The KRAB Archive
Jack Straw - The Naming of a Foundation
From The Nun’s Priest’s Tale
So hydous was the noyse, a benedicitee!
Certes, he Jakke Straw and his meynee
Ne made nevere shoutes half so shrille
Whan that they wolden any Flemyng kille,
As thilke day was madde upon the fox.
Of bras they broghten bemes, and of box,
Of horn, of boon, in whiche they blewe and powped,
And therwithal they skriked and they howped,
It semed as they hevene sholde falle.
From The Radio Papers: From KRAB to KCHU by Lorenzo Milam
The name Jack Straw has several appeals for us. Naturally, we delight in the obscurity of it. It refers to a trouble-making peasant type who, in 1381, led a riot against the Flemish inhabitants of London for nothing less mundane than economic reasons; but, better, is associated in Chaucer with the absolute confusion and demi-philosophical statements of Chaunticleer and Dame Pertelote under attack of the fox who, in turn, was under attack of the entire farmyard of the ‘povre wydwe, somdeel stape in age.’ Figure that one out.
Jack Straw bodes good for KRAB; with outside help we may be able to escape the inordinate confusion of our farmyard studios. We are sometimes revolted by our poverty and dream – as we have said – of glistening studios with miracle equipment and a transmitter lost somewhere in the clouds of faultless transmission and wild improbable plans. We will refuse, of course, adamantly, to give up the confusion of our quasi-philosophical stance – that is the nature of KRAB and Dame Pertelote.
April 1964
"So hydous was the noyse..."
Noise, litteral or figurative, appears to be a kind of measure of success. The April 1964 article Lorenzo wrote for Puget Soundings has this injunction: "In the pursuit of silence, let there be a great deal of noise". He also quotes himself from the first anniversary program guide essay: "ET SEMEL EMISSUM VOLAT IRREVOCABILE VERBUM", which he translates as "Unfortunately for us, when a word is let out of the cage, it cannot be whistled back again nohow."
In 1988 he described his publication The Fessenden Review as The Noisiest Book Review In The Known World. Recently he has published a collection of reviews and essays from RALPH (The Review of Arts, Literature, Philosophy, and the Humanities) and described it similarly.
If you listen to his interview of John Cage, you will hear much confusion regarding Cage's quasi-philosophical stance as to the absence of silence and presence of noise.
If you possess any souvenirs (program guides, tapes, or photos) or have a story about your experience with KRAB you are willing to share, please email archive@krabarchive.com