Monday, November 19, 2007

Logo #109: Sleep Chamber

The forwards-backwards E logo was created by Sleep Chamber frontman - and sometime railway conductor - John Zewizz in 1983. This particular design was around by the time of the 1990 cassette "Sweet Dreams Sweet," but possibly used some years earlier. For most of the '80s, Boston's Sleep Chamber were the public face of many types of phenomenon now labeled "alternative" and "primitive": piercings, transgressive sex, occult studies, BDSM and fetish manifestations and couture. And this is back when such things were essentially frightening and sincerely bizarre to the world at-large. Restless and incessantly ahead of their time, they're largely forgotten now despite dozens of releases and just as many band members. Paradoxically, their instrumental work has aged remarkably well while their more song-oriented work has rightfully languished in no small part because of the intensely hokey (albeit earnest) lyrics. Their CD "Symphony Sexualis" is in large part responsible for this blahg and everything surrounding my interest in interesting culture and I shall be forever fond of the big terror and creativity Sleep Chamber once wielded. Zewizz is currently incommunicado but reports circulate that he was seen at the PTV3 live action in Boston in mid-2007 and promises new Sleep Chamber material any minute now. Seriously. Any minute now. Just you wait. You'll see.

Somewhat relatedly, "Born With A Nervous Breakdown" by Phantom/Ghost is the Song of the Moment.

1 comment:

SLEEPCHAMBER said...

Thankyou for such a 'good read'...interesting. The "Double E"..iz taken from sandscript it means "Forever & Eturnity". Az far az SLEEPCHAMBER goez..I have put out 5 CDs since 2007..and its just turned 2016 I'm half way thru a solo CD "SEXUALLY TOO STIMULATING"...the reason VIMEO deleated My Channel (on their Nude network) ov 276 videos...then excepted Me back after some constructive points made...see "FEVER" on vimeo now..(or u-tube)......JOHN ZEWIZZ