A late night of DMT experimentation would have been ideal to take in Dan Deacon + Jimmy Joe Roche’s Ultimate Reality. Unfortunately, as you know, there isn’t enough time in the universe to have schedules come off as initially planned. So as it was, I sat to view Ultimate Reality fresh from a deep R.E.M. sleep with lucid residuals still clanging around my skull.
In this frame I was able to absorb most of the eclectic, video-gameish mix of toy box rave music and Arnold Schwarzenegger movie clips. Yes, Schwarzenegger. Ultimate Reality commences with clips from Conan seen through a kaleidoscope gently eased with synth riffs and gentle bass, progressing to a seizure pace of pulsing pink and blue. The dreamlike state cushioned my senses and allowed the media to slide past the comprehending portions of my brain.
The entire 40-minutes, three complete pieces, of Ultimate Reality were unlike anything I’ve seen in some time, the second being the most pleasing, mixing a slow-paced beat with Schwarzenegger clips into a pregnant Terminator story. A unique aspect of Ultimate Reality is that it lacks a main menu, possibly out of fear a viewer would click back five seconds in. I guess it worked, as I viewed it all, even the bonus features which afford a humorous contrast to the main segments. Deacon, wrapped in green crepe paper, playing keyboard, with Roche, dressed in pink mechanic’s uniform, dancing non-stop behind him. It reminded me of when a family simultaneously purchases their first keyboard and video camera. Everything is a song; every moment must be caught on tape. As time passes, you too can manipulate your footage with a processor and a kaleidoscope to make a singular art piece.
