early support from their teacher Llyn Foulkes, who in turn, they made a citizen arrest on him while he’s giving a class – but let bygones be bygones.
Bob & Bob are an art duo. Which means they make drawings, paintings, photographs, videos/films, art performances and of course, record albums. On the surface, one can describe them as not only an American but specifically a Los Angeles version of Gilbert & George. Yet, entirely different. Gilbert & George deal with the British world, Bob & Bob are more light, entertaining, and very American. Beyond that, there are no concrete comparisons between the two duos, except that they are a duo, they do art, and for the casual fan, it’s hard to tell the difference between Gilbert and George, and therefore the same for Bob & Bob.
Bob & Bob has been around since the 1970s, where they met in art school and decided to work together. What they have produced is quite remarkable, and I have to say the big aspect of them that I like is that they are fun. The fact that they are not serious is what makes them so valuable. Yet, I wouldn’t say humor is the only importance to this duo.
As far as I know, “Simple & Effective” is their first recording under the name of Bob & Bob. Recorded and released in 1978, the album came out of the Los Angeles art scene when it was very active. The album reflects not of its time, but more in the state of the Bob & Bob mental state. 14 songs that are funny, but also quite tuneful in that early Beatle mode of tunefulness. This is very much a statement by an art duo who looked beyond the art gallery to do their art.
-Tosh Berman, Semina Review