BY MYLES OAKEY
In 2008, a man held his breath underwater for 17 minutes and four seconds, setting a new world record. Six years earlier, the same performer deprived himself of sleep as he spent 35 hours on top of a 30-metre pillar, just 55 centimetres wide, without a safety net.
That man was David Blaine. And you’d be forgiven for thinking the American magician is at it again when I tell you that this January 14, an attempt will be made to play the bass for 24 hours, without sleep – livestreamed sunrise to sunrise – to set a new record for the longest bass solo. But this new record will be attempted by Australian musician Clayton Thomas, bassist and founder of the NOW now Festival.
The NOW now is an artist-run community initiative in Sydney that gives physical and symbolic space to “unpopular and generally othered musics” (as described by the festival), including improvised, exploratory, experimental, free, noise, and sound-art. The NOW now, Clayton tells us, is all about “the sharing of unique creative experiences, either created wholly in the moment, or to be experienced in the moment”.
Why is Clayton taking to his bass to push his physical and intellectual limits? The NOW now needs crowdfunded support – $20,000, in fact – to fund the festival and an ongoing monthly series yet to be revealed. And Clayton is halfway there, with less than two weeks to go. It’s a serious commitment, but Clayton says “the NOW now is more vital than ever”.
Now in its 16th year, the festival is a living part of Sydney’s music scene, diversifying with its artists and followers. But it’s not all good news.
“Sydney has gone through an enormous transformation in that time,” Clayton reflects.
“There used to be a vast network of unofficial spaces of some size, where concerts of all kinds of underground or under-the-radar music could be presented.
“The growth of real estate as the primary economic driver has meant on one hand that warehouse venues and large unoccupied spaces are now apartments, and on the other that the community of artists has been pushed into making decisions based on the cost of their life.
“There are fewer venues of any scale in which to work. There are fewer artists committed to work that has no commercial implications.”
Clayton argues the creativity and originality of this community struggles to breathe when pushed under and held down by the large money and large institutions behind such changes in Sydney. Yet, Clayton is an example of an artist who lives the music, and with your help is finding a way to keep this community alive in Sydney – even if life doesn’t allow the time and preparation needed
“I am a single parent right now, and I have a full-time job, on top of organising the majority of the needs of the NOW now festival. I haven’t therefore been able to do the slow, arduous preparation I might have liked,” Clayton shares.
“My preparation has been to take on any-and-all challenges being thrown at me – with a smile. This has included walking 5km with a Christmas tree on my back, bushwalking with my daughter on my shoulders, running every day, and trying to find time on the bass to develop approaches to duration playing.
“Essentially, much like the festival, it’s going to be in the moment where the problems get solved.”
You can support Clayton’s attempt to perform the world’s longest bass solo by contributing to his GoFundMe campaign.
Image supplied.
